Better Business Building

It’s long been reported that only 5% of businesses survive long-term, and the other 95% go under. If you’ve ever wondered what factors determined who rises to the top 5%, wait no more.
We’ve just launched our brand-new audio newsletter Better Business Bullets. It’s a monthly in-depth tell-all of specific, actionable things […]

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Dave here - back from a 2-month blogging hiatus.  Thanks for your patience!
During the interim, I’ve been engrossed in the purchase of The Whitcomb Tower, a 133-unit retirement community, which has become a perfect exercise in Business & Marketing 101.
The Whitcomb Tower sits on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, in the
heart of a quaint downtown […]

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When it comes down to pitching your business to investors, potential partners, vendors, etc  it’s best to develop a slightly different elevator pitch than for your potential customers (mentioned previously).
When pitching the overall business, you need to be sure to develop a pitch that expresses the distinctual (did I just make that word up?) parts […]

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When you meet someone on an elevator, how do you answer that question?  You’ve got about 10 seconds to make an impression before the thing hits the ground floor. 
What do you say?
Utter "I’m an attorney" or "I buy houses" or "I do graphic design" and the other person is free to decide what that means […]

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If you see your customer’s role solely as the purchaser of your stuff, you are operating from a paradigm that is shifting beneath you.  The days of designing one’s product in a void, and cramming it down the throats of the unsuspecting public are over.
It’s always paid to understand your customer better than your competition.  […]

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"…if you always have to think outside the box, maybe it’s the box that needs fixing."  (Malcolm Gladwell) [source article]
John Moore over at Brand Autopsy has blogged about the upcoming book Get Back In The Box by Douglass Rushkoff.  The subtitle to the book is "Innovation from the inside out."

I can’t wait to read the […]

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