Who would start a new pizza chain in 2008 smack in the middle of the great recession? Answer: A bold and socially conscious husband-and-wife team from Seattle, who decided to innovate the traditional pizza experience for a new millennium. In his article “THE ANALYSIS...
The History There are few brands as ubiquitous as Coca-Cola. The original product was invented in 1886 by John Stith Pemberton, an Atlanta-based pharmacist (and morphine addict). He was looking for an alternative to morphine, which he’d become addicted to after...
To operate in business requires a better understanding of money, especially when those about you cause loss of confidence in money—as money is only an idea. In an article dated 27 November 1971, appropriately titled MONEY, renowned author and philosopher L. Ron...
You have heard the story of how one friend tells another friend who tells five more friends and pretty soon you have an economic revolution. Product reputations are built this way. It does not really matter how much money you spend on promotion; what does matter is...
The poster for the film The Martian, based on Andy Weir’s novel, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, reads “BRING HIM HOME.” The phrase drives the plot and prompts rival nations to cooperate. Like the moon landing of 1969, untold millions of people...
Communication is a two-way trajectory. It means asking questions, listening, and acting where necessary on what you hear. And it isn’t just externally facing—i.e., you and your customers; it’s internal, management to manufacturing, marketing to sales, and so forth,...
[UNICORN: A tech startup that reaches a $1 billion market value as determined by private or public investment. The term was originally coined by Aileen Lee, founder of Cowboy Ventures.1] The cycle of boom and bust is nothing new, and an analysis of companies that...
Who had it better—the turn-of-the-century executive or today’s tech-savvy managers? Without a doubt, the workplace of yesterday had its drawbacks—from working conditions to lack of technology, and of course the horse-and-buggy transport system was a bit slow. But then...
In the previous article in this series, “Proper Organization Is the Fountain of Youth in Company Longevity,”we described how faulty organization contributed to the ultimate demise of Pan Am, the once monolithic giant of the skies. The airline’s reign lasted throughout...
Competent and loyal executives are solid gold to a business owner. The following is a vital tip you can use as an executive yourself—and with your junior executives—to help them create a more effective team. It comes from an article entitled “How to Fill Jobs,”...
Ever found yourself going off in all directions at once? Ever experienced what the Red Queen, of Alice in Wonderland fame, once said: “…it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as...
What do Lloyd’s of London, Japanese construction company Kongō Gumi, Swedish newspaper Post-och Inrikes Tidningar, and Canadian retailer Hudson’s Bay Company all have in common? The one common attribute these seemingly disparate companies all possess is: longevity....