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Articles by Geoff Ficke

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Showing 101–150

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How We React to Failure Defines How Much Success Most People Can Attain

by: 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 casting agent, “why don’t you stop wasting people’s time and become a dishwasher or something”. Basketball Hall of Famer’s Michael Jordan and Bob Cousy were cut from their first high school teams.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

3,135 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Making Hobbies Profitable A Boating Enthusiast Invents a Fun Job

We have all heard some version of the old saying, “find something you enjoy doing and make your living in that field”. For most people that would seem to be easier said than done. Millions of these working Jane’s and Joe’s go to employment that is not physically, psychologically or financially particularly rewarding. They toil to earn a basic living and count the days until Friday, Holidays and vacations. Clients, students and entrepreneurs often ask me how to they can find a career that is fulfilling, exciting and lucrative.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,359 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Business Model Must Be Innovative and Flexible

What does the following list of companies have in common? A&P Hudson Motor Car Co. Montgomery Ward TWA Horn and Hardart Studebakerr Indian Motorcycler Bonwit Teller Woolworthr Bethlehem Steelr Polaroid LTV These Companies were successful, recognizable brands in their respective categories. They were publicly traded and a number were in the Nifty Fifty in the 1970’s and/or the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The element they all have in common (and with hundreds of other equally recognizable names) is that they did not innovate.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,333 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Flight Delay That Resulted in Launching a $100 Million Gift Business

Anyone that flies regularly knows the blank feeling that sweeps over us as we hear that our flight has been delayed, or worse, canceled. Minds race while reviewing how to kill time, are there alte ative travel options, can I reset the meeting I had scheduled on the other end of the flight? As modern air travel has disintegrated into a cluster debacle of ever growing proportions, the many hours we waste on travel hassles leads to vexing choices and forced idleness.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,332 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Before Asking Others to Invest in Your Project Prepare to Answer the Question That Always Comes

by: Geoff Ficke Before Asking Others to Invest in Your Project Prepare to Answer the Question That Always Comes Recently I reviewed a Business Plan that was submitted with a goal of raising a $2 million angel funding round. The product was a Hair Care Accessory that had real commercial potential. If I were grading the plan in one of my classes I would have given it a solid B. I was smitten with most of the assumptions that the document detailed to support the projects viability, except one.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,256 views2/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Pioneer of Personal Success Literature Should Be Required Reading for Today’s Leaders

by: Geoff Ficke The Pioneer of Personal Success Literature Should Be Required Reading for Today’s Leaders

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,990 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Invention of Interchangeable Parts Terrified Government 200 Years Ago-and Today

by: 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 a small scale, often bartered basis. The idea of mass production was impossible to fathom.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,285 views1/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Simple Mundane Product Invention that Changed a Sport and Created a Fortune

by: Geoff Ficke The Simple Mundane Product Invention that Changed a Sport and Created a Fortune When I was a young boy growing up in Kentucky almost every town of any size had a drug store, a dry goods store, a grocer, a gas station and a billiards parlor. At any time of the day local men and boys could be found whiling away the hours just hanging out, playing or watching games of pool played in the gray, poorly lit, smoky halls that held a few well-wo billiard tables.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,971 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Seek Out Honest Criticism of Your Business Plan And Learn to Accept and Act on It!

by: Geoff Ficke Seek Out Honest Criticism of Your Business Plan And Learn to Accept and Act on It! Four decades ago I studied a college course in English Literature. W. Somerset Maugham’s famous novel “Of Human Bondage” was required reading. It was a bit of a slow go, but one line has stuck in my cranium and been of particular use in my business career; “People ask you for criticism, but they only want praise”.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,299 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Prolific Inventor That the World Has Mostly Forgotten

The Prolific Inventor That the World Has Mostly Forgotten We learn at an early age that Ben Franklin was America’s first great inventor; Henry Ford invented mass production, Thomas Edison the light bulb and the phonograph and the Wright Brothers invented the first airplane. These men, and a few others, are well remembered and honored for their spectacular achievements. Their legacies are tribute to their genius and the possibilities available to any American willing to exploit our capitalist system that honors and rewards innovation.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,288 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Use Affinity Licensing to Jump Start New Product Sales

I recently met a bank executive who had been laid off in a corporate downsizing. The man was understandably conce ed about his and his family’s future. He lived in an area that was experiencing exceptionally stark economic circumstances. This gentleman had received a modest severance package, and this slim lifeline was of crucial importance to his immediate future. My marketing consulting firm had been asked by the former bank executive to review a business opportunity he was considering investing in.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,273 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How an Ingenious Footwear Idea Snatched Defeat from the Jaws of Victory!

Several years ago my marketing consulting firm reviewed a most clever, novel, exceedingly commercial concept in casual footwear. We met with the designer who had created the collection and were excited by everything we saw in the initial presentation. The footwear possessed a universality of use and amazing styling cues that would make them a “must own” for every woman interested in shoes, meaning every woman everywhere.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,260 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How An Immigrant With Just a Few Canaries Builds a Vast Fortune

In the 1920’s Germany was in tatters. The formerly great empire was dismantled, the powerful army humiliated by its defeat in World War I and the population starved, cold and living in despair. Businesses that had been successful before the war were decimated by the outcome. There was no way to earn a living. For many Germans the only reasonable option available to pursue a better life was to immigrate to America. Before the outbreak of World War I, Max Ste had operated a successful textile business.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,433 views2/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

One Mans Junk Creates Another Mans Fortune - Similar Opportunities Exist Almost Everywhere for the Ambitious

by: Geoff Ficke One Mans Junk Creates Another Mans Fortune - Similar Opportunities Exist Almost Everywhere for the Ambitious In 1989 a Canadian college dropout named Brian Scudamore stopped at a McDonalds to grab a cheeseburger. While waiting for his food order he noticed a dented, beat up old pick-up truck inching though the parking lot. The bed of the vehicle was loaded with assorted junk. The doors of the battered, rusting vehicle were ado ed with a hand painted sign that proclaimed that the owner hauled junk for a fee.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,878 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Weave a “Freemium” Business Model Element Into Your Consumer Product Marketing Strategy

by: Geoff Ficke Weave a “Freemium” Business Model Element Into Yourr Consumer Product Marketing Strategy

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,875 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Is an Invention Service Company the Solution? Very Few Inventors Ever See Successful Results

Every television viewer has seen the infomercial spot showing the forlorn, wanna-be inventor, crushed, their idea being successfully marketed by another party. He did not get a patent. The answer offered in the commercial, contact an Invention Submission Company, get a patent, market your product or opportunity to thousands of corporate decision-makers, get rich. This is the American Dream, is it not? One of the saddest aspects of my work as a new product development and marketing consultant is the whole area of invention submission firms.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,234 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

10 Bullet Point Options for Bootstrapping Your Small Business or Consumer Product Opportunity

by: 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 grant money. The funding source that is realistically available to them is family, friends and their own ability to bootstrap their business.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,786 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

What Modern Marketers Can Learn From A 100 Year Old Artisan Auto Maker

H. F. S. Morgan launched his eponymous car manufacturing company in England in 1909. For a century, through world wars and great economic turbulence, Morgan Motor Company has produced some of the most stylish, desirable automobiles ever produced. Unless you are a classic car enthusiast, you probably have never heard of Morgan and more unfortunately probably never seen one of these magnificent machines on the road. They are exceedingly rare and that has gone a great distance in cementing the desirability of the mark. Morgan’s initially were 3-wheeled cycle cars.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,399 views2/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

What Is a Business Plan? And Why Do I Need One?

For many entrepreneurs the creation of a business plan is the biggest hurdle in the development process of their fledgling enterprise. There is a mystery, almost a dread in many people when discussion of a business plan requirement is first broached. They conceptualize a boring, dry, painful experience and many would like to avoid this step if at all possible. What is a Business Plan? A business plan is a document that qualifies, quantifies and narrates a commercial opportunity.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,188 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Successfully Approaching Marketing Professionals - How to Market a New Consumer Product or Idea

by: Geoff Ficke Successfully Approaching Marketing Professionals - How to Market a New Consumer Product or Idea Many inventors and entrepreneurs are so excited about their concept that they neglect to learn, or practice proper business etiquette when soliciting marketing or investment assistance. This can ruin their opportunity, or at the least set prospects back sharply. The following are some simple rules to follow when making initial contact or presentation of your exciting new product or marketing concept. Never Utilize Mindless Platitudesr

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,162 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How to Fail at Launching a Clever, Novel Consumer Product!

by: Geoff Ficke How to Fail at Launching a Clever, Novel Consumer Product! The current economic malaise has created a surprising level of interest from entrepreneurs keen to launch a bevy of assorted consumer products. Our Marketing Consulting and Product Development firm is reviewing more submissions than we have seen in years. Every product category from Sporting Goods to Health and Beauty Aids to Fashion and Jewelry and everything in between seems to be drawing inventors seeking to launch their creations.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,149 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Make Your Business Plan Read Like An Action Novel - You Are Guaranteed to Receive A Stronger Response

Let’s face it, nobody confuses writing or reading a Business Plan with a Bruce Willis action movie or a Tom Clancy novel. A Business Plan is a serious presentation that details an economic opportunity being offered for funding, licensing or sales consideration. Detail, research, financials and harvest options, key elements of any plan, can be dry, less than electric stuff.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,129 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

4 Crucial Elements to Include in Your Consumer Product Branding Strategy

by: Geoff Ficke 4 Crucial Elements to Include in Your Consumer Product Branding Strategy When I started to Market Consumer Products 40 years ago the term “Branding” was one I never heard. The term was not one that enjoyed the currency it enjoys today. In the years since formal Branding and Branding Strategies have become key foundational elements that Marketers employ to imprint their products in the psyche of consumers.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,623 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Occam’s Razor Offers a 700 Year Old Rule of Great Import to Modern Inventors

KISS Is Just A New Turn On An Ancient Theorem Most of us are familiar with the colloquial term “keep it simple stupid” or KISS. The phrase, often used derisively to pan a complex over-analysis of a problem, is part of the current idiom. The assumption that simplicity is the preferred route to successfully discovering the answer to a particularly complex problem is actually grounded on a 700-year old philosophical theorem: Occam’s Razor. William of Occam was a 14th century Franciscan friar from England.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,206 views2/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

6 Things You Need to Know In Order to License Your Product

by: Geoff Ficke 6 Things You Need to Know In Order to License Your Product My Marketing Consulting, Branding and Product Development firm receives numerous queries on Licensing Consumer Products, Services and Concepts every week. Most inquiries are of no value as the hopeful Licensor has not organized proper due diligence that potential Licensees will require. The following are 6 Points to address before attempting to present a License opportunity. 1. Who is the Competition?

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,579 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Measurement of Time Is One Of History’s Important Achievements

by: Geoff Ficke In the modern world we take for granted the availability of innumerable sources providing accurate measurements of time. Telling current time is so readily available that we have lost sight of the profound importance of knowing time, to the hour and minute. For most of human history accurately measuring time was irrelevant. There was no need for watches; clocks, clock radios or digital time reads on car dashboards. Until the flowering of the industrial age in the second half of the 19th century most people worked in small plot agriculture.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

774 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Unique Small Businesses Have Become Highly Desirable to Multi-National Companies

by: Geoff Ficke Unique Small Businesses Have Become Highly Desirable to Multi-National Companies

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,539 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The 5 Most Important Items to Fully Address For Entrepreneurs When Writing Business Plans

by: Geoff Ficke The 5 Most Important Items to Fully Address For Entrepreneurs When Writing Business Plans A good portion of my work is devoted to writing and reading Business Plans. My Consumer Product Development and Marketing Consulting firm works extensively with small businesses, foreign Companies seeking United States Sales and Distribution, Inventors and Entrepreneurs. The solid Business Plan is the keystone that is essential in successfully driving a new venture to success.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,006 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Business Plan Mills Turn Out Documents That Are Expensive--and—Mostly Useless to Entrepreneurs!

by: Geoff Ficke Business Plan Mills Turn Out Documents That Arer Expensive--and—Mostly Useless to Entrepreneurs!

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,472 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Converting an Idea to Income Is a Process That Requires Planting and Fertilization, Not Hope and Dreaming

by: Geoff Ficke Converting an Idea to Income Is a Process That Requires Planting and Fertilization, Not Hope and Dreaming Under the category of inexperienced blind hope, a surprising number of people that approach my Consumer Product Development group with a new business idea want us to find someone who will buy the concept in its undeveloped form. This always amazes, even after so many years of hearing these vapid elevator pitches. A person has an idea, they have performed little or no due diligence, and they believe it has commercial value. Daffy!

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,468 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Making a Minor Product Usage Change Can Propel Major Sales Advances

by: Geoff Ficke Making a Minor Product Usage Change Can Propel Major Sales Advances In the middle of the 20th century pre-packaged foods and mixes were not as ubiquitous as they are today. Typically, a middle class home had a housewife present and preparing her families meals from scratch. The advent of mass-market consumerism would rapidly change this tradition.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,460 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

5 Questions That Must Be Answered Before Attempting to Fund or Launch Your Consumer Product

5 Questions That Must Be Answered Before Attempting to Fund or Launch Your Consumer Product I am constantly amazed at the naivety of first time entrepreneurs and inventors when it comes to the due diligence they must conduct in order to get their idea, concept or prototype to market. Even with the amazing information tools at hand in the 21st century, so many still try to fake out the marketplace by taking shortcuts. This is the equivalent of death by neglect.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,458 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How One of the Fashion World’s Earliest Great Innovators Lost Everything by Lack of Innovation

by: Geoff Ficke How One of the Fashion World’s Earliest Great Innovators Lost Everything by Lack of Innovation

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,455 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Simple Wisdom We Learn from Studying Ancient Greek Rhetorical Form Chiasmus

by: Geoff Ficke The Simple Wisdom We Learn from Studying Ancient Greek Rhetorical Form Chiasmus The ancient Greeks perfected and gifted to us the unique rhetorical form known as chiasmus. Simply stated, chiasmus is a figure of speech in which two phrases are inverted to display a parallelism. There are many examples of this device that have become famous and have entered everyday usage. One of my favorites is attributed to Ben Franklin, America’s first great Entrepreneur, Innovator and a Founding Father of the country; “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,451 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How a Pre-Sell Campaign Will Mitigate Financial Risk and Confirm Market Acceptance for New Consumer Products

How a Pre-Sell Campaign Will Mitigate Financial Risk andr Confirm Market Acceptance for New Consumer Products by: Geoff Ficke Our Consumer Product Development and Marketing Consulting firm typically works with two types of clients. One is a startup requiring total support and guidance from conception through market launch. The other is to provide re-boot services for already existing product that has been unsuccessful in the marketplace. The startup is a far easier project to control and nurture.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,429 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Classic French Milled Soap Offers a Lesson in Creating A Proprietary Marketing Niche for Common Products

by: 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 to their much more established competition. What makes the line, service or item unique? Modern Marketing Consultants call this trait a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). This is a fancy inside baseball term that simply identifies the product “niche” the brand will fill.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,163 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

An Exclusivity Strategy Can Be Crucial To Successful Brand Marketing

by: 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 often does that happen? Mass marketing success is contingent on economies of scale, production advantages and large budgets for penetrating a clamorous commercial environment.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

5,208 views

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

5 Tips for Small Businesses and Start-ups to Use To Appear Bigger tha They Really Are

by: Geoff Ficke 5 Tips for Small Businesses and Start-ups to User To Appear Bigger tha They Really Are For many years I have worked almost exclusively with entrepreneurs, inventors and small businesses seeking to start, or grow a business against daunting odds and competitive disadvantages. We specialize in Consumer Products, packaged goods that are marketed in every category and sales channel. Despite the deck seemingly being so stacked against these micro-enterprises it is amazing how many succeed.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,421 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Entrepreneurial Creativity Is Still Rife in the Fashion Jewelry and Cosmetic World

by: Geoff Ficke Entrepreneurial Creativity Is Still Rife in the Fashion Jewelry and Cosmetic World

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,408 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The 5 Personal Traits Essential for Achieving Entrepreneurial Success

by: Geoff Ficke The 5 Personal Traits Essential for Achieving Entrepreneurial Success I have worked with Entrepreneurs, Inventors and businesses large and small all over the world in my career as a Consumer Product Development and Marketing Consultant. For every 20 opportunities we review, possibly one will take the plunge and commit to the arduous processes required to successfully launch a new product, service or business. Why is it that such a small percentage of possible new enterprises ever even attempt to become a start-up, much less succeed?

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,394 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

An Example of Remora Marketing That Launched the National Chain Drug Store Boom

by: Geoff Ficke An Example of Remora Marketing That Launched ther 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 in some big cities. For the most part these pharmacies filled physician’s scripts; operated a soda fountain and carried only a minimum inventory of basic over-the-counter Health Aid products. The multi-aisled, heavily stocked, promotional stores we know today were still in the future.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,113 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

For 100 Years Women Have Enjoyed the Luxury of Jean Patou’s Joy Fragrance

by: 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 American client. Just as his fame was obtaining traction with the fashionable haute couture clientele of Paris World War I intruded.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,113 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How Henry Ford’s Invention Inadvertently Caused the Depression

by: Geoff Ficke In early 20th century America the vast majority of people living in rural areas eked out a living in agriculture. Farms were small, often sharecropped. The planting and harvesting was labor intensive and horses provided the only source of energy for mechanized tilling. The vagaries of weather and drought have always made farming difficult. Crops were mainly grown for consumption by the farmer’s family, with any extra produce bartered for needed goods. We are all aware of the history of Henry Ford and his invention of the production line to mass-produce Model-T’s.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,018 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Business Should Offer More tha Just a Product They Should Try to Offer a Buying Experience

by: Geoff Ficke Business Should Offer More tha Just a Product They Should Try to Offer a Buying Experience The hugely successful entrepreneur Debbi Fields was once asked what it felt like to be a winner in the cookie business; she replied, “I never felt like I was in the cookie business. I’ve always been in the good feeling business. My job is to sell joy. My job is to sell happiness. My job is to sell an experience”. This is a mantra that all Entrepreneurs should emulate when creating their Business Model and Brand Marketing Strategies.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,327 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Keep Business Operations and Logistics Simple, Streamlined and Agile

Most of the entrepreneurs we interview in our consulting business have a very unrealistic conception of what excites and disappoints investors. The dream of many inexperienced inventors seeking to fund their opportunity is to build a substantial infrastructure. Their business plan identifies the need for factory space, equipment, staff, and many other fixed costs. Investors want to see a plan that maximizes return on investment. High fixed costs are the enemy of a great profit margin.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,325 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Do Not Shortchange Funding Needs Too Little Is Worse Than Too Much

There is an old adage in the funding community: “Investing $1,000,000 to fail is expensive, investing $5,000,000 to succeed is cheap. Investors will respond to funding needs based on real world assumptions. They will be very cautious when assessing a venture’s real funding requirements. Think of investment capital as fertilizer. If a farmer applies too little he harvests a poor crop or worse. Too much fertilizer and the harvest will likewise be disappointing. Experienced, successful farmers know their fields, their climate, crop planting patterns and their equipment.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,309 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Using Trade Shows to Launch or License Your Novel Consumer Product Is Key

by: Geoff Ficke Using Trade Shows to Launch or License Your Novel Consumer Product Is Key Each business day we are approached by entrepreneurs, small businesses, and inventors from all over the world seeking guidance and asking how best to launch and successfully commercialize their consumer product or service innovation. In almost every case investment monies are very dear. There is no one universal answer as every situation is unique. However, we find that we almost always include a suggestion of industry specific trade show participation as a key piece of the answer.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,309 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Time Is Never on the Entrepreneur’s Side

by: Geoff Ficke Time Is Never on the Entrepreneur’s Side In the early 1960’s, when the Rolling Stones were trying to become successful as a “blues band”, their first commercially successful recording was a ballad called “Time is on my side”. For the Rolling Stones time certainly has been on their side. For almost five decades this grizzled group has entertained audiences all over the world with their songs, videos and concerts. They are Rock and Roll's richest, most famous (or infamous) and successful group.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,294 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Did a Fragrance Really Trigger the Events That Led to the Infamous Beheading of Marie Antoinette?

by: Geoff Ficke Did a Fragrance Really Trigger the Events That Led to the Infamous Beheading of Marie Antoinette? Jean-Francois Houbigant launched his famous Perfume atelier and shop on the Fauborg St. Honore in Paris in 1775. This was during the gilded age of French royalty and of the elite that that parasitically clung to the Court. Luxury, hedonism and sensuality were the cornerstones of life for these denizens of hedonism.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,288 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Want to Kill a New Business Opportunity? Avoid These 5 Often Repeated Mistakes

by: Geoff Ficke Want to Kill a New Business Opportunity? Avoid These 5 Often Repeated Mistakes I review new Business Opportunities for a living. My Consumer Product Development and Marketing Consulting firm is besieged with presentations, Executive Summaries, product prototypes and Business Plans. It is a tribute to the ingenuity and creativity of people that the urge to invent is so common. Unfortunately, very few of the projects we review will ever see a retail store shelf.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,271 views2/5 (1)

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