Richard was the first born of Edward and Eve Branson – born on July 18, 1950 in Blackheath, London. His father was a barrister, having followed his father, a judge at the High Court of Justice, into the legal realm.…
Richard was the first born of Edward and Eve Branson – born on July 18, 1950 in Blackheath, London. His father was a barrister, having followed his father, a judge at the High Court of Justice, into the legal realm.…
John was born in Hall, Indiana on October 14, 1910 – the second son of Joshua and Roxie Wooden. When he was 8, the family moved to a small farm near Centerton, Ind., a town which boasted a population of…
Perhaps you’ve heard the question “What percentage of people who bought a 1/4 inch drill bit last year wanted one?” The answer? Zero. Every one of those buyers wanted a 1/4″ hole. The same can be said about branding. Very…
This weekend, the United States of America celebrates its birthday – and 239 years of independence. What does that mean? According to Merriam-Webster, independence means “freedom from outside control or support : the state of being independent”. Freedom is the…
The Continental Baking Company – of Indianapolis, Indiana, introduced Hostess® Cupcakes back in 1919. Wrapped for on-the-go consumption, they were a big success so Continental expanded in 1926 the line of snacks under the Hostess® brand name. An item that became incredibly popular…
The three had plenty in common beginning with their friendship. Each graduated from the University of San Francisco – one a history teacher, one a writer and one an English teacher. The three – Zev Siegel, Gordon Bowker and Jerry…
Born in Rockville Centre, NY in 1952 she was the only daughter in a family with four sons. That could have been daunting for her had it not been for her parents. They encouraged her to compete equally with her…
He was a student at the Olin School of Business at Washington University in his hometown of St. Louis when it happened. Pearl Harbor. America was drawn into World War II. He enlisted in the Navy where he became a…
It must have been cool that his father owned a recording studio in New York. It is also quite cool that he knew early in life what he wanted to do in the future. As a young boy he was able to…
She was born in Oregon, into a family of ranchers and farmers. Her parents had moved to the city to raise her, believing they were providing her with opportunities they had lacked having grown up on farms. Ironically, her desire…
It was 1901 when they started to work on creating a motorized bicycle. The two friends were determined to integrate William’s motor design into a standard bike frame using Arthur’s machine shop connection. Two years later they had a finished…
It is the time of year when champions are crowned in the world of professional football. There’s the actual football game of course – but I am speaking of the commercials which air during the game. At $4,000,000.00 per :30…
Imagine how adventurous one must be to start planning the celebration for their 5oth birthday years before turning 4o. Imagine being so bold as to openly invite the entire world to the party. Imagine the thrill of finding out one…
He was born the son of a fishing boat captain in Panama. His family lived in a very poor town – Puerto Caimito. Growing up he and his friends played futbol (soccer) and baseball on the village’s field – the…
On Halloween night in 1963 a six year old boy killed his sister with a kitchen knife. Fifteen years later that boy escaped from the psychiatric hospital he had been committed to and headed back to his hometown of Haddonfield,…
“‘Does it make money?’ is not a bad question. It’s a great question. It is just a bad first question. It starts you off pointed in the wrong direction. The first question should be ‘Does it serve? Does it add value to others?’ If the answer…
The winner of the category ”single most broken items’ during the holidays is not toys, electronics or ornaments. Nope, it’s New Year’s resolutions. It is a known fact that 100% of us have broken resolutions in our life. OK, that’s…
When I first decided to become a consultant after having just left the corporate world I was eager for business. So eager, in fact, that I would pursue most any piece of business which crossed my path. I used an…
Most Sunday mornings I spend having breakfast with a good friend of mine. Quite often he relates issues from his business life and then seeks my opinions and insights…which I’m more than happy to provide. Recently his topic was wondering…
There have been times when I can ‘see’ the words as they come out of my mouth and I try desperately to snag them and put them back. Why? Because no sooner have I uttered them than I know I…
In the midst of over hype, power selling and the seemingly never ceasing compulsion for some to push their message into others’ lives comes a nice little slice of….well….toast. Yes…toast. Well, actually dancing toast. Here is the bulk of an…
I very much enjoy fiction and perhaps that explains, at least in part, why I’m drawn to business books such as “The Go-Giver”, “Getting Naked” and “Who Moved My Cheese?”. Lessons are often much more clear to me when presented…
Have you ever been to a conference touting terrific speakers? Have you ever gone home thinking that at least one of the speakers left you wanting more? I have. Actually, I have at every conference I’ve attended…until The Go-Giver Retreat…
Your brand is your most valuable asset and needs to be treated as such. If you don’t manage your own brand, someone else will. Needless to say, not everyone has your best interests in mind and those that do may…
Note: This retro post was my very first blog. I ran across it today and found that it still resonated with me. I no longer use the “Move the Flashlight” blog name but the concept remains valid and relevant. I…
The movie ’21’ is the fact-based story about six MIT students who were trained to become experts in card counting and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings. It was a very entertaining movie with a great cast that…
I was recently asked to contribute my thoughts to an article on re-branding being written by a local chamber of commerce. I was flattered and began to ask for more details. The chamber’s marketing director said, “I hope it’s OK…
How many 1/4″ drill bits were sold in the United States last year? Anyone? Class? Beuhler? OK, I have no idea either. However, I’m fairly positive I know how many people wanted a 1/4″ drill bit. My answer is a…
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