I got my first Christmas card yesterday. It was from my Aunt Bonnie, and it was spectacularly special. I send cards out every year, both personally and from my business. It's quite a project! Though I must admit that I'm indeed exceptionally organized and have card...

He’s making a list, and checking it twice, gonna find out who’s naughty or nice. Everyone knows that Santa is always watching. He sees you when you’re sleeping; he knows when you’re awake. As creepy as this might seem, it’s a good reminder to forego being naughty and...

If you have not yet participated in Small Business Saturday, you might still have seen its signs in small businesses in your neighborhood.What is Small Business Saturday?Small Business Saturday is the Saturday after Thanksgiving to support small businesses. It was...

Here are 3 salient examples of why we need to constantly thank the veterans in our industry for their support, service and generosity. (I thought this post would be fitting for today, since it's Veteran's Day). Recently, my wife & I visited a store in Ohio and...

Running a shipping store in a very diverse college town, I see a lot of absentee ballots being mailed, and a lot of first time voters--both young adults looking toward a future full of potential, excited to have their voice heard and recognized, and also a fair share...

I was truly honored to be invited to speak to high school students for their annual Shadow Day program, where they go out into the workplace and shadow different careers, so that they can decide if their chosen career path is, in fact, right for them. It allows them...

This past week, I had a conversation with an account executive at Yelp, to discuss my advertising experience with the company. I brought several positive and negative factors to light during our conversation. After I concluded my feedback, Kelly (from Yelp) kindly...

Aah, comfort. Comfort can be delightful. The highlight of my day is going home, putting on my jammies, and snuggling up with a big fluffy blanket … especially now, as nights are becoming crisper and autumn moves in to upstate New York. When we're comfortable, we can...

Last week, I was honored to be invited as a guest lecturer for a marketing class at Medaille College in Buffalo. The class consisted mostly of working adults who were furthering their education to get ahead in their chosen careers. I met with the professor the day...

Dear Uncle Marty, I was in your marketing class at the Retail Shipping Expo a few weeks ago in Las Vegas and was interested when you were talking about music in the store. I never really thought about that as important. I usually just play the radio or talk radio....

A game changer is "a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way." It was a privilege and pleasure to see so many of you at the 2016 Retail Shippers Expo in Las Vegas in August! This year, Expo was extra...

On Labor Day, I had a flight back from Fort Lauderdale to Buffalo, enjoying the ride with my teen aged son. He was frantically finishing his summer reading assignment and I was relishing in the fact that I could annoy him on the plane and let him know that he...

The topic of store blogs came up time and time again at the recent Retail Shippers Expo in Las Vegas. It's very encouraging to hear of so many stores starting and maintaining really great blogs, and reaping the benefits! Blogs are a core teaching of Fahim's in his...

Did you know your packages are guaranteed to arrive on time or they are free?? YES… the whole #ifitslateitsfree motto applies to the shipping world as well! When UPS and FedEx deliver a package after the guaranteed time, you are entitled to a refund credit for the...

As you've likely gathered by now, most of us on the AMBC Board of Directors are outright podcast junkies. I have my favorite podcasts, and among them is a fairly new gem from Gimlet Media, Surprisingly Awesome. This delightful show takes a seemingly mundane...

Two weeks ago, I presented several breakout sessions on social media at the Retail Shippers Expo in Vegas. During most of my sessions, I talked about the attitude of gratitude (or, as I called it, #AttitudeOfGratitude). It's important to note that attitude, not...

I'm traveling today, headed home after an amazing week in Vegas at the Retail Shippers Expo. I'll have a formal follow-up article on Expo in the next issue of MBC Today, but have to share my overwhelm with you now. Perhaps "overwhelm" isn't the proper word. I believe...