“Hello, is Al Coholic there?” “Why you yellow rat bastard!!!” The True Story behind the Tube Bar Prank Calls

(Thu Oct 8th, 2009, by Mark Etinger)

This is a modern tragicomedy, a love-hate story between three grown men (and occasionally their mothers), a story also known as the Tube Bar prank calls. The tale begins somewhere in the 70’s with Jim Davidson and John Elmo, a couple of guys with t...

How an Ingenious Footwear Idea Snatched Defeat from the Jaws of Victory!

(Thu Oct 8th, 2009, by Geoff Ficke)

by: Geoff Ficke Several years ago my marketing consulting firm reviewed a most clever, novel, exceedingly commercial concept in casual footwear. We met with the designer who had created the collection and were excited by everything we saw in the init...

How An Immigrant With Just a Few Canaries Builds a Vast Fortune

(Thu Oct 8th, 2009, by Geoff Ficke)

by: Geoff Ficke  In the 1920’s Germany was in tatters. The formerly great empire was dismantled, the powerful army humiliated by its defeat in World War I and the population starved, cold and living in despair. Businesses that had been successful ...

The Man Who Invented Modern Athletic Shoes Inadvertently Revolutionized Commerce and Sports

(Thu Oct 8th, 2009, by Geoff Ficke)

by: Geoff Ficke  I grew up in the 1950’s playing basketball hour after hour on city playgrounds. The public courts of the day were nothing like those found today in most American towns. There were no lights, a steel, kidney-shaped backboard (ugh!)...

We Plan Exact Vacation Routes But Often Start a New Business with No Road Map

(Thu Oct 8th, 2009, by Geoff Ficke)

by: Geoff Ficke  Seneca “The Younger”, the great ancient Roman philosopher famously observed, “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable”. The intent of his words is clear. Knowing where you want to go is the es...

The Flight Delay That Resulted in Launching a $100 Million Gift Business

(Thu Oct 8th, 2009, by Geoff Ficke)

by: Geoff Ficke Anyone that flies regularly knows the blank feeling that sweeps over us as we hear that our flight has been delayed, or worse, canceled.  Minds race while reviewing how to kill time, are there alternative travel options, can I reset ...

A Marketing Axiom: You’re Never the Greatest, Only the Latest!

(Thu Oct 8th, 2009, by Geoff Ficke)

by: Geoff Ficke My first professional job after finishing college and Marine Corps service was with a small cosmetic company in the early 1970’s. The beauty industry at that time was in the golden age of its creativity, growth and competitive balan...

Massive Growth: How Will You Handle It? Part 1

(Thu Oct 8th, 2009, by Michele DeKinder-Smith)

Are you prepared for explosive growth? What will you do when it happens?   Does every entrepreneur seek growth opportunities? Growth can mean more customers, more income, or more opportunities to explore new ideas. Although exciting, growth also bri...

The Malaise That Most Harms Invention: Caution!

(Thu Oct 8th, 2009, by Geoff Ficke)

by: Geoff Ficke  The great British philosopher Bertrand Russell was famous for his pithy observances of life and mans foibles. He was also a great mathematician and his perspective was greatly affected by the certainty and absolutism that is found i...

Paranoia Is a Near Necessity For Successful Inventors and Entrepreneurs

(Thu Oct 8th, 2009, by Geoff Ficke)

by: Geoff Ficke  The great Technology entrepreneur Andy Grove was once asked what dictum he used as a basis for running his Company, Intel. His response was simple: “only the paranoid survive”. Mr. Grove grew Intel from a garage business in Sili...