Harvard Business Review, May 2002. Interestingly enough, trying harder is a problem when the business environment changes because of the tendency to do more of the same thing you’ve always done. Typically, those things are not the right things to do anymore. As I’ve written, this corresponds to my own experience doing turnaround work. You […]
“Disruptive Change- When Trying Harder is Part of the Problem.” Read More »
My last article, “Do Retailers Really Need to Carry All That Inventory?” garnered quite a response. One of those responses was a link to an article about a brand called Nau. Their web site is here. The link to the article is here. The article was written back in 2007 and the brand is still around and, judging
Follow-up on my Last Article; the Nau Example Read More »
I just found out I’d volunteered to facilitate the panel on distribution at next week’s IASC and BRA sponsored Skateboard Industry Summit. I had to spend some time getting my thoughts about distribution in order, and I know of no better way than to write them down. Distribution has always been a bit of a contentious
The Skateboard Distribution Model- It Never Was Broken Read More »
In 1995 I wrote a Market Watch column called “Getting in Deep Trouble.” For those of you who might have accidentally misplaced your copies it talked, as the snowboard industry was starting its (first) consolidation, about what led companies to face survival issues and how they could save themselves. I started with the following: “All businesses
The New Management Environment- A Few Ideas Read More »
Have you ever noticed how often the group of people who create ads, run promotions, and manage sponsorships are called the marketing department? That’s always struck me as kind of odd. I think marketing is the process of figuring out who your customer is, or can be, and why they buy your product. Advertising and promotion are the
The Relationship Between Marketing and Business Risk; Do One and Reduce the Other Read More »
Actually, the question is not how small brands can stay cool. It’s how they can stay at all. As in stay here- alive, in existence, solvent. Not toast. I have been so encouraged by the number of small brands I’ve seen in snowboarding recently. I love them. There was a bunch at the SIA show in Vegas. There were some of
Small Brands Are Cool! How Can They Stay That Way? Read More »
That unsolicited quote is from the President of a snowboard brand that you all know and that’s been around for a while. It would generally be considered successful. I consider it successful. It’s not the first time I’ve heard the comment. I’ve responded by agreeing and by explaining why it was true. Over the years I’ve had some suggestions
“Jeff, This is a Hard Business!” Why Is That and What Can You Do About It? Read More »
Yes, the scuba diving industry. Maybe nine months ago Fran Richards, former VP at TransWorld and somebody whom I consider one of the best intuitive marketing guys in action sports, called me up and said, “Hey Jeff, I’ve given your name to the guys at the Dive Equipment Manufacturers Association!” “Uhhhhh, thanks Fran, that’s great, I
The Enthusiast Cycle; Lessons From the Scuba Diving Industry Read More »
Ain’t business grand? You’ve got a choice of something over 100 snowboard brands to sell in your shop. ‘Course, 20 of them will be gone by the time the snow melts and next year there’ll be 35 new ones. Delivery, not to mention service, is uncertain. Some of those new companies will be only as real as the
Buying Smart; Selecting Among Snowboard Brands Read More »
If your typical day is a series of disruptions and interruptions like that of many small business owners, then you may find yourself having difficulty controlling your business and knowing with certainty where you stand on a day to day basis. All businesses face challenges. Those challenges are most easily met if focused on early. What starts out