When building the Barefoot Wine brand, we learned that people will shorten words to the least number of syllables to express a concept, a brand, or an idea. It’s not that they’re lazy; it’s just more efficient. That’s why Coca-Cola, with four syllables, is shortened to “Coke,” and Budweiser, with three syllables is shortened to “Bud.” So part of the challenge is coming up with gender-neutral terms that are only one syllable. The one-syllable gender-specific singular pronouns, “he” and “she” and “his” and “hers,” are especially awkward when referring to a singular noun that could be either gender.

Historically, it was typical to use the pronoun “he” when referring to a singular noun that could be either male or female. For example, “The buyer was confused when he read the proposal.” The exclusive use of “he” inadvertently condoned a certain level of discrimination, but it was one syllable and the alternatives where multi-syllable and tedious conjunctions.

Today’s writers and speakers, aspiring to be politically correct, try to solve this issue with “…when he or she read the proposal,” but that terminology is three syllables and somewhat awkward. Others try to alternate the gender specific pronouns and use “…when she read the proposal,” and then on the next paragraph or example, go back to “he,” and so on. Still others are using a combination, resulting in (s)he or s/he. (This cannot be used verbally, and is somewhat perplexing when read.)

The same thing happens with the gender-specific possessive pronouns “his” and “her. Proper English dictates that you use “his or her,” however, once again, you are up to three syllables and becoming arduous.

So how do we refer to a singular male or female noun describing a person with a one-syllable, gender-neutral pronoun? Let’s break the rules a little bit, shall we? The pronouns we like to use are “they” and “their.” For instance, “The buyer was confused when they read the proposal and had to review their notes.” Isn’t this better than, “The buyer was confused when he or she read the proposal and had to review his or her notes”?

OK, so this is technically incorrect grammar, since “they” and “their” are plural, and refer to a singular noun. The only existing, one-syllable, non-onerous, gender-neutral pronouns in our language that refer to a non-gender-specific noun describing a person are “they” and “their.” Some grammatical purists will choose a work-around that changes the singular-subject noun to plural so they can use the plural non-gender-specific pronouns (“they” and “their”) correctly. However, in many cases that can change the meaning of the sentence.

Ironically, most people don’t find the incorrect grammar as objectionable as the awkward conjunctions, “he or she,” “his or her,” or the alternating gender-specific pronouns. Isn’t it about time for the vernacular to evolve to accommodate the important social issue of gender equality?

We were recently honored to be chosen as keynote speakers by an organization looking for a gender-neutral, man-and-woman team. We hope the organizer will give us their approval when they hear us speak!

Who We Are

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey co-authored the New York Times bestselling business book, The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. The book has been selected as recommended reading in the CEO Library for CEO Forum, the C-Suite Book Club, and numerous university classes on business and entrepreneurship. It chronicles their humble beginnings from the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse to the board room of E&J Gallo, who ultimately acquired their brand and engaged them as brand consultants. Barefoot is now the world’s largest wine brand.

Beginning with virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they employed innovative ideas to overcome obstacles, create new markets and forge strategic alliances. They pioneered Worthy Cause Marketing and performance-based compensation. They built an internationally bestselling brand and received their industry’s “Hot Brand” award for several consecutive years.

They offer their Guiding Principles for Success (GPS) to help entrepreneurs become successful. Their book, The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways To Engage and Empower Your People, helps corporations maximize the value of their human resources.

Currently they travel the world leading workshops, trainings, & keynoting at business schools, corporations, conferences. They are regular media guests and contributors to international publications and professional journals. They are C-Suite Network Advisors & Contributing Editors. Visit their popular brand building site at www.consumerbrandbuilders.com.

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post Gender Neutral Language – Let’s Break a Few Rules! appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Document Processing and Note-taking

• Google Drive – Google Drive stores spreadsheets, documents, images and slideshows across your devices. Not only can you edit on the go, you can share, comment on resources and be prepared no matter where your work takes you. At present, Drive offers users 15 GB of storage for free and allows you to purchase more as needed, for fees beginning at $4.99 USD per month.
• Evernote – Like Google Drive, the free Evernote syncs your notes across devices. Somewhat of a digital clipboard, Evernote can be used to take notes, draft speeches or reports, create to-do lists and more. The ability to tag items and save frequent searches helps you find what you need faster, ideal for entrepreneurs on the go.
• Personal assistant tools – Siri, the iPhone’s personal assistant, takes dictation and can draft text messages or emails for you. The free Dragon Mobile Assistant for Android performs similar functions. These tools can automate workflow and help you make the most of downtime.

Financial Resources

• EasyStart Bookkeeping – If you don’t have a financial background, EasyStart Bookkeeping will help you organize, track and report on finances all from the comfort of your mobile device. This program allows you to create and send invoices, track and remit sales tax and run basic reports including profit and loss, tax reports and balance sheets.
• GoPayment – If you sell directly to consumers, a GoPayment credit card terminal allows you to accept credit card payments directly from your smartphone or tablet. Plug the reader into your phone or tablet, open the corresponding app, type in your customer’s purchases and swipe to charge.

Connectivity

• Skype – For conference calls and videos, Skype offers an easy-to-use and low-cost solution for desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones. Skype users can talk to one another via any device for free, and make low-cost calls to landline numbers worldwide. Costs range by location called. More comprehensive information can be found on Skype’s website.
• Hootsuite – The free Hootsuite allows you to sync your business social media and quickly see and control all accounts from one basic dashboard. Post to Facebook, tweet your latest news and see who has Yelped you — all while you wait for your latte.
• MailChimp – Stay in touch with your audience with MailChimp, a low-cost newsletter utility. The free plan allows you to email up to 2,000 subscribers 12,000 emails per month. If you need to stay in touch more often, plans range from $10.00 to $20.00 USD per month.
• Desk.com – Desk.com offers easy customer service relations with plans starting as low as $3 USD per month for beginner service that covers email, social media and phone support and going up to $29 USD per month for premium services.

If you are contemplating running your business from your mobile device stay tuned! Every day there will be more tools you can use.

Who We Are

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey co-authored the New York Times bestselling business book, The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. The book has been selected as recommended reading in the CEO Library for CEO Forum, the C-Suite Book Club, and numerous university classes on business and entrepreneurship. It chronicles their humble beginnings from the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse to the board room of E&J Gallo, who ultimately acquired their brand and engaged them as brand consultants. Barefoot is now the world’s largest wine brand.

Beginning with virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they employed innovative ideas to overcome obstacles, create new markets and forge strategic alliances. They pioneered Worthy Cause Marketing and performance-based compensation. They built an internationally bestselling brand and received their industry’s “Hot Brand” award for several consecutive years.

They offer their Guiding Principles for Success (GPS) to help entrepreneurs become successful. Their book, The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways To Engage and Empower Your People, helps corporations maximize the value of their human resources.

Currently they travel the world leading workshops, trainings, & keynoting at business schools, corporations, conferences. They are regular media guests and contributors to international publications and professional journals. They are C-Suite Network Advisors & Contributing Editors. Visit their popular brand building site at www.consumerbrandbuilders.com.

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post Top Apps to Help You Run Your Business From Your Mobile Device appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.