The lyrics of Dermot Kennedy’s song “Outnumbered” start like this: Don’t tell me this is all for nothing I can only tell you one thing On the nights you feel outnumbered Baby I’ll be out there somewhere If you are an entrepreneur and Corona is your first worldwide crisis in your business life, you might […]

The heading is the name of a song created by D. Pomus and M. Shuman, first recorded in 1960 by The Drifters. It was written on the day of Mr. Pomus’ wedding. He had polio and was wheelchair-bound. His wife however was a Broadway actress and dancer. With the song he is telling his wife […]

The generations before my baby boomer one kept some spares even for most of the materials not used daily. The shops and the distributors, supplying them, had their own intermediary stocks. Factories, usually family owned, made production plans taking into account a demand increase, as they were afraid of not being able to deliver the […]

– January 27: The first COVID-19 case in Germany was confirmed near Munich. – January 28: I flew to Munich. – January 29: I went to a pharmacy to buy some toothpaste. When I entered the shop a big basket full of hand sanitizers greeted me. I bought one having learned the evening before that […]

“I must get this project even if I have to give a discount!” my management consultant friend said. She had sold her retail business and started recently to assist other business owners. She wanted to have me as her mentor. Taking our ages into account we’d agreed on the term “exchanging experiences”.☺ “In contrast to […]

It feels unreal but quite a time ago I crossed the 50 mark. To my friends approaching 50 years of age: you are just starting! ☺ “Independent Waters” blogs are for entrepreneurs of all ages. Though in recent months I’ve been contacted by more middle aged readers than young entrepreneurs asking about issues awaiting them […]

Excerpt from an article by Niklas Magnusson in bloomberg(.)com dated 30 January 2019: “H&M has hired Christopher Wylie, the whisteblower who exposed the Cambridge Analytica scandal, to help as the Swedish fashion retailer turns to data analytics and artificial intelligence to better understand what its customers want. Wylie’s main focus will be to help H&M […]

Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would pay their debts. The Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus. According to a 2011 poll, “losing weight” topped the list in the resolution-making Americans, closely followed by “exercising more,” and “quitting smoking”. A 2007 study […]

The first ones were professional… I created a new product and a generic trademark, still well known today. The second set of years saw entrepreneurship at its finest… I had five companies operating simultaneously across different sectors. The third set of years were years of generosity… I learned how to deliver consultancy with finesse. The […]

The brilliant, gravelly voiced singer Joe Cocker died late last year, at 70. His most famous recording, of course, was his bluesy and passionate take on The Beatles’ With A Little Help From My Friends. Lennon and McCartney might have written it for The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967, but […]