“The American consumer is toast,” said Stephen Roach, Chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, at our panel, “The Frugal New Consumer” [watch video], on day two of the Milken Institute Global Conference. As far as the Great Recession goes, he went on to say, “we’re only in the third inning.”

On "The Frugal New Consumer" panel at the Milken Global Conference

For those who’ve been reading the paper and watching the tentatively promising numbers on Wall Street, this news may come as a shock.  (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: K9 Cuisine
Why It’s a Gem: Learning from competitors’ customer-service mistakes has helped this pet food supplier leave the others in the dust

When Anthony Holloway experienced lackluster customer service while buying specialty dog food, he didn’t gripe. Instead, he saw the experience for the opportunity it was.  Holloway used other companies’ mistakes as a blueprint for what not to do, a strategy that saw his company become top dog, with a 50-percent growth each month in its first year. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: INK Inc.
Why It’s a Gem: By making a simple change to the traditional business model that public relations firms have used for decades, INK has attracted a spate of new business

Ruby Tuesday: INK Inc. (MP3)

“You get what you pay for.” In the old-school world of public relations, that chestnut didn’t always hold true. The system was based on high retainers, which clients paid whether or not they saw results. That’s like paying the lease on a Maserati and not getting to take it out of your driveway.

But a Kansas City, Missouri-based firm is changing the PR landscape. At a time when many businesses are cutting PR as the first step in tightening budgets, Dick Grove’s INK Inc. is finding its new-business pipeline flooded like a tsunami. How’d they do it? (more…)