by Jeff Spear | Oct 12, 2016 | Uncategorized
Your Ohio factory makes a cast iron base for exterior light poles. Because of how heavy the product is and the expense of shipping overseas, your entire market is in North America where you offer free shipping to retailers. The factory is profitable, but the... by Jeff Spear | Jul 28, 2016 | Uncategorized
It may have been twenty years ago when the idea of “branding” became an obsession of higher education. We studied it, engaged consultants to refine it, created roving teams of artistic police to protect it and acted as if a new and highly rigorous discipline had... by Jeff Spear | Jul 13, 2016 | Uncategorized
When I was in private industry a couple of decades ago, most of our sales came from existing customers. If, for any reason, one of our long-term relationships was in trouble, we dispatched whatever resources needed to reattach that customer to the hive. Entering... by Jeff Spear | Jul 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
I normally write about higher education but today I meander into an area of avocation – cars. Bear with me. It was a big gamble. Pickups had been made of steel since, well, the Model T. But steel is heavy and a tendency toward rust makes for an... by Jeff Spear | Mar 20, 2016 | Uncategorized
Most of us file taxes, providing reams of personal financial information to federal and state governments. A few years ago, the IRS created a Data Retrieval tool or DRT where our personal information can be accessed by third parties, like mortgage bankers, to support... by Jeff Spear | Mar 8, 2016 | Uncategorized
Every mission statement includes a common theme – students. Though some appear to concentrate on fundraising, athletics, endowment, service to society or faculty scholarship, the primary reason for our institutions to exist is the transformation of students. So,...