Under The Covers: Beatles, Business & Bamboozling

              RIP OFF!
What does that phrase usher thoughts of when you hear it? Copy cat? Swindle? Bamboozled?

Sure, I’m guessing all those things. And in the world today where we are so enamored by a certain flavor of the month gizmo or concept from electronics to restaurants, we don’t shy away from knockoff’s or straight on impersonators.

But…(you knew there had to be a ‘but’), when is something paying tribute to or recreating an idea to make their very own? It’s a thin line isn’t it? I started thinking about this after my friend Jim Sullivan from Sullivision.com was in my fair hamlet of NYC to give a seminar at the International Restaurant Show. Knowing I was a HUGE Beatles fan, he had made me a CD of covers the “Lads” had done at the start of their careers and songs by artists that influenced their music.

During the seminar Jim had made a note regarding taking ideas from a competing business and learn from the borrowed ideas of their successes without copying them. I paraphrase it here but that was the gist. I thought about the CD he had just given me and thought, “Well if these Fab Four can do it why not others? They seemed to do pretty well for themselves!”

But what they did do with songs by other artists was make them their own. They infused their distinct Beatles sound into the copied versions. Listen the original of “Rock & Roll Music” by Chuck Berry and then re-recorded by The Beatles. Almost the same length, key and feel. But the Lads from Liverpool added a raunchy rawness to it. They infused a war cry and growl that was not there in Berry’s version. They took a standard by Sophie Tucker, “Till There Was You” and turned it into a pop rock classic. All by infusing other musical styles inspired by Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly and Little Richard.

The Rolling Stones. Guilty of the same charges. Lady Gaga. Guilty as well. And sometimes even the biggest names get busted for it like George Harrison for a VERY blatant, umm, “tribute” to The Shirelles “He’s So Fine” and his song “My Sweet Lord”. In the case of The Monkees, they were a TV show/band that was created to cash in on the Fab Four formula but then went on to become one of the better pop bands on their own terms.


The point is sometimes greatness in business has to come from somewhere and inspired by someone else who had the courage to do and develop an idea. But IF it’s a direct “rip off” or impersonation of another successful venture without “making it their own” through modification, then more than likely it is doomed to fail.

A very successful restaurateur once said to me when I presented a proposal to him that would separate him from the rest of the pack as a visionary, looked me in the eyes and said, “Sullivan, I’m the great impersonator, not the great innovator!” Was he successful? Yes. Were his products original? No. Would people stand up and take note of him 50 years from now as to leaving his creative legacy on the industry? No. There would be no statues or songs sung about him.

What is it you want from your company and what will its legacy be if any? It’s alright to pay tribute to a competitor who has the shiny new toy but find the underlying current of what makes that toy so shiny and find a polish that will make it brighter so others take note of your shimmering toy.

Imitation can be the greatest form of flattery. But what will you remember more? The Beatles or the band that tried to sound like them?

Like Oasis, Tears For Fears, XTC, Electric Light Orchestra, Sly Fox, Michael Penn, The Rutles, Aimee Mann, this guy, that gal, John Smith, Joe Bag O’Doughnuts…

You're Hired! Celebrity Apprentice Meets Cafe Metro

This week my company had the unique opportunity to be involved with one of the biggest “reality” TV shows out there, The Celebrity Apprentice, Sunday’s at 9pm on NBC-TV.
I’m the Director of Marketing and Social Media for Café Metro’s parent company S.T. Management Group here in the quiet little hamlet of New York City and being a part of the local, social and media outlets is no strange concept to us. However, being on a national TV show is A LOT different than being mentioned in local blogs, papers and on the lips of the homeless we feed.
Let me just say this…If you can get affiliated with a media outlet like a radio, TV or film production crew…DO IT! I’m going to shatter the 3 bullet point rule here and give you some tips as to how to make it work. Grab your crayons, here we go:
- We had a connection with the Celeb Apprentice via another NYC based restaurant that had done it 2 seasons ago. We tossed our name in the hat and the Trump group knew who we were. There was a connect. We got the call and away we went.

- The key to our success was going to be logo placement so I had to think like a camera operator. I had to think of the places and angles that would make sense. Coming from a background at WCBS News and film I had a pretty good idea of the “if I was a logo where I would hide” game. It worked! BIG TIME! Even the production team at NBC said it was the best, most focused logo placement they ever saw! BOO-YAAH!

- The fact that the Celebrity Apprentice has its roots in charity and giving back was a HUGE thing for us. The culture of our company is about giving back to those in need and it was important that we aligned ourselves with a show that held the same philosophy as we did. Now, is that to say if our friend Teresa Giudice from “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and her crew wanted to film at our location that we would have sicked pit bulls upon them in protest? NO! But, but it wouldn’t have the same satisfaction as knowing we made a REAL difference by being on this show other than being a set for our lovely logo and products.

- By being involved in something like this it calls for more than just the “all hands on deck” approach at the office level. You need an army! You need super soldiers from a Public Relation firm. We aligned ourselves with Morris+King, a tremendously hands on PR group here in NYC to handle the outreach for us. I’m a Marketing guy. My media rolodex is about as fat as Lindsey Lohan after a fast and furious coke filled weekend. A PR group can reach into media crevices we can’t even see. Plus they will help you keep your companies name out there while the fire’s embers are still warm from your media outing.

- Wallpaper your Facebook, Twitter and any and all social media outlets with pictures, news mentions, fan pictures, etc. Make that noise! You earned it! Our Social Media Manager, Mary O’Brian, tweeted out every photo and article mention as fast as she discovered them! (She is good! Thanks Mary!) Also, see if any media contacts you do have are able to talk about. My friend Dave Reynolds for the 99.7 Morning Show was more than happy to help us promote it through on air interviews with me. (Thanks Dave!)

Not only does it work from a business standpoint but it’s just FUN! Yes! Have fun with it! It’s a great deal of work but while it’s going on, just relax and enjoy it! I came from a TV/Film background as an actor so being around celebs was semi-normal for me. But, where else can you hang out with The Hulk, Pop princesses and Mafia Don’s daughters? Well, I am in New York so, any Starbucks or hot club really…
And So it Goes…




Miss the Episode? View it by clicking the logo to the right:
Also, follow Cafe Metro on Facebook and Twitter to see how we are handling it all!
Here is a great list of all the charities that the cast is fighting for. Check it out and see if there is a fit for your organization: http://bsquarednyc.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/follow-your-favorite-contestants-on-2012-celebrity-apprentice/

Bus Boy: A Story of Being There

“Is everyone alright?”- Robert Kennedy’s Final Words

I was sitting down to write a humorous piece on customer service, the restaurant industry and bus personnel in particular. As I hit the Google images icon the famous picture of bus boy Juan Romero cradling the just shot Sen. Robert Kennedy came alive on my screen. And the words under it were the above final quote from one of the world’s last great pacifists from a turbulent time in America’s history.

The article I planned pealed itself from my mind and the moment I relived as a four year old, the image of the selfless young man and the words of one of my heroes dominated from that moment forth.

Robert’s last words summed up his life and how he lived it. He cared for others. When he himself lay mortally wounded he wanted to know the condition of those around him. He was rewarded by God, Allah, Buddha, whomever, in those final moments as well by being attended to by a stranger who cradled him and placed his rosary in Robert’s limp hand.

A bus boy and a world leader in a moment that sent out a message that still carries as strongly as it did 44 years ago on the cover of every newspaper. That we are here for each other.

Imagine if every customer service representative in the world cared as much as that young man did that day? Imagine if every human reacted as fast and as caring as he did that day. Imagine, as another great pacifist said, “all the people living for today”. Living in the moment.

Listening.          Hearing.              Engaging.

That bus boy, Juan, was there to do a job that night. He was there to bus his tables, work hard for his tips and create an experience for the dinners and guests at the Senators speech. His job that night was also to be a lasting image in history of going beyond the call of duty and answer the call of being human.

In every business, no matter what it is; restaurant, office, clothing shop, pet store, etc…There is a Juan.
In every human heart, there is a Juan.

Recently Juan, under a soft blue sky, with fall colors exploding across the velvety slopes of the cemetery that was the final resting place of Robert Kennedy, Juan wore a suit for the first time in his life. He said it was the proper way to show his respect for a man whose memory he has tried to honor by living a life of tolerance and humility.

May we all take away the same lesson from these two men's first and final meeting.

Let there be Peace. Let there be tolerance.

“Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.”- RFK, April, 4th 1968 upon hearing of MLK’s assassination

Chasing Hunger

He looked at the cellophane wrapped cookies in his hand and smiled as if he had just been rewarded his favorite treat for a deserved accomplishment.  He quietly slid them into his disheveled sweatshirt and hitched his belted pants around the waist that called out for the cookies to be delivered to them for sustenance.

He hadn’t noticed that I was witnessing his covert handling of the snacks and that I was someone who worked for the parent company of the café he was stealing from. I quickly hung up the cell phone call I was on and approached him as he began his exit from the café. “Excuse me.” I called to him. “Let’s put those back lad.” He of course hastened his pace and began his rapid trek down the block. I could have let him go. I should have. It was just three or four cookies.

I didn’t.

We darted through the traffic like birds in a storm, dancing between the cars and pirouetting in clear misses of unsuspecting taxis. “Come on son, it’s not worth this for just some cookies!” I bellowed out to him. A store manager from the location we were in had joined this criminal ballet on New York’s roads. He took off fast and furious. His lean dark frame, clearly over twenty years my junior, sprinted hard through the pedestrians hungry to catch the chase on their Smartphone’s. I surprised myself with being able to overtake him in speed and cut him off. “OK let’s talk! No chase. Just talk.”

We walked shoulder to shoulder like hunter and prey.  My eyes on his hands every motion.

“Son, you can do the right thing. Right now. Walk away clean and leave with good conscious. You don’t have to do this brother.”

“Where you get all this energy?” He asked puzzlingly.

“From you man! And from the fact you are cutting into my lunch hour so I can get you to come clean?”

“I’m hungry. Leave me alone!” His voice picking up volume to match his pace accelerating again.

“Clearly! But you don’t have to steal my man. You could have just asked and if you had, you would have found that, more than likely, we would have helped you out. But you chose this. Now, give me the cookies and let’s go get a soup and sandwich together. On me.”

“Leave me alone!” And he bolted back through the oncoming traffic.

“Really?  Seriously? You want to do this?”

The manager from the store, having enough of the cat and mouse game gained on the young man and shoved him. Turning, the lad sprung at the manager and got a clean grip of his neck tie and drew him into a struggle I worked to avoid. I grabbed the man and held him in a full nelson and told him to stop. To dismiss this and let the other man go. I pleaded with him like a father does his child when you know he is doing something tragically wrong.

“This isn’t the way to be famous on Twitter and YouTube son.” As I noticed all the cell phones, iPhones,  tourists cameras locked on us like a red carpet super couple. He broke out of my grip and darted again, lost his footing , caught himself but, not before the cookies expelled themselves from his pockets.

I retrieved them and we locked eyes. I handed the items to the store manager with the exception of one. I sized up the distance between my adversary and I and tossed him the chocolate chip one he had looked at so excitedly back at the store. He looked at me confused.

“You made a wrong choice kid. But I’m not going to let you go away hungry.”

As I walked away several people were still filming on their lack of privacy devises. Half serious and half snide I gave them a parting sound bite.

“Crime doesn’t pay. But neither does ignoring another humans hunger.”

I had lost my appetite. His hunger was now mine.

And so it goes…That was my Monday.

The Sullivans: A History of Social Good

I’m proud of something. I’m proud of who I am. I’m proud of a lot of the choices I have made and a lot of the things I have accomplished with helping others through fundraisers, charities and just getting across the street. Is that an egotistical thing to say? No. I don’t think so. As long as what we do is pure of heart and it comes without looking for rewards.

It’s who I am. It’s what my family has always been and it’s a part of my genetic design. It’s what Sullivans do and have always done. We put things right where they have been wronged and been part of the change needed to better the world around us.

My great great grand-uncle was Big Tim Sullivan the first Irish Catholic state senator elected to office in turn of the century New York. He rose in power through the harrowing streets of the Five Points district of old New York and eventually to the corrupt hallways of old Tammany Hall.  Was he saint? No. Not by any stretch of the imagination. He was after all a politician.

But he cared about people and became the savior of the broken, the beaten and damned of the city. He filled his pockets with coins and as he left his office and poor street urchins would rush him and dig through the giant’s pockets for the treasure they knew awaited them.  He loved the children and believed that no child no matter their race or religion should be shoeless. Every holiday season he brought shoes for every child that needed them and back then that was  a lot of shoes.

He passed into law The Sullivan Law which meant you couldn’t carry a concealed weapon in the state of New York and was the first male politician to stand up and fight for a woman’s rights in the work place and voting booths. On his passing it seemed every citizen turned out for his funeral. It’s still considered to be the largest public funeral  in the city’s history.

My father’s Aunt Betty, Big Tim’s niece was a chief player in Queens, NY where she worked with charitable organizations as well as school boards to better education in the areas of Woodside and Sunnyside, where I now call home. But the person that did so much for others was my mother, Dawn Sullivan.

Mom worked tirelessly as a tenant activist here in New York and is responsible for saving more people’s homes and changing rent laws than any other non political player in the city. She started the Eastside Tenant Coalition and volunteered for more charities and committees than were even thought of. And the funny part of it all was she wasn’t even a citizen. She was an Australian and fiercely proud of it! But she loved people. She loved her adopted city. She was me and my sibling’s direct inspiration for what we would become.

I see the same fire in my 3 year old daughter. I knew it was there when she overheard my wife and I talking about my work with Amanda Hite and the No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America. She was confused and asked, “You mean there are children that have no food? What can I do?” She understands hunger and her appetite to end it is strong. So she does what she can. It’s in her genetic make-up. She is a Sullivan.

Everyone has the gene to do good. To be the change. If you aren’t involved in some charity or organization that is trying to make a difference I urge you to get connected with one.  You could be the start of generations of society changers and this world will be the better for it.

And So It Goes...