Product, Resources, and Customers – The Three-fold Objective
Every organization begins with the same three-fold objective: develop the “product”, obtain sufficient resources, and capture the market/customer. The manifestations of this three-fold mission vary in magnitude, scope, and timing. The underlying processes and...
The Way We’ve Always Done It
Have you ever driven home or to work only to arrive and not remember how you got there? You recall getting in your vehicle and starting the engine, but after that—nothing. You did what you’ve always done to get from point A to point B, but you did it on automatic...
The Variability of Weather and Women: It’s All About Perspective
The other day, one of my international clients commented that the weather in his city (and country) was like a woman. Then, he stopped with a dramatic pause (perhaps realizing we had just met and his comment might not be appreciated in the spirit meant), and I began...
The Tyranny of Customer Choice
A truism for any organization is that its customers have choices. They can chose from a range of products, services, and alternatives to satisfy their needs, from doing nothing to “do it yourself,” to doing it the most expensive way possible to finding a cheap...
The Tortoise and The Hare – A Fable for Our Times
Most of us are familiar with the fable of the tortoise and the hare - the tale of the hare being so much faster than the tortoise and still losing the race. In the current business environment, the tale can prove cautionary or motivating; it can be revisited or...
The Tax Man Cometh: A Major Milestone to Becoming Profitable
Becoming a profitable business is an objective that most companies seek, both as a stated goal and as a day-to-day objective. Businesses of all sizes and types, industries, and stages all look forward to profitability. However, as the old saying goes, the two...
The Third Arm of Networking
Recently I attended a networking event. At the event, as everyone was juggling their beverages, food, handshakes, and business cards, someone commented that he wished he had a third arm when networking. Immediately I was inspired by that comment. While he quite...
The Sustainable Business, Defined
What is a sustainable business? The traditional business thought process has centered on the value creation for the shareholder and company as the primary “product” of the business. This mentality has emphasized metrics that are externally focused and investor driven,...
The Light, the Tunnel…OH NO! The Train! The Train!
Not to make light of the situation (no pun intended), but just when many entrepreneurs think they are seeing a light at the end of the startup tunnel, they suddenly realize it is the “reality train,” Speeding toward them like a runaway steam locomotive out of the Old...
The Long and Winding Road to Success
Sometimes it takes a different perspective in order to see things that are already mapped out in front of you. It can be a new employee coming into the company. It can be the loss of a major customer that you thought of as one that would “always” be there no matter...
