What’s Cheese Got to Do With It?
Now and then, you come across a book or a story that forces you to measure how you are doing in a certain area. Not long ago, a friend recommended “Who Moved My Cheese” by Dr. Spencer Johnson, a powerful allegory for both life and business. The author uses cheese to represent the goal as we travel through the maze of life. Its message prompts readers to ...
Call the Exterminator
Why is painting so much harder than it looks? Why do hobbyists struggle to get as good of results as a professional paint shop? Let’s break it down… Paint is a sticky liquid pushed through a mechanical device that breaks it into tiny particles and casts it onto a surface. While still wet, those particles flow together and form a wet film that becomes a dry film ...
Particles of Emotion
Metallic, Pearl, Pearlescent, Iridescent, Flake, Sparkle, Xirallic, Aluminum, Paleochrome, Chroma, Crystal, Glass, Mica, Pigment, Candy, Tri-coat, Glossy, Matte… Words used in the paint industry to describe color stir emotion. Some of these are scientific, such as “chroma,” which is the purity of color, while others are generic such as pearl, which can be ...
We Sell Steaks (Not Really)
If I offered to sell you my 2021 Harley-Davidson Road Glide at market price but you had no interest in owning a motorcycle, you wouldn’t buy it. But if I offered to sell it for $1000, you would jump at the opportunity even if you had to call your friends, uncle, or neighbor to borrow the money. As a consumer, value trumps price, but both are subject to desire ...
Never Get Bored with the Fundamentals
When I was in the 7th grade, I joined my junior high wrestling team. This team was led by Coach Herbrechtsmeier, whom we affectionately called “Herb” for good reasons. Herb was a principled coach and had led his teams for several years to be the city champions. My first exposure to the idea of establishing fundamentals came at my first wrestling practice, when ...
The Power of Habit
Curtis was a dishwasher before he hit the jackpot. It was 1982, and it felt like a typical night. Curtis bought a lottery ticket like he normally would. He may not have carried any expectancy that this ticket would be the one. Much to his amazement, Curtis went from living paycheck to paycheck to 5 million dollars in the bank. His life from that point forward ...
CPV Paint and Graphics Creates Attention-Getting Paint Scheme for Harley-Davidson's New Del Mar LiveWire Motorcycle Launch
Wisconsin based CPV Paint & Graphics has been painting custom designs and luxury paint finishes for over 45 years, and the business continues to grow as manufacturers look for special ways to differentiate their products from others. FRANKSVILLE, Wis., June 13, 2022 Historically, Harley-Davidson motorcycles have been recognized for their unique paint colors and ...
Preparation Primer
I remember this like it were yesterday. A disappointed customer brought in a bike with a brand-new paint job. The gentleman had paid $2500 for the Ruby Red custom paint job in front of me. Although there were many notable aspects, the strengths of this paint job were eclipsed by one fatal flaw: the surface of the motorcycle looked wavy and imperfect. This is the ...
Beautiful Processes Make Beautiful Paint
We can learn a lot about business when looking at machines. Most modern machinery is dynamic in its complexity. If you were to break open a laptop computer, you would quickly realize that it has many parts which are all vital to the right functioning of that machine. If one part breaks, it just might shut down the whole operation. I strive to run my business like ...
Not All Paints Are Created Equal
I was talking with one of my clients this week about cologne. We were conversing over dinner after a long day of working on a masking system project. He mentioned that one of his hobbies is trying expensive colognes. I was strangely fascinated as he described the ingredients that produce these scents. Noticing my intrigue, he proceeded to show me his all-time ...
