Huge pumpkins don’t happen by accident (courtesy of Media 4 News)
Everybody loves a colossal pumpkin.
The darlings of farmer markets and fairs, gargantuan pumpkins stand out from the crowd. They attract a tremendous amount of attention, win prizes, and reap fame and glory for their farmers.
Creators of new products in environments of extreme uncertainty, startups face enormous risks.
In the US, about 50% of small businesses fail in the first five years. Insufficient capital, over investment, and low sales are just some of the reasons leading to this sobering statistic.
As a startup owner, what can you do to “growth hack” your business and improve your chances of success?
What are entrepreneurs and business builders made of? Who should you bring to your team at different stages of growth, and why?
The answers, according to venture capitalists and business leaders Anthony K. Tjan, Richard J. Harrington and Tsun-Yan Hsieh, are contained their book Heart, Smarts, Guts, and Luck (HSGL). Tackling the human aspect of entrepreneurship, leadership and management, the book surmised that each of us are biased towards one of four traits – namely heart, smarts, guts, or luck – in our decision-making processes.
Can you guess what my name is? (courtesy of Film Quest)
Secrets. Mysteries. Codes. Puzzles. Riddles.
These are the stuff of books, movies, television programmes and radio shows. They tease us, allure us, and tempt us, drawing us deep into an enshrouded shrine of enchantment where magic potions and incantations are formulated.
Imagine watching a magical performance by David Copperfield.
Rather than dazzle you with his breathtaking acts, Copperfield regales you the audience with his childhood story. He relates how his grandfather – a crusty old man – never gave Copperfield or his father the approval they craved.
Oh the woes of the SME retail sector in Singapore. I’m sure you’ve read or heard about them.
Demanding consumers. Price competition. Sky high rentals. Relentless staff turnover (up to 300% a year in extreme cases). Difficulty in hiring. Competition from big chains. Rising utility costs. Increasing costs of goods. Growing transportation costs.
The list of problems faced by SME retailers is seemingly endless.
Was Borders a victim of Disruptive Innovation? (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Tower Records. Borders. Kodak. Maybe even Research In Motion (RIM)?
The list of casualties to disruptive innovations grow longer each day. By clinging to the status quo and failing to recognise the threats of disruptive consumer behaviours, technologies, or business models, these companies have sounded their own death knell.
GrabCar and Uber has disrupted taxis in Singapore and around the world (Courtesy of GrabCar)
Have you wondered how innovations can be “disruptive”? Or why entire industries can be wiped out with new entrants?
Last night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke about the impact of disruptive innovations during the National Day Rally Speech.
Din Tai Fung is a paragon of productivity (courtesy of Aroma Cookery)
Business as usual can no longer work in Singapore. We desperately need to change.
While we’ve enjoyed modest economic growth of 1.3% in 2012, and are estimated to experience 1% to 3% GDP growth this year, labour productivity declined by 2.6% last year. This wiped out productivity gains of 1.3% the year before, with the impact felt across manufacturing, construction and services sectors. Only the Info Comm sector experienced growth.
Too many toys to choose from! (Ethan in a shop in Shibuya, Tokyo)
Hit by a flash of inspiration, you decided one day to pursue your dream.
You are all fired up and raring to go. After slaving away for goodness knows how long, you have perfected your recipe for world domination.
