Your Fragile Reputation
At one time, Paula Deen was the queen of food television. And then her reputation took a massive hit when she made racist remarks. Practically overnight, her entire empire crumbled and her show pulled from television. She recently bought the rights to all of her Food Network episodes and is launching an online television network, […]
Innovative Online Delivery Process
Ordering a product online is often like a black box. You order. If you are lucky, you get an order confirmation with a tracking number. However you typically get very little visibility into the process. A more advanced order method is the one Dominos Pizza uses. You get to see where your pizza is in […]
Why Being Different Can Kill Your Business
Being different for the sake of being different is a losing proposition. So how do you stand out from the crowd? Find your true differentiator. In Atlantic City, New Jersey, a tourist destination known for its boardwalk and beach, you’ll find dozens of t-shirt shops, restaurants, massage parlors and palm readers. Each store offers pretty […]
The Real Power of Purposeful Tangents
In a blog entry of mine last year, I discussed the concept of “Purposeful Tangents.” (if you’ve not read it, I encourage you to do so) In that article, I mentioned I was going to take a class with master magicians. Well, I just completed the training, and it was beyond my expectations. I felt like […]
Discovering Your Blindspots
Here’s a video I recorded for “The Art of Sales” event in Canada. In it I talk briefly about two common innovation blindspots, and how to shine a light on them.
HBR: Do You Know What Makes Your Company Distinctive?
An excerpt from my latest Harvard Business Review article… Every company has a limited amount of time, money, and resources that it can invest in innovation. That’s why they should focus their energies on opportunities that will set them apart from their competition — that is, they should innovate where they differentiate. One company that […]
The Danger Of Being Too Controlling
If you want to grow your company, you’ve got to learn to let go of any task that doesn’t set you apart from the competition. *** I recently spoke at an event where attendees were mainly small-business owners and solopreneurs. One of the points of my talk addressed the need to “innovate where you differentiate.” […]
Driving Your Differentiator Down
Imagine you are a company that produces products for consumers. It could be toothpaste or soft drinks. You decide that your differentiator is your marketing. (Read one of my articles on “Innovate Where You Differentiate“) Given this, you might assume that the marketing department is the most important part of the business. This assumption would […]
Stop Being an Order Taker
Imagine that I am holding a glass of water. Here’s a question for you (you know this one)… What is the difference between a pessimist, and optimistic, an efficiency expert, and an innovator? The pessimist sees the glass half empty. The optimist sees the glass half full. The efficiency experts says, “There’s too much glass […]
Look for Purposeful Tangents
According to a recent Huffington Post/YouGov poll 28% of Americans did not read a book last year. As an author, I find this both disappointing and yet not surprising. Fortunately most people read. But is what you are reading enhancing your creativity, or just furthering your intellect? Most people who read for business purposes focus […]