Erin Ogden We now know the brackets for the NCAA tournament. How people choose their winners can be everything from favorite colors to hours of study. But two things are always certain during the tournament: Upset wins and a crackdown on businesses using “March Madness” without permission. Starting right around now, many companies are looking to cash in on … Read more
We just arrived home from a two-week trip to Japan. Almost every day, I did at least one thing that some would say I should be embarrassed to admit: I went to Starbucks. Every single day. And I don’t feel bad one little bit. Do you know why? Because my day just goes better if … Read more
I have been in Kyoto, Japan, for the past week, and one thing that keeps coming up is that stuff has been here for a long time. Like centuries upon centuries long. And not just things like a stone statute or wall, but buildings made of wood. If something happens to an edifice (and with … Read more
We have guest blogger this week, Craig Burk. Craig is a speaker, facilitator, coach, and designer at www.craigburk.com, and one of the nicest, most engaged people you will ever meet. If you want to feel better, more informed, and happy walking away from a conversation, have a coffee with Craig. He is one of those people that … Read more
Your ideas may know no boundaries, but the protection of them does. Intellectual property laws only protect the subject within the boundaries of the entity that created the protection. There are three types of entities that provide intellectual protection: States (or provinces), nations and regional intellectual property organizations. Nations each have their own intellectual property … Read more
I love trademark law. I admit it. I have used the hashtag #trademarknerd more than once. One reason that I love it is that it is part of everyday life. If you shop, you use and understand trademark law. And here you thought you were just buying shampoo. Trademarks are completely based on customer perceptions. … Read more
The King in Alice in Wonderland said, “Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” For strategic planning, I agree with the first part, but vehemently disagree with the second. Don’t stop! Keep looking, moving, and revising as needed. The world changes; your business changes. Why shouldn’t your … Read more
Finally, it is time for action. You have direction from your SMART goals; now it’s time to figure out how you are going to implement them. Now is the time for specifics. What needs to be done? Use action verbs – create, attend, write, etc. Identify exactly what – write two blog posts each week, … Read more
You have your Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats, and Opportunities all plotted out, right? It wasn’t just an exercise in creating charts. Now you have to do something with it. It is time to start your strategic plan. If you don’t point your boat towards the water, you aren’t going to get there. Take a good look … Read more
It’s the beginning of the calendar year, which means it’s a great time to look at your plan for the year. Even if your fiscal year is already going, if you didn’t look at that plan before, do it now. What’s that? You don’t have a strategic plan. Well, what are you waiting for? Someone … Read more