From Ghoulies, Ghosties, Long-leggedity beasties,
And all those phantom fears lurking ‘neath our beds in the dark of night,
Good Lords deliver us.
Happy All Hallows Eve from all the BartsBooks crew
Bart Jackson
Dale Caldwell – Takes Helm of Centenary University
His hand on my shoulder, Dale stated enthusiastically, “We can change the world from here.” Every once in a rare while the exact right leader finds a perfect fit with the exact right team. And I was fortunate to witness this on October 21st when the idealistic, energetically inventive Dr. Dale Caldwell donned the President’s robes and was invested with the leadership of the refreshingly progressive faculty and students of the 156-year-old Centenary University based in Hackettstown, New Jersey.
Currently, Dale serves as founding head of the Dale Caldwell Foundation, and the Entrepreneur Zones movement which battles poverty in distressed communities by developing new businesses. Previously, Dale served as head of Farleigh Dickinson University’s Rothman Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, working to promote family businesses and the Prometheus Social Enterprise Awards. For President Caldwell, Centenary offers an ideal platform. An impressive number of the 1,200 undergraduate students take active part in ENACTUS, an national organization that guides collegiates into entrepreneurial enterprises as a catalyst for progress. Prior to the inaugural ceremony, Dale and several undergraduates celebrated his donating supplies to a local food pantry and books to a nearby correctional facility.
In his address, Dr. Caldwell noted that “Within our institutions of higher education we possess ample and necessary brainpower and energy to solve all the problems facing our society.” It seems only fitting that the Centenary mascot is the cyclone. Keep your eyes on this whirlwind center of innovative learning… where “changing the world” becomes a practical mission.
Speaking of Honor…
You should have seen our CEO appealing to the board of directors’ sense of honor. It was like watching a violinist trying to saw down a tree: he had the right motion, he just was using the wrong tool.
Afterthought. Alas, greed and fear of greedy shareholders can all too often blanket board members’ vision of pursuing the honorable course. Thus the wise CEO is one who can lead her team along a profitable path to the most ethical decisions.
Work Wit
Work Wit:
Taxing Choices… The government offers business two equally unpopular payment plans: either pay your actual tax bill, or buy a politician. The headaches of the latter usually prove more painful than the price tag of the former.
Biz Quiz: How much does U.S. business spend on lobbying? In 2022, we spent $4.09 billion – up $300 million from the previous year.
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The Finance Dance… Startup funding for dewy-eyed entrepreneurs lies in vast and easily available abundance – provided Dad owns a hotel chain.
Biz Quiz: How many businesses launch in the United States each year? In 2021, 5.4 million new business applications were filed, in 2022, 5.1 million were filed and 2023 already shows a 7% increase. Approximately only 20 percent of these fail in the first two years.
Work Wit – What’s Funny About Business
Work Wit: The Scowl of Self-Absorbtion…If you get really, really serious about everything that you do, you probably won’t like yourself any better than anyone else does.
Biz Quiz: What percentage of surveyed US workers claim to be passionate about their jobs? 20 % (65% claim to be “satisfied.”)
WORK WIT: America The Beautiful…An entrepreneur knows he’s landed in the right country when he spends more time & money giving rebates to loyal clients than to dubious government officials.
Biz Quiz. Within the last decade, what percent of new enterprises in the United States are launched by first generation immigrants? 48.7 percent.
WORK WIT: Face to Place…Our last “live” team meeting was attended by eight cups of coffee, one intern, and seven laptop screens sporting faceshots of their owner.
Afterthought: The intern unanimously voted himself to department head, and reported to the CEO that it was the most productive meeting held by our team since he joined the firm.
WORK WIT: Polishing Your Brilliance…I think the reason so many people keep asking me to write my ideas down is so that they won’t have to listen to them.
Biz Quiz: If you are given one minute to relate your idea, how many words should you use? 120 – 160 is considered an understandable rate of speech.
WORK WIT: Sharing Your Wealth…A financial planner is an individual who has not been able to make himself rich, but who truly believes that if you give him your money, he can make you both rich.
Biz Quiz: How many financial planners are active in the U.S.? About 330,000 – that’s 10 planners for every stock listed in NASDAQ.
WORK WIT: Smoke & Mirrors…In America, being successful is helpful, but appearing successful is a necessity.
Biz Quiz: What percent of small businesses closed during the pandemic? Accuracy is difficult here, but during the 2nd quarter of 2020 federal reserve tracking found 37.4% of small businesse shut doors at least temporarily.
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WORK WIT: Polishing Your Brilliance…I think the reason so many people keep asking me to write my ideas down is so that they won’t have to listen to them.
Biz Quiz: If you are given one minute to relate your idea, how many words should you use? 120 – 160 is considered an understandable rate of speech.
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Work Wit – Ah, ‘tis Spring… Time for careless banks to melt away and careful bankers to grab their parting bonuses and slither into greener pastures.
Biz Quiz: How many United States banks have failed in the 21st century? 563 failed, leaving 3,123 remaining in 2023.
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Work Wit: Corona Wonders…What do you call a nation where people sit down and chat face-to-face to share a glass of wine, but stand on a moving treadmill and squint into a screen to share employment in the same company? America the Beautiful.
Biz Quiz: What is the best estimate of treadmill desks purchased in the last decade? Somewhere between 400,000 and 600,000. https://bartsbooks.com
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Work Wit – America The Beautiful…An entrepreneur knows he’s landed in the right country when he spends more time & money giving rebates to loyal clients than to dubious government officials.
Biz Quiz. Within the last decade, what percent of new enterprises in the United States are launched by first generation immigrants? 48.7 percent.
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Sign of Our Times…She wouldn’t be caught dead venturing into marriage with an off-the-rack wedding gown, but she thinks nothing of venturing into a new enterprise an AI generated business plan.
Biz Quiz: What is the price of the average wedding gown in the U.S.? America’s 2.5 million brides this past year paid an average of $2,000 – $4,000 for their wedding gowns.
The American Way… As a patriotic gentleman of business, I whole-heartedly support all legislators who give contracts to my firm. Of course, those who give contracts to my competitors are irresponsible wastrels and darn fools.
Biz Quiz: How many government contractors are employed in the U.S.? You are paying for 5,294 contractors – 55% are male – average age is 46.
