March 5, 2007

I've read content from John Dick at Civic Science for what seems like forever. Every Saturday morning I'd get to read something about his kids or Gen-X or survey results they compiled about people being over-worked.

And then, on Saturday, he announced future content belongs to paying customers and friends of his brand. As one gets bigger, traditions are shed in favor of the activities that allow one to get bigger.

I suppose I disagree with what he's doing, but I understand it ... and I should ask similar questions of myself. Should my content be behind a paywall, say on Substack, that you pay to have access to? How much "would" that cost you? Or should it stay here, for free? Tell me what your thoughts are (kevinh@minethatdata.com).

I searched through my inbox to find the date when I started receiving content from Civic Science ... and then I ran across this email I sent people on March 5, 2007. Take a peek at the content:

-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Hillstrom [mailto:kevinh@minethatdata.com]
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 2:15 PM
To: kevinh@minethatdata.com
Subject: Leaving Nordstrom To Start A New Business

 

I want to let you know that I have decided to leave my position at Nordstrom, and start my own consulting practice.  My last day at Nordstrom will be this Friday, March 9.
 
I anticipate beginning my new consulting practice toward the end of this month, following my talk at the New England Mail Order Association event.  I am so excited to get started!!
 
My business will focus on the field of Multichannel Forensics.  It will be my job to help multichannel CEOs and Executives understand complex interactions between Customers, Advertising, Products, Brands and Channels.  I will use actual customer purchase transactions and records to thoroughly explain natural customer paths that lead to increased long-term sales growth, and increased long-term profitability.
 
Here's a subset of leadership questions I plan on supporting:

·         What happens if I decide to shut down my catalog division, and focus only on online initiatives?

·         Which advertising tactics drive the most sales to my online and retail channels?

·         Given our current practices, what do my catalog and online sales project to be over the next ten years?

·         What is the optimal level of offline and online marketing spend for my business?

·         What happens if I increase or reduce the merchandise assortment in my online channel?

·         Do my e-mail, catalog and online marketing programs interact to cause customers to spend more?

·         Do customers cross-shop various merchandise divisions online, and if so, which ones?

·     What are the dynamics that cause my business to be successful?  Is my business successful because of my acquisition or retention strategy?  Is my business successful because I cultivate my own customers, or because other business units send customers to my division?

Please visit my blog (http://minethatdata.blogspot.com) for daily updates, or my website (http://www.minethatdata.com) for details on my new consulting business.
 
Thanks,
Kevin

What strikes me is how remarkably faithful I have been to my original vision for the work I'd perform. Times change ... the questions asked in the origin email are somewhat timeless. Oh sure, the pendulum swings back-and-forth and channels eventually die ... in 2024 the pendulum swung wildly toward helping many of you cut way, way back on your catalog budget while investing much, much more on your merchandise assortment. The last few years the pendulum swung toward forecasting because of the impact of COVID on your business.

But the core concepts remain, unchanged over seventeen-and-a-half years.

Think about your business for a moment. What changed, and what remains timeless?