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Articles by Geoff Ficke

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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Make Your Passion for Fun A Key Part When Seeking New Product Opportunities

Most people lead rather ordinary lives, built around family, job, church and hobbies. This is fine for most. The need to pay the bills leads many to engage in work that is unfulfilling, boring and stifling. That so many people work at energy sapping employment should be a motivating factor in seeking entrepreneurial opportunity. Sadly, most people are totally risk averse and eliminate themselves from the potential rewards available almost exclusively to entrepreneurs. The perceived risk taker (the entrepreneur) is, in actuality, not the real risk taker.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,075 views3/5 (4)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

What Is 3-F Funding and Why Do Entrepreneurs Need to Understand the Vetting Process for Securing Funding?

by: Geoff Ficke What Is 3-F Funding and Why Do Entrepreneurs Need to Understand the Vetting Process for Securing Funding? Many years ago, when I was a young, ambitious, aspiring entrepreneur I was imbued with the conceit that venture capitalists, investment banks or angel investors would fall over themselves to invest in my first project. I was passionate about my product. I quickly discovered that investors were decidedly not.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,949 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Selling Is the Most Important Job For Every Entrepreneur

Let’s consider the example of an entrepreneurial inventor attempting to market his newest creation: a portable hydrostatic body fat test appliance. Design is complete, testing is finished and results exceeded initial assumptions, several working prototypes have been built, UL Approval is in hand, patents filed and a business plan has been customized. The wellness aspects of the unit make it timely and potentially very lucrative if handled properly. Most entrepreneurs would consider the status of the above-described project to be advanced and well positioned.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,476 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Most Useful Funding Technique for Funding a Business Startup Is the Oldest: Bootstrapping

by: Geoff Ficke The Most Useful Funding Technique for Funding a Business Startup Is the Oldest: Bootstrapping My Consumer Product Development and Marketing Consulting firm is approached almost daily by entrepreneurs seeking to launch a new enterprise. For many of these aspiring business owners their primary conce is the funding requirements they believe will be required to enable execution of a proper launch. Many assume they need to raise funding from angel investors, venture capital or banking sources. Very few will succeed by taking this path.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,465 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Innovative Design Is Essential To Contemporary Consumer Product Success

I have often written and referred to the difference between convergent and divergent products. Convergent products are simple design improvements on existing models already being marketed. The push button radio, the car radio or a clock radio are examples of convergent products. These examples simply add features to the divergent “alpha” invention of the radio. The invention of the radio was truly a monumental breakthrough divergent product. It was revolutionary and totally new. Most new product introductions are simple line extensions, or convergent products.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,917 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

An Alte ative, Inexpensive Way to Penetrate the Market For a New Product

An Alte ative, Inexpensive Way to Penetrate the Market For a New Product My consulting firm receives an average of 2 new product submissions from entrepreneur’s each day. Last year we viewed almost 700 such offerings. They ranged from the silly to the spectacular. The majority of these concepts actually possess some commercial merit. Nevertheless, fewer than a dozen of these will ever make it to market. There are many reasons for the paucity of successful product launches. The process is challenging and many people are not up for the fight.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,459 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Drop the Dreams and Establish Solid Goals and Plans In Order to Succeed in Start-up Business

by: Geoff Ficke Drop the Dreams and Establish Solid Goals and Plansr In Order to Succeed in Start-up Business Recently I watched a television show which featured Inventions, Small Business Start-ups and Entrepreneurship as central program topics. A panel of experts reviewed product submissions and interviewed the prospective entrepreneurs about various aspects of their projects. The interplay was interesting, and disappointing.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,348 views2.7/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Differentiation for a Small Brand Is Essential - Consider Organic Tea

Recently my marketing consulting firm was approached by the owners of a young organic tea company seeking guidance in piercing the retail product distribution channel. The entrepreneur’s behind the venture were hard working, passionate and fully committed; both personally and financially. They had an excellent product.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,406 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

I Can’t Find Funding. Is My Idea Dead? No, Consider a Campaign to License!

Most inexperienced entrepreneurs are unaware of the many options and alte ative strategies available to push a new idea or invention to market. The most common approach they seek to implement is a classic funding round. When this avenue fails, and with overwhelming frequency it does, the idea often is dropped. Driven inventors attend invention trade fairs, venture capital conferences, small business incubators, and network at every possible opportunity in search of funding and working capital for their invention.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,813 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

In a Jobless Economic Recovery Why Not Create Your Own Job?

by: Geoff Ficke In a Jobless Economic Recovery Why Not Create Your Own Job?

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,693 views2.5/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Sourcing and Defining Volume Pricing Is an Absolute Must for Aspiring Consumer Product Entrepreneurs

by: Geoff Ficke Sourcing and Defining Volume Pricing Is an Absolute Must for Aspiring Consumer Product Entrepreneurs I have been mentoring a young female entrepreneur for several months. She is not a client of my Consumer Product Branding and Marketing Consulting firm. This earnest lady has a very interesting concept in the Infant and Juvenile product space. Like so many aspiring first time business owners she is confused about how to best organize her enterprise and move from a hobby project to a fully commercial model.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,368 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The 16th Century Entrepreneur Who Created the Concept of the Taxi

The 16th century was a time of amazing transformation in Europe. The Dark Ages were gone, the Black Plague had run it course and Middle Age fears and superstitions were slowly disappearing. The printing press had been invented and it was completely revamping the way people communicated. Columbus had discovered the America’s and the great age of exploration was in full swing.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,681 views2.5/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

A Real Time Case Study On How to Fail

I am going to relate this true story out of a sense of frustration. Hopefully, my experience, and disappointment at seeing a wonderful opportunity torched by sloppiness, will enlighten others to maximize the chance to succeed in their chosen endeavor. Great ideas need to be properly fertilized, cultured and harvested. Taking shortcuts always results in failure. My consulting firm reviews hundreds of new product ideas, inventions and small business projects each and every year. We have been doing so for over two decades. Very few of the deals we review ever become commercial realities.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,285 views2.7/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

College Campuses Are Amazing Resources for Entrepreneurs to Utilize When Launching a Business

by: Geoff Ficke College Campuses Are Amazing Resources for Entrepreneurs to Utilize When Launching a Business Recently I read about a new cosmetic product that was launched on a college campus. This bootstrapped product was taking advantage of a resource that can be available to all, but is rarely accessed by any. The entrepreneurs behind the novel lip balm Kisstixx offer an example of just one way to leverage the benefits that are present in abundance on university campuses everywhere.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,277 views2.7/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How a Simple Box Concept Changed World Trade And Fostered the Rise of a 3rd World Middle Class

by: Geoff Ficke How a Simple Box Concept Changed World Trade And Fostered the Rise of a 3rd World Middle Class

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,627 views2.5/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

…And We Want the Government To Do What?

by: Geoff Ficke I am always amazed when I see well educated, seemingly worldly people make themselves look and sound silly by promoting ever more aggressive expansion of government. We are currently in our national election cycle, admittedly the silly season for politicians. This year, however, the “nanny state” prescriptions on offer seem particularly vacuous. The one absolute I KNOW about government is this: Government is not in business to solve problems, government is in business to institutionalize problems! Bureaucracies evolve to protect and expand their turf.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,436 views2.3/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

What Makes an Entrepreneur Different

Studies indicate that entrepreneurs are born, not made. As a serial entrepreneur myself, having worked with dozens of successful entrepreneurs, I can confirm that this is a truism. No two are exactly alike, but they are different from those who fail, or worse, never try. I am often asked what makes an entrepreneur. In answering, I use the quote made by Supreme Court Justice Harlan when asked how he defined pornography. “I know it when I see it”. Entrepreneurs have a demeanor that separates them from the herd. They are different.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,719 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

When Selling Do Not Confuse Objections and Conditions

My first sales manager, a grizzled old veteran with a no excuses allowed attitude used to tell me, “there are no lousy products, just lousy salesmen”. As a rookie salesma I thought the comment surely a strange one. Of course, there are bad products I thought. I know a bad product when I see one. I was wrong. The point is I can see bad products because someone is selling them. They are on the market. It takes a real salesman to sell an obviously deficient product. I have sold luxury goods, services, foodstuffs, mass-market lines, and internationally.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,716 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Great Entrepreneurs Build Strong International Brand Names

Their 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. Each name represented a hugely successful consumer product brand. Each of these brands was grown from the entrepreneurial seed of a visionary. Unfortunately, each was subsequently abused, in several cases terminally, by non-visionary corporate bean counters. A classic example is Revlon.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,133 views1.3/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

A Business Model That Keeps on Giving

If there were an Entrepreneur’s Hall of Fame, Wayne Huizenga would be a charter member. Most people recognize the Wayne Huizenga as being the former owner of the Florida Marlins baseball team, and the current owner of the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins. These are the types of gaudy baubles a billionaire entrepreneur collects. However, his success came from the most elemental business: trash hauling. Mr. Huizenga started as a small time cartage operator for a waste disposal firm in south Florida. He worked his way into sales and ultimately bought a small firm.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,658 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Consider the Menu of Services a Project Will Require Before Interviewing Professional Consultants

by: Geoff Ficke Consider the Menu of Services a Project Will Requirer Before Interviewing Professional Consultants Google the word “Consultant” and millions of links immediately pop on to your computer screen. Refine the search term and a smaller, but still massive army of sites will become available for search. Consultants are everywhere and offering every imaginable service.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,198 views2.7/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Importance of Focus Groups and Their Alte atives To Consumer Product Marketers and Entrepreneurs

by: Geoff Ficke The Importance of Focus Groups and Their Alte ativesr 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 creation and management of Focus Groups. What is a Focus Group? What is the real purpose of a Focus Group? How much do they cost to organize? Can a novice Marketer organize a worthwhile Focus Group?

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,472 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

10 Reasons to Be Passionate About Your New Business Idea

by: Geoff Ficke One of the qualities that we look for when evaluating prospective clients for our consumer product marketing consulting firm is PASSION. If an entrepreneur is not passionate about the product or business idea they are attempting to commercialize we cannot help them. Passion is palpable, easily identifiable and crucial to success. The following are 10 benefits that every inventor or entrepreneur should consider when evaluating the passion they bring to their project.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,519 views2.5/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Rarest Most Exclusive Garment Wool in the World is Not for Sale

by: 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 “king of fine wools”, is synonymous with exclusivity. The Kings of Persia were especially partial to this most unique wool, thus the name Shahtoosh.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,450 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Why Trade Shows Are Crucial When Introducing A New Product or Service-Make Expo’s Work for You!

by: Geoff Ficke Our consumer product marketing and product development group just returned from launching two new products at a large trade show in Bologna, Italy. This was a cosmetic-beauty product show, the largest in the world. There were over 3000 vendors displaying their wares, from the largest brands in the luxury cosmetic space to start-up ventures with virtually no sales history. The show was visited by over 100,000 buyers from 120 countries.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,166 views2.7/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Consumer Product Marketing Success Depends Much More on Being First and Executing tha Simply Being First

by: Geoff Ficke Consumer Product Marketing Success Depends Much More on Being First and Executing tha Simply Being First Recently I had the opportunity to review a new beverage concept submitted for consideration by an entrepreneur. This young chap had collected reams of information, concrete data on his drink’s wellness benefits, packaging renderings and marketing trend information on the mass market soft drink category. His due diligence was impressive and seemed indicative of a driven, passionate innovator.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,222 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The New Distribution Strategies Your Product Will Need to Succeed

Amazing changes in the retail marketplace over the last 15 years has created new, different obstacles to successfully launch a new product. Marketing romantics muse glowingly about the old days when there were supposedly multiple placement opportunities in every level of retail. True, there were. But on closer inspection, there are as many options now, if not more. People and organizations are not usually open to change. Change is hard, requires a different thought process, imagination, flexibility.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,847 views2/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Persistence Pays Off For Driven Product Marketers and Inventors of WD-40

Persistence Pays Off For Driven Product Marketers and Inventors of WD-40 Along with duct tape, probably the most common product handymen keep in the garage for tackling household chores and repairs is the ubiquitous lubricant spray WD-40. I am a mechanical klutz. But when something needs fixing in my home, I simplistically grab the duct tape or a can of WD-40 for use in my first line of attacking the problem at hand. WD-40 is a classic example of a product innovation that defines the persistence required of successful inventors and entrepreneurs when facing hurdles.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,595 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

New Commercial Opportunities Require a Crisply Polished Elevator Pitch

by: Geoff Ficke Each week we receive a number of unsolicited business proposals in our marketing consulting business. Some are submitted by mail, some by e-mail and a number are the result of phone contacts. We have developed a methodology of quickly weighing the commercial viability of each. This is important as we strive to manage our time, and potential clients can receive proper initial guidance from us as they pursue their goals and dreams. The key initial indicator we evaluate when weighing a newly presented Business Plan is the Executive Summary.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,202 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How a Cool Food Product Lost an Important Marketing Advantage - and Died

How a Cool Food Product Lost an Important Marketing Advantage - and Died Recently I was interviewed by a national small business magazine about a topic that is all too real; and very problematic for small businessmen. The author of the story was trying to solve a simple problem that many of us have faced, and face every day. How to protect a product concept that cannot be protected by patents or copyrights? Here is the problem and some thoughts on the best ways to protect your work product. The product in question in this case was a cake.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,469 views2.5/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Making Public Relations Work for Your Business

The magic word that every consumer loves to hear more than any other is, FREE! Sales promotions offering a free sample or product inducement are always exceedingly popular. Human nature being what it is, the opportunity to obtain something of perceived value for nothing is usually very desirable. Creative entrepreneurs can craft and develop a very effective, and free, promotional tool for their business or invention. The ability to utilize public relations is a key component of any successful enterprise.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,558 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Strategic Alliance - The Underused Option

You are an entrepreneurial inventor with marvelous ideas in your area of expertise. The ability to create models, prototypes and concepts flows easily from your fertile brain. Nevertheless, all you have to show for your creative efforts is a garage full of dead end stuff, despite all of your efforts. Many creative people have an area of knowledge in which they excel. They are in their comfort zone there and can appear to be a master of this precise universe. However, taken just a bit outside the protective lines of this tight little planet, they are lost souls.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,174 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Make Color & Style Indispensible Elements to Sell More Products

Make Color & Style Indispensible Elements to Sell More Products Have you never visited a Williams Sonoma store? Notice how the toaster they sell for $300 per unit is always displayed so prominently. Have you ever asked yourself who needs a $300 toaster when a perfectly acceptable bread toaster can be purchased for under $20 at any big box mass merchandise store? What is the impulse that makes a consumer spend such a premium on an otherwise mundane, everyday small electric appliance? Simple, color and style!

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,446 views2.5/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Importance of the Unreasonable Man

Almost every person in the world takes a certain pride in being a reasonable person. They will make prudent choices based on their background and attitudes. The safe decision minimizes the chances of being wrong. No one likes to be wrong. The safe decision, however, carries little upside reward benefits. You are expected to pay your bills. Pay your taxes. Drive responsibly. Not yell fire in a theatre. Doing these things nets you no special extras. All of the great ideas or advances in history have evolved from unsafe, unconventional ideas.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,519 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Adopt a Pre-Sell Strategy to Drive Interest in Your Project Before Seeking to Attract Investment Funding

by: Geoff Ficke Adopt a Pre-Sell Strategy to Drive Interest in Your Projectr Before Seeking to Attract Investment Funding Recently I met with a prospective client who presented my Consumer Productr Marketing and Branding Consulting firm with an overview of his project, its development status and needs. The opportunity seemed to have legs until we reached the point in the discussion where funding took center stage. I listened as this entrepreneur, with great passion and skill, pitched his reasoning and support data for a funding round that he felt necessary to move ahead.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,300 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Invention of the Wheelbarrow Made the Great Castles and Cathedrals Possible

by: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 history’s great advances in creating labor productivity. No one knows who invented the wheelbarrow. The Chinese used crude, primitive sorts of wheeled carts, similar to the modern unit, as early as the 1st century.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

3,472 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Our Demise is Greatly Overstated The United States’ Future is Incandescent

by: Geoff Ficke As we slog along under the full weight of the current financial calamity, there is much weeping and gnashing of teeth about the future of the United States. Many of our countries fiercest enemies and critics are gloating over their perception that our wave has crested and we have entered a period of steep decline as an economic, military and cultural power. Amongst the citizenry, there is a palpable sense that the country is on the wrong track.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,441 views2/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Which Business Structure Is Best For Your New Enterprise?

The type of business structure you organize for your new enterprise is greatly determined by your personality, realities, needs and experience. Millions of people in the United States never enter into any type of formal business structure. This includes the bulk of the black or underground economy. It is estimated that the underground economy consists of about 10% of all commercial activity in the United States. This includes legal and illegal activities. A kid cutting your grass for $20 is technically working black. The handyman that repairs your patio for cash might be working black.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,494 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Why Don’t Business Schools Produce more Entrepreneurs?

by: Geoff Ficke Why Don’t Business Schools Produce more Entrepreneurs? For most of my life I have been a serial Entrepreneur. Even as a kid growing up I knew I wanted to control my own destiny. In order to be free and self-supporting I was constantly seeking opportunity in every way possible. This ambition has lead to a lifetime of interesting challenges, ups and downs, adventure, travel and an array of experiences that I could never have experienced if I had gone the corporate job route. I am always amazed that more people, especially in America, do not take the Entrepreneurial path.r

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,386 views2.5/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

You Can Only Succeed at Life or Business If You Keep Moving

by: Geoff Ficke You Can Only Succeed at Life or Business If You Keep Moving

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,460 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

A Simple 20-Step Test That Will Confirm Whether or Not a Product Development Project Is Market-Ready

by: Geoff Ficke A Simple 20-Step Test That Will Confirm Whether or Not a Product Development Project Is Market-Ready For almost four decades my Consulting firm has worked with entrepreneur’s to design, develop, package, Brand, Market and Sell a vast range of Consumer Products. Our job is to save clients time, money and mistakes. This goal is best achieved when we are involved in a nascent project from inception. Unfortunately this is not always the case.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,457 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

An Old Mustard Brand Teaches the Power of Marketing Exclusivity

by: Geoff Ficke An Old Mustard Brand Teaches the Power of Marketing Exclusivity

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,356 views2.5/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

A Marketing Axiom: You’re Never the Greatest, Only the Latest!

My first professional job after finishing college and Marine Corps service was with a small cosmetic company in the early 1970’s. The beauty industry at that time was in the golden age of its creativity, growth and competitive balance. There were numerous firms able to exist and flourish by specializing in servicing a highly diversified retail universe with product lines that targeted narrow, specific demographic categories. Alexandra de Markoff, Imperial Formula, Andrea, Frances Denney, Germaine Monteil and many others were prominent brands of that time that no longer exist.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,660 views2/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

We Plan Exact Vacation Routes But Often Start a New Business with No Road Map

Seneca “The Younger”, the great ancient Roman philosopher famously observed, “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable”. The intent of his words is clear. Knowing where you want to go is the essential prelude to planning how to get there. Unfortunately, many people go through life without a plan or a goal, and those people usually end up right where they start from. Most families have a set vacation time to relax and undertake various forms of leisure together.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,093 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

5 Examples of Remora Fish Marketing That Can Jump Start Your Product’s Sales & Marketing

by: 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 exciting as the video footage of the lives of sharks is to viewers the little fish that rides the backs of the “alpha” predators receives just the opposite sort of attention. The Remora fish goes almost unnoticed.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,155 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Why Is the Right To Fail So Important?...and, Why It is Mostly Unique To America

The American economic system of capitalism is unique in the industrialized world. Forms of capitalism exist in many countries, and the one general statement that applies to its usage is that capitalist countries are always more prosperous than non-capitalist states. That being stated, why is American capitalism so advanced, successful, admired and feared? We all know that America offers the most dynamic advanced economy in the world.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,419 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

A Simple Lesson from Aristotle On the Value of Finishing What You Start

by: Geoff Ficke The greatest Greek philosopher, Aristotle, is widely studied and discussed to this very day for his keen observations on the human condition. For almost 2400-years Aristotle’s numerous writings, philosophical tracts and pithy comments on men and their relations toward each other and their environment have been dissected for the many layers of meaning that can be conjured from attempting to decipher his reasoning and logic. He enchants us still.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,554 views1.7/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Bootstrapping Your Way to Success

There is no more accurate American descriptive phrase of the rags to riches success then: “He pulled himself up by his bootstraps”. The pioneers, backwoodsmen, cowboys, whalers and other prototypical American hero classes all possessed an air of courage, self-reliance, and belief that they could beat the odds. They are wonderful samples of entrepreneurs at the most elemental level. My favorite method of starting a business, launching a product or service is the old fashioned, do it myself, Bootstrapping.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,412 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Most Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make And Why Markets Tolerate No Shortcuts

The questio I receive more often than any other is: “What is the mistake you most frequently observe inventors or entrepreneurs making?” The answer is an easy one. Most unsuccessful entrepreneurs try to get to market by taking shortcuts. We live in a commercial maelstrom. The marketplace is constantly chu ing, changing, adapting. Successful marketers are constantly adjusting, anticipating, re-inventing.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,381 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Why First World Entrepreneurs Are the Third Worlds Best Friend

by: Geoff Ficke Many years ago I watched a television news interviewer allow Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, the de-facto dictator of Ghana at that time, to rant about the absolute rape of his tiny, poverty stricken west African nation, by multi-national companies like Nestle. Ghana’s major export product was the cocoa bean. Nestle, Hershey and other major chocolate purveyors were Ghana’s major customers for the cocoa bean.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,290 views2.5/5 (2)

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