Hempel Consulting

Today I made chili and WOW does my house smell fantastic. The dogs are all over the stove like those beagles sniffing luggage at the airport.

The recipe I used is none other than Famous Hempel Chili. In retrospect, it really should be called Famous Helen’s Chili. Helen is my Mom and she cooks from scratch. Me? I cook from recipes carefully following them line by line.

Herein lies the problem. How does a family pass down its recipes when they aren’t even written down!?

In order to combat this challenge I’ve armed myself with pen and paper, measuring cups and spoons, and lightening-quick reaction time. Next, I follow Helen around the kitchen while she makes my favorite dishes. She throws in a dash of this, and a pinch of that, then a dollop of the other thing … and my goal is singular in it focus: get the measuring implement underneath whatever it is she’s pouring as quickly as possible in order to record said “recipe.”

One of my experiments in this regard produced the Famous Hempel Chili recipe. Of course Helen would correct me and say it’s not famous, because she only made it that way, one time. Alas.

Tonight I’m feeling compelled to share a little bit of family history and this scrumptious chili recipe with the world. Enjoy!

Hempel’s Famous Chili

1lb hamburger — browned with lots of salt and pepper
3 chopped onions — sauteed
1 red pepper
3 large garlic cloves

Add:
1 can of diced or crushed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
2 cans of water (more during cooking as needed)

Add:
2 pinches of Chili Caribe (flakes)
4-8 tbsp. Chili Powder (more is better from Helen’s perspective)
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Tsp. Paprika
1 Bay Leaf
2 tsp. fresh ground Cumin (minimum)
1.5 tsp. fresh ground Basil (more if not fresh)

Simmer for two hours.

Add:
2-3 cans of beans — Pinto, Black and/or Kidney

Note: The beans can be added right away if it’s going to be eaten immediately. If you make the chili one day and serve the it the next, reheat the chili in the morning and then add the beans…simmer all day if possible.  Stir and add water as necessary.

PS: If you’re making this in volume (great for parties!), I strongly recommend wearing goggles when chopping the onions

Yesterday I had the pleasure of eating lunch with a marketing exec from Western Union. We had an interesting discussion about the power of corporate recruiters as brand soldiers. This group is an often-overlooked face to the outside world; a group of people who represent their brand to consumers every single day.

In today’s job market, the recruiting process touches hundreds of consumers every day. Each one of these touch points is an opportunity to acquire a customer or create a brand advocate. Right?

Well, maybe. Recruiters are focused on finding good talent and they are primarily the buyer, less so the seller. Even when they do sell it’s about a specific job, not as much about the company or its products. Regardless, any job candidate coming in to contact with a company today is a prospective customer. Unfortunately, with online job applications and other automated systems that help recruiters, the brand experience for job seekers is usually lackluster. Often it’s very impersonal and leaves a sour taste with those excited by the prospect of working for a company they admire.

We concluded that we’re guilty as marketers for overlooking this ‘low-hanging fruit’ opportunity to market to a captive audience. Wouldn’t it be amazing if job recruiting had a strong branding component built right into the process? One example that comes to mind is for someone applying to work at Starbucks. The recruiting process for that candidate could and should embody the same unique brand experience one has when buying a cup of coffee from a Starbucks store. Then, even if that person is not chosen for the job, they have been left with a positive feeling about the brand.

I just returned from the Denver County Court and WOW are they inefficient. Without a doubt, today’s experience made it to Lisa’s Top 10 List of How To Waste Taxpayer Dollars.

Last month I received a summons to appear in court because I had my dog, Cutter, at the park off leash, without his rabies tag. Guilty as charged! So off to court I go with evidence of vaccination and checkbook in hand. I expected to show up, turnover my documents, admit guilt and pay up.

Well, 90 minutes and seven interactions with six different people later, I was allowed to leave. Now in my estimation, if the court has to throw that many people at handling a crime, the resulting fine should be double the advertised rate. After all, I was the one who failed to manage my pooch properly and forced the court to intervene.

But nooooooo. It turns out that because I appeared in person I paid 50 percent less than the original fine, including court costs! If I had simply sent in my payment with proper documentation the cost would have been $120, end of story. Instead, I paid $66 and took up the time of two security guards, two court clerks, a city attorney, a magistrate and a finance manager. Absurdly inefficient, no?

Ok, now my head is spinning so here’s a proposal: Let law-breaking, dog owners mail in their docs and pay a fine of $75. If I fail to comply and have to appear in court, the minimum fine, regardless of guilt, will be double or $150. I’m willing to bet that the majority of offenders will comply and pay by mail. That means OPEX goes down and revenue goes up … hmmm, what a concept. Ok, it’s probably not that simple but c’mon, let’s focus our time, energy and tax dollars on issues that actually make a difference!

Rant over. Cutter on leash.

There are few things more difficult than going to the funeral of a close friend. Recently I attended the funeral for a remarkable man who died at the age of 50. Gulp. The eulogy, delivered by his best friend, was truly inspiring. He quoted a very powerful poem that I had never heard before called The Dash. The punchline is simply that what really matters is how you live your ‘dash,’ better known as the time between the two dates on your tombstone.

I now have a sticky note hanging from my computer screen that reads: Lisa Hempel 1966 -

It serves as a constant reminder to me that how I choose to live each day creates my dash. A dash that is completely unique to the life of Lisa Hempel. Pretty cool.

What I’ve found surprising is that I don’t feel compelled to create a dash that will make for a good eulogy when my time is up; I simply feel driven to live in the moment. And while that makes for a crazy-looking dash at times, I am thoroughly enjoying life and living without regret.

Thanks, Linda Ellis, for The Dash.

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth…
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
the cars….the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard…
are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real,
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile…
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life’s actions to rehash…
would you be proud of the things they
say about how you spend your dash?