I’ve been told numerous times that I’m scrappy. The first time I heard that was when one of my vendor’s referred to me as scrappy on a conference call. “What,” I asked. “Why would you call me that.” (And in front of everyone, I thought.) “Because most successful entrepreneurs I know are scrappy. They won’t […]
Every brand needs to occasionally take out the pruning shears and polishing cloths to spiff itself up. Sometimes these efforts are a big success, as LEGO has proven recently, and sometimes they are major flops; think New Coke. LEGO had let its brand slide over the years. In part it seemed to think that as […]
I’m a shoeaholic. I also hate to pay retail for anything. So I’m a frequent shopper at several of the discount designer shoe stores. If you shop at these stores, you’re probably familiar with their customer loyalty programs. You earn special rewards, such as $5 or $10 off, based on your spending activity. Recently, I […]
Angels must have a great PR firm. Polls continually find that about 80 percent of all Americans believe in angels. Of course, that’s the diaphanous, winged variety. How about the money-investing angel? Should small business owners believe in them? First, let’s set out what I mean by “angel.” Historically, an angel investor has been a […]
Quelle horreur! French labor unions and corporate leaders recently took steps to strictly limit after-hours emails. The deal would give workers 11 hours of guaranteed freedom from business emails. The idea wasn’t popular with everyone in France, especially many young businesspeople who are trying to get startups off the ground. Right now, if approved by […]