Author Archives: Dagny

“The Time Has Come,” The Walrus Said

‘To talk of many things: Of shoes — and ships — and sealing wax — Of cabbages — and kings — And why the sea is boiling hot — And whether pigs have wings.’ I love that poem. There’s something … Continue reading

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Be Significant!

TedTalk Daniel Pink’s video today was pretty impressive: you have to be significant. But you have to be significant in addition to being useful. There are so many people out there (and as a blogger, I run into them a … Continue reading

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Going Down with the Ship

In my career, I have had the not-so-fun experience of a company turnaround effort. We were a private firm, had been around 40 years, about 600 employees, and we were essentially in a luxury services business. When they say there … Continue reading

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Willing to Take a Loss

After spending time speaking about banking and financing for start ups, I got to thinking about a conversation many of us in marketing have to have about products: do we take a loss just to get started? I think you … Continue reading

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Finding those Great Resources

Last week, wally Newton came to class. I’ve met Wally a couple of times, but I haven’t had the opportunity to really see how he teaches. In fact, I actually didn’t know too much more about him other than that … Continue reading

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Emotions Running High at Midwest Lighting

One of the things that struck me about the case we’re reading this week is the role of emotions in the decision-making process for what to do with Midwest Lighting. I have seen it before: The father starts a business … Continue reading

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Too Much Money

Perhaps someone somewhere determined that entrepreneurs and teenage girls have something in common: the desire to spend money. Think about it: Getting a little allowance upfront immediately turns into movies with friends, dinners out, and yes, I did need that … Continue reading

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The Entrepreneurial Leader as Manager

We all know there is a lot of discussion about the difference between being a manager and being a leader. What worries me, however, is that some people think that entrepreneurs get a free pass in the management department. In … Continue reading

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NYC and Getting Started

Being in New York City has gotten me thinking about what a company needs to do to get going. There are a lot of people who could sit back, give you feedback, and make you feel cruddy. They don’t have … Continue reading

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When The Big Guys Act Small

The hubbub over the last couple of weeks regarding Netflix and the decision to spin off the DVD arm of the business got me thinking about agility. Sometimes, in order to move with the nature of a product life, a business … Continue reading

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