The following are some random thoughts on “breakage”.

What might break? One --Computer Technology continues as a major driver of change. As I sit in my comfortable chair laptop on my knee, I think about the changes in the technology of creating this article. In 1984 my process for creating this article would have included dictating a draft to my secretary, Sherry. She would have manually typed the manuscript at least three times. Finally, I would have dropped the finished copy into the mail at the downtown Post Office. In just a little over twenty years we went from fax, computer, home computer, and floppy drives, to email and laptops with wireless.

• How can technology change your business?
• What happens if you don’t use it?
• How long will it take you to learn it?

• What kind of long range demographic changes are you anticipating?
• What happens if you are not prepared for these shifts?
• How long will it take you to adjust if you wait for things to “break”?

• Are there fashion trends that can cause things to break in your business?
• How can you monitor and make best use of the changes in your own area of expertise?
• What new positioning would put you at the front of these fashion trends?

• What happens if even a small competitive force comes your way?
• Are there customers who might be vulnerable to
  How I Survived an IRS Audit (and How You Can Too!)
  Though I read the letter three times, there was no mistaking the grim news: I was being summoned to the IRS for an audit. I had an instant flashback to the third grade when I was called to the principal’s office. I didn’t know what I had done, but it must have been something bad.After a tense conversation with my husband, I called my accountant. “You have nothing to worry about,” she assured me. “We have everything in order.”The letter indicated that I needed to bring several items including bank statements, credit card statements, the prior year’s tax return, and charitable contribution receipts. To my great surprise (and relief), my accountant informed me that she kept copies of all
  What might break? One --Computer Technology continues as a major driver of change. As I sit in my comfortable chair laptop on my knee, I think about the changes in the technology of creating this article. In 1984 my process for creating this article would have included dictating a draft to my secretary, Sherry. She would have manually typed the manuscript at least three times. Finally, I would have dropped the finished copy into the mail at the downtown Post Office. In just a little over twenty years we went from fax, computer, home computer, and floppy drives, to email and laptops with wireless.
  • How can technology change your business?
  • What happens if you don’t use it?
  • How long will it take you to learn it?
  Two – Demographic shifts can cause things to break. You may be doing things fine but your customers may be going out of business. Ultimately somebody is going to suffer. Here are a couple of short examples in the demographic business. Sometime in the 1970’s the North American Machine Tool market took an abrupt change. If you were doing a business with one of these companies you might have had some breakage. Think about the shifts in manufacturing demographics as scores of businesses moved off shore.
  • What kind of long range demographic changes are you anticipating?
  • What happens if you are not prepared for these shifts?
  • How long will it take you to adjust if you wait for things to “break”?
  Three – Fashion doesn’t necessarily mean latest in clothing trends. I like to think of these as the cultural trends that affect everything from our shoes to our house and car. Here are a couple of fashions you may have noticed. Granite counter tops in kitchens come to mind. A realtor in Bettendorf, Iowa told me, “A granite top in your (gourmet) kitchen will sell you house every time.” The only place I remember with granite tops when I was a kid was the High School cafeteria. Yet, my guess is you can think of a half dozen people with newly installed granite top counters.
  • Are there fashion trends that can cause things to break in your business?
  • How can you monitor and make best use of the changes in your own area of expertise?
  • What new positioning would put you at the front of these fashion trends?
  Four – Competition is a good thing, but even slight changes in competitive landscape can cause things to break. In the industrial contactor and small business world, Home Depot and the like have vastly changed the lay of the land. Staples and Office Depot have changed the dynamics of office supply. But these are just a few of the shifts.
  • What happens if even a small competitive force comes your way?
  • Are there customers who might be vulnerable to
    Home and Office Bottled Water Delivery in Northern Virginia
    Throughout the United States many consumers and businesses are electing to purchase bottled drinking water instead of tap or well water. The trend is clearly on the rise. A recent study of the bottled water industry indicates that U.S. bottled water sales and consumption continue to multiply at double digit rates as consumers and businesses increasingly choose bottled water as a beverage of choice. (Source: International Bottle Water Association Press Release dated April 13, 2006, http://www.bottledwater.org) Many consumers are choosing bottled drinking water over tap or well water because of the level of contaminants and bad chlorine related taste.This increase in demand is significant as
    ?
  • How long will it take you to learn it?
  Two – Demographic shifts can cause things to break. You may be doing things fine but your customers may be going out of business. Ultimately somebody is going to suffer. Here are a couple of short examples in the demographic business. Sometime in the 1970’s the North American Machine Tool market took an abrupt change. If you were doing a business with one of these companies you might have had some breakage. Think about the shifts in manufacturing demographics as scores of businesses moved off shore.
  • What kind of long range demographic changes are you anticipating?
  • What happens if you are not prepared for these shifts?
  • How long will it take you to adjust if you wait for things to “break”?
  Three – Fashion doesn’t necessarily mean latest in clothing trends. I like to think of these as the cultural trends that affect everything from our shoes to our house and car. Here are a couple of fashions you may have noticed. Granite counter tops in kitchens come to mind. A realtor in Bettendorf, Iowa told me, “A granite top in your (gourmet) kitchen will sell you house every time.” The only place I remember with granite tops when I was a kid was the High School cafeteria. Yet, my guess is you can think of a half dozen people with newly installed granite top counters.
  • Are there fashion trends that can cause things to break in your business?
  • How can you monitor and make best use of the changes in your own area of expertise?
  • What new positioning would put you at the front of these fashion trends?
  Four – Competition is a good thing, but even slight changes in competitive landscape can cause things to break. In the industrial contactor and small business world, Home Depot and the like have vastly changed the lay of the land. Staples and Office Depot have changed the dynamics of office supply. But these are just a few of the shifts.
  • What happens if even a small competitive force comes your way?
  • Are there customers who might be vulnerable to
    A Paralegal's Business Card Speaks Professionalism
    A business card is a small "calling card" which advertises a business or service offered. Information found on a business card includes the business name, individual contact person, and various ways to contact the service provider, including address and telephone numbers. Today, business cards also include email addresses and web site information.Paralegals communicate with many people. Often, an attorney's clients will stay in regular contact with his paralegal. This is because a legal assistant is generally more accessible than the attorney and can be depended on to route important information between the two.When a paralegal meets with a new client to gather pertinent informati
    ?
  • How long will it take you to adjust if you wait for things to “break”?
  Three – Fashion doesn’t necessarily mean latest in clothing trends. I like to think of these as the cultural trends that affect everything from our shoes to our house and car. Here are a couple of fashions you may have noticed. Granite counter tops in kitchens come to mind. A realtor in Bettendorf, Iowa told me, “A granite top in your (gourmet) kitchen will sell you house every time.” The only place I remember with granite tops when I was a kid was the High School cafeteria. Yet, my guess is you can think of a half dozen people with newly installed granite top counters.
  • Are there fashion trends that can cause things to break in your business?
  • How can you monitor and make best use of the changes in your own area of expertise?
  • What new positioning would put you at the front of these fashion trends?
  Four – Competition is a good thing, but even slight changes in competitive landscape can cause things to break. In the industrial contactor and small business world, Home Depot and the like have vastly changed the lay of the land. Staples and Office Depot have changed the dynamics of office supply. But these are just a few of the shifts.
  • What happens if even a small competitive force comes your way?
  • Are there customers who might be vulnerable to
    What’s the Best Thing about Newsletters?
    Newsletters are something that a business should not take for granted. It’s one effective way of maintaining a solid relationship with your customers. Basically, the newsletters are the means used by marketers to boost up their brand. It’s a way of keeping your customers informed about your company.What’s the best thing about newsletters? You have the chance to heighten your brand awareness. You are able to communicate with your prospects in a more intimate level. This is where the trust building comes in. You see the chief aim of a business is to attract the attention of customers, to secure their trust in your products and capabilities. And this goal can be achieved with ease when you crea
    ds that can cause things to break in your business?
  • How can you monitor and make best use of the changes in your own area of expertise?
  • What new positioning would put you at the front of these fashion trends?
  Four – Competition is a good thing, but even slight changes in competitive landscape can cause things to break. In the industrial contactor and small business world, Home Depot and the like have vastly changed the lay of the land. Staples and Office Depot have changed the dynamics of office supply. But these are just a few of the shifts.
  • What happens if even a small competitive force comes your way?
  • Are there customers who might be vulnerable to a competitor?
  Five – Commoditization will rock your world. The half life of a lot of businesses is getting shorter. Back in 1991 there were dozens of independent movie rental stores. Movies started off renting for 4-5 dollars per day. By the end of the boom times, they were renting for a buck a week. Now www.netflick.com is putting a commodity squeeze on the few remaining brick and motor businesses. Movies are renting for next to nothing. They had things break in that industry. And, the list could go on and on. Computer wholesalers felt their product become commodity. And to my recollection only a couple actually survived that commodity drop.
  • Do you know where your products lie in the commodity curve?
  • Commodity products result in lower gross margin, what effect will an overall lowering of gross margin percentage have on your products?
  Six – Supply Chain plans can break. In my career, I saw UPS and FedEx change the lay of the land. In 1978, my employer (a Milwaukee based Electrical Product Manufacturer) had forty warehouses across North America. To put this into a local perspective, the only way a Des Moines customer could get anything next day was counter to counter airfreight (very expensive) or via bus from the Davenport warehouse. This sounds funny by today’s standards but in the late seventies, this was the state of the supply chain.
  • How will future supply chain issues affect your business?
  • How are your customers and suppliers tied into your own business needs?
  A parting thought In 1964 (even 1974, 1984, or 1994) things were different. Business moved at a slower pace. Things could “break” and we had plenty of time to “fix them”. Today is different; we need to look for breakdowns in the making. Re-invention, reengineering and constant improvement have become the order of the day. Time spent projecting into the future is time well spent.