2's Company - MagnusInsights.com

Melissa & David

About this blog

After more than 20 years operating a trial consulting practice together as co-founding partners of Magnus Research Consultants, Inc. and Magnus Graphics, Inc., and more than 25 years of marriage, Dr. Melissa Pigott and David Fauss decided to share some of their thoughts, experiences, pet peeves, and perspectives on operating a small “mom & pop” business. The intended audience for their writings is other business owners, as well as employees of small businesses. Trial consulting is a professional service business, as was David’s photography business. There are many unique issues faced by professional service providers; Melissa and David share some of their insights on running a successful business.

Lunchy

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 15, 2017

Category: Business personalities, Getting through life and work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, MagnusInsights, MagnusResearch, Work-Life

I love lunch. Lunch is my favorite meal of the day. Breakfast often arrives much too early and has to be eaten hurriedly before work, an airplane flight, or another commitment. Breakfast foods, in my view, are dreadfully boring, and often involve eggs (to which I am allergic) prepared in some form. Dinner, although many […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On August 15, 2017

Category: Business personalities, Getting through life and work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, MagnusInsights, MagnusResearch, Work-Life

There are things one learns about a spouse, a partner (business or personal), and friends that may surprise us at first. That my wife, with a Ph.D., liked “lunchy” was one of those surprising things for me. Not that she likes lunch, but that she calls it “lunchy” – and preferably, for her, it should […]

Gender Barriers

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On August 10, 2017

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Business Travel, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting through life and work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, MagnusInsights, MagnusResearch, Managing Employees, Psychology, Small Business Success, Travel

Recently an article appeared on the front page of the Sunday New York Times entitled “When Job Puts Sexes Together, Workers Cringe.” Great title – it called out for the story to be read. But, Melissa, who read it first, and I found the story shocking in terms of the data it reported. The data […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 10, 2017

The article from the New York Times that is the subject of this post appeared on page 1 on Sunday, July 2, 2017. The title intrigued me with its implication regarding workers cringing when working with opposite sex co-workers. My first impression was that the article’s focus was on occupations that were traditionally male, such […]

Not all weekends = fun

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 8, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, MagnusInsights, MagnusResearch, Managing Employees, Marketing your business, Partnerships, Small Business Success, Work-Life

Weekends can occur on any day of the week. Depending on one’s work schedule, a weekend can be on Monday and Tuesday instead of Saturday and Sunday. Although I have had varying days off in my work life, since my time in academia, my weekends have been Saturdays and Sundays. Like most people who work, […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On August 8, 2017

When Melissa and I first met, I worked as a freelance photographer. Then, as today, I worked when there was work to be done. I kept regular office hours Monday to Friday, unless on an assignment, but many of these assignments turned out to be on weekends. Saturdays were often work days – family portraits, […]

It doesn’t cost, it pays.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On August 3, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Getting the Job Done, Jury Behavior, Jury Deliberations, Magnus, MagnusInsights, MagnusResearch, Marketing your business, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting, Trial Science, Work-Life, Workplace Technology

I was speaking with someone recently who was lamenting about how cost is a factor in decisions, sometimes, with a penny wise and dollar (pound) foolish approach. This person quickly related a story about when he was buying a piece of equipment for his office and asked what it cost. The astute salesperson said, “it […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 3, 2017

There is a common maxim, “If you have to ask the cost, then you probably can’t afford it.” Some of Magnus’ clients are more cost conscious than others and, in fact, some of them are more concerned about cost than quality. When I am asked, usually by someone in the audience at one of my […]

Get it right the 1st time

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 1, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting through life and work, Magnus, MagnusInsights, MagnusResearch, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

I am careful, meticulous, and detail oriented. I like to consider all of the options before taking a particular course of action. I dislike making mistakes, especially when there is a monetary cost involved in a mistake. In effect, I like to “get it right the first time” instead of going full speed ahead, doing […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On August 1, 2017

I have a memory from decades ago when I attending an open house at a trucking company with my father and seeing a sign that said “If you don’t have time to get it right the first time, when will you have time to get it right?”. That stuck with me and, like Melissa, doing […]

When there are no rules – for entrepreneurs

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 27, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Magnus, MagnusInsights, MagnusResearch, Marketing your business, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

Continuing my series on entrepreneurship, I wanted address a strange issue that we face as entrepreneurs. That is, sometimes, there are no rules. I don’t mean rules meant to keep us out of trouble, I mean the rules we need to follow to succeed, to get the job done, to meet the clients’ demands and […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 27, 2017

David is right about entrepreneurs having to write the rule book as we go about our business. When we founded our company, Magnus, for example, we had no policies and procedures manual. We had no employees at the time, but knowing that, one day in the not so distant future, we would hire people to […]

Knowing where you’re going

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 25, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Careers, Getting through life and work, Life Outside of Work, Travel

Some people do not know which way is which. By this, I mean some people are directionally challenged, in that they do not know which way is north, south, east, or west. I am thankful not to be one of these people. I love maps, reading maps, plotting my course, navigating on land and sea, […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 25, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Careers, Getting through life and work, Life Outside of Work, Travel

A frustration I have with the tech tools that tell us where to go these days is that they often don’t tell you the big picture. More and more, they provide step by step directions that reveal themselves only as you get to each waypoint. Though this is helpful, I prefer to have a big […]

Similarities and Shared Challenges: JMI comparison

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 20, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Business Relationships, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Magnus, MagnusInsights, MagnusResearch, Managing Employees, Marketing your business, Small Business Success

As I’ve posted previously, I had the honor of being selected to participate in a “continuing education” program recently. The program was the Small Business Executive Program, sponsored by the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship of the Florida State University College of Business. The program was 9 full program days over 3 months and […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 20, 2017

In David’s role as the business person in our company, he attends numerous networking functions, meetings with prospective clients, and programs such as the recent Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship. David has learned many things about operating our business, Magnus, from the people with whom he has interacted while attending these meetings. I am […]

Knowing where you’ve been

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 18, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Careers, Getting through life and work, Life Outside of Work, Travel

I have traveled to many places for most of my life. Since the 1980s, I have traveled far and wide, for business as well as pleasure. There are many places I would like to re-visit, many I vow to visit only on business, and many, many more places I’d like to go, when the time […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 18, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Careers, Getting through life and work, Life Outside of Work, Travel

I don’t recall all of the details as well as Melissa does – but it is a fun exercise to mentally walk down the street retracing steps long ago taken. One of the tests for me was re-finding my way in Sydney after having lived there for a year. On the 2 occasions when Melissa […]

Too many lawsuits, too many lawyers…

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 13, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Litigation Tips, Magnus, MagnusInsights, MagnusResearch, Marketing your business, Psychology, trial consultants, Trial Consulting

All of us who work with, for, or who are, lawyers, have heard it over and over, “there are too many lawyers/lawsuits” or “lawsuits are frivolous.” Sometimes this includes a reference to McDonald’s and coffee, but it is a comment that we at Magnus hear often in some form. I heard it recently when asked […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 13, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Litigation Tips, Magnus, MagnusInsights, MagnusResearch, Marketing your business, Psychology, trial consultants, Trial Consulting

I am constantly amazed by many people’s willingness to say and do things that dispel any doubt that they have no idea about the subject they are speaking. I have lost count of the number of times when, after revealing my occupation to a layperson, he/she immediately regales me with boring accounts of jury duty; […]

1 2 … 39 Next →

About this blog

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

About Magnus