jeff | Jeff Harbaugh

How to Survive a Downturn And Take Advantage of the Opportunity It Represents

In previous articles, going back to when skating was growing like the proverbial weed, I’ve talked about issues related to a downturn. Things like expense control, if you should sell your business, characteristics of a maturing market, cash flow management, the impact of a recession, and the potential impact of foreign competition. Given the continuing, current conditions […]

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Product Line Size; The Impact on the Way We Do Business

General Management

It began, I suppose, a couple of months ago when somebody at Burton sent me their complete catalog, buying book, whatever you want to call it, including prices and terms. Damn near five pounds it weighs according to my handy, dandy bathroom scale including colorful blue binder. It contains all of the Burton Company’s brands and certain

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China’s Fixed Exchange Rate; What It Means for Snowboarding

Financial Management

My very first article for TransWorld, which became Market Watch, was on foreign exchange. I guess in some sense we’ve come full circle. But it’s never much fun ending up where you started, so I want to ask your help in keeping Market Watch valuable to you and occasionally controversial. It use to be, when the pace

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“Say, That Sounds Like a Good Idea!” The New Board Retailers’ Association

Retail

Like the web site (www.boardretailers.org) says, the idea for the Board Retailers’ Association (BRA?) goes back to the mid eighties and has been discussed annually. But for the past year, Roy Turner, the owner of Surf City Surf Shop in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, and Mike Duncan of Sage Corporation, a web applications firm with roots

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Strategic Planning; Questioning Our Most Cherished Assumptions

Strategy

This article sort of popped full formed into my brain at the TransWorld Snowboard Industry Conference at Whistler in April. It happened in an elevator. A kid carrying a skateboard got in (Shows you what kind of lousy winter it was in Whistler). As the door closed, I asked him how often he replaced his deck. He said, “I’ve

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Consolidation, War, and a Lousy Economy;Skateboarding Will Be Fine, Thank You Very Much

Skateboarding

It doesn’t seem fair. Okay, after the 90s, some economic slow down was inevitable and most industries are having to deal with it. Skateboarding, after a few years of simply spectacular growth was due for a consolidation, and we’re getting it in spades. War, of course, isn’t good for already soft consumer spending- too many people staying home to

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Hey! Look at All the Retailers! Good News From Vegas

Trade Shows

Flying in from ASR in Long Beach, where the consensus was that the number of retailers was down significantly, it was a relief to get to the SIA show in Vegas and see the place jumping. It was simply the best show since some time in the mid 90s. Not just by energy level but, in my

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Focus on Expense Control; A New Business Model for Skateboarding

Financial Management, Skateboarding

Well, maybe not a new business model. Expense control is always important. But somehow, in every industry I’ve ever seen, it’s always assigned a lower priority when you’re selling everything you can make. Cash flow makes it easier to not worry so much about how you’re spending your money. You’ve no doubt noticed that skateboarding (especially in hard

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Wherever You Go, There You’ll Be. I Can’t Think of a Subtitle

Economic History, Snowboarding

It’s 2002 and I think the five biggest snowboard companies, in alphabetical order, are Burton, Gen X, K2, Rossignol, and Salomon. Gen X is owned by Huffy and Salomon is part of Adidas, so maybe I should change the alphabetical listing. But the point, and I hope this helps me think of a subtitle, is that

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Reality Check; Input From the Outside World

Macroeconomics, Skateboarding

Sometimes I get accused of being too much of a pessimist. Maybe sometimes I am. On the other hand, maybe the correct question is whether or not my occasionally pessimistic outlook is justified . I’d prefer to think I’m just taking a hard look at real business issues. For a change, I’m going to let somebody else

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