Monthly Archives: April 2016

04/30/16

Millennials, Males – Modern Men?

Big Red Car here on the heels of a Texas thunderstorm of respectable proportions. Lightning, thunder, rain, wind — ah, we love the rain this time of year in Texas. Last night we got it. Big time. Let’s talk millennials, shall we?

So the Big Red Car has been thinking about Millennials, particularly the male of the species. They are coming in for a lot of criticism and the Big Red Car wants to provide some helpful suggestions of how y’all might slip the noose and bit. Not a very deep thought but it is Saturday morning.

Millenials?

Here goes.

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04/28/16

Trump – Example of Scaling Well?

Donald Trump and the Big Red Car here in the ATX — going to be another great day. On Earth as it is in Texas, y’all! [Haha, no Trump here.]

So, today, we turn ourselves to one Donald Trump as an exemplar of how a startup is able to grow and scale and deal with the issues of a startup enterprise. This is NOT a political commentary. It is about the startup business.

Trump, of course, is a businessman and has engaged in the Art of the Deal and the art of the spin off or side deal — Trump Vodka, Trump Steaks, Trump Breath Freshener, Trump Deodorant Footpads — you get the idea.

In fact, the Trump campaign is a spin off of his own massive ego, natural leadership ability, and hunger for power. That is NOT intended as a slight but rather a recitation of the truth without serving any homage to political correctness. As you well know, dear reader, Donald does not approve of political correctness, so we follow his lead here today.

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04/25/16

CEO Prep — How?

CEO prep. Big Red Car here in a gray and foreboding ATX, y’all. Talking CEO prep today.

Folks are not born having the skills and aptitude to become a CEO. It is a learned skill and that raises the question — how do we learn to become a CEO, Big Red Car?

CEO learning image, CEO prep

Let me ‘carsplain it to y’all.

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04/23/16

North Korea — WTF?

North Korea — today, we talk about North Korea.

Big Red Car here on a glorious Texas, cool, crisp morning. It is incredible to be alive in the ATX. On Earth as it is in Texas, y’all.

Hey, the world needs to keep an eye on this guy in North Korea. He is up to no good and he’s a maniac.

Kim pic

North Korea’s Kim Jong-on — Oh no!

Here’s the scoop.

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04/23/16

Decisions Better Ones – For CEOs

Big Red Car here. Decisions, y’all. Decisions.

This is a post redux from the The Characteristics Traits and Skills of the Successful CEO — Decisionmaking post from some time earlier. I am running it again because I continue to see a number of CEOs who are struggling with forming and making decisions.

CEOs have a hard job which entails making a lot of decisions many of which they are making for the first time. Sorry, that’s the job you’ve chosen.

But it doesn’t have to be as hard as you make it. You can streamline it by taking a process approach to how you frame and make decisions. A better methodology will end up with better decisions and you will expend less energy and create less angst by having such a process at your fingertips.

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04/21/16

Growth – CEOs Only – The Personal Cost

Big Red Car here in a slightly rainy ATX. Rain makes the green grass grow and startup companies are focused on growing, also. They call it scaling, growth. But it just means getting bigger and stronger and more powerful. Growth, it’s not for sissies.

So, the Big Red Car is eavesdropping on a couple of The Boss’s conversations with some of his brilliant CEOs and the discussion wanders into the personal costs of growth.

CEOs will find themselves changing their relationships within the company as they grow. It is inevitable and you cannot change it. It is hard work. It can get messy.

Italy 2010 Computer 020

That co-founder? The one who could not scale with the company?

You have to deal with it. Here’s how.

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04/18/16

Oil, Keep An Eye on Oil

Big Red Car here with gasoline prices in the ATX now at a low of $1.69/gallon at Sam’s Club in South Austin where it was about $1.49/gallon less than two months ago. It’s all about the price of oil. Wow!

Still, that is historically cheap.

Big news in the last few days out of Doha — the OPEC + Russia countries were unable to agree to freeze oil production at current levels through the end of 2016.

Saudi oil pic

The fly in the ointment?

You guessed it — Iran.

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