In a good economy, hiring managers and recruiters typically focus on employed (passive) candidates. But in this environment, mass layoffs clearly mean that there are more quality people available in the ranks of the unemployed. That hasn’t stopped some from targeting the employed. In this Wall Street Journal article, a partner from Kaye/Bassman International Corp. [...]
The Brand is the Talent
We shouldn’t be able to compete with big organizations. After all, they have more than we do. More capital. More distribution channels. More sales people. And while these things used to matter, they don’t anymore. The fact is, small companies today are often a lot more successful than large ones. Do you know why? There [...]
Web Design Essentials
In today’s world, an 11-year old can design a website. That’s good news – it means that everyone has access to the tools necessary to build a site. And those tools keep getting better and better. The bad news is that greater access doesn’t translate into better design. When I was in graduate school, I [...]
Simple Web Design
Could you reduce your website to a single page? These companies did: Silverback (software) Luke Larsen (web design) Visualbox (art direction, motion graphics, and screening) Want to guess what these sites have in common?
Life or Death, Part II
Customers have expectations. And the reality is this: meeting expectations isn’t good enough. At best, this keeps customers satisfied, and satisfied customers will leave you (fast) for a better experience or lower price. Falling short of expectations is another problem altogether. DHL screwed up the first time I used them for overnight delivery. For some [...]
Life or Death
I recently called the police to report suspicious activity. Just to clarify: when on the highway, should you ever notice another driver sitting on plastic-covered seats while wearing surgical gloves, that’s suspicious. If the driver notices you looking at him and then drops his hands out of site, that’s very suspicious. On the phone, I [...]
Will It Blend?
Imagine the excitement when a prospect receives your latest brochure. “Bill! Look at this – it’s Blue Banana’s* new brochure!” “Really? What does it say?” “Well, let’s see…wow! Are you ready? They’ve been in business for fifty years!” He looked at Bill. “Maybe we should talk to them about our next project. Do you have [...]
Don't Settle
Not that long ago, I worked with someone who decided he no longer liked his circumstances. In what seemed like an instant, he opted to change the direction of his career. I was impressed with the speed of his decision. “Why wait?” he said. “I’d rather do work that matters.” He looked at me. “You [...]
We Show Up
The cost of an advertisement is not positively correlated with its effectiveness. Consider the following: Advertisement 1 Media: TV Commercial (2007) Company: Shell Oil (with Ferrari Formula 1 Cars) Cost to produce: $3.9 million Advertisement 2 Media: Signage Company: A-1 American Chimney and Roofing Cost to produce: $500 – $1,000 (estimate) It’s obvious which one [...]
Naive and Positive
Entrepreneurs regularly approach me with business ideas. Too often their plans, while filled with energy and enthusiasm, have little substance. Wishful thinking without a map. Like most entrepreneurs, I believe in thinking big. But there is a difference between a naïve entrepreneur and one that is relentlessly positive for the right reasons. Positive has a [...]
