Paying For Time

So a lot of people ask me why we have fixed fee pricing at Ripple. After all, we come from an industry that bills for time. And bills a lot. Like $150 per hour. But what is the value of time? How can I put a price on the time it takes to fix a… Continue reading →

Cell Phone Use and Mother Nature

Hi There. I’m not sure how this became my responsibility to mention; how this ever came to be. But… You cannot use your cell phone in the bathroom. No. Bad dog. President is on the phone? No. You’re bored? No. The big sale? No. Please help me spread the word. No-cellphone-use-in-the-bathroom. Thank you for your… Continue reading →

Yessir, it’s people

Seth Godin riffed this morning about The two obvious secrets of every service business. I would add an extension to number two. One of those details is people. People with passion and compassion; folks who actually care. Those are the people who will naturally follow through. Hiring these people doesn’t happen by accident, and it… Continue reading →

Just hang up

There is a new cultural divide in America. It is cross-generational, cross-gender, cross-race. And it is inflicting a new rudeness into our culture. It is interruptive cell phone use. Now, a lot of the other cultural "decline" issues are in actuality, meaningless. Language for one is always a moving target. The word "humbug" used to… Continue reading →

The 6 week course for CEOs

I figure if I can rant about doctors, lawyers and a lot of other people smarter than me, then I should probably weigh in on my own job. It’s a pretty fancy title. And it comes with some pretty unique responsibilities. Ultimately, it’s a job you can do just about anyway you want. That of… Continue reading →

Six Week Course For Lawyers

There’s an incongruity between what lawyers are taught in law school, and what they ultimately end up doing. Lawyers are taught to seek a position, stand their ground, fight, attack the other position and basically act as an unwavering advocate. And this works great in mock trials. Hell, it probably works pretty well in real… Continue reading →

6-weeks for doctors

One small addition to my previous post. It has to do with medical school. Please God, let someone at Harvard or Emory be listening… A few days ago I was hanging out with my friend who is a doctor. A brilliant, ridiculously smart doctor. She is out of medical school and in her residency. I… Continue reading →

The 6-week course

You know, I’m a believer that there is more to college than simply vocational training. I believe that the arts and humanities mean something. That critical thinking skills are the cornerstone of a good education. But folks, there just certain things one should know as a college graduate. Things that don’t need to be pondered… Continue reading →

Well sir, I just don’t give a sh*t.

I hate to interrupt my healthcare special, but this one deserved my attention. We have a client. They bought some software. 25 licenses. When my team installed the software, the software began to give errors after 2 licenses were installed. So we went to their website, found "contact customer support," did as instructed and explained… Continue reading →

Wear the uniform

I had an experience at the dentist today that was disconcerting. There is a rant coming here, so if you’re not in the mood, just click away. I won’t be hurt. I will preface this by saying that the procedure I had today (sort of a fancy filling) went just fine. No pain. Very little… Continue reading →

Wooden Chopsticks?

Details matter. More than you might think. Last Friday I ate at Silk, a very upscale Japanese restaurant in Midtown Atlanta. Overall it is a great restaurant. Great food, dramatic setting. But for Gods sake – wooden chopsticks? This is a place with a $58 six-ounce steak. $36 sushi. A Japanese owner and a Japanese… Continue reading →