Why don’t I understand what politicians say? I had breakfast today with Michael Fallon, who is lucky enough to have two jobs: Secretary of State for Business & Secretary of State for Energy; in today’s world they are not perhaps the most obvious choices for a job share, but what do I know about running the country? Well, when I say I had breakfast with him,...

What we can all learn from super-achievers. As I have an audience for this blog in many countries around the world I worry sometimes that my subject matter might not travel too well. No worries today though, as I’m writing about one of the biggest global sporting franchises, or rather the man who could make a strong claim to having built it, Sir Alex Ferguson, and...

Coffee machines don’t just make coffee, they make us happy too. The other day I found myself at a suburban railway station at 07:10 and noticed that on the top floor of the, still somewhat Brief Encounter-ish, station building there was a small coffee shop. It was early-morning-English-winter-cold. The tiny gas fire barely dulling the jagged edges of the icy chill...

If only all Hasbro’s toys had the  gender balance of the Potato Head family. In 1923, Henry, Hilal and Herman Hassenfeld formed Hassenfeld Brothers in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1940 they diversified somewhat, from just pencils and pencil cases, into doctor and nurses kits for children (and modelling clay) becoming predominantly a toy company by 1942. (Its...

If you aren’t sure where to take your business next, don’t copy JC Penney. On 8 January this year I wrote about the sad case of the US retailer Sears CLICK HERE that seemed a little leaderless to me, or at least lacking in a leader ready to invest in a clear strategy to adapt to these drastically different retail times. Now JC Penney, another US department store...