Monthly Archives: June 2014

Takeaway #43 compliance via #youngjeezy

…I got million dollar dreams and federal nightmares . ..

We pop Cris’ . . ., and still drink beer . . .

Young Jeezy♦And Then What

Comply, comply, comply….  You will grow and expand.  As you profit, your reporting obligations and regulatory obligations will also ratchet up.  If it is the IRS, then you better pay every last dime owed.  If it is Sarbanes-Oxley corporate reporting, then there is no room to skip steps.  The bottom line is that in most cases, good faith attempt at compliance provides some safe-harbor defense.  Failing to comply when you have a high-profile will not get you the benefit of the doubt when things go wrong.  Instead, people will seek to make an example of you.  Willie Nelson, ENRON, Wesley Snipes….the list goes on.

 Keep the profile in check.  A champagne celebration is a rarity.  Nine times out of ten, the work period deserves, at best, a cold beer.

BPM TAKEAWAY#43:

  •  GET IN COMPLIANCE

  •  GET WANTS VS. NEEDS STRAIGHT

Leave a comment

Takeaway#18: To Zig When Others Zag

….The revolution will not go better with Coke.

The revolution will not fight the germs that cause bad breath.

The revolution WILL put you in the driver’s seat.

The revolution will not be televised,

 

WILL not be televised, WILL NOT BE TELEVISED.

 

The revolution will be no re-run brothers;

The revolution will be live…….

 

Gil Scott-Heron ♦ The Revolution Will Not be Televised

 

#18: Like the Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron stands in the pantheon of innovators that gave birth to rap.  Hip-Hop owes a debt of gratitude to this innovation.  His words are a reminder that innovation will not be broadcast to you while you sit at home with a beer and potato chips.  Your new idea will come in real time, but will not be served to the masses or else it would not be a revolutionary idea.  You will have to recognize change by being attune and in the moment.  Yes, you will need to zig, while the others are zagging.

Also revisit your marketing tagline.  Does it stay with the consumer?  That Coke tag is over three decades old and still is recognizable.  We do not even have to say Listerine, because it is synonymous with the second line.  Is your tagline or elevator speech that memorable?  Does it resonate or is it forgotten?

BPM TAKEAWAY#18:

  • THE NEW THING WILL TAKE WORK

  • CHANGE REQUIRES THOUGHT

Leave a comment

Takeaway #100 on the leverage of understatement via #Too$hort

…I know those who ain’t got it, feel like they want it

And those who got it ain’t really gotta flaunt it…

Too $hort ♦ Playa

 Takeaway 100:  A great reminder for any negotiation – understatement reflects true leverage.  Just as it is easier to get a loan when you don’t need it, people want to work with the one that does not need them…they have got to have it.

Leave a comment

Takeaway #185: inventory and roi via #yungjoc

…It’s just another day at the coffee shop

We selling everything, down to the shoes and watch

…

No knock ‘cause we only serve the best

Oh yeah my coffee shop is cheaper than the rest!

I’m taking orders, tell me who’s next

Only cash, no credit, no checks

…

You wanna triple your knot? Invest in our stock

And now we doing numbers, just like the close-out

Make sure to shop with me, before it’s sold out…

 

Yung Joc f/ Gorilla Zoe  ♦  Coffee Shop

Takeaway #185:  Today, let’s clear your inventory rapidly, whatever it is.  Low price and cash flow make a vehicle that signal hard to dispute ROI.  Es Simple, no? Not really, but think about it.

Leave a comment

Takeaway #101: Corporate Culture via #Wu-Tang

…You can’t…

Scheme your life away

Cause your seeds grow up the same way…

 Wu-Tang Clan ♦ A Better Tomorrow

Takeaway 101:  Your corporate culture is a direct result of your leadership.  Exhibit less than integrity and your team and successors will do the same.  You and the enterprise cannot grow from a flawed foundation.

Leave a comment