The Profit Prophet

Yes my friends, as we get to the final end of the 2016 Presidential Election, I am reminded of an old story dealing with politicians call "Post Turtles."  It pretty much describes perfectly what is a politician, no matter how good or bad. Enjoy... An old farmer was getting his hand stitched up after an accident at his cattle farm. He and the doctor start into conversation, which leads into politics. The old farmer explained, "Well, as I see it, most politicians are 'Post Turtles'." Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked what a 'post turtle' was. The old farmer explained as best he could, "When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle on top, that's a 'post turtle.' The doctor remained puzzled. The farmer continued further. "You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there, he doesn't know what to do while up there, he's e...

What if I told you the left wing and the right wing are of the same bird?

Ok, here it comes again.  The run up to the Presidential Elections of 2016 and now we will get bombarded with ads and promises and debates and more ads and analysis and polls, and yada, yada, yada. Some time ago I read an article about a 3rd grade class that was being taught a civics lesson about the President and how we go about electing one. The presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest of what was going on outside of their classroom. So, the teacher decided to have an election for a class president. The children would choose their nominees. Those nominees would make a campaign speech and the class would vote. To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members. The class discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have. There were many nominations and from those, tow students, let's call them Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot. The class had done a great job in their selecti...

I thought, now that the elections are behind us, and we have been inundated with thousands of hours of hyperbolic advertising, debating, and otherwise misleading statements about such and such doing this and that, I thought I would ponder why politicians (and to a large degree marketers) can seemingly be saying two different things about the same subject. Are they just liars, or is there something completely different going on? As it is often said, there are two sides to every coin, and in debating anything you should be able to equally argue for the pro or con of an idea. I think this little testimony from a Texas legislator sums it up best. In 1952, Armon M. Sweat, Jr., a member of the Texas House of Representatives, was asked about his position on whiskey. What follows is his exact answer (taken from the Political Archives of Texas): "If you mean whiskey, the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the h...

Hypergrowth is when a company has 5 or more years of 40% plus growth year after year. This is a very rare, and usually unsustainable situation, but believe it or not, any company can achieve this if they just plan and organize for it. Yes, not all companies will experience hypergrowth, but it is not because they cannot, it is because they did not PREPARE for it. I could not imagine any championship team or athlete NOT preparing to be a champion; of not working everyday to win the cup, or series, or world title? Amazingly, most companies that do not experience hypergrowth never see themselves has champions. So, how do you prepare you and your company for hypergrowth? I have listed 10 Commandments which at a minimum will set you on the path to hypergrowth, and yes, it goes for high tech and traditional companies as well. I. Set a Big, No Humongous, Goal As Marianne Williamson is quoted as saying, “Playing small doesn't serve the world in any way.” Companies need a ...

Sometimes the left hand has no idea what the right hand does! The Food Stamp Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is actually proud of the fact it is distributing the greatest amount of free meals and food stamps ever. Meanwhile, the National Park Service, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, asks us to "Please Do Not Feed the Animals." Their stated reason for the policy is because the animals will grow dependent on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves. "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." --Thomas Jefferson 

This video piece features the late great Bob Hope (maybe one of the best comedians ever). The delivery is spot on, and it is amazing how things that come around go around. For some, this piece of political humor is just as relevant today as it was 50 years ago, and for the others, well sorry if it offends. Sometimes, the truth hurts (wink, wink). In any case, I hope to all there is a chuckle! Warmly, The Profit Prophet.