"What the Kitchen Knows"

Hey Everyone:

Greetings from my part of the world. I realized the other day that May is now half over and that means the year is nearly half over. If you’re like me, June is a time to reflect on annual goals and measure results, and make adjustments. Hard to believe it’s almost time to do that. Where did the time go? Wherever it went, I know I’ve had some fun this year, and I’ve been productive in my business. I hope it’s the same for you.

Most people know that I love to bake and cook, and I’m no stranger to new recipes. I’m not afraid to try something new. Ever! In fact, I read cookbooks and cooking magazines like most people read a good novel. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good murder mystery, but I also love recipes.

Why? Maybe it’s because a recipe takes me on a journey. It provides a roadmap, and it has rules. But it’s not so stringent that I can’t take a detour now and then.

By that, I mean for me, a recipe is more of a guideline than anything else. If I don’t have a particular ingredient, I know I can substitute something similar. And if I don’t like a certain spice, most of the time I can leave that out. I also know there are lots of different ways to cook the ingredients and still end up with a delicious dish. In essence, the roadmap will get me to where I want to go, but I can take a detour and still get to the same place.

One day I was in the kitchen with a new stir fry recipe. I was excited because I had a hankering for Thai food, and Pad Thai sounded delicious. BUT I didn’t have shrimp. I had chicken and decided that would have to do. I also needed Tamarind Paste, but didn’t even know what that was. I soon learned I could substitute rice vinegar instead. Whew! And finally, the recipe called for eggs. Well, I’m allergic to eggs, so I left them out.

And you know what? My Pad Thai a la Mary Vosika turned out pretty good. In fact, I thought it was terrific.

That got me thinking. I used the recipe as a roadmap, but I also made some detours. I took a chance and ended up with something enjoyable. And I had fun doing it. That was the best part.

It occurred to me then that creating marketing strategies and writing content was a lot like trying a new recipe. Each and every week I come to the table with new strategies and new content that I’m anxious to try. Sometimes I go with a certain strategy exactly as planned, and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I change it up and sometimes I replace it entirely. And at the end of the day, it’s the results I’m looking for. How did it turn out? What went right? What could be improved?

Marketing is just like baking and cooking. I try new things. I change things up. I even forget or leave things out. And then I try again.

I believe the kitchen knows a lot, and there are valuable lessons to learn.

I’d love to share those lessons with you. So, I’ve decided to write a series called, “What the Kitchen Knows.” My goal is to learn the lessons and translate those into valuable marketing tips. In fact, I’m working now to gather some recipes and run to the kitchen. I expect this experience to be insightful and a whole lot of fun. And I look forward to sharing this with you!

Be on the lookout for the very first issue of “What the Kitchen Knows”, beginning in June. In the meantime, get into your own kitchen, try out a recipe, go on the journey, and see if it teaches you a lesson.

Until then, here’s to marketing in a whole new way!