In the eye of the storm
As I write this in the early days of March, I almost feel our economy, and our industry, are in the eye of a hurricane. As you know, the early stages of a hurricane are usually followed by a calm period in the eye of the storm and then the inevitable slap of the backside of the storm. Concerning our economy, I think everyone knew in the fall and early days of the year we were headed for serio...
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Do you have a 'systemic failure' in your business?
Well, for the last several columns, I have been giving hints and suggestions about how you can look at your business in a different way and get ready for uncertain times. I certainly didn't want to be the first one to utter the dreaded “R” word — recession. However, I see by the newscasts and my morning papers now that some powerful brains at some universities and politicians...
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Prepare thyself
It's that time of year again when we all start getting very excited about attending summer shows. Anticipation, as always, is running high at the chance to see all the new creative products the vendors have found and to get ready for the fall season. Having just returned from a trip to China, and visiting many factories, it is apparent the vendors in the industry are working harder than they ...
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Recession? Strategies to win either way
I will leave it to the economists, the CNBC guys and the politicians to continue waging the debate on whether we are in a recession, about to enter one or experiencing a false alarm. I certainly don't have the crystal ball to say either way. In fact, I wish I could feel comfort that they do! The real question is: How will your business continue to make money in any economy we face? First, merch...
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Recession? Strategies to win either way
I will leave it to the economists, the CNBC guys and the politicians to continue waging the debate on whether we are in a recession, about to enter one or experiencing a false alarm. I certainly don't have the crystal ball to say either way. In fact, I wish I could feel comfort that they do! The real question is: How will your business continue to make money in any economy we face? First, merch...
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So, what's old?
What's new? Without a doubt, this is the No. 1 question on the lips of every person involved in this industry. Whether you are a manufacturer, sales rep or retailer, this is generally the way every conversation starts when two people in this industry meet anywhere in the world. However, we're not going to talk about the new today, we're going to talk about the old.
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Ready? Set? Sell
If you read the first two articles in this series, you should have already accomplished two critical things. First, you have developed a business plan that you are certain is profitable. Second, you have accepted the only way you will succeed is to focus and execute your business to the extreme. Now it is time to do what most of you dread most: Sell! Regardless of how well you execute your good...
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The power of focus
Do you remember when you were a kid in school? If you struggled (as I did), you probably remember when your teacher helped you, they would tell you that you needed to "focus" harder. That one word, more than any other, makes people wildly successful. I have never observed any successful company or individual, nor have I ever read of one, that did not perfect the ability to simply focus on their...
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Business Memo-- Are you a 'For Profit?'
Watch this space every month for Business Memo. Our three experts will present ideas and examples to help you be more successful in operating your own business. Business Memo is a monthly guest column focused on three major issues our readers always keep at the forefront of their thinking.
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