Once again we’ve put together an issue chock-full of valuable content for you to use, information for you to know, and trivia that may impress and/or entertain you. We decided to do our first double-issue (May/June) as franchise sales have been keeping us busy of late (look-out Rockville, Maryland and Nashville, Tennessee – Kennedy’s® is coming to a neighborhood near you very shortly!), plus we’re entering the slower summer months. Personally, with Orlando continuing to win in the NBA playoffs (Cinderella Magic anyone?), it’s wrecking my usual evening work hours, too… but I’ll take it.

In this edition, you’ll fine a terrific, behind-the-scenes interview with the author of The Starbucks Experience; learn about the latest tech gadget, Slacker Radio; read about our featured Club of the month: Heathrow; see how the owner of Real Deal Memorabilia can help your next charitable function; gain tips on Twittering (hey, if Ashton Kutcher can get over a million followers, surely you can snag several hundred, right?); go one-on-one with our resident Orlando Superhero, Dwight Howard; deconstruct the Super 7 of College Football in 2009 with Bryan our football fanatic; review the new book, The Survivors Club; meet five more Club Members; and much, much more. See… plenty of content to keep you busy until July!

We also thought we’d plug in some pictures from our recent travels (see below)…

So… don’t let the Naysayers get you down… the U.S. economy is picking back up again (I could quote you lots of recent data that prove this, but we’re out of time and space in this issue). You deserve to look good and be properly groomed – it’s okay to indulge a little bit – permission granted. Enjoy your next Kennedy’s Experience as it’s one of the most civilized things to do this Summer, plus don’t forget about giving the Kennedy’s Experience this year as a Father’s Day gift. Oh, and GO MAGIC!!!

Sometimes old stories are the best way for us to understand our present circumstances. Under the heading of “New Economics,” this old story may have a place. The original author is unknown.

Young Chuck in Montana bought a horse from a farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the horse the next day.

The next day he drove up and said, “Sorry son, but I have some bad news… the horse died.”

Chuck replied, “Well, then just give me my money back.”

The farmer said, “Can’t do that. I went and spent it already.”

Chuck said, “Ok, then, just bring me the dead horse.”

The farmer asked, “What ya gonna do with him?”

Chuck said, “I’m going to raffle him off.”

The farmer said, “You can’t raffle off a dead horse!”

Chuck said, “Sure I can, watch me. I just won’t tell anybody he’s dead.”

A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, “What happened with that dead horse?”

Chuck said, “I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at $2 a piece and made a profit of $998.”

The farmer said, “Didn’t anyone complain?”

Chuck said, “Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back.”

Chuck grew up and now works for the government. He was the one who figured out how to “bail us out.”

Chris Hurn is currently President, CEO, Cofounder and Board member of Mercantile Commercial Capital (MCC). His company was recently added to the 2007 Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing companies in America, number 245 with 951% growth over the past 3 years. Chris is well-known for his innovative marketing achievements and continues to coach and consult with various business owners and entrepreneurs. To date, MCC has closed commercial loans in 31 states for over $350 million in total project costs – one business owner at a time, and has been voted “Best Place to Work” by the Orlando Business Journal for 3 years running.

A few other business achievements Chris has received:

• Reader’s Choice Award for “Most Respected Executive in Central Florida” and “Best Small Company in Central Florida.”
• “SBA Marketing Guru of the Year.”
• NADCO’s Banker of the Year.
• SBA Financial Services Champion.
• Top Twenty Most Influential People in Small Business lending.
• Hallmark Award for Top Producer in Mortgage Lending.
• “Top Male, 40 Under 40″ in Orlando.
• One of the “100 Most Influential People” in Orlando.

Throughout his career, Chris has been in various leadership positions, including his background as business consultant and financier with GE Capital and as CFO for the NAI RealVest group of companies. Chris’ educational achievements are equally impressive. He graduated from Loyola University with two magna cum laude Bachelor Degrees; earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Center (formerly at the Wharton School of Business); and only spent one year at Georgetown University Law Center before wising-up about becoming an attorney. Chris is a frequent speaker and writer and has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, LA Times, the Sacramento Bee, the Orlando Sentinel, Scotsman Guide and many other regional and nationally-recognized trade publications. He maintains a busy civic calendar as a Board member with the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Board and the Florida Hospital Foundation Board, as well his involvement with many other esteemed community organizations. Chris is married to his wife of 12 years, Shannon, and has two children, Reilly and Julianna.

Welcome back to another edition of Kennedy’s lifestyle publication, The Guidebook for the Successful Gentleman. We’ve received tons of feedback lately – so please keep them coming to info@kennedysbarberclub.com. We’ve even received a few comments on our blog about the Ultimate Kennedy’s Movie List from last month. And before you chastise me for excluding any John Wayne movies [sorry – slipped my mind], know this: I inadvertently didn’t give credit to one of the all-time greatest Kennedy’s men. I mistakenly said Jimmy Stewart played the lead in North by Northwest, when it was really Cary Grant. My apologies to Jimmy and Cary and to all the readers scratching their heads and wondering about it.

One of the more interesting things we’ve heard this month happened not once, but twice: sightings of a Kennedy’s magazine being read in a doctors’ office, nowhere near a Kennedy’s club. Guess we’ve given you and plenty of others a new “must-read” publication — just make sure to take your magazine with you wherever you go.

You may be wondering, why we have our first female on the cover? Well, the easy answer is: it had to happen someday. Many other guy-oriented magazines have had quite a bit of success putting women on their magazines covers (and no, I’m not just talking about Hef). The real reason is that we, the founders of Kennedy’s (often called “the Crew” by our vendors and friends), admire her. While we may not admire the goofy character she played many years ago on Three’s Company, we do admire her entrepreneurial spirit, her acting talents, and her can-do attitude. If you’re not as familiar with her background as we are, then you’ll definitely want to read the piece on page 18 to learn more.
Speaking of what you may not know… I’ve had some crazy travels around the country these past several weeks, and it’s starting to wear me out. I’ve always believed that in crisis lies opportunity, but unlike the many who get paralyzed by the doom-and-gloom, my best plan (thus far) is to redouble efforts.

In that regard, I’ve been capital-raising for my other primary business, Mercantile Capital Corporation (we’re an award-winning, national commercial lender that finances commercial property only for business owners and entrepreneurs – you might recall from our January issue that our Kennedy’s president, Tony Zara, and I financed so many franchises for years, that we finally wanted to do our own). Mercantile is off to its best year ever with so little competition these days from the “zombie banks,” but we’re raising additional capital to take advantage of the phenomenal opportunities across the landscape and grow even faster.

I’ve also been speaking with numerous journalists about the Obama Administration’s plans for the small business community – something that hasn’t been given nearly enough attention to in the early part of his first 100 days. And here at Kennedy’s, I’ve been meeting and hosting new prospective franchisees, while helping our existing franchisees grow their market share.

You should know that even when I travel, I’m still “on” in the downtimes. I make it a point to “visit” (“inspect” might be a better word) our alleged competition anywhere I go when I have a few extra hours. I’ve already made it to three different barbershop concepts in the past six months. Two were small franchises like us, but truth be told, I had a “lacking” experience at both. While you might smirk and say to yourself, “But Chris, you’re biased.” You are absolutely correct… but I know what I like and what should occur, so perhaps I’m even a “connoisseur” at this point – the best person to test the competition. The most recent one I visited in Beverly Hills (The Shave) had the closest experience yet to the one you get every month at your local Kennedy’s. I’ll admit it. It still wasn’t better or even as good, but it was the closest yet. The other two… well let’s just say having barbers play cards at a table in the middle of a Saturday while MTV’s Jackass blares in the background… or scrapping my bone-dry face with a razor after having water run into my mouth when my clippings were washed out… aren’t exactly my idea of fun.

You’re a customer of something special, and we intend to spread the word and bring our unique concept to communities everywhere. Cherish your next visit… for it’s far worse out there. Your Kennedy’s club should serve as a place of refuge from the surrounding climate. Even in these tougher economic times, you should savor a great haircut and a relaxing shave. They’re two of the most civilized things a man can do.

Once again I’d like to thank everyone who’s given us feedback on our first two magazines, especially the folks who’ve commented on the piece about my late dog, Hannah. I didn’t necessarily mean to make anyone “misty-eyed,” as I’ve heard from several, I just wanted to share the memories of my dog and the insights that came from having her. A gentleman understands that life is partly about finding a path between the extremes – and sometimes that means letting out a little emotion. For a couple new Members, that story humanized our brand and was the reason their wives bought them gift cards or said, “Go ahead and become a Member. I approve.”

You know, the women in our lives kinda like it when we can have elements of both extremes in us: the burly man who protects and also hunts what his family eats (metaphorically-speaking OR for real); and the sensitive man who goes to the occasional “chick-flick” and takes care of himself and his appearance.

Speaking of manly things, March is a month named in honor of the Roman god of war: Mars. Back then, it was considered the start of a new year and still is in many parts of India and much of Central Asia. In honor of this new month and new year, I think it’s time we declared war on just settling for a routine haircut place… on just accepting the usual multi-blade razor you scrap your face with, half-asleep, most weekday mornings… and on just tolerating a less-than Kennedy’s experience… where they don’t “know your name,” let you get unlimited services, and always hand you a cold drink. It’s time for you, dear reader, to Go Public about Kennedy’s – how we’re transforming the state of men’s grooming. It’s time to start telling your buddies, your father, and your brothers about the best-kept secret around. We can’t conduct this campaign all by ourselves. We need your help to tell the men of the world about our better alternative. Even with the economy as it is, “small indulgences” and “inexpensive luxuries” like what we offer at Kennedy’s can help you not just survive, but thrive. Invite the men in your life to join our Club — they belong with us — and declare war on those less worthy!

In keeping with Kennedy’s NOT just being “a great place to get a haircut and/or a shave,” but being much, much more, I also think we should declare war on the pessimists and doom-sayers around us. Yes, we’ve been through a lot over the past 18 months, economically-speaking, but it’s time to start doing what Americans are notorious for: shrugging it off, adapting, and moving forward. This is the philosophy of a Kennedy’s man, and it is what’s needed now more than ever.

Ultimately, YOU control what happens to YOU. Too many people under-estimate themselves so they get much less done than if they naively, perhaps, believed a bit more in themselves. Any successful businessperson I’ve ever spoken with has some variation of not really believing there’s such a thing as failure. Regular failures that you learn from and evolve from pave the way to success. This is never more true any time or anywhere else in the world, than in America right now.

I bring all of this up because lots of people will flirt with the idea and superstition of luck, however briefly, due to St. Patrick’s Day being upon us. I won’t dispute the possibility of luck, fate or whatever you want to call it existing at some level, but Kennedy’s men believe in that old adage, “you make your own luck.” So, as much as it pains me to suggest this (being partly Irish), THIS St. Patrick’s Day and all month long, for that matter, how about not chasing rainbows for pots o’ gold and hoping for the luck of the Irish? Instead, make your luck – create your own. Not happy with the state of your personal economy? What are you prepared to do about it? How will you control your destiny? Simply wishing for change will do you no good. Hope, as they say, is a pretty poor business strategy.

Always believe YOU can have a dramatic impact on your success. A Kennedy’s man creates his destiny; he isn’t controlled by it. Start over-estimating your abilities instead of simply second-guessing them. Take calculated risks. Have some faith in the outcome. Dream bigger. And above all else… Take Action… NOW!

I hope you have a wonderful and lucky St. Patrick’s Day!

Chris Hurn is currently President, CEO, Cofounder and Board member of Mercantile Commercial Capital (MCC). His company was recently added to the 2007 Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing companies in America, number 245 with 951% growth over the past 3 years. Chris is well-known for his innovative marketing achievements and continues to coach and consult with various business owners and entrepreneurs. To date, MCC has closed commercial loans in 31 states for over $350 million in total project costs – one business owner at a time, and has been voted “Best Place to Work” by the Orlando Business Journal for 3 years running.

A few other business achievements Chris has received:

• Reader’s Choice Award for “Most Respected Executive in Central Florida” and “Best Small Company in Central Florida.”
• “SBA Marketing Guru of the Year.”
• NADCO’s Banker of the Year.
• SBA Financial Services Champion.
• Top Twenty Most Influential People in Small Business lending.
• Hallmark Award for Top Producer in Mortgage Lending.
• “Top Male, 40 Under 40″ in Orlando.
• One of the “100 Most Influential People” in Orlando.

Throughout his career, Chris has been in various leadership positions, including his background as business consultant and financier with GE Capital and as CFO for the NAI RealVest group of companies. Chris’ educational achievements are equally impressive. He graduated from Loyola University with two magna cum laude Bachelor Degrees; earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Center (formerly at the Wharton School of Business); and only spent one year at Georgetown University Law Center before wising-up about becoming an attorney. Chris is a frequent speaker and writer and has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, LA Times, the Sacramento Bee, the Orlando Sentinel, Scotsman Guide and many other regional and nationally-recognized trade publications. He maintains a busy civic calendar as a Board member with the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Board and the Florida Hospital Foundation Board, as well his involvement with many other esteemed community organizations. Chris is married to his wife of 12 years, Shannon, and has two children, Reilly and Julianna.

THE BEST BARBER SHOP JOKES
At Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club® franchises, we’re real serious about making you look good and giving you a nice relaxing break while we do it. While we do keep up-to-date with the newest grooming products and modern amenities, a big part of our mission is to keep alive the classic barber shop experience we all remember at each of our barber club locations.

Take the tradition of barber shop jokes – please! Something you could always count on getting from your favorite barber was hearing the latest funny story making the rounds – and watching everybody else in the place either laugh or groan, depending on how hilarious – or corny – the joke was.

With that in mind, imagine you’re in one of our luxurious barber chairs and getting hot lather delicately put on your face in preparation for our close, signature straight-razor shave, while one of our licensed barber pros relates a few industry-related jokes – all of which begin with the key phrase, “Guy comes into a barber shop…”

Guy comes into a barber shop with a little boy. Guy sits down and gets the full treatment – haircut and straight razor shave. After he’s done, he motions for the boy to take his place in the chair, then turns to the barber and says, “Be right back, I have to pick up something at the drugstore.” The barber finishes the boy’s haircut and waits, but the guy doesn’t come back. He finally turns to the boy and says, “Did your dad forget about you?” The kid answers, “Oh, he’s not my dad. He just walked up to me on the street, said, ‘Come on, we’re gonna get free haircuts,’ and brought me in here.”

Guy comes into a barber shop, sits down in the chair and the barber begins prepping him for a shave. A hot, sexy, blonde woman bends down at the guy’s feet and starts giving him a shoe shine. The guy starts remarking on how hot she is, and how he’d like to spend some time in a hotel room with her. The blonde says, “I don’t think my husband would like that.” Guy says, “Who cares?” The blonde replies, “You should, he’s the one who’s shaving you.”

Finally, here’s what we consider the all-time classic barber joke. Guy comes into a barber shop. Barber asks “What’ll it be?” Guy says, “I’d like one sideburn two inches longer than the other, the hair in the back really jagged and uneven, and make sure I have a really weird wave on top that won’t go away.” Barber says, “Why in the world would you want that?” Guy turns to him and says, “Hey, that’s how you cut it last time.”

Rest assured, that’s NOT how we’re going to cut your hair at our Kennedy’s® barber clubs – because we guarantee “The Best Haircut and Straight Razor Shave You’ve Ever Had – Or It’s Free!”™ We can’t guarantee the funniest jokes – but we’ll sure give it a good try!

If you want to read more from Kennedy’s®, be sure to check out our blog at www.KennedysBarberClub.com. And if you can’t wait to read the latest, add the RSS feed so you will be among the first to know when a new article is available!

Chris Hurn is currently President, CEO, Cofounder and Board member of Mercantile Commercial Capital (MCC). His company was recently added to the 2007 Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing companies in America, number 245 with 951% growth over the past 3 years. Chris is well-known for his innovative marketing achievements and continues to coach and consult with various business owners and entrepreneurs. To date, MCC has closed commercial loans in 31 states for over $350 million in total project costs – one business owner at a time, and has been voted “Best Place to Work” by the Orlando Business Journal for 3 years running.

A few other business achievements Chris has received:

• Reader’s Choice Award for “Most Respected Executive in Central Florida” and “Best Small Company in Central Florida.”
• “SBA Marketing Guru of the Year.”
• NADCO’s Banker of the Year.
• SBA Financial Services Champion.
• Top Twenty Most Influential People in Small Business lending.
• Hallmark Award for Top Producer in Mortgage Lending.
• “Top Male, 40 Under 40″ in Orlando.
• One of the “100 Most Influential People” in Orlando.

Throughout his career, Chris has been in various leadership positions, including his background as business consultant and financier with GE Capital and as CFO for the NAI RealVest group of companies. Chris’ educational achievements are equally impressive. He graduated from Loyola University with two magna cum laude Bachelor Degrees; earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Center (formerly at the Wharton School of Business); and only spent one year at Georgetown University Law Center before wising-up about becoming an attorney. Chris is a frequent speaker and writer and has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, LA Times, the Sacramento Bee, the Orlando Sentinel, Scotsman Guide and many other regional and nationally-recognized trade publications. He maintains a busy civic calendar as a Board member with the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Board and the Florida Hospital Foundation Board, as well his involvement with many other esteemed community organizations. Chris is married to his wife of 12 years, Shannon, and has two children, Reilly and Julianna.

Welcome back to The Guidebook for the Successful Man™! We’ve received a tremendous amount of feedback from our first issue last month, and we want to thank everyone who’s gone out of their way to tell us how much they enjoyed it. We hope this one (and all future ones) will live up to your expectations.

Now, this being February… there’s a pretty big holiday this month that every man is practically duty-bound to remember: Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re married or not, single or dating… few women in our lives quietly let this day go by unnoticed. Rather than fight it like some Hallmark-created conspiracy, I thought I’d pullback the curtain for you on the history of this rather curious day. If you’re like me, then you’ve been blindly buying chocolates and cards for years without a clue as to why… other than that she expects it.

The history of Valentine’s Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named “Valentine” or “Valentinus,” all of whom were martyred.
Legend has it that Valentine was a priest in the third century in Rome. The Emperor at that time was Claudius II, and he decided that single men made better soldiers than those who were married. With this in mind, he outlawed marriage for young men in hopes of building a stronger military. Supposedly, Valentine strongly disagreed with the Emperor’s wishes, so he chose to marry young couples in secret. When Claudius II found out about Valentine’s actions, he had him put to death.

Another legend has it that Valentine was an imprisoned man who fell in love with his jailor’s daughter. Before he was put to death, he sent the first “valentine” himself. He wrote her a letter and signed it “Your Valentine”… the words still used on many cards today.

Another valentine gentleman you may be wondering about is Cupid. In Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love. His counterpart in Greek mythology is Eros, god of love. Cupid is often said to be a mischievous boy who goes around wounding both gods and humans with his arrows, causing them to fall in love.

Perhaps we’ll never know the true identity and story behind the man named St. Valentine, but this much is true… February has been the month to celebrate love for a long time, dating clear back to the Middle Ages. The oldest-known valentine still in existence was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection at the British Library in London. Today, Valentine’s Day ranks second only to Christmas in the number of greeting cards sent. According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year. Of these, approximately 85% are purchased by women. But fear not men, for more than 50% of all Valentine’s Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine’s Day a procrastinator’s delight. So… lots of imprisonings, martyrdoms, and mischievousness on Valentine’s Day historically, but as long as you get that Special Someone something before the 14th, you’ll probably be alright and certainly not alone as you shop!
- Chris Hurn
Co-founder/Chairman/CEO

P.S. A quick aside: During the Christmas break, my wife I took our two kids to see The Tale of Desperearux and were pleasantly surprised by the lessons the protagonist taught our kids. It’s a tale about non-conforming and about being “courageous, honorable, and true.” In other words, Despereaux’s a gentleman and conducts himself thusly — even the tiniest mouse can have the courage of a knight in shining armor. I’m not sure we’re ready to declare an animated mouse a “Kennedy’s Man” yet, but if we ever do, Despereaux’s a shoo-in.

[Editor’s note: Do NOT read this month’s piece from Chris (A Dog’s Love) if you’re one of those truly stoic “macho men.” When people lose their dogs, it’s never easy. Following, his reminisces about his beloved chocolate lab, Hannah. His last photographs with her were taken for his introductory piece in our debut issue. We’ve placed a couple of those throughout his column. Valentine’s Day being the marquee holiday in February, Chris opens up about a different kind of love, not that of romance or of platonic love, but of the unconditional love a dog has with its owner and he had with her. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.]

Chris Hurn is currently President, CEO, Cofounder and Board member of Mercantile Commercial Capital (MCC). His company was recently added to the 2007 Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing companies in America, number 245 with 951% growth over the past 3 years. Chris is well-known for his innovative marketing achievements and continues to coach and consult with various business owners and entrepreneurs. To date, MCC has closed commercial loans in 31 states for over $350 million in total project costs – one business owner at a time, and has been voted “Best Place to Work” by the Orlando Business Journal for 3 years running.

A few other business achievements Chris has received:

• Reader’s Choice Award for “Most Respected Executive in Central Florida” and “Best Small Company in Central Florida.”
• “SBA Marketing Guru of the Year.”
• NADCO’s Banker of the Year.
• SBA Financial Services Champion.
• Top Twenty Most Influential People in Small Business lending.
• Hallmark Award for Top Producer in Mortgage Lending.
• “Top Male, 40 Under 40″ in Orlando.
• One of the “100 Most Influential People” in Orlando.

Throughout his career, Chris has been in various leadership positions, including his background as business consultant and financier with GE Capital and as CFO for the NAI RealVest group of companies. Chris’ educational achievements are equally impressive. He graduated from Loyola University with two magna cum laude Bachelor Degrees; earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Center (formerly at the Wharton School of Business); and only spent one year at Georgetown University Law Center before wising-up about becoming an attorney. Chris is a frequent speaker and writer and has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, LA Times, the Sacramento Bee, the Orlando Sentinel, Scotsman Guide and many other regional and nationally-recognized trade publications. He maintains a busy civic calendar as a Board member with the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Board and the Florida Hospital Foundation Board, as well his involvement with many other esteemed community organizations. Chris is married to his wife of 12 years, Shannon, and has two children, Reilly and Julianna.

In 1996, I was writing a business newsletter and a subscriber sent me this story thinking I would enjoy it. He was right, and I reprinted it in my newsletter the next month. The original author is unknown. I hope you enjoy it.

The Goose Story

Next fall, when you see geese heading south for the winter – flying along in V formation – you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way:

As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following.

By flying in V formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater range than if each bird flew on its own.

PEOPLE WHO SHARE A COMMON DIRECTION AND SENSE OF COMMUNITY CAN GET WHERE THEY ARE GOING MORE QUICKLY AND EASILY BECAUSE THEY ARE TRAVELING ON THE THRUST OF ONE ANOTHER.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

IF WE HAVE AS MUCH SENSE AS A GOOSE, WE WILL STAY IN FORMATION WITH THOSE WHO ARE HEADED THE SAME WAY WE ARE.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

IT IS SENSIBLE TO TAKE TURNS DOING DEMANDING JOBS WITH PEOPLE OR GEESE FLYING SOUTH.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

WHAT DO WE SAY WHEN WE HONK FROM BEHIND?

Finally, and this is important: when a goose get sick or is wounded by gunshots and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it to lend help and protection.

They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with their group.

IF WE HAVE THE SENSE OF A GOOSE, WE WILL STAND BY EACH OTHER LIKE THAT.

Chris Hurn is currently President, CEO, Cofounder and Board member of Mercantile Commercial Capital (MCC). His company was recently added to the 2007 Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing companies in America, number 245 with 951% growth over the past 3 years. Chris is well-known for his innovative marketing achievements and continues to coach and consult with various business owners and entrepreneurs. To date, MCC has closed commercial loans in 31 states for over $350 million in total project costs – one business owner at a time, and has been voted “Best Place to Work” by the Orlando Business Journal for 3 years running.

A few other business achievements Chris has received:

• Reader’s Choice Award for “Most Respected Executive in Central Florida” and “Best Small Company in Central Florida.”
• “SBA Marketing Guru of the Year.”
• NADCO’s Banker of the Year.
• SBA Financial Services Champion.
• Top Twenty Most Influential People in Small Business lending.
• Hallmark Award for Top Producer in Mortgage Lending.
• “Top Male, 40 Under 40″ in Orlando.
• One of the “100 Most Influential People” in Orlando.

Throughout his career, Chris has been in various leadership positions, including his background as business consultant and financier with GE Capital and as CFO for the NAI RealVest group of companies. Chris’ educational achievements are equally impressive. He graduated from Loyola University with two magna cum laude Bachelor Degrees; earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Center (formerly at the Wharton School of Business); and only spent one year at Georgetown University Law Center before wising-up about becoming an attorney. Chris is a frequent speaker and writer and has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, LA Times, the Sacramento Bee, the Orlando Sentinel, Scotsman Guide and many other regional and nationally-recognized trade publications. He maintains a busy civic calendar as a Board member with the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Board and the Florida Hospital Foundation Board, as well his involvement with many other esteemed community organizations. Chris is married to his wife of 12 years, Shannon, and has two children, Reilly and Julianna.

Welcome to our first issue of The Guidebook for the Successful Man™! And welcome to 2009! Happy New Year to you and yours! May you strive to make this your Best Year Ever! And don’t let all of the other media get you down… YOU determine how good of a year it will be for YOU. Keeping that in mind the next time you read the headlines might just prove valuable for you.

Now, to the best of our knowledge, nothing quite like this has existed before. We don’t know of any other barber shops that have ever put out a monthly magazine… of course, therein lies the difference, doesn’t it? Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club® isn’t like any other barber shop. In fact, we don’t even call ourselves a “shop,” but rather, we call ourselves and act like the “Club” that we are. Nothing ordinary belongs here.

This monthly magazine will always be closer to a lifestyle publication than anything else. When we strip away the layers from our core concept, that’s what we really think we founded and run: a lifestyle business. We’re interested in attracting to our brand what we call “Discerning Gentlemen.” We define them as considerate, smart, courageous men who like to live life to the fullest. Men who strive to transform the world around us in every way imaginable, be it in business, politics, sport, family, religion, and so forth. Men who appreciate the finer things in life, and men who strive in civilized pursuits. Success is and ought to be defined in many different ways, and we support the striving toward and achievement of it. We believe every man can be a Successful, Discerning Gentleman; we think every man should be; and we think fathers should teach their sons the art as well. And we know the women in our lives much prefer it.

Now, you may not be a father like the four Founders of Kennedy’s, but last time I checked, it’s kind of hard not to at least be a son and have some woman in your life… whether it be your wife, girlfriend, mother, sister(s), and so on. If this includes you and success matters to you, then this is the publication for you. Incidentally, we have just the Club for you and your friends to belong to… but you already knew that, didn’t you?

With Kennedy’s, we’ve taken a necessity (getting your hair cut) “upscaled” it and made it unlimited. Plus, we’ve brought back some nostalgic things (straight razor shaves, complimentary beverages, hand-selected, timeless music), mixed-in some modern amenities (plush leather barber chairs, hot water steamers during shaves and the latest grooming products) to create the ultimate affordable luxury… something a man can indulge in regularly and not feel the least tinge of guilt about. An experience worth valuing, and one that is remarkable valuable to its Members. A place where a man can be the man he should be. All of this is wrapped in the packaging of a certain lifestyle we’re trying to promote: responsible, respectful and respectable men… always striving for success in all they do… something the world can certainly use more of.

Our platform begins with well-groomed men. Where it takes us next will be part of the evolution of Kennedy’s. We hope you’ll join us for the journey. One Club member called our concept, “sort of like the old Playboy® and its clubs, but without the naked women and not nearly the decadence.” I suppose that’s not a bad description. Dare I say, we’re trying to restart a movement of sorts… and if you’ve visited our Web site at www.KennedysBarberClub.com then you really know.

Monthly, you can expect us to write about the things that interest our Members the most: travel; fashion; cars; food; entertainment; relationships; sports; and politics, just to name a few and not necessarily in that order. We won’t cover each subject every month, and we’ll probably write about others too, but we believe this will soon be your place for critical information rarely found elsewhere. Since we don’t plan to release this on newsstands any time soon, only Members, walk-in Clients and those showing interest in Kennedy’s will be able to get their hands on this. So keep it close as you’re one of a select few even seeing it. And if you can’t wait between issues, we post plenty of information on our Web site weekly. Bookmarking www.KennedysBarberClub.com or subscribing to our RSS feed might prove wise.

We humbly hope you enjoy what we’re trying to do here. You may not always agree with everything we write – and we’ve been known to be a little irreverent from time to time – but Successful, Discerning Gentlemen stay civilized even when they disagree. So, don’t hold back on your feedback. We welcome the dialogue and better yet, we welcome you to the first edition of The Guidebook for the Successful Man™ by Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club®. Enjoy!