Before we get into inventory, it's worth looking back at where this series started. In Topic #1: Product Development, I focused on solving real customer problems instead of simply looking at a competitor's product and trying to make it a little better. The point was simple: strong products should start with an unmet need, not with a benchmark. In Topic #2: Pricing & Channel Pricing, I talked about building the right pricing structure around that product, understanding your br

In the first article in this series, I talked about product development and why I believe aftermarket companies should spend more time solving customer problems and less time building a slightly better version of someone else's product. But developing the right product is only the beginning. The second thing I would focus on is pricing. And I don't mean taking your cost, multiplying it by a factor, comparing it to three competitors, and calling it good. Pricing is one of the

I've spent most of my career in the automotive aftermarket, and if I were handed the keys to an aftermarket company tomorrow, I wouldn't start by changing the sales team, cutting expenses, hiring a new marketing agency, or immediately launching ten new products. I would start with one question: What problems in our industry are customers still dealing with that nobody has solved correctly? Because somewhere along the way, I think too much product development became product co

One of the biggest mistakes I see companies make in new product development is deciding what the product should be before the product team and engineering ever get involved. Leadership comes into the room with an idea, engineering is told what to build, sales is brought in when it's almost finished, and marketing gets involved a few weeks before launch. Then everyone wonders why the product doesn't generate the excitement they expected. I believe there's a better way. Give yo

This might be a little overboard, but it gets the point across. For years, lean manufacturing has been held up as the gold standard for operational excellence. Build less. Carry less inventory. Reduce waste. Improve efficiency. Increase cash flow. On paper, it sounds like the perfect business model. But here's the reality: Lean manufacturing is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. It's a tool. Like any tool, its effectiveness depends entirely on how and where you use it. I've w

Your Marketing Isn't Broken... Your Commercial Trust Is. Marketing has changed more in the last decade than at any other time in modern business. Consumers have more information, more choices, and more skepticism than ever before. They can compare products in seconds, read reviews from thousands of strangers, and verify your claims before your salesperson even has the opportunity to introduce themselves. This shift has created a new reality for every business. Marketing is no

Every salesperson has heard the saying: "People buy from people they trust." It's repeated so often that it's almost become meaningless. But if you strip away every sales methodology, every CRM, every AI tool, every marketing campaign, and every pricing strategy, you'll find that one thing still determines whether a customer comes back: Trust. The interesting part is that trust has very little to do with how good you are at closing deals. It has everything to do with how you

Innovation is one of the most overused words in business today. Every company claims to be innovative. Every annual report mentions innovation. Every executive says it's a priority. But what is innovation, really? Innovation is the process of creating and implementing new ideas, products, services, or processes that solve meaningful problems and deliver value. Notice what that definition does not say. Innovation is not invention. Innovation is not copying a competitor and mak

In the movie Moneyball, Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics faced a challenge every business owner knows well: how do you compete when you don't have unlimited resources? The traditional baseball world chased superstars. Beane chased statistics that others overlooked. Instead of spending millions on a few big-name players, he assembled a team of affordable players who consistently got on base. The result? They won. The same principle applies to business. Too many businesses

Using common sense saves time. In a world filled with dashboards, artificial intelligence, analytics, consultants, and endless meetings, one of the most powerful business tools remains surprisingly simple: Common sense. According to the dictionary, common sense is: "Sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts." In other words, it is the ability to make practical decisions that are logical, reasonable, and grounded in reality. While common

One of the biggest mistakes companies make with product launches is thinking a launch begins the day a product goes live on their website. It doesn't. A product launch starts weeks before the first unit ships. Too many brands quietly upload a new product to their website, make a few social posts, and hope demand shows up. Then they wonder why sales feel slow or why excitement fades after a week. That's not a product launch—that's simply listing a product for sale. The best pr