Bleeding Edge Corn
Don’t worry, technology often promises much more than it can deliver. I frequently come across business owners who are worried that new technology will destroy their livelihoods. In many cases…
All these articles show how knowledge drives value. Being aware of the limits of your knowledge is very important in decision making, as is recognising and leveraging knowledge within a business. In a small business what you know is often your most important differentiator and an important driver of market advantage.
Breakfast with Business & Energy
Why don’t I understand what politicians say? I had breakfast today with Michael Fallon, who is lucky enough to have two jobs: Secretary of State for Business & Secretary of…
alex.i.am
What we can all learn from super-achievers. As I have an audience for this blog in many countries around the world I worry sometimes that my subject matter might not…
GI Josephine
If only all Hasbro’s toys had the gender balance of the Potato Head family. In 1923, Henry, Hilal and Herman Hassenfeld formed Hassenfeld Brothers in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1940…
The Marrakech Carpet Sales Process
Not buying a carpet in Marrakech can teach you a lot about selling. I spent last weekend in Marrakech. It’s a wonderfully romantic place to go to and just three…
The Innocents Abroad
Tesco is cutting its losses in the United States. Tesco, the third largest retailer in the world measured by revenues, and second largest by profits, is giving up in the…
Learning from Failure
Is there a better way to fail? I have failed at many things in my business career; fortunately, these failures have been interspersed with a few successes along the way.…
Simply Buying
In business, how you buy stuff is often more important than it seems. In the long and distant past, I was the supply director for a large telecoms company involved…
Copy Richard Branson
Being too much of a specialist is a burden when faced with radical change. If you had been in the railway business, when the first aeroplanes took to the…
Q: What is a drug company when its patents begin to run out? A: Ten years too late!
Just look what happens when you don’t invest and protect the source of your competitive advantage. AstraZeneca, the world’s fifth largest drugs company, measured by prescription drug sales, saw its…