I’m flying from Baltimore to Vegas on an airline I don’t normally
take…usually I would go Delta for the SkyMiles, but this airline has a
non-stop, arriving two hours earlier, and I need the sleep.
In the middle of the 5½ hour trip, a flight attendant makes an announcement,
naming two passengers, and asking them to walk to the front of the plane.
Confused, and not knowing one another, an older man and younger woman from
separate parts of the aircraft approach the forward galley.
Flight attendant now announces these two have something in common. It’s
their birthday! She leads us in singing, “Happy Birthday To You.”
And, she asks every passenger to hit the “flight attendant call button.”
It illuminates three small lights in the plane’s ceiling at every row. She
dims the cabin overhead lighting, then tells the two they need to make a wish
and blow out the “candles” – and... (more)
There is profitability…and then, there is growth.
Many businesses – and their leaders – do not understand the difference.
If I want to be more profitable, I can do either one — or a combination —
of three steps:
1) Cut expenses
2) Get my current customers to spend more money with me
3) Get new customers
(Thanks to my friend, Ford Saeks, for discussing this with me last week at a
meeting in Las Vegas!)
However, it is very difficult – perhaps impossible – to cut my way to
growth. (It just sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it?)
Gary Hamel wrote, “You can only grow by bringing something... (more)
Perhaps the ultimate adage in show business is, “Leave ‘em wanting
more.”
As a professional speaker for the better part of three decades, the constant
reminder is it is “better to stop too early than too late.”
And, this afternoon, Steve Jobs showed he knows that all business is show
business as well as any executive who ever lived.
Certainly, we hope and pray there is no subsequent annoucement about his
health. However, why would he desire the role of Chairman of Apple’s Board
of Directors if he didn’t plan on being around?
Instead, look at what he has done. He returned to the c... (more)
At a recent meeting I was addressing near Boston, I learned the fascinating
story of the Berry family, and their restaurant on Cape Cod, Moby Dick’s.
It’s a true story of distinction.
You can read on their website how the restaurant came to be — and how the
oldest son, Todd, discovered how much he enjoyed the business. When I met
Todd, he gave me a very important insight on how and why their restaurant is
so distinctive — to the extent it has received rave reviews everywhere from
TripAdvisor.com to the New York Times’ Style Magazine.
“We don’t have a liquor license,” Todd told m... (more)
This past weekend, I was live on Blog Talk Radio to talk more about the
lessons of Steve Jobs departure, Jeff Bridges’ album tanking, and the
philosophy that “ALL Business is Show Business.”
Listen in — and I hope you enjoy!
(ONE MORE THING — as Steve Jobs would say — I want to start scheduling a
regular program on Blog Talk Radio. Right now, I’m thinking a Sunday
mid-morning show might be best. Obviously, it would be archived on iTunes as
a podcast and on BlogTalkRadio.com…but, what I’m really wondering is:
What time would be most advantageous for you to listen live? Let me know... (more)
Scott McKain is a business leader, bestselling author, and Hall of Fame professional speaker.
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