Chief Growth Officer
Read an ongoing dialogue about the issues that CEOs and company founders face as they grow their businesses. CEO Peter Horan shares his reflections from a career running several Internet media properties, and his thoughts on current issues in the business world.
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ArchivesBest Places For Growing Businesses
December 28, 2006, 6:06 AM
One of the most important and long-lasting decisions that you'll make as an entrepreneur is where to locate your business. There are two recent studies about the best places for growing businesses. Jim Hopkins of USA Today reported on which cities are experiencing the fastest business growth. You can catch Jim's post in his excellent small business blog here . The top six states in business growth were: 1) Arizona 2) Idaho 3) Nevada 4)Georgia 5) Texas 6) Utah I listed six states rather than the more typical five because I wanted to include Utah which was one of the ...
2007 Small Business Forecast: Blue Skies!
December 26, 2006, 4:00 AM
We've just completed our annual study of the state of small business. We asked a large sample of folks like you and me how they feel about the upcoming year, what their priorities are, and what challenges they are expecting. Generally the news is good. 75% of business owners expect business conditions to be better in 2007 than they are in 2006 and most (62%) plan to boost their technology spending. The biggest concern? Shortage of talent. Entrepreneurs are planning to add staff and they are worried that there is a shortage of talented people. You'll see more of the ...
More Business Travel Stress Busters
December 22, 2006, 10:38 AM
I was looking around the web for more good business travel resources and rediscovered a great one over at my alma mater, About.com. Their Business Travel Guide, Gary Chisholm, is creating a steady stream of useful advice for road warriors. I like this recent post about how to pack light for business trips. He has some nifty ideas. It's a nice extension of my admonition to stick to one bag whenever it's even vaguely possible. I've highlighted One Bag , Doug Dyment's site before. It's chock full of ideas on how to stretch your carryon on allotment. Here's my bonus ...
Business Travel Stress Busters
December 11, 2006, 2:00 PM
Traveling on business has been enough to turn anyone into a grouch. So here are some of my best ideas for lowering the stress.
Bear Bryant: A Lesson About Dealing With People
December 05, 2006, 8:24 PM
Like everyone else, I get a lot of junk in my email box. Jokes. Junk. Scams. Spam. Etc. And I'm usually quick to nuke them all. I had actually erased this story that my brother-in-law, Doug Fleming, had sent me. But my wife saw it, and realized that it was a story that I'd like. It's passed down from Paul Bear Bryant, one of the winningest college football coaches of all time. It's a story about a hard-driving young football coach. A white man driving through the segregated south. It's about how he behaved when no one was watching. Enjoy.
One Billion Customers--How Many Are Your Serving?
November 16, 2006, 2:08 PM
One of the surest growth strategies for your business is tapping into fast growing markets with a lot of customers. How about the world's fastest growing economy with more than a billion customers? That's right, China. I just had a chance to re-connect with Matt Comyns and Jim McGregor of J.L. McGregor Associates. Jim and Matt are two of the most knowledgeable new China hands. I've known Matt for a few years through his work at CNET and BlackInc. I became acquainted with Jim when I hired their firm for a project last year. Among other achievements, Jim shepherded Dow ...
Greatness Is in The Details
November 11, 2006, 6:18 PM
I generally try to avoid sports sayings and analogies in business. Many are dumb or irrelevant. Others convey an "us guys" sexism that's inappropriate. But there's one for which I make an exception: "the will to win means nothing without the will to prepare". It's true beyond true. I was reminded of this saying and its fundamental truth twice this past week in New York. The first time was when I stopped into Sarabeth's in the Chelsea Market. I was a few minutes early for a meeting and thought I would grab a cup of coffee and a few cookies.
Franchising--the other small business
November 06, 2006, 7:36 AM
When an entrepreneur considers launching his business empire, he immediately confronts a fork in the road: franchise or go it alone. I was reminded of this choice recently when I spoke to reporter Jaclyne Badal of the Wall Street Joural. She was working on an article for the Journal's syndicated Sunday business section that runs in about eighty papers arond the country. Her article appears here . Her article provides a good, brief summary of some of the factors to consider when thinking about buying a franchise. Her research had pointed out some of the risks associated with shady franchise ...
The Magic Words For Business
October 24, 2006, 1:09 PM
If you listen to the chatter in any meeting room, you'll be battered by "synergy" and "disintermediate" and lots of other convoluted ways to say simple things. Some people have bought books or tapes on how to improve their careers via a bigger vocabulary. In fact, everyone learned the magic words for business in kindergarten or before. Mostly likely you learned them from your mother because they are the same magic words that worked when you wanted a glass of milk, "please" and "thank you". Most people will drag out the magic words for their boss but they are every ...
The Consumer Isn't Stupid...
October 19, 2006, 4:55 AM
Companies get in trouble when they think that they are smarter and slicker than their customers. The most recent example is WalMart. A blog appeared on the scene in that told the the story of a charming couple that WalMarts across America talking to happy, friendly WalMartians. Happy travelers. Happy employees. Business reality at its best--except for one small detail. The whole thing was a put-on from WalMart and its PR firm. Business Week broke the story and explains the issues here. WalMart Story As a result of trying to pass of promotion as an honest travelog from consumers, ...
Latest Comments in Chief Growth Officer posts
I see your point, but my first impression was that Jetta drivers can't safely operate a vehicle while talking. BTW, the director of these videos also directed the new Mac vs. PC commercials.
By: James
on
Selling Your Product: Show Me, Don't Tell Me
Peter; Excellent article....sometimes we forget that money and many of the other means that we use to recruit and motivate are quite far down on the list. Thanks for reminding us. Steve ...
By: Steve MacGill
on
Recruiting The Best People
Sears service and support for warranty customers is not as good as you think. On July 15th we contacted Sears for warranty work on thier high end washing machine. The earliest we could get an appointment was July 25th. They showed up and fixed the machine (replaced latch). On August 2nd the same problem occured and Sears said OK next available date was August 10th. On August 9th, they were to call and confirm time frame. No call. Call first thing August 10th. They will arrive between 2:45 and 4:45. No one said they stop new calls at 5pm. At 4:50pm call to find out where they are in the process. Next stop. At 5:30 contact Sears aagin and I am told, we will contact the dispatcher and find out where they are. (Again no ,mention of 5pm cut off) At 6pm recieve call from dispatcher Chris. We stop work on new calls at 5pm, we will reschedule you for Aug 16th. Obviously, this is not ok and I ask for manager. No one here but me. Send me to customer care. Person speaks to Chris and says nothing we can do. They send me to Larry in customer relations. He contacts the same dispatcher and get the same answer. Ask for his manager, not available. This is not customer service it is "BS". Sears has taken the computer model to the degree of ignoring customer service. A revamp of the structure is needed.
By: David Pierce
on
Sears: Where America SHOULD Shop
Sears service and support for warranty customers is not as good as you think. On July 15th we contacted Sears for warranty work on thier high end washing machine. The earliest we could get an appointment was July 25th. They showed up and fixed the machine (replaced latch). On August 2nd the same problem occured and Sears said OK next available date was August 10th. On August 9th, they were to call and confirm time frame. No call. Call first thing August 10th. They will arrive between 2:45 and 4:45. No one said they stop new calls at 5pm. At 4:50pm call to find out where they are in the process. Next stop. At 5:30 contact Sears aagin and I am told, we will contact the dispatcher and find out where they are. (Again no ,mention of 5pm cut off) At 6pm recieve call from dispatcher Chris. We stop work on new calls at 5pm, we will reschedule you for Aug 16th. Obviously, this is not ok and I ask for manager. No one here but me. Send me to customer care. Person speaks to Chris and says nothing we can do. They send me to Larry in customer relations. He contacts the same dispatcher and get the same answer. Ask for his manager, not available. This is not customer service it is "BS". Sears has taken the computer model to the degree of ignoring customer service. A revamp of the structure is needed.
By: David Pierce
on
Sears: Where America SHOULD Shop
Sears service and support for warranty customers is not as good as you think. On July 15th we contacted Sears for warranty work on thier high end washing machine. The earliest we could get an appointment was July 25th. They showed up and fixed the machine (replaced latch). On August 2nd the same problem occured and Sears said OK next available date was August 10th. On August 9th, they were to call and confirm time frame. No call. Call first thing August 10th. They will arrive between 2:45 and 4:45. No one said they stop new calls at 5pm. At 4:50pm call to find out where they are in the process. Next stop. At 5:30 contact Sears aagin and I am told, we will contact the dispatcher and find out where they are. (Again no ,mention of 5pm cut off) At 6pm recieve call from dispatcher Chris. We stop work on new calls at 5pm, we will reschedule you for Aug 16th. Obviously, this is not ok and I ask for manager. No one here but me. Send me to customer care. Person speaks to Chris and says nothing we can do. They send me to Larry in customer relations. He contacts the same dispatcher and get the same answer. Ask for his manager, not available. This is not customer service it is "BS". Sears has taken the computer model to the degree of ignoring customer service. A revamp of the structure is needed.
By: david Pierce
on
Sears: Where America SHOULD Shop
Sears service and support for warranty customers is not as good as you think. On July 15th we contacted Sears for warranty work on thier high end washing machine. The earliest we could get an appointment was July 25th. They showed up and fixed the machine (replaced latch). On August 2nd the same problem occured and Sears said OK next available date was August 10th. On August 9th, they were to call and confirm time frame. No call. Call first thing August 10th. They will arrive between 2:45 and 4:45. No one said they stop new calls at 5pm. At 4:50pm call to find out where they are in the process. Next stop. At 5:30 contact Sears aagin and I am told, we will contact the dispatcher and find out where they are. (Again no ,mention of 5pm cut off) At 6pm recieve call from dispatcher Chris. We stop work on new calls at 5pm, we will reschedule you for Aug 16th. Obviously, this is not ok and I ask for manager. No one here but me. Send me to customer care. Person speaks to Chris and says nothing we can do. They send me to Larry in customer relations. He contacts the same dispatcher and get the same answer. Ask for his manager, not available. This is not customer service it is "BS". Sears has taken the computer model to the degree of ignoring customer service. A revamp of the structure is needed.
By: david Pierce
on
Sears: Where America SHOULD Shop
I find it inspiring and educational and thanks for the enlightenment...i look forward to reading news letter from you...for free? Thanks and God Bless Elizabeth ...
By: Elizabeth Deang
on
Jeff Pfeffer--A Really Smart Guy Who Can Help Make You Smart Too
I am a professional artist from China. The flower and garden are topic of my artworks. It is the eternal topic for human.The concept behind my work is creating a dialogue between a painting and its surroundings. I want to make business in the world art maket,would you like to help me? Thank you very much! Best Regards, Libo http://www.yessy.com/libo_64/gallery.html ...
By: Libo
on
The Dolls That Helped Attract Great Talent
Hi Peter: While I think your observations about the lack of innovation from management at large corporations is largely a true statement, I also think that trend is changing... Please see a recent blog post entitled: "Collaborate, Innovate and Dominate!" which can be found at http://www.n2growth.com/blog/?p=78 Thanks Peter...
By: Mike Myatt
on
How "Smart" Management Opens The Door for Competitors
i keep getting mailings from Hawthorne House for the coco-cola christmas stuff in my dead mother-in-laws name.she passed in 01" and we moved here to this address in 03" She remarried 6years before she passed and did not have the same last name anymore. i can't get them to stopeven after i called and mailed out letters. Maybe coco-cola might want to know how this happened as much as i do and why they can't stop. to me i would not want my company to have this happen....HELP ME PLEASE ...
By: Joy
on
Updated: Your Worst Nightmare: An Unhappy Customer With A Blog
I can certainly relate to your AOL story, as I also wrote about their terrible techniques on my blog. They did that two month for free thing and sent me an email saying they were reinstating the monthly fee. When I called them and told them that I had already cancelled, they emailed me the next day and said I was too late to take it off of their billing cycle. As a result I had to pay for the month. So for a little over $30, they lost me as a potential customer if and when they offer services they've been talking about. I won't even use their free services. I was with them for years, I wonder if they think $30 was worth the loss?
By: Gary Bourgeault (thealphamarketer.com)
on
Updated: Your Worst Nightmare: An Unhappy Customer With A Blog
Sears is has a destiny of failure. Leaving inadquit manager, and loose store policies to be interpeted. Ther own 800 number is at a loss. I returned a defective tent that collapsed on my guests and the had the nerve to charge a restock fee. So for $15.00 total I have turned away as many people as possible. Apparently the manager of the department can randomly select who he wishes to charge this fee for. So beware the Craftsman toll, etc. Think its all inside? wrong. well maybe the anger. For $15.00 and me with 3 different sears accounts. Goodbye Sears. Remeber Montgomery Wards.
By: Luane
on
How "Smart" Management Opens The Door for Competitors
i would love to help the world and i am happy you do all you. when i went to get help i was told no, i have no job and a daughter, i have nothing i am well below the poverty level, this isnt my internet a friend made me a screen-name on her account, but if there is anything i can do to help without money, count me in, and pray for me, pray i find a job, and that i can take care of my daughter. Thank you, God Bless you Beth scarberry ...
By: beth scarberry
on
Warren Buffett and Bill Gates Need Our Help To Save the World
Always remember that it is a lot less expensive to keep an existing customer than it is to find a new one. If you make a mistake, admit it and take care of them. Consider that "givaway" etc. A loss leader.
By: Dean DeLuca
on
Updated: Your Worst Nightmare: An Unhappy Customer With A Blog
Great post. There is a false premise that price equals value. The best thing that you can do for your business is to stress the value of your products or services to clients. Value includes aspects such as customer service, expertise, convenience, and most of all, quality.
Don't cut a fair price. Instead, develop a strategy to show why your business is the obvious solution to your clients' needs.
...
By: Rosanna Tussey
on
Cutting Prices Is Like Cutting Your Own Throat
Don't cut a fair price. Instead, develop a strategy to show why your business is the obvious solution to your clients' needs.
...
That is terrible. Peter you really have some good suggestion which are easy to say but very hard to follow. There are some customers who behave very badly and you can not satisfy them. The problem is you can never get rid of this customers. The best way is to learn how to cope with these type of people.
By: Razib Ahmed
on
Updated: Your Worst Nightmare: An Unhappy Customer With A Blog
I want to point something out here. The blogosphere is all about "truth in telling", so should we be so concerned as business operators if our product or service gets bad-mouthed? I mean the truth is bound to come out, isn't it? So, why not embrace it?
By: Walker Thompson
on
Updated: Your Worst Nightmare: An Unhappy Customer With A Blog
Decades ago, Dale Carnegie said, "90% of all management problems are caused by miscommunication." With the rise of Web 2.0, we may need to revise that statistic upwards. Nearly all customer service problems are caused by failure to listen. The easiest way to defuse customer anger over a mistake is to let them know you are listening to them, then take action based upon what they said.
By: Glenn
on
Updated: Your Worst Nightmare: An Unhappy Customer With A Blog
This posting is very insightful. The power of the customer is only going to continue to grow as it should!
A recent white paper titled, "Consumer Generated Media (CGM) 101" published by Nielsen Buzz Metrics also highlights this and the power of Social Media - http://www.nielsenbuzzmetrics.com/whitepapers.asp .
And I hope you share the Ed Koch story in full sometime and what you said to him!
...
By: nettie hartsock
on
Updated: Your Worst Nightmare: An Unhappy Customer With A Blog
A recent white paper titled, "Consumer Generated Media (CGM) 101" published by Nielsen Buzz Metrics also highlights this and the power of Social Media - http://www.nielsenbuzzmetrics.com/whitepapers.asp .
And I hope you share the Ed Koch story in full sometime and what you said to him!
...
Peter, I happened upon your well written column through a link from Business Week and am pleasantly surprised at the rich content on this site. Just a quick comment on your column dated June 17 about what you learned from your dad about business. Sure, it's Father's Day and like many others, you put a column about what you learned from your dad. Everyone does it and I guess it's fine. But I really do believe that your point is one that applies to many businesses and not just one that we should be talking about during Father's Day. I too grew up in a small business (a Dairy Queen store) where my sisters and I put in too many hours serving cones when we could have been at the beach with our friends. Twenty years in the business has taught us similar lessons and all of us are better business people and geniunely better managers who are able to take the tough times along with the good. My point: As business professionals living in these times, I believe we need to rediscover the small business values that we learned during our first jobs or in a family business and apply them to today's modern business world. It is these values that made small businesses succeed over the years and this is what will keep us moving forward. Things like quality, consistency and integrity were the hallmarks of good customer service then and continue to be today. This hasn't change but we need to do better at executing on these things today. And so my call to action is that we not just think about those business values during a holiday but everyday in everything we do because they're good values for treating your customers and that's good business! Bob Miglani Author, Treat Your Customers: Thirty Lessons on Sales and Service That I Learned at My Family's Dairy Queen Store www.treatyourcustomers.com ...
By: Bob Miglani
on
What I Learned From My Dad About Small Business
"...she offers knowledge, passion and personal experience of the wines she sells." Doesn't that sound like the person that you'd like to do business with?" it certainly does! i feel safer and more comfortable with someone who knows his/her business like the back of his/her hand.
By: nikki
on
Don't worry about bigger--worry about better
OK, I'm just a boring old accountant. (Also, I guess, a writer... I wrote some of the first Dummies books like Quicken for Dummies and QuickBooks for Dummies...) But back to the topic... Evaluating customers... I share these two thoughts: 1. You can partially assess customers by looking at the lifetime revenue they deliver or, better yet, the lifetime gross profit or net profit they deliver. (You need a pretty sophisticated accounting the more precise you want to hone in.) 2. A very granular point: I notice in my business--CPA firm in Seattle--that people tend to refer peers or smaller fish to you. E.g., the guy with the $10M business doesn't refer a $50M to you... He refers another $10M business (his golf buddy) or a $1M business (his son-in-law)... Perhaps all this only proves point that it's hard to quantify value of customers... you need pretty sophisticated management information systems and many of the biggest benefits of really great customers (like referrals) are very tough to quantify. Enough said.
By: California LLC formation author & CPA
on
Are Some Customers More Valuable Than Others?
It is amusing that we want the best from our employees, but are quick to cut training budget and staff related perks. Most bosses simply lack the emotonal fortitude to walk the talk, and end up communicating the negatives. To get the best from employees, we simply can not do without honest communication and action ...
By: Bayo Sanni
on
The Key To A Better Work Force? You!
Honesty would be the single most important component to a successful employer/employess relationship in the technology sector it would seem. Though communications is critical, it must be honest communications. Not always easy find.
By: Bill Delaney
on
The Key To A Better Work Force? You!
Peter. With a formal and sophisticated approach to building a customer base, companies should always find that some customers are more valuable than others. Identifying certain characteristics of a customer base and developing solutions that attach themselves to those characteristics is what will make companies successful. Palm for example could be a life changing company if they attended to the comments above. Apple understands. The Mini understands. Starbucks understands. Hmmm. Am I missing anyone? OK, three companies across the planet that truly understands that some customers are more valuable than others. The challenge is figuring out which ones. Sounds like a valuable topic for a panel.
By: Bill
on
Are Some Customers More Valuable Than Others?
This bunch of knuckleheads needs to back down on rate hikes. Do they not know that the population is evergrowing and markets manage themselves. This is how Greenspam ruined the last economic growth of the 90's. I do mean Greenspam.
By: Ellis Russell
on
New Fed Chairman, Old Story
It's actually a Republican president and Republican Congress...unfortunately.
By: Fact Checker
on
Daily News Digest: SBA At Risk
Don't forget bosses at the other end of the specturm. The ones you rarely see, who don't provide any guidance or feedback. They can be just as destructive to morale as the bullies.
By: Scott M
on
The Key To A Better Work Force? You!
I hear a lot of complaints about bosses from my clients -- bosses who are arrogant, who can't be bothered to say please and thank you, who don't hesitate to scream at their staff in public (or private), and who have a "do as I say, not as I do" attitude about work. When managers want to know how to improve their workforce, it might be a good idea to start wondering how to improve themselves first.
By: Joan Schramm
on
The Key To A Better Work Force? You!
Peter & Keith - Reasons small businesses struggle to survive is due to juggling too many balls and wearing too many hats: marketing, advertising, servicing clients, maintaining full-time employees while paying costly benefits/payroll taxes, and getting the work product out the door in a timely manner. Operating a small business takes many sleepless hours doing it almost singlehandedly. Owners get burnt out, frustrated, disillusioned, and broke. The solution for small businesses is to hire Virtual Assistants a/k/a as VA's, who are entrepreneurs performing administrative or executive assistant services from their home office, and they charge only for the work being done. Nothing else. Remembering former President Kennedy: "Don't ask what your country can do for you; Ask what you can do for your country." It's worth repeating. Have a good day.
By: Eunice
on
Daily News Digest: SBA At Risk
There's no doubt that the climate for small business - like that of the globe - is rapidly warming. Adapt or perish is more than an evolutionary "best practice." It applies to how SMBs grow feet from fins.
Sure, as you point out it all starts with a well thought out Internet marketing plan. As a small business owner/operator, one also needs to realize that customers increasingly prefer to satisfy their shopping hunger online. And that they still largely rely on vendors they already know and trust.
Brick and mortar will not become extinct anytime soon. The newer species - broadband, interactive websites, and email communications, provide distinct advantages for our evolving times. It is crucial to adapt to -- and adopt -- these technologies to maintain and nourish healthy online customer relationships.
Yet, even as the sun warms the web-enveloped marketing seas, the ancient axioms of "know thy customer" and "the best business is repeat business" still swim strong.
...
By: Norm Levin
on
More on Six for '06--Customer Focus
Sure, as you point out it all starts with a well thought out Internet marketing plan. As a small business owner/operator, one also needs to realize that customers increasingly prefer to satisfy their shopping hunger online. And that they still largely rely on vendors they already know and trust.
Brick and mortar will not become extinct anytime soon. The newer species - broadband, interactive websites, and email communications, provide distinct advantages for our evolving times. It is crucial to adapt to -- and adopt -- these technologies to maintain and nourish healthy online customer relationships.
Yet, even as the sun warms the web-enveloped marketing seas, the ancient axioms of "know thy customer" and "the best business is repeat business" still swim strong.
...
Clearly I'm all fins today.
By: Norm Levin
on
More on Six for '06--Customer Focus
Great debate to have.... however some issues are evergreen. I'd like to see a whole lot more focus on customers in your "6 for '06". Cash flow and cost center management is important. Certainly, execution of a strong internet marketing plan and attraction/retention of good employees are keys to success. Plus, having a growth orientation is essential . And, it is true that having a well thought through technology investment strategy is becoming more crucial. However, none of this is possible without a discussion about your current and future customers. I'll be interested in how your panel of experts address this and specifically best practices that other successful small businesses use in putting the customer first.
By: Mike Rogers
on
An MBA for The 21st Century-- 6 for '06
Peter, back in our TFB daze we were cutting edge. Just about everything we knew then is obsolete now. Only through eternal vigilence can we maintain our edge.
The next trend? The end of trends. The most significant ones are passe before they're adapted by the so-called mainstream. Remember blogging?
By: Norm Levin
on
An MBA for The 21st Century-- 6 for '06
The next trend? The end of trends. The most significant ones are passe before they're adapted by the so-called mainstream. Remember blogging?
Thank you for the article. I am signing up, to keep up todate.
By: Keith Cash
on
An MBA for The 21st Century-- 6 for '06
Although it's been some time since I've worried about operating a Small Business, I've been enjoying your posts. I'd heard a typical morning news snippet on the Sony Playstation delay and wondered what was behind it. Frank Robinson's "Barely Sufficient" advice is genuine genius to share with your readers. But, it's a very different and simple lesson to be learned from the Sony story: regardless of what size business you are, it's not good business to sell your product for less that it costs.
By: yum
on
Updated: The Barely Sufficient Product
Excellent point Peter! I agree with you 100 percent. I always admired you and you are one of the best corporate leaders I've seen in action. I worked for you at IDG Marketing Services and that team was very impressive. I know you had a great deal to do with the diversity and talent pool evident at IDG Marketing Services. Best Regards, Max Zeledon ...
By: Max Zeledon
on
Women In The Top Jobs
Just to be fastidious, there *is* a second VP candidate in US electoral history--the Libertarian Party nominated a woman VP for their ticket in the national elections of 1972. *Tonie Nathan* is the first woman VP candidate to get an electoral vote in the Electoral College (the Democrat's Geraldine Ferraro was the second), and Nathan is also noteworthy as the first Jewish person to receive an electoral vote and to gain a nomination to run as Vice-President. Interesting, huh?
By: Mac
on
Women In The Top Jobs
There may be a few other lessons here, too. It seems Ryan also worked his connections and played up the novelty of a kid having a very useful invention that helps other kids. Those are also key elements in getting inventions to market. Of course, persistence and knowing the audience is important. But the other two are also extremely instrumental. Thanks for the post. Ryan is an inspiration. I'll share his story with my colleagues/network.
By: Lisa
on
A Win For A Real Little Guy--11 Year Old Inventor Sells To WalMart
It's true, I would rather just have one carry-on and get out of the airport as soon as possible.
By: Jack
on
A New Weapon For Road Warriors
Hi Peter - I agree that metrics drive innovation (actually, they drive anything you want them to drive). But it is constancy and visibility that make metrics so powerful. How about a scorecard that displays key innovation metrics, with green/yellow/red indicators that show when those metrics are exceeding or missing the organization's goals? I've built such scorecards using nothing but Excel - one of which still guides a $400 million business after 8 years. If we could partner to pull together such a template for innovation, for use by AllBusiness readers, let me know.
By: Andy Beaulieu
on
Metrics Driven Innovation — Building Improvement Into Your Company´s DNA
Peter I really enjoyed your insights shared on this post. As one who in my businesses throughout the years had to learn this the hard way, I hope there are those who take what you say to heart. Yes there can be certain things that can quell innovation and creative workers, but having goals, metrics and USPs in place that drive the innovation is a sign of a healthy business, not one that opposes creative processes.
By: Gary Bourgeault
on
Metrics Driven Innovation — Building Improvement Into Your Company´s DNA
Concerning the matrix driven innovation. It is very important to do research every day about new idea that can help you to manage your company, to find new products idea... and it is also good sometimes to try sometimes new thing that you thought to be profitable for your business. But when you are director of a company, how to find the time to do research, to stay aware of the trends, innovations, ect, when you are involved in the everyday life of the business.
And how to find the ressources, especialy financial ressources to constantly put in practice new idea?
Thank you in advance.
Regards,
Yann.
By: Yann Le Thomas
on
Survival of the Fastest
And how to find the ressources, especialy financial ressources to constantly put in practice new idea?
Thank you in advance.
Regards,
Yann.
Thanks for good information; associate recomended I pick it up.
By: Tampa Fl Small Business
on
Lead By Example--change your mind occasionally
Although I was only part of the TFB team for 3.5 years, it was a fun and heady shop that did solid to great work for good clients. And working together was a blast! Thanks for the flood of memories, Peter.
By: David Politis
on
Managing for good growth
can u help? is the 'ultimate real estate investors guide' by thomas kish @cashflowexperts.biz a good program or is it a scam?
By: LAFE
on
Entrpreneur University--An Opinionated Reading List
Hi Peter. Very good post! It's nice to see a CEO arguing against the "first is best" mentality. Our culture and our media are so over-obsessed with who's first they forget that first does not always work best. It usually takes a lot of resources to be first. Then, invariably, someone comes in after you and does it better because they learned on your dime. Witness Yahoo and Google! Thanks Peter!
By: Kevin Stirtz
on
We're Number Two!!! The benefits of being second
Great story Peter, and thanks. It's great to hear a CEO's perspective on growth. I've long felt that growth is vital but should be prioritized and managed within the business. I recently went back to update our business plan with managed growth in mind.
By: Frank Ross
on
Managing for good growth
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