It’s one of the most resilient “bird-in-hand/two-in-bush” arguments. What is the most valuable business marketing approach, customer retention or customer acquisition? It seems like it may be a trick question in that most believe that the only correct answer is that both are equally important. The advent of relevantly inexpensive, multichannel, digital communications has many...Read More

Image Credit: Dusit / Shutterstock.com One long established philosophy in business has been, “You can almost never save your way to profitability.” For decades, the edict assured that marketing and advertising efforts were the last disciplines to receive the axe when the time came to make the inevitable cuts to expenses in order to maximize...Read More

John Mackey, as co-CEO of Whole Foods, once said of entrepreneurs, “Though they want to make money — start businesses out of passion.” He went on to say: “Physicians make money, but their mission is to heal; teachers make money, but their desire is to educate; and architects make money, but they yearn to build.”...Read More

The demands of running a business can sometimes be difficult for even the most experienced professionals. Whether at the start-up phase of a new venture or at some point during the life cycle of an existing business, demands often lead to an owner bringing on a partner.  Partnerships  can provide additional capital to improve operational...Read More

In this series, we explore some less-frequently discussed ideas about running a successful business utilizing the experiences of real CEOs. Skip Prichard is an accomplished CEO, turnaround business leader, and keynote speaker. He is known for his track record of successfully revitalizing companies and dramatically improving results. Most recently, he was President & CEO of...Read More

How much would someone have to pay you to legally change your name to something new? At the end of 2012, a unique online auction closed for a final bid of $45,500, resulting in iwearyourshirt.com founder Jason Sadler legally becoming “Jason HeadsetDotCom” for the duration of 2013. Headsets.com, an online retailer of telephone headsets, was...Read More

In a time where inhibited growth and revenue decline are the norm, it is hard to envision a segment that manages to derive value from a trying economic climate. Social entrepreneurship – involving ventures which place emphasis on addressing a social issue over turning a profit – has actually been viewed as increasingly favorable during...Read More

In 1950, consumers across America were clipping coupons from the Sunday circular.  These days, couponing doesn’t require scissors but rather an internet connection or smart phone to access deal sites such as LivingSocial, woot!, Daily Deal, and Groupon, among others.  Businesses are looking for broader customer reach while consumers search for the best price.  Despite...Read More