Geoff Ficke
Free
Marketing Consulting & Product Development Expert
Geoff Ficke Quick Facts
- Main Areas
- Marketing and Product Development Consulting
- Career Focus
- Business Owner, Author, Speaker
- Affiliation
- Fellow at Page Business School Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Geoff Ficke has been a serial entrepreneur for almost 50 years. As a small boy, earning his spending money doing odd jobs in the neighborhood, he learned the value of selling himself, offering service and value for money. After putting himself through the University of Kentucky (B.A. Broadcast Jou
alism, 1969) and serving in the United States Marine Corp, Mr. Ficke commenced a career in the cosmetic industry. After rising to National Sales Manager for Vidal Sassoon Hair Care at age 28, he then launched a number of ventures, including Rubigo Cosmetics, Parfums Pierre Wulff Paris, Le Bain Couture and Fashion Fragrance. Geoff Ficke and his consulting firm, Duquesa Marketing, (www.duquesamarketing.com) has assisted businesses large and small, domestic and international, entrepreneurs, inventors and students in new product development, capital formation, licensing, marketing, sales and business plans and successful implementation of his customized strategies. He is a Senior Fellow at the Page Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Business School, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
Articles by this expert
SelfGrowth articles and saved writing connected to this expert.
Article
If When - Two Often Crippling Words
by: Geoff Ficke Words matter. How we express ourselves is the most important indicator of the type of person we are and the type of life we lead. In my work as a marketing consultant I have the opportunity to meet hundreds of people each year. They are usually attempting to bring a product, service or idea to the commercial marketplace. I rarely physically meet them, most contacts being made by mail, phone or e-mail.
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A Simple Lesson from Aristotle On the Value of Finishing What You Start
by: Geoff Ficke The greatest Greek philosopher, Aristotle, is widely studied and discussed to this very day for his keen observations on the human condition. For almost 2400-years Aristotle’s numerous writings, philosophical tracts and pithy comments on men and their relations toward each other and their environment have been dissected for the many layers of meaning that can be conjured from attempting to decipher his reasoning and logic. He enchants us still.
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How Not to Choose a Professional Consultant
Several years ago I wrote an article entitled “How Do You Choose the Best Marketing Consultant”. The article was posted on my website - www.DuquesaMarketing.com - and on numerous print and internet links. The content was written to advise layman of the many options and obstacles that should be addressed in their search for experienced and competent consulting help. Common sense, some inside-baseball tips and guidance on avoiding shyster’s constituted the bulk of the articles copy points.
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There Is Always Money to Fund Start-ups - Just Be Focused and Creative-It’s Never Easy
by: Geoff Ficke We live in perilous financial times. As the markets have imploded, home prices cratered, jobs lost and incomes uncertain many people have become very risk averse. Very understandable! Many of us are more focused on maintaining our resources than expanding them in the face of so many unknowns. The American dream to successfully start and grow a self-owned business is always going to be with us. However, in times like these, some entrepreneur’s have become less willing to take the plunge into the ownership class.
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The Invention of Interchangeable Parts Terrified Government 200 Years Ago-and Today
by: Geoff Ficke Since the beginning of time, until the middle of the 19th century the production of goods was conducted on an artisan, piece by piece basis. Over these many centuries the center of the individual’s universe was the local environ where commerce and enterprise were conducted on a small scale, often bartered basis. The idea of mass production was impossible to fathom.
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How a Pre-Sell Campaign Will Mitigate Financial Risk and Confirm Market Acceptance for New Consumer Products
How a Pre-Sell Campaign Will Mitigate Financial Risk andr Confirm Market Acceptance for New Consumer Products by: Geoff Ficke Our Consumer Product Development and Marketing Consulting firm typically works with two types of clients. One is a startup requiring total support and guidance from conception through market launch. The other is to provide re-boot services for already existing product that has been unsuccessful in the marketplace. The startup is a far easier project to control and nurture.
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The Lesson of “I, Pencil” An Essay on Economic Freedom for the Ages
The Lesson of “I, Pencil” An Essay on Economic Freedom for the Ages As a young college student studying economics in the 1960’s I was exposed to the writings and philosophy of Leonard Read while researching a paper on Adam Smith’s enlightened principle of the “Invisible Hand”. Mr. Read had founded the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) in 1948. As I conducted my sophomore research I noted that the thoughts and articles of Leonard Read were inevitably intertwined with the ideas of the capitalist pioneer Mr. Smith. At that time I stumbled upon an essay that Mr.
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Taking Shortcuts in Order to Secure Investment Funds Is the Pursuit of Fools Gold and Insures Failure
Taking Shortcuts in Order to Secure Investment Funds Is the Pursuit of Fools Gold and Insures Failure by: Geoff Ficke Just today, on a single Linked-In group I visit, I have seen at least five naked pitches seeking funding for a new consumer product, concept or invention. This occurs almost every day on these sites. The efforts are always clumsy, transparent, sophomoric, and can only lead to futility.
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A Baseball Player as an Entrepreneurial Role Model
Watching the Chicago White Sox win the World Series for the first time since 1917, I was struck again how wondrous this beautiful sport still can be. The purest American game, baseball teaches so many of the values we appreciate in all areas of life. Hard work, doing the little things, hustle, overcoming adversity and never quitting are lessons we learn playing Little League baseball. My firm specializes in small business development and boot strapping entrepreneurs. The virtues we see in every baseball game are directly applicable to success or failure for inventors and companies.
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The New Distribution Strategies Your Product Will Need to Succeed
Amazing changes in the retail marketplace over the last 15 years has created new, different obstacles to successfully launch a new product. Marketing romantics muse glowingly about the old days when there were supposedly multiple placement opportunities in every level of retail. True, there were. But on closer inspection, there are as many options now, if not more. People and organizations are not usually open to change. Change is hard, requires a different thought process, imagination, flexibility.
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The Entrepreneurial Spirit Burns Brighter Than Ever
During a recent quick business trip to New York City a normal, everyday travel occurrence ignited a recurring observatio I enjoy more and more frequently. The Entrepreneurial Spirit is booming in America! While sitting in a dank Yellow Cab, crawling in the normal snail paced city traffic, I struck up a conversation with my driver. His name was Aquil and he was a native of Pakistan. After the normal chatter I asked Aquil how long he had been driving. “Three years,” he said, “but I am really not here to drive, I am setting up an import/export business”.
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The Anatomy of a Product From an Idea to Reality
What does it take to turn an idea into a product? How can I realize financial gain from my idea? Where do I start? These and many other questions swirl around would-be inventors and entrepreneurs as they seek to bring new products and services to market. The process can seem daunting for anyone making a first attempt and confronting the typical hurdles and roadblocks the marketplace utilizes to cull the field. I look at hundreds of products each year and have done so for almost 30 years.
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Contacting Geoff Ficke
859-567-1609