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When you compare yourself to others
There is a line from the poem Desiderata that I find myself quoting quite often to founders of small innovative businesses. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. But like most quotes that sound worthy, I like to dig deeper…
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disruptive innovation and food
Today at lunch my father announced that some industries are doomed due to disruptive innovations but some are safe. I of course reacted emotionally at first telling him he was talking complete rubbish, but then after pausing to draw breath, I like to think I rationally pointed out why no sector is safe from disruptive…
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The DNA of Great Businesses
I am incredibly fortunate in that over a number of sessions this week, I have been judging the finalists in the Telstra National Business Awards. I say fortunate because its extremely rare that you get a warts and all look inside someone else’s small business; through face-to-face interviews, financial reports and written submissions. Let alone…
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Validating Assumptions
In 2010 I was asked to give a quick presentation to MEGA program participants,. MEGA could be described was an early accelerator program in Australia. The title of my quick speech was “Is your idea commercially viable?”. But the thrust of the speech was really on understanding the difference between facts, assumptions, hypothesis and weasel words…
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Thinking different about suppliers and customers
Furthering the discussion about innovating from my last post, here another upshot of a conversation I had with office mate Peter Tunjic, which I want to extend a little. Perhaps the traditional concepts of customer and supplier lead you to bad thinking and behaviour. Perhaps a better way of thinking is that there is just…
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So you want to innovate like Steve Jobs?
This week I had an interesting conversation with my office mate, Peter Tunjic, about innovation. Peter likes to point out that most management theories are like the Emperors new clothes – and there is usually a competitive advantage in questioning and rejecting the theories. So this weeks conversation was on how Steve Jobs innovated. Apple…
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A look at Lazy but Successful Businesses
Have you ever noticed that some service businesses are inherently weak at marketing themselves, but still tend to be very lucrative? Professions that tend to centre around compliance (and adding little direct value) such as legal services, accounting. However many other services, which may have a much more positive impact on your business and have…
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good at business?
Not that I ever want to be seen as a cheersquad for lawyers, but all to often I am driven mad by business people completely ignoring the legislative framework we operate within. What do I mean by this? Some recent examples: 1. A employee telling me that their probationary period only technically finished on the…
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innovation and birthday gifts
I believe that the major reason Australian businesses don’t like internet based competition is it forces the clever businesses to innovate, and the lazy businesses to drop prices before dying. Last week I realised I hadn’t done anything about birthday presents for my wife, despite the fact her birthday is easy to remember, as its…