No matter who you are or what you are, you have competition. We compete for food, for water, for attention, for mates, for… well just about everything. Businesses are no different – we compete for employees, for customers, for supplies, for financing and so on. Given that competition is as old as the planet, there are accepted ways of competing....
Read MoreOne of the first things I ask of an audience when running my Strategic Thinking workshops is "raise your hand if you think you are a strategic thinker". I am always amazed at how few people raise their hands straight away - probably about a fifth if that, and then a few do the slight raising lowering thing which implies they think they maybe,...
Read MoreSmall and medium-sized businesses constitute the backbone of the North American economy. They make up a staggering 98% of all businesses and generate approximately 40% of total business revenue. Of those, around 60 to 70% are supplying other businesses (B2B) - as opposed to serving an end customer directly (B2C). Therefore, most businesses are...
Read MoreI spend a lot of time in coffee shops. I enjoy a good cup of coffee, fresh baking, ambiance, meeting people, and the opportunity to be somewhere different while trying to work. Many coffee shops meet my needs, but I don't particularly have one that I always go to, I am indifferent to their differences. That was until recently. I found a new...
Read MoreSome companies soar to greatness while others plod along, slow and steady; steady that is until the world shifts and they become obsolete… Consider the lobster. The lobster has a tough exoskeleton that protects it from predators. It lets it live a relatively safe and steady life. However, that safety comes with a big downside - it can't grow. As...
Read MoreMany of our early stage clients are involved in the clean tech sector. Clean and Green Tech can mean many things but essentially it includes all those companies that are working to clean up our planet. Some are carbon-centric firms that are transforming their products and their focus, some are launching new products in this sector and others are...
Read MoreOn my out drive to Victoria, BC and back I realized that I had a problem with my tachometer. The tachometer tells you how many times the engine rotates each minute (RPM). It’s important to keep an eye on it so that you neither make the engine go too slow - you risk straining the engine, or too fast - you risk having bits fly off it. Neither are...
Read MoreMany years ago, a shoe-maker sent his best sales-person to a developing country to see if there was a market for shoes. He reported back, “The market is terrible – no one wears shoes”. Not being sure if this was true, the shoe-maker sent a consultant to double check, “The market is fantastic”, he reported, “No one wears
Read MoreMost movies are unique, except for the endless sequels. And so, when someone pitches a studio on a movie idea, they need to explain something that’s never been explained before. The simplest way to get the new idea across is by using a compelling metaphor. You start with something the studio boss already understands and build on that e.g....
Read MoreLast week, we talked about the circular economy, which is an alternative approach to the more linear ‘take-make-consume-dispose’ value chain. We try to minimise the take and dispose elements, and repeat the ‘make’ element through things like reuse, recycle, and repurpose, while extending the ‘consume value’ element. It creates a more continuous...
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