Category Archives: Business
Risk management: The master of plan B
I’ve likely written about this before, but I can’t stress enough how important it can be to engage in risk management in any size business. Things will go wrong. It’s a given. And while you can’t plan for everything, you … Continue reading
Do social coupons work?
It seems lately that social coupon sites are all the rage. If I understand correctly, these sites offer discount coupons to popular businesses. Customers just have to get enough people to commit to buying a coupon in order for the … Continue reading
Choosing between good ideas
I think I’ve mentioned before that when you open a business the salesmen come out like sharks around a whaling boat. The trouble is while some of the things they try to sell are obviously ludicrous to everyone but them, … Continue reading
Hacking hackers
I’ve been toying with the idea of expanding the subject matter of this blog, and I’ve decided to take the plunge. This week will be an exception, but on Monday-Wednesday-Friday I’ll take on business topics as usual. On Tuesdays, Thursdays … Continue reading
Marketing ideas from unexpected places
My mother recently came to see us for a few days. That same weekend my daughter had a dance performance in another town, so the three of us took the trip together. It was not a short drive, and it … Continue reading
Giving radio another try
I may have mentioned previously that when we first opened our store we paid for three months of radio advertising which, from what we could tell, didn’t accomplish much. We got some customers who mentioned they’d heard our ads, but … Continue reading
Abundance thinking in business
As I mentioned in my last post, my business partner has a philosophy of helping the customer get what they want, even if it means sending them to someone else. I mentioned the positive impact it has on our customers … Continue reading
“Macy’s sending customers to Gimbels! I just don’t get it!”
One of my business partners has an interesting take on customer service, which is one of the reasons I went into business with him. His take is nothing new–he and I both got it from “Miracle on 34th Street”. The … Continue reading
Computing in a cloud
I have to admit I’m somewhat ambivalent about cloud computing, in which a company’s websites, data, and applications can be spread out among several web servers across the internet. In some instances it makes sense–most companies can’t afford their own … Continue reading
The fine art of resource allocation
In a the previous entry, I discussed the Project Triangle and how it can be applied to building a business as well. With a business your three corners are Product, Marketing, and Delivery. You can expand your business at any … Continue reading