Self Improvement Site
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
Articles from Geoff Ficke | Selfgrowth.com
- The Lesson of “I, Pencil” An Essay on Economic Freedom for the Ages - by Submitted on Oct 27, 2009 from Geoff FickeThe Lesson of “I, Pencil” An Essay on Economic Freedom for the Ages As a young college student studying economics in the 1960’s I was exposed to the writings and philosophy of Leonard Read while researching a paper on Adam Smith’s enlightened principle of the “Invisible Hand”. Mr. Read had ...
Views: 9359(3 votes) - The World’s Oldest Watch Manufacturer Stays on Top by Constantly Innovating - by Submitted on Aug 17, 2009 from Geoff FickeOne of life’s great pleasures is travel. The opportunity to view distant lands, experience new food and drink, sample exotic cultures and meet local citizens is always rewarding. One of my most prized experiences when I visit any new land is to sample local produce, manufactured goods and learn ...
Views: 5632(5 votes) - The Man Who Invented Modern Athletic Shoes Inadvertently Revolutionized Commerce and Sports - by Submitted on Aug 20, 2009 from Geoff FickeI grew up in the 1950’s playing basketball hour after hour on city playgrounds. The public courts of the day were nothing like those found today in most American towns. There were no lights, a steel, kidney-shaped backboard (ugh!) with bent rims, occasionally a steel chain net and no lines ...
Views: 5590(3 votes) - Hit the Prospects Hot Buttons to Close More Sales - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2009 from Geoff FickeAt the conclusion of every sales presentation the salesman will have achieved one of three results: a sale is made, a sale is lost or valuable information is gleaned that can result in building a relationship. The third result can be called identifying the “hot button”. Obviously, the purpose of ...
Views: 5501(3 votes) - Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla - The Difference’s Between Fame and Forgotten - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke I recently saw the movie “The Prestige”. The story is about two ferociously rival magicians and is set in the 1890’s. A sub-plot in the movie concerns the largely forgotten rivalry between scientists and inventors Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. Entrepreneurs today can learn ...
Views: 5225(6 votes) - A Professional Demeanor Screams Success - by Submitted on Aug 20, 2009 from Geoff FickeThe importance of a professional business presentation can not be overstated in determining the fate of a new business opportunity. Nevertheless, it is amazing how many times the presenter does not apply these same essential professional requirements to their own person. You only get one chance ...
Views: 5211(1 vote) - An Exclusivity Strategy Can Be Crucial To Successful Brand Marketing - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Many of the inventors and entrepreneurs we deal with in our consumer product marketing business approach us with dreams of selling product to the masses. This can be lucrative and a proper launch strategy in cases where all of the stars in the galaxy line up properly. How ...
Views: 5092 - How to Make a Single Mall Kiosk Into a Multi-National Company - by Submitted on Aug 19, 2009 from Geoff FickeOne of the bigger mistakes we see new entrepreneurs and startup businesses make is to try to hit a home run right out of the box. My experience in the days when I played baseball, and in building a solid business foundation, is that when purposely trying to hit home runs, you usually strike out. ...
Views: 4987(1 vote) - Successful Entrepreneurs are Doer’s - Not Dreamers Too Many Inventors Are Confused About the Difference - by Submitted on Aug 07, 2009 from Geoff FickeFor many years I felt that if you scratched any American you were scratching an entrepreneur. This is the country where entrepreneurial activity is most possible and seemingly every citizen has an idea with commercial potential. Sadly, over time, I realized I was wrong. If you scratch most ...
Views: 4706(2 votes) - The Oldest Tea Merchant in the World Is Still a Marketing & Branding Phenomenon - by Submitted on Aug 15, 2009 from Geoff FickeAny traveler to London is naturally overwhelmed with the many sites, sounds, history and majesty of this glorious ancient capital, especially first time visitors. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Thames, Big Ben the Horse Guards, 10 Downing Street, St. James Park, St. Paul’s Cathedral, ...
Views: 4658(1 vote) - The Importance of “Instant Gratification” When Marketing Consumer Products - by Submitted on Jun 22, 2011 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke The Importance of “Instant Gratification” When Marketing Consumer Products I remember as a little boy the excitement of shopping for a new car with my father. Dad was a Chevrolet man. He always bought cars from the same dealership and the same salesman. We would walk the ...
Views: 3757(2 votes) - How Exclusivity Makes a Premium Liquor Brand a Cultural Phenomenon - by Submitted on Aug 18, 2009 from Geoff FickeAs in so many consumer product categories, it would seem that there is little room left for innovation in mature businesses like liquor. Most of the world’s best selling alcohol brands have pedigrees that extend back for generations, if not centuries. Johnnie Walker scotch, Jack Daniels whiskey, ...
Views: 3626(1 vote) - Two Centuries Ago “The King of Chefs, the Chef of Kings” - by Submitted on May 21, 2011 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Two Centuries Ago “The King of Chefs, the Chef of Kings” Created the Modern Gourmet Cooking We Know Today We live in an age of plenty, when food is consumed and pursued as much for entertainment as for sustenance. Haute cuisine foodie magazines abound. There are television ...
Views: 3555 - The Invention of the Wheelbarrow Made the Great Castles and Cathedrals Possible - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby:Geoff Ficke Virtually every modern household has a basic wheelbarrow stored away. The use of the wheelbarrow is ubiquitous in construction and basic home chores. The design, form and function of the wheelbarrow has not appreciable changed for 700 years. And yet, this simple tool is one of ...
Views: 3387(1 vote) - The Nearly Forgotten Fashion Pioneer Who Changed the Way Women Dressed - by Submitted on Jul 22, 2011 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke The Nearly Forgotten Fashion Pioneer Who Changed the Way Women Dressed Mention the name Chanel and virtually every woman, and most men immediately have a mental picture of the famous logo, eponymous boutiques, couture fashion and famous Fragrances created several ...
Views: 3151(1 vote) - How We React to Failure Defines How Much Success Most People Can Attain - by Submitted on May 24, 2011 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke How We React to Failure Defines How Much Success Most People Can Attain In 1954 the manager of The Grand Ole Opry told Elvis Presley, “You ain’t going nowhere son. Go back to driving a truck”. After his first audition the great actor Sidney Poitier was told by the ...
Views: 3047(1 vote) - The Ten Commandments for Entrepreneurs - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2009 from Geoff FickeI am often asked by aspiring entrepreneurs for tips that are essential to being successful in launching a new commercial venture. Below I have assembled the big 10, something like the 10 Commandments, only for entrepreneurial success. The items covered below are not negotiable in the process of ...
Views: 3027(3 votes) - Napoleon and Alexander the Great Are Innovative Role Models Even Today - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2009 from Geoff FickeDuring the 18th century the royal courts of Europe were starved for exciting and fresh entertainment formats. The staid choral recital, piano concerto, plays and opera had been standard fare in all of the great palaces for centuries. Each court strove to offer something more modern, more cutting ...
Views: 2862(3 votes) - A Poem to Inspire Every Aspiring Marketer & Entrepreneur - by Submitted on Aug 15, 2009 from Geoff FickeToday poetry is not a culturally prevalent or popular art form utilized to convey deep thought or the meaning of ideas. To be sure, there are contemporary poets, published works of poetry are available and the United States still recognizes a living “poet laureate”. However, for vast swaths of ...
Views: 2812(1 vote) - Organize the Business Structure That Is Right for Your New Enterprise - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2009 from Geoff FickeEvery business requires a structure that will withstand necessary legal and governmental scrutiny. The choice of how to organize a new enterprise should be made based on the needs and capacity of the owner(s) to maintain and detail the records, history and finances of the business. Many ...
Views: 2736(3 votes) - 10 Bullet Point Options for Bootstrapping Your Small Business or Consumer Product Opportunity - by Submitted on May 05, 2012 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke 10 Bullet Point Options for Bootstrapping Your Small Business or Consumer Product Opportunity Almost every small or micro-business, entrepreneur or inventor faces a harsh financial reality when starting out. They have little or no access to venture capital, financing or ...
Views: 2688(1 vote) - Fear Is a Key Driver of Success - by Submitted on Mar 28, 2011 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Ayrton Senna, the great Brazilian Gran Prix driver, once famously was quoted: “To survive Gran Prix racing, you need to be afraid. Fear is an important feeling. It helps you to race longer and live longer”. Fear is an element that each of us face in different ways, and at ...
Views: 2674 - How to Turn an Ancient Scottish Peat Bog into Marketing Gold - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2009 from Geoff FickeHow to Turn an Ancient Scottish Peat Bog into Marketing Gold Many years ago, as a young entrepreneur seeking to launch my very first consumer product, I discovered the importance of having a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to establish my brand’s niche. My partner and I had developed a very ...
Views: 2658(6 votes) - The Origins of Modern Banking Are Inter-twined With an Ancient Military Order - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2009 from Geoff FickeThe world is currently fixated on the international credit crisis and the role banking has played in this debacle. We take it for granted that commerce flows quickly and accurately across borders and frontiers. A resident of Maine can purchase a tank of gas at home, or in Italy with the same ...
Views: 2654(2 votes) - The Simple Road Reflector Saves Lives And Provides A Great Teaching Template - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke One wintry night in 1933, Percy Shaw found himself driving his automobile on a remote country road in England. The night was moonless; the fog hung densely and there was a persistent mixture of rain and snow belting against his windshield. The road was little more than a lane, ...
Views: 2635 - Ancient Egyptian Lessons Learned Then Forgotten - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Any visitor to modern Egypt, or viewer of a travelogue on this amazing country is awed by the antiquities visible everywhere. The Sphinx, hundreds of pyramids and mausoleums, temples and statuary are testament to the brilliance of this 4000 year old culture. These relics have ...
Views: 2599 - The 10 Commandments of Selling - by Submitted on Aug 21, 2009 from Geoff FickeThe 10 Commandments of Selling Every successful entrepreneur must achieve a level of sales competence. Short of spending valuable capital on hiring sales professionals, there is no alternative. Selling is to business as fertilizer is to agriculture. Nothing happens in a company until ...
Views: 2545(1 vote) - The World’s Most Successful Board Game Was Created As A Metaphor for Hard Times - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Successful entrepreneurs are people that always see opportunity in any situation. By nature they are positive and constantly seek innovations that address wants and needs that they identify in their contemporary environment. Currently we are in a dark economic period, and this ...
Views: 2491 - The First Commercially Sold Mouthwash Actually Invented a Malady for the Product to Cure - by Submitted on Aug 18, 2009 from Geoff FickeThe first commercially successful mouthwash product is still one of the most famous: Listerine. First marketed in the late 19th century as a surgical antiseptic, the product enjoyed modest success. Listerine was created by Dr. Joseph Lawrence and Jordan Lambert and named in honor of Dr. Joseph ...
Views: 2464(1 vote) - “Fortune Is Not on the Side of the Faint-Hearted”: Sophocles, 5th Century B.C. Greek Philosopher - by Submitted on Mar 28, 2011 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke What was true when written in Sophocles revered 5th Century B.C. text Phaedra, is ever-more true in the 21st century. Other than the lightning struck few who win a lottery prize, fortune, and success in life is not given easily, and certainly not to the faint hearted. The ...
Views: 2420 - The Importance of Focus Groups and Their Alternatives To Consumer Product Marketers and Entrepreneurs - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2011 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke The Importance of Focus Groups and Their Alternatives To Consumer Product Marketers and Entrepreneurs My Consumer Product Development and Marketing Consulting firm offers a variety of services to clients. One that we frequently utilize, and is often misunderstood is the ...
Views: 2362(1 vote) - The Rarest Most Exclusive Garment Wool in the World is Not for Sale - by Submitted on Jun 19, 2011 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke The Rarest Most Exclusive Garment Wool in the World is Not for Sale For centuries the famous weavers of Kashmir have gathered and produced shawls from the rarest fiber in the world, Shahtoosh. These fabulous, prized shawls are so exclusive that the name Shahtoosh, meaning ...
Views: 2346(1 vote) - A Business Model That Really Succeeds at Warfare - by Submitted on Aug 21, 2009 from Geoff FickeMercenary soldiers have been used by nation states since Biblical times. The Romans used Goth mercenaries to fight Hannibal and his Carthaginian army. The English used Celtic warriors to defend them against the Vikings. The British used Hessians during the Revolutionary War here in the United ...
Views: 2317(2 votes) - Brand Extension Can Be a Key to Growing and Evolving a Consumer Product Line or Service - by Submitted on May 06, 2012 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Brand Extension Can Be a Key to Growing and Evolving a Consumer Product Line or Service Switzerland is the couture watch capital of the world. A visit to Geneva and its surrounding cantons exposes the traveler to the hundreds of exotic watch brands made in this famous ...
Views: 2273(2 votes) - “What Is Our Aim? Victory, Victory at all Costs..! - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2009 from Geoff FickeWinston Churchill’s Famous War Cry Is Fully Applicable for Today’s Entrepreneurs Arguably, the courage and moral leadership provided to the western world by Winston Churchill was the key instrument essential to keeping World War 2 from ending early, and ever so badly for the cause of ...
Views: 2222(5 votes) - Eric Hoffer: The Obstacles We Face Daily Present Our Greatest Opportunities - by Submitted on Sep 06, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke As a young, struggling college student in the 1960’s I became entranced with the life, philosophy and writings of the great American thinker Eric Hoffer. Hoffer’s life story was almost mystical, his thinking so lucid and the concepts he presented were so fresh that I could not ...
Views: 2210(2 votes) - The Invention of Interchangeable Parts Terrified Government 200 Years Ago-and Today - by Submitted on Sep 28, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Since the beginning of time, until the middle of the 19th century the production of goods was conducted on an artisan, piece by piece basis. Over these many centuries the center of the individual’s universe was the local environ where commerce and enterprise were conducted on ...
Views: 2202(2 votes) - Adopt a Pre-Sell Strategy to Drive Interest in Your Project Before Seeking to Attract Investment Funding - by Submitted on Feb 06, 2012 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Adopt a Pre-Sell Strategy to Drive Interest in Your Project Before Seeking to Attract Investment Funding Recently I met with a prospective client who presented my Consumer Product Marketing and Branding Consulting firm with an overview of his project, its development ...
Views: 2199(1 vote) - A Strong Sales Model Underlies Every Assumption In a Business Plan - by Submitted on Aug 21, 2009 from Geoff FickeOne of the most difficult tasks a new prospective entrepreneur faces is the construction of a Sales Model. Many books devoted to instruction for writing a business plan devote little or no attention to this vital exercise. The knowledge needed to assemble a quantified, qualified and clearly ...
Views: 2157(1 vote) - How To Invent A Billion Dollar Product and Personally Gain Very Little - by Submitted on Sep 04, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke In 1930, a young engineer was sent by his supervisor to spend time working on the floor of a Minneapolis auto body shop. The reason for the working visit was to review the performance of his employer’s principal product, industrial grade sandpaper, in actual use as a car door ...
Views: 2149 - The Sales Theory of Relativity:ABC = Always Be Closing! - by Submitted on Sep 01, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Albert Einstein’s famous “Theory of Relativity” (e = mc2) is as familiar to many millions of people as a popular modern commercial limerick for a soft drink or a jingle for a candy bar. Even though very few amongst these millions actually understand the scientific premise of ...
Views: 2121(3 votes) - Opportunity and Innovation - The Power of Weird Thinking - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2009 from Geoff Ficke“The Big Idea” that will make an entrepreneur successful is not obtainable by filling in the blanks on a magic invention template. Where do ‘The Big Ideas” come from? Why are some people able to develop exciting concepts and others, though constantly scheming, achieve nothing of value? How do ...
Views: 2107(2 votes) - The Art and Modern Importance Of Roman Cement - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Cement is the most widely used building material in the world and has been for thousands of years. The historical record confirms that the ancient Persians, Assyrians and Babylonians used cement in the binding and affixing of mud bricks. The Egyptians also used cement in ...
Views: 2105(3 votes) - Classic French Milled Soap Offers a Lesson in Creating A Proprietary Marketing Niche for Common Products - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2011 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Classic French Milled Soap Offers a Lesson in Creating A Proprietary Marketing Niche for Common Products One of the most difficult realities an aspiring Consumer Product Marketer must confront is how to present their Brand as a fresh, original, worthwhile counter-offering ...
Views: 2055(1 vote) - 5 Examples of Remora Fish Marketing That Can Jump Start Your Product’s Sales & Marketing - by Submitted on Jun 26, 2011 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke 5 Examples of Remora Fish Marketing That Can Jump Start Your Product’s Sales & Marketing Everyone is fascinated by sharks. They are so dangerous, explosive and mysterious. Television documentaries detailing their habits, hunting techniques and brutality are ubiquitous, As ...
Views: 2053(1 vote) - America’s Great Advantage Creating Divergent Industries - by Submitted on Aug 05, 2009 from Geoff FickeThe American economy is the growth engine of the industrial world and will continue to be so, as long a steady stream of innovative, divergent products is successfully created. The history of capitalism is replete with cycles of unique, needed product and technology advances that exponentially ...
Views: 2038(1 vote) - Great Entrepreneurs Build Strong International Brand Names - by Submitted on Aug 31, 2009 from Geoff FickeTheir Successors Often Lose Focus And Greatly Damage These Franchises If you are of a certain age you will vividly remember the following names: Helena Rubenstein, Faberge, Germain Monteil, Trigere, Revlon, Elizabeth Arden, Max Factor, Schwinn, W. T. Grant, Montgomery Ward and Chuck Taylor. ...
Views: 2035(3 votes) - For 100 Years Women Have Enjoyed the Luxury of Jean Patou’s Joy Fragrance - by Submitted on May 28, 2011 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke For 100 Years Women Have Enjoyed the Luxury of Jean Patou’s Joy Fragrance French furrier and tanner Jean Patou moved from Normandy to Paris in 1910 intent on building an eponymous fashion house. He opened Maison Parry and sold his entire collection in 1914 to a single ...
Views: 2027(1 vote) - Many Aspects of Modern Travel Were Pioneered By the Ancient Romans - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Modern travelers take the open road for granted. We can hop into exquisitely engineered modern vehicles, pop onto smooth, straight freeways, well lit, with excellent signage and many roadside conveniences. We can cover as much ground as we might like in any direction, in ...
Views: 2014 - An Example of Remora Marketing That Launched the National Chain Drug Store Boom - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2011 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke An Example of Remora Marketing That Launched the National Chain Drug Store Boom Before the middle of the 20th century there were no national chain drug stores. The neighborhood pharmacy was typically owned by a local druggist. There were multi-door local groups of stores ...
Views: 1995(1 vote)