1 00:00:01,420 --> 00:00:02,350 Starting now. 2 00:00:03,050 --> 00:00:07,270 Commonalities where guests find common ground through uncommon 3 00:00:07,290 --> 00:00:10,910 conversations, politics, religion, finances, 4 00:00:11,010 --> 00:00:14,590 all the topics your grandmother told you not to discuss with friends. 5 00:00:14,930 --> 00:00:17,550 And now your host, Matthew Dowling, 6 00:00:17,770 --> 00:00:20,590 and today's guests on commonalities. 7 00:00:22,460 --> 00:00:26,190 Thanks for joining us on Commonalities Today. I'm your host, Matt Dowling, 8 00:00:26,190 --> 00:00:29,190 alongside a wonderful guest we have today, 9 00:00:29,190 --> 00:00:33,750 Tracy Alexandria Lynch. She's an entrepreneur, an author, 10 00:00:33,750 --> 00:00:35,470 and a coach. Um, 11 00:00:35,770 --> 00:00:39,750 she has a lot of experience in a wide range of fields. 12 00:00:39,750 --> 00:00:42,990 Everything from healthcare, operations, finance, 13 00:00:43,370 --> 00:00:48,110 post-secondary education, nonprofits and social services and telecom. 14 00:00:48,670 --> 00:00:53,550 She's a proven influential leader who has mastered business 15 00:00:53,550 --> 00:00:58,550 mentoring, coaching strategy, funnel development, fundraising strategies, 16 00:00:58,690 --> 00:01:01,990 forecasting and business model design. 17 00:01:02,490 --> 00:01:05,750 And she's a critical thinker, natural entrepreneur, 18 00:01:06,670 --> 00:01:11,590 creative innovator with an expanding and global mindset. 19 00:01:11,670 --> 00:01:14,430 Tracy, thank you so much for being with us today. 20 00:01:14,850 --> 00:01:17,130 Thank you for having me, Matt. Appreciate. 21 00:01:17,130 --> 00:01:17,240 It. 22 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,970 I want wanted to give you the opportunity here at the start of the show to do a 23 00:01:20,970 --> 00:01:22,970 little bit of a self introduction. 24 00:01:22,970 --> 00:01:26,130 I know I hit some of the bullet points from your biography, 25 00:01:26,130 --> 00:01:30,250 but why don't you tell us and my listeners a little bit about yourself, Tracy? 26 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:35,650 Well, I am originally from Illinois, from Aurora, Illinois. 27 00:01:36,380 --> 00:01:40,490 Um, I was born and raised there, and, um, 28 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:44,570 grew up in a, a modest home, um, 29 00:01:44,570 --> 00:01:48,810 that taught me a lot about gardening. And, uh, 30 00:01:48,810 --> 00:01:52,330 I think my father was an original ecos and, um, 31 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:57,010 recycler even before we knew what that was. Um, 32 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,760 I loved education from the very, very beginning. 33 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,160 I taught myself to read when I was three or four years old. Um, 34 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:09,960 so I've always loved the written word. I love teaching, sharing, ideas, 35 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:11,680 innovation, invention, 36 00:02:12,460 --> 00:02:15,960 and I'm just getting to the point of my life after I've, you know, I have, uh, 37 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:20,240 I went to college for, uh, communications and I took a, 38 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:24,840 an MBA as well. Um, and I've, like you said, I've worked in a variety of fields, 39 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:29,800 but I've always been on a path where I kind of just did the next logical thing. 40 00:02:30,860 --> 00:02:35,440 And it's just now that I'm getting around to my passions 41 00:02:35,940 --> 00:02:38,240 and living this life the way I really want to do it. 42 00:02:38,700 --> 00:02:43,600 And that includes accomplishing what I was actually set here to 43 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:45,920 do, not just the next thing. 44 00:02:46,210 --> 00:02:50,320 So I'm excited to have been the recipient of this information, 45 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:54,320 and I'm so happy to be passionate about it because I think it's really a timely 46 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:55,153 message. 47 00:02:56,950 --> 00:03:00,200 So today, I know we're going to be talking about, uh, 48 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:04,000 a new book that you have out, and that is Dono, uh, 49 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:06,320 creating a sustainable experience. 50 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:10,080 And for those that aren't well versed in Latin, like myself, 51 00:03:10,470 --> 00:03:15,440 Dono is Latin for, uh, for gift. So we're talking about, 52 00:03:15,450 --> 00:03:17,800 uh, gift giving, gift giving, 53 00:03:18,060 --> 00:03:22,880 and creating a sustainable experience through that. Um, 54 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:26,560 why don't you tell me why you decided to write this book and why you're so 55 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,080 passionate about, uh, about this issue? 56 00:03:30,230 --> 00:03:34,640 Well, um, my husband and I, we share a, a green mindset, and my son, 57 00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:39,400 who's a co-writer on the book also as well, and he was raised that way. Um, 58 00:03:39,660 --> 00:03:44,360 I'm not exactly sure how I stumbled into this exact 59 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:48,480 concept, but I'm wired to solve problems, 60 00:03:48,970 --> 00:03:51,600 provide simple solutions to big problems. 61 00:03:52,100 --> 00:03:55,480 And somehow my concern about this, 62 00:03:55,770 --> 00:03:57,600 it just morphed into this book. 63 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:01,880 And I began to study and we began to bounce ideas around, 64 00:04:02,020 --> 00:04:05,120 and the problem was so much bigger than we thought. 65 00:04:05,780 --> 00:04:08,560 And I think it's bigger than most people think. 66 00:04:09,060 --> 00:04:11,760 And when I started talking to people about it, they're like, 67 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:16,400 they had no idea of the magnitude of this issue, um, 68 00:04:16,510 --> 00:04:20,400 this. So I think that that's why, um, 69 00:04:21,690 --> 00:04:25,340 it's so important. It's so important to me because the, 70 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:30,580 the act of gift giving the way it is today is non-sustainable for the 71 00:04:30,580 --> 00:04:31,413 planet. 72 00:04:31,930 --> 00:04:36,100 Back in the days of settlers and Little House on the Prairie and Laura Engels 73 00:04:36,100 --> 00:04:39,780 Wilder, when Paul got a hat and Laura got a trust, 74 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:44,500 and mom got a handkerchief wrapped in craft paper with a piece of 75 00:04:44,500 --> 00:04:45,310 twine. 76 00:04:45,310 --> 00:04:50,140 We have come so far from that not providing what people need 77 00:04:50,150 --> 00:04:52,420 or even exactly what they want, 78 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,500 but we shop with the idea of surprise in mind of, 79 00:04:56,710 --> 00:05:00,340 of creating a wow factor. And a lot of times that falls flat. 80 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:05,060 And so the only way to fix the gift giving issue, 81 00:05:05,100 --> 00:05:08,100 which causes the planet so much havoc and waste, 82 00:05:08,590 --> 00:05:13,580 is to collect our consciousness together and co and do one thing 83 00:05:13,580 --> 00:05:16,180 that solves the problem. Um, 84 00:05:18,100 --> 00:05:20,020 logistics is designed, go ahead. 85 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,070 Oh, no, no, no. I, I didn't mean to cut you off. 86 00:05:23,070 --> 00:05:27,670 I was just going to say kind of an example of what you're talking about, um, 87 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:32,030 in sustainable gift giving. Um, you know, 88 00:05:32,030 --> 00:05:33,830 I'll give you a good example and a bad example. 89 00:05:33,860 --> 00:05:36,870 I have a nine year old and a 10 year old that, uh, 90 00:05:36,870 --> 00:05:40,790 both got cell phones and they got their second laptop. 91 00:05:40,790 --> 00:05:44,870 They're now on their second laptop. They've got, their first ones about five. 92 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:50,190 So now we have old laptops that have to go someplace. They have to be discarded, 93 00:05:50,190 --> 00:05:53,950 and they're really not of any value anymore. Um, you know, 94 00:05:53,950 --> 00:05:58,920 so maybe that's an example of non-sustainable gift giving where we're 95 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:02,520 buying these things that, you know, are once, but it's, 96 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:06,120 it's not really good for the environment, um, 97 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,440 that we live in afterwards. I, I think maybe a, 98 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:13,400 a good example of sustainable gift giving is, uh, 99 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:17,200 is something my wife has started to do, and I, and I love these gifts. 100 00:06:17,340 --> 00:06:18,280 She has a cricket, 101 00:06:18,420 --> 00:06:23,160 and so she makes household goods for a lot of our family members that are 102 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:25,360 personalized in some way. Yeah. Um, 103 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:29,200 but it's something that that individual probably would've gone out and purchased 104 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:32,960 on their own or would've used, uh, otherwise. 105 00:06:33,370 --> 00:06:37,480 So it's not something that's just grandiose and out here and 106 00:06:37,540 --> 00:06:40,920 extravagant. It's an item that, uh, that's personalized, 107 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:45,160 whether it be a cheeseboard or Right. You know, a, a little cup. 108 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:48,920 We did cheese Your bathroom to hold Your, your stuff, things like that. Yeah, 109 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:53,470 we did those for Christmas know, so those are, yeah. 110 00:06:53,470 --> 00:06:57,030 So we, we took out the, uh, the hobby of wood burning. Uh, 111 00:06:57,030 --> 00:07:01,150 so we cut out the stencil and the cricket and then used the wood burner on the 112 00:07:01,150 --> 00:07:05,110 cheese boards. I'm not sure if you did that a similar way, but, um, 113 00:07:05,370 --> 00:07:10,310 but so those are some examples of the good and bad, as far as I see it in, 114 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:12,710 in gift giving. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So I didn't mean to cut you off. 115 00:07:12,710 --> 00:07:17,390 There. Oh, no worries. And I think you're, you're absolutely right. Um, 116 00:07:18,450 --> 00:07:20,990 and we wanted, wanted to be careful in this message, 117 00:07:21,530 --> 00:07:24,910 not to step on people's toes and, and tell, 118 00:07:24,910 --> 00:07:27,710 and send the message that we don't want you to be consumers. 119 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:30,870 We don't want you to have the things that you want and need. 120 00:07:30,870 --> 00:07:35,590 That is not the message. The message is not to stop shopping to not, 121 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:37,230 it is not to, um, 122 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:41,390 to buy the things that your children and your family needs. 123 00:07:41,540 --> 00:07:42,750 That is not the message. 124 00:07:43,530 --> 00:07:47,390 Our message is gifting is a wonderful experience. 125 00:07:47,390 --> 00:07:51,550 It's built on tradition, it's fun, it is enjoyable, 126 00:07:51,650 --> 00:07:56,110 and we want to keep that going. We just want to do a better job. 127 00:07:56,740 --> 00:08:01,190 88% of people think that when you buy a gift and someone takes it back to the 128 00:08:01,190 --> 00:08:01,660 store, 129 00:08:01,660 --> 00:08:05,710 that they are gonna put that on the shelf and resell it to the next consumer. 130 00:08:06,020 --> 00:08:06,990 This is false. 131 00:08:07,780 --> 00:08:11,350 Most of those returns are going to end up in a landfill. 132 00:08:12,230 --> 00:08:15,590 There are so many, there's five, let's see, 133 00:08:15,700 --> 00:08:20,640 5.8 billion tons of returns end up in the 134 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:24,600 landfill every year. So that's, that's almost 6 billion tons of returns. 135 00:08:24,730 --> 00:08:29,640 There's 16 million metric tons of CO2 that are used to produce those 136 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:31,320 gifts that end up in the landfill. 137 00:08:31,540 --> 00:08:36,240 And there's another 16 million metric tons of CO2 used 138 00:08:36,550 --> 00:08:41,440 just to move them to the landfill. That's incredible. 139 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:46,320 These gifts are made out of glass, metal, plastics, 140 00:08:46,610 --> 00:08:50,200 natural goods, plant materials, animal materials, 141 00:08:50,740 --> 00:08:53,760 and they're going straight into the landfill. 142 00:08:53,890 --> 00:08:56,600 There's some gifts that can never be resold, 143 00:08:57,060 --> 00:09:00,240 but the problem with this is, and then I'll tell you what, 144 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,160 what I think sustainable gifting is, the problem with this is, 145 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:05,320 is logistics was designed to move from one, 146 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:08,400 from the manufacturer to the consumer. 147 00:09:08,850 --> 00:09:13,560 It was not designed to move from the consumer back 148 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,680 to the manufacturer, not even back to the seller. 149 00:09:18,190 --> 00:09:19,280 Once you do that, 150 00:09:19,450 --> 00:09:23,400 imagine everyone driving to work on the highway, 151 00:09:24,420 --> 00:09:27,320 and except we're all driving backwards. 152 00:09:28,550 --> 00:09:32,540 Imagine the energy, the fear, the concern, 153 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:35,700 how slow that would happen, the accident, 154 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:38,460 and would we get the end result that we're looking for, 155 00:09:38,460 --> 00:09:42,580 which is to arrive at the destination safely that we intended at the time we 156 00:09:42,740 --> 00:09:44,940 intended to, is almost impossible. 157 00:09:45,850 --> 00:09:48,880 So we know that it costs a ma, uh, seller, 158 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:53,800 66% of the sale price of that item to go through the 159 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:54,760 return process. 160 00:09:55,890 --> 00:10:00,720 So it many times is cheaper for the seller 161 00:10:01,170 --> 00:10:04,200 to simply say, keep it discarded, 162 00:10:04,730 --> 00:10:09,400 or they'll take the return as far as the warehouse, and then they'll discard it, 163 00:10:09,580 --> 00:10:11,560 and then they will simply ship a new one, 164 00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:16,520 because it takes manpower at every step of that rever reversal to make it 165 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:17,880 happen. Does that make sense? 166 00:10:19,010 --> 00:10:21,640 It, yeah. In, in my, my, uh, 167 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:26,480 listeners that shop on Amazon on a regular basis, like I tend to do, 168 00:10:27,090 --> 00:10:27,923 um, 169 00:10:27,950 --> 00:10:32,880 they are probably have received a return message at some point in time when 170 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:37,160 you try to return something because it comes in incorrect or it's not exactly 171 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:41,040 what you were looking for, where the seller is saying, Hey, you know, 172 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:44,400 that's great, we'll refund you, but just keep the item's. 173 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:48,040 And it's because of the issue that we're discussing right now. Uh, 174 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:52,000 and really we're getting to the topic of reverse logistics, 175 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:54,640 but we have to get to our first break. So when we come back, 176 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:59,640 we'll be talking more about reverse logistics and sustainable gift 177 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:01,000 giving. Stick with us. 178 00:11:04,870 --> 00:11:09,480 You're listening to commonalities where guests find common ground through 179 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:11,000 uncommon conversations. 180 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:14,840 We'll be back after this brief break to recognize our sponsors. 181 00:11:16,930 --> 00:11:21,320 Is your business using analog strategies in a digital marketing world? 182 00:11:21,730 --> 00:11:22,400 If so, 183 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:27,160 then contact Matthew or Rebecca Dowling at Coordinated 360 for a 184 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:31,160 professional consultation where we bring in-depth knowledge and functional 185 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:33,040 expertise with a holistic perspective. 186 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:38,640 Coordinated 360 provides digital marketing, paid ad and media buying services, 187 00:11:38,700 --> 00:11:43,600 web design, social media management, video production, and more for businesses, 188 00:11:43,620 --> 00:11:48,120 organizations, and political campaigns with decades of experience. 189 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:52,680 Matt and Becky at Coordinated 360 can help you craft your unique message 190 00:11:52,780 --> 00:11:54,400 and share it with the world. 191 00:11:54,580 --> 00:11:58,040 For a no risk media evaluation and recommendations, 192 00:11:58,270 --> 00:12:02,320 call 7 2 4 3 2 0 22 12, 193 00:12:02,610 --> 00:12:04,600 or visit us online at 194 00:12:05,220 --> 00:12:09,960 www.coordinatedthreesixty.com. 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Again, 242 00:14:56,680 --> 00:15:00,760 that is donate.commonalities.online on the worldwide web. 243 00:15:00,980 --> 00:15:04,840 Buy our host a cup of coffee or help pay for airtime at donate dot 244 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:05,960 commonalities. Online. 245 00:15:10,510 --> 00:15:15,120 You're listening to commonalities on five 90 w MBS 1 0 1 0.1 246 00:15:15,330 --> 00:15:19,400 fm, and any place you download your favorite podcast, I'm your host, 247 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:23,720 Matt Dowling. My guest today is Tracy Alexandria Lynch. 248 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:25,960 She's an entrepreneur, author, and coach, 249 00:15:26,300 --> 00:15:29,440 and she is a recent book out Donna, 250 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:32,920 creating a Sustainable Experience. 251 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:37,760 And we're talking about sustainable gift giving. And this is, uh, 252 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:38,760 this is kind of a, 253 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:42,600 an appropriate time to talk about this because we just went through the holiday 254 00:15:42,610 --> 00:15:46,480 seasons, whether you celebrate Christmas or, uh, 255 00:15:46,730 --> 00:15:50,360 or if you're Jewish and celebrate Hanukkah or even, uh, 256 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:53,000 those that celebrate, uh, Kwanza, et cetera. 257 00:15:53,250 --> 00:15:56,080 There's a lot of gift giving that happens in the month of December. 258 00:15:56,090 --> 00:16:01,080 So January becomes the time when a lot of returns are taking place. 259 00:16:01,540 --> 00:16:04,760 But, and, and I know we're gonna get to this in a moment, uh, 260 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:09,600 January is not the only time of the year when returns from gifts 261 00:16:09,860 --> 00:16:13,640 are a problem. So I'll let you get to that in just a moment. Uh, 262 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:14,760 before we went to the break, 263 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:18,880 we started talking about the buzzword reverse logistics, 264 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:23,600 and that's really all operations that are related to the upstream 265 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:27,600 movement of products and materials. So, uh, Tracy, 266 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:32,360 tell me a little bit more about your vision, uh, your book, 267 00:16:32,860 --> 00:16:36,920 and the idea of, uh, of sustainable gift giving. 268 00:16:37,470 --> 00:16:42,120 Okay, awesome. So we were, we briefly touched on, 269 00:16:42,370 --> 00:16:46,640 uh, sustainable gifting and what components go into that. 270 00:16:47,100 --> 00:16:51,960 And I, one, when we wrote this book, we wanted to keep it short, 271 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:53,560 punchy to the, to the facts, 272 00:16:53,900 --> 00:16:56,480 and we didn't wanna have a lot of fluff in it so people would, 273 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:59,120 it would be easier for people to download and adapt. 274 00:16:59,820 --> 00:17:02,800 And even with a sustainable gifting experience, 275 00:17:03,090 --> 00:17:04,920 we want that to be easy as well. 276 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:09,800 We don't want one more thing that people have to do to make this happen. Um, 277 00:17:09,870 --> 00:17:14,600 people spend about 15 hours shopping for Christmas gifts. Um, 278 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:18,800 if they follow the principles in the book, they can save about 75% of that time. 279 00:17:18,970 --> 00:17:22,160 There's all types of psychology that goes around gift giving. 280 00:17:22,390 --> 00:17:25,400 I don't know what to get. I don't know if they're gonna be happy with it. 281 00:17:25,510 --> 00:17:27,080 I don't know how much I should spend. 282 00:17:27,340 --> 00:17:31,280 I'm buying because they bought me something. There's so much that goes into it. 283 00:17:31,620 --> 00:17:35,040 But the bottom line of sustainable gift giving is this, 284 00:17:36,490 --> 00:17:37,980 know your audience. 285 00:17:38,890 --> 00:17:42,780 Know what the person you're buying for wants. 286 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,180 And, uh, we, we, um, 287 00:17:46,810 --> 00:17:50,320 talk about this in the book by using the folklore Santa, right. 288 00:17:50,540 --> 00:17:52,480 And we know that Santa is folklore, 289 00:17:52,860 --> 00:17:57,560 but Santa had it going on a little bit because he did two very important things. 290 00:17:58,610 --> 00:18:02,480 He asked you exactly what you wanted, right? 291 00:18:03,530 --> 00:18:04,363 And then. 292 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:06,710 So you made your list, and he had it. 293 00:18:06,890 --> 00:18:09,790 And he had it. He knew the brand, he knew the size. 294 00:18:09,870 --> 00:18:12,950 There was no getting this wrong. He doesn't like Polkadots, 295 00:18:12,950 --> 00:18:15,510 she doesn't like stripes. That's not what she asked me for, 296 00:18:15,510 --> 00:18:16,590 even if it's on sale. 297 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:22,070 So he ch he asked what you want, and then he checked his list, 298 00:18:22,070 --> 00:18:25,670 and then what did he do? He checked it twice. Okay, period. 299 00:18:25,970 --> 00:18:30,270 But then, but then you run into the problem as, as an adult, 300 00:18:30,270 --> 00:18:34,590 when Santa is taken out of the equation, and now I have adult siblings, 301 00:18:34,590 --> 00:18:36,950 two sisters that I need to buy for, 302 00:18:36,950 --> 00:18:40,230 and I wanna get them something that they want, that they need, 303 00:18:40,230 --> 00:18:42,750 that they'll appreciate mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, you know, 304 00:18:42,750 --> 00:18:46,510 but my mind works different than theirs. So, you know, how do you, 305 00:18:46,810 --> 00:18:49,190 how do you suppose we have a crystal ball. 306 00:18:49,220 --> 00:18:50,950 I know you're saying know your audience, 307 00:18:51,290 --> 00:18:55,990 but do you have any tips on telling us how to know what gifts are good 308 00:18:55,990 --> 00:18:57,070 gifts to give for people? 309 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:02,230 Oh, absolutely. So it's, it's very, very simple. We ask them, 310 00:19:02,870 --> 00:19:07,110 Santa doesn't surprise when those kids get that they're not surprised. 311 00:19:07,110 --> 00:19:08,550 They're what? They're delighted. 312 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:13,510 They're delighted that Santa listened and they're excited to receive the gift. 313 00:19:13,510 --> 00:19:14,390 That's delight, 314 00:19:15,590 --> 00:19:20,150 surprise is trying to give somebody something that they would not expect you to 315 00:19:20,150 --> 00:19:23,180 get them. That's where we are missing the ball. 316 00:19:23,180 --> 00:19:26,740 Anytime you hold up something on your way out of TJ Max and you say, 317 00:19:26,740 --> 00:19:31,500 I wonder what they like this, you have already put it down, 318 00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:36,260 sweetheart. You have already <laugh> gone too far. 319 00:19:36,260 --> 00:19:39,420 Do not take that to the register with you because there's a maybe in it. 320 00:19:39,990 --> 00:19:44,100 So we have worksheets in the book that help you to get to know your person. 321 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:49,100 And so in your, we're building a app that'll have the same platform in it. Um, 322 00:19:49,100 --> 00:19:52,540 and it'll be your circle that's around you. So you just keep your, 323 00:19:52,540 --> 00:19:56,980 your worksheet. It'll tell you their colors. Fragrances, 324 00:19:56,980 --> 00:20:00,620 this is great for husbands who can't remember their wife's sizes. 325 00:20:00,810 --> 00:20:04,060 They can't remember that wonderful flower that she loves, 326 00:20:04,060 --> 00:20:07,460 that she has to ask her sister and her friend. Well, is it a, 327 00:20:07,460 --> 00:20:11,940 is it a a rose or is it a, you know, uh, hydrangea, 328 00:20:12,230 --> 00:20:15,620 no. He, he will already know what fragrance. 329 00:20:15,620 --> 00:20:19,140 That just got, that just got me in trouble because I said to my wife, 330 00:20:19,430 --> 00:20:23,780 do you know so-and-so's favorite flower is, uh, a daffodil? 331 00:20:23,780 --> 00:20:28,020 And it is. And, and I know because this person always buys on daffodil days, 332 00:20:28,550 --> 00:20:32,660 um, you know, an absurd amount of daffodils for the cancer society. 333 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:35,460 But my wife then said to me, well, 334 00:20:35,500 --> 00:20:40,380 we've been married for over 12 years, what's my favorite flower? And, 335 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:44,820 and I didn't know that's, there you go. You know, so there you go. 336 00:20:44,820 --> 00:20:45,660 So this would help me. 337 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:49,920 And then, then what's her, what's her favorite fragrance? You know, 338 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:54,800 is someone allergic to some things? Um, if you have nieces, nephews, 339 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:59,520 children keeping their sizes, so grandma's not calling your, 340 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:03,320 your sister saying, Hey, what, what, um, size do you think? Well, 341 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:05,400 I think he might wear, there we go, 342 00:21:05,930 --> 00:21:10,280 because we can't continue to use Amazon. And online is our, 343 00:21:10,330 --> 00:21:12,720 is our testing site for gifts. 344 00:21:12,890 --> 00:21:17,440 We can't continue to use Amazon as our dressing room, our virtual fitting room. 345 00:21:17,570 --> 00:21:21,320 Because when we, there's people that will buy three different sizes. 346 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:23,680 Grandma will be like, here, I'm gonna buy three sizes, 347 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:26,320 whichever ones you don't need, send 'em back them back. 348 00:21:27,020 --> 00:21:30,240 The planet cannot sustain that, that that activity. 349 00:21:30,510 --> 00:21:35,480 What we can sustain is creating demand for what we actually want 350 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:39,710 and will actually use. Because as we talked about before, 351 00:21:39,940 --> 00:21:42,670 most of those gifts, those returns are going into the landfill. 352 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:48,190 So there's more birthdays on the planet than there are that, that, um, 353 00:21:48,190 --> 00:21:50,550 we purchase for than we do at Christmas. 354 00:21:50,550 --> 00:21:53,190 Christmas is just the biggest time of the year, 355 00:21:53,490 --> 00:21:56,470 but there's 8 billion people on the planet, right? 356 00:21:57,120 --> 00:22:01,350 So if you have a percentage of them and your people are buying gifts for them, 357 00:22:01,940 --> 00:22:05,470 then that really is the biggest holiday is our collective birthday. 358 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:10,030 So you have birthdays, you have Mother's Day, father's Day, right? That. 359 00:22:10,030 --> 00:22:12,510 We need to, so that's why this isn't just a problem once a year. 360 00:22:12,510 --> 00:22:17,430 This is a bigger problem than people even can take into scope at this point 361 00:22:17,430 --> 00:22:21,030 in time, because you're constantly buying a gift for, you know, 362 00:22:21,130 --> 00:22:24,190 I'm thinking baptisms, communion, um, you know, 363 00:22:24,190 --> 00:22:26,950 those are just some of the things we've been to recently. Yeah. Weddings, 364 00:22:27,070 --> 00:22:30,830 wedding gifts, um, engagement parties. You know, there's, 365 00:22:30,830 --> 00:22:35,310 there's a lot of times when you want to, when you want to give a gift. Um, 366 00:22:35,310 --> 00:22:37,030 but that's very difficult. And, 367 00:22:37,050 --> 00:22:41,310 and as we keep having this conversation about sustainability, I go back to, 368 00:22:41,490 --> 00:22:45,510 you know, my childhood in the na 1980s and mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, 369 00:22:45,510 --> 00:22:50,270 at that point in time, before recycling was where it is today, 370 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:54,790 we would talk about, you know, the three Rs, reduce, reuse, 371 00:22:54,790 --> 00:22:59,390 and recycle mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And so how can we be sustainable, uh, 372 00:22:59,390 --> 00:23:02,990 within that scope with the gifts that we're giving to other individuals? 373 00:23:03,620 --> 00:23:05,110 Well, for one, um. 374 00:23:05,110 --> 00:23:07,670 And, and I think that's the problem that you're trying to address. 375 00:23:08,300 --> 00:23:11,870 Absolutely. Absolutely. And I even say in the book, 376 00:23:11,930 --> 00:23:16,710 one great way to contribute to sustainability is to buy things that will 377 00:23:16,710 --> 00:23:21,030 last. My family still has my father's tools from when we were children. 378 00:23:21,300 --> 00:23:25,270 They still work. They didn't, the handle didn't come off the hammer. 379 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:28,470 Nothing happened to those tools cuz they were made to last. 380 00:23:29,060 --> 00:23:33,550 I think that we live in a more, get me a temporary fix for right now. 381 00:23:33,900 --> 00:23:37,110 I'll get the $2 hammer that the head's gonna fall off. 382 00:23:37,110 --> 00:23:42,000 And then when that happens, I'll just get another one. I like to tell people, 383 00:23:42,150 --> 00:23:44,920 once you've purchased something, you've created a, 384 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:49,640 you've created a demand for it. And that demand is your responsibility. 385 00:23:50,140 --> 00:23:53,600 And once you buy that item, you own it forever, 386 00:23:54,370 --> 00:23:57,840 no matter where it goes. I don't care if it's a plastic bag, 387 00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:01,720 something you got at the dollar store, aluminum foil, 388 00:24:02,470 --> 00:24:07,280 a gift, an electronic, whatever it is, you're responsible for that. 389 00:24:07,740 --> 00:24:12,360 And so we can buy more sustainably, meaning things that are, are sourced, 390 00:24:12,650 --> 00:24:15,240 uh, through recycling or natural goods. We could do that. 391 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:17,920 Everybody doesn't have to do it. That's not everybody's jam. 392 00:24:18,260 --> 00:24:22,440 But what you can do is you can be a responsible gifter by asking 393 00:24:22,790 --> 00:24:27,200 what people want, what they truly desire. And on the flip side of that, 394 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:31,360 you have to be a gracious gift receiver. How many of us are just not gracious? 395 00:24:31,500 --> 00:24:33,760 Hey, what do you want for Christmas? Oh my gosh, 396 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:37,040 you don't have to get me anything. You know, they're gonna go do it, 397 00:24:37,140 --> 00:24:39,760 but yet you resist. Why don't you just say, Hey, 398 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,960 these are some things I've been looking at over the past year in a wide range of 399 00:24:43,990 --> 00:24:46,080 prices so that they feel comfortable. 400 00:24:46,460 --> 00:24:51,000 But also these are some everyday things I use, like I use natural, 401 00:24:51,610 --> 00:24:56,480 um, cleaning products. I could always use a basket of natural cleaning products. 402 00:24:56,790 --> 00:25:01,680 I use the same moisturizer day in and day 403 00:25:01,700 --> 00:25:05,640 out. Hey, why don't you get me some glow recipe? 404 00:25:06,220 --> 00:25:10,560 You know what I mean? It's wonderful to say, to be, 405 00:25:10,780 --> 00:25:13,400 you know, falsely modest and say, oh, you don't have to get anything. 406 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:16,160 You don't have to spend any money on me. But when you know your father, 407 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:18,080 your mother, your sister, your brother, your child, 408 00:25:18,230 --> 00:25:22,880 your friend wants to serve you in love and service through a gift, 409 00:25:23,310 --> 00:25:28,040 then be gracious to tell them what you want versus letting them guess about it. 410 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:31,040 And then you're like, man, has she ever seen me in a purple sweater? 411 00:25:31,390 --> 00:25:34,160 I've never worn a purple sweater. Why did she get me a purple sweater? 412 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:37,240 Because she got it. Because you wouldn't tell her what she really wanted. 413 00:25:37,860 --> 00:25:42,320 And so that's an aspect that gr that graciousness is the aspect of being able to 414 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:44,880 reciprocal give in a sustainable way as well. 415 00:25:46,290 --> 00:25:51,160 So we've talked about being a gracious individual, accepting a gift, 416 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:55,720 and we talked about being a, uh, responsible, uh, 417 00:25:55,720 --> 00:26:00,120 gift buyer in thinking about the sustainability of the gifts that were gifting 418 00:26:00,120 --> 00:26:04,040 to other people. Um, we've briefly touched on and, 419 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:07,680 and we've kind of rode the wagon around it a couple, uh, times. 420 00:26:08,190 --> 00:26:12,840 That's the problem of reverse logistics. And, uh, 421 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:16,560 as I was reading a little bit before the show on reverse logistics, 422 00:26:16,990 --> 00:26:18,120 I found that, uh, 423 00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:22,680 that there are five Rs and I just talked about the three Rs of sustainability, 424 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:26,360 but there's five Rs to reverse logistics that people talk about, 425 00:26:26,500 --> 00:26:31,000 and that's return, resale, repair, replace, 426 00:26:31,260 --> 00:26:35,360 and recycle. Um, let's talk before we go to the break, 427 00:26:35,360 --> 00:26:36,320 we only have about a minute, 428 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:39,880 but let's talk about the problem of re reverse logistics. 429 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:44,800 Why doesn't it really work for the retailers like Amazon or Walmart that are 430 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:45,550 out there? 431 00:26:45,550 --> 00:26:49,600 It's too expensive. That's the bottom line. It's too expensive. Like we said, 432 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,040 it takes, um, the average, um, 433 00:26:52,310 --> 00:26:57,280 return process process costs about 66% of the cost of that 434 00:26:57,280 --> 00:27:00,760 item. So in many instances it is not, um, 435 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:05,600 advantageous for a seller to do that. And also. 436 00:27:05,850 --> 00:27:09,320 Um, so it's, it's, it's just good business that they're not doing. 437 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:12,840 Absolutely. It's good business. And, um, 438 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:18,720 sadly this is going to create further problems by passing those costs onto 439 00:27:18,890 --> 00:27:23,440 us, right? Because if we continue with these practices, 440 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:28,360 those costs have to go somewhere and they're gonna get, uh, passed on to, to us. 441 00:27:28,730 --> 00:27:30,200 Um, there's even the, 442 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:33,520 the kit that they're gonna take from something I call cyber shoplifting, 443 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:37,240 which means there's certain businesses that will tell you, 444 00:27:37,570 --> 00:27:40,200 go ahead and donate that item. Go ahead and keep that item. 445 00:27:40,230 --> 00:27:44,280 When people start to ingest that information, there's gonna be a remnant. 446 00:27:44,500 --> 00:27:46,600 And right now we're at about 6% 447 00:27:48,260 --> 00:27:51,730 of people returning gifts. There's nothing wrong with it. 448 00:27:51,730 --> 00:27:55,290 They're just saying there's something wrong with it that's cyber shoplifting 449 00:27:55,290 --> 00:27:57,690 because they know they're gonna tell them to keep it. 450 00:27:58,380 --> 00:28:01,690 So I won't advertise those companies, um, at all because I don't, 451 00:28:01,690 --> 00:28:03,530 I don't like mentioning them at all. But they're, 452 00:28:03,850 --> 00:28:05,850 they're great companies and they're trying to do the right thing. 453 00:28:06,450 --> 00:28:09,380 Sure. But we as the consumer end up paying the, 454 00:28:09,380 --> 00:28:13,420 the final price because they have to mark up the goods and services that we do 455 00:28:13,420 --> 00:28:16,540 pay for to be able to take care of that. Hey, Tracy, 456 00:28:16,540 --> 00:28:18,740 we have to get in our first break, uh, 457 00:28:18,750 --> 00:28:23,460 or our next break will be back after these messages and we'll continue the 458 00:28:23,460 --> 00:28:27,740 topic of sustainable gift giving here on commonalities. 459 00:28:31,530 --> 00:28:36,070 You are listening to commonalities where guests find common ground through 460 00:28:36,430 --> 00:28:37,630 uncommon conversations. 461 00:28:38,150 --> 00:28:41,510 We'll be back after this brief break to recognize our sponsors. 462 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:47,910 Is your business using analog strategies in a digital marketing world? 463 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:48,990 If so, 464 00:28:48,990 --> 00:28:53,750 then contact Matthew or Rebecca Dowling at Coordinated 360 for a 465 00:28:53,750 --> 00:28:57,750 professional consultation where we bring in-depth knowledge and functional 466 00:28:57,750 --> 00:28:59,670 expertise with a holistic perspective. 467 00:29:00,510 --> 00:29:04,950 Coordinated 360 provides digital marketing, paid ad and media buying services, 468 00:29:05,090 --> 00:29:08,630 web design, social media management, video production, 469 00:29:08,630 --> 00:29:11,070 and more for businesses, organizations, 470 00:29:11,070 --> 00:29:14,710 and political campaigns with decades of experience. 471 00:29:14,710 --> 00:29:19,390 Matt and Becky at Coordinated 360 can help you craft your unique message 472 00:29:19,610 --> 00:29:24,430 and share it with the world. 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Online. 526 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:41,440 You're listening to commonalities on W MBS five 90 am 1 0 1 527 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:44,760 0.1 fm, and any place you download your favorite podcast. 528 00:32:44,900 --> 00:32:49,760 I'm your host Matt Dowling, alongside an entrepreneur, author, and coach. 529 00:32:50,170 --> 00:32:54,880 Uh, really an expert in her field that has written a recent book about 530 00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:59,520 sustainable gift giving. Her name is Tracy Lynch. And Tracy. 531 00:32:59,730 --> 00:33:00,080 Uh, 532 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:04,800 before the break we were talking about reverse logistics and how it just 533 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:09,560 doesn't make any sense for big retailers sometimes to accept the 534 00:33:09,560 --> 00:33:10,960 returns. Um, 535 00:33:11,060 --> 00:33:15,440 and we started to talk a little bit about the solution, uh, 536 00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:16,360 making the decision. 537 00:33:16,890 --> 00:33:21,640 Is it just one more thing that will take up people's time or is 538 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:25,400 this a, a good gift that we should, we should gift to those we love? 539 00:33:25,650 --> 00:33:27,800 So why don't we pick up the conversation there. 540 00:33:28,730 --> 00:33:32,020 Well, this is not something that's going to take up more time. 541 00:33:32,020 --> 00:33:35,060 We were very careful with that. This is something that's gonna save time. 542 00:33:35,530 --> 00:33:40,340 It's also going to be something that allows you to understand those that you 543 00:33:40,340 --> 00:33:43,540 care about more, what makes them tick, who they really are. 544 00:33:43,970 --> 00:33:45,980 A lot of times we think we know people, 545 00:33:45,980 --> 00:33:50,660 but we really don't know really their style or anything about 546 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:51,980 how they live their lives. 547 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:56,780 But as we get into the needs and wants of people and use those to 548 00:33:56,780 --> 00:34:01,460 sustainably gift, we are gonna get to know people and their brands. 549 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:06,380 And we're traveling our journey with these people that are close to us. 550 00:34:06,380 --> 00:34:09,260 We're traveling this journey with our families and our close friends. 551 00:34:09,630 --> 00:34:12,820 So why not get to know them better and not go for surprise, 552 00:34:12,820 --> 00:34:17,140 but go for that gift that's really going to mean something. 553 00:34:17,730 --> 00:34:21,580 It's going to add to their life. And more than anything, 554 00:34:21,650 --> 00:34:26,260 it's going to be used Just because you give someone a gift and they say they 555 00:34:26,260 --> 00:34:27,860 like it, doesn't mean it's going to be used. 556 00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:31,310 If they tell you they need it and they want it, 557 00:34:31,460 --> 00:34:36,270 then that is when you know it will be used and cherished. So, 558 00:34:37,100 --> 00:34:40,030 like I said, it's one simple idea. Find out what people, 559 00:34:40,700 --> 00:34:44,190 find out what people want before you spend money. Um, 560 00:34:44,190 --> 00:34:48,510 it's the best stewardship of your dollar. It's the best stewardship for, um, 561 00:34:49,010 --> 00:34:53,710 the, um, recipient, and it's the best stewardship toward the planet. 562 00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:57,870 So that's, that's a gift for everyone. Um. 563 00:34:59,790 --> 00:35:03,860 So if, you know, doing this really doesn't take up, uh, 564 00:35:04,050 --> 00:35:06,580 a whole lot of extra time. 565 00:35:06,580 --> 00:35:10,820 It's not extremely onerous or burdensome, um, 566 00:35:10,820 --> 00:35:15,100 to put in place and to do it does take a little more time, 567 00:35:15,710 --> 00:35:18,540 um, or brain power to think about the individual, 568 00:35:19,230 --> 00:35:23,260 to talk to the individual and ask them what they want. But you know, 569 00:35:23,780 --> 00:35:27,220 whatever trade off you have for having to do that kind of brain work mm-hmm. 570 00:35:27,260 --> 00:35:30,620 <affirmative> or that mental math as to, uh, what the person wants, 571 00:35:30,810 --> 00:35:34,380 it's going to be a more appreciated gift. Yes. And, uh, 572 00:35:34,380 --> 00:35:39,000 and so ultimately I think that makes it great not to mention the fact that it 573 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:43,480 makes you a good steward to the environment and, uh, you know, 574 00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:47,840 to the world that we live in because we're not just filling, uh, 575 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:52,960 landfills with additional trash. And and if you think of it that way, you know, 576 00:35:53,090 --> 00:35:57,360 do we want to give trash to those we love? 577 00:35:57,570 --> 00:36:02,080 Or do we want to give them a gift that is really sustainable and wanted and 578 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:03,360 needed and going to be used? 579 00:36:04,070 --> 00:36:05,320 That's exactly right. 580 00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:09,080 You could have written a book because that's really <laugh>. That's, 581 00:36:09,350 --> 00:36:13,000 that's really what it's about. Um, I'll say it again. 582 00:36:14,500 --> 00:36:18,040 The way we are currently giving gifts 583 00:36:19,170 --> 00:36:21,120 is not sustainable for this planet. 584 00:36:21,940 --> 00:36:26,800 Not when over half of all gift recipients are returning one 585 00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:31,130 to two gifts a piece. That's unreal. That's unreal. 586 00:36:31,320 --> 00:36:35,330 That is now, now when we get to the end of the day, uh, you know, 587 00:36:35,340 --> 00:36:39,210 we have to talk about practicality in all things. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, 588 00:36:39,210 --> 00:36:42,170 you know, can we really correct this problem? 589 00:36:42,260 --> 00:36:47,250 Is this something that we can fix? I mean, it, it's gonna take just you and, 590 00:36:47,310 --> 00:36:49,770 you know, not just you and me can go out and, 591 00:36:50,030 --> 00:36:54,170 and fix our individual problems and this whole problem go away. It's gonna take, 592 00:36:54,220 --> 00:36:58,170 uh, discussions and education and, uh, 593 00:36:58,170 --> 00:37:02,130 a large number of people being involved. But can we at the end of the day, 594 00:37:02,130 --> 00:37:06,050 accomplish the goal of being more sustainable gift givers? 595 00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:10,530 I love this question. I think it's my favorite question, um, 596 00:37:10,530 --> 00:37:15,090 because I have all the hope in the world that this can happen, um, 597 00:37:15,090 --> 00:37:16,930 with 8 billion people on the planet 598 00:37:18,930 --> 00:37:23,930 believe that there are enough people that care enough to do 599 00:37:23,930 --> 00:37:24,970 at least one thing. 600 00:37:25,990 --> 00:37:29,130 And we're asking you to do one simple thing, 601 00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:34,610 know what your recipient wants before you 602 00:37:34,950 --> 00:37:36,820 buy it, period. 603 00:37:37,490 --> 00:37:41,900 With the goal of 100% satisfaction, 604 00:37:43,550 --> 00:37:48,260 um, every time, the only time a gift really should be returned nowadays, 605 00:37:48,790 --> 00:37:49,140 um, 606 00:37:49,140 --> 00:37:54,140 once we decide to accept this concept is when 607 00:37:54,230 --> 00:37:58,270 it malfunctions that hair dryer you got, it just was a dud. 608 00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:02,630 It didn't work. The screen was cracked, it arrived damaged. 609 00:38:03,230 --> 00:38:06,790 Those are ju justifiable reasons to return a gift. 610 00:38:07,090 --> 00:38:09,750 Not you didn't know the size and you guessed at it, 611 00:38:09,750 --> 00:38:14,230 not you were filling in gifts with fluff. And most of them, 612 00:38:14,230 --> 00:38:18,470 they're not gonna use. Um, I have, like I said, all the faith in the world, 613 00:38:19,940 --> 00:38:20,480 um, 614 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:25,170 I borrow from Malcolm Gladwell in the tipping point that as we begin 615 00:38:25,260 --> 00:38:30,010 to infiltrate our consciousness with these ideas and we 616 00:38:30,010 --> 00:38:34,410 connect it to the sickness that our planet is enduring right now, 617 00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:39,650 once we it comes, once we are able to settle with that information, 618 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:44,010 I believe there are enough people that are willing to do one simple thing to 619 00:38:44,010 --> 00:38:47,170 change this. And I believe that that will, um, 620 00:38:47,880 --> 00:38:51,370 spread throughout, throughout America. I think that we're some of the biggest, 621 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:54,890 I don't think we are some of the biggest, um, 622 00:38:55,240 --> 00:38:59,560 gift givers in the world, and I know it can be done. 623 00:39:00,210 --> 00:39:04,600 Um, I had someone contact me and he said Christmas was a success. 624 00:39:04,730 --> 00:39:07,600 We had zero gift returns. I didn't, 625 00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:11,840 what he would do is he would fill in the gifts with fluff because he wasn't sure 626 00:39:11,850 --> 00:39:13,240 if his wife was gonna like him. 627 00:39:13,240 --> 00:39:16,600 So just in case he got her these other things he said, he brought, 628 00:39:16,730 --> 00:39:19,840 he bought no fluff and he was really excited. 629 00:39:20,460 --> 00:39:25,160 And if that's all it takes is one person to tell another person, 630 00:39:25,970 --> 00:39:28,160 um, even if they just tell them, 631 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:31,390 this is what I want and this is what I don't want, you know, 632 00:39:31,540 --> 00:39:34,310 it's not a tremendous amount of time. If I give you the worksheet, 633 00:39:34,310 --> 00:39:37,870 you could fill it out for me. I don't have to fill 'em all out. Like, Hey, 634 00:39:37,870 --> 00:39:38,750 can you fill this out for me? 635 00:39:38,750 --> 00:39:42,750 I wanna get you a gift Who's not gonna fill the sheet out? Like, yes. I love, 636 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:46,750 um, hikeys and I love Vanilla Candles. I mean, 637 00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:51,710 telling, telling someone what we want is a gift to the planet. 638 00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:54,480 Being vocal, being truthful. 639 00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:00,270 In, in taking care of the planet is, uh, 640 00:40:00,270 --> 00:40:02,350 something that we do for others. 641 00:40:02,350 --> 00:40:05,870 And as we are approaching Martin Luther King Day here, 642 00:40:05,900 --> 00:40:10,390 I I know that one of your favorite, uh, quotes or life themes is, 643 00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:11,150 uh, 644 00:40:11,150 --> 00:40:15,870 life's most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing 645 00:40:16,010 --> 00:40:20,430 for others? And by being more sustainable gift givers, 646 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:24,670 we are doing something for others. We're taking care of our planet. And, 647 00:40:24,670 --> 00:40:27,830 and I think that's the crux of the message that, uh, 648 00:40:27,830 --> 00:40:32,710 that we want to get a acrossed in today's episode. You know, and, uh, 649 00:40:32,710 --> 00:40:34,990 on a re recent episode, I had the, uh, 650 00:40:34,990 --> 00:40:36,950 young ladies from the Fayette Chamber of Commerce, 651 00:40:36,950 --> 00:40:41,430 and we were talking about local retailers and where you could go get last minute 652 00:40:41,430 --> 00:40:46,430 gifts. This was on an episode that was, was just before, uh, Christmas. 653 00:40:46,810 --> 00:40:50,190 But you know, if, if you put that thought into it, um, 654 00:40:50,380 --> 00:40:53,550 this doesn't disenfranchise any of those retailers. 655 00:40:53,550 --> 00:40:57,950 It doesn't mean that we're necessarily spending any less money. The, uh, 656 00:40:57,950 --> 00:41:02,510 the country's gross domestic product will still be the same. That's correct. 657 00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:07,510 We are just being smarter in what we are purchasing. And, you know, 658 00:41:07,510 --> 00:41:10,230 I I I think about things that, uh, 659 00:41:10,230 --> 00:41:13,870 that don't go into the landfill that we could purchase through some of our local 660 00:41:13,870 --> 00:41:18,710 retailers and, uh, and to support small business and the economy. Yes. 661 00:41:18,720 --> 00:41:21,950 Uh, there are ways, there are ways to do this. 662 00:41:22,230 --> 00:41:25,910 We're down to just about three minutes left in today's program. 663 00:41:25,930 --> 00:41:28,790 And before we go, I wanted to, uh, 664 00:41:28,790 --> 00:41:32,550 let my listeners know where they can purchase your book. If, 665 00:41:32,550 --> 00:41:37,120 if this conversation has kind of wet your appetite and you're 666 00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:39,800 salivating you wanna know more, um, 667 00:41:40,130 --> 00:41:44,880 as well as I believe your book includes some of those example worksheets. 668 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:47,280 Am I correct? That's correct in saying that, you know, yes. 669 00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:49,840 So if they wanna purchase your book, where can they find it? 670 00:41:50,390 --> 00:41:54,280 They can go straight to amazon.com. It's don, 671 00:41:55,030 --> 00:41:58,760 it's like donut except with the m uh, 672 00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:01,520 creating a sustainable gifting experience. 673 00:42:02,300 --> 00:42:07,160 And the funding from this book goes to create the Don app, 674 00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:11,600 which will have all of the worksheet and the questionnaires at your fingertips 675 00:42:11,830 --> 00:42:16,200 with it housed in there forever. It's like your own personal, 676 00:42:17,010 --> 00:42:21,320 um, gift registry that never dies and people can, 677 00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:24,520 will be able to purchase from you for you straight from that app. 678 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:29,120 So we're working on the app now. And then everything from, 679 00:42:29,970 --> 00:42:31,200 uh, that we work on, 680 00:42:31,310 --> 00:42:35,800 a portion of that goes into local communities and charities that 681 00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:39,840 serve children with learning disabilities. So, um, we, 682 00:42:40,020 --> 00:42:42,520 our vision is to solve, um, 683 00:42:42,520 --> 00:42:45,640 local problems by solving big problems and just keep it going. 684 00:42:45,710 --> 00:42:47,680 Just be going right around in a circle. 685 00:42:47,730 --> 00:42:50,520 So let's serve others by serving the planet. 686 00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:53,920 Let's serve the planet by serving others. I think we, we can do it. 687 00:42:55,440 --> 00:43:00,170 Absolutely. And you stole my final transition from me. I was going to say, 688 00:43:00,230 --> 00:43:04,210 now tell me more about this app. So we've already started talking about the app. 689 00:43:04,280 --> 00:43:06,530 What's the anticipated, um, 690 00:43:07,410 --> 00:43:11,290 deadline that you have out there for having the app ready? And when it's ready, 691 00:43:11,290 --> 00:43:16,290 will it be available, uh, in the app store on, on mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, 692 00:43:16,290 --> 00:43:20,250 Google, and uh, also on your iPhones? 693 00:43:20,390 --> 00:43:22,330 Yes, it'll be available on both. 694 00:43:22,610 --> 00:43:26,650 We're looking to have a beta test ready by, uh, March. 695 00:43:27,460 --> 00:43:31,170 Um, and if that goes well, we'll proceed from there. Um, the, 696 00:43:31,170 --> 00:43:34,530 all the pages have been built out all of the selections and choices. 697 00:43:34,920 --> 00:43:37,170 It's kind of like Facebook met, 698 00:43:37,170 --> 00:43:41,210 Pinterest met the Amazon wishlist, 699 00:43:41,950 --> 00:43:45,610 and it's a beautiful app where all your choices will be in there, 700 00:43:45,610 --> 00:43:48,890 the people in your close circle. This will only be for your close circle. 701 00:43:48,890 --> 00:43:53,850 So you won't be, you won't have 500 users. You may have 30 or 40 colleagues, 702 00:43:53,900 --> 00:43:58,330 friends, family, so forth. And, um, 703 00:43:58,430 --> 00:44:01,810 the initial app to keep your registry will be free. 704 00:44:02,270 --> 00:44:07,010 And then there'll be a charge for the app if you want to include your tribe, 705 00:44:07,250 --> 00:44:12,050 which I think that that's what it's all about. So, um, 706 00:44:12,050 --> 00:44:16,090 we're looking forward to that. And this is a great way, 707 00:44:16,090 --> 00:44:19,970 this is a great way to b build funding for something like that. 708 00:44:20,430 --> 00:44:21,263 I'm excited. 709 00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:27,650 That is, it is, uh, a very exciting, uh, prospect to look into. 710 00:44:27,870 --> 00:44:28,770 And honestly, 711 00:44:28,770 --> 00:44:32,800 before you brought this to my attention before you were a guest on my show, um, 712 00:44:32,800 --> 00:44:37,000 you know, sustainable gift giving wasn't something that was on my radar, but, 713 00:44:37,170 --> 00:44:42,000 uh, I think our conversation today has pointed out how important it really is. 714 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:42,790 Tracy, 715 00:44:42,790 --> 00:44:47,120 I want to thank you for being on my program today here on commonalities 716 00:44:47,380 --> 00:44:48,080 and, uh, 717 00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:52,800 I wish you the best of luck and success with your new app. 718 00:44:53,140 --> 00:44:53,840 And, uh, 719 00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:58,480 for those of you looking for Tracy's book again on amazon.com, 720 00:44:58,820 --> 00:44:59,960 you can uh, 721 00:44:59,960 --> 00:45:04,080 search for Dom creating a sustainable experience. 722 00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:05,313 Thank you. 723 00:45:12,110 --> 00:45:14,160 This has been commonalities, 724 00:45:14,430 --> 00:45:18,680 a show where guests find common ground through uncommon conversations. 725 00:45:18,760 --> 00:45:21,520 Copyright 2022 coordinated 360, 726 00:45:21,740 --> 00:45:25,240 all public rebroadcast should be done with prior written approval from Matthew 727 00:45:25,240 --> 00:45:29,960 Dowling. All requests should be sent to info@coordinatedthreesixty.com. 728 00:45:29,960 --> 00:45:32,640 Thank you for listening to commonalities.
02Jan, 2023
