Running at “half-caff” in a caffeinated world.In the first of a series of “From the Outside Looking In” articles I will give my take on how I would address challenges that different companies face.For those of you not from Seattle or familiar with Tully’s, it is a regional coffee chain based in Seattle. It probably has the distinction of being the second largest coffee chain in Seattle, although that doesn’t really help it a whole lot.Tully’s has a big problem, or should I say a small problem. Tully’s is too small to compete with Starbucks’ buying power, but too big to be seen as a credible Starbucks alternative in the mind of those who refuse to patronize chains and instead favor local coffee houses. As a result Tully’s struggles to differentiate themselves from their larger competitor, and continues to lose money.Tully’s has chosen to differentiate itself based on factors such … Continue reading →

Curious where some of the big deals have gotten done in Silicon Valley?For a bit of Friday fun, check out this video:Of course you won’t get a deal by just hanging out in these places, but if you slip your one-pager into the menus, who knows.

I’m in the middle of trying to buy an HP Pavillion dv6700t Special Edition. I tried to buy it from Costco because you can configure it at costco.com for about 10% less than buying through HP directly.Days passed, the promised ship date passed and an e-mail arrived saying that the wireless mouse I had “ordered” was out of stock. I was told my shipment would arrive late with a wired mouse followed by a month later by my wireless mouse.Wireless mouse I ordered? I didn’t order a wireless mouse. Phone calls ensued.It turns out that HP, convinced people will only buy a laptop if a free wireless mouse is involved, had decided one must be included with every laptop order before it can ship. So I called, and asked for the laptop to be shipped on time sans mouse – no dice. Apparently, HP laptops are built and shipped directly … Continue reading →