How it begins

Cars. Sports cars. Fast cars. New cars. I have a deep fascination with cars and the automotive industry. Always have. From early days crawling through the service bays at my Dad’s service station repairing tires and getting thoroughly covered in grease to more recent experiences in owning, driving and talking endlessly about cars.

My particular preference is toward small, efficient yet powerful cars that handle really well both at high speed and through the twisty stuff. I prefer the form follows function philosophy. And from the stories to follow, you will note that I am not afraid to try some oddball stuff.

I have started this blog to share my stories. Cars that I have driven. My impressions in cars that I have driven and been a passenger in. Cars I wished I had driven. Road stories. There will be some trucks, but mostly it will be about cars.

I hope you will comment with your own stories and forward on to like-minded individuals. Should make for interesting reading. Hopefully it stirs up discussion.

Chapter 14: “Selling less hasn’t worked…lets try selling more

One of the greatest mysteries of the current business age is the theory that you can cut, cut, cut (expenses and people) to grow your business. Now, I do understand the concept of pruning, but it seems to me that most organizations cut the roots, not the branches. I have actually heard of organizations that cut the human resource department; out-source it because it is non-core. Guess the “people” are not that important.

What if they actually tried selling stuff. Maybe even tried the unthinkable: actually built a better product. Something that was better than the competition but priced lower. Oh wait, that would be the pioneer… :)

Chapter 13: “Thinking through some thoughts”

Ever sat through a meeting when you wished there was a universal volume control that you could use to turn down the volume on the person dominating the room? You would love to suggest that she keep her thoughts to herrself but then that would show that you were not a team player. And you just buy that fancy new car didn’t you. By putting the downpayment on your credit card. With a car allowance that doesn’t cover the payments. And with quite the spike in the insurance payments. Just wait for the first service appointment with the service advisor in the suit who directs your car to the technicians dressed in their spotless white coats. But then, the 30 seconds of fame at the traffic light is worth it isn’t it. Guess you will just have to put up with evesdropping on the thinking. Better turn that volume up again.

Chapter 12 “Put that one on the list of things we do to screw things up”

The unfortunate thing of course is that despite all the writing to the contrary, all the PR flack that is uttered, no organization is perfect. Horrors! In fact if there is one thing I did learn in my years in advertising is that most organizations institutionalize imperfection. How many of you have observed ‘screw up clients’ who ‘couldn’t market their way out of a paper bag if you gave them instructions’. How do they make money? How do they survive? The truth is that it all runs on the concept of borrowing. Borrowing money, time, advice, interest, faith and on and on. Mortgaging the future. Faith if you prefer. It would in fact be easier to look for the things that actually do work. But then that would assume that we didn’t screw that task up as well.