A SEAT at THE TABLE: Helping business leaders grow their influence

If there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s how fragile - and unpredictable - supply chains can be.  Ideally, companies need to be able to forecast potential disruptions - and be able to see possible workarounds - preferably in real time.  It’s the next big step in achieving the agility that is becoming critical to surviving in complex market conditions. But can we get  this kind of sharp view that pu...

E-commerce has seen it’s market share rocket during the past two years as the pandemic made shopping from home a must in many markets. But one of the biggest gains has been the quantum leap that online retail has made in developing markets.  Growth of domestic platforms as well as cross border trade has opened up literally a world of shopping opportunities for consumers in these markets.  This has...

Many people have at one time or another dreamed of a being in show business.  From red carpets to a jet setting celebrity lifestyle  -  a career on camera has been seen as the road to fame and fortune. But is it really as glamour as it seems?  And what does it take to not only break into the entertainment business - but to survive in an industry that offers no job security whatsoever. This episode...

One of the biggest shifts brought on by the pandemic is the number of people who have opted to quit their jobs. The media has handily named this the ‘Great Resignation’ and whether the number of people leaving their posts is quite as high as the headlines imply, there has certainly been a surge in the number of people who are disgruntled and find their work - well somewhat soul crushing.  Have so...

Most companies are using some form of digital marketing. However a growing number are struggling to achieve the results they hoped for. What used to be a handful of digital options has now mushroomed into a vast array of choices and complex media plays. Those early days of banner adverts, sponsored content and posts on a few social media platforms have morphed into a situation where companies are...

It seems that everyone is talking about data. At first it was big data.  Then it was data privacy … data mining … data management … cloud data.  And more recently, how big tech is handling our data. Whether you’re a massive corporation or a solopreneur, today everyone has the ability to collect customer data - and is seeing lots of advantages in doing so. The challenge is what do we do with the gr...

Brands are facing massive market changes.  Supply chain disruptions have pulled the rug out from under fast fashion.  Eco-conscious consumers want more sustainable apparel.  And new direct to consumer brands are rapidly gaining market share. When the dust settles there will be winners and losers, but one thing is certain - new brands are bringing new demands to suppliers. Gone are the days when mo...

Everyone is talking about the importance of digital transformation, yet many companies are stuck as to how exactly to best implement it for their business. Regardless of what business you’re in, shifting away from legacy systems is never easy and not knowing best practices or even how to evaluate which system is best for you can make the process even more daunting. To get insights into what compan...

Starting a business is easy.  Scaling it is where things get a bit more challenging.  70% of start ups fail within two to five years of launching.  Not encouraging numbers.  In today’s competitive market, even establish businesses are facing new and unanticipated market challenges. Still, we are firmly in the Age of the Entrepreneur, with solopreneurs launching new micro businesses, creators devel...

There are probably almost as many trading systems and investment philosophies as there are active traders.   Each strategy promising to help people beat the market.   But what if success was less a matter of a system or a strategy and more a matter of a certain mindset? Roger Khoury has over two decades of experience the field of market forecasting. In 2010, he developed an innovative probability-...

Building a reliable supply chain is never easy.  Especially when you’re dealing with a vast number of suppliers and when you are facing cultural differences in your vendor markets.  It gets even more complicated when the product you’re sourcing is fresh food. So what are the best practices learned over the years from industry leaders who’ve meet the many challenges, spent sleepless nights and ulti...

If you’re trying to make sense out of a world where everyone seems to be launching the next unicorn.  And where valuations seem to have little correlation to corporate values or even the value of revenue or profit generated … If you’re running a business without VC investment and feel like every day you’re pushing water up hill … or feel that your less glamorous, but profitable business is nothing...

If you’re confused about commodities… perplexed about where prices might be headed …  and increasingly concerned about those rumours about potential shortages of certain raw materials - well you’re not alone. At a time when we seem to be surrounded by uncertainty, it’s difficult for even the most confident to leaders not to second guess themselves. While many analysts expect to see price increases...

 Most brands are looking for new markets where there’s strong consumer demand - and buying power. Yet most over look Japan.  Too complicated … takes too long to get into the market … then there’s the language barrier and cultural differences.   Many would rather avoid it than risk possible failure. But what if the Japanese market wasn’t as challenging as it looks?  What if brands could actually do...

When your computer freezes you simply rebooted it.  When your modem is running slowly tech support tells to try rebooting it. But what about when you feel that your life is stuck?  When you feel that you’re going in circles? Or going nowhere.  When you simply don’t know what what you want to do next. Perhaps what you need is to reboot your life. If you feel like your life could use a reboot then t...

One of the key differentiators between good and great companies is leadership. For most companies the focus tends to be on financial results, product development - and recently on juggling supply chain crises. That leaves little time to think about leadership - let alone getting involved in professional development. However as many of have learned, the value of having capable leaders at the top an...

Direct to Consumer brands have been a rising market sector for over a decade.  The massive shift to online shopping during the pandemic was the rocket fuel that propelled many new brand launches, and made many traditional brands aware of the huge opportunities in selling online. From potentially better margins to building closer engagement with consumers, most brands have made Direct to Consumer a...

 When most people start a business their core focus is on product development, driving sales and creating customer loyalty. Few think about selling the business.  Or more importantly, “if some day I wanted to sell this business what would make it attractive to investors?” By the time they start to think about this, it’s often too late.  Turns out, that what’s a great business for the owner, is not...

Have you ever thought of what it might be like to live your dream life? But then thought “well that will have to wait.  There’s no way I can do that right now. “ Or maybe you’ve felt stuck, a lack of opportunity because of where you’re living or the nature of your job? What if there was a way to start moving towards living your dream life right now.  A way to build a successful and happy life, reg...

One of the many sectors that have been disrupted by the pandemic is commercial real estate.  From consumers embracing online shopping and people working from home for over a year - to what could be long term migrations out of cities, this kind of movement clearly impacts the property sector. However to fully understand what’s happening - and to be able to see where there might be opportunities - o...

Many people dream of launching their own fashion brands but once they get started find that it’s much more complicated than it looks. That leads to stalled - or even failed businesses.  Brilliantly creative products - that could be part of profitable companies - even up dyeing on the vine.  Never making it beyond the sample room. If you’re thinking of starting a fashion brand - or if you have bran...

Amazon is usually admired for its massive scale, obsession with serving customers and founder Jeff Bezos’ relentless entrepreneurial spirit. What doesn’t get discussed as often is the management principles and strategies that are the backbone of this organisation.  The tenets that provide the infrastructure on which the Amazon empire has been built.  However Amazon’s management philosophy and orga...

Performance apparel remains a bestselling category.  The challenge is to continue to add innovation - while meeting growing demand for better quality. All of which comes down to not only more investment in R&D but more strategic investment .  When it comes to performance  5.11 Tactical is one brand where functional properties can be a matter of life or death. The brand’s core products are purp...

What can business leadership learn from a professional artist?  Turns out - a lot! At a time when we’re being encouraged to ‘think outside of the box’ fine art is probably as far outside of the traditional business setting as you can get. Yet it seems that occasionally  swapping Excel sheets for art supplies can give executives a totally new perspective on where their business is now, where they c...

The old saying that there are riches in niches is proving to be increasingly accurate. As consumers demand greater personalisation, brands that meet those requests are seeing steady sales growth - as well as healthy margins. In the past, brands grew their sales by trying to provide something for everyone.  Today, that strategy is becoming increasingly unprofitable.  New brands that focus on narrow...