Using analogies is a great way to take complex issues and turn them into everyday problems people can understand. For example, take the main restrooms on the 1st floor at Flow, it smells like a truck stop. That is all I had to say. I didn't have to say it gets hammered by overuse and lacks proper ventilation leaving the surrounding hallways smelling like human waste. Most people are keenly aware when something smells bad. Our sense of smell is one the of the few senses that travels directly to the brain bypassing the brain stem entirely. It decreases reaction time to distinguish bad from good.
The restroom smell wasn't isolated to the restroom. It has permeated through the company and has concentrated in the offices of management. This is where the scent of disorganization and fear blend to create a culture as toxic as it smells.
When a group of technology is packaged up into a commodity and begins the price race to the bottom you have to wonder what the end game is. What do you do when a balance sheet for an IPO is no longer possible, the technology becomes obsolete and margins have collapsed? You become like Volvo or Range Rover and readjust to work with your new Chinese or Indian ownership.
And finally, if you are considering doing business with Flow be very careful how much capital expense you will have tied up directly or indirectly with Flow.
