When you go to buy something yourself, are you more interested in getting the “New” thing or the “Better” thing? Which one gets you more excited? Note: this even applies to Apple. When they introduce something that’s improved (for ex. speed) it gets a yawn. But when they introduce something new (for ex. Face Time or [...]
Focus Your Marketing (and Strategy) More on New Than on Better
Posted on by Bruce Johnson in Business, Change, Communication, Creativity/Innovation, Design, Entreprenuership, Goals, Leadership, Marketing, Planning, Pricing, Remarkability, Strategy
Is Your Model Still Right?
Posted on by Bruce Johnson in Business, Creativity/Innovation, Entreprenuership, Growth, Leadership, Planning, Strategy
I was talking with someone earlier this week and the conversation got started something like this. “I have this process I’ve been trying to get people to buy in to but I’m having trouble getting more people to buy it.” Sound familiar? My first question to him was, “You’ve started this by defining a process/product. [...]
Need Some Inspiration?
Posted on by Bruce Johnson in Attitude, Branding/Differentiation, Business, Change, Character, Communication, Creativity/Innovation, Customer Service, Design, Finances/Money Management, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Learning, Managing Talent, Marketing, Personal Development, Planning, Remarkability, Strategy, Time Management, Writing
If you’re at all like me, chances are you have some favorite quotes that you return to over an over again to pick you up and get your headed in the right direction. I remember, shortly after my board coup several years ago, the movie “Rocky Balboa” came out and in the middle of the [...]
The Four Most Important Words in Any Organization
Posted on by Bruce Johnson in Attitude, Business, Communication, Creativity/Innovation, Leadership, Learning, Managing Talent, Relationships, Strategy
If you were to make a list of the four most important words in your business or organization, what would they be? Would they be your core values (for ex. respect, responsibility, honesty and service)? Would they be a phrase (for ex. “Make it so, #1” in deference to Capt. Jean Luc Picard of Start [...]
What You Can Learn From Steve Jobs About “PowerPoint”
Posted on by Bruce Johnson in Business, Communication, Creativity/Innovation, Design, Leadership, Writing
Every CEO eventually has to do a presentation. And that invariably means that you have to use PowerPoint–or if you’re lucky enough to be on a Mac, Keynote (which is way better, by the way). Note: That’s also why “PowerPoint” is in quotes above since Steve Jobs clearly uses Keynote–but you get the point. While [...]
What’s Holding You Back, Part II
Posted on by Bruce Johnson in Attitude, Business, Change, Creativity/Innovation, Finances/Money Management, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Learning, Managing Talent, Planning, Strategy, Time Management
If you didn’t read part one, scroll below (if you’re on the blog right now) or click on the following link>> (if you’re reading this by RSS). Note: If you didn’t answer the question from the last post, “What are the major constraints that are hindering me (and my business/organization) from achieving my (our) potential?”, [...]
Five Lessons from Steve Jobs, CEO of the Decade
Posted on by Bruce Johnson in Branding/Differentiation, Business, Communication, Creativity/Innovation, Entreprenuership, Growth, Leadership, Marketing, Planning, Remarkability, Strategy
If you haven’t seen the article yet, Fortune Magazine has declared Steve Jobs, CEO of the Decade. In their own words, How’s this for a gripping corporate story line: Youthful founder gets booted from his company in the 1980s, returns in the 1990s, and in the following decade survives two brushes with death, one securities-law [...]
Steve Jobs’ Presentation Secrets
Posted on by Bruce Johnson in Books, Business, Communication, Creativity/Innovation, Design, Marketing
If you’ve ever watched Steve Jobs do a product launch, you know you’ve watched a master communicator. And if you’ve ever wondered if you could ever communicate as effectively as Steve, there’s good news for you. Business Week Small Biz columnist, Carmine Gallo, has just published a book on “The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs.” [...]
Originality and Commonality: A Powerful One-Two Punch!
Posted on by Bruce Johnson in Attitude, Branding/Differentiation, Business, Creativity/Innovation, Entreprenuership, Growth, Leadership, Planning, Remarkability, Small Business, Strategy
Have you ever noticed that most people like to live life in an either/or world? Either we buy a sports car or a minivan. Either we go to the beach or the mountains for vacation this year. Either we locate in a busy location or an isolated one. Either we focus on one product or [...]
Is Perfection Getting in Your Way?
Posted on by Bruce Johnson in Attitude, Business, Change, Communication, Creativity/Innovation, Entreprenuership, Growth, Learning, Marketing, Planning, Remarkability, Time Management, Writing
I was at a conference this past week when one of the speakers, a copywriter by the name of Ray Edwards, nailed me–in a positive way. The way he got to me was by asking two simple questions. Showing a picture of a MacDonald’s hamburger, he asked, 1. How would you describe the quality of [...]


