A famous quote from business guru Michael Porter goes: “If your goal is anything but profitability – if it’s to be big, or to grow fast, or to become a technology leader – you’ll hit problems.” I think Derek Sivers proves this quote wrong. Ever since Derek started the amazing success story that CD Baby became, his goal was never profitability. In his book Anything You Want he hints at what a new generation of entrepreneur’s are focusing on: putting people first and profits second.
Tag Archive for ‘Business’ 
Michael Porter Was Wrong
Don’t Forget, We Live in Saskatchewan
“QR Code adoption up 1,135%”
“Forget a Website, all you need is mobile app”
“People are no longer using computers, just mobile phones”
There are a lot of headlines lately that are probably making you say WTF more often than Snoop Dogg at a Miley Cyrus concert. Yes, technology is advancing at an alarming rate but don’t forget, we live in Saskatchewan.
What do Keg Party’s and Great Products Have in Common?
You want to share the experience.
When you hear someone is having a keg party the host of it does not have to try to get you to come. She doesn’t have to sell you on the party, she doesn’t have to advertise to get people to come. The keg sells the party. No one wants to miss a Keg party.
Great products are much like keg parties–you want to tell others about them. They are not your regular products; they are different in some special way. Clever advertising doesn’t need to be used to sell them. A large part of your budget doesn’t need to go towards “branding”.
What’s Your Blue Ocean?
You now know how to assemble your hedgehog strategy it’s time to understand how you’ll be competing in the marketplace, or in our case the ocean.
The book Blue Ocean Strategy is based on the concept of not trying to compete in the market place but defining your own market space. The authors talk about business as defined as companies competing in the red ocean. It’s cut throat, battle to increase market-share, beat your competition and you’ll have a successful business.
Your Hedgehog Strategy
In Jim Collins’ Best Seller Good to Great a pivotal point in the book is the Hedgehog concept. It makes you think about strategy differently. It focuses your efforts to where they absolutely need to be focused. I hope you find it as valuable as I do.
Video: The Hedge Hog Concept
Your “Brand” is What People Say It Is
We went to the Rooftop Bar and Grill for our friends engagement party. It was a delightful evening, but service was below average and people didn’t seem happy about their food (I didn’t order anything so I shouldn’t comment). Then they ruined what ever they had going for any type of a good perception of them we had in our minds.
They did last call at 10:00, basically kicking us out.
A Saturday night at an established restaurant, an engagement party, 25-35 year olds, buying drinks at a pretty regular rate, we weren’t being loud, we weren’t causing a ruckus, it didn’t add up.
