| The 16th century was a time of amazing
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| | this time. There was no central
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| transformation in Europe. The Dark Ages
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| | government to handle a service like mail
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| were gone, the Black Plague had run it
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| | delivery that we consider routine today.
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| course and Middle Age fears and
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| | The opportunity for a private company to
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| superstitions were slowly disappearing.
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| | organize and manage an international
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| The printing press had been invented and
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| | operation of this import and scale was a
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| it was completely revamping the way
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| | wonder.The Tassis' received contracts to
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| people communicated. Columbus had
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| | handle the delivery of mail throughout
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| discovered the America's and the great
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| | most of continental Europe. From Naples
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| age of exploration was in full swing.
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| | to the Danube, and Gibraltar to
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| Medical advances, the Reformation, the
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| | Copenhagen, the family built a delivery
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| creation of the great Italian banking
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| | network that managers at DHL, UPS, or
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| houses and the Dutch trading companies
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| | FedEx would admire and recognize today. A
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| had completely changed the way people
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| | treaty, legal contract or purchase order
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| thought, worked and worshipped.And yet,
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| | that took five weeks to reach Genoa from
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| there was one area in which there had
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| | Madrid, could now be delivered in seven
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| been virtually no advance since the time
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| | to 10 days. As the loads increased the
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| of Christ: transportation. Horse or mule,
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| | price was lowered and this only
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| horse drawn carts and boat were the
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| | accelerated the use of the service.The
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| methods of travel utilized to convey
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| | family became rich, powerful and across
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| people, goods and foodstuffs. Travel was
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| | Europe became members of the aristocracy.
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| slow. It was uncomfortable. And, it was
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| | The name Tassis in the German language is
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| often very dangerous. Brigands and
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| | spelled "taxis".
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| pirates faced little in the way of
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| | Today, everywhere in the world, people
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| organized policing. A bandit pretty much
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| | call for a taxicab when they need to
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| had a field day during the period.Of all
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| | transport themselves for a fare. The taxi
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| the difficulties a traveler faced, the
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| | service created by the Tassis' was an
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| most frustrating by far was speed: or the
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| | important part of the development of the
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| lack thereof. As the great Florentine,
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| | Renaissance.The Tassis are responsible
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| Venetian and Genoan merchant banks
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| | for one of the most elemental and
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| financed warfare, fleets, crops,
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| | important service enhancements in
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| expeditions and colonization, they had to
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| | history. The ability to accelerate the
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| continually factor a risk premium into
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| | movement of important commercial, legal
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| their risk/reward computations before
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| | and governmental communications enabled
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| settling on the interest to be charged on
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| | decisions to be made more quickly and on
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| each loan. The slowness of receiving news
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| | a grander scale. The entrepreneurial
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| of progress, success or failure on the
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| | innovation that the Tassis family
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| status of an investment vehicle was
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| | introduced enriched their family,
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| agonizing to all parties participating in
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| | business, government and, most
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| an enterprise. Did the fleet sink, or is
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| | importantly, the working class that
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| it close to home with a valuable cargo?
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| | benefited so much from the rapid
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| Has the battle been engaged, and who won?
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| | expansion of capital and trade. Even
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| Was a new land discovered, and what did
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| | today, we can still learn from the
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| it offer in minerals or trade goods as
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| | historical record that the ability to
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| materials for profit?Knowledge is power,
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| | offer a novel new benefit pays off in so
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| and speed provides the edge that makes
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| | many ways.Geoff Ficke has been a serial
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| this power so important. If I know today,
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| | entrepreneur for almost 50 years. As a
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| what my enemy or rival will not know for
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| | small boy, earning his spending money
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| several days, I have a decided advantage
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| | doing odd jobs in the neighborhood, he
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| on strategizing to my advantage and
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| | learned the value of selling himself,
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| profit. In the 16th century an
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| | offering service and value for
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| industrious Belgian family developed the
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| | money.After putting himself through the
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| first international service to address
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| | University of Kentucky (B.A. Broadcast
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| the ages old problem of slow
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| | Journalism, 1969) and serving in the
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| communication.The Tassis family had
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| | United States Marine Corp, Mr. Ficke
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| obtained the rights to handle a
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| | commenced a career in the cosmetic
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| rudimentary postal service in several
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| | industry. After rising to National Sales
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| Duchies in what is now Belgium. The
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| | Manager for Vidal Sassoon Hair Care at
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| service promised a decent living for the
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| | age 28, he then launched a number of
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| Tassis family by the standards of the
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| | ventures, including Rubigo Cosmetics,
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| time. However, they wanted to do more,
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| | Parfums Pierre Wulff Paris, Le Bain
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| expand and create a service that could
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| | Couture and Fashion Fragrance.Mr. Ficke
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| become the international standard.The
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| | and his consulting firm, Duquesa
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| Tassis family divided the work
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| | Marketing, Inc. ( has assisted businesses
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| responsibilities between family members
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| | large and small, domestic and
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| and had them disperse throughout Europe.
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| | international, entrepreneurs, inventors
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| The key to their success was a cohesive,
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| | and students in new product development,
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| standardized system of fleet horses,
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| | capital formation, licensing, marketing,
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| experienced, responsible riders, a
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| | sales and business plans and successful
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| network of terminals to change horse,
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| | implementation of his customized
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| rider and re-route mail and packages, and
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| | strategies. He is a Senior Fellow at the
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| scheduled delivery times. Spain, France,
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| | Page Center for Entrepreneurial Studies,
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| Italy and Germany were little more than a
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| | Business School, Miami University,
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| polyglot of feudal city states during
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| | Oxford, Ohio.
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