Opinion Pieces

TAKING THE TESLA TEST (AGAIN)


This isn’t an ordinary rerun.  It’s a TIME CAPSULE.  Five years is an eternity when looking at a company like Tesla, especially as I was merely a curious observer then, and am now an enthusiastic multiple owner and shareholder. For reasons I suspect those in our conservative community are comfortable with now that Elon helped Trump get elected.  I’ll try to leave  [...]

THE GOLDEN AGE


How to Get Ahead of the Rest at the Dawn of the Trump/Musk Era Can you feel it?  Since the election things are VERY different.  Overnight, things have changed profoundly.  Most people, even most business owners are slow to act on these changes.  Everyone feels it, but most wait until they get proof with their own eyes, and end up missing out on the best  [...]

STOP THE WORRYING!


A typical marketing consultant would tell me I’m crazy to reveal the secrets in this month’s newsletter, but I have to be honest with my readers:  Y’all worry too much*. *Yes, you might have detected a change in my language since our relocation to Texas now more than 10 years ago.  DFW is now our home port. The classic marketers say that the two greatest  [...]

WHEN IT’S SAFE TO LIFT THE SKIRT


The Surprises and Secrets of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) Photo Credit: Oleg Volk In the patent world, one of the most important, yet surprisingly overrated, issues is secrecy. Yet while it’s a needless fear for many, it can make sense to protect yourself when you have to trust someone else with your secrets.  An NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) is also known as a  [...]

THE MOTHER OF ALL FACTORY TOURS


Plus, Will Elon Buy a Patent from Me? In my work over the decades, I’ve visited the factories of many clients.  The smell of machine oil takes me back to my engineering school shop class where I learned to operate Bridgeports and Hardinges.  I even learned how to use a newfangled computer to program a milling machine so I didn’t need to turn the wheels  [...]

HOW TO PICK BRAND NAMES THAT MAKE YOUR BUSINESS MORE VALUABLE


It’s a story I have told for years: I had lunch with a new client.  He has some great technology, and a strong foundation for a new business.  And I faced the too-frequent dilemma when confronted by a lousy trademark he wanted to adopt. Do I tell him my actual opinion, or do I salute and earn the reward of helping him register a weak brand name that will impair the  [...]