Dave Carpenter Shares the Wisdom of Scotty at Charitable Events

Because of Dave’s concern about the impact of the recession on charities, he has committed to making twenty presentations…in 2009…of The Wisdom of Scotty at no cost to non-profit organizations.

The Wisdom of Scotty is the heartwarming story of what transpires when a multiply disabled young man (Scotty) meets a successful business consultant (Dave Carpenter). Besides having some very powerful life lessons, the story is unique because of the unexpected role reversal wherein Scotty becomes Dave’s teacher.

It would be wonderful if Scotty could tell his story directly to audiences. However, because of the severity of his disabilities, it is Dave who is left with the responsibility to share Scotty’s profound wisdom with the world.

Dave Carpenter is a gifted communicator who can be the highlight of you charitable fundraising event. He has long been a popular speaker and highly regarded consultant in the corporate world where he is best known as someone with a special talent for taking the complex and making it simple to understand (and implement!). You can learn more about his many activities by visiting the LinkedIn profile of Dave Carpenter. And, you can get information here on booking Dave to speak at your event.

Dave Carpenter Presents Strategies & Tactics for Prospering in the Recession

This blog has been designed to help executives, entrepreneurs and everyone else to learn an approach to prospering in tough times. It is intended to be more than just a “feel good” site. The challenges of this economic downturn, for both business and individuals, are very real. In fact, they are as severe as anything I have witnessed in my life time. Businesses and individuals need strategies and tactics relevant to the severity of the circumstances.

I feel very, very fortunate that my entire life seems to have been amazing preparation for these times. My six Outward Bound wilderness experiences have been great preparation for surviving in challenging environments. My work with Scotty, a multiply disabled young man for whom my wife and I are his caregivers, has taught me valuable life lessons about the role of the right attitude, especially under challenging circumstances. My twenty five years on the front lines of the Restructuring world has taught me the strategies and tactics that are critical to saving a company. And, my dozen years of advising growth companies has helped me to hone my understanding of what it takes to start and grow a successful business, no matter the circumstances.

Because of the pain I see so many companies and individuals feeling, I decided to launch this blog. Through regular posts, I will be sharing my best thoughts on what I…and others…believe will be the strategies and tactics for surviving, thriving, and even prospering in these tough times. Does Dave Carpenter have all the answers? Hardly! Like every one of you, I learning new lessons every day. But, as I observe, and even sometimes stumble about, I will share my very latest thinking on what it will take to prosper in the 2008-2009 recession.

Here are the top posts, that readers have communicated as being the most helpful to date…some of the posts deal with business issues, others deal with personal dimensions:

• Tough Times Never Last
• Put On Your Oxygen Mask First
• Abundant Opportunities
• Saving Your Job
• Finding a Job
• Embracing the Recession
  

To learn more about my background, you can visit the site of Dave Carpenter. Or, you can read the LinkedIn Profile of Dave Carpenter.

Your thoughts, comments and observations to any of my posts are most welcome, as is your recommendation of this blog to family, friends and co-workers.

Thanksgiving Blessings

In challenging times, it is sometimes easy to forget to take the time to be appreciative of all that we do have, as opposed to focusing on what we don't have. Without a doubt, there is more pain being experienced throughout the U.S., and even around the world, then there was one year ago. But, almost all of us nevertheless have much for which we can...and should...be appreciative.

So, on this Thanksgiving Day, I want to wish everyone in the U.S. a wonderful holiday. May the joy of sharing some turkey and trimmings with family and friends triumph over any hardships you are enduring.

Today is also a great day to think about the fact that we are blessed year-round. Gratitude is one of the most powerful forces known to mankind.

There is no masking of the challenges so many families are feeling. But, the sun will rise tomorrow. It really will! And, many people around the world will awaken and reaffirm their conscious choice to prosper in these tough times. Will you be one making that choice?

Up next: Over the next week, I will be sharing tips...from people I respect immensely...as to specific things we can all do, on a personal basis, to position ourselves to prosper in these times. Tomorrow, a lesson from someone very, very special in my life.

Recession Impact on Retail

If there is an industry that is taking it on the chin in this downturn, it is retail. Like in most industries, while many are suffering, some are prospering (ala Walmart).

As with other industries, some of those prospering will do so because their market position supports continued business in a downturn. That is not luck...that is being strategically smart! After all, until the most recent extended period of prosperity, the U.S. economy has experienced downturns every 8-10 years. Prudent management will build companies that can prosper in good times or bad times.

Beyond strategically thoughtful market positioning, retailers are long overdue for the kind of re-engineering of their businesses that so many other U.S. industries need. The good times have masked the fact which has long been known by savvy retailers that the industry has many fundamental problems.

For years, easy credit for developers had retailers opening new stores at a rapid clip, with each new store often cannibalizing sales of existing stores. The result was not enough customers to support bloated occupancy costs.

We are overstored in the U.S., especially with internet shopping draining off a steadily increasing share of total retail sales.

But, the fundamental problems of retailing go far beyond being overstored. Changing media habits of consumers has reduced the efficiency of traditional advertising. Most retailers have lost the "fun" element in thier business model. And, many retailers have trained their customers to just wait for sales or coupons.

Most troubling of all, most retailers have been slow to embrace comprehensive customer loyalty programs that would have any of us wanting to keep going back to the same store. Couple this failure with store service experiences that are often void of any evidence of customer appreciation and it is no wonder retailing is in the dumps. For far too long, good times have masked the fundamental problems of this industry.

I remain convinced that 30-50% of the retail chains in this country will not only go bankrupt by February of 2009, but ultimately disappear from the retail scene. That is the bad news.

The good news is that the downturn will foster a new group of winners...retailers who create business models that reflect the changing face of retail.

Business models that will cater to changing consumer buying patterns and that support the company prospering in good times or bad times.

Retailing isn't dieing. Retailing, as we have known it, is what is dieing.

And that is a story line that will play out in industry after industry.