When I grew up in Massachusetts, I remember reading a story about Joe Kennedy. He would go up to owners of older drafty apartments in downtown Boston and make them a unique proposition. Many of the units were poorly insulated and cost a small fortune to heat in the winter. Joe would agree to insulate […]
Capturing Value in Nontraditional Ways Read More »
Fifty percent of Americans over 18 years of age drink coffee every day. That translates into 150 million daily coffee drinkers that consume 400 million cups per day. Not long ago, brewing a cup of coffee at home or at the office involved purchasing a coffee pot from one company and ground coffee from another
Keurig’s New Business and Economic Model Read More »
Many local ecosystems have initiatives and programs to foster innovation in their own community as a way to grow new technology or manufacturing companies. They do this in the hopes it will bring in new money as the primary employer grows to maturity. However, sometimes it is not the product that generates the revenue, but
New Product vs. New Economic Model Read More »
Primary & secondary employers are vital to local ecosystem, One brings new money in and the other keeps money local, However each is treated different,
Ecosystems: Primary vs. Secondary Employers – Why You Need to Know Read More »
Sometimes the best ideas come from just looking at another industry and applying their lessons to your business. For example, when Henry Ford visited a meat packing plant, he saw how a side of beef was placed on a trolley and as it traveled down a track, a line of butchers each performing a single
A Source of Innovation Read More »
A telescope is a valuable tool. Used properly, it makes distant objects appear closer. However, used improperly it, in fact, makes the problem of seeing distant objects worse. The first word I often hear from tech start-ups involves how to protect their idea with a patent. While I have never been a big fan of
Looking Through The Wrong End Of The Telescope – Protect/Share Your Idea Read More »
My wife would say that the greatest way a man can ever show a woman he loves her is to buy her a diamond. This drives me crazy because the entire narrative that diamonds represent romance is pure marketing hype that almost everyone has bought into. Did you know that the tradition of giving a
De Beers, A Story About Controlling Supply and Creating Demand Read More »
A few weeks ago we spoke about the negative effects that can result from not appreciating your employees when we discussed the story of Benedict Arnold. On the opposite side of that same coin, I would place Mary Kay Ash of Mary Kay Cosmetics. At the core of her business model was employee appreciation. She
Recognition on Steroids Read More »
In business, many of the most promising and productive individuals have fragile egos. As the owner of a company, you need to be able to recognize and reward behaviors from employees that move the business forward or risk creating a Benedict Arnold in your own ranks.
Recognition Or Doom – Failing To Recognize Outstanding Performance Is A Colossal Mistake Read More »
I own a solid orange polo shirt and often wear black suspenders. Being a DIY kind of person I often make trips to a local hardware store to buy materials or tools for one of my projects. On more than one occasion I have worn this combination to a local Home Depot store and been
What Color is Your Brand? Read More »
