Way back in the swinging '60s, Jane Ball pioneered the first digital dating enterprise in London, England. Her secret sauce? Unconventionally successful. Instead of probing about desires, she asked what people decidedly ‘did not want’. It turns out that individuals had a foggy view of their wants, but a crystal-clear vision of what they did not...
Read MoreIn previous years words like volatility, instability, steady state were often used to describe the business economy. But this year, the big thinkers are using the word uncertainty which is a polite way of saying they haven’t got a clue. Why is this? We have a rise in the number of powerful dictators, ungoverned by rule of law, which means things...
Read MoreAre you: We have all heard the term Market Research and most often associate it with one of those bloated, generic reports that are tirelessly marketed on line. I will admit that even we succumb, occasionally, to their lure – only to be disappointed by the lack of applicability to the specific subject of interest. No matter what industry you...
Read MoreUnless you've been living under a rock, you've probably noticed that AI, Large Language Models, and ChatGPT are the talk of the town. I've been to a number of conventions, seminars, and conferences over the last month, and almost every session, every conversation, every panel includes some reference to
Read MoreNo matter who you are or what you are, you have competition. We compete for food, for water, for attention, for mates, for… well just about everything. Businesses are no different – we compete for employees, for customers, for supplies, for financing and so on. Given that competition is as old as the planet, there are accepted ways of competing....
Read MoreSome companies soar to greatness while others plod along, slow and steady; steady that is until the world shifts and they become obsolete… Consider the lobster. The lobster has a tough exoskeleton that protects it from predators. It lets it live a relatively safe and steady life. However, that safety comes with a big downside - it can't grow. As...
Read MoreMany of our early stage clients are involved in the clean tech sector. Clean and Green Tech can mean many things but essentially it includes all those companies that are working to clean up our planet. Some are carbon-centric firms that are transforming their products and their focus, some are launching new products in this sector and others are...
Read MoreOn my out drive to Victoria, BC and back I realized that I had a problem with my tachometer. The tachometer tells you how many times the engine rotates each minute (RPM). It’s important to keep an eye on it so that you neither make the engine go too slow - you risk straining the engine, or too fast - you risk having bits fly off it. Neither are...
Read MoreMany years ago, a shoe-maker sent his best sales-person to a developing country to see if there was a market for shoes. He reported back, “The market is terrible – no one wears shoes”. Not being sure if this was true, the shoe-maker sent a consultant to double check, “The market is fantastic”, he reported, “No one wears
Read MoreMost movies are unique, except for the endless sequels. And so, when someone pitches a studio on a movie idea, they need to explain something that’s never been explained before. The simplest way to get the new idea across is by using a compelling metaphor. You start with something the studio boss already understands and build on that e.g....
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