Dave Richardson

Be Ready For Those Great Ideas That Always Seem to Come After Midnight

This habit helps capture more brainstorms while also stressing less.

Published

11 years ago

January 20, 2014

Dave Richardson Instore February 2014 Issue

WHY IT IS TRUE: It’s 3 a.m., you are sound asleep, and suddenly you are hit with a brilliant idea. The more you roll around in your mind, the better it seems to get. You commit yourself to remembering it, and immediately store the masterpiece in your memory. Awakening the next morning you not only can’t remember what the idea was, you can’t even recall that you had one in the first place!

PLAN OF ACTION: Place a pen and a pad of paper on the nightstand. Turn on the light, and jot down a few notes. Don’t want to turn on the light? Grab a voice recorder or your phone and briefly record your idea. Don’t want to risk awakening your partner? Duck under the covers and speak softly. Uh-oh … your partner wakes up. Not to worry, remind them of your brilliance, continue to record your idea, and fall back into never-never land.

Four Decades of Excellence: How Wilkerson Transformed a Jeweler's Retirement into Celebration

After 45 years serving the Milwaukee community, Treiber & Straub Jewelers owner Michael Straub faced a significant life transition. At 75, the veteran jeweler made a personal decision many business owners understand: "I think it's time. I want to enjoy my wife with my grandchildren for the next 10, 15 years." Wilkerson's expertise transformed this major business transition into an extraordinary success. Their comprehensive approach to managing the going-out-of-business sale created unprecedented customer response—with lines forming outside the store and limits on how many shoppers could enter at once due to fire safety regulations. The results exceeded all expectations. "Wilkerson did a phenomenal job," Straub enthuses. "They were there for you through the whole thing, helped you with promoting it, helping you on day-to-day business. I can't speak enough for how well they did." The partnership didn't just facilitate a business closing; it created a celebratory finale to decades of service while allowing Straub to confidently step into his well-earned retirement.