Back in 2002 my good friend Martin Hartshorne was at a crossroads; buy a condo or continue renting. Indeed, there were many elements to consider. Current interest rates, prevailing market conditions, time horizon, location, etc. Having been through a similar process not long before, he came to me for advice.
“Hey Priemer,” he said. (I should add here that people have always called me by my last name or some permutation thereof). “Remember the spreadsheet analysis you put together when you were deciding whether to rent or buy?”
“Sure,” I replied.
“Well,” he continued with a grin, “would you mind sending it to me? I’m wresting with a similar problem myself and I was hoping to take advantage of the ‘Priemerization’ you’ve already done on the topic!”
And so the term was born.
Many years (and many spreadsheets later), I like to think of Priemerization as:
…the unique combination of social, scientific, and analytical techniques I use to make sense of the world.
Deciding which career path to take, getting the best deal on a car, commanding the very best customer service, and figuring out what recipe to make when company comes over, are all areas that can (and have) been addressed through Priemerization.
As a scientist by training and a tech entrepreneur by profession, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that I enjoy the hunt as much as, if not more than, the kill. As an amateur chef, I also appreciate that, much like making baklava, the rigor I go through is not for everyone.
Can my approach be time-consuming, laborious, and annoy my wife to no end? Oh goodness yes!!!
Tools such as spreadsheets, computer models, social media, empirical data, and incessant nagging, are quite common in the Priemerization universe.
On the up side, it means that I’m:
- confident in the decisions I make
- a huge advocate for products and services I patronize
- left with a storehouse of reusable decision support tools to share.
So why blog?
Well, over the years, people have often come to me as a resource (as in “You should go ask Priemer about [INSERT THING HERE]. I’m sure he’s analyzed the crap out of that!“) and if there’s any way my experience and approach can help others make sense of their own world, I’d love nothing more.
So what now? Subscribe to Priemerization and stay tuned as I do my best to share, learn, and entertain! This is who I am 🙂
Priemerization 