The Business Trendsetter Podcast

Every small and midsized business leader tells me they know their customer.  They are sure that’s why they succeed.  But, unfortunately, most don’t know the vast majority of their customers very well, and they are surprised when business turns south on them.  They try to raise prices, or cut costs, and they are surprised that customers leave.  Or they try to expand into new markets, and they never...

As business leaders we tend to focus on what we control. But what we don’t control is infinitely larger than what we do control. We can’t control the world, so the smartest thing to do is focus more on the world, so we can adapt and adjust we do control toward greater success.    Geopolitics is about as far away from what we can control as possible; especially as small and mid-size organization le...

Everyone sees trends, but most of us are so locked into our current situation that we don’t recognize how to use those trends for better outcomes.  We are so stuck doing what we’ve done that we feel little room is available to doing something new.  But the good news is that new tools – most of which are free – can help enormously with this overcoming this problem.   This podcast not only explains...

Unbeknownst to most people, 3D printing is a $20B business growing at 25%/year.  While most people haven’t used a 3D printer, or even thought about it, it’s really a lot like ChatGPT.  It’s a new technology on the scene that took 35 years to develop – and opens the door to enormous innovation, better business practices, lower costs, exciting new products and a whole lotta growth!  3D .printing is...

We at Spark Partners are constantly asked how to know when to invest in a trend.  We’re asked how to tell a trend from a fad, and how to know that investing in a trend will pay out.  This podcast answers those questions by looking at case examples like Amazon, Apple, Tesla and even making predictions about Nvidia and the future of AI. The key to identifying trends is learning how to read weak sign...

This podcast explains why so many of us make poor business decisions.  Quite simply, we tend to look backward rather than forward.  We think the future will look like the past, when that is mostly unlikely.  We let biases built up over time, and perceptions of today (which are often wrong) drive decisions - instead of data and trends. Good leaders hire good coaches to help them understand the mark...

For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), intellectual property (IP) can be a hidden goldmine. But how do you capture that value when selling your company? Custom software applications can be a strategic answer.  Many SMBs have unique processes or algorithms that give them a competitive edge. Building a custom app allows you to encode these procedures into the software itself, making it diffic...

Lots of talk about AI, but many small and mid-size businesses still aren’t applying AI.  This podcast is a short primer on what’s happening in AI and how to get started.  You can do it wrong, and we explain how easy it is to use the wrong data sets.  And you can apply it wrong, attempting problems that require adaptability between data sets.  Or you can do it right by focusing on activities that a...

In the future electricity will be free.  How’s that for a forecast?  Adam made over 200 forecasts for Forbes mag, and when he stopped writing all 200 were proven accurate.  This podcast explains how to do good scenario planning using the electric utility industry as an example. Demand is going up.  But supply is challenged by the technology transition from fossil fuels to sustainables.  Will the i...

In this episode, Manny engages in conversation with Tanner Herbert and Rebecca Crane, both principals of the Signature Group, a longstanding full-service residential real estate company supporting buyers and sellers in Southern Arizona's fast-paced market. Beyond traditional services, their company also engages in wholesale transactions and fix-and-flip projects. Through their insights, we gain a...

Most people think of strategic planning as a periodic exercise, typically done annually (or every 3 years) and reviewed possibly quarterly (or semi-annually.)  It’s almost an activity that is undertaken “just because” but which has minimal impact on daily decision making.  But successful innovators do strategic planning very differently. They don’t even think of it as an exercise, but a continual...

For years Adam has been a fan of Tesla.  Tesla innovated the EV market, overcoming multiple obstacles that traditional auto execs felt were unsolvable.  And Tesla’s founder proved to be an innovator of cars, as well as business models.  For over a decade Tesla had limited competition, and it grew very quickly. Times have changed.  This podcast explains why Tesla’s value has decreased by 65% over t...

Today, we're joined by Jeanne Cummings, a turnaround CEO with a specialty in guiding founder-led companies towards manifesting their visions. She delves into her unique approach, an 'inside out engagement,' which begins with grasping the founder's vision and extends through conversations with employees and customers. This process offers invaluable insights into the company's viability, free from t...

Today, we had a conversation with Brendan Staib, the latest addition to the SparkPartners team and a sophomore at the University of Arizona's business school. Understanding the distinct buying patterns of each generation can provide valuable insights on how to sell to each of them and grow your market share. In our discussion, Brendan shed light on the evolving trends defining the Gen Z lifestyle,...

This podcast reviews 2 innovators launching new businesses.  One we see as very likely to succeed. The other is a lot more questionable.  We explain in detail what distinguishes the difference.   Adam Hartung made over 300 predictions during the decade he wrote for Forbes.  100% of those predictions turned out to be accurate – a record for Forbes writers.  That accuracy was based upon understandin...

April 2, 2024 was the day General Electric died.  After 132 years, the behemoth founded on invention and innovation by Thomas Edison is no longer.  How could one of the founding members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffer such a fate?  After all, just 24 years ago GE – led by Jack Welch – was the most admired company in the USA; and one of the most admired globally. Simultaneously, Boston M...

Last week Family Dollar/Dollar Tree revealed it was filing for bankruptcy and closing approximately 1,000 stores.  For most of us, these announcements are so common we don’t even notice any longer.  Last year 4,600 retail locations closed in the USA. CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens closed 800 stores.  This podcast explains how the US became so “overstored.” Something that was clear a decade ago. Those...

In the last couple of weeks the Supreme Court has overturned a lot of precedent.  Similar to other headlines, it’s important business leaders use this input to update future scenarios. This podcast reviews how the 3 big precedent changes (New York gun law, reproduction rights and school prayer) all indicate a shift in the high court toward personal rights over the rights of society.  This is a sub...

GE was founded on April 15, 1892.  On April 2, 2024 there will be  no more GE.  This podcast explains that what took 108 years to build, culminating in Jack Welch’s huge growth spurt from 1980 to 2000, was systematically destroyed by CEO Jeff Immelt and his successors.  How?  By focusing on earnings rather than growing revenues.   This week Boeing was put under criminal investigation.  Its reputat...

This podcast interviews Tom Koulopoulos, Founding Chairman of Delphi Group, Executive Director of the Babson College Center for Business Innovation, past Director of the Dell Innovation Lab and contributor to Inc Magazine as well as many other journals. We overview his latest book (#14) “GIGATRENDS” offering insights to the major trends creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses...

There is a lot of immigrant bashing in the USA these days. Somewhat ironic, given that almost all Americans have an immigrant background. Nonetheless, there is a perception among a lot of people – business leaders included – that immigrants are bad for the economy.   This podcast sets out to reverse that thinking. Reviewing ample data from the Congressional Budget Office, Department of Labor and r...

Starting next week Amazon.com will replace Walgreens on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA.)  This 100+ year old index may seem out of date, but it does still have meaning.  Being selected for inclusion means a company is relevant and growing, and being opted out is the opposite.  We discuss in this podcast how changes in the DJIA and the Dow Transport Average (which just opted in Uber to repl...

Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen have both confirmed we will have a commercial real estate debacle on our hands soon.  Great, they finally figured out what Manny and Adam have been saying for over a year!  Better late than remaining ignorant!  So what does this mean for you? This podcast explains the risks this is creating for CRE owners and banks with loans on these pro...

Trends are long-lived customer behavioral changes.  Trends cause customers to develop new needs and allow companies to supply new solutions.  Thus, trends are loaded with opportunity, and the source of obsolescence.  But far too few companies use trends in their planning. This podcast overviews how we verify trends, identify trend reinforcers, and then use those trends to plan. We dig deep into th...

Do you know WHY people should want to do business with your start-up, without discussing HOW you do it?  This #Podcast interviews Jordan Shepley founder of The Headling Lounge.  In this interview Jordan describes exactly why people should want to buy her products. Over and again she describes the benefits customers receive, short and long-term.  We almost had to pry the Value Delivery System out o...