Comments on Small Biz Survival: Dip the Cow in the Ocean, Head to Tail

Thanks for sharing it with me, Heidi! It was inte...

2007-07-18T15:41:00.000-05:00

Thanks for sharing it with me, Heidi! It was interesting to read and critically examine the concepts in it. Not to mention that it kicked off some good conversation!

Glad to hear you got something from the book! It i...

2007-07-18T14:50:00.000-05:00

Glad to hear you got something from the book! It is thought-provoking, to be sure, whether you buy into the philosophy or not.

Chris, you are a master of developing and refining...

2007-06-24T16:44:00.000-05:00

Chris, you are a master of developing and refining your philosophy. That's my real point. Either this fits in your philosophy, or not. But study, think, challenge beliefs.

My store goals are a whole different story. I talked about it some more in the What I Learned from Failure post.

Thanks, Steven. I agree about taking the customer'...

2007-06-24T16:39:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Steven. I agree about taking the customer's perspective. If entrepreneurs will keep that simple thought in mind, they can avoid the vast majority of business problems.

I don't know. The thing I like about the dip is th...

2007-06-24T16:38:00.000-05:00

I don't know. The thing I like about the dip is that it's one of those "life is tough, kid. Either you jump in deep, or you go nurse another drink at the bar." It gets me hot the way Jack Welch's WINNING got me hot. When I finished that book, I wanted to fire most everyone I worked with. (Before that point, I was very cumbaya about my coworkers).

Something about The Dip tells me to really step up my game or languish.

The Blue Ocean book (I never read it, so I'm not smart enough to fight about it) sounds to me like a "everyone is a beautiful and unique snowflake" kind of message. Sure you are. Have a nice time with that.

But what should you do with your liquor store? Are your sales good? Are you happy? Do you want more from the store? I guess there's a question of what your goals are. Maybe the engine's purring along nicely. If so, then you're fine. If you need more, maybe it's not so much within the walls of the store. Maybe it's getting another store, then another, and changing the dynamics on a different scale.

The long tail, as Godin says, and as Penn suggested to Jeff, does really well for Aggregators. Amazon is rich; obscure authors are not. What it does well, however, is make room for all of us to be on the shelf, and that's sometimes a value in and of itself.

Get us rich? Another question. But a value, sure.

Great post, Becky. Thanks for opening my mind up.

Let the customer replace the CEO, is what I say.Dr...

2007-06-24T15:42:00.000-05:00

Let the customer replace the CEO, is what I say.

Drucker is one of the best consultants.

He and so many others give the primary business wisdom: be customer-centric in all things at all times.

"How will this benefit the consumer?" must be your main guide in every tiny detail.

When you test the astute venerated marketing pundi...

2007-06-24T15:40:00.000-05:00

When you test the astute venerated marketing pundit concepts, including my own shamefully plebian ideas and wobbly visions, in the lab of fire, the retail store, you see what works and what merely jerks.

Your store is where all the alleged rubber meets the pitiless road of bumps and bruises.