The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy by THRESHOLD

Over the years, many fellows at VeraSage Institute have coined various laws, such as Baker's Law: Bad customers drive out good customers. Our show on July 24, 2015 dealt with some of these laws. In this show, Ed and Ron will explore even more VeraSage Laws.

This week Ron and Ed interview Doug Sleeter, founder of the Sleeter Group and self professed blockchain obsessed entrepreneur. As founder of The Sleeter Group, Doug created a national group of accounting software consultants who serve small and medium-sized businesses. He is the author of several books including the QuickBooks Consultant's Reference Guide, and the leading market college textbooks QuickBooks Fundamentals and QuickBooks Complete.

According to Wikipedia, an unconditional basic income (also called basic income, basic income guarantee, universal basic income, universal demogrant, or citizen’s income) is a form of social security system in which all citizens or residents of a country regularly receive an unconditional sum of money, either from a government or some other public institution, in addition to any income received from elsewhere. Milton Friedman called it a Negative Income Tax, and Charles Murray dubbed it “the Plan” in his 2006 book, In Our Hands: A Plan to Replace the Welfare State. Murray posits, “Imagine that the United States were to scrap all its income transfer programs—including Social Security, Medicare, and all forms of welfare—and give every America age twenty-one and older $10,000 a year for life.” Join Ed and Ron as they discuss the economic, ethical, political, moral, and incentive implications of the Basic Income.

The last Friday of every month Ed and Ron will do “Free-Rider Friday.” Most of our shows are “topic” driven, where we dive deep into one subject. Free-Rider Fridays are designed to be “event” driven, whatever issues are in the news that we (or you) find worthy of commentary. In economics, free riding means reaping the benefits from the actions of others and consequently refusing to bear the full costs of those actions. This means Ed and Ron will free ride off of the news, and each other, with no advanced knowledge of the events either will bring up. If you’d like to call-in during the live show, the listener line is: 866-472-5790. You can also participate on Twitter at #ASKTSOE, @asktsoe, or email us at asktsoe@verasage.com.

How you charge is often more important than how much you charge. And one fact is irrefutable: Customers love choice. What we’re willing to pay for something is insanely dependent upon what we compare it to. Offering three choices to the customer puts your product in context. It’s why most businesses offer three of everything: small, medium, large, coach, business, and first-class, Tall, Grande, Venti, etc. This is a ubiquitous strategy because it comports with how human beings make choices and buy things. Ed and Ron will discuss a model called “the six Ts” for helping businesses create value-pricing choices, as well as the behavioral economics effects of anchoring and framing to help increase your organization’s profitability with better pricing.

Thousands of business books are published each year. Some are worthless, others have merit, fewer still have lasting value, but a handful possess the ability to transform your business (and possibly, your life). Yet with today’s busy and demanding schedules, do you feel you don’t devote enough time to reading and absorbing new ideas? Then this show is for you. Ed and Ron will explore the best business books ever written, summarizing their favorite all-time business books. If you want to share your favorite business books, tweet us at #ASKTSOE.

Ed and I are honored to be able to interview Colonel Rick Searfoss, Astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander. In addition to piloting two space flights, and commanding a third, he consults and is a test pilot on leading-edge aerospace projects, including serving as the Chief Judge for the $10 million Ansari X Prize for the first private reusable human spacecraft and test flying the world’s only liquid-fueled experimental rocket plane. Rick completed a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the USAF Academy, a master of science degree in aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology on a National Science Foundation Fellowship, and USAF Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, and Air War College. His numerous awards include Tactical Air Command F-111 Instructor Pilot of the Year, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross.

The last Friday of every month Ed and Ron will do “Free-Rider Friday.” Most of our shows are “topic” driven, where we dive deep into one subject. Free-Rider Fridays are designed to be “event” driven, whatever issues are in the news that we (or you) find worthy of commentary. In economics, free riding means reaping the benefits from the actions of others and consequently refusing to bear the full costs of those actions. This means Ed and Ron will free ride off of the news, and each other, with no advanced knowledge of the events either will bring up. If you’d like to call-in during the live show, the listener line is: 866-472-5790. You can also participate on Twitter at #ASKTSOE, @asktsoe, or email us at asktsoe@verasage.com.

There is no doubt that human reliance on fossil fuels has been incredible beneficial for mankind. That said, controversy swirls about this continued reliance on them and their impact on the environment. On this week's episode, Ron Baker and Ed Kless will interview a true expert in this field, Dr. Mark Miller. Mark has enjoyed a long and varied career in the oil and gas industry – petroleum engineer, University of Texas faculty member, worldwide petroleum engineering consultant, and small business owner. He is currently retired and does occasional consulting. Mark is also the 2016 Libertarian Party nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, which as you might guess has nothing to do with railroads. He is the author of the recent book, Oil and Gas and the Texas Railroad Commission: Lessons for Regulating a Free Society.

Economic Puzzles and Paradoxes: Do corporations pay taxes? Join Ed and Ron for a fascinating look at this and other everyday economic questions in this new series: Economic Puzzles and Paradoxes. This episode will focus on taxes, in celebration of April 15th. We will strive to follow the wisdom of the great economist Frederic Bastiat: “There is only one difference between a bad economist and a good one: the bad economist confines himself to the visible effect; the good economist takes into account both the effect that can be seen and those effects that must be foreseen.”