Last year when somebody said to me “Write about US market conditions” it was easy. You could think of the US, Japan and Europe as distinct markets and approach the trends in each accordingly. But overcapacity and the slowing of growth have made that harder, and the interdependence of the three markets has become much more obvious. […]
US Market Conditions and the Globalization of Snowboarding Read More »
Last month in this space I suggested a simple system for tracking your financial results with the goals of having better control and being able to react to surprises. If you use it for, say, six months, you are going to have some good information that will have helped you manage your shop. The next step, which
Minding Your Own Business; How’s Your Shop Doing? Read More »
At some point, every business owner considers selling their company. Most that don’t go out of business are sold at some time in their history. But between considering it and selling are a host of issues, surprises, conundrums, and general confusions for the business owner who has never been through the process before. I have spoken with or heard
Selling Your Business How to Get Ready and What to Expect Read More »
Business. It was all business. Well, maybe not quite all. The ladies and gentlemen at Mervin Manufacturing were dressed in all white outfits (they claimed not to be angels) and Mike Olsen was shooting money out of a cannon at irregular intervals. But the snowboard side of this year’s SIA show in Las Vegas showed that
SIA 1996; It’s Just Business Read More »
It all kind of came together for me at the industry conference at Banff, though I couldn’t say if it was on the lift, in the spa or at the bar. Probably at the bar. The time is over when a small or medium sized independent player in this industry can just focus on getting from one
Hard Choice Time; Strategies for Success in the Snowboard Industry Read More »
Open on the table next to me I have the preliminary and actual prospectus for, respectively, Morrow and Ride Snowboards initial public offerings. As of December 13th, 1995, my broker assures me, Morrow is not public yet. Ride’s prospectus is dated May 6, 1994 and those of you who bought their stock at the time of
Big Air; Initial Public Offerings in the US Read More »
I think the first time I heard about SIA it was when somebody asked me to write a check for membership. “What are we going to get out of this membership?” I asked. “We have to be a member to go to the show,” was the less than enthusiastic endorsement. So I signed the check. Turns out there’s
SIA Member Services; Run Your Business Better: No Charge Read More »
I seem to remember from my first economics class that if supply goes way up and demand doesn’t keep pace, prices can be, well, negatively impacted. When I look back at the 1994-95 season, I am disturbed because it appears that there were more boards produced than were sold to retailers; maybe a lot more. Below,
Where Have All the Snowboards Gone? The Apparent Imbalance Between Production and Sales Read More »
Actually, there’s nothing to it. The differential in rates of inflation between the economies of two countries equals the percentage change in the exchange rate over the same period. This is known as the Purchasing Power Parity theorem. There. That should be clear. Of course, government intervention in the markets can also affect exchange rates and everybody knows that
Foreign Exchange Management; What’s All This Brouhaha? Read More »
In 1903, 57 companies were started to make cars. 32 left the business. I recently heard it on National Public Radio, so it must be true. Snowboarding, of course, is going to be different. In your dreams. They say that when you die, your finger nails and hair keep growing for about three weeks. In Las Vegas I
Show Trends and the Business of Snowboarding; “It’s Deja Vu All Over Again!” Read More »