North American Headquarters - Richmond, Virginia
(804) 323-0467 LetsTalk@ACUMENcorp.com

The ACUMEN Blog

Investing During Times of Crisis

Just when we thought it safe to get back in the… The COVID pandemic continues to be one of the worst crises we have faced in our lifetime.  I guess it would be fair to say that we all suffered at least some disruption of our lives and even our…

Inventory Control in the age of COVID 19

To what degree do you have control of how and when your inventory comes and goes? To whom it is sold and in what quantities? Not so much?  Is making critical business decisions more difficult now?  I’m sure you know that uncertainty is the new reality. As business managers it…

Pandemic Partnerships

From Phil Perkins,  President and CEO,  ACUMEN Corporation As the Covid-19 Pandemic rages on, one can always find positive aspects to everyday life. That is especially true for our company.  As a technology-based business we are very fortunate to be in a position to support our clients from our home…

Trulife Group – True Leadership Success

Mark Ownby, ACUMEN Corporation, VP of Operations, shares a recent experience. I have been implementing software for small, medium, and large companies since the late 1980s (yes, they had computers back in the dark ages). I have had projects that went smoothly and projects that – well, let’s just say…

The View from the Home Office

I know you are tired of hearing this, but these are unusual times. On a normal weekday, each member of our team at ACUMEN Corporation gets up in the morning and heads out to one of two places, either our offices in Richmond or in the Carolinas or to one…

COVID-19 -our Plan

Our plan: COVID-19 will not affect support Here at ACUMEN Corporation it will be business as usual during our fight against Coronavirus, with slight modifications to promote safety and good health. I hope this note finds you well and in safe surroundings. We take our responsibility to you and your…

Confessions of a Car Guy – Part 2

Blending Great Technology and Human Ingenuity Last evening, I had the occasion to see the movie Ford vs. Ferrari. As an admitted “car guy” I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat during the racing segments. The movie featured a good number of scenes featuring my favorite car…

Pride in Partnership

Phil Perkins ACUMEN Corporation President and CEO I’ve often said that we at ACUMEN Corporation are fortunate to serve so many innovative clients.  Most are either manufacturers or distributors. Many make or distribute innovative products to their appreciative customers. Only a handful of clients can be said to truly disrupt…

Improving Your Delivery System

Early in my consulting career I had the good fortune and pleasure of working as a project manager with wholesale distribution firms as they implemented inventory, order-processing and financial-management systems. Over a 10-year period I met some of the most interesting and committed individuals in the business world. Midsized distributors…

A Well-Oiled Machine

This week I’m not referring to a sports car, I’m focusing on you. Last week we had occasion to have a working lunch with one of our larger clients. The topic of discussion was the impending go live date and the final activities along the critical path. At ACUMEN we…

Talk to Me

How fortunate I feel, since in 1991 we ( the ACUMEN marketing team) came up with a tag line for our logo, Weaving Human Intelligence with the Technology of our Times, that is still relevant today.  You may be aware that I write and speak often about digital transformation and…

Technology is Great, but…

Being in the technology business, I am all about using technology to make our jobs (and lives) easier. However, it is easy to get too dependent on technology and forget that it is human interaction and relationships that can really make a difference. My youngest son is a teacher and…

5 Helpful Business Software Types

If you run a business of any size, you wear a number of hats (or have people wearing those hats) during your busy day.  You work with customers, sell products, pay bills, create marketing plans – you get the idea – lots of work and information to track.  The question…

What is Hip?

Some years ago, ACUMEN sponsored a national user group meeting in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona.  There were several good presentations from business and accounting practitioners. That said, many dealt with the latest federal regulations or changes in tax laws. That sort of material, while helpful, can be sort of dry. In…

Good Job (a job well done)

Do you remember the first time you ever heard that phrase?  May have been after the first step you took, the first night you slept in a big boy/girl bed instead of a crib, that first perfect report card, passing your driver’s test.  Good job! Many of us carry that…

Take Care of your Customers or Someone Else Will

Recently I wrote an article about how important it is to take care of your employees and balance work and personal priorities. Recently, I have been reminded how important it is to take care of your customers. In the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software business, getting new customers is always…

Confessions of a Car Guy

I think it all started when I saw those west coast kids driving up and down the Pacific Coast Highway in their little English sports cars. Lots of them drove Triumph TR3 or Austin Healey convertables, but my ride of choice was the MGA (see pictured). I ended up buying…

Don’t Let Me Down; Lunch with a Client

Recently I had the pleasure of having lunch with one of our clients here in Richmond, Virginia. In this particular case my client’s project was roughly half complete. Many times, that’s the point where managers and business owners start getting nervous about “go live goals” and over-all investment. Part of…

Supporting Employees: Life/Work Balance

Having been a manager for a number of years with very diverse teams (and also an employee with my own family) I have experienced both sides of family and other personal situations that impact work hours and productivity. As a manager, I think it is important to provide a supportive…

You Didn’t Hear This 40 Years Ago

On a given day, I realize how many things have changed since 1991 when ACUMEN Corporation opened our first office. Technology has advanced at such a brisk pace that, even for a technology company, it can become quite a chore keeping up. Of course, there is always a light side…

How Do You Make Decisions?

Lately I’ve given a good bit of thought to how people make decisions. Certainly things have changed a good deal in the past several years, given the immediate access to information via the internet. For instance, in our business we’ve been impressed with the much more informed questions we get…

ETHICS

Setting an Ethical Bar for Your Company Anyone who watches the television show The Profit (clever play  on words eh?) knows that Marcus Lemonis likes to do business on a handshake. At least it looks that way on the show. For the uninitiated Lemonis, a very successful businessman, helps struggling…

A Good Man Can Always Have An Impact

Have you ever considered the impact your first real job ended up having on your life and career? Recently I thought back to that period for me and was really surprised to realize how the lessons I learned then stuck with me as I founded ACUMEN Corporation and beyond. Here’s the story….

Holiday Reflections

During the holidays I always try to look back at the year that is fading away and take stock of all that has happened. Of course, as with all families, ours has had trials and tribulations but has accomplished some significant goals we set over the past months. I’m happy…

Customizing your ERP causing you pain?

This webinar was recorded December 13, 2018. Does customizing your ERP system cause you pain? Tired of waiting for programmers or time to write custom code? Challenge solved.  ACUMEN VP of Operations, Mark Ownby, can show you how to: Create custom reports and dashboards without programming… Add custom fields to…

3 Inventory Planning Steps to Take for 2019

Your 2018 is wrapping up nicely – well done!  You’ve sold products, brought them into your warehouse, repackaged and shipped to customers.  But looking around the warehouse, there sure is a lot of product on the shelves and bins.  What is all that for?  Good question! Most successful (and unsuccessful)…

Real Business ACUMEN: Solo USA

Successful manufacturing and distribution companies have a secret: Real Business ACUMEN. See how Solo USA in Newport News, Virginia uses SAP Business One to handle sales to manufacturing to shipping of its home and industrial sprayers and products.

SAP Cloud Business Soars; Operating Profit Up Double-Digit

Wow – big news from SAP (here’s the link with details)!  SAP Cloud Business Soars; Operating Profit Up Double-Digit; Raises 2018 Outlook and 2020 Ambition Nothing like growth – and double-digit growth at that!  There is a reason for SAP’s huge success:  a fabulous product!  If you have inventory, or make and…

Great Product and Great Partnership

ACUMEN Vice President of Operations Mark Ownby recently returned from the annual SAP Innovation Summit held at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando April 18-20. ACUMEN is always represented at these events since so much information on product design and direction is provided during a very compact schedule. This year…

Technology Meets Reality; The People Stuff

In my first book “Points of Productivity; Turning Corporate Pain to Gain” I discussed the concept of a high availability order processing station as designed by a CEO at a large electrical distributor. Basically the idea was to allow distributors of certain products to share information and inventory by connecting…

The Promise; Words to Grow By

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Morris Hartley, President of H&H Products in Orlando, Florida and his CFO Clayton Morris. We had several things to discuss but the subject quickly turned to what their team calls “Our Promise”. I was so impressed by the verbiage originally…

ACUMEN Corporation sponsors Times-Dispatch Bracket Challenge

ACUMEN Corporation is proud to sponsor this year’s Richmond Times-Dispatch Bracket Challenge.  If you haven’t created your second chance Sweet 16 bracket (and we all need a second chance) – you have time! http://richmond.collegehoops.upickem.net May we ask you 3 questions? Does your company ever have trouble shipping orders on time?…

Pride in Partnership

This morning I was following my Sunday ritual of reading the paper and watching CBS Sunday Morning at the same time. While reading a particularly distressing article about political gridlock I happened to hear our partner SAP mentioned by the commentator on the program. That got my attention immediately. Turns…

Day Labor; Witnessing the Human Spirit

Every life takes twists and turns. Over the course of a lifetime we might even experience both feast and famine. I guess my opinion is that it’s important to understand how to handle each, and that’s based upon personal experience. I don’t know if you have ever driven by an…

Willing to Buy Coach

What follows in an excerpt from the book “The Willing to Buy Coach” which I co-authored with my friend and colleague Dan Schultheis who has convinced me of the importance of coaching in many walks of life. Our book, a follow-up to “Willing To Buy; A Questioning Framework for Effective Closing” will hit…

My “Defining Moment” as a Manager

At least once in every career each of us has a defining moment. It could be being fired, promoted to management or simply learning a new trade. In my case it may well have been the moment, more correctly hours and days I spent studying under Stanley M. Herman, coauthor…

Our Binary Workforce

“Either you are someone committed to making a difference in your workplace or you aren’t. It’s almost binary.  Are you a“1” or a “0”?“ Our Binary Workforce By Phil Perkins,  President and CEO, ACUMEN Corporation   Are you a“1” or a “0”?   You know I have come to the conclusion that there…

5 Ways Implementations Fail

5 Ways 5 Ways  Software Implementations Fail By Phil Perkins,  President and CEO, ACUMEN Corporation About this time last year I began writing an eBook I titled “Epic Fail; How Not to Implement your ERP System”. Having worked with companies during software implementation projects for many years I have become quite…

Your Inventory; Profit Center or Cost Center?

As a business focused on “inventory intensive” companies, we are constantly working with our clients to organize and optimize their inventory. Many of our clients are committed to very high service levels. Of course if you are a wholesale distributor and are dedicated to efficient order fulfilment for your customers,…

Executive Briefing – 2016-04-04

Do Wholesale Distributors Still Fear Disintermediation? By Phil Perkins President and CEO, ACUMEN Corporation In 2002 I had the opportunity to address a group of wholesale distribution business owners at a conference in Milwaukee. The subject of my talk was the move by many manufacturers to offer their products directly…

Inventory – Sales “Wonderlust”?

    Our webinar on April 19 will feature inventory planning with true scientific methodology, proven by clients in over 31 countries . Read the following EXECUTIVE BRIEFING from our President and CEO, Phil Perkins.  He’ll give you the link to registration at the bottom.  

The Sales Process as a Project

The Sales Process as a Project By Phil Perkins President and CEO, ACUMEN Corporation In 2015 my friend and colleague Dan Schultheis, a former IBM executive and management consultant, and I published a book called “Willing To Buy; A Questioning Framework for Effective Closing”. What follows is an excerpt from…

Milestones of 25 Years in Business

With this posting I’m officially kicking off our celebration of 25 years in business here at ACUMEN Corporation. Quite frankly I think I had lost track of the passage of that much time, given that the work is so fulfilling. From a personal standpoint I have had the pleasure of…

ERP by Any Other Name

I don’t know about you but I get awfully tired of the three letter acronyms you see every day on business web sites and marketing pieces. CRM, SFA, SBE, POS, EDI…ERP. How many of those to you recognize? Are the meanings clear? It’s as if marketing executives spend hours making…

The Lost Art of Listening

As a business owner I’m often required to interview candidates for positions in either our consulting group or our sales team. While I love meeting new people, I can’t say that running those interviews is one of my favorite responsibilities. Nonetheless over the years I have developed certain questions that…

Lessons in Problem Solving; David’s Rule

What follows is an excerpt from my book “Points of Productivity; Turning Corporate Pain to Gain”. A second edition comes out later this year. It tells the story of how I learned to live by David’s Rule. That being: “Leave them feeling positive and you’ve created a friend and partner.”…

Your CPA Firm Brings Additional Value

I’m proud to say that we have had the same outside tax accounting firm for all of our 25 years in business. During that period they have become extremely knowledgeable in our business practices, products and the nuances of our marketplace. It’s truly a luxury to have an advisor we…

Epic Fail – Chapter Four

Chapter Four – The Working Environment By Phillip G. Perkins, ACUMEN Corporation, President and CEO We’re going to spend a bit of time in this section talking about the working environment that helps prevent an Epic Fail situation. I have to warn you that this may be the shortest chapter…

EPIC FAIL – Chapter Three

    Chapter Three in an eBook titled EPIC FAIL By Phillip G. Perkins, ACUMEN Corporation, President and CEO I want to start this chapter by saying that I may have left the reader with the impression that business owners and senior managers take a cavalier attitude towards information systems. Let…

EPIC FAIL – Chapter Two

EPIC FAIL Chapter Two (Chapter Two in an eBook titled the same) By Phillip G. Perkins, ACUMEN Corporation, President and CEO  I’m going to start of this chapter of Epic Fail with an excerpt from my 2003 book “Points of Productivity; Turning Corporate Pain to Gain”. I know that may seem…

EPIC FAIL – Chapter One

EPIC FAIL How NOT to implement your ERP system; Chapter One (Chapter One in an eBook titled the same) By Phillip G. Perkins, ACUMEN Corporation, President and CEO        As I was conceiving an appropriate title for this eBook I necessarily had to recall hearing about those big, bad implementation failures…

Phil Perkins – co-authors a new book

A recommended read … Willing To Buy – A Questioning Framework for Effective Closing Excerpt by Phil Perkins, ACUMEN Corporation President These days every hour of your work day is precious.  You have to spend time on those activities that deliver quantifiable results.  In this highly competitive environment you need to…

Cloud vs. Hosted Software Options

  Many of our clients are in a quandary when considering cloud applications as opposed to self maintained or third party hosted ERP solutions. I can certainly understand why, given the amount of press the “new” cloud option is getting. Time to take a serious and hopefully impartial look at…