A kid walks into the barbershop. It’s an old-fashioned, family-run place at the northern edge of Atlanta. Early evening on a weekday, it’s busy. Full of professional guys – consultants, techies, marketing men. I’m waiting while Tom gets his hair cut. The boy’s pudgy, a little bit country. He has thick hair and a square … read more Price fixing
Tag: business
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If I called and wanted to give you money, wouldn’t you call me back? It’s a “sales lead.” It means, Here’s a customer who wants to spend money with your business. Well-run businesses follow up promptly. Lately, I’ve had a run of small businesses that don’t get back to me. Makes me crazy. Nail Taxi: I’ve made three … read more No reply
Scrap heaps
I waded into a quagmire today – and spent six hours in it. It’s been five weeks since the plumbing went to hell, and the pile of wet carpet and water-damaged stuff on the lower deck is starting to stink. Gypsum dust coats everything in the basement and a lot of the main floor, from the drywall cutting for the … read more Scrap heaps
Building a business around one question
You’ve probably gotten this email: “We value your business. Please answer our one-question survey…” The survey question is, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend?” Take care how you answer. Someone’s job might be riding on whether you pick an 8 or a 9. In … read more Building a business around one question
Reading the code
This afternoon’s fun was reading the Code of Federal Regulations. Not all 200 volumes of it, thankfully. The CFR embodies all the administrative rules which were enacted by federal agencies and which have the force of law. Since my company is managing a federal grant, I needed to re-read the relevant parts in the much-loved Title 48, which deals … read more Reading the code