Random Thoughts on Various Subjects

1. KANYE WEST THE JACKASS

You have to be some kind of jackass to shit on Tyler Swift's moment and get the president to declare you a jackass. I despise Barack Obama as a politician, but on a personal level, I think I would like him immensely if I ever met him.

2. A BRIEF RELAPSE

I relapsed briefly to watch both the Gamecocks and the Panthers lose last weekend. I am back on the wagon now.

3. EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

I never write about my job on the blog here because I want to keep my job. But I did get employee of the month for the first time in my life. Yes, folks, they draw names at random for this award, and I was the lucky dog.

I don't know if I can be considered a good employee or not. I never miss work. I never take a vacation. I never impose dictates about what I will or won't do or who I will work with. I get the job done. I have a constantly diversifying skill set that enables me to do just about anything and creates options for a manager. I am invaluable in a crisis. I also believe in capitalism and despise organized labor. But I am also candid about anything and everything, and I can tell you that honesty does not go unpunished. OTOH, meekness does not go unpunished either. It is what we call a lose-lose situation.

This would all be dispiriting for people who seek recognition and appreciation, but I am not one of those people. I do it all for the money. The best reward is a fat paycheck at the end of the week, and I want maximum profitability for any company that employees me because that keeps those paychecks coming my way. I work hard because I want to get paid. I create value, and value is whatever the customer desires and will pay for. Nothing motivates more than undiluted greed. As long as they keep paying me, I will remain as motivated as ever.

4. ENTREPRENEURSHIP REVISITED

I really really really want to start a business. I realize the odds are against me, but I am very unsatisfied these days. I am bored and restless, and I hate the way most companies treat customers. I want to believe that you can offer quality products and services to the public, and that by working hard and creating value, you can win in the marketplace. Is it all luck?

I don't think entrepreneurship is about luck. If it were, you would expect a mix of shitty and quality companies to rise to the top. Taleb points out that Apple computers are better than Microsoft products, yet Microsoft established market dominance. I can tell you why this happened. Microsoft products are cheaper. A Mercedes is better than a Toyota, but I am going to buy the Toyota because I can't afford a Mercedes. I'd really love to buy an iMac computer, but I can get a Windows machine for half the price.

The goal of any business when it comes to customers is to leave the customer with the feeling that they got value for the dollar. The customer should believe they got the better part of the deal. This doesn't mean you have to be the lowest cost provider. It does mean giving the most value for the dollar. If Apple could sell their computers for under a grand, they would expand their market share greatly. I expect Google to do what Apple refused to do. Give the public a very reliable and cheap computer. But I am digressing. . .

I am working on a business strategy that I think will make me a winner as an entrepreneur. I think this strategy can be applied to any business to make them tops in whatever market they are in. This strategy will be expressed in a mathematical formula. This is my current expression for it:

X={(v+b/p)/s}-g

X= success
v= value
b= brand loyalty/awareness
p= price
s= speed of delivery
g= government interference

It is virtually impossible to put numeric values on these things, but if you could, this formula would show where all businesses succeed and fail. An adjustment on any of these could propel or torpedo the business. Needless to say, it needs some tinkering.

5. IRVING KRISTOL

The father of neoconservatism is dead. Good riddance. The world would be a better place if Kristol had been stillborn. There would be fewer people dead. A life devoted to writing fart jokes is more valuable than the contributions of this man.

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