Today begins the post-Christmas retailing season. While sales have been sluggish (understatement?), retailers will no doubt be inundated this weekend by those looking to scoop up bargains or return/exchange merchandise. I’ve had the displeasure of being part of this annual tradition in the past. The returns desk takes on the look of a busy dry-cleaning store, with unfolded clothing draped over [...]
Image by K!T via Flickr In case you’ve missed the annual airings of these Christmas classics, here are a couple of my personal favorites (linked from YouTube). Linus in “Charlie Brown Christmas” George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life” Don’t hesitate to spread the cheer. Please comment with your favorites. To our readers, on behalf [...]
Image via Wikipedia One of the early adopters of MVaaS technology has been the restaurant industry. As such, the economic strength of the segment is of particular importance to vendors in the space. On Friday the National Restaurant Association released its forecast for 2009. It is encouraging. While concerns about the overall economy continue, the NRA forecasts [...]
Image via Wikipedia Envysion Chairman and Zayo CEO Dan Caruso, in a series of posts (I, II, III, IV), retells an interesting story from his early days at MFS. Jim Crowe, then CEO of MFS, introduces the “internet” to his senior executive team. Dan describes the event as career-altering. Think about when this meeting occurred – only13 years ago! Mr. Crowe [...]
I found a thought-provoking post on Brad Feld’s Feld Thoughts last week (sorry, not able to link at this time). The post references another by Ted Rheingold, titled 10 Tips for Building a Profitable Business. Brad highlights #4 as his favorite. This is a timely point to reflect on this question. A person I once worked [...]
The recent election seems like a lifetime ago. For those who are glad it’s over, check out this interesting use of video from North Carolina. Apparently one guy was tired of having his yard sign tampered with, so he rigged it with a current from his electronic dog fence, and trained a camera on the scene [...]
While perusing my blog reader, I noticed an interesting headline on A VC, Bustup Not Bailout. Certain that the post was related to the current issues facing GM and Ford, I read on. I worked briefly at one of the large U.S. automotive companies, so the topic is of particular interest to me. Also, as the [...]
The current economic environment is tough. This fact is not lost on most people. It has certainly been on the minds of many, and it undoubtedly loomed large in the November 4th election. This environment also provides investors with a unique opportunity. The U.S. economy has had several recessions since 1945. But these periods have all been [...]
I’m of the opinion that All Saint’s Day is the most underrated of all holidays. Sure, it is not observed by all. You may not be aware that it is today, November 1st. But when I was in grammar school, there were few days like it. See, I went to Catholic school. Priests, nuns, uniforms, the [...]
We have invested significantly in various trade shows the past couple of years. Has the investment paid off? Sometimes yes. Other times, no. We have spent considerable resources trying to decipher the elements that have contributed to both outcomes. On SandHill.com in two opinion pieces (Sales and Marketing), Elizabeth K. Cook documents some of the things she witnessed [...]