The Joy Killers - A business murder Mystery.

In this podcast, I continue to look into why a promising start-up, Quincy Apparel, that had everything going for it, failed. Today I look at the launch of their first season. The story so far. Founded by two Harvard Business School MBA graduates Christina Wallace and Alex Nelson. Quincy Apparel was going to bridge the gap between companies that offered affordable women’s suits, which in the words...

Quincy Apparel - was a promising start-up will all the right ingredients. Two smart founders with MBAs from Harvard Business School. An unmet need, an excellent solution, and outstanding customer retention. This is a business that should not have failed, But it did. Over four episodes we will learn how the business started and why it got into trouble. In the fourth episode, the reasons for the bus...

A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one.” Henry Ford CB Insights survey of 110 Tech firms that failed found that 8% of founders blamed a poor product as a cause of their business downfall. If industrial giants launch poor products, think New Coke, Google Glasses, and the Segway scooter, it is maybe a little surprising that this cause of fail...

Entrepreneurs usually don’t listen to people. Trust them to do their job. Remember, you invested with the understanding the project was likely to fail.” Dave McClure CB Insights survey of 110 Tech company failures ranks team and/or investor disharmony as number 10 on the causes of failure with 7% of the companies surveyed listing it as a cause of their failure. Even if conflicts do not lead to fai...

A pivot is a change in strategy without a change in vision. Eric Ries It is quite likely that during your early stages you will have to execute a pivot. A pivot is when you make a fundamental change in your business’s direction. Not many entrepreneurs get their business 100% right the first time. CB Insights ranks a pivot gone bad as the 11th most common reason for a business failure. This is a co...

Burnout and Boredom ranked number 12 on CB Insights list of causes of failure. Five percent of the 110 failed Tech Companies they surveyed cited this as a cause of their failure. But the evils of boredom and burnout are more widespread than just a cause of failure. Boredom and burnout will result in stagnation and a lack of enthusiasm in companies that continue to exist but fail to meet their full...

I am from the government, and I am here to help is usually considered an oxymoron. But if you are considering expanding overseas, your government will likely provide genuine assistance. Listen to learn more.

Earlier we looked at some of the soft issues you should consider when deciding if a country is right of your business expansion. In this episode we review more concrete factors such as demographics and trade barriers. Where to find useful information is also discussed.

Having decided you are ready to expand internationally, how do you decide where to target? Which country or countries is the best fit for your business? According to the UN there are 195 countries in the world. That’s a lot of potential countries. In this episode we look at some of the "softer" criteria you should look at when deciding where is the ideal market for your company.

Taking your company’s products or services overseas is an exciting prospect, the potential for a larger customer base, the opportunity to enter faster growing markets, maybe less mature markets where you can ride the tide of expansion. There is also a certain cache in being an international business but with opportunity comes challenge. The international journey can be treacherous with unexpected...

Week 1 of a 13 part series covering what you should know before you embark on your overseas adventure. There is a lot to consider when venturing into a foreign market. Getting it right can transform your business. Getting it wrong can be a costly mistake. By doing your research in advance you will greatly increase your chances of success. Please join me each week to learn how you can grow your bus...

A summary of an article by McKinsey & Co on the topic of better communication and decision making. The author's make several recommendations that are easy to implement and will improve your businesses productivity

There are two potential routes to a solution of a problem. The first is conformity, Peesapaty tried to influence government policy. The second, originality, in the case edible cutlery. Unconventional thinkers have unprecedented access to knowledge, talents, capital and potential customers. Yet breakthrough products or services are hard to find, Gary Hamel, a recognized business thinker, notes that...

There is a saying that the best time to plant a shade tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now. The best time to launch a consulting business is when you are still employed. And if you are not employed then the second best time in now. How to stand out from the crowd It is estimated that globally there are 53,000 coaches and 700,000 consultants. I recall chatting with a colleague we were...

It’s time to grab a notebook and pen or pencil and start jotting down the thoughts that are going through your mind about your new business venture. I do strongly suggest that you do physically write down your ideas rather than typing them on an electronic device. Research has shown that the act of writing by hand leads to better retention of ideas. And if you are like me I love a high quality not...

Is retirement not for you? Me neither! I have always known that retirement did not hold any attraction for me. Those financial product advertisement promising early retirement never resonated. As Elizabeth Queen of England, who is still active at the age of 95, says “If I stop, I will drop.” In season 9 I will share with you my experiences running a consulting business that delivers the much targe...

Ideas from “Entrepreneurial You.” Dorie Clark “Monetize your expertise, create multiple income streams and thrive” Affiliate Marketing Following the various ideas we have covered in earlier episodes you may have been able to build a substantial following. Now is the time to consider affiliate marketing as a low-cost option to generating income.  This is particularly attractive if you do not yet ha...

Ideas from “Entrepreneurial You.” Dorie Clark “Monetize your expertise, create multiple income streams and thrive” Lower cost options – Help all your followers. You can cater to the rich, and I’ll take the rest; the good Lord made more of them. Kemmons Wilson founder Holiday Inn Not everyone can afford to spend a couple of thousands of dollars for a course. And it is likely that many of your foll...

Ideas from “Entrepreneurial You.” Dorie Clark “Monetize your expertise, create multiple income streams and thrive” Leverage your platform by creating online courses You have an expertise; you know others want to learn it because you have been building up your following. What can be more obvious than to develop an on-line course? The ultimate make it once, sell it many times. If only it was that ea...

Ideas from “Entrepreneurial You.” Dorie Clark “Monetize your expertise, create multiple income streams and thrive” Build a Speaking Practice. Last week we learned how you can start building your brand and then ways to use that brand to monetize your skills. We looked at the steps needed to build a consulting or coaching business. And then how to break away from the tyranny of the clock, which limi...

In an earlier episode I mentioned Michael Port’s book “Book Yourself Solid”. Let me share with you the changing ways Mr. Port was able to capitalize on his book’s success. After publishing his book in 2006 Mr. Port suddenly had a massive new audience. He now had the scale needed to build a group coaching program. He started with teleseminars, most internet connections at the time were not fast eno...

Step 1 Develop your initial market. Tell your family, friends, contacts about your decision to launch a consulting business. Ask them for introductions to folks who are able to hire and who you may be able to help. If time permits you should do this with a personal call or e-mail. And be specific about the type of client you want to attract. I would love to work with anyone in the aviation industr...

Building up the courage to charge for your services is challenging. What if no one wants your product? Or people complain that you are overpriced? Or call you a sell out for charging at all? Yes that may well happen. But you cannot help others with your advice or great product or outstanding service if you cannot keep yourself in business. It’s strange, people will pay $200 per hour for a psychiat...

Build Your Brand The underlying advice contained in Dorie Clark’s “Entrepreneurial You” is that most entrepreneurs in the coaching, consulting, speaking field fail to diversify themselves. Diversification can enable you to earn more and mitigate risk. Too many entrepreneurs focus on earning revenue from one or two activities, such as consulting and coaching. To stop being held a slave to the clock...

Build the house you want to live in. Define your values early and often. Values are not generic two-word commandments that state the obvious. They should codify what you believe in place where everyone can see them and everyone can suggest changes. Values should be an oral tradition. They should tell your employees how to behave in both normal and extreme situations. And they are effective because...