Peter Kang

Incorporating Reading Into Our Planning Meetings At the start of each quarter, the four Barrel partners meet for an all-day planning meeting. The format of this meeting used to focus heavily on identifying various issues in the business and putting our heads together to see if we could resolve them. The goal of each planning meeting was to come away with a solid slate of key initiatives to accomplish over the next 90 days. Five […]

This time last year, we were wrapping up a record-setting quarter at Barrel. We had landed more business and booked more revenue in that quarter than at any point in our 15-year history. We were confident that we had finally cracked the code and would scale up to new levels. Things were looking up, but little did we know that the next 9 months were going to be some of the toughest ever, including a […]

What is Culture? If I’ve learned anything in my 16+ years of running Barrel, it’s that there’s no magic bullet when it comes to creating and sustaining a strong company culture. Culture–and in the context of this post, I’m talking about company/organizational culture–is a slippery concept that can mean different things to different people. In some definitions, it encapsulates the behaviors, values, and attitudes of the people that belong to the company. In others, it […]

The siren call comes several times a week–someone on my team is navigating a challenge, usually having to do with a client or between team members. Whether through email, Slack, or on a Zoom call, the person usually starts by providing me with some context and then highlighting the problem. The person then concludes with a question that immediately sets my mind ablaze: “What should we do?” Having been in hundreds of situations dealing with […]

In our lives, we come across tough times at one point or another. The degree, intensity, and duration of the situation may vary. It could be personal, professional, family-related, financial, health-related, or any combination happening at the same time. For me, one aspect of growing older that I’ve appreciated is the expanding toolbox of concepts, experiences, behaviors, and mantras to meet these tough times. Make no mistake, I still struggle with the stresses of my […]

Inspired by How to Write a Good Advertisement Every now and then, I’ll pick up How to Write a Good Advertisement: A Short Course in Copywriting by Victor O. Schwab and skip around for inspiration. It never fails to get me thinking about marketing and copywriting with a fresh perspective. Drawing on 44 years as a copywriter (from 1917 to 1961), Schwab shares timeless insights about the fundamentals of good copy, the psychology behind great ads, […]

A Quick Thought Experiment Discretionary spending refers to purchases of non-essential items. It’s what you do with income after you’ve paid for housing, utilities, other bills, groceries, personal hygiene, household items, and whatever else you deem essential to keeping life operational. The most common discretionary spending items are luxury goods, entertainment, recreation, and travel. In this thought experiment around discretionary spending, I focus on wines, dining out at restaurants, and trips/vacations–the areas where I personally […]

Prelude: Check Out Volume 1 Over three years ago, I wrote about common opportunities I saw with growing e-commerce businesses that approached Barrel for help. These were low-hanging fruit opportunities that could make immediate impact for many businesses. While new software, services, and approaches have become available, the original list of opportunities still remain very relevant: Google Analytics Setup & Campaign Tracking Email Automations Product Photography Image Size / Website Speed Product Organization Product Recommendations […]

If there was a skill I wish I had worked on earlier in my career, it would be networking, which I define as the act of connecting with other people, sharing stories, finding common interests, and developing long-term relationships. I consider myself pretty average when it comes to networking, but I wanted to share some tactics and lessons I’ve picked up along the way and found to be helpful. I also figure that writing these […]