Archive | Marketing your Business

Practice Makes Perfect

Practice makes perfect. How many times have we heard this phrase? I have heard it too many times to count! I started playing the piano when I was 6 years old. I started playing the organ when I was 11. My piano and organ teacher was a wonderful friend and neighbor, Corella Johnson, who had […]

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I can attest to Melissa’s commitment to practice.  She takes it seriously and is religious about it, as long as her “day job” doesn’t interfere.  But practice gets a bad rap, that is a bad name.  Melissa’s practice time is often better characterized as “playing” as in “playing the bass.”  Practice seems repetitive and punitive.  […]

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Commercial Litigation: Benefits of a Trial Consultant, Part 3

In the 3rd post in the commercial litigation series, I want to bring some points together. We’ve discussed that executives are accustomed to being in charge, to being the “boss,” and that as litigants, it is often frustrating for them not to be. Also discussed is the fact their perspective may not align with decision […]

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When executives make important business decisions, they must have all available data in order to make the correct decision.  When making the correct decision has an impact on the company’s bottom line, it is imperative to assess every nuance that could impact the company’s future.  In the world of litigation, the bottom line of a […]

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Commercial Litigation: Benefits of a Trial Consultant, Part 2

This is part 2 of the benefits of a jury or trial consultant in commercial litigation. As noted in the prior post, in commercial litigation, high powered people are often involved. We have been involved in many cases in which these parties were “out for blood.” Even though the cases were “only about money,” the […]

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Magnus has worked on numerous commercial cases in which things between or among the parties became personal.  Some people wrongly believe that, because commercial cases are mostly about money (as opposed to compensating someone for an injury), they are boring and impersonal.  This belief is a misconception because, although commercial cases involve a plaintiff suing […]

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Commercial Litigation: Benefits of a Trial Consultant, Part 1

I had a conversation with a friend/client recently. He previously hired us in a personal injury case, but now works in a firm that does mostly commercial litigation. The question arose about what we, at Magnus, do in commercial cases. I explained that a high percentage of our cases are commercial cases. Sometimes, clients or […]

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I have worked with many witnesses during my career.  As with many things in life, my first experience is memorable.  The case was a high profile case in my hometown and the key witness was the owner of a well known and well respected corporation.  Both the corporation and its owner were defendants in the […]

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If You Have to Ask the Price…

The old adage, “if you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it” came to mind when speaking with a client recently. He asked for a menu of services with prices. This is something that we, at Magnus, have never published because our fees/prices vary depending on the specific details of a case. During […]

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I know David would be disappointed if I didn’t mention my favorite slogan about prices.  My dad was born in Medart, Florida, which is located in Wakulla County.  (For those of you who are unfamiliar with Wakulla County, it is located in the Florida Panhandle, near Tallahassee, although culturally speaking, it is worlds away!)  I […]

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Hallowed Ground at Modern Music

By the time I started taking weekly bass guitar lessons at Modern Music, it was anything but modern. Having opened for business in 1970, it was well past its prime by the time I started going there in 2003. Modern Music sold new and used guitars (it was a Fender retailer), amplifiers, PA systems, sheet […]

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It is amazing to think of all that Melissa and I have learned based on the decision I made to get her a bass guitar.  It was time for her to do what she’d always told me she regretted not being able to do when she was a teen.  Modern Music has been one of […]

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The Hang

When my first bass guitar teacher, Doug, decided to teach bass and guitar lessons from a music store in Fort Lauderdale called Modern Music, it was the third location where I went for my lessons. The first place was Mars Music, a large and impersonal music store that went out of business a couple years […]

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Melissa tried to explain the hang to me when she first started observing it but it was difficult for me to comprehend.  The more she told me, the more it reminded me of the 2000 movie High Fidelity staring John Cusack, which involved people doing the hang in a record store.  But, it still seemed […]

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A Friend I Never Thought I’d Have

David reminded me of something recently when we spent the day at the home of our friend, Diana. David remarked that it had been a “musical weekend” because we went to a performance of the band in which one of my friends plays guitar, followed the next day by our visit with Diana, followed the […]

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I feel like I’m always 1 step removed from the musician friends Melissa has made since picking up the bass.  Most of what I knew for a long time was 2nd hand – her experiences.  But, because I enjoy seeing and hearing live music, I enjoyed going to hear these guys play out.  I remember […]

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Musical Friends

I have been a musician since 1964, when I began playing the piano, and following that, the organ. I learned a lot about music from my wonderful teacher and friend, Corella Johnson. Although Corella was an adult, who was married with children, she and I became close friends over the 12 years I took piano […]

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I had no way to anticipate what would happen when I went shopping for a bass guitar and accessories to give to Melissa.  All I knew was that she’d been interested in playing bass for quite a while and it was time to give her that chance.  I figured, and as it turns out, I […]

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By the Numbers

Periodically, I evaluate Magnus’ “numbers” on case types, history, venues, and clients. By this, I mean I classify the cases on which we’ve worked since the last time I “ran the numbers.” I, long ago, created spreadsheets for this purpose and I simply tally the new cases by client, category, venue, etc. It is relatively […]

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The number crunching that is part of David’s job is vastly different from the number crunching that is part of my job.  David’s analyses of our business sources and their associated revenue provide a good foundation for our marketing efforts as we forge ahead into another year.  It is interesting to see how our business […]

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