BMO U.S.’s Post

Sticks, stones and a Stanley mug as a gift from my loving family... Yeah that's right. Crack your jokes. I have thick (enough) skin to take it. I thought it was silly when the Stanley 1913 Quencher began showing up on the scene and was somehow dismissed by snarky comments, mostly directly at women and their new "accessory". I was initially dismissive as well, asking myself what was different about this tumbler versus all the others on the market, and why was it so appealing? Before I knew it, my wife and oldest daughter each had one. I'm a bit of a hydration snob so I simply chalked up to the notion that, "If this helps them consume more water, great!" And then I got one as a gift from my sweet and dearly beloved; my people, my crew, my team at home. So what did I do? I did what every good family man does...I took proud ownership of my new accessory and now take it with me everywhere I go, in spite of the snarky looks, jokes, and whispers behind my back, as I strut by. The good folks at Stanley are having the last laugh however as their annual sales have skyrocketed over the last few years from roughly $70M to $750M! Sometimes, all it takes is a small tweak to your operations to make massive gains in profitability. What good idea are you sitting on that could be great with a minor adjustment? Develop the vision. Create the new product. Perform the service in a new way. Be professional. Be awesome and stay hydrated! If you you like my content, follow my company, BAIR and discover how we creatively approach environmental and air quality compliance at https://lnkd.in/gh6QFimh. Cheers!

Polo is a man of strong convictions, particularly when it comes to masculinity. He’s carved from the stone of strong, unwavering, and resolute men. Suffice it to say, he is an irredeemable fanatic of the fictional men’s conference. So every 14th February, he hopes he’ll make it to the much-coveted speaker list at their get-together. Look, we have to respect the dedication of the man to the cause. I mean, the guy wouldn't be caught dead doing anything that would lower his street creds like wearing pink or, even worse, making pinky promises. But every man has a flaw, and Polo’s is that he sometimes wears t-shirts with captions like ‘I need space’. We figure a man would rather just say it, right? The dilemma is that Polo is also a digital marketing whiz, which means he’s always looking for likes, comments, engagement, and traffic (do you see where I'm getting at?). But let's hand him to the jury….Looking at Polo’s work, is it objective to say that he’s always chasing attention? #ThisIsGrowthpad #Growthpad

We went to a St. Patrick's parade today in Dallas. Why was it on a Saturday and a day before St. Patrick's Day? No idea. Perhaps, operationally, that was the most rational outcome. I had no expectations and no prior experience of watching such parades. I also don't drink (which might be shunned upon on such a day 🤷🏼♂️). So, it was an interesting experience to say the least. As all celebrations go, people enjoyed themselves - and this is great to see. I love seeing people come together and share joy and laughter. As businesses go, they didn't pass on the opportunity to advertise. Most of the actual parade were various different companies with big banners and much of green color. I saw businesses from local pizzeria and a small lawyer firm to gyms to larger corporations and banks. A long line of trucks and other huge vehicles with plenty of people on top dancing and throwing various green and gold colored freebies towards gathered onlookers. So a few lessons I took away with me: 1. Parades and celebrations can be huge and a great opportunity to advertise and get a new market share. Next big thing? I'd imagine a solar eclipse in April. 2. It's always great to get out and celebrate together, whatever the occasion might be. I wasn't particularly in the mood this morning, but this outing made me feel better. 3. With so many people gathered together in the same area, it's a good place to gather data and push petitions. There were several groups of people gathering signatures for ongoing petitions (mostly about decriminalizing certain behaviors). But what a smart move - a lot of slightly inebriated people having much fun and not listening much to what exactly they are signing (without intention of sounding ominous). All in all, don't forget to get out and celebrate different occasions! Happy St. Patrick's Day! #stpatricksday #advertising #marketing #petition #takeaway

While many celebrated Valentine's Day this past week, we reflected on Palico’s role as a matchmaker for secondaries buyers and sellers. Just as technology has made the search for a romantic partner a seamless pursuit, our digital marketplace has removed the barriers for investors in smaller PE funds who want access to motivated buyers who are eager to engage. To make these connections a success, parties have to put their best foot forward. Like HarbourVest Partners’s managing director Jeffrey Keay said this week, this means LPs need to think carefully about what assets they want to sell.   I - In a recent interview with Private Equity International, Jeffrey Keay, managing director at HarbourVest Partners shared that he still views the secondary market’s buy-side as constrained by the amount of dry powder available for transactions. This means investors need to give careful consideration to the assets they choose to sell and should elect higher quality and cashflow-positive fund stakes that will attract stronger buyer interest and pricing. The full interview is available: https://lnkd.in/eKHG29qg II - PitchBook reminded us this week that secondaries fund returns peaked in Q3 2021 at a massive 50.3% IRR, a result of huge NAV markups at the time. It’s been downhill ever since then as asset valuations started falling in 2022, exit markets seized up and secondaries funds distributed far less cash to investors. This begs the question - is a bounceback on the way? Most likely, yes. The stabilization in asset valuations since early 2023 is improving deal flow and exits, lifting fund performance, including for secondaries funds. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gUFPcxvm III - Wil Warren, president of Lexington Partners, observed in a recent roundtable hosted by Evercore that sophisticated LPs that have been through cycles are now using the secondary market “programmatically.” These investors are not purely reacting to liquidity needs. Instead, they are strategically managing their vintage exposure. As GPs come back to market more frequently and with larger funds, LPs can find themselves overexposed to certain vintages and so are selling in the secondary market to reallocate, “pushing [their] exposure forward.” Get the full report: https://lnkd.in/gEJsJ7fD Keep an eye on private equity secondary deal flow
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Think you are above it with this whole Stanley cup craze? Think again. Parents are being asked by their tweens and teens to spend $45 on these large colorful sippy cups. On the surface it is absolutely ridiculous. It's also a great opportunity to talk to your kids about financial choices and how we are all influenced to buy things. But before we have that talk and maybe judge our tweens and teens... let's look in the mirror. Some perspective from this piece in artnet: "No matter what price point we are buying in, collectordom relies on the thrill of the chase, the dopamine rush that comes with the success of the find, and, ultimately, the customizability of a personal collection as a way to adorn one’s identity." Are we really any better or are our price points just higher? Please share your take in the comments! https://lnkd.in/e28PmX2u #influencermarketing #familyfinances #parentingtips #financialwellness #financialgrownup #parentingteens #moneytalk

💼 In case you missed it, The RealReal set up "shop" on Canal Street NOT selling fake bags. The exhibition looks like a real storefront, but the fake merchandise is not for sale. Instead, the store is intended to draw attention to the rise of SUPERFAKES. 🔍 Check out the full story: https://hubs.la/Q02Ch5sl0 #IPnews #IPlaw #counterfeitgoods #anticounterfeiting #brandprotection #trademarks #trademarklaw #intellectualproperty

Insider Tip #1 - BUYING & SELLING STAMPS AT AUCTION - Fear Not! Learn the basics with Tom Droege in about 6 minutes. Click the link below to watch the 1st of 10 videos designed to help build your confidence at auction with or without the help of StampAuctionNetwork. Grab your popcorn and catch all 10 🍿 https://lnkd.in/eu2h8pnm #stamps #stampcollecting #topicalphilately #philately #philatelycollection #stampauctionnetwork #stampauction #auctionknowhow

Insider Tip #1 - BUYING & SELLING STAMPS AT AUCTION - Fear Not! Learn the basics with Tom Droege in about 6 minutes. Click the link below to watch the 1st of 10 videos designed to help build your confidence at auction with or without the help of StampAuctionNetwork. Grab your popcorn and catch all 10 🍿 https://lnkd.in/eu2h8pnm #stamps #stampcollecting #topicalphilately #philately #philatelycollection #stampauctionnetwork #stampauction #auctionknowhow

This is proper marketing to Gen Z. It has it all.

This is the type of advertising I aspire to create with my brand someday soon.