I’ve been leading an infrequent series of free Zoom workshops, and I recently brought my friends Ed Cotton and Eve Ejsmont together to teach us how to do customer research. In my experience, most organizations (businesses, non-profits, schools, government agencies, you name it) do not spend enough time understanding…

STOP THE PRESSES: The ERTC program has been temporarily paused (as of 9.15.2023). Will share more information when I have it. Last year my friend Adam Weiss called me to ask if I had heard about this arcane government program that was refunding certain companies up to $26,000 per employee…

In July I drove 45 minutes South the the VELO Sports Center in Carson, CA to spectate at the USA Cycling Track National Championships. I wanted to root for local athlete and friend Chloe Patrick…

Last weekend I rode in the SBT GRVL event for the third time. I keep coming back because the event is so good. But what does that mean exactly? What’s the draw of a “good” race? Which series of factors add up to make an event special rather than just…

Over the past year, I’ve been visiting local criterium races around Los Angeles. Not just the kind that happen on Sundays, which have primes and pro fields and prize money, but also the weeknight variety. The kind of events you show up to every week for great workout that is…

I spent much of last week up at the venerable Sea Otter Classic bike event working with 4iiii Power Meters and other clients. Held at the Laguna Seca race track in Monterey, CA, it’s one of the oldest and biggest bike festivals in the world, with dozens of mountain bike…

Last week I attended the Bicycle Leadership Conference in Dana Point, California. Run by non-profit People for Bikes, the event brings together not only bike business people but non-profits, vendor businesses and international brands. As someone who is relatively new to the bike business, this is just my third BLC…

Now that I’m well into my 50s, I’ve come to appreciate the value of mentorship. At this point in life, you — and I mean any of you — have so much wisdom to offer to someone younger. You can share any kind of learning, and I don’t see mentoring…

What is a brand? It’s not the logo, or the latest ad, or just the product itself. A brand is EVERYTHING; it’s the sum total of hundreds (or more) touch points. All of these things add up to something that a customer, or employee, or partner, or retailer thinks of…