Blog
Find Your True North
I remember it like it was yesterday: catching an early Friday morning flight out of Portland, Oregon, after a hard week of meetings, late-night conference calls, and very little sleep. I was frustrated, exhausted, angry, and discouraged. I could not wait to get home...
Choosing Quality Dealer Education That Meets Dealer Employee Needs – Part II
Dealers have many choices when they are looking for education for employees. Technical colleges provide an excellent starting point for those students interested in becoming equipment technicians. Attending a high-quality college technical program will shave years off...
The Case for Continuous Dealer Employee Education – Part I
Most of us are believers in “continuous education,” right? We understand that our environment is constantly changing. That includes both state and federal politics and regulations, technology, industrial processes, economic and seasonal business cycles, interest and...
A “No or Low Hire, No or Low Fire” Economy – An Industry Solution?
In the United States we have a challenging economic situation. GDP grew at an annual rate of 2.1% in quarter 1 of 2026, slowing to 1.5% in quarter 2. Inflation (CPI) in July was down a little to 3.4%, still way above the fed’s target of 2.0%, leaving people to worry...
EVERYONE IS DOING THEIR JOB – So Why Aren’t We Getting Better Results?
A Paper by Mark Fitzsimmons Managing Director, 360 Degrees Management Consulting The Meeting Looked Good Many of us have attended a meeting like this. Sales reports a strong month. Operations says productivity has improved. Finance confirms that costs are under...
Why We Created an Employee Development Business
In many capital goods companies, employees receive basic training when they are hired. They are shown how to do the job, told they will become faster and make fewer mistakes with experience, and then left largely on their own. Over time, employees often develop...
Who We Are at Learning Without Scars
Learning Without Scars began in the early 2000s as the successor to Quest Learning Centers, which we founded in 1994. In 2015, we closed the California company and formed Learning Without Scars LLC in Hawaii. My use of computer-based training grew out of the...
What’s Really Holding Your Dealership Back
John Dowling joins a Candid Conversation on dealership management and why many equipment dealerships appear busy yet remain unprofitable. He explains the thinking behind his new book, “What’s Really Holding Your Dealership Back,” and why he uses a practical, how-to...
Busy Does not Mean Making Money
Busy does not mean profitable, and “we sold a ton” does not pay the bills. Our Candid Conversation this week digs into this typical Capital Goods dealer/distributor. We are joined by John Dowling, author of Service by the Boxes, to unpack why so many equipment...