October 2008 Archives

Description from Amazon:

Sir Richard Branson is one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs and his Virgin Group is one of the most recognized lifestyle brands, trusted and enjoyed by many millions of people.

Now, in his trademark charismatic and honest style, Richard shares the inside track on some of his greatest achievements over forty years in business as well as the lessons he has learned from his setbacks.

Success means a lot of things to a lot of people, but the bottom line, for most of us, is that success doesn't come easy. Most people who see someone else's "overnight success" cannot fathom the months or years of hard work, lost sleep, and sacrifices made to achieve that success.

Of course success is more than money or power. I tend to subscribe to definition #1 above rather than #2. You don't have to have any of those things to truly be successful, and you can be successful in many things that won't ever provide them. In business, success merely means that you've achieved your goals and dreams.

Lumpy mail can be defined as anything sent through the postal service or other carriers that stands out. It should be unexpected and unusual. Lumpy mail may be sent in an envelope or package, but often it is sent with no packaging at all. Leo has sent bank bags, sports bottles, baby bottles and large rubber balls through the mail with only stamps.

Description from Amazon:
Tribes will make you think (really think) about the opportunities in leading your fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, or readers. . . . It's not easy, but it's easier than you think.

Description from Amazon:

People starting out in business tend to seek step-by-step formulas or specific rules, but in reality there are no magic bullets. Rather, says veteran entrepreneur Norm Brodsky, there's a mentality that helps street-smart people solve problems and pursue opportunities as they arise. He calls it "the knack," and it has made all the difference to the eight successful start-ups of his career.

Jeffrey Eisenberg has a wonderful post over at grokdotcom, in which he lays out in several simple statements his "Gut Check for Retailers." The reason its a great post is because it nails exactly what all companies, not just retailers, need to understand about the Internet.

The name is King. Burger King. And this is how the King rolls.

I've been fascinated by Burger King's marketing campaigns for a long time. Do you remember when they came out with the little blurbs found on their burger wrappers, fry containers and soda cups? Then they got some of those cool blurbs in the store (I read a clever one on the garbage bin last week.) And then a couple years ago Burger King came out with some Xbox video games.

"The problem with panic is that it leads to bad decisions. While everybody else is selling, Warren Buffett, the second-richest man in the world (and soon to be the first), is buying. The reason? He always keeps his head. He understands the economic cycle. He knows that while things have gotten way out of whack, the laws of economics have not been repealed, and there are still real companies creating real value out there. While nobody can see a clear way out of these economic straits, acting out of fear will likely make things worse. That's as true of advertising as it is of investing."