From ancient warfare to maverick retail, the idea of a “hat” integrated with near-obsessive efficiency has been a crucible for productivity and has changed society itself. In his essay of July 1, 1965, titled “HATS, THE REASON FOR,” L. Ron Hubbard defined the...
Finance Basics
Marketing 101: How One Company is Resonating and Reverberating in the Music World
Whether you’re playing the same three chords or are a seasoned virtuoso, if you’re a musician, chances are you have strong, even fanatical opinions about your gear. One Chicago company was listening. In his article of 19 March 1982, “EXECUTIVE SUCCESS,” L. Ron Hubbard...
Pittsburgh, the Pentagon, and Chocolate: One Family’s Legacy
The journey of Edward Marc Chocolatier is one of teamwork, ingenuity, adaptability and, above all, family. Towering over the corporate landscape are monolithic corporations—perceived sometimes as omnipresent, omnipotent and ominous. There’s absolutely nothing wrong...
From $900 Million to Zero: When Is Too Much Simply Not Enough?
We live in what has been termed the friction-free economy—where labor, information and money move around easily, cheaply and almost instantly. Overhead is at its lowest. Uber is the world’s largest car service but doesn’t own cars. Facebook is now a monolith of news...
Leadership Fundamentals: Local Impact, Global Scope
The phrase “Think Global, Act Local” rings true when seeking that elusive commodity called business leadership. We’ve looked up to leaders all our lives, many of whom are worthy of the praise: Founding Fathers (Washington, Jefferson), humanitarians (MLK, Gandhi),...
Zealous Users, A Burrito Truck, Parkour—A Glimpse into the Culture of Slack
One company, ironically called Slack, with a firm grip on its mission and market, was the fastest startup to elicit the elusive $1 billion valuation. In startup parlance of today, one buzzword is scalability, denoting an ability to stably and viably expand under...
Man’s Best Friend: A High-Tech and Human Approach
Rover is an online marketplace for canine care, changing the pet services game—and they do it through know-how, policies based upon compassion, and setting the bar high. In his article of March 13, 1965, entitled “THE STRUCTURE OF ORGANIZATION: WHAT IS POLICY?” L. Ron...
Word of Mouth: Your Ticket to Epic and Legendary!
Word of mouth is the Golden Ticket, the Lotto Jackpot and the Holy Grail all rolled into one righteous package that in its purest form costs absolutely nothing. We live in an overcommunicated society where the citizen is inundated with a relentless stream of messages,...
How Not to Burn Out in Sales!
So, you think you want to be a salespeep or you already are one and don’t know what to do with yourself? Salespeople often take a bad rap and it is so easy to burn out. There are promises galore of making the big bucks and cashing in. And then there are the realities...
The Magic of Surveys: How Warby Parker Disrupted the Eyeglass Monopoly
In this David and Goliath story, David wears stylish, quality eyewear that he got for $95. Monolithic corporations get aloof and arrogant when they fail to pay attention to people’s needs and wants—all while a fresher, leaner business model, attuned to the real world,...
Copywriting & Communication: Cutting through the Chaos
In an oversaturated digital landscape, can you communicate with class and get the desired results? Today, advertising and copywriting equate to an immersive experience of social media, television, video streaming, Google searches, blogging, branded content, print,...
Financial Planning Tips Applied to a Megabit-per-Nanosecond Economy
The mantra “MAKE MONEY!”—central in our minds and nightmares; motivating millions to do work they don’t necessarily love, burning a candle at midnight and rising before dawn. We pinch pennies, shed blood, sweat and tears, but all the penny-pinching is for naught if...