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216 articles by Geoff Ficke · showing 50

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By Geoff FickeRecently publishedTopic pending

Why Are Successful Entrepreneurs So Darn Lucky?

What is your definition of the word “luck”? Not the Webster’s Dictionary definition, your definition. Is it being in the right place at the right time? Picking the right dealer in a casino? Turning up at a party where you meet your current wife (could be good or bad luck)? Entrepreneurs seem to be so lucky, so often. People see their success and attribute much of their good fortune to luck. What luck that they thought the idea would work. The luck of the Irish for old Doyle, don’t you think?

Primary topic: Recently published
Recently published
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Making Public Relations Work for Your Business

The magic word that every consumer loves to hear more than any other is, FREE! Sales promotions offering a free sample or product inducement are always exceedingly popular. Human nature being what it is, the opportunity to obtain something of perceived value for nothing is usually very desirable. Creative entrepreneurs can craft and develop a very effective, and free, promotional tool for their business or invention. The ability to utilize public relations is a key component of any successful enterprise.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

We Miss the Eloquence and Logic Of Milton Friedman Now More Than Ever

by: Geoff Ficke One of the signal economic thinkers of the 20th century was the Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman. His many books and papers, interviews and television specials have left us a valuable trove of thoughts and observations that should serve as guideposts during our current difficult economic times. His death has left a void that no contemporary thinker has been able to fill. That is most unfortunate, especially now. Recently, I revisited my copy of Professor Friedman’s signature work, Free to Choose.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Drop the Dreams and Establish Solid Goals and Plans In Order to Succeed in Start-up Business

by: Geoff Ficke Drop the Dreams and Establish Solid Goals and Plansr In Order to Succeed in Start-up Business Recently I watched a television show which featured Inventions, Small Business Start-ups and Entrepreneurship as central program topics. A panel of experts reviewed product submissions and interviewed the prospective entrepreneurs about various aspects of their projects. The interplay was interesting, and disappointing.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Make Your Business Plan Read Like An Action Novel - You Are Guaranteed to Receive A Stronger Response

Let’s face it, nobody confuses writing or reading a Business Plan with a Bruce Willis action movie or a Tom Clancy novel. A Business Plan is a serious presentation that details an economic opportunity being offered for funding, licensing or sales consideration. Detail, research, financials and harvest options, key elements of any plan, can be dry, less than electric stuff.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Is Now the Best Time to Start a New Business?

I am often asked if these are good times for new enterprise opportunities? Should I wait? Is the economy down? Is it a good funding market? Is competition too intense? These, and dozens more stated conce s are nothing more than self-imposed hurdles to movement. Now is the best time in history to start a business, launch a product or offer a cutting edge new service. More people than ever before have jobs. More people than ever before own homes. More business incorporations are established each year than the previous year.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The World’s Oldest Watch Manufacturer Stays on Top by Constantly Innovating

One of life’s great pleasures is travel. The opportunity to view distant lands, experience new food and drink, sample exotic cultures and meet local citizens is always rewarding. One of my most prized experiences when I visit any new land is to sample local produce, manufactured goods and learn about local industry and commerce. When I visit Geneva, Switzerland I relish the opportunity to shop, research and be amazed by the fabulously artesian craft of exclusive watch making found in the city’s endless jewelry ateliers.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Importance of Focus Groups and Their Alte atives To Consumer Product Marketers and Entrepreneurs

by: Geoff Ficke The Importance of Focus Groups and Their Alte ativesr To Consumer Product Marketers and Entrepreneurs My Consumer Product Development and Marketing Consulting firm offers a variety of services to clients. One that we frequently utilize, and is often misunderstood is the creation and management of Focus Groups. What is a Focus Group? What is the real purpose of a Focus Group? How much do they cost to organize? Can a novice Marketer organize a worthwhile Focus Group?

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How to Fail at Launching a Clever, Novel Consumer Product!

by: Geoff Ficke How to Fail at Launching a Clever, Novel Consumer Product! The current economic malaise has created a surprising level of interest from entrepreneurs keen to launch a bevy of assorted consumer products. Our Marketing Consulting and Product Development firm is reviewing more submissions than we have seen in years. Every product category from Sporting Goods to Health and Beauty Aids to Fashion and Jewelry and everything in between seems to be drawing inventors seeking to launch their creations.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

A Poem to Inspire Every Aspiring Marketer & Entrepreneur

Today poetry is not a culturally prevalent or popular art form utilized to convey deep thought or the meaning of ideas. To be sure, there are contemporary poets, published works of poetry are available and the United States still recognizes a living “poet laureate”. However, for vast swaths of modern populations, poetry seems so prim, almost Victorian. So what can the words of a bygone poet, or poem, offer modern product marketers, inventors, entrepreneurs and designers that would inspire and motivate their efforts?

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Man Who Invented Modern Athletic Shoes Inadvertently Revolutionized Commerce and Sports

I grew up in the 1950’s playing basketball hour after hour on city playgrounds. The public courts of the day were nothing like those found today in most American towns. There were no lights, a steel, kidney-shaped backboard (ugh!) with bent rims, occasionally a steel chain net and no lines painted to properly delineate the free throw line and out of bounds. The surface was often rough and cracked. You had to know where the ball would give a true bounce and where you could lose control because of the uneven surface. But we played on for endless hours in all weather.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How to Change a Product Negative into a Positive

How to Change a Product Negative into a Positive Virtually every consumer product comes to market with an Achilles heel. There is an inherent limitation, design shortcoming or performance kerfuffle that is almost always present. Nevertheless, many of these products become very successful commercial brands. How do brands turn negatives into positives?

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The New Distribution Strategies Your Product Will Need to Succeed

Amazing changes in the retail marketplace over the last 15 years has created new, different obstacles to successfully launch a new product. Marketing romantics muse glowingly about the old days when there were supposedly multiple placement opportunities in every level of retail. True, there were. But on closer inspection, there are as many options now, if not more. People and organizations are not usually open to change. Change is hard, requires a different thought process, imagination, flexibility.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Marketing a Product Is Most Effective When Presented Through Story Telling

by: Geoff Ficke Marketing a Product Is Most Effective When Presented Through Story Telling Many years ago, when I was just a young rookie salesma I was fortunate to fall under sway of a wonderful veteran sales manager. His name was Milton Lupow and he became a mentor, teacher and coach as I struggled to climb the ladder to success. The lessons he taught stick closely to me until this day and at every opportunity I introduce Mr. Lupow’s concepts to my clients. When I became a sales manager, then an executive and business owner I appreciated his imparted wisdom even more.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

College Campuses Are Amazing Resources for Entrepreneurs to Utilize When Launching a Business

by: Geoff Ficke College Campuses Are Amazing Resources for Entrepreneurs to Utilize When Launching a Business Recently I read about a new cosmetic product that was launched on a college campus. This bootstrapped product was taking advantage of a resource that can be available to all, but is rarely accessed by any. The entrepreneurs behind the novel lip balm Kisstixx offer an example of just one way to leverage the benefits that are present in abundance on university campuses everywhere.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Most Useful Funding Technique for Funding a Business Startup Is the Oldest: Bootstrapping

by: Geoff Ficke The Most Useful Funding Technique for Funding a Business Startup Is the Oldest: Bootstrapping My Consumer Product Development and Marketing Consulting firm is approached almost daily by entrepreneurs seeking to launch a new enterprise. For many of these aspiring business owners their primary conce is the funding requirements they believe will be required to enable execution of a proper launch. Many assume they need to raise funding from angel investors, venture capital or banking sources. Very few will succeed by taking this path.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Consumer Product Market Penetration is Much Easier If Exclusivity Is Key to the Lines Branding Strategy

by: Geoff Ficke Consumer Product Market Penetration is Much Easier If Exclusivity Is Key to the Lines Branding Strategy Recently I had the opportunity to visit and work several Trade Shows while on an extended business trip through Europe. One was a huge Beauty Product expo in Italy, another a jewelry fair in Switzerland, and a Gourmet Food Show in England completed the itinerary. Each of the venues would be considered apex convocations within their industry space. Each offered a range of products touching many price points.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Consider the Menu of Services a Project Will Require Before Interviewing Professional Consultants

by: Geoff Ficke Consider the Menu of Services a Project Will Requirer Before Interviewing Professional Consultants Google the word “Consultant” and millions of links immediately pop on to your computer screen. Refine the search term and a smaller, but still massive army of sites will become available for search. Consultants are everywhere and offering every imaginable service.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

A Business Model That Really Succeeds at Warfare

Mercenary soldiers have been used by nation states since Biblical times. The Romans used Goth mercenaries to fight Hannibal and his Carthaginian army. The English used Celtic warriors to defend them against the Vikings. The British used Hessians during the Revolutionary War here in the United States. Mercenaries have enjoyed a very mixed reputation as long as government entities have utilized this soldier-for-hire service. The most successful use of a mercenary army almost certainly must be the late 20th century prowess displayed by a company named Executive Outcomes.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Adopt a Pre-Sell Strategy to Drive Interest in Your Project Before Seeking to Attract Investment Funding

by: Geoff Ficke Adopt a Pre-Sell Strategy to Drive Interest in Your Projectr Before Seeking to Attract Investment Funding Recently I met with a prospective client who presented my Consumer Productr Marketing and Branding Consulting firm with an overview of his project, its development status and needs. The opportunity seemed to have legs until we reached the point in the discussion where funding took center stage. I listened as this entrepreneur, with great passion and skill, pitched his reasoning and support data for a funding round that he felt necessary to move ahead.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Imagine What the World Would Be Like Without the Simple Screw

by: Geoff Ficke We take the simplest devices for granted in our modern technologically advanced world. We turn a tap and water is delivered, hot, temperate and cold. We hit a wall switch and darkness is overcome by light. We open the refrigerator door and peer into a compartment that contains climate controlled stored foodstuffs. These conveniences are omnipresent in the developed world in the early 21st century. And yet, we reflect little on the simplest, most important inventions that make all forms of product possible. Consider the humble screw.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Innovative Design Is Essential To Contemporary Consumer Product Success

I have often written and referred to the difference between convergent and divergent products. Convergent products are simple design improvements on existing models already being marketed. The push button radio, the car radio or a clock radio are examples of convergent products. These examples simply add features to the divergent “alpha” invention of the radio. The invention of the radio was truly a monumental breakthrough divergent product. It was revolutionary and totally new. Most new product introductions are simple line extensions, or convergent products.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The 5 Personal Traits Essential for Achieving Entrepreneurial Success

by: Geoff Ficke The 5 Personal Traits Essential for Achieving Entrepreneurial Success I have worked with Entrepreneurs, Inventors and businesses large and small all over the world in my career as a Consumer Product Development and Marketing Consultant. For every 20 opportunities we review, possibly one will take the plunge and commit to the arduous processes required to successfully launch a new product, service or business. Why is it that such a small percentage of possible new enterprises ever even attempt to become a start-up, much less succeed?

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Bootstrapping Your Way to Success

There is no more accurate American descriptive phrase of the rags to riches success then: “He pulled himself up by his bootstraps”. The pioneers, backwoodsmen, cowboys, whalers and other prototypical American hero classes all possessed an air of courage, self-reliance, and belief that they could beat the odds. They are wonderful samples of entrepreneurs at the most elemental level. My favorite method of starting a business, launching a product or service is the old fashioned, do it myself, Bootstrapping.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Is an Invention Service Company the Solution? Very Few Inventors Ever See Successful Results

Every television viewer has seen the infomercial spot showing the forlorn, wanna-be inventor, crushed, their idea being successfully marketed by another party. He did not get a patent. The answer offered in the commercial, contact an Invention Submission Company, get a patent, market your product or opportunity to thousands of corporate decision-makers, get rich. This is the American Dream, is it not? One of the saddest aspects of my work as a new product development and marketing consultant is the whole area of invention submission firms.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The World’s Most Successful Board Game Was Created As A Metaphor for Hard Times

by: Geoff Ficke Successful entrepreneurs are people that always see opportunity in any situation. By nature they are positive and constantly seek innovations that address wants and needs that they identify in their contemporary environment. Currently we are in a dark economic period, and this will prove to be a fertile time for the introduction of novel innovations that will reward their creators with significant profit. The world’s most famous, widely played and sold board game is Monopoly. Lizzie Phillips created the first version of the game that was to evolve into modern Monopoly.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Why Is the Right To Fail So Important?...and, Why It is Mostly Unique To America

The American economic system of capitalism is unique in the industrialized world. Forms of capitalism exist in many countries, and the one general statement that applies to its usage is that capitalist countries are always more prosperous than non-capitalist states. That being stated, why is American capitalism so advanced, successful, admired and feared? We all know that America offers the most dynamic advanced economy in the world.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Multi-Tasking Now Is the Crucial Difference Between Success and Failure for Entrepreneurs

by: Geoff Ficke Multi-Tasking Now Is the Crucial Difference Between Success and Failure for Entrepreneurs The early 20th century British politicia James Maxton once famously quipped, “If you cannot ride two horses you have no right in the circus”. The same is true for aspiring entrepreneurs. The ability to apply oneself to multiple tasks, and most importantly, to act in a timely fashion is crucial in achieving goals.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

An Alte ative, Inexpensive Way to Penetrate the Market For a New Product

An Alte ative, Inexpensive Way to Penetrate the Market For a New Product My consulting firm receives an average of 2 new product submissions from entrepreneur’s each day. Last year we viewed almost 700 such offerings. They ranged from the silly to the spectacular. The majority of these concepts actually possess some commercial merit. Nevertheless, fewer than a dozen of these will ever make it to market. There are many reasons for the paucity of successful product launches. The process is challenging and many people are not up for the fight.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How to Turn an Ancient Scottish Peat Bog into Marketing Gold

How to Turn an Ancient Scottish Peat Bog into Marketing Gold Many years ago, as a young entrepreneur seeking to launch my very first consumer product, I discovered the importance of having a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to establish my brand’s niche. My partner and I had developed a very superior multi-use skin moisturizer that we positioned as working in conjunction with a novel loose powder make up. The performance of the treatment and color cosmetic system was far superior to anything on the market at the time.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

5 Examples of Remora Fish Marketing That Can Jump Start Your Product’s Sales & Marketing

by: Geoff Ficke 5 Examples of Remora Fish Marketing That Can Jump Start Your Product’s Sales & Marketing Everyone is fascinated by sharks. They are so dangerous, explosive and mysterious. Television documentaries detailing their habits, hunting techniques and brutality are ubiquitous, As exciting as the video footage of the lives of sharks is to viewers the little fish that rides the backs of the “alpha” predators receives just the opposite sort of attention. The Remora fish goes almost unnoticed.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

A “Wanna Be” Entrepreneur in Reality Is a“Wantrepreneur” and Will Never Be Successful

by: Geoff Ficke A “Wanna Be” Entrepreneur in Reality Is a“Wantrepreneur” and Will Never Be Successful Very few of the hundreds of Consumer Product projects that my Branding and Marketing Consulting firm review each year ever go much beyond the talking stage. Talk is cheap. Dreamers dream. Successful entrepreneurs are relatively rare. The necessary makeup to compete in the marketplace of ideas and products is in fairly short supply.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Classic Toy “Mr. Potato Head” Would Never Become a Success in Today's Overprotective Society

by: Geoff Ficke The Classic Toy “Mr. Potato Head” Would Neverr Become a Success in Today’s Overprotective Society In the late 1940’s a Brooklyn-based inventor named George Lerner began to attempt to license a toy concept he had developed. The idea was to take pieces of fruit and vegetables and dress them with human facial features made from tiny plastic parts. The goal was to enable kids to create funny faces on their veggies.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

A Professional Demeanor Screams Success

The importance of a professional business presentation can not be overstated in determining the fate of a new business opportunity. Nevertheless, it is amazing how many times the presenter does not apply these same essential professional requirements to their own person. You only get one chance to make a great first impression. Make the most of it! This goes far beyond the obvious elemental issues of personal care and hygiene.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Simple Road Reflector Saves Lives And Provides A Great Teaching Template

by: Geoff Ficke One wintry night in 1933, Percy Shaw found himself driving his automobile on a remote country road in England. The night was moonless; the fog hung densely and there was a persistent mixture of rain and snow belting against his windshield. The road was little more than a lane, with no signage, no shoulders, winding and curvy. Any error in judgement would be very costly indeed. As Mr. Shaw slogged along he suddenly came upon a rise in the road and was startled when a small Morriss Minor automobile appeared right at the crest of the grade.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Problems Are Arriving In Great Batches And That Can Be a Very Good Thing!

by: Geoff Ficke William Shakespeare” famous quote from Hamlet, “When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions”, is particularly relevant today. All of the news seems bad. The negative numbers are huge. The human devastation seems interminable. Governments everywhere seem to have lost control. Debt is perverse on a personal, corporate and governmental level. This glass seems to be mostly empty. It is not! From the depths of disaster grow the seeds of opportunity.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Words Used to Present Your Business Proposition Must be Carefully Chosen

by: Geoff Ficke Words Used to Present Your Business Proposition Must be Carefully Chosen This week I was forwarded a Business Plan from a Venture Capital principal for whom I perform consulting services. This gentleman had read the elevator pitch for the product and had initial interest in the proposition. He requested that I review the document in detail and mark up the key points that would be of much, or of no interest to his firm and make a recommendation as to the viability of the project.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How a Cool Food Product Lost an Important Marketing Advantage - and Died

How a Cool Food Product Lost an Important Marketing Advantage - and Died Recently I was interviewed by a national small business magazine about a topic that is all too real; and very problematic for small businessmen. The author of the story was trying to solve a simple problem that many of us have faced, and face every day. How to protect a product concept that cannot be protected by patents or copyrights? Here is the problem and some thoughts on the best ways to protect your work product. The product in question in this case was a cake.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

4 Crucial Elements to Include in Your Consumer Product Branding Strategy

by: Geoff Ficke 4 Crucial Elements to Include in Your Consumer Product Branding Strategy When I started to Market Consumer Products 40 years ago the term “Branding” was one I never heard. The term was not one that enjoyed the currency it enjoys today. In the years since formal Branding and Branding Strategies have become key foundational elements that Marketers employ to imprint their products in the psyche of consumers.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Differentiation for a Small Brand Is Essential - Consider Organic Tea

Recently my marketing consulting firm was approached by the owners of a young organic tea company seeking guidance in piercing the retail product distribution channel. The entrepreneur’s behind the venture were hard working, passionate and fully committed; both personally and financially. They had an excellent product.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

“What Is Our Aim? Victory, Victory at all Costs..!

Winston Churchill’s Famous War Cryr Is Fully Applicable for Today’s Entrepreneurs Arguably, the courage and moral leadership provided to the western world by Winston Churchill was the key instrument essential to keeping World War 2 from ending early, and ever so badly for the cause of freedom. The ability to use words as a tool for effecting an outcome was never so vividly displayed, before or since. A demoralized and near beaten people took heart, did not quit in the face of overwhelming losses and turned an imminent route into ultimate victory.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

A Baby’s Illness Was Responsible for One of the World’s Most Revered and Iconic Brands

A Baby’s Illness Was Responsible for One of the World’s Most Revered and Iconic Brands There is barely a household anywhere in the world that is home to a baby that does not have a supply of Gerber Baby Food in the cupboard. The product is ubiquitous. The label is one of the most recognizable in the world. The story behind the germination of the brand is a testament to the old adage of opportunity arising from ones life’s experiences.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Does My New Product Idea Really Have Legs?

My firm looks at hundreds of new product ideas, concepts and inventions every year. Many have great potential. When reviewing these opportunities the creator inevitably asks some form of the following: “Before spending any money, how can I get a feel for the potential success of my new idea?” Consumer research, focus groups and test marketing are commonly utilized by established companies to gauge the market reception and viability of new product offerings. Even limited, controlled programs such as these are beyond the reach of most entrepreneurs.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

For Seven Generations a Unique Business Has Brought Happiness and Beauty to Millions Each Spring

by: Geoff Ficke For Seven Generations a Unique Business Has Brought Happiness and Beauty to Millions Each Spring Newark, New York does not spring to mind as a base for horticultural genius. Not to be confused with tough, rough hew Newark, New Jersey, this small farming area became the original home of one of the greatest horticultural enterprises in the world. From humble beginnings as a nursery servicing local gardeners Jackson & Perkins became the largest purveyor and developer of sub-species of roses in the United States.

Primary topic: Business Consulting
Business Consulting
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