Author: coolerinsights

How Much Should You Charge?

February 26, 2011 • Blog • 2 comments


Courtesy of Rentoid

In an age where anything and everything is trending towards FREE, companies face many increasingly thorny dilemmas on the issue of pricing. What should one charge in order to make a profitable and sustainable living? How can one stand out from other similar businesses using price as a lever? Is there a trade-off between the number of users/subscribers/fans and actual paying customers?

Answering these questions isn’t easy. One can either choose to go with one’s gut (ala Malcolm Gladwell’s the Law of Thin Slices) or perhaps embrace a more methodical approach.

Read More

Why Ideas are Overrated

February 20, 2011 • Social Influence • no comments


Courtesy of American Hell

This is going to sound hypocritical for a business blogger like me, but I am going to say it anyway.

It’s better to get something REAL done than to spend too much time reading my blog. Or, for that matter, the hundreds of other business, PR and marketing blogs offering an endless buffet of secrets, strategies, tips, theories and models.

Read More

Futuretainment – A Fabulous Forecast

February 18, 2011 • Blog • no comments

Futuretainment Cover (3D)
Courtesy of Mike Walsh

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. Well, Futuretainment by “digital anthropologist” Mike Walsh with art-direction from Vince Frost proves that age-old adage wrong, scoring on both looks and content (you may want to check out its website too).

Walsh, the CEO of consumer innovation research agency Tomorrow, doesn’t just know a lot about consumer trends in entertainment, he looks like an entertainer (the rockstar variety) too!

Read More

Is Mubarak’s Downfall a Digital Revolution?

February 13, 2011 • Social Influence • no comments

EGYPT/
Courtesy of ikhwan.net

By now, everybody would have known that long-time Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has resigned from his post, after facing a rebellion of epic proportions by the citizens of Egypt. After 18 days of protests where huge crowds of over a million showcased their democratic rights, compelling the beleaguered but stubbornly resilient 82 year old statesman to step down.

Read More

The Three Key Drivers of Motivation

February 11, 2011 • Personal Branding • 1 comment

daniel pink photo

Photo by Kris Krug

If you don’t already know it, paying people more money – at least beyond a certain point – will not result in better performance. In fact, the old carrot-and-stick approach to management is broken.

That’s what bestselling author and careerist Daniel Pink claims. According to the motivational speaker and writer, higher financial incentives only work for traditionally mechanistic roles – manufacturing tasks, book-keeping, software programming and the like.

Read More

Success Strategies for a Networked World

February 8, 2011 • Blog • no comments


Zach Tumin (Source)

At the recent GovCamp in Singapore, Professor Zachary Tumin from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government shared several strategies on how public and private organisations can lead in an increasingly connected and networked world.

According to Tumin, organisations around the world should work more closely with their citizens to “do together what no one can do alone”. In his words, collaboration is the “Difference Maker”, “Game Changer” and “Force Multiplier” (you get the point).

Read More

What Does Success Mean to You?

February 6, 2011 • Blog • no comments


Is the difference between success and failure that clear? (source)

Success is a perpetually debated and discussed topic. It drives us both as a group and as an individual, steering our corporate, personal and social lives.

Some feel that success can only be metered by quantitative indicators. These measures tend to be financial, cumulative, self-oriented and tangible in nature.

Read More