The Platform Business model is disrupting the ecosystem by matching individuals with need.  This dynamic collaboration evens the playing field for small supplier companies and aspiring entrepreneurs.  Consider:      ·  AirBNB – world’s largest accommodation provider…does not own rooms      ·  Uber – world’s largest taxi company…does not own cars      ·  Alibaba…world’s largest retailer…

Leaders have to make judgments about people, strategy and crisis. For many, it is not how many good judgment calls you make, but rather how many of the important ones you get right. This requires preparation, the decision, and then execution.  During times of uncertainty and ambiguity, a leader must first identify clear trends via…

Three financial trends impacting business innovation: First, only a fraction of money in financial system make sit to Main St. businesses. Yes, there are equity and debt transactions every day. However, the role of capital markets and the banking sector in funding new investment is decreasing. Instead, their growing activity is lending against existing assets…

It can be challenging to create a brand name that is global. Plopp chocolate, the Chinese snack Only Pukeet, Pee Cola from Ghana, Swedish toilet paper Krapp, a box of Barf detergent from Iran, France’s "Zit" ice cream, South Korea’s fruit drink called Coolpis, and India’s pillow called "Nightmare.” A Belgian chocolate company is named…

In a series of studies, subjects were told that they’d earn more money if they got their teammates (who were actually researchers) to unwittingly spread a lie. In their email signatures, some teammates included a quote about integrity (“Success without honor is worse than fraud”), while others used a neutral quote (“Success and luck go…

The barrier between work and life has gone away, primarily with the smart phone. The average US worker spends 25% of the day reading/answering emails (Source: Deloitte), and this is happening at work… …and at home… …and at kids’ sporting events… …and on vacation… …and, and, and… Workers are getting addicted to all the noise….

In the past 90 years, the US stock market has generated returns exceeding 9% annually. Yet, this growth has been irrational sometimes (fear and greed), as the US Stock prices grew twice as fast as business earnings. From 1920 to 1929, Dow stocks’ business growth was 118%…stocks went up 271% (300% with dividends)…and then corrected…

Companies need people on the inside who reflect the people they serve. There is a value proposition in having diversity of thought to provide better options to solve problems / get better outcomes. Yet, organizations are struggling to address gender inequality.  At the current pace, it will take 100+ years for women to be represented…

John Mackey, a 25 year-old college dropout, started a small natural foods store in 1978 called SafeWay. Booted from his apartment for storing food there, he just lived in the store. There was no shower stall, so he bathed in the dishwasher with the attached water hose. In a supermarket Industry with shrinking sales, razor-thin…

After many Canadians traveled to the US to shop at Target stores, the management team decided to expand into Canada. Short lived, it then closed 133 stores after estimating profitability would not come for 6 more years (2021). What happened? The economics were completely different. First, the supply chain is challenging, as the Canadian geographic…