Shark Tank
Monday was the first of three open calls for contestants on ABC’s Shark Tank, the investing reality show in which entrepreneurs make live pitches for funding before a panel of angel investors. Shark Tank is entering its sixth season, the show attracts more than 7 million viewers each week, placing it among the 10 most popular adult reality shows on television, even though it airs on sleepy Fridays.
Continue reading… “Two-thirds of all televised Shark Tank deals fall apart”
The two most cited disruptive business ventures are AirBnB and Uber.
Today’s “disruptors,” and those who write about them, are doing a disservice by using the word as a synonym for, or add-on to, entrepreneur. By doing so, they are missing some key points.
Continue reading… “Disruption is a byproduct of entrepreneurship, not a business model”
SolarCity hope to create competitive made-in-the-USA panels.
In addition to Elon Musk’s revolutionary SpaceX and Tesla Motors businesses, he’s trying to revolutionize solar energy, too. Now Musk’s solar company SolarCity wants to build a gigantic solar panel manufacturing plant in New York intended to build enough plans to meet what he hopes will be rapidly rising demand.
Continue reading… “Elon Musk plans to build gigantic solar power super-factory in New York”
Everyone needs to assume his or her part in understanding what the future may look like.
Today’s organizations are being consistently challenged to focus on meeting short-term objectives, such as quarterly numbers, while fundamentally transforming the way they do business because the economic climate is changing and competition continues to grow.
Continue reading… “Why everyone needs to be a futurist”
More than 80% of companies bringing work back to the U.S. have $200 million or less in sales.
In recent years, some small and midsize companies have brought manufacturing back to the U.S. but they have found it a bumpy road. Shortages of skilled workers are a common problem, as are difficulties navigating complex regulatory systems that govern modern American manufacturing.
Continue reading… “Small and midsized companies struggle with their U.S.-based factories”
The map above shows the largest company by revenue in every state in the U.S. The map drew information from Hoover’s, a Dun & Bradstreet company, database of company profiles. It was created by Mike Simmons in collaboration with Broadview Networks. The site updates information based on figures available from the most recent fiscal year.
Continue reading… “The largest companies by revenue in every state: Map”
Cable rage is real.
Are you frustrated with rising prices from your cable company? Do you keep getting hit with more fees and charges and you are paying for more channels than you’d ever want to watch? These are just a handful of the most common complaints consumers have when it comes to grappling with cable companies.
Continue reading… “‘Cable rage’ is growing”
It’s all starting with the fast, IT-integrated software development process called DevOps.
We don’t program software anymore, it is programming us. This is more than a new spin on Marc Andreessen’s “Software is eating the world” argument.
Continue reading… “The web is reshaping business in its image”
Today’s customers and retailers are getting serious about how they implement and manage the customer experience.
Here’s what you might see on a typical week when users took part in a friendly competition to rank themselves against their friends and colleagues in weekly step counts.
When introducing a new product it is essentially an exercise in persuading people to change their behavior. Many companies try to tackle this challenge by making the functional benefits of the new seem so much more compelling than the old. But this approach rarely works. After all, how many of us as children enjoyed eating our vegetables just because our moms said they were better for us than dessert?
Continue reading… “The persuasive pressure of peer rankings”
Mobs burned and looted scores of foreign-owned factories.
This is an interesting turn. The one thing that the Chinese government cares about is their image, the China brand. They are super sensitive to criticism and push back, but how can you push back against spontaneous riots in other countries? And this outbreak had a double blow. The rioters attacked Taiwanese factories by mistake. This will tip the Taiwanese against unification with China, which China craves. In the past, the Chinese have rioted against Japanese products, and the Chinese government has used it to their political advantage. Now the situation is reversed. Will the riots spread to more cities and Asian countries? Will China back down to save it’s commercial reputation and foreign investments and markets?
Continue reading… “Vietnam mobs burn factories in anti-China protest”
What makes the cloud so disruptive is that it compels legacy players to change their business models.
In Harvard professor Clayton Christensen’s 1997 management classic The Innovator’s Dilemma
, he coined the term disruptive innovation. The central premise was that a change in technology can completely transform the basic economics of an business.
Continue reading… “The Cloud might be the most disruptive innovation ever”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.