Today I read a news report stating that Starbucks’ profits are down 97% over the same quarter last year. Such a steep decline must be caused by more than just a bear market.

Trends can be fun an exciting, but they are hard to keep going. Gourmet coffees have been very trendy for quite a while. I’m sure many people (not me) consider going out with friends to get some expensive coffee to be an energizing lifestyle.

But trends attract trendy people who are always looking for the next big thing. This means when other things come along, they abandon their old brands for newer, trendier brands. Especially with market downturns, expensive trends are the first to get cut. Read the rest of this entry »