Tyler Thomason’s Post

Here's a David vs Goliath story if ever I saw one. In the 1950s, Whataburger began operations in Texas and What-A-Burger opened in North Carolina. Whataburger, now owned by a dreaded private equity firm expanded to about 1,000 outlets with roughly $3 billion in revenue. Over the years, What-A-Burger opened a number of different outlets in the southeast, tacking on a number for each new entity. Some are owned by different branches of the founding family; some have been sold to third parties. This dispute involves What-A-Burger #13 and its two locations. For years, Whataburger and What-A-Burger had an agreement that seemed to have kept the companies out of each other's hair. Now Whataburger wants to move into the neighborhood and get What-A-Burger out of its way. Whataburger claims it is not trying to shut down the long established local business ... it just wants What-A-Burger to change the name they've been using for 55 years. To hell with What-A-Burger's #intangible #value. To hell with its established brand. Whataburger is big and bad and wants to own the region. This should be an interesting battle. (One it lost, btw, in 2002 with an unrelated Virginia based What-A-Burger.) Personally, I can think of a number of ways to resolve it without years of #litigation, but I'm sure neither side's lawyers want my opinion. #businessvaluation #intellectualproperty #trademark

Have you made lunch plans for next Wednesday? Add this lunch and learn to your calendar and hear from a panel discussion of food start-ups in Minneapolis! Learn more below 👇

Open source tools for software package analysis? Here's Sebastian presenting the ORT analyzer, 12 first minutes of the video.

The best analytical view of MCD's CosMc's you are going to get unless you are sitting in MCD Hq. Thank you R. J. Hottovy, CFA ! I feel as a standalone entity it will take MCD longer than one year to get a read on this. One must really get into year 2-3 to see the cash on cash returns and the true sales trajectory.

Whataburger, a Texas fast-food chain, sued North Carolina's What-A-Burger #13 for using a similar name. Whataburger has had the name since 1957, while the North Carolina group started in 1969. They made a deal in 2022, but Whataburger claims the North Carolina group broke it. Whataburger wants What-A-Burger #13 to stop using the name, especially since it plans to open in North Carolina in 2025. On June 11, 2024, Whataburger paused the lawsuit but might sue again. Do you think Whataburger is right? Should What-A-Burger #13 change its name? #TrademarkBattle #Whataburger #BrandProtection #TrademarkInfringement https://lnkd.in/dU5XAgPZ

If you have a #veterinary competitor coming to you locally, take a moment to strategize and maintain your edge. 💡 Did you know? 97% of people turn to online sources to learn more about local businesses (Source: SEO Tribunal). 1️⃣ Assess your Google presence: Search these terms on Google (don't wait for a competitor, try it now): A) "Vet near me" B) "Best Vet near _____ (town)" C) "_____ (type: dog/cat/pet) vet near me/town" Repeat the searches on Google Maps to gauge your ranking there as well. 2️⃣ Reviews make a difference! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Consider this: Would you choose a 3.1⭐ #veterinaryclinic with 26 reviews over a 4.6⭐ #veterinarypractice with 161 reviews? Your market typically won't. #ai assisted review request and management is here (see image) ✅ *Research indicates that 91% of 18 to 34-year-olds trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. ✅ *The importance of negative reviews has increased, with 96% of customers actively seeking them out—a significant jump from 85% in 2018. *https://t.ly/LfA7w

🙏 Thanks for the encouragement Jack Chew to write a timely piece on functional #rehabilitation where resources are scarce across the board, not just in MSK, but in so many aspects of health care right now - we must look beyond short term gains if we are to truly support patients in their need to return to living good quality lives after injury or illness - physical, psychological, vocational rehab all key components. #righttorehab #rehabmatters

Inspired by this #founder story of Bob Moore of Bob's Red Mill, who started his company at 50 years old and, as of 2018, it generated more than $50 million in revenue. He passed away this month at the age of 94 and transferred ownership of the company to his 700 employees because he felt it was the fair thing to do. He said in an article, "The more everyone organizes and works hard, the greater the profitability of the company, and that translates into higher value of ownership." Read more in Inc. Magazine here: https://lnkd.in/gAcW8-dp

More expansion coming….

Exceptional customer service isn't just a byproduct of a good business. It comes from intentional, consistent energy and change. First, you need the right people. These people need to be experts in their profession. They have to know how to solve customers problems. But that's just the start. They need soft skills to be able to not only communicate clearly and concisely, they also need to be able to anticipate the next need and the next, proactively addressing questions and potential issues. But that's not all. They also need to have a "can do" mindset, one where they listen carefully and take extra steps to delight their clients. But people are only part of requirements for exceptional customer service. Your business needs to have processes and technology in place to allow those exceptional people to provide the service. They need to be able to access information right away. They need to be able to have the knowledge and authority to guide customers. Systems should be designed to proactively engage with customers, so they experience service even before they know they may need it. Yet, you still can't stop there. What you did yesterday is no longer good enough. You need to continually improve. You need to invest in refining your processes, upgrading your systems. You need to be willing to be better. All of this takes time and resources. It can be expensive if you only look at outbound cash. Yet, isn't delighting customers what it's all about? Isn't that what builds loyalty? Isn't that what makes them tell friends and family about their experiences? We are grateful to Taylor Lipsy and the rest of our team for taking on these daily challenges and continuing to uplevel with us. We are delighted to see it's delighting our customers.