The question facing banks this quarter, which by extension is a bellwether of economic growth and the direction of equities, is can banks raise top-line revenue?

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Expanding in the wrong direction, Best Buy failed to keep up with on-line retailers like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) that has been growing in the right space, while Yahoo failed to keep up with Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Facebook that have also been growing in the right direction.

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He and the other Billy, Tade Biesinger, also 12, talked about the months of rehearsal, line memorization, and acting and stamina-building tap and ballet direction that all Billys (there are four of them) undergo before they play to a live audience.

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And thanks to his customer-focused approach, even the top line is starting to move in the right direction.

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The latter is modest in ambition: A single daily trip in each direction on five restored wood-paneled coaches and a remodeled 1930s Dome Car purchased from America's Southern Pacific line.

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But House and Price also tell fascinating stories of times when line managers banged heads with the founders--and managed to nudge the company in a wiser direction.

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