Eight decades after its introduction, the last Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the assembly line on July 10th. The innovations that extended the Beetle’s life are the source for these Lessons Found.
Total sales of the VW Beetle topped 23 million cars, making it the world’s fourth most popular car model. This success is based on a history of innovations well beyond model updates. For example, the Beetle’s “Think Small” advertising campaign was (more…)
My son and I started watching Game of Thrones; him for the second time and this is my initiation. After GOT’s disastrous season 8, my son asked if I wanted to watch that final season. That is where this Lesson Found begins. (more…)
Greeks elected a new prime minister last week, Kyriakos Mitsotaki, who is also the son of a former prime minister. His ascent as leader of Greece offers a valuable Lesson Found for family businesses.
Mr. Mitsotaki’s election is the culmination of his path into the “family business”. (more…)
Fourth of July festivities always impress me. We really do know how to celebrate our liberty and our country! This year’s celebration got me thinking about business celebrations. And therein lies this week’s Lesson Found.
I’ve experienced many company parties and celebrations but two stand out in my memory. (more…)
I was on a bicycle ride recently when another cyclist sprinted past me. I immediately picked up my speed to catchup. That effort is where this week’s Lesson Found begins.
My instinct was to use this cyclist as a pacer to increase my own speed. (more…)
Which would you prefer: A guaranteed $750,000 now or a possible $1,000,000 that you only get if everything goes according to plan? This was likely the question Burger King marketers had in mind when deciding to offer a subscription for a daily cup of BK Café. BK’s decision is the catalyst for this week’s Lesson Found: Packaging products and services to increase cash flow and boost sales. (more…)
Childhood friends Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan co-founded and built Method natural cleaning supplies into a $100 million brand. And, like many family and other partnerships, the path toward success was not always smooth. How the two navigated past conflict is a Lesson Found.
Featured on How I Built This with Guy Raz, the friends/partners discussed their path to success and described, as I refer to it, the “Screech Method” of conflict avoidance. (more…)
Running a business and running a marathon have much in common including both the owner and the runner are in it for the duration. Thus, Des Linden’s “training regimen” leading up to winning the 2018 Boston Marathon offers a Lesson Found for owners.
After ten years of running in Olympic and other major marathons, Linden finished 4th in the 2017 Boston Marathon. Desiring to finally break through to the winning spot, Linden cut short her normal break and quickly returned to training with even greater intensity than before. The result (more…)
By now, we’re all tired of hearing about Brexit. But if you look beyond the political antics, Brexit offers valuable Lessons Found on contingency planning for businesses. Here are a few examples. (more…)
Whether you’re an Apple fan or detractor, all can agree the iPod and iPhone technology are extraordinary successes. The stories of how Steve Jobs and Apple accomplished this are legendary. Organizational guru Simon Sinek summarizes it in one word: “Perspective”. When planning exit strategies, business owners should embrace Apple’s perspective to maximize their company’s valuation and sustain their legacy.
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