Articles

Articles by Geoff Ficke

Browse every published article connected to Geoff Ficke, with exact attribution and full-archive search.

articles: 216
shown per page: 50
search signals: Topic + expert

Articles

216 articles by Geoff Ficke · showing 50

Browse every published article connected to Geoff Ficke, or search within this exact expert archive.

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Anatomy of a Product From an Idea to Reality

What does it take to turn an idea into a product? How can I realize financial gain from my idea? Where do I start? These and many other questions swirl around would-be inventors and entrepreneurs as they seek to bring new products and services to market. The process can seem daunting for anyone making a first attempt and confronting the typical hurdles and roadblocks the marketplace utilizes to cull the field. I look at hundreds of products each year and have done so for almost 30 years.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,234 views

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

This Great Warrior King Always Thought Outside of the Box

by: Geoff Ficke Prospective entrepreneurs are always encouraged to think outside of the box when striving to commercialize their idea for a new business. The ability to see things differently and identify a niche for a product is so essential. Unfortunately, there is no book, course or advice that enables a person to perfect this skill. Some of us stumble into an opportunity. Others are introduced inadvertently to an idea in their line work or at home. Many other successful entrepreneurs do develop an ability to see things a bit more weirdly than the rest of us.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,213 views

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Make a Friend Everyday, Network!

Have you ever noticed how successful people always seem to have a very wide net of friends and acquaintances? Howard Hughes became an infamous recluse only after he was fabulously wealthy. His network of business associations enabled him to excel in aviation, manufacturing, heavy industry, oil, movie making and hotel/casino ownership. He tapped into the best managers, engineers and executives available within each industry he tackled to manage his properties and provide essential expertise. Most people are very lucky if they have two or three truly close personal friends in a lifetime.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,442 views3.6/5 (13)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

A Marketing Axiom: You’re Never the Greatest, Only the Latest!

My first professional job after finishing college and Marine Corps service was with a small cosmetic company in the early 1970’s. The beauty industry at that time was in the golden age of its creativity, growth and competitive balance. There were numerous firms able to exist and flourish by specializing in servicing a highly diversified retail universe with product lines that targeted narrow, specific demographic categories. Alexandra de Markoff, Imperial Formula, Andrea, Frances Denney, Germaine Monteil and many others were prominent brands of that time that no longer exist.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,660 views2/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

In a World of Mass Market Indifference There Is Still Room for Bespoke Quality

by: Geoff Ficke One of the most illuminating professional experiences of my life was my first visit to the elegant center of British Bespoke male haberdashery, Saville Row in London’s exclusive Mayfair district. I was a young man, just starting my career in the international cosmetic business and, while knowing of the worldwide reputation for excellence of English hand tailored gentleman’s clothing, I had never experienced this level of quality and artisan craftsmanship.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,194 views

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Organize the Business Structure That Is Right for Your New Enterprise

Every business requires a structure that will withstand necessary legal and governmental scrutiny. The choice of how to organize a new enterprise should be made based on the needs and capacity of the owner(s) to maintain and detail the records, history and finances of the business. Many simple service businesses are set up as a sole proprietorship. The lawn service I utilize is a sole proprietorship. I make out the check in the name of the person providing the service.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,833 views3/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

New Commercial Opportunities Require a Crisply Polished Elevator Pitch

by: Geoff Ficke Each week we receive a number of unsolicited business proposals in our marketing consulting business. Some are submitted by mail, some by e-mail and a number are the result of phone contacts. We have developed a methodology of quickly weighing the commercial viability of each. This is important as we strive to manage our time, and potential clients can receive proper initial guidance from us as they pursue their goals and dreams. The key initial indicator we evaluate when weighing a newly presented Business Plan is the Executive Summary.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,202 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How To Invent A Billion Dollar Product and Personally Gain Very Little

by: Geoff Ficke In 1930, a young engineer was sent by his supervisor to spend time working on the floor of a Minneapolis auto body shop. The reason for the working visit was to review the performance of his employer’s principal product, industrial grade sandpaper, in actual use as a car door was being sanded. The young mans name was Richard Drew. While in the repair shop, young Mr. Drew was exposed to a rougher work environment than he was used to. The floor of the shop was loud, dirty, and, well, quite profane.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,236 views

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

…And We Want the Government To Do What?

by: Geoff Ficke I am always amazed when I see well educated, seemingly worldly people make themselves look and sound silly by promoting ever more aggressive expansion of government. We are currently in our national election cycle, admittedly the silly season for politicians. This year, however, the “nanny state” prescriptions on offer seem particularly vacuous. The one absolute I KNOW about government is this: Government is not in business to solve problems, government is in business to institutionalize problems! Bureaucracies evolve to protect and expand their turf.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,436 views2.3/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla - The Difference’s Between Fame and Forgotten

by: Geoff Ficke I recently saw the movie “The Prestige”. The story is about two ferociously rival magicians and is set in the 1890’s. A sub-plot in the movie conce s the largely forgotten rivalry between scientists and inventors Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. Entrepreneurs today can learn much from the Edison/Tesla saga. Thomas Edison is one of the most famous and revered Americans of all time, and deservedly so. School children are taught that he harnessed electricity, invented the light bulb and the phonograph.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

5,349 views3/5 (6)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Most Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make And Why Markets Tolerate No Shortcuts

The questio I receive more often than any other is: “What is the mistake you most frequently observe inventors or entrepreneurs making?” The answer is an easy one. Most unsuccessful entrepreneurs try to get to market by taking shortcuts. We live in a commercial maelstrom. The marketplace is constantly chu ing, changing, adapting. Successful marketers are constantly adjusting, anticipating, re-inventing.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,381 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

What Modern Marketers Can Learn From A 100 Year Old Artisan Auto Maker

H. F. S. Morgan launched his eponymous car manufacturing company in England in 1909. For a century, through world wars and great economic turbulence, Morgan Motor Company has produced some of the most stylish, desirable automobiles ever produced. Unless you are a classic car enthusiast, you probably have never heard of Morgan and more unfortunately probably never seen one of these magnificent machines on the road. They are exceedingly rare and that has gone a great distance in cementing the desirability of the mark. Morgan’s initially were 3-wheeled cycle cars.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,399 views2/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

How Do Investors Read Business Plans?

There are hundreds of thousands of business plans floating around and attempting to find a funding home. I receive hundreds of business plans annually myself, and can definitely state that 99% of these documents are laughable as presentations of an exciting investment opportunity. I am not referring to the value of the product being described, rather the presentation that purports to describe an exciting investment situation. One of the reasons that so many plans are so poorly written, and there are many, many additional reasons, is that the writers do not understand how plans are read.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,476 views3/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Selling Is the Most Important Job For Every Entrepreneur

Let’s consider the example of an entrepreneurial inventor attempting to market his newest creation: a portable hydrostatic body fat test appliance. Design is complete, testing is finished and results exceeded initial assumptions, several working prototypes have been built, UL Approval is in hand, patents filed and a business plan has been customized. The wellness aspects of the unit make it timely and potentially very lucrative if handled properly. Most entrepreneurs would consider the status of the above-described project to be advanced and well positioned.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,476 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Great American Whine

by: Geoff Ficke Recently, Michelle Obama famously commented that for the first time in her life she was proud of her country. Her remarks were widely critiqued and rightly so, as she is potentially the next First Lady of the United States. Her delayed burst of enthusiasm for the land of her birth is no doubt enhanced by the fact that her husband, a black man with a limited resume, is unexpectedly the front runner for the Democratic Presidential nomination. As the years have past and I enter the winter of my life, I find myself enduring a first time attitude adjustment of my own.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,270 views

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Many Aspects of Modern Travel Were Pioneered By the Ancient Romans

by: Geoff Ficke Modern travelers take the open road for granted. We can hop into exquisitely engineered modern vehicles, pop onto smooth, straight freeways, well lit, with excellent signage and many roadside conveniences. We can cover as much ground as we might like in any direction, in relative comfort and safety. Much that we love about modern road travel was actually available 2500 years ago to the ancient Romans.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,093 views

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

What is a Business Model?

During the 1990’s a number of examples of new business terminology cane into vogue. Among these was the term Business Model. The usage of this term has become so capricious that the original definitions and intent of these two words has been diminished and confused. In essence, the Business Model is simply how an enterprise will organize processes to make money.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,178 views

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Flight Delay That Resulted in Launching a $100 Million Gift Business

Anyone that flies regularly knows the blank feeling that sweeps over us as we hear that our flight has been delayed, or worse, canceled. Minds race while reviewing how to kill time, are there alte ative travel options, can I reset the meeting I had scheduled on the other end of the flight? As modern air travel has disintegrated into a cluster debacle of ever growing proportions, the many hours we waste on travel hassles leads to vexing choices and forced idleness.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,332 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

When Selling Do Not Confuse Objections and Conditions

My first sales manager, a grizzled old veteran with a no excuses allowed attitude used to tell me, “there are no lousy products, just lousy salesmen”. As a rookie salesma I thought the comment surely a strange one. Of course, there are bad products I thought. I know a bad product when I see one. I was wrong. The point is I can see bad products because someone is selling them. They are on the market. It takes a real salesman to sell an obviously deficient product. I have sold luxury goods, services, foodstuffs, mass-market lines, and internationally.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,716 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The 16th Century Entrepreneur Who Created the Concept of the Taxi

The 16th century was a time of amazing transformation in Europe. The Dark Ages were gone, the Black Plague had run it course and Middle Age fears and superstitions were slowly disappearing. The printing press had been invented and it was completely revamping the way people communicated. Columbus had discovered the America’s and the great age of exploration was in full swing.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,681 views2.5/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

What Makes an Entrepreneur Different

Studies indicate that entrepreneurs are born, not made. As a serial entrepreneur myself, having worked with dozens of successful entrepreneurs, I can confirm that this is a truism. No two are exactly alike, but they are different from those who fail, or worse, never try. I am often asked what makes an entrepreneur. In answering, I use the quote made by Supreme Court Justice Harlan when asked how he defined pornography. “I know it when I see it”. Entrepreneurs have a demeanor that separates them from the herd. They are different.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,719 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

“Mad Men” Provides a Market Concept Tutorial on Television Each Week

The hit television drama “Mad Men” recently began its third season to rave critical reviews and spectacular viewer ratings. The program, which is focused on the professional and personal lives of the associates of a New York City advertising agency in the early 1960’s is a magnetic period piece, featuring the fashion, lifestyle, dalliances and social interactions of a diverse group of contemporaries employed by the Sterling Cooper Agency.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,581 views2.5/5 (4)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Art and Modern Importance Of Roman Cement

by: Geoff Ficke Cement is the most widely used building material in the world and has been for thousands of years. The historical record confirms that the ancient Persians, Assyrians and Babylonians used cement in the binding and affixing of mud bricks. The Egyptians also used cement in construction. It was the Romans, however, that perfected the production of slaked cement that made many construction advances possible. The basic materials that the ancients used to make cement were readily available, then as now.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,210 views2.3/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Napoleon and Alexander the Great Are Innovative Role Models Even Today

During the 18th century the royal courts of Europe were starved for exciting and fresh entertainment formats. The staid choral recital, piano concerto, plays and opera had been standard fare in all of the great palaces for centuries. Each court strove to offer something more modern, more cutting edge and contemporary. In 1769 the Empress of Austria, Maria Therese invited a member of her entourage named Baron Wolfgang Von Kempelen to attend a conjuring show. Conjuring was a form of the emerging art of magic presentations.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,960 views2.3/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Persistence Pays Off For Driven Product Marketers and Inventors of WD-40

Persistence Pays Off For Driven Product Marketers and Inventors of WD-40 Along with duct tape, probably the most common product handymen keep in the garage for tackling household chores and repairs is the ubiquitous lubricant spray WD-40. I am a mechanical klutz. But when something needs fixing in my home, I simplistically grab the duct tape or a can of WD-40 for use in my first line of attacking the problem at hand. WD-40 is a classic example of a product innovation that defines the persistence required of successful inventors and entrepreneurs when facing hurdles.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,595 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Need or Want: Your New Product or Service Will Succeed if it Addresses Need

I have always tried to teach my children the difference between needing and wanting a product. This is a value judgement that applies to every human, many times in surprisingly differing ways. People born to great wealth view need far differently than those of us born to the lower classes. I might need an efficient baby stroller for my grandchild, while a Beverly Hills grandpa needs a Bugaboo (the Danish stroller that can sell for well over $1000). Both do the same job, I need a stroller that safely holds and transports my grandchild for about $130.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,962 views3/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Sales Theory of Relativity:ABC = Always Be Closing!

by: Geoff Ficke Albert Einstein’s famous “Theory of Relativity” (e = mc2) is as familiar to many millions of people as a popular modern commercial limerick for a soft drink or a jingle for a candy bar. Even though very few amongst these millions actually understand the scientific premise of the “Theory of Relativity”: people innately understand its import and relate it to its brilliant creator, the wild haired genius Albert Einstein. The famous equation is to energy, as H2O is to water.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,221 views2.3/5 (3)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

It’s Time To “Just Say No More” To Intrusive Abusive Government

A fitting metaphor for the young 21st century, and the ever-increasing intrusiveness of government at all levels, is this weeks news stories detailing the total lack of progress in rebuilding the World Trade Center. This is the cherry on top of the proverbial bitter bureaucratic sundae. Is this the America of yore? What has happened to us? Utilizing the relatively primitive construction techniques of the Depression era, the Empire State Building was conceived and constructed in 410 days. Men were hungry and desperate at that time. Government, pre-New Deal, was much smaller at all levels.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,196 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Water Lessons Learned, Lost And Re-lea ed today?

by: Geoff Ficke I recently visited the exciting, ancient city of Rome, Italy with my family. Of course, we all know that this city by the Tiber River is basically an open-air museum, with stunning historic relics every where one looks. The Forum, the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Borghese Gardens, Hadrians Arch, the catacombs, the Vatican and Sistine Chapel are only a few of the popular tourist destinations that all visitors feel compelled to visit. We did visit these and many more beautiful, famously important spots.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,267 views

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Oldest Tea Merchant in the World Is Still a Marketing & Branding Phenomenon

Any traveler to London is naturally overwhelmed with the many sites, sounds, history and majesty of this glorious ancient capital, especially first time visitors. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Thames, Big Ben the Horse Guards, 10 Downing Street, St. James Park, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Old Bailey and Hyde Park Gate are only a few of the famous must see locations tourists consume in the vast spread of this vibrant metropolis.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

4,750 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Do Not Shortchange Funding Needs Too Little Is Worse Than Too Much

There is an old adage in the funding community: “Investing $1,000,000 to fail is expensive, investing $5,000,000 to succeed is cheap. Investors will respond to funding needs based on real world assumptions. They will be very cautious when assessing a venture’s real funding requirements. Think of investment capital as fertilizer. If a farmer applies too little he harvests a poor crop or worse. Too much fertilizer and the harvest will likewise be disappointing. Experienced, successful farmers know their fields, their climate, crop planting patterns and their equipment.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,309 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

What Is a Business Plan? And Why Do I Need One?

For many entrepreneurs the creation of a business plan is the biggest hurdle in the development process of their fledgling enterprise. There is a mystery, almost a dread in many people when discussion of a business plan requirement is first broached. They conceptualize a boring, dry, painful experience and many would like to avoid this step if at all possible. What is a Business Plan? A business plan is a document that qualifies, quantifies and narrates a commercial opportunity.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,188 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Use Affinity Licensing to Jump Start New Product Sales

I recently met a bank executive who had been laid off in a corporate downsizing. The man was understandably conce ed about his and his family’s future. He lived in an area that was experiencing exceptionally stark economic circumstances. This gentleman had received a modest severance package, and this slim lifeline was of crucial importance to his immediate future. My marketing consulting firm had been asked by the former bank executive to review a business opportunity he was considering investing in.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,273 views3/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Industries Pioneered by Immigrants Prove America Still World’s Center for Opportunity

Industries Pioneered by Immigrants Prove America Still World’s Center for Opportunity My first job after service in the Marine Corps was with the Revlon Cosmetic Company. Revlon was founded by the iconic business man and fashion arbiter of the day, Charles Revson. The business in the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s was totally identified with Mr. Revson; his lavish lifestyle, marriages, famous temper and hugely successful product launches were regularly trumpeted by the business press of the day. Charles Revson was a visionary.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,521 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Alte ative Strategies For Hesitant Entrepreneurs

The ability to succeed as an entrepreneur is one of the most rewarding experiences any person can enjoy. Seeing your product on a store shelf is an amazing rush. Knowing that your service is benefiting the public is incredibly rewarding. Beyond the obvious monetary rewards, the knowledge that you have achieved a level of success most people can not even attempt is a significant gift. So what does an inventor, or creator, do to advance their opportunity if they do not have classic entrepreneurial makeup.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,575 views

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Consumer Product Marketing Success Depends Much More on Being First and Executing tha Simply Being First

by: Geoff Ficke Consumer Product Marketing Success Depends Much More on Being First and Executing tha Simply Being First Recently I had the opportunity to review a new beverage concept submitted for consideration by an entrepreneur. This young chap had collected reams of information, concrete data on his drink’s wellness benefits, packaging renderings and marketing trend information on the mass market soft drink category. His due diligence was impressive and seemed indicative of a driven, passionate innovator.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,222 views3/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Make Color & Style Indispensible Elements to Sell More Products

Make Color & Style Indispensible Elements to Sell More Products Have you never visited a Williams Sonoma store? Notice how the toaster they sell for $300 per unit is always displayed so prominently. Have you ever asked yourself who needs a $300 toaster when a perfectly acceptable bread toaster can be purchased for under $20 at any big box mass merchandise store? What is the impulse that makes a consumer spend such a premium on an otherwise mundane, everyday small electric appliance? Simple, color and style!

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,446 views2.5/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Old Adage “You Get What You Pay For” Is Especially Important to Service Providers in Today’s Economy

by: Geoff Ficke The Old Adage “You Get What You Pay For” Is Especially Important to Service Providers in Today’s Economy The 19th century British essayist John Ruskin once presciently stated, “There is scarcely a thing in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man’s lawful prey”. Great wordsmith that he was, Mr. Ruskin’s stylish prose has been re-engineered in more modern form to become the universal adage “You get what you pay for”.r

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,554 views

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Why Is It Immigrants Are So Successful as Entrepreneurs While Fewer & Fewer Americans Even Try?

Why Are Immigrants So Successful as Entrepreneurs While Fewer & Fewer Americans Even Try? This week I had a Speaking Engagement scheduled in Jackson, TN. Upon arrival I settled into my hotel and it being early evening I asked the front desk attendant what restaurants he would recommend for dinner? He mentioned a brand new Chinese place within walking distance of the hotel. I decided to give it a shot.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,832 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

A Case Study in Very Bright Successful People Making Really Bad Product Marketing Decisions

by: Geoff Ficke A Case Study in Very Bright Successful People Making Really Bad Product Marketing Decisions As my readers know I run a Consumer Product Development and Marketing Consulting Company. We review hundreds of Inventions, Innovations and New Product Concepts each year. These are submitted by individuals, small and micro-businesses, occasionally multi-national Companies and run the gamut from Foodstuffs to Sporting Goods to Giftware to Cosmetics. If it Sells in Retail Stores or is marketed to consumers we have probably worked in the space.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,474 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

In a Jobless Economic Recovery Why Not Create Your Own Job?

by: Geoff Ficke In a Jobless Economic Recovery Why Not Create Your Own Job?

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,693 views2.5/5 (2)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Want to Kill a New Business Opportunity? Avoid These 5 Often Repeated Mistakes

by: Geoff Ficke Want to Kill a New Business Opportunity? Avoid These 5 Often Repeated Mistakes I review new Business Opportunities for a living. My Consumer Product Development and Marketing Consulting firm is besieged with presentations, Executive Summaries, product prototypes and Business Plans. It is a tribute to the ingenuity and creativity of people that the urge to invent is so common. Unfortunately, very few of the projects we review will ever see a retail store shelf.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,271 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Simple Mundane Product Invention that Changed a Sport and Created a Fortune

by: Geoff Ficke The Simple Mundane Product Invention that Changed a Sport and Created a Fortune When I was a young boy growing up in Kentucky almost every town of any size had a drug store, a dry goods store, a grocer, a gas station and a billiards parlor. At any time of the day local men and boys could be found whiling away the hours just hanging out, playing or watching games of pool played in the gray, poorly lit, smoky halls that held a few well-wo billiard tables.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,971 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Why Is Laser-Like Focus So Crucial and Yet So Difficult for Entrepreneurs to Maintain

by: Geoff Ficke Why Is Laser-Like Focus So Crucial and Yet So Difficult for Entrepreneurs to Maintain When we work with small businesses, entrepreneurs and inventors in our Consumer Product Marketing and Branding Consulting group we constantly find ourselves using and reinforcing the importance of the word “focus” to prospective clients. It is crucial to their success. It is also, often in the shortest of supply.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,611 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

Unique Small Businesses Have Become Highly Desirable to Multi-National Companies

by: Geoff Ficke Unique Small Businesses Have Become Highly Desirable to Multi-National Companies

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,539 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

For 100 Years Women Have Enjoyed the Luxury of Jean Patou’s Joy Fragrance

by: Geoff Ficke For 100 Years Women Have Enjoyed the Luxury of Jean Patou’s Joy Fragrance French furrier and tanner Jean Patou moved from Normandy to Paris in 1910 intent on building an eponymous fashion house. He opened Maison Parry and sold his entire collection in 1914 to a single American client. Just as his fame was obtaining traction with the fashionable haute couture clientele of Paris World War I intruded.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

2,113 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

What Lesson Can Entrepreneurs Learn from a Bespoke Suit Maker and M&M’s Candy?

by: Geoff Ficke What Lesson Can Entrepreneurs Learn from a Bespoke Suit Maker and M&M’s Candy? Recently I read a profile of a relatively new business, Astor & Black that makes bespoke tailored gentlemen’s suits. The Company sends salesmen direct to their clients home or office and custom fits garments. There are thousands of fabrics to choose from, each suit is cut by hand to specific measurements and delivered in four to six weeks. The cost for an Astor & Black suit is about one-fourth the price of a Saville Row crafted suit.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,653 views1/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

The Great Department Store Visionaries Created Much More Than Vast Retail Palaces

by: Geoff Ficke The Great Department Store Visionaries Created Much More Than Vast Retail Palaces Before the middle of the 19th century retailing was a disorganized, semi-professional business. Small general merchandise stores carried minimal stock levels and were often limited to local goods and produce. Mass production created by the industrial age was just beginning, so quality and availability of product was uneven at best. Brand names were rarely seen on store shelves in different towns, and never in different countries.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,499 views

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

6 Things You Need to Know In Order to License Your Product

by: Geoff Ficke 6 Things You Need to Know In Order to License Your Product My Marketing Consulting, Branding and Product Development firm receives numerous queries on Licensing Consumer Products, Services and Concepts every week. Most inquiries are of no value as the hopeful Licensor has not organized proper due diligence that potential Licensees will require. The following are 6 Points to address before attempting to present a License opportunity. 1. Who is the Competition?

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,579 views2/5 (1)

By Geoff FickeRecently published1 topic

London Offers the World’s Most Exciting And Historic Retail Shopping Scene

by: Geoff Ficke London Offers the World’s Most Exciting And Historic Retail Shopping Scene Recently I had the opportunity to take a quick business trip to London. As always, I made sure to save some extra time to enjoy the street life and unique shopping opportunities that abound in this historic city. I am a perpetually reticent shopper. In London, however, visiting shops is a form of entertainment that can’t be matched by any other city. Even I succumb when in this great old city.

Primary topic: Business Consulting

Business Consulting

1,156 views

Back to top ↑