Dumbest moments in business

You would actually think that all strategic moves in a global firm are carefully and well considered, that marketing campaigns are set up and implemented by clever people, that investor relations are led by qualified and competent people. Well, Business 2.0 magazine published an article about the 101 dumbest moments in business in the year 2006, which I find is very entertaining and refreshing. One of the grand-prize winners in the category marketing is Starbucks... here's the summary:
In August 2006, Starbucks directs baristas in the southeastern United States to e-mail a coupon for a free iced coffee to friends and family members. But e-mail knows no geographic boundaries and, worse, can be printed repeatedly. After the e-mail spreads to every corner of the country and is reproduced en masse, Starbucks yanks the offer, leading a disgruntled customer to file a $114 million class-action lawsuit...
That really was very dumb. Well, this won't stop me from drinking my coffee at Starbucks.. I guess this will even make me smile a bit each time I'm there ;)
Have a happy day, Dania

My crossroad

Long time no post... I had quite a bloggade in the past days because I didn't really know what to write about that would fit into the concept of my blog and teach you something about things going on in the Internet. So I'll just tell you something personal instead:

I quit my job as per end of June. I've been working for five years in auditing and accounting advisory and just thought it was time for a change.

I don't really know exactly what I'm gonna do yet. I have two major options: the first is that I build up an interesting web 2.0 platform with two partners and the other is that my future husband and I leave everything behind in Switzerland and go for a windsurf world trip. Not that I've been unhappy, not at all. I enjoyed my job a lot. But sometimes you are just so much into something that you don't see that clear anymore what your other options are. I sometimes feel like a slave of my own calendar. I want to take a step back now to figure out what could fulfil me more than what I'm doing at the moment.

Now, my two options are really great and I don't think I have anything to lose.

Option 1 is interesting because I want to gain some broad entrepreneurial and management experience in setting up an own company. We are working on the business plan at the moment and will start looking for investors quite soon. If we find some investors, I guess option 1 will become reality... if we don't ->

Option 2 is also great because a big dream of mine would come true to go windsurfing for a longer while and travel the world. Maybe there is a small cottage somewhere beautiful and close the ocean waiting to be discovered ;) Whatever happens, it is definitely very exiting. I'm very much looking forward to not knowing my schedule 6 months in advance and to feel freedom. My new motto: Just do it.

Dania