By Mike Ballard When is the last time you visited a movie rental store? It’s likely been more than 10 years. I remember going to Blockbuster with my family when my children were little to pick out our Saturday night movies. The kids always cared more about the snacks than picking the movies! My kids […]
Archive | Strategy
Ascent Multifamily Breaks into Inc 500
Ascent Multifamily Breaks Into Top 500 in 2020 Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies Las Vegas firm ranks No. 374 with a growth rate of 1,218 percent Inc. magazine announced today that Las Vegas-based firm Ascent Multifamily is No. 374 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, a prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. […]
Succeeding with Limited Resources, According to ‘Moneyball’
One of my favorite films is the Brad Pitt movie Moneyball, because it serves as a wonderful case study to showcase that, if a leader wants, he can look at challenges as opportunities and come up with unconventional solutions. It shows how an open-minded leader with limited budget valued the importance of data to assemble […]
Make Your Own ‘Field Of Dreams’
“If you build it, they will come.” Made famous in the renowned motion picture “Field of Dreams,” this iconic phrase depicts an admirable work ethic that is applicable to life beyond the screen. Field of Dreams, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, is certainly an entertaining movie for baseball aficionados, but it also offers a […]
New Opportunity Zones Rules Are Released.
The government’s rules give more leeway to funds and businesses looking to invest in distressed areas nationwide. The government released its long-awaited and latest set of Opportunity Zone regulations Wednesday, hoping to provide investors who have been on the fence with the clarity needed to begin developing projects in distressed areas nationwide. Under the law, […]
Bohemian Rhapsody: Learning to Turn Weakness Into Strength
Released less than a month ago, Bohemian Rhapsody, the story of Freddie Mercury and the band Queen, is already the highest grossing music biopic movie in history. And while Mercury was an amazing singer, it’s his strong business acumen that I most often remember. The man’s mind focused on solving problems, capitalizing on opportunities, and […]
What we can learn about branding from Chip & Joanna Gaines
I recently visited Magnolia Market in Waco Texas, the home & lifestyle store that supports multiple lifestyle brands by Chip & Joanna Gaines of HGTV’s Fixer Upper show, among many ventures. Chip and Joanna are beloved lifestyle entrepreneurs, with a home improvement empire that includes the Market, Magnolia Homes, books, the Hearth & Hand line […]
It’s Only A Crazy Dream Until You Do It.
Serena Williams is now just a few matches away from potentially winning her seventh U.S. Open. She is an extremely talented athlete who has trained from her youth with the goal to play professional tennis. Last week, I saw this video featuring Serena and loved it. Nike released the video last week at the start of […]
Urban Population Reaches Parity with the Suburbs
New research from the Urban Land Institute shows that the population of urban neighborhoods in many metropolitan areas is growing as quickly or nearly as quickly as that of suburban neighborhoods, reflecting ongoing consumer demand – particularly among younger households — for living environments that are convenient to jobs, transit, and urban amenities, and which are highly […]
What We Can Learn from Solo, The First Star Wars Failure
For science fiction movie fans, Star Wars is a franchise that seemed like it could never fail. But Solo: A Star Wars Story has shown that the historic franchise can produce a flop, and provides several lessons that developers and apartment owners can learn from. Solo: A Star Wars Story has “only” garnered $210 million at the domestic box […]
