This book by journalist Jack Ewing, was published in 2017. The subtitle is The Volkswagen Scandal, meaning the diesel engines manufactured by the Volkswagen Group and used in Audis, Porsches, Volkswagens and other marques of the Group. You’ll recall that these engines, marketed as ‘clean diesel,’ in fact, used software to detect when they were […]
Book Review: The William E. Boeing Story, A Gift of Flight
Rather than the Boeing corporate story, this is the story of William E. Boeing, the man. The author, David Williams, became friends with Bill Boeing Jr., who was a great source of stories about his father. The Boeing family also has a significant archive that they opened, and which has never been opened previously to […]
Book Review: Path Lit By Lightning
This book, by David Maraniss, is subtitled, The Life of Jim Thorpe. It is the latest and probably the definitive biography of Jim Thorpe, likely the greatest athlete America has ever produced. I first read a biography of Thorpe when I was in grade school. Here I am decades later reading another biography or Jim […]
“Simplicity is Complexity Resolved”
This is a quote from Constantin Brancusi, a Romanian sculptor, painter, and photographer who made his career in France. He lived from 1876 to 1957 and is considered a very influential figure in modern sculpture. And while I’m not keen on his sculpture, I do love the quote, “Simplicity is complexity resolved.” I had never […]
Book Review: I Contain Multitudes
Just before Christmas last year, this blog offered a gift to readers. That gift was a referral to the book, An Immense World, by Ed Yong. It was the most positive review I’ve ever given a book. But An Immense World was Yong’s second book, so I said I needed to go back and read […]
Back to the Office or Work from Home?
Perhaps the biggest legacy of the pandemic is the changes it has wrought on “the office.” The simple version of this is, “Back to the office or work from home?” Of course, it isn’t that simple. In fact, it isn’t simple at all but goes to the core many of our businesses. During the pandemic, […]
ERTC Redux
I want to revisit a topic from last year, including the subsequent results I’ve seen and the controversy that has been stirred up. On August 16th, my blog post touted the benefits of applying for the Employee Retention Tax Credit, which I urged business owners to pursue. It turns out that more that 90 percent […]
Book Review: An Immense World
My Christmas gift to you is a book I’ve just finished reading. It is the best book I’ve read in years and one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I read a lot of books. The book is An Immense World, subtitled How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us. What makes […]
Cash Projections are Overrated
Here is my thesis: Cash Projections are overrated and often a waste of time. I know that sounds like heresy coming from a CFO, but let me make my argument. Cash is Important First, cash is important to a business, of course it is. In fact, cash is to a business as blood is to […]
SRO Budgeting and SMART Goals
It is the time of year when most companies are doing their budgeting for the next year. This can be a frustrating and time consuming exercise. It is also important. Does every company need a budget? I don’t think so. Smaller companies, where the owner is very close to the transactions, may not need a […]