ordable air conditioning during the 1950s. Some real-estate developers who understood that affordable air conditioning would make the 100-degree summer days bearable for more and more people began developing properties early. However, most developers reacted to the rapid growth only after the ball started rolling, buForward-thinking business leaders spend considerable time, energy, and financial resources determining which emerging trends and future developments will shape the business landscape. Looking to the future is both wise and necessary to keep a business on track and avoid disaster. As Jeremiah wrote regarding Jerusalem, ?She did not consider her future, therefore she has fallen astonishingly? (Lamentations 1:9, NASB). However, the bigger questions for most businesses are how to assess, understand, and respond to changes that have already occurred in the marketplace, and how to take effective action.

According to an old investing axiom, a shrewd investor buys on rumor and sells on news. In business, we need to plan for the future (which amounts to buying on rumor because we cannot guarantee the future), but we must sell our products and services today based on events that have already happened. When we focus on responding to the changes that have occurred in our marketplace, we can take advantage of current opportunities that over time will create our business future.

The cities of Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, grew dramatically throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The key catalyst for that rapid growth was the development of effective and affordable air conditioning during the 1950s. Some real-estate developers who understood that affordable air conditioning would make the 100-degree summer days bearable for more and more people began developing properties early. However, most developers reacted to the rapid growth only after the ball started rolling, but

, ?She did not consider her future, therefore she has fallen astonishingly? (Lamentations 1:9, NASB). However, the bigger questions for most businesses are how to assess, understand, and respond to changes that have already occurred in the marketplace, and how to take effective action.

According to an old investing axiom, a shrewd investor buys on rumor and sells on news. In business, we need to plan for the future (which amounts to buying on rumor because we cannot guarantee the future), but we must sell our products and services today based on events that have already happened. When we focus on responding to the changes that have occurred in our marketplace, we can take advantage of current opportunities that over time will create our business future.

The cities of Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, grew dramatically throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The key catalyst for that rapid growth was the development of effective and affordable air conditioning during the 1950s. Some real-estate developers who understood that affordable air conditioning would make the 100-degree summer days bearable for more and more people began developing properties early. However, most developers reacted to the rapid growth only after the ball started rolling, bu

ing axiom, a shrewd investor buys on rumor and sells on news. In business, we need to plan for the future (which amounts to buying on rumor because we cannot guarantee the future), but we must sell our products and services today based on events that have already happened. When we focus on responding to the changes that have occurred in our marketplace, we can take advantage of current opportunities that over time will create our business future.

The cities of Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, grew dramatically throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The key catalyst for that rapid growth was the development of effective and affordable air conditioning during the 1950s. Some real-estate developers who understood that affordable air conditioning would make the 100-degree summer days bearable for more and more people began developing properties early. However, most developers reacted to the rapid growth only after the ball started rolling, bu

hat have occurred in our marketplace, we can take advantage of current opportunities that over time will create our business future.

The cities of Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, grew dramatically throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The key catalyst for that rapid growth was the development of effective and affordable air conditioning during the 1950s. Some real-estate developers who understood that affordable air conditioning would make the 100-degree summer days bearable for more and more people began developing properties early. However, most developers reacted to the rapid growth only after the ball started rolling, bu

ordable air conditioning during the 1950s. Some real-estate developers who understood that affordable air conditioning would make the 100-degree summer days bearable for more and more people began developing properties early. However, most developers reacted to the rapid growth only after the ball started rolling, but they were still able to capitalize on the expanding population trend.

During the 1960s, a significant increase in households with both spouses working outside the home, the rise in single-parent households, and increasing numbers of teenagers with disposable income fueled tremendous growth in the fast food industry. Companies such as McDonald`s and Burger King tapped into a market that was there for the taking. They did not create the market; they simply filled it. Other companies such as A & W Root Beer and Dairy Queen, two fast-food pioneers, missed the trend. They failed to see the significance of the changing marketplace and continued to promote themselves as snack places, rather than as regular dining destinations. As a result, McDonalds, Burger King, and others passed them by.

Today, in many parts of the United States, Spanish-speaking customers have become a sizable segment of the market- and a marketing niche that is likely to continue to grow. What steps should prudent businesspeople take in order to develop this market? A large auto repair shop in the Southwest began to advertise in Spanish-language newspapers and radio, added bilingual customer-service staff, and printed customer information in Spanish. Their non-Hispanic customer