Rene Lacerte

“In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. It’s the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.” – Steve Jobs

As the regular readers of this column know, I like to reference rock’n’roll from the 70s. This time, as I sit down to write my column about listening to your customers, one of my favorite songs from the Wings comes to mind.

Column: Business in Practice

Column: Business in Practice

It’s summertime, and it’s hot. So it only seems appropriate to be thinking about cooling off with a dip in the pool. The problem is that I can’t pull myself away from the Internet and all the applications that are now available for small businesses to run their business. All kidding aside, I’m not sure if you have noticed or not, but the Internet is swimming in applications for small businesses and stores from which to buy them.

Column: Business in Practice

“Who are you?” Despite this bringing to mind a favorite song from The Who, it is a great question for all of us to ask ourselves when it comes to business. When I answer that question, I have to include all the people that have affected and are affecting my life. In short, I am me plus my network. What about you?

Please join me in a thought experiment. Think of the name of your favorite restaurant. Just think of the name. Try not to think about the food, the service, the ambiance or the dessert. For me, it is impossible to keep it just to the name. As soon as I think of the Flea Street Café, I can’t help but think of all the attributes (tasty, organic, caring service, friendly) that make it a great place to eat and my favorite in the bay area.