I review John Perkin's CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN at the linked site; it is the reference standard on big biz/big govt int'l mischief... and I disagree with it.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Folks,
Anthony tells me:
Surrogate mothers are becoming a popular outsource to
India. The article states the women earn more in one
pregnancy than many would make in 15 years.
Yikes... I don't think we have a right to children under any circumstances... and if you want a child that bad, why not check in with Mother Teresa's outfit... they pick them up off the street and I expect would be delighted to find a home.
Or, are the people who are going the surrogate route not qualified to have an adopted child? If so... hmmm...
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Folks,
Occasionally I get emails from non-list members, and if I think my answer is good, I'll copy the reply to this blog...
EG...
John:
First and foremost, I'd like to thank you for writing "How Small Business Trades Worldwide". I've found it to be very informative and useful in thinking about international trade and importing. I'm extremely glad I ran across your book in Amazon because I was one of those that was trying to organize like the opportunist and would have wasted much time, money and effort only to be marginal and ultimately unsuccessful.
***Thanks for your kind words...***
In any case, my first question to you is what sort of advantage would taking your class give me if I've already read the book? Seems like the class is organized around the book and would be a review of sorts.
***Perspicacious! Exactly what the course is... some people have learning styles where they need it spoon fed over time, some can read the manual... some need face to face lecture. I find all means useful to me as the teacher (Wanna learn? Teach! - Confucious)***
Also, I wondered how one goes about finding an engineer/designer for a somewhat complicated product that does not exist? You mention contacting an inventor of a similar product. I've found someone that is tangentially related to what I'd like to have invented through a patent on a product that is related. However, he doesn't live in my geographic area and I feel strange (without being paranoid) about approaching someone with a sensible idea without any agreement between us. What do you think about approaching a firm vs an individual actor here closer to where I live in the Bay Area, like IDEO for example?
***An essential question... IDEO is a proven winner. But are they not a component in a team that hits one out of the ballpark, such as Apple Prada or Warnaco? I tried to find one small biz they helped and even Xelibri, the only name in their client list I did not recognize, is a division of Siemens. My guess is to get them to talk to you, their $million fees must be a tiny component of your hundred million dollar launch. I may be exagerating the case, but the hard fact is, any design company that puts forth an unworkable demand, say a $20,000 up front fee, is unworkable by definition.
I love IDEO, and adore what they put out. But if we cannot get what we want, we go get what we need.
Think of your work as an organic process, beginning with your idea, grounded in your dissatisfaction. Your goal, is to get enough orders, to cover the supplier's minimum production run, in a workable amount of time, profitably. No more, no less. That is your business plan, such as it is. But it is organic.
You absolutely must go and shop for the item. Secrecy is death. Light and noise are life. Go to the upscale stores you would expect to sell your item, and, as a customer of that store, try to buy the item. Listen carefully to the response. Integrate ideas gained into your organic idea. Get to "it is a good idea and does not exist." Repeat as necessary. Do not say to much... do not say "I will produce and sell this item" because it is not yet true.
This replaces about a half million in IDEO fees.
Then you find the designer. Of course you have the means in the book, but I tell you, I keep hearing people serendipitously find designers while following the path I outline.
You do have an agreement with the designer, just not an NDA. I've attached a PDF of a designers agreement for you to review.
The fellow you have bird-dogged as your designer, since he has patents to his name, is most likely a failure at getting anything to market. The hard facts are in USA, there is an almost perfect negative correlation between patent and marketability.
The design costs you nothing, so there goes another saved $500,000.
Your offer is market (see above, named retailers who said "good idea, does not exist.") Your offer is if he will design, you will find best manufacturer in world, and market to stores. He gets his design "out there." He gets an income stream from "his design." The attached agreement legalizes this.
So no lawyers' fees.
The best part is, he will insist on owning the Intellectual Property Rights, and you will comply. Then, he has the liabilities you have the assets.
Now, the fun begins. As you sell each minimum production run, your customer will suggest, based on current market feedback, changes. Your designer will integrate these, on his dime. Your suppliers will upgrade in the eternal search for more USA customers. You are at the center of a vast personal conspiracy to do good while doing well, as you do what you love. You make news, grow your business, enhance your image.
Keep in mind apple warnaco siemans prada all started this way. You do too. Eventually you'll be hiring IDEO too. But for now, you got to do what you can do.
Folks,
Here is a url for a design company that you ought to visit...
http://www.ideo.com/portfolio
and check out their portfolio.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Folks,
Of course when I say we cannot know if any given election is fraudulent, keep in mind that it only takes a few percentage points to throw an election. I never vote dem or repub, because I would be wasting my vote. With voter fraud, those who win the fraud contest do so by a mere few percentage points. The powers-that-be need not manage a landslide, just an easy victory.
If you vote for an "electable" candidate, you are throwing your vote away, since it will be subsumed in fraud among the "electable."
Should more than few percent of the voters cast in favor of a third party, then the fraud on the margin would be ineffectual. We have Soviet-style re-election rates. If a few of those in power were to lose their seats, all would live in dread of being next. Our political masters would be more careful.
I am not a "green," but if every democrat and republican unhappy with his party were to vote green, then the dems or repubs who win through fraud would fail to do so, and the results so upsetting we would see a government more representative.
What if everyone ended up voting green? Then Ralph Nader would have been president in 2000, and it is a logical certainty we would not have been attacked on 9-11. I think the greens are nuts, but they are not criminal. In politics I prefer crazy to criminal, and prefer criminal to stupid. As Ron Paul will prove this year, reasonable, honest and sane will not cut it in politics.
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