About Talia Whyte

Posts by Talia Whyte:

Why Going Car-less Is Really Better

, , , , , ,

orange line mbtaThis month as part of my resolve to not resolve series, I was scheduled to write about how using public transit, bikes and walking are better options than the hassles of a car.  However, we had the worst winter in Boston ever and the city’s public transit system was a hot mess, and that made me really think about this issue again.  After thinking about it, I still advocate for being car-less.  I have been car-less pretty much all of my adult life for four main reasons.

Expense: It is cheaper to buy a bus or subway pass and/or ride a bike than to buy and maintain a car.  When you add up the cost of gas, insurance, routine tune-ups, the premium prices for parking and the occasional “fix the problem” with the car, it gets expensive.

Sustainability:  Too many unnecessary cars on the road is bad for the environment, especially single occupancy cars.  Unless you have to drive many things or people (small children, disabled, elderly) around and/or regularly drive in an area where public transit and bike-friendly roads are limited, it is best to avoid cars.

Health: I think it goes without saying that driving around in a car all the time contributes to bad health habits, like physical inactivity and mindless eating.  In my experience being car-less forces you to walk, run or bike more often and the desire to eat mindlessly diminishes.

De-stress: Driving is very stressful.  Dealing with other drivers, getting lost, finding directions and car breakdowns can take a toll on you over time.  Walking or biking (when you are not competing for road space with other cars) is more relaxing.  You also get more free air, which is good for the mind and body.  When you ride a bus or subway train, you can use the traveling time to do other things like reading, napping or just watching your surroundings.

I actually wrote this blog post while traveling to a client meeting on the bus! I get more done sometimes when I am on public transit than in my office.  Also, when you walk, bike or take public transit, you are more mindful of things going on in your environment that you wouldn’t notice if you were driving.

Again, I should stress that being car-less only effectively works if you live and work in an area with access to decent public transit, dedicated sidewalks and bike-friendly roads.

While this winter season was unprecedented,  if anything, the many storms highlighted why Boston needs to invest in better public transit and infrastructure.  The problem isn’t just that the MBTA is corrupt as heck and run like the mob. The problem here is that car-less people are treated like second-class citizens because public transit and infrastructure are viewed as an afterthought and not essential in America’s car-obsessed culture.

It is totally unheard of that a major cold weather city would shut down its whole public transit system for multiple days, and then run on limited service for another month because of snow and cold temperatures.  The MBTA general manager actually recommended riders to not take the T during the storms. I talked to friends from Toronto and Montreal; both cities that get considerably more snow and colder temps than Boston.  All of them said that their winters are harsh, but their transit systems are always running, regardless of weather.

One Torontonian friend who happened to come to Boston during one of the storms in February was also shocked by how many sidewalks were not shoveled for pedestrians.  Although there is a law on the books about shoveling sidewalks within three hours of a storm in Boston, for the most part, it is not enforced.  I found myself walking in roads trying to avoid skidding cars because of icy, unshoveled sidewalks in many areas.  The only reason I can use sidewalks again now is because the snow is finally melting with warmer temperatures and heavy rain.

It would actually make more sense to have better public infrastructure for inclement weather.  If there were better trains and buses in Boston, we could encourage more people to use public transit and ditch cars.  If there were less cars on the road during storms, there would be less traffic accidents, spin-outs and other safety hazards.  If snow removal on sidewalks was enforced better, more people would be willing to walk around.  There are some people who ride bikes year-round, even when snow is on the ground, like a former roommate I had many years ago.  If roads were shoveled better and had dedicated bike lanes, they could accommodate both cars and bikes in a more efficient way.

I would even go as far as saying that maybe parts of the city should permanently ban cars, especially downtown.  Only allow buses, bikes, cabs and delivery trucks in those areas.  That could significantly improve traffic.  Unlike New York and Washington D.C., Boston was not a planned city.  Traffic is horrible in these areas mainly because of narrow, awkward roads that were originally built in the 1600s for horses and buggies.  Boston would actually be an excellent city for making alternative transportation more of a reality.

Also, I should note that MBTA breakdowns are not just a winter phenomenon.  I have been on the Orange Line with no air conditioning many times during summer heatwaves and suddenly the train stops running for 10 or 20 minutes due to “signal problems.”  And you wonder why nobody in Boston wants the city to host the Summer Olympics in 2024?

Being car-less can be done; it’s just that America needs to change its car-filled mentality.

Sarah Forbes Bonetta: A Black Victorian Remembered

,

sarah forbes bonettaI had my weekly meeting with a group of young girls I mentor last week, and we had a discussion about women and slavery.  One of the girls, Cynthia, was doing a book report on the lives of African women during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

Being the history buff that I am, I began telling the girls about Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a young girl of Yoruba descent originally named Aina from an area that now part of south-west Nigeria.  As a child, she was orphaned by a war between her family’s clan, the Yewa, and the more dominate King Ghezo and his Kingdom of Dahomey.  Sarah was captured by the Dahomans and was going to be killed.

But her life was saved in 1849 by an intervention by British naval officer Frederick Forbes, who was there to negotiate the end of the slave trade.  Although Britain officially ended the slave trade in 1807, both West Africans and Europeans participated in illegal trade for many years after.  Apparently King Ghezo gave Sarah to Forbes as a gift to Queen Victoria.  According to Forbes, Ghezo said, “She would be a present from the King of the Blacks to the Queen of the Whites.”  A year later, Forbes renamed the girl Sarah Forbes Bonetta after himself and his ship HMS Bonetta.

Forbes said this about Sarah: “She is a perfect genius; she now speaks English well, and [has] great talent for music… She is far in advance of any white child of her age in aptness of learning, and strength of mind and affection…”

She was brought to England, where she immediately impressed the Queen so much that she made Sarah her goddaughter.  Sarah lived a short and but interesting life, as you will see in the video below.

Bertha Benz: Automotive Marketing Pioneer

, , ,

picture of Bertha BenzBehind every great man… is an even greater woman!  Karl Benz is best known as the German engineer who invented the world’s first patented automobile – Patent-Motorwagen No. 3 – to use a one-cylinder internal combustion engine and a single forward gear.  But the world probably wouldn’t have known about his revolutionary machine without the help of his wife, Bertha Benz, who helped usher in the modern marketing industry.

If there was ever one story about a woman making things happen for a man, it would be this one.  While Karl Benz was a genius when it came to car making, he was really bad at money management and making sound business decisions.  After a number of failed business ventures and with the support of his wife’s family wealth, Benz was able to form the industrial machinery company Benz & Cie in 1883.  When the company became a success, Benz was able to focus his energy on building the horseless carriage.

However, it soon became apparent that Benz was also bad at marketing.  The first few public demonstrations of his automobile went badly, with one demonstration ending with the car crashing into a wall, and the crash terrified onlookers.

Benz also didn’t get much support from higher authorities either.  German Kaiser Wilhelm I felt that replacing cars were stupid and unpatriotic.  Even many church leaders at the time felt that cars were the work of the devil!  Benz also faced competition from another German innovator Gottlieb Daimler, who was working on his own version of the automobile.

Enter Bertha Benz.  She didn’t feel that her husband was properly marketing his invention, as she saw great potential in his work.  In August 1888, Benz took the car out for a drive with her two sons without her husband’s permission and travelled to her mother’s home 60 miles away.  This seemingly simple drive was pretty radical at the time, as she became the first person to drive an automobile long distance and bring worldwide attention to it.

picture of the Patent-Motorwagen No. 3

Along the route as Benz drove, many eyewitnesses were surprised by how safe the automobile seemed to be.  While many onlookers were shocked to see such a machine roll down the road, much less one driven by a woman (OMG!); nonetheless, Patent-Motowagen received the attention and press Benz hoped she would see.

Along the journey, Benz was also the mechanic.  During the trip Benz had to stop at a pharmacy to refuel with petroleum ether, and that pharmacy became the world’s first gas station.  With the help of a blacksmith, Benz fixed a chain and the brakes in the automobile and cleaned the fuel pipe with a hairpin.  Benz is widely credited for inventing brake pads.

A few days later, Benz travelled home a different route so more people could see the invention.  Upon getting home, Benz discovered that the automobile couldn’t travel uphill, as she and her sons had to push it up steep routes.  This forced her husband to create the world’s first gear system.

And the rest, as they say, is history.  Sales for the patent went straight through the roof almost immediately due to the publicity and Benz & Cie became the world’s largest and most profitable automobile company within 10 years.

The lesson here: creating a innovative, strategic marketing campaign around demonstrating how a product is used is the best form of marketing.

So the next time someone says that women can’t drive or fix their cars, tell them about Bertha Benz!

10 Lessons I Learned About Running A Business

Global Wire Associates Celebrating 10 years of service

This week I am celebrating the tenth anniversary of my business Global Wire Associates.  The idea for the business really came by happenstance.  I don’t have any formal training in business management.  A lot of what I know I had to learn along the way by myself or from others.

Back in 2005, I never thought this business idea would last a year, let alone ten years.  During the last decade I learned a great deal about myself and about navigating entrepreneurship.

  1. Leadership is important – Many people have always told me that I was a good leader and running a business seems to come naturally to me.  It is one thing to have a leadership role in a community group or professional organization.  It is a whole other thing when you are calling the shots at your business.  Decisions – good or bad – always have to be made in an organization by the leader.  A good leader is someone who is a commited to the business, communicates well, a role model for her employees and a champion for her clients’ best interests.
  2. Keep learning – Learning doesn’t end when you graduate from school.  I am always learning new things, whether it’s from my employees, mentors, clients and competitors.  I try to be open-minded to new ideas whenever possible. Running a business is not about being book-smart, but rather life-smart.
  3. Knowing when to say “no” – Many business owners are ready and willing to take on any work given to them by clients.  I have learned that sometimes you just can’t do everything all the time for a variety of reasons.  Maybe you don’t have the time, or overloaded with other work or you are just too tired.  Sometimes you have to know your limits.
  4. Don’t take others for granted – Don’t assume that your customers or employees will always stay with you.  I have been lucky to have many staff members and clients for the whole ten years!  Make sure you are always checking in with them by keeping that two-way communications going.
  5. Take risks – Sometimes you have to try new things.  Change is good.  I have not always been open to change, but change is the way we evolve as people.  Some risks I have taken and failed, but other risks I have succeeded.  Starting Global Wire Books and Global Wire Design were both risks that have rewarded me handsomely.
  6. The customer is always right (even when you think they are wrong) – If it wasn’t for the customers, I would have been out of business a long time ago.  So this is why you want to cater to their needs.  When you think they are wrong, you can kindly explain why.  Most of the time, they change their minds because they trust your judgment.
  7. Get organized and be professional – It is really hard to be messy when you are running a business.  Get your files in order, pay invoices and salaries on time and get to meetings on time.  Being professional can go a long way for your business.
  8. Get it in writing – Always document any communications with clients, and especially have a signed contract in place before starting work.
  9. Take a day off – It is good to take a mental health day or two.  Go on vacation.  Go to the movies.  Spend time with family or friends.  Watch Netflix.  Take a walk, a run or eat some baked chickpeas.  We all need to take a break sometimes.
  10. Be patient – I had to learn to not be such a control freak and let go of things sometimes.  Think before you speak. Control your emotions and be an active listener.
«< 117 118 119 120 121 >»