Recent Articles from Steve Baker
Best of ColoradoBiz: The 13 rules for a successful think-tank
I have always had great success in using think-tanks to come up with new ideas and solutions in my companies. Don't limit to only one department with one mindset.
More on how POE can supercharge your marketing
(Editor’s note: This is the second of two parts. Read Part One.) There’s an old adage in marketing: “When we say something about ourselves, people tend to disbelieve it but when others say something about us, people tend to believe it.” Positive earned media is a result of brand behavior. Many consumers don’t trust advertising, […]
Edgar Allan Poe can supercharge your marketing
Marketing is the lifeline of your business, and you need a dynamic marketing program for your business to grow. As a business advisor, the constant complaint I get from clients is that they just can’t afford the marketing they need. To help your marketing be more effective and get a higher return on investment, I’d […]
How Edgar Allan Poe can supercharge your marketing
Edgar Allan Poe is one of my favorite authors, but POE is also an acronym for the three categories of media marketing. Though a common practice in large enterprises, POE is often overlooked by smaller businesses. The term media marketing is most often thought of in the context of mass media, but i...
“Moneyball”: Lessons from the baseball world
Many think it is a great baseball story but to me it is a terrific business story with lessons to help small businesses compete in a big money world. It’s a story about underdogs who had to rethink how to level the playing field against incredible odds. In 2002, Oakland Athletics general manager B...
To succeed in business, take off that hat!
I use the term “hat rack management” to describe what startup and small business managers go through. As managers, you wear many hats: management, sales & marketing, accounting, production, IT, strategic planner, fireman, custodian, the list goes on and on. So all day long, you are mentally running back and forth to the hat rack […]
Your business needs a good SWOT
To continue the growth and success for your business, you need to periodically step back and analyze what’s going on. One of the best tools I have used for years is the SWOT Analysis. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. SWOT analysis was developed from research conducted at Stanford Research Institute […]
Your next business may be hiding in plain sight
I’m a huge fan of Bev Doolittle. She is often called a “camouflage artist” because her distinctive use of context, design and pattern help viewers discover images and meanings which seem hidden only until they become obvious and then, bam, they’re right in front of you. Often, new business opportunities are hidden in plain sight, […]
Top three tips for finding the best employees
There are signs that the economy is beginning to pick up and companies are starting to hire once again. As an executive of fast growing companies, I have always taken pride in the quality of our employees and have always felt they were the best. We didn’t find these employees because we were lucky; it […]
Got economic development ideas?
Well, the election is over and it’s time to get down to the business of building business and jobs. We should start with small business which historically is the largest single source of new jobs and is the engine that drives Colorado’s economy. Governor-elect Hickenlooper has announced a transition team to study ideas for the […]
My first Father’s Day without Dad
(Author’s note: It’s been four years since I originally wrote this article. Since then, I am now the very proud grandfather of our second grandson Kai, also adopted from South Korea. Life is wonderful and Dad, I still miss you.) This Sunday is Father’s Day and, for the first time in my life, I don’t […]
The best cure for a hangover is….
Ah, New Years Day; a new year, a new beginning, a new chance at life — and a hangover. If you’ve ever awakened on New Year’s Day with the ugly effects of over-imbibing a wide variety of adult beverages the night before, I’m here to help. For the past several months, I’ve been sharing business […]