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- Recession Leadership: Three Strategies for the Boss - by Submitted on Oct 02, 2009 from lisa mcleodI don't know which is worse - losing your job or being the one who has to make the cuts. Yes, I know there are still some heartless execs out there slashing jobs while taking huge bonuses and sleeping soundly in custom sheets. But there are also millions of business owners lying awake at ...
Views: 1142(3 votes) - Office on the Go - by Submitted on Oct 02, 2009 from Athenee MastrangeloOffice on the Go Do you spend a lot of time in your car? Nothing is more frustrating than being on the road and not having what you need when you need it. Create a system for organizing your paper and supplies while on the road, this will save you a lot of time and aggravation. Create a ...
Views: 1215(1 vote) - Financial Statements for Your Business Plan - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2009 from Eric PowersA business plan contains a great deal of prose, but funders know that the numbers in the plan can make it or break it. These numbers are presented in three basic financial statements. For a startup business these documents are all “pro forma” meaning that they are projections of the future since ...
Views: 945(1 vote) - The Most Critical Section of Your Business Plan - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2009 from Eric PowersA business is a for-profit enterprise which seeks to maximize the return for the owners of the business. It stands to reason that the financial section of a business plan is the most critical section to illustrate the story of how your business will create profit. The three key financial ...
Views: 1197(1 vote) - Talking the Language of Exits - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2009 from John LeonettiToday's business owner is largely without a solid plan for the exit from their business, despite the fact that it is the most important financial (and lifestyle) transaction of their lives. As advisors, the delivery of this message begins with an 'exit conversation' with your business owner ...
Views: 931(1 vote) - Business Plan Writer Advice: Should You Hire One? - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2009 from Eric PowersThe choice of hiring a business plan writer who focuses on the writing of the plan and preparation of the final documents only, versus a business plan consulting firm which can take you through the entire business plan development process, depends on where you are with your understanding of what ...
Views: 708(1 vote) - How to Hire a Business Plan Consultant - by Submitted on Sep 28, 2009 from Eric PowersYou may need to interview a number of different business plan consultants or consulting firms before making a choice of who to work with. It is more important at this stage to make sure you have positive answers to the following three questions below than to simply find the lowest price ...
Views: 767(1 vote) - 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: 2244(2 votes) - There Is Always Money to Fund Start-ups - Just Be Focused and Creative-It’s Never Easy - by Submitted on Sep 28, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke We live in perilous financial times. As the markets have imploded, home prices cratered, jobs lost and incomes uncertain many people have become very risk averse. Very understandable! Many of us are more focused on maintaining our resources than expanding them in the face of ...
Views: 1084 - Freelancing Career- New Ray of Hope - by Submitted on Sep 25, 2009 from Alina jamesIn prevailing financial crisis millions of professionals across the world are heading towards freelancing. It is an exciting career for many as it offers multiple benefits. Now any professional can render his specialized services to a freelance project from anywhere and anytime. Here are ...
Views: 744(3 votes) - Business Plan 101: Financial Analysis - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2009 from Eric PowersNo part of the business plan is more important than the financial section. It is here that the plan can fail if the needs of funders are not taken into account. The financials should include the following key information: Financial Summary A simple, five year financial summary should show ...
Views: 1087(1 vote) - Southern California Air Conditioning Sales Slow, Bright Future Expected - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2009 from Will HauseDespite Slowing Sales, Air Conditioning Industry Looking Forward to a Bright Future According to a report by the Heating, Air conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) summer 2009's air conditioning sales were like the weather, not so hot. Summer weather and air ...
Views: 1022 - Giving Up the Good to Get the Great - by Submitted on Sep 22, 2009 from Pamela BrunerHave you ever been working on something, going down a path in your business or life, and it just doesn’t feel as good as you want it to? You can reason it out – doing this makes sense, this is something that’s good for me or my business, I need to do this, I’ve got it pretty good here, ...
Views: 1018(4 votes) - Mastering the Management Consulting Project Timeline - by Submitted on Sep 22, 2009 from Jim CochranA project timeline is a central component in any good project management strategy. But as many management consultants have learned the hard way, creating and sticking to a timeline is not as easy as it sounds. Depending on the type of consulting engagement, many project elements – from people to ...
Views: 1067 - Interviewing During the Economic Downturn - How to Look Confident in a Job Interview - by Submitted on Sep 21, 2009 from Patty BuccellatoWhen you feel good about yourself, you radiate confidence. The same is unfortunately true when you're feeling desperate or negative, you then radiate discomfort and nervousness. The latter is not the nonverbal message you want to convey to potential employers today, or ever. Instead, the ...
Views: 1461(8 votes) - 5 things to consider if selling your business - by Submitted on Sep 18, 2009 from Andrew RogersonSelling a business has many moving parts and as a result is very complex. Here are 5 suggestions that may make the task easier. 1. Get a professional third party valuation This may sound obvious but naturally the seller wants as much money for the business as possible and the buyer wants to ...
Views: 1724(1 vote) - How To Assure Failure In a New Venture - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke One of the great benefits we enjoy about the consulting work we do is having the opportunity to review the inventiveness of hundreds of entrepreneurs each year. It truly is amazing how many of these creative talents push the envelope of novelty. There is no such reality as the ...
Views: 1456 - The Historic Link Between Tulips and The Sub-Prime Mortgage Debacle - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Almost every living individual is being effected adversely in some way by the international economic meltdown we are experiencing today. The genesis of this severe financial downturn is attributed to the United States government encouraging the expansion of homeownership to ...
Views: 2025 - 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: 2054 - 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: 2534 - 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: 2674 - How to Snatch Commercial Failure From the Jaws of Victory - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke As readers of my articles well know, I run a marketing and product development-consulting firm. We review hundreds of novel consumer products, new service concepts and prototypes each year. The level of creativity contained in some of these offerings is truly stunning and ...
Views: 1324 - Imagine What the World Would Be Like Without the Simple Screw - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke We take the simplest devices for granted in our modern technologically advanced world. We turn a tap and water is delivered, hot, temperate and cold. We hit a wall switch and darkness is overcome by light. We open the refrigerator door and peer into a compartment that contains ...
Views: 1448 - This Great Warrior King Always Thought Outside of the Box - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Prospective entrepreneurs are always encouraged to think outside of the box when striving to commercialize their idea for a new business. The ability to see things differently and identify a niche for a product is so essential. Unfortunately, there is no book, course or advice ...
Views: 1171 - The Great American Whine - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Recently, Michelle Obama famously commented that for the first time in her life she was proud of her country. Her remarks were widely critiqued and rightly so, as she is potentially the next First Lady of the United States. Her delayed burst of enthusiasm for the land of her ...
Views: 1223 - Adding Features to Products Can Create Blockbuster Opportunities - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke I have written in the past about the huge commercial opportunities afforded divergent products and inventions, as opposed to convergent features added to existing products. Divergent products are truly groundbreaking, destructive, disruptive breakthroughs. However, very few ...
Views: 1334 - Problems Are Arriving In Great Batches And That Can Be a Very Good Thing! - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke William Shakespeare” famous quote from Hamlet, “When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions”, is particularly relevant today. All of the news seems bad. The negative numbers are huge. The human devastation seems interminable. Governments everywhere seem ...
Views: 1357(1 vote) - We Miss the Eloquence and Logic Of Milton Friedman Now More Than Ever - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke One of the signal economic thinkers of the 20th century was the Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman. His many books and papers, interviews and television specials have left us a valuable trove of thoughts and observations that should serve as guideposts during our ...
Views: 1238 - 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: 5155 - Nicholas Barbon, Insurance Pioneer - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke For most of history natural and man made disasters were treated as simple “Acts of God”. After the event, the effected populations were left to fend for themselves. They rebuilt their lives as best they could but there was no agency or provider that could be approached for ...
Views: 1796 - 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: 3428(1 vote) - Our Demise is Greatly Overstated The United States’ Future is Incandescent - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: 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 ...
Views: 1404(3 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: 2155(3 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: 2710(2 votes) - In a World of Mass Market Indifference There Is Still Room for Bespoke Quality - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke One of the most illuminating professional experiences of my life was my first visit to the elegant center of British Bespoke male haberdashery, Saville Row in London’s exclusive Mayfair district. I was a young man, just starting my career in the international cosmetic business ...
Views: 1153 - Business Value of Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2009 from Kevin LongCorporate social responsibility (CSR) is no new concept for companies that strive to achieve and sustain competitive advantage with moral management. If experts are to be believed, CSR will always be a vital part of the corporate agenda, regardless of any serious market fluctuations. According ...
Views: 890(9 votes) - 8 tips to consider when selling your business - by Submitted on Sep 06, 2009 from Andrew RogersonAre you trying to sell your business, and quickly? Check out these tips as they may help you achieve your goal. 1. Have a reasonable listing price. 2. Be prepared to negotiate. 3. Have a folder of information readily available for a qualified buyer. 4. Run the business as usual. 5. Make ...
Views: 1381(1 vote) - …And We Want the Government To Do What? - by Submitted on Sep 06, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: 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, ...
Views: 1383(3 votes) - How Henry Ford’s Invention Inadvertently Caused the Depression - by Submitted on Sep 06, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: 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 ...
Views: 1977(1 vote) - 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: 2251(2 votes) - Aztec Technology That Still Sweetens Our Taste-Buds and Outlasted the Conquistador’s - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke Any reflective student of history is often amazed at the products and processes invented and discovered in the ancient world that we take for granted today. Paint, gunpowder, weaponry, cement, the arch, beer, silk, papyrus, champagne, and so many others remain at the center of ...
Views: 1805 - The 4000 Year Old Egyptian Mystery That Teaches To This Day - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2009 from Geoff FickeOne of the great entertainment values available to almost anyone with a cable television service is the History Channel. The volume and quality of wonderfully instructive and entertaining programming on offer is amazing. I have never watched a reality show, or a celebrity dancing display, but I ...
Views: 1236(1 vote) - Energy Independence? Yes We Can! - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke My Company routinely reviews more than 600 new product ideas, concepts, prototypes and models during most years. During a soft economy, such as today’s, we see even more as people become more desperate to chase a dream. Pursuit of the “American Dream” almost always involves ...
Views: 1492(4 votes) - 10 Reasons to Be Passionate About Your New Business Idea - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: 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 ...
Views: 1474(2 votes) - New Commercial Opportunities Require a Crisply Polished Elevator Pitch - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: 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. ...
Views: 1166(2 votes) - What is the meaning of liquidation? - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2009 from Steven KirschWhat is the meaning of liquidation? That is a good question! Since the economy started to tumble it feels like we have been bombarded with the word liquidation in so many different contexts applying to every business possible. Still, I am not sure we all fully understand what it means to ...
Views: 1470 - Measurement of Time Is One Of History’s Important Achievements - by Submitted on Sep 04, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: 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 ...
Views: 748(2 votes) - Essential Lessons for Today From a 13th Century Friar - by Submitted on Sep 04, 2009 from Geoff Fickeby: Geoff Ficke One of the greatest literary and science works of the ancient world, rarely studied today, was the Opus Majus. The amazingly futuristic content of the Opus Majus was virtually a modern tutorial, written in the 13th century, on an array of literary, scientific and philosophical ...
Views: 1498(4 votes) - 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: 2197 - The Benefits of Joining a Mastermind Group - by Submitted on Sep 26, 2009 from Renee ShupeMasterminds bring a two or more people together for a common purpose and betterment of each other. Masterminding lets businesses, business owners and others network, brainstorm, and connect to help improve their businesses. Some direct benefits of masterminding…. Specialized Knowledge: No ...
Views: 1805(5 votes)