Alexander and the Gordian Knot

Alexander and the Gordian Knot

(Excerpt from “Beware the Hippo and Other Beasts on the River of Life”) As the story goes, in 333 B.C. Alexander marched his army into Gordium in modern day Turkey. Upon arriving in the city, he encountered “several knots all so tightly entangled that it...
Meme Mugs and Lean Startup Principles

Meme Mugs and Lean Startup Principles

Rachel Rofe makes a small fortune selling imprinted coffee mugs on Etsy. Her secret is that she fails her way to success by creating hundreds of coffee mug meme experiments. Most don’t work out but the ones that do sell thousands. This is a great example of the...
Money Pit or Money Machine?

Money Pit or Money Machine?

At its best, a company is a money machine. Put money in one end and more should come out the other end in profit. The best companies even reinvest their profits and cash flows in ways that compound their returns and shareholder value.  Calculate the present value of...
Qualities of a Good Name

Qualities of a Good Name

It has been said that a “Rose by any other name would not smell as sweet”.  The choice of what to name a company, organization, product or service can be one of the most important elements of the marketing mix.  And yet many business owners, entrepreneurs and product...
Why We Love SaaS Businesses!

Why We Love SaaS Businesses!

Opportunities in the Clouds I believe that Software as a Service (SaaS) is one of the biggest opportunities of our time.  Today there are over 15,000 SaaS businesses worldwide and they include giants like Salesforce.com, Indeed and ZenDesk.  Amazon Web Services (AWS)...