branded for life

Archive for the ‘strategic therapy’ Category

Since I graduated seventeen years ago, my career has always been in Banking. I thought I’d always be in it, but I was on a flight to the U.S. recently and I started talking to an American chain restaurants founder who’s passion reminded me of how much I loved cooking, being in restaurants, and the culinary world in general. Now, all I can think of is opening a restaurant. I’m not interested in banking anymore. Is it crazy to switch? ...read more

Some of my colleagues sent me Facebook invitations wanting to be friends. They’re decent people, but they’re not close friends and family. If I reject or ignore their requests, it might affect my relationship with them at work. If I accept them, I’m giving them access to my personal life and contacts, which is not something I’m comfortable with. How do I solve it without getting evil looks at work? ...read more

In one of your previous Two Cents answers you wrote, “Without defining your business, it’s difficult to tell which approach is more suitable for the business.” I find it difficult to come up with a vision for our business and I can’t see how important it is to have one when we’re actually making good profit every year. Is your statement mainly theoretical or am I missing something? ...read more

My brother and I own a local restaurant that we started last year. The location turned out not as great as we thought. We found the perfect site but the current tenant wants the equivalent of three times the annual rent value to leave. I’m not sure this is a smart financial decision. However, my brother is convinced it’s the right opportunity for us. Should we go ahead? ...read more

I’m a senior university student majoring in Marketing. Due to your constant praise of the power of branding, I got into a lot of reading. Actually, my social life is almost non-existent. So, thanks! One of the things that still have me confused is the need for a Brand Essence when the slogan or tagline is a strong one already. Shouldn’t ‘Just Do It’ be enough? ...read more

My company has the Kuwait rights for a restaurant franchise. We have two branches up and running, but the franchiser has been pushing us since the start of this year to open five more. The market’s condition doesn’t justify such expansions. Should we play tough or trust their judgment? ...read more

One of my employees is not a team player. She prefers to work alone. All books and articles talk about the importance of teamwork. If this is true, then I should fire her but she actually cares about her job and when she handles solo work she gets it done. What’s your advice? ...read more