Welcome to SmartsMatter

“What I lack in smarts, I make up for in work…and given how hard I have to work, I must not be that smart!”–Greg hague

A “LADLE” LATE

A few months after Jim and his roommate moved into their new apartment, he invited his mother over for dinner. When Mom arrived she was

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REAL ESTATE DOWN UNDER

“Every homeowner in America should rejoice. Aussie- style real estate is on the way.” – Greg Hague Back when Uber displaced the taxi model many

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It Won’t Take Eight Years

COMMUNICATION CONTROL   Close your eyes and come back in time with me. It’s 1974. Bell bottom jeans are your statement in fashion. Float-like-a-butterfly, sting-like-a-bee Muhammad

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The 72 Hour Napkin

It was a beautiful Memorial Day in 2018. Teresa and I decided to meet for lunch at Rancho Mañana golf club. I was excited to

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The Price of Profit

While having lunch with a friend last week, I asked how his short-term rental business was going. The story he told was of a double-edged

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I Had A Baby

I am excited to announce that Teresa and I have a new baby. His name is Wyatt, and he’s now ten weeks old. Okay, I admit

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My Snake Saver

The snake was in serious peril, frantically (but futilely) struggling to squiggle out of a boiling hot sand trap at Seven Canyons in Sedona. Greg stopped,

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The Scarcity Box

“Value is more expensive than price.” – Toba Beta  Ferrari’s stock valuation is roughly the same as GM’s – each around $30 billion. Yet Ferrari sells

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Hang On Sloopy

Some things just keep… hanging on.   The girl (or guy) you asked out to the movie, and end up spending the rest of your life with. 

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What Is Carefully Hidden

Did you hear about the man caught flashing the Chapel? To be precise, the Sistine Chapel.  Why would anyone commit such a lascivious act, especially

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Competitive Synergy

It’s a hot and humid day on the ranch. Tex is working hard, but his Belgian horse is working harder, hauling goods and plowing fields. Tex

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Perfectly Imprefect

Many years ago my son, Brian, was excited to buy his first new car. He did weeks of research before deciding on a top of the line

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Our Strongest Emotion

Cows kill more people than sharks. Surprised?  So was I. But it’s true. More people are trampled or kicked to death every year by cows. So why

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