Business Archives

Delivering Your Speech: How to Make an Impact

What is the key to delivering a truly great speech? What do all great speakers have in common? When it comes to delivering your speech, how you present yourself is just as important as what you say. If you want to give a truly great speech, it isn’t enough to have the perfect words, strategies, and setup—you also need stage presence. The way you present yourself makes the difference between a forgettable speech and one that leaves your audience inspired. Here are some things to keep in mind.

The 1962 Stock Market Crash: Panic on Wall Street

Where can panic on Wall Street lead? What’s a “flash crash”? In his essays on Wall Street, John Brooks discusses how letting gut reactions override logical thinking can lead to dire results. He uses the 1962 stock market crash as an example. Continue reading to learn about this incident and what it teaches us about economics and human behavior.

David Lilienthal: One of Wall Street’s Good Guys

Who was David Lilienthal? What can you learn from his story about working with purpose and transitioning from one career to another? The people of Wall Street may have a reputation for pursuing profits at all costs, but John Brooks says that there are those who’ve managed to balance this pursuit with a sense of purpose. Brooks profiles David Lilienthal, former chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and, later, chairman and CEO of the Development & Resources Corporation (D & R). Brooks traces Lilienthal’s career trajectory and how he navigated the transition from public servant to big businessman. Continue

Why Subscription-Based Business Models Don’t Work

Are you considering a subscription-based business model for your company? Are you looking for new ways to increase revenue from existing customers? For many companies such as Netflix, subscription-based business models are the only way to gain profits because they’re “subscriber-only” services. However, that doesn’t mean subscription-based business models are meant for every business. Learn why Byron Sharp, the author of How Brands Grow, believes that subscription-based business models don’t work for a lot of businesses.

How Brands Grow: Byron Sharp’s 3 Rules of Marketing

What does How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp explain about marketing? What are the main takeaways from the book? Marketing professor Byron Sharp’s book How Brands Grow says that while many people consider mass marketing to be “dead,” it’s actually more effective than modern marketing used today. To support this claim, Sharp creates three rules that every marketer should follow if they want their business to reach a wider audience. Continue reading to learn more about Byron Sharp’s three rules of marketing in How Brands Grow.

The Salad Oil Scandal & a Wall Street Bailout

What was the Salad Oil Scandal? How did it—and the JFK assassination—lead to a Wall Street bailout? It was November 1963. Ira Haupt & Co. was in trouble. The firm had borrowed millions to invest in a company that turned out to be a fraud. Ira Haupt & Co. was about to go bankrupt, and its shareholders’ money was at risk. Keep reading to learn about this historic scandal and subsequent bailout.

Public Speaking: Strategies for Success

What makes a great speech? What are some things you need to consider to plan an effective speech? To make an impactful and memorable speech, it’s essential to have a strategy in place. The first step in planning your strategy is to identify what type of speech you’re giving: explanatory—when you teach your audience something new, persuasive—when you try to change your audience’s mind, or “revelatory” or imaginative—when you aim to delight or inspire. Let’s explore how public speaking strategies differ depending on the type of speech.

Bad Marketing: The 2 Strategies You Should Avoid

What are bad marketing strategies? Why are people so inclined to use these strategies for their marketing campaigns? There are plenty of marketing strategies to utilize for your business, but you should be wary of some of them. Bad marketing strategies can cost your company thousands of dollars, and you’re less likely to gain new customers from them. Here are two bad marketing strategies to avoid if you want your business to be successful, according to Byron Sharp in his book How Brands Grow.

The Trade Secret Case of Donald W. Wohlgemuth

What are trade secrets? What are the laws associated with them? How can you protect them? Though laws and regulations can shift based on the whims and follies of Wall Street’s big players, John Brooks writes that even one individual can change the legal landscape. In Business Adventures, he discusses a landmark trade secret case involving a man named Donald W. Wohlgemuth, whose employer tried to prevent him from accepting another job offer because he had knowledge of trade secrets. Read more to learn about trade secrets through the example of this historic case.

How to Create a Growth Mindset Culture

What is a growth mindset culture? How do you create a growth mindset culture? A growth mindset culture is established when individuals make mistakes and then learn from those mistakes, rather than ignoring them. A growth mindset culture believes that failure is expected and that failure should be a tool for learning. Read more to understand the concept of a growth mindset culture and how to create one.