Jason Spector.com

One of the benefits of working from home is that I don’t always have to work from home. I can pack up my laptop, plug in my iHeadPhones and head off to the nearest wifi hotspot. In most cases, that takes me down the street to the local (non-Starbucks) coffee shop. I usually spend some of my “working” time observing the shop’s space, staff, customers and how they all interact.

On this particular day, I was wondering how the shop could bring in more customers. Specifically, how could crowdsourcing and social media help drive up their customer base. The following is one idea and the grand plan to achieve it.

Driving down the east coast to South Florida provides its own unique set of observations, experiences and challenges. During a recent family road trip, I found myself looking at the standard geographic differences and weather changes as well as enjoying some southern hospitality. But it also occurred to me how much we can learn from these local businesses.