While they were strangers in the past, it seems to me that bricks and mortar commerce and the e-commerce experience are coming closer together, two strangers no more. I’m convinced that before long, a combination of the two experiences will just be “retail.” A few years ago, everyone was “shorting the stock,” counting the demise [Read More]
Immigration Reform: A Trip to the White House
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet with several senior advisors to the National Economic Council in Washington DC. Our “Gang of Nine” business leaders from the South included people involved in construction, agriculture and the food industry. We were invited to the Capital to discuss immigration reform. Interestingly, we all found fairly common ground. After [Read More]
What’s Ahead for Commercial Real Estate From an Investment Veteran
Retirement is a strange word to me, as it seems few people ever really stop working. Perhaps we just shift our interests a bit. Last week, I was talking with the recently “retired” Mike Prior, who formerly managed a mortgage loan investment portfolio of $5-6 billion for a major life insurance company. Mike now offices in our quiet [Read More]
Long Haul Reading
There are a zillion books out there on business that we all think we need to read to be successful. To me, the standouts are those that help us in business and in life, like Good to Great by Jim Collins and The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Who can ever forget the impact of fixing broken [Read More]
Growth Presents New Challenges
The purpose of any businesses is to grow. The last few years have been tough in this department, but remember how it was in the good ole days of last decade? We saw speed, revenue, market share and profit. Most business owners are wired with a desire to get “back to the future.” Not so fast. For [Read More]
Spring Training and Corporate Culture
To me, baseball spring training season has always been a time of new beginnings, when teams have a chance to remake themselves, and to change their culture if needed. Why can companies and organizations not treat the coming season in the same way? I recently, I found a good starting point. The former CEO of [Read More]
Lessons Learned on the Trail
Several years ago, I spent 10 days in Ireland traveling the Connemara Trail on horseback with breader Willie Leahy. We rode his surefooted Irish draught/thoroughbred cross descended from Spanish castaways. Our trail from Galway to Clifton was a combination of rough terrain, some deep and at times treacherous bogs, beautiful lakes and long rides at gallop speed along [Read More]
The Likability Quotient.
Over the years, I’ve learned that the ability to relate is just as important as being knowledgeable. In my book, likability–making that personal connection–is one of the ingredients to success. Whether it’s at the beginning of the selection process or at the end, I’ve found that when quality, value and price are equal, it’s often the likability quotient that drives a transaction. We all [Read More]
Cruising Altitude.
Time is what we want most, but what we sometimes use the worst. Time is also our greatest commodity. In business, there are some fields where this is more obvious, like “service professionals” including accountants, marketing firms and IT folks who charge by the hour. Lawyers break their actions into billable segments of .1, or 6 [Read More]
True Grit.
Charles Portis penned the novel True Grit in 1968. It was subsequently made into a movie in 1969 and a remake was released in 2010. The story is of a 16-year-old girl, an aging U.S. Marshall and a Texas Ranger. The trio overcame an endless succession of challenges to the avenge the murder of the [Read More]
