Boundless Blog
October 28, 2008 by Jason Black
SURVIVING THE "R" WORD
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
I am going to write a
couple of blogs on the stress that is being placed on distributors, sales
professionals and end customers. I want to inject a little reality into our
current situation. I truly want all folks to be successful (with or without
Boundless Network). Hopefully some of the topics will create a sense of urgency
or provide some direction for people as they navigate these extremely stressful
times. Like a good preacher, I will try to end my blogs on a high note—everyone
can use a virtual hug.
People of the promotional industry!
I started talking about the big “R” word early this
year. Most people thought I was a cynic (or a bitter bald man), but no, I was
just trying to “keep it real.”
Now reality is upon us, and people have an awful pain
in the center of their gut. Stress is high, and customers are in distress. The
next 12 months will be challenging. So as entrepreneurs, you have some hard
questions to answer.
October 23, 2008 by Jason Black
POLITICS AND PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
I have to admit: I am enamored with this political
season. I love the gamesmanship of the
candidates, watching the debates and arguing (soft debating) with my friends
and co-workers. Candidly, I don’t have a
dog in this year’s presidential race, as it’s my personal opinion that neither
of the candidates are very good and that the entire system is broken and quasi
corrupt. I won’t go into more detail for now, but if you see me at a show and you
want to talk politics, we can rant and rave about the election with a couple of
cold ones.
As I lay awake in bed last night at 3 a.m., my
sleep-deprived brain started taking the race in some interesting directions. I began
to wonder: if I was putting together a company and could only hire prominent
members of the political arena, who would I pick, and for which roles? And,
most importantly, would they survive in my company?
October 21, 2008 by Jason Black
AUSTIN FAST 50: BOUNDLESS NETWORK RANKED #2 FASTEST GROWING COMPANY
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
Last week, Boundless Network was named the No. 2 fastest growing company in Austin with revenue over $10 million by the Austin Business Journal.
While I've always stated that Boundless Network was growing rapidly, I have never offered specifics.
From our founding in 2005 to the close of 2007, Boundless Network posted a 340 percent annualized growth rate. We owe our growth to a team of outstanding sales professionals, a devoted internal staff and more than a thousand clients.
October 16, 2008 by Jason Black
SURVIVOR: PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS EDITION
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
This weekend I performed
an experiment: I tried to go the entire weekend without spending one minute
thinking about the economy and the politics surrounding it. Between the
political campaign and the stock market, it starts to be a little taxing on the
psyche.
October 07, 2008 by Jason Black
THE BOUNDLESS SECRET SAUCE
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
Recently, Boundless Network was named one of the
best places to work in the promotional products industry.
While I'm happy to win the award, I'm actually not surprised that we made the list.
After more than 15 years, I have seen all sides of our industry — the good, bad and ugly. It is from those experiences that I understand that Boundless Network's secret sauce is our culture and passion for the industry.
October 07, 2008 by Jason Black
THE GLASS CAN BE HALF FULL
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
You may think that I’m smoking crack here. As
your 401K and your retirement go down the crapper, here I am talking about
looking on the bright side. But believe me when I say there are going to be
some major winners during the transition of our economic climate. These will
be companies that take advantage of the chance to build a better business model
that works.
October 01, 2008 by Jason Black
BOUNDLESS MPG
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
September 25, 2008 by Jason Black
ANATOMY OF A DISTRIBUTOR MELTDOWN
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
The country’s economic system is in crisis
mode. Unfortunately, I believe there are some difficult times in front of all
of us, as the impact from the first wave of the cratering capital markets
trickles down to the rest of the country. Let’s face it: the government will
not be able to bail everyone out, and there are so many companies
interconnected to the banking system (capital) driven by the value of the
dollar. The dreaded question… which companies are next? How many service
providers will be impacted? How many small businesses will suffer from the
“spigot” being turned off?
That being said, we have to still run our
respective businesses in a profitable efficient manner. I think the promotional
industry will survive, but I also encourage distributorships to stay closely
attuned to their business to avert any possible catastrophes.
September 17, 2008 by Jason Black
HURRICANE IKE
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
As
most people know, Hurricane Ike made its way through Texas last week.
During the process it left a path of destruction specifically in the Galveston
– Houston areas. Most people have probably seen the destruction… it looks like
something straight out of a war zone.
September 10, 2008 by Jason Black
THE PERSON IS THE PRODUCT
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
I am a golfer. I’ve been playing golf
all my life. I grew up learning from one of golfing’s teaching greats, Harvey
Penick. Now that I am a father, my 4-year-old little girl has begun to follow
in my footsteps. She and I often watch the LPGA (the women’s tour) on TV
together. In the process of indoctrinating my daughter into the world of golf,
I’ve found that my viewing of the leader
board is often a little biased. I was curious as to how the LPGA would address
a particular “issue” that’s become a prominent trend in the sport. Last week
they made a first attempt—a weak one, I might add.
Last week the LPGA came out with a controversial
new rule stating that all LPGA members must
speak English by 2010. Understandably, this regulation has garnered some major
criticism from across the golfing community.
September 02, 2008 by Jason Black
HOT OR NOT?
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
Industry folks tend to have strong opinions. Love me or hate me, I'm excited that people are increasingly talking about Boundless Network.
While my goal is not to court controversy, I believe Boundless Network represents a new model for the Promotional Products Industry and I want the industry's top sales professionals to understand the value and opportunity we provide.
Suffice it to say, I was both surprised and pleased that ASI named me to the inaugural 2008 Counselor Magazine HOT List. The award honors the promotional product industry’s most innovative leaders.
August 26, 2008 by Jason Black
ARE YOU A PRIUS OR A SUBURBAN?
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
I am one of those guys. You
know which ones I’m talking about: the big car guys. I drive a 4X4 Chevy
Suburban and have been for the past 20 years. I grew up in big cars, my friends
drive big cars, and I anticipate I will be a Suburban driver for the next 20
years.
August 19, 2008 by Jason Black
ARE YOU A FOX OR A HEDGEHOG?
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
We’re all talking about the stinking recession. Yes it sucks, but
folks… let’s just deal with it. Take the good with the bad, get your head out
of the sand and start taking control of the situation. In this environment, the
winners will rise to the top—and the losers will prepare their obituaries.
July 31, 2008 by Jason Black
Boundless Grows 25 Percent in Q2
Musings by Jason Black | CEO, Boundless Network
Boundless Network is excited to announce that its sales force grew by 25% in Q2, the company recruited 18 new sales professionals across the US.
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