"Talk, Talk, Talk" A Guest Editorial by Stuart Burkow

The following is an editorial piece by Stuart Burkow. In the essence of full disclosure, I subscribe to his "Guerrilla Profits Letter." This is reprinted with his permission.

The talking heads on the major news channels continue to astound me...

Here we are at a crossroads when it comes to fiscal sanity and responsibility -- and the pundits and politicians continue to push their opinions and agendas on us... like we were children.

But spinelessness won't do any more. All things political have been proven to be, at best, ineffective -- and possibly at worst, destructive and shameful.

I can see why "Nero fiddled as Rome burned." ---> He was a politician.

So... what's a hard working business owner to do about all these morons? Well, here in the States, the process started by sending some the oldest of these specimens packing in the last election. And we've got a chance to take another shot at them in 2012.

Here are a few things I know to be true:

1) It's OUR money they're messing with... NOT theirs. They need to be accountable.
2) The rules need to apply to everyone -- NO corrupt, sweetheart, back-room deals.
3) ALL thinking and planning needs to be Long Term... NO more political bulls#*t.

And... let me make it very clear that I'm not taking political sides here. They are all full of it... unless proven otherwise by exercising fiscal sanity... and long-term planning.

This idea of "bipartisan" this... or "bipartisan" that -- is all a bunch of hogwash. (Side note: "bipartisan" is actually a code word for: "We're ALL going to screw you").

Now...

You may think I'm being harsh...

Or, you may think I'm being over-bearing on the subject.

I assure you that I am dialing back my outrage at the current state of affairs in order to "play nice." You may also think that politics has no place in Business.

But, you can rest assured that it does.

Since "they" are the ones who make the rules we business people have to live by every day. I can assure you that everything they do has a potential consequence for all those who would try to play the game of business by the rules.

by Stuart Burkow, the King of Profits
Advisor on Making Money in Business
& Advocate For Free Enterprise
http://kingofprofits.com

Leaf & Ale Kicks Off Cold New Year With Hot Events

2010 is in the books and we are looking forward to an even bigger year in 2011. In 2010 we hosted 13 in-store promotional events and took part in more than a half dozen outside events, with our July promotion with Rocky Patel and Mayor Rudy Giuliani as the biggest and most successful party we have ever thrown.

We'll start 2011 off right! We have invited Nestor Miranda (who was at Leaf & Ale in May) back for another in-store promotion on Saturday, January 29th from 1-6pm. Nestor will be bringing his personal line of cigars, as well as the flavored Tatiana cigar line (named after his daughter), Calibre 58 and maybe a few other surprises as well. Because it'll be the middle of winter and we all move a little slower, the deals and free goods will be red hot.

We already have other events booked for the spring and early summer, and I'll provide more details on them as we get closer.

Thanks for a great 2010 and I look forward to your friendship and business in 2011.

-Mike Nelson
Owner
Leaf & Ale

Nub, Cain & Oliva Christmas Party at Leaf & Ale, Thurs, Dec 9th

This Thursday, December 9th, we'll throw our Annual Christmas Party. Again this year, our Oliva Cigar rep, Allan Buelvas, will be the guest of honor. We'll be offering great deals on all Nub, Cain and Oliva cigars during the event. Buy any box of Cain cigars and you'll get a Cain tabletop lighter valued at $60 free! Buy any box of Nub cigars and get a Nub pocket case, bullet and double guillotine cutter valued at $60 free!

To make things even more interesting, Allan just posted this on our Facebook Page: "Mike, I can't wait for our Cain/Nub/Oliva Christmas Party this coming Thursday! I have some killer deals for the customers along with a Santa Bag full of gifts for giveaways during the event. Be sure to keep the weather in check! :)"

Let me tell you; when Allan says he's bringing a Santa Bag full of gifts, he means it. If you want to stock up on great cigars and add a ton of free swag to your purchase, DON'T MISS THIS PARTY! We'll have food and drinks as well as a little egg nog to go around.

What: Leaf & Ale Christmas Party with Nub & Cain Cigars
When: Thursday, December 9th, 3-8pm
Where: 9290 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN.

CAO Rock & Rolled Cigar Tour with Jon Huber @ Leaf & Ale

CAO Cigars' Director of Lifestyle Marketing, Jon Huber, brings the CAO Rock & Rolled Cigar Tour to Knoxville at Leaf & Ale. We'll host this event on Wednesday, October 27th, from 4-8pm.

CAO cigars have been long-standing best sellers here at Leaf & Ale ever since we opened our doors in 1997. We've always had a soft spot in our cigar-loving hearts for CAO since they're headquartered just down the road in Nashville. However, this will be Huber's first visit to Leaf & Ale.

The event will feature special offers on CAO cigars, limited edition CAO Rock N Rolled apparel and accessories, and special discount pricing on all CAO cigars during the event. Leaf & Ale is also planning to have a tattoo artist on hand to display their work and we're also planning a "Guess the Tattoo" contest with CAO cigars as prizes.

CAO kicked off this concept back in 2008. "We're happy that our October '08 tour has spawned similarly themed cigar events," stated Huber. "We just want to provide an escape and continue to inject some fun back into the lives of cigar enthusiasts across the country. We're bringing a little 'rock' to the genre of hand-rolled cigars, and if we can be responsible for four hours of good times in someone's life in the process, then all the better."

illusione cigars and Drew Estate Call It Quits for Nosotros

The Nosotros brand, a cigar collaboration between Jonathon Drew of Drew Estate Cigars and Dion Giolito of illusione, is officially DOA. Here is a copy of the press release from illusione cigars.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Effective immediately, illusione cigars will no longer participate in the Nosotros brand project with Jonathan Drew DBA Drew Estate. After two and a half years, terms for a product delivery date still could not be negotiated. The Nosotros brand/trademark dies in the Drew Estate Factory as per contractual agreement, and will not be made outside of the factory where it originated.

Dion Giolito
Illusione cigars

We still have a few sizes of the Nosotros in stock at Leaf & Ale. Once they are gone, it looks like they will be gone for good.