Category Archives: Advisory

If You Were Going to Hand Over the Reins to Your Business on January 1, 2013, What Advice Would You Give Your Successor?

As 2012 comes to an end and you are planning for 2013, there are many things to consider.  The purpose of this post is to help propel you forward quicker in 2013 than in 2012.  You can revisit the planning that you do each and every year:  setting goals, budgets, getting the team on board,

Should You Shift Your Business Into a New Industry?

I recently read an article in the January-February issue of the Harvard Business Review titled ‘The Grass Isn’t Greener comparing the prospects of shifting your business into a new industry or focusing on winning in the space that you currently are playing.  I speculate through the economic downturn that many businesses have considered a foray into

Who Are Your Most Important Customers?

For the last several years, I have been interested in Design Thinking (a human-centered, prototype-driven process of innovation that can be applied to product, service, and business design) and business models.  Recently, I was introduced to a new concept, the Business Model Canvas, and to the book Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder & Yves

What Value Do You Deliver to Your Customers?

Last month I shared the first segment of the Business Model Canvas with you, which was the ‘Customer Segment’.  This month, we’ll dive into ‘Value Propositions’, the second segment of the Business Model Canvas.  Value Propositions have also been coined “unique selling proposition” or “core differentiators.”  For me, this is one of the most exciting

How Are You Reaching Your Customers?

In the last two months, I covered the first two sections of the Business Model Canvas.  This month, I’ll cover the third section, which is ‘Channels’, or the way that you reach your customers and deliver your value proposition. Companies interact with their customers through communication, distribution and sales channels.  Thus, channels are touch points