Archive | Entrepreneurship

Customers: Happier when they leave

We recently visited with our friend Ms. Debbie at Sweet Delights in Homestead. During our conversation, she commented that she wants her customers to be happier when they leave than when they arrived. She has much to offer in that regard with her wonderful cakes and pies, which are truly sweet delights. Her effervescent personality […]

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Magnus is in the trial consulting business, not the bakery business.  Our clients come to us to obtain our expert assistance in solving significant problems, not because they want something sweet to eat.  However, despite the vast differences between Magnus and Ms. Debbie’s company, Sweet Delights, we share a common goal: Keeping the customer satisfied.  […]

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Morning Walks

In an effort to get a bit of exercise, Melissa and I take frequent walks through our neighborhood.  It is a great neighborhood for walking and we have several routine routes.  I’ll share a secret, because of these walks, our arrival at the office is later than our official start time of 9:00 a.m.  I’m […]

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As David and I have written on numerous occasions, owning a small business requires working more than 40 hours a week.  In fact, David and I are rarely completely off work.  On the other hand, we have almost complete control over our schedules and the flexibility to work from home, from a hotel room, or […]

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Front of the house and back of the house

David and I are fortunate to have excellent restaurants located near our home in south Florida. To us, an excellent restaurant is not a chain restaurant; rather, it is a local, family owned restaurant whose proprietors take as much pride in their food and libations as we take in owning and operating our business. An […]

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Melissa’s comparison to front of house and back of house is interesting as we often struggle to figure out the division of labor.  But, she’s right in that though I participate in day of research duties and report writing, that’s her bailiwick. She, like the chef, creates the “meat” of what we do as trial […]

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Rodney & June

I’m surprised at myself for not writing about Rodney and June Higgs before now. My story with the Higgs shows that a chance meeting can create lifelong connections. In February, 1985, I left the USA for what would turn out to be a 13 month, 8 country, adventure. I was awarded a Rotary Foundation Scholarship […]

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David’s meeting Rodney and June Higgs was due to a wonderful set of circumstances, some of which were due to David’s intelligence and personality and others of which were due to serendipitous events.  David’s intelligence led him to graduate from college with honors, which then led him to earn a scholarship to attend one of […]

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Sharing Connections – Referrals

Yesterday I spent a few minutes to make a connection for someone else. She doesn’t know I did it, but maybe one day she will. As I did it, which involved sending an email on her behalf, I thought about the act of doing so. Sharing a connection, making a referral, whether solicited or unsolicited, […]

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David frequently goes out of his way to help people.  In fact, that is one of the reasons I have always liked him!  He helped my mother more than most people in my family, usually, without much appreciation from anyone (including her).  David and I share a “calling” to help people.  I was always taught […]

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Pie Power

John Lennon wrote a great song called “Power to the People.” Norman Vincent Peale wrote many books about the “power of positive thinking.” There are a lot of phrases, movements, and other social issues related to power. But, until recently, I had never considered Pie Power. What is Pie Power? Pie Power is my term […]

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Pie Power – an excuse to bring a few smiles in turbulent times.  And, the times were turbulent when we (I should say when Melissa) conceived of the Pie Power pandemic loosening campaign.  Loosening of the restrictions, that is.  (Then the world got more turbulent; perhaps more pies are now needed.)  The tensions in the […]

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Make Your Own Luck

I don’t consider myself to be “lucky.” I’ve never won the lottery, well, maybe $4 at a time. And, while I know I’m “fortunate” in many ways, “lucky” isn’t how I’d describe it. I work hard, and have always done so, through school and in business. This week has been a week to reflect on […]

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David is one of the smartest people I know.  That’s one reason I like him!  Even when David was a teenager and recent high school graduate, he had the intelligence, not to mention foresight, to introduce himself to the President of Jacksonville University on, as it turns out, his first day on campus.  Call it […]

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“I’ll be there on time if…”

Magnus Research Consultants has, for many years, employed on a part time basis people who work with us exclusively on research days. We call our wonderful part time staff members Research Technicians because they handle numerous technical aspects of our research, including video camera operation, video editing, and oversight of our mock jurors. The majority […]

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I never thought I’d get schooled in racism along the way when hiring employees.  But, it has happened!  While Melissa has observed more of these racist incidents directly than have I, ensuring that our team is not negatively impacted by these experiences has forced me into some uncomfortable roles, and required some creativity.  With regard […]

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Be Prepared: Prepared, for what?

I was, for a short while, a Boy Scout. The Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared.” Though I wasn’t a scout for long, that motto is one I’ve taken to heart my whole life – whether personal or professional. I have always tried to use foresight and prepare for contingencies. Years ago, when working as […]

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It’s difficult to be prepared for something one doesn’t anticipate.  For example, I would never have anticipated that the COVID-19 pandemic would have led to mass hysteria over toilet paper!  What in the world has toilet paper got to do with anything?  (Yes, I know all about it now.  People are resorting to primordial behavior, […]

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Learning New Tricks

As I write this, it has been just over a month since the world’s doors slammed shut. Or, at least the doors in the U.S.A, or at least, in Florida. Well, more or less shut – it changes day by day. As we’ve posted and will continue to do a few more times, COVID-19 has […]

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I mentioned to a friend of mine, who is a retired attorney and, prior to retiring, was a long time client of Magnus’, that David and I are in the process of re-inventing ourselves, and Magnus, in this time of social isolation.  He remarked that it seems a shame for me to have spent my […]

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