In this week's New Yorker magazine, Charles Duhigg explores how venture capitalists may be harming our businesses. The article shares that instead of the best company winning, the charismatic charlatan with the most venture capital backing may be winning. In WeWork's case, the company almost won by reaching its IPO. Yet, even bottomless buckets of money couldn't save the company from the economics of office sharing--and its wildcard CEO Adam Neumann.
We have a few businesses in our retail ...
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Market buildings are looking down the barrel of a gun. To find out why, check out my article in this month's Tableware Today.
THE LAST WORD
CHART YOUR FUTURE BEFORE BIG TECH DOES
by JASON SOLAREK
Market buildings are starting to take digital seriously. Why, finally? Because Amazon is nipping at retailers’ heels? No. Because Zola is stealing indie stores’ registry business? No. Sadly, the main thing that’s brought markets up to speed has to do with their own dollars and ...
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June 7, 2019
June 7, 2019
Smaller margins are here for many businesses in many industriesβnot just tableware. Recently, a sales rep balked when I suggested its stores take a haircut on margins. Yet, I believe big money tech players are forcing these cuts and upending traditional profitsβleaving stores with little other option. From media (see todayβs AT&T article) to advertising (Facebook, goggle) to transportation (Uber, Lyft, Tesla) to gift registries (Amazon, MyRegistry, Zola), big money-backed tech companies are the...
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February 25, 2017
February 25, 2017
Do you shop on Amazon? How about gilt or other online-only sites? Today's WSJ reports how shopping at some websites may be hurting your neighbors and fellow Americans by getting them fired. Almost 400 department stores are going to close across America--resulting in 1,000s of jobs being cut. I hope that our neighbors quickly get new jobs in what may come next. In the meantime, I encourage us to shop online at local websites and support our communities. Shopping online locally helps support local...
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May 1, 2015
May 1, 2015
When consulting with Pickard China for a new state china service, First Lady Michelle Obama wanted it to have modern elements, but also for it to be practical, in the sense that it would be complementary to the preceding historic state services. The Obama State China Service consists of eleven-piece place settings for 320.(3,520 pieces) Mrs. Obama sought a different color from the more primary red, green, blue, and yellow used on the more recent state services. She chose a blue inspired by the ...
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June 14, 2013
June 14, 2013
Vanity Fair sums up our 'advancement' in website offerings. :)