Entrepreneurs are a different breed. Not everyone can, is willing, or should go out on a limb and risk so much. Being in business for oneself is hard work but the potential reward, in my opinion, is what draws us in. The ability…
What Business Are You In?
If you ask many small business owners what business they’re in, they will tell you simply what they do. ‘I build websites’ or ‘I distribute promotional goods.’ While these statements are true, you only have a few seconds to make an impression…
Five Smooth Steps to Better Communication
It has now been a full month of school for my daughter. Daily, her backpack is filled with popsicle stick and glue contraptions, a sticky lunchbox and somewhere near the bottom, classwork she has completed for Mom to see and sign. I’ve noticed, however, that all the…
What Will They See?
Some of my most treasured moments are the times when I watch my daughter pretend play. Of course she has dolls and talking games, but it’s those times that she picks the simplest things and turn them into something magical. As I sat at my…
A Colorful Set Up
Who would have guessed you could learn so much from a crayon, a double ended one at that. Over the last two weeks, we’ve discussed the marketing mix. Familiar to many, foreign to some. Today, let’s knock out the last two Ps,…
Color Me Green
In last week’s posting, I put a question before you. If you can get a 24 ct box of crayons for about 50 cents or less, why would the crayon maker in our example price the 6 ct double ended crayons at $2? …
Shelf Life
On a recent excursion to a mass retailer, with my child in tow, we, of course, found ourselves facing the crayon aisle. We start the slow walk down the aisle, packed with so many things to see, feel and knock over. And as I pick…
Break the Mold
Edwin Binney, along with his cousin, C. Harold Smith, formed Binney & Smith in 1885. The company created many things, like a new type of black coloring used to make black car tires and later school supplies. But at the gentle nudge of…
Cheering Section!
Well, it’s back to school time. I find myself, for the first time, standing in a sea of parents, buggy to buggy, slightly pushing and nudging, all reading a slip of paper with a common theme – the school supply list…
Top of the Triangle!
Of the vast selection of crayon options available to both young and old, I would have to say that the cool triangular ones are one of my favorites. Not only don’t they roll off the table when my daughter insists on pouring them…
It’s Just a Crayon – Big Deal
Being that buying a new box of crayons on a weekly basis has become the new norm in my household, I’ve taken the time to ask myself a question. Are all crayons created equal? To the average crayon user, the answer…
Fill Your Space
Have you ever tried to color a large space with a marker? What happens? Right…it may start off ok but the more you color, the wetter the paper gets and that marker starts running a little bit dry. Now, if you’d…