The Niche Beat
Johnson O’Connor
Historical Books with Aptitude Advice for Modern Times Johnson O’Connor, a pioneering aptitudes researcher, wrote a number of books (or brochures as they were called) in the 1940s, but the content is still relevant in today’s world. For instance, In the Too Many Aptitude Women, O’Connor writes that someone with high creative imagination, inductive reasoning, which is […]
The Ice Cream Industry
Beyond Vanilla, Chocolate & Strawberry Americans eat more ice cream than people in other countries, but not enough to fill the Grand Canyon, as some news sources have creatively reported. However, entrepreneurs have tapped into consumers love affair with the cool, creamy treat in a number of unique ways. Livening up dull class room lectures http://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/26/garden/where-traffic-school-is-a-laugh-a-minute.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm A […]
Food Trucks
Mobile Restaurant If you believe food trucks are a hot new trend, you should know archaeologists recently uncovered an ancient ruin dating back to the dinosaur age. They dug up a mobile truck with stone wheels and menu offering brontosaurus burgers, tacos and shakes. Okay, I’m still checking on all the facts behind that tall […]
Discovering Hidden Skill
Artistic Talent When psychologist Lucy Petrie decided that she wanted to learn how to draw, she taught herself by using the exercises in a book entitled Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, then she enrolled in a pastel class. Petrie won acclaim in the art world, within a short time, and her work appeared […]
Bloom Where You’re Planted
Adapting to New Business Trends in the Marketplace Prior to the popularity of the automobile, blacksmiths made a sizeable part of their income from shoeing horses. After the horse and buggy era slowed, many would become auto mechanics, but a Charleston, South Carolinian blacksmith turned his talent for iron work in another direction. He began […]
Potholes in the Creative Process
TV Ads Cause Difficulties for Writers Writer-producer Matthew Weiner and David E. Kelly discuss the insane amount of commercials on TV today, and how it disrupts their ability to produce a show. Curious, I decided to survey the amount of ads jammed into many of the programs that I watch. After checking several cable stations, I was shocked at […]
Starting a Restaurant on a Shoestring
The Great Food Truck Race The second season of Food Network TVs program inspired many budding restaurant owners short of cash to ease into the industry by starting with a truck. However, it’s a crowded field, and unless a prospective entrepreneur has an angle or is planning to work for someone else who’s already in the […]
Beaver Eats Apple Farmer out of Business
Ecology Challenges When a new farmer in the state of Maine went into the Apple farming business, he awakened one morning to find that his entire crop was gone. During the night, a beaver had munched through all the fruit trees, from top to bottom. Lesson: Ecological issues include the weather and the habits of […]
STOMP
Dispute Launched a Unique Entertainment Company In the 1980s, drummer and street performer Luke Cresswell couldn’t use traditional instruments while performing on public streets, so he began using ordinary items that had a percussive beat. This idea served a number of purposes. Not only did he have access to an original supply of free or low-cost […]
Marketing Lessons for Potential Entrepreneurs
Why Good Contestants Can’t Win Food Network Contest In 2011, the final two were narrowed to a man and woman who prepared demo tapes, one of which offered Mexican cooking with a twist, while the other specialized in creating sandwiches. Some people seem to think it was a close call between the two, but I […]