Strategic Planning
« Previous EntriesIntellectual Property – Worthless To A Startup, Priceless To A Big Dumb Company
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010“Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean, Needs not the painted flourish of your praise: Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye, Not uttered by base sale of chapmen’s tongues” William Shakespeare, British Playwright, from Love’s Labour’s Lost, 1598 Intellectual Property (IP) is an ugly thing at a startup. It requires you [...]
Maximize Your Exit By Not Selling Your Company
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010In 1987, a representative of Michael Jackson approached the modest Sycamore Valley ranch house and knocked on the door. The owner of the ranch was shocked by the visitor’s message. He told the homeowner that he represented someone who wanted to purchase the ranch at a substantial premium over its current fair market value. He [...]
Past Is Prologue As New Industries Emerge: It Ain’t Gonna Be Different
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010In 1933, baseball card collectors were frustrated. For some reason, they found it impossible to complete their Goudy Gum 240-card set. No matter how many packages of cards they purchased, they failed to find card number #106, which featured Napoleon Lajoie. Enterprising collectors who wrote Goudy and voiced their frustrations were rewarded by receiving the [...]
Pour And Stir II – Managing Your Cost Per Customer
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009“I know half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, but I can never find out which half.” John Wanamaker If Mr. Wanamaker had access to the Internet, his oft-repeated quote, would have never been uttered. In the “good old days”, pre- 1999, advertising dollars were largely gambled away. As noted in Pour and [...]
Pour And Stir I – In Pursuit Of The Ideal Business Model
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009Note: This is Part I in a three-part series on The Perfect Business Model. Click here for Part II, and Part III Authentic, hand-crafted Persian rugs always include intentional imperfections. They are said to be, “Perfectly Imperfect, and Precisely Imprecise.” The same is true with many crafts and architecture created in Muslim cultures. I am [...]
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