Newsletters
Business Advice
Departments
Fresh Inc.
Recent Entries
Inc.com Featured Blogs
Archives › September 2005
September 30, 2005
The Apprentice
Donald Trump Apprentice - Week 2
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:07 AM
I was pretty surprised that the Donald fired Chris last night. And I think it bodes well for this show. One big problem with last season was that it was too much of a Survivor-esque popularity contest. Markus is a complete fool, but he wasn't the main reason why Excel lost last night. I couldn't agree more with the Donald's decision. Still, it was a hard one to make. Chris is a good leader and, unlike Markus, he's sane.
As George pointed out, Excel lost the challenge on the terrace, as they high fived each other, assuming they'd win because they're men. Disgusting! I found it very interesting that they were actually led down the wrong path by the Lamborghini executive, who emphasized the "rebirth" concept. From what I could gleen, it didn't seem like the women met with Lamborghini...did I miss something? If they had lost, the Donald would have pointed out that they commited the cardinal sin of not meeting with the client. In this case, that wound up being a good thing, but I was still pretty surprised that the ladies missed that part.
Alla was the clear standout on the ladies' team last night. I was a little dubious as I watched her directing the video, her feathers fluttering madly as she made grand swooping gestures over the car engine. The ladies' presentation was a tad dramatic, if not laughable. And, in the end, the promo seemed like more of a rough draft than a finished product. But it was much more dynamic than the guys' video.
I'm not a huge Kristi fan, especially after her poor performance as PM last week, but she had a right to complain that Marshawn wasn't pulling her weight. The print boards were such a minor component of the task. Marshawn should have simply checked in on the print group to make sure things were going in the right direction, then switched gears to help Kristi and Alla work on the video.
So far, I'm rooting for Alla. She seems determined, mature, and driven. I can see a clear difference between Alla, an entrepreneur, and the other contestants who don't own their own companies. Markus will probably get the boot next week. Sure, he was the only one who didn't like the Green with Envy poster, but he shouldn't have blurted that out at the presentation. We all know that the Donald hates traitors. Also, his Smooth as Silk idea was so cheesy! Sometimes, "counterintuitive" is just a code word for silly.
That said, I think there's a real danger to voting off anyone who doesn't "fit in" with the team. As Excel proved last night, having a bunch of yes men agreeing with your every word is the last thing a manager needs. There has to be a balance between total agreement and constant bickering.
Although the tasks are pretty lame, and the same old stuff as last season, I feel like this show is coming into its own. The right people are being fired, which will hopefully put an end to the popularity contests. The Donald has been spot on. I loved his tux and the way he slapped the table before making his famous firing gesture. George and Carolyn have been great, too, especially compared to Martha's lame sidekicks. I'm looking forward to next week.
September 29, 2005
The Apprentice
Martha Stewart - Week 2
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 12:28 PM
I must say Martha redeemed herself quite a bit this week. She really came out of her shell in the conference room. And I agreed with her decision.
Yes, Jim and Dawn deserve to be fired as well (more on them later). But Martha had no choice but to fire Chuck. I was really disappointed in his behavior. His team was out of control, and he simply folded. It was shocking. At least he realized that he's not cut out to be a leader. I'm sure he'd be able to handle a more mature team, like Primarius, but when you're a manager, you don't always have the luxury of working exclusively with top performers....especially if you don't own the company and can't make hiring and firing decisions.
Speaking of management challenges, Jim is totally insane. He's so off the wall that it seems like he may be a plant intended to make the show more dramatic. So far, it's working. I love watching Jim's crazy faces in the boardroom. And his lame, obvious attempt to sweet talk Chuck into ganging up on Dawn was embarrassing and cheesy. Did he really expect Chuck to buy those phony compliments? I don't think he's long for this world.
Dawn, meanwhile, isn't much better. She has a terrible attitude and terrible ideas. She thought that hiring the trampy Dutch maids was a great idea, but I knew right away that Martha would hate that idea. Maybe the Donald would have gotten a kick out of it, but not Martha. Matchstick should have realized that. At any rate, Dawn has a toxic personality and, so far, she seems talentless. I'm not impressed.
At first, I thought Primarius' idea was too complicated to work. And it almost didn't. Thank goodness Howie convinced the team to lower their prices. I'm glad he didn't let that "celebrity" florist push him around. I've never even heard of that guy, so why was Primarius giving him so much power? I'm glad Howie stepped in. I really like him so far. Nobody else on that team really stands out, but, as a whole, they seem destined to come out on top every week. They work exceptionally well together.
As I mentioned earlier, I found Martha's conference room speech to be rather inspirational. She seems like a great leader. I loved when she told Bethenny that business women never cry. Yes, Martha! That was great. Maybe her speech was just what Matchstick needed to get it together. I guess we'll find out next week...
Inc. 500 Countdown
Inc. 500 Countdown: Alienware
Posted by Carole Matthews at 7:54 AM
Inc.com is counting down to the unveiling of Inc. magazine's Inc. 500 list with a profile a day of one of this year's honorees. Check back Monday through Friday until Oct. 19, when we reveal this year's number one company.
Alienware
Location: Miami
Three-Year Growth: 293.9%
2004 Revenue: $112.4 million
Employees: 504
Founded: 1996
What it does: Custom-builds supercharged personal computers--mostly for hard-core computer gamers. Why it's growing: Computer gaming is an $11 billion-a-year industry and growing fast. Alienware machines, which cost as much as $30,000, are equipped with super-fast graphics processing and high-performance screens and sound systems.
September 28, 2005
Business Bake-Off
Business Bake-Off
Posted by Laura Rich at 11:20 AM
To celebrate the new chapter in Inc.'s life, Inc. columnist and marketing guru Adam Hanft, CEO of advertising agency Hanft Raboy and Partners, has cooked up a contest.
The prize: A marketing strategy and an advertising campaign.
What you need to do: Prove your business deserves to be picked.
Here's the pitch, in Hanft Raboy's own words:
"We're giving away one stunning marketing strategy and one brililant advertising campaign created by New York's hottest agency, Hanft Raboy and Parnters, to a worthy entrepreneur.
"Tell us why your business deserves this unprecedented honor, which has a value of, God knows, maybe a quarter of a million dollars, maybe more.
"Your pitch can be in any form -- a business strategy, a patent, a paragraph, a poem. Send it to bakeoff@inc.com no later than October 31, 2005. The winner will be announced in January 2006.
"Our selection will be based on one highly uncomplicated criterion: Which business has the most potential, but needs the most help.
"Oh, yes, one other thing. Adam Hanft, a contributing editor to Inc. -- and who writes the Grist column each month -- will be following the development of the strategy and the campaign and will turn it into an Inc. story. So you have to be willing to take the glare of vast media attention."
September 23, 2005
Inc. 500 Countdown
Inc. 500 Countdown: Restaurant Technologies
Posted by Carole Matthews at 1:52 PM
Inc.com is counting down to the unveiling of Inc. magazine's Inc. 500 list with a profile a day of one of this year's honorees. Check back Monday through Friday until Oct. 19, when we reveal this year's number one company.
Restaurant Technologies
Location: Eagan, Minn.
Three-Year Growth: 452%
2004 Revenue: $80.9 million
Employees: 400
Founded: 1998
What it does: Tends to the frying oil tanks at restaurants and dining halls (at hospitals, schools, and military bases). In return for use of the company's patented equipment that keeps the deep fryers clean and in good working order, customers sign five-year contracts to have RTI deliver the oil and empty their used-oil tanks. Why it's growing: Bulk oil systems are an easy sell, says founder Paul Plooster, because they eliminate the need for food workers to lug around five-gallon containers of the stuff and replace unsightly, odoriferous waste-oil vats. RTI's average customer uses 350 pounds of frying oil per week.
Inc. 500 Countdown
Inc. 500 Countdown: Intelliseek
Posted by Carole Matthews at 1:51 PM
Inc.com is counting down to the unveiling of Inc. magazine's Inc. 500 list with a profile a day of one of this year's honorees. Check back Monday through Friday until Oct. 19, when we reveal this year's number one company.
Intelliseek
Location: Cincinnati
Three-Year Growth: 303.7%
2004 Revenue: $5.6 million
Employees: 45
Founded: 1997
What it does: Measures online buzz and consumer word of mouth by searching blogs, forums, and usenets. Why it's growing: The fastest feedback on topics such as the acceptance of new technologies, product reliability, and customer service is the messages consumers themselves put online, and manufacturers pay Intelliseek to find it for them.
Inc. 500 Countdown
Inc. 500 Countdown: Vosges Haut-Chocolat
Posted by Carole Matthews at 1:49 PM
Inc.com is counting down to the unveiling of Inc. magazine's Inc. 500 list with a profile a day of one of this year's honorees. Check back Monday through Friday until Oct. 19, when we reveal this year's number one company.
Vosges Haut-Chocolat
Location: Chicago
Three-Year Growth: 391.7%
2004 Revenue: $4.3 million
Employees: 50
Founded: 1998
What it does: Makes avant-garde chocolates with ingredients like Indian curry, Hawaiian white honey, Mexican chilies, wasabi, and chicory. It sells them primarily through its website, print catalogs, and at its five retail boutiques. Why it's growing: CEO Katrina Markoff, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu culinary school, says diversifying revenue sources is as important as mixing up new, intriguing recipes. Adding a wholesale business has helped build revenue in recent years. Vosges has also partnered with a Japanese firm to build and operate two retail stores in Tokyo and Osaka by 2006.
Inc. 500 Countdown
Inc. 500 Countown: DriveCam
Posted by Carole Matthews at 1:37 PM
Inc.com is counting down to the unveiling of Inc. magazine's Inc. 500 list with a profile a day of one of this year's honorees. Check back Monday through Friday until Oct. 19, when we reveal this year's number one company.
DriveCam
Location: San Diego
Three-Year Growth: 1,105.6%
2004 Revenue: $9.8 million
Employees: 39
Founded: 1998
What it does: Makes a digital camera system primarily used to monitor the behavior of commercial drivers. Why it's growing: The technology saves customers between 30% and 90% on loss and casualty costs, says CEO Bruce Moeller. How it works: A camera with a 270-degree view is mounted behind a vehicle's rearview mirror. When there's an irregular motion, like sudden braking, the camera records the incident.
The Apprentice
Donald Trump Apprentice - Week 1
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:08 AM
After Martha's tepid premiere on Wednesday (which, by the way, attracted an abysmal 7.7 million viewers), the Donald was a breath of fresh air. In typical fashion, he kicked off the season by taking a totally unnecessary helicopter ride from New York to his golf course in New Jersey, which, of course, is the best golf course ever, at least according to him.
The contestants seem much more talented this year, with a few blaringly obvious and thoroughly entertaining exceptions. First off, Markus is such a bag of wind that I can't believe he made it through the application process. I almost died as he went on and on to Donald over the phone, telling him about how he had rallied the team together so valiantly. The Donald's facial expressions were priceless. I like the new twist regarding the exemptions...there was no way Markus deserved credit for his team's victory.
The guys definitely had a better strategy for attracting people to the workout classes. The gym can be intimidating, so it was wise to focus on getting current members to sign up. The guys also seemed more organized, with sign-up sheets, a good system for collecting money upfront, and regular announcements on the gym's PA system. The women, on the other hand, blew it with the offensive XXX flyers and the lame on-the-streets marketing campaign. Haven't they learned from past episodes that simply handing out flyers to passers by rarely works?
Kristi was no great shakes as a project manager. Her team was completely disorganized. They were smart to do market research at the gym, but then all they did was bicker about the results. Kristi had a hard time taking control of the chaos. Apparently, she's a top sales exec at some fancy golf course, so maybe she's not accustomed to leading a team. That said, Melissa was clearly the reason why her team lost. She was totally disruptive, self-centered, and abrasive. Oh, and stupid. Why the heck did she tell Carolyn that she can't work with women? Thank goodness she's gone.
Everyone complains about what a jerk the Donald is, but I thought it was really sweet when he told Randal that he would understand if he wanted to quit the show since his grandmother died. Then he offered to loan the Trump helicopter to Randal so he could fly to Philadelplhia for the funeral. That was nice. Randal seems like a good guy. He also has more degrees than a thermometer. He could be a contender.
I'll be surprised if Markus lasts another week. He's unbearable. I also hope the challenges get more interesting, as the Donald promised in the teaser at the end of last night's episode. I can't stand three more months of lame Planet Hollywood-type tasks. I guess we'll find out soon enough.
September 22, 2005
The Apprentice
Martha Stewart Apprentice
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:09 AM
I wasn't blown away by last night's premiere. Martha was too stiff, and she didn't add enough of her own flair to the show. Her daughter was a mute, and the other helper needs to put down that cigar. I did like the corny "Dear Jeff" letter at the end. That was a nice touch, especially considering that most rejected job applicants don't even get a phone call, never mind a hand-written note. The other "new stuff" was lame. I never realized there was such a huge difference between a board room and a conference room. Who cares? And Martha's signature saying, "You just don't fit in," is weak.
That said, there is some potential for some entertaining story lines. First of all, Dawn is a disaster. She obviously can't handle pressure. I can't believe she gave up on writing the book just because it was too noisy in the room. Get some headphones! Besides, she seems like a nasty person. And what's the story with Jim? I was shocked in the beginning when he said something like, "She's not going to control me, I'm going to control her. Get it straight!" I wouldn't want to be left alone in the conference room with him.
As for Jeff, he was a terrible project manager. I can't believe he told his team to shut up. That's inexcusable behavior for a leader. When his team members expressed doubt about the direction the story was going in, he became defensive and shut them out. But they were right. Matchstick's new take on Hansel and Gretl was disturbing. Few parents would want their kids reading a book about changing their names and running away.
At first, I had low expectations for the "corporate" team. The name they chose is terrible. Primarius? It sounds like the name of a Star Wars character. But they did a great job with their task. I like the fact that they chose a story about magic, given the whole Harry Potter craze, and that they put their own spin on it. I just hope the creative team doesn't go the way of the streets smart team on the last season of the Apprentice.
Hopefully Martha will loosen up a bit as the season progresses. If she does, her show could be interesting. So far, though, my money's still on the Donald.
September 20, 2005
Books
The Best Business Books of 2005
Posted by Mike Hofman at 4:29 PM
Everybody's favorite flesh-colored newspaper, the Financial Times, announced today its shortlist of the best business books of the year. (Goldman Sachs co-sponsors the contest.) And the nominees are:
The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture, by John Battelle
The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, by Thomas L. Friedman
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (Inc. columnist Michael S. Hopkins tackled Freakonomics in his August column.)
Fast Second: How Smart Companies Bypass Radical Innovation to Enter and Dominate New Markets, by Constantinos C. Markides and Paul A. Geroski
Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade, by Pietra Rivoli
Disneywar: The Battle for the Magic Kingdom by James B. Stewart
Which of these six is your pick and why? Was Blink robbed in your opinion? What other books would have made the short list if you had been on the judging panel?
September 15, 2005
Technology
Bill Gates Speaks
Posted by Mike Hofman at 4:13 PM
Todd Bishop of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has an interesting Q&A with the world's richest man in today's paper. One thing that jumps out of the piece, for me anyway, is how completely changed Microsoft's competitive set is today versus 10 or 15 years ago. Where once the company competed with Lotus and WordPerfect, now Gates cites rivals such as Nokia in the phone business (!) and Apple in the music business (!!).
Gates's take on outsourcing is also pretty fascinating. "[T]he economy is a very complex thing," he tells Bishop. "We sell way more of our software overseas than we sell internally. That is, the U.S. disproportionately gets our R&D activity relative to the amount of software we sell in the U.S. And so, why has Microsoft ever been able to hire people? Because of world trade."
To read on, click on this link.
September 14, 2005
Hurricane Katrina
Port Open for Business
Posted by Laura Rich at 7:08 PM
In New Orleans, the port is coming back to life. Though this busy port was not expected to be back on line for something more like months, it started shipping again today.
That is good news. The port of New Orleans accounts for about 30% of U.S. port traffic. It also employs a lot of people. Generally, it will be better for the economy if the port is back in business.
But here's the other side of this news. In the 16 days since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf region, many businesses around the country began quickly making other arrangements for their shipping needs to avoid business disruption.
This sort of inconsistency and change in expectations doesn't always jibe with general business process. But if there's one thing that has been consistent in New Orleans, it has been inconsistency. Can businesses seriously consider returning to previous work arrangements in this environment?
Business Travel
When Airlines Go Bankrupt
Posted by Laura Rich at 6:51 PM
Class, this week we're studying Chapter 11. Focus on: the airline industry.
The double filings today by Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines were hardly any surprise to anyone. Ever since 9/11, the airline business has been seriously troubled -- though its troubles go back further, to the development of a business model that is really unsustainable: How do you keep selling goods (the cheap seats) far below the revenue needed to cover your overhead? You don't. You eventually file for bankruptcy protection.
The trouble is, it's not just troubling for the airlines. As more and more of them line up for bankruptcy court (US Airways and United Air Lines filed earlier), millions of people are going to be affected.
So what happens now? Now, we wonder which hubs could be eliminated, whether hard-won frequent flier miles will be honored, and what happens to the potential pools of laid-off workers as a result.
What do you plan to do?
No One Asked Me But...
No One Asked Me, But...
Posted by Adam Hanft at 2:00 PM
In my previous blog I discussed the post-Katrina failure scenario in terms of a lack of entrepeneurial thinking and improvisation, as well as an over-reliance on command-and-control. All of these are organizational issues that have business implications.
It now appears that the shining exception to this institutional collapse was the Coast Guard. As the Washington Times editorialized, "The Coast Guard faced many of the same challenges as other government agencies...and yet it was able to outperform all of them."
Why? How did they know which houses had people trapped in attics. "In part, the Guard improvised. Crews would turn the motors off their skiffs to hear if people were trapped inside their homes." As Rob Wyman, an information officer for the Coast Guard put it, "We're flexible, we'll modify and we'll do whatever we can to help people in need."
Importantly, the Washington Times notes that the Coast Guard has a degree of independence from the Department of Homeland Security, which gave operational commanders on the field more autonomy.
It's also a matter of training. "Each individual Coast Guard member is highly versatile, having been trained in a wide range of functions."
Independence, versatiity, strategic improvisation. They worked in New Orleans, and they can work across American business, too. If only we cultivate these virtues and let them bloom.
September 12, 2005
Will Katrina Help the Economy?
Posted by Carole Matthews at 2:41 PM
Though the demand in some industries might be up, there are few positive impacts from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Locally, the economies of Louisiana and Mississippi have been devastated. Businesses from all sectors are decimated, while tourism, mainly supported by New Orleans and the Gulf Coast area, will be nonexistent for months to come.
Well beyond the borders of Louisiana and Mississippi, industries are struggling with increased costs and supplier shortages related to the price of oil. Places as far away as Hawaii are feeling the hurricane's impact, as its construction industry struggles with rising materials costs, such as the cost of cement. And though the manufacturing industry as a whole reports increased demand for anything from "wallboard to washing machines," it too faces similar challenges as it struggles with the increased cost of production and supplies.
Clearly, the impact to business and the overall economy is far reaching. What industry are you in, and how has your business been affected?
September 9, 2005
Today's news
Your Opinion: Should Bush Fire Brown?
Posted by Mike Hofman at 3:55 PM
Michael Brown must be the most hated and mocked man in America right now.
Earlier this afternoon, Brown's boss, Michael Chertoff, the secretary of Homeland Security, announced that Brown, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (known as FEMA), was returning to Washington, D.C., from New Orleans. A deputy will now oversee Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts.
Brown has come under intense criticism and scrutiny this week for FEMA's sluggish and hapless response to the unfolding disaster on the Gulf Coast. Brown's problems seemed to snowball following an interview on CNN during which he admitted that he had only just discovered that refugees had massed at the New Orleans convention center, even though that news had been widely reported for several days. And today, Time magazine's website reports that Brown appears to have lied on his already skimpy resumé. As a result, lots and lots of people, particularly Democratic congressmen and newspaper columnists, have called for Bush to fire Brown.
As we all know, however, the president has a trackrecord of standing by cabinet secretaries in tough times (see Rumsfeld, Donald.) And eariler this week, Bush was quoted as telling Brown that he was doing "a heck of a job."
Now, I know that the situation in New Orleans is a profound human tragedy, and I don't mean to downplay it by regarding it through the management lens. Still, I think the current situation raises some interesting questions for managers. To wit:
Should Bush fire Brown? If so, on what grounds? Should he be fired because he didn't organize a proper relief effort swiftly?
If, as some people have argued, more of the fault lies with state and local officials, is Brown nevertheless deserving of a pink slip because he didn't anticipate and overcome other people's mistakes?
Can he be fired simply for losing public confidence?
Is the lying-on-the-resumé bit a fire-able offense, or is that merely a trivial detail here?
Is there anyone out there (forgive me for asking this in such a loaded way) who thinks Bush should keep Brown on? If so, what's your reasoning?
I also have a few questions about Bush's handling of the situation.
Is it okay, as a manager, to tell someone that they're doing a good job, only to turn around and strip them of authority a week later?
What's up with stripping Brown of his duties anyway? Why take an interim step? Why not simply fire him (or force him to resign) rather than have him abdicate responsibility but not his actual job?
And is it smart for Bush to let Chertoff handle the matter, or should he have taken the buck-stops-here approach, and himself personally announced Brown's removal from duty? Does anyone believe it wiser for Bush (managerially speaking, not politically) to leave that task in the hands of the person to whom Brown reports directly?
Diary of a Start-up
Diary of a Start-Up: Onward and Upward
Posted by Dan Chilton at 6:08 AM
This last week at the Moxie has been an amazing one, and by amazing I mean incredibly stressful. We've finished all but the very last building details (we still need to install glass in the concession area and the projection room), our final inspections have been rolling in (two down, two to go), our 35mm projector was installed and calibrated, we received our first 35mm print for next week's test screenings, we've ordered all the hardware for our point of sale systems, and on and on and on. If I sat here and listed off everything we've done this week, your head would probably explode... literally. Likewise if I listed all the stuff we have LEFT to do.
I'd be lying if I told you Nicole and I weren't pulling our hair from all the stress, but I'd also be fibbing if I told you we weren't as excited and giddy as Tom Cruise on his wedding night. If we can successfully prioritize our final steps, we'll be primed and ready for our grand opening. However, if we devote too much time and effort to any one task... we'll be hurting. It's like my uncle says, “It's hard to soar with the eagles when you're surrounded by turkeys.”
If we can step away from my family's folksy adages for a moment, I'd like to say a word about marketing, or our lack thereof. We've been incredibly lucky when it comes to garnering good, free press. Every press release we've sent has resulted in no less than three to four quality news pieces. The community's awareness of our financial struggles and delays has helped us create an invaluable buzz surrounding our grand opening. However, I doubt the news-worthiness of our business will extend much beyond the first few months of operation. When that time comes, it will be up to us to extend our market presence beyond our niche audience.
The Moxie's advertising campaign will begin with a monthly calendar that will be distributed far and wide. There's no better advertising than a calendar stuck to someone's refrigerator telling them exactly what we're showing each and every day of the month... unless, of course, you consider Moxie-branded collateral toilet paper, but that's another story altogether. Beyond the calendar, we'll also be participating in strategic ad bartering with a couple local magazines that distribute to our demographic all across the city. Will we ever consider radio or TV ads? Perhaps. I guess it all depends on whether I can license the rights to that old intermission staple:
Let's all go to The Moxie.
Let's all go to The Moxie.
Let's all go to The Moxie,
and have ourselves a blast!
Dorky, I know, but once it's in your head... it's impossible to get out.
I wish I could keep writing in with more posts from The Moxie, but our tour of duty has come to an end. It's been a blast, but I guess it's all for the best... I mean, we've got a new business to run!
Diary of a Startup is a weekly blog written by Dan and Nicole Chilton, who are currently starting up an art-house theater in Springfield, Missouri. Dan has been chronicling their progress for more than a year atThe Moxie Blog.
September 5, 2005
No One Asked Me But...
No One Asked Me But...
Posted by Adam Hanft at 7:12 PM
Is there an entrepreneurial lesson to be gained from the New Orleans tragedy? All weekend we've been listening to, and reading about, descriptions of how the federal and local bureauracies were massively unable to respond to the dimensions of the crisis. The circumstances were unimaginable, yes -- a complete breakdown of communication, command and control, infrastructure. Nevertheless, had the system encouraged entrepreneurial thinking, and encouraged those on the ground to be willing to bust out of the rule book and become innovative problem solvers, I have to believe that we would have gotten supplies and relief to the Superdome and the Convention Center faster and more efficiently. But civil service and local public employee training programs don't encourage this kind of thinking; in fact, they discourage it. That's why they don't attract the kind of independent thinkers required to overcome the kind of systemic failures we witnessed.
The tension between discipline and entrepreneurial thinking is a real one, but unless we engage it, understand it, and manage through it successfully on a public policy level, we're bound to have similiar displays of organizational collapse the next time we have a comparable event.
I am reminded of what happened on the first day of the Normandy invasion. The press surrounded General Eisenhower, repeatedly asking him "Did the plan work, General, did the plan work?" Finally, he looked at them at said: "The plan meant nothing. Planning was everything."
Read more No One Asked Me But... blog posts from Adam Hanft, or check out his columns in the Marketing Resource Center.
September 2, 2005
Diary of a Start-up
Diary of a Start-Up: The Competition
Posted by Nicole Chilton at 10:18 AM
Competition is good, right? It keeps you on your toes and makes you think more creatively. Let’s hope so! Because just as we’re about to open our own movie theater, it looks like the movie-showing business in Springfield, Missouri has just expanded to 15 or more screens.
Earlier this week, a new commercial development broke ground about 500 feet from our theater. The plans call for fine dining, boutique shopping, a parking garage, and a 14-screen multiplex theater with plush, high-backed love seats.
Luckily for us, we’ve known about this incoming theater since we started, so it wasn’t a complete surprise. But after not hearing any news on the development for the last six months, and after finding out the developer had an “accident” involving a leg wound caused by a gunshot and a lead pipe to the head (we promise it wasn’t us!), we thought plans might have been put on the back burner.
Dan and I talked early on about what this competition means for The Moxie. Of course it’s competition, and they’ll probably attempt to show some of the same movies that we will specialize in (independent films, documentaries, foreign films, etc). But it will also bring more people to the downtown area who are interested in watching movies, so that’s always a good thing. Plus, we’ve worked hard for the last year and developed a niche audience through Dan’s blog…and we’re not even open yet!
Our next step is to turn that niche audience into regular customers. We have roughly a year to do it before the multiplex opens, so that means we need to open soon and provide creative programming and film series in addition to our regular film fare. Just a few ideas we’ve been tossing around include a Heckler’s Series, where we’ll provide popcorn-holding megaphones, show an unintentionally bad movie, and let the audience go to town with their commentaries. We also will be working with the local colleges and universities to provide film handling and exhibition courses as well as student film series.
The other bit of competition we’ve come across this week was during our attempt to book films. We got a call last night from our booking agent saying he couldn’t get the film we were hoping to open with. Reason being, the 16-screen theater in town has already exclusively booked it. I had a mild panic attack, because this theater is not typically known for showing documentaries, but I got over it pretty quickly. Our booking agent is an extremely creative person and we developed a strong back-up plan.
The first year of business is tough for anyone. We’re lucky we’ve had so much positive buzz about The Moxie, but we can’t let that get to our heads. If we want to stay in the game for many years to come, we have to make sure this first year is one of our most impressive. It will be difficult, but we’re excited and up for the challenge!
Diary of a Start-Up is a weekly blog written by Dan and Nicole Chilton, who are currently starting up an art-house theater in Springfield, Missouri. Dan has been chronicling their progress for more than a year at The Moxie Blog.
September 1, 2005
Hurricane Katrina
Disaster Recovery Stories
Posted by Laura Rich at 5:06 PM
Many Inc. readers are among those impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Some have been directly hit in their home-base of New Orleans, while others are being touched by Katrina's ever-growing tentacles.
Do you have a story to share? Please tell us how your business is responding to the after-effects of Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Katrina
Katrina v. 9/11
Posted by Laura Rich at 4:42 PM
As any New Orleans business owner can tell you, Hurricane Katrina is much worse than 9/11. But how so? Today, Daniel Goss writes on Slate.com that Katrina can drag down the entire U.S. economy in ways that 9/11 thankfully did not:
Everyone may feel the after-effects of Katrina, small businesses not least among them.
For more small business information and resources on Katrina, click here.
Try a RISK-FREE Issue of Inc. Today!
Select Services
- Home |
- Contact Us |
- About Us |
- Subscribe |
- Advertise Online |
- Legal Disclaimers |
- Media Kits |
- Press |
- Privacy Statement
Copyright © 2010 Mansueto Ventures LLC. All rights reserved. Inc.com, 7 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007-2195
Mansueto Digital Network: Inc.com | FastCompany.com | IncBizNet.com | IncTechnology.com | FastCompany.tv