THE BLOG

Often, businesses don’t take the time to define who their ideal customer is.

Not simple stats on the status quo of current customers – but thinking through who their “ideal” – best – perfect –want more of these – customers are.

To define your ideal customer you first need to have a firm understanding of who your historic customer is – no time travel required. I simply mean the type of customer...

I’ve been asked at times to describe the I3 Principles (innovation, indispensability, and inspiration) for the value propositions for companies that have been in the lead for a long time. That is to say, how can they still be innovative after all these years? How are companies like Southwest or Nordstroms still innovative today? How are some of these other companies innovative in the context of – or in consideration of – the fact that their value proposition has...

Flying to the technology conference DEMO, in Palm Desert with a client. Instead of thinking about the conference and what I will see and who I will meet – I’m wondering, “why doesn’t Southwest fly Philly to Palm Springs?” Really. Because it makes a difference to me. Hmmm…

Have you ever wondered why Southwest is such a leader in its field?

Perhaps it’s because it offers superior airplanes or it could be because of their hiring process which...

Editor's Note: This post was originally published 10/05/2009 and has been updated for accuracy and relevance. 

Success in business means being able to weather storms. Often times, we credit external reasons for the growth or failure of a business--but by looking at the past we can learn what is truly essential for a business's success or failure.

In 2008, the New York Times published a video called Small Business Weathers the Recession. It features three small...