Dakx Turcotte

Dow Jones Hit 8,500

My target on the Dow Jones was made at the opening this morning (May 6): 8,504.06.

My new target is now 5,500.

I am liquid since 8,400.

Dakx

On the Dow Jones

In the same line of putting your money where your mouth is, I will do so on my expectations of the Dow Jones Index performance in the forseeable future.

My prediction: the Dow will go up to 8,500 range, then back down to 5,500.

Reasons: First quarter corporate financial results started coming out. Unemployment figures. GDP figures. Interest rate problem: they cannot go lower. Dollar strenght. Amount of dollars printed over the past 6 months. Eastern Europe & Asian economies.

So, I am putting a sell order on all my funds that have the Dow in it at 8,400. And a buy order at 5,600 for the same amount.

Don’t say I didn’t tell you.

Dakx

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

I am a big fan of performance-based compensation models, not only for others, for myself included. And I was really excited to see a shift being pushed by a large corporation to promote performance-based compensation for advertising and PR firms.

Coca-Cola announced earlier this week they would promote “value-based” compensation for their ads/PR firms. Here’s how it works:

BEFORE: Agencies and Coke negotiate in advance how much profit the former will see on a given project.

AFTER: Agency is guaranteed only recouped costs, with any profit coming only if certain targets are met.

BEFORE: Agency decides what Coke should pay for a project based on the time it expects to expend on it.

AFTER: Coke tells agencies how valuable a project is based on strategic importance, whether other agencies could deliver the same outcome, and other factors.

In other words, you will recoup costs but if you exceed targets, you can get 30% profit margin in bonus.

How is performance-based compensation going to change things for the overall industry? It will force large ads firms who control the advertising market to put their money where their mouth is. Will it change things? Yes, it will force creative people to understand the idea behind value, targets, objectives and reality.

I strongly believe we should introduce similar systems for any employee in every company, but the importance of setting real targets and objectives is key.

Dakx

GM

Results for GM:

• Lost $30.9 billions in 2008
• Lost $38.7 billions in 2007
• Asking for a $30 billion bailout fund from the government

Look at their cars, and tell me which one you would seriously consider buying for you, your wife or one of your kids if they could drive: http://www.gm.com/vehicles/results.jsp?sort=brand.

Poor outlook for these guys. Sucks to be them.

How to Succeed in Business? / Comment Avoir du Succès en Affaires?

[Version française plus bas/French version below]

Many people say simplicity is the key to success when in business. Many people on the InterWebs have put out their theories of what it needs to have success in business. Of course, I have my own, inspired by one of my University teachers, Dr. Richard-Marc Lacasse. What I like about his theory is its simplicity. Called the “Success Puzzle”, his theory is good, as examples, for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to know the vital elements needed to build a business, or for investors to know what they need to look for when investing in a company.

In the following posts, I’ll explain more in details the elements of this theory, but here’s a summary:

• Vision: Ability to see what’s coming up, the future.
• Creativity: Need to find solutions to problems.
• Confidence: In us and others.
• Expertise: Be the best in and at what we do.
• Networking: Knowing people key.

More to come on this subject!

Version Française

Plusieurs personnes disent que le simplicité est la clé du succès en affaires. Plusieurs personnes sur l’InterWeb ont établi leur théories sur ce qu’il faut pour avoir du succès en affaires. Bien entendu, j’ai la mienne, fortemment inspirée de celle d’un de mes professeurs d’université, Dr. Richard-Marc Lacasse. Ce que j’aime de sa théorie est sa simplicité. Intitulée le “Casse-Tête de la Réussite”, sa théorie est parfaite, par exemple, pour des aspirants entrepreneurs cherchant à comprendre les éléments vitaux requis pour démarrer et développer une entreprise, ou pour des investisseurs cherchant à comprendre ce qu’il faut chercher et voir avant d’investir dans une entreprise.

Dans les articles qui suivront, j’expliquerai en plus amples détails les éléments de cette théorie, mais en voici un résumé:

• Vision: Être capable de voir ce qui s’en vient, le futur.
• Créativité: Trouver des solutions à des problèmes.
• Confiance: En nous et en les autres.
• Expertise: Être le meilleur en et à ce que nous faisons.
• Réseau: Connaître des gens est primordial.

Plus à venir sur ce sujet!

Dakx