I attended the 20th Annual Milken Institute Global Conference. The “Davos of the West” brings together speakers from the worlds of politics, finance, entertainment, and technology to discuss issues facing the world. This year’s theme was “Building Meaningful Lives,” and many of the discussions took on this area, with panels on healthcare in the developing world, aligning endowment investments with non-profits’ philanthropic missions, and improving public education.

What was different this year is that it came right on the heels of my attendance at the 20th Annual Milken Global Conference in Beverly Hills. The more I thought about both conferences, the more I wondered if the “Woodstock of Capitalism” nickname really held true. I began to wonder if maybe the Milken Global Conference was actually more like Woodstock and the Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting was something more akin to Mecca.

Social media is a powerful tool that can make or break your business. As I’m sure you’re aware, United Airlines recently learned this lesson the hard way. What this incident illustrated was the speed with which a brand’s reputation can be impacted. In the age of smart phones and social media, companies can no longer ignore incidents or sweep them under the rug.

Once again, much of the talk leading up to this year’s Super Bowl was about the ads and the record billions spent dazzling TV’s biggest audience of the year. Despite our advice from last year, ad revenues spiked a new high, exceeding last year’s $15.5 billion, with each 30-second spot costing $5 million or an astounding $166,667 per second.

When Disney starts bailing on the Boomers, is it the end of the ride for the generation that used to set the trend for just about everything?

Ditching “The Twilight Zone” for a new “Guardians of the Galaxy” theme on its popular Tower of Terror ride, Disney might not be the first to throw Boomers aside in pursuit of younger, hipper Millennials.

Instead of highlighting an individual project in this month’s Case Study, we want to revisit the concept of Interim Flex Capacity, a category of work that continues to be in strong demand from our client base. A meaningful percentage of HighPoint’s business has come from clients asking for additional “arms & legs” on a short-term, immediate need basis.

Much has been made lately of the emergence of subscription services in the marketplace. From Netflix to Birchbox to Trunk Club, these services have become ubiquitous. Some argue that this is just a passing fad, but with Unilever’s recent $1 billion acquisition of Dollar Shave Club, it’s clear this subscription economy is here to stay.

A few weeks ago, HighPoint had the pleasure of hosting an event in Boston with Mark Feldman, Founder and Managing Director of Cause Consulting. Mark is a nationally recognized leader in helping companies across all industries and sizes integrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) into their business strategies.

This is Part 3 of a three-part series. Warren and Charlie are business maestros. Everyone knows that. But listening to the two of them talk, I couldn’t help but think about how their business advice also translates to the world in general. What follows is a few of these bon mots of wisdom, partnered with some of my general observations.

This is Part 2 of a three-part series. I was lucky enough to have spent time with a few Berkshire Hathaway portfolio company CxO’s during my time in Omaha — from organized meetings to fortuitous seats on flights. What struck me most in these conversations was the consistency in their stories around joining the Berkshire Hathaway family.