Swarfblog
Is Business “Just Business”?
I wrote a blog recently about my reaction to a letter from my landscaper Guillermo’s daughter, which put a face on her father to his clients. I received two comments [...]
Going Once, Going Twice … Human Interaction
I attended the Auction of Tecomet Wednesday this week in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. It was just the fourth auction I’ve gone to since I started working at Graff-Pinkert almost two [...]
Do your clients know who you are?
Guillermo is from Mexico, or maybe it’s El Salvador or the Dominican Republic. Do we care? He pushes a lawn mower, directs a trimmer, and handles a weed-whacker. He’s the [...]
A Hopeless Sports Romantic
I am a hopeless sports romantic, so these next few weeks will be glorious for me. Major League Baseball season starts in less than two weeks, and the World Baseball [...]
It’s the Accountant’s Fault
Sometimes the absurdity of trying to do business and make money and then pay the appropriate taxes to the Feds and State just about knocks me over. I’m currently doing [...]
Life After the Breakup
I bought out my brother Jim’s interest in my family machinery business six months ago. I promised him that I would not write about the breakup, but I want to [...]
Sequester Semester
Lloyd and I meet for breakfast most Saturday mornings, and while we are eating we solve many of the world’s problems. Last Saturday, the topic was the sequester. How does [...]
Handcuffed by Lawyers
I’ve been doing business for a long time, but I am still shocked by the appalling clumsiness of big organizations. After decades of Lean and Six Sigma, ISO 9000 and [...]
Reflections from the 2013 PMPA Management Update
Two weeks ago, I attended the Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA) Management Update, a three day annual conference where around 200 representatives from manufacturing companies in the association gathered in [...]
Playing “Not to Lose” Usually Loses
Warren Buffett has been trying to buy Heinz, the king of ketchup, for 33 years. He finally got the deal by partnering with a Brazilian firm named 3G that will [...]