In this article, Gerardo Alvarez-Franyutti explores the pros and cons of following the herd when it comes to making business decisions. “When Harvard MBAs flock to an industry, it’s a sign that it’s about to collapse” – Bill Sahlman, 2000 When approaching a toll road station, have you noticed how people tend to queue in the longest line instead of behind the shortest one? There is something that feels instinctively right about doing this. Somehow, our brains seem to infer…

Tiago Garjaka shares an article designed to ensure the success of transformation projects. One of the most common questions I get is, “how do you set yourself up for a successful transformation?” The main problem with this question is that it assumes that there is a cookie-cutter approach to driving transformation initiatives. The same type of transformation in two different companies will likely unfold differently since the starting points for both companies differ as well. Also, it is naive to…

In this article, Joydip Gupta identifies the one thing that consistently separates winners from losers in consumer startups. Most of you know the usual must-have’s in a startup business plan. Market must be big, product should solve a real pain point, scalable idea, strong leadership team, solid execution, and so on. No, these are not the capabilities I am referring to. These are hygiene factors. Don’t start a business unless you have these in place. But 95 out of 100…

Greg Acton shares an article on how the approach of a leader affects their business leadership and results. The capstone ROTC class is titled, simply, “Leadership.”  Mine was taught in 1998 by CAPT J.A. Fischbeck, a nuclear-trained former skipper of the USS La Jolla (SSN 701) and later the director of the Navy’s Arctic Submarine Laboratory. Our final exam was to write an essay on the topic “Do you get what you inspect, or expect?”  I chose the latter, and…

Astrid Malval-Beharry shares a case study on establishing a robust M&A process to ensure acquisition success. Our client, a leading data & analytics vendor to the insurance industry, approached StratMaven to help them develop a rigorous M&A screening process that enabled fast, effective responses to sound M&A opportunities, and supported more effective research to find even better ones. Analysis StratMaven kicked off the project by conducting a comprehensive review of industry trends, looking not just at current influencing factors, but…

Greg Hennessy shares an article drawn from systems thinking and the pattern of behavior that leads to a success silo for the successful.  How is it that those with power seem to gain even more of it over time? And why do the disadvantaged seem to lose what little power they have, becoming increasingly reliant on those in positions of influence? If these dynamics are based on either divine or natural law, as some might suppose, then nothing can be…

Surbhee Grover shares an article that identifies how entrepreneurs can move forward after COVID-19. For entrepreneurs, coming out of COVID-19 isn’t the end of a crisis. It’s the beginning of a new way of thinking about their approach to product-market fit, financing, marketing and go-to-market strategies. And for some, will be a time to reflect on their personal approach to risk. The exponential pace of change to society will mean that only those entrepreneurs who have the greatest ability to…

In this article, Shelli Baltman shares some of the critical drivers and creative strategies that she has observed link directly to innovation success.   Choose your innovation team thoughtfully Any number of books have been written about successful innovation processes, approaches, tools, requirements and techniques, but in my experience the single most important determining factor when it comes to success or failure in innovation is the team.  Your innovation team members not only need to have a diverse set of…

Geoff Wilson compares the pros and cons of framing success as a goal or as a system.  Much is said about whether success is better framed as a goal or as a system…I think it’s both, but at different times. Have you ever had a question posed to you that made you think more than it should have? A team member recently asked me if I was a goal-oriented person.  My response was that I was far more interested in…

In this article, Joydip Gupta identifies the one thing that separates winners from losers in the startup arena.  Most of you know the usual must-have’s in a startup business plan. Market must be big, product should solve a real pain point, scalable idea, strong leadership team, solid execution, and so on. No, these are not the capabilities I am referring to. These are hygiene factors. Don’t start a business unless you have these in place. But 95 out of 100…

Jessica Lackey explains how to use the fear of missing out as part of a strategy for your business. The call to take on everything at once, to maximize our time, to avoid the opportunity cost of time, is deeply ingrained in our society. Our bucket lists are long. Our intentions are big. And we see on the internet or social media constantly what everyone else is doing. Why can’t that be us? And we are not just tempted to…

Xavier Lederer explains a key step to take to help grow your business. You are not competing directly against your competitors, you are competing to be unique in the marketplace. What does your most valuable prospect look like? “Probably a lot like your existing valuable customers. The easiest and most profitable growth will be achieved by adding additional customers very much like your current most valuable customers,” explains Robert Bloom in his book “The Inside Advantage.” Clients you resonate with…

Ian Mombru shares six takeaways on selling your business to a Chinese buyer.  Earlier this week, ChemChina’s US$44bn acquisition of Syngenta, the largest ever by a Chinese buyer, took a major step towards completion, securing clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS).  The transaction helped propel the first half of 2016 to an all time record of US$121bn of cross-border deals by Chinese companies, more than the full year total for all prior years. This trend…

The odds of success with mergers and acquisitions are surprisingly low, but in this post, David Gross explains how to give M&A Transactions a larger chance of success. Trillions of dollars pour into mergers and acquisitions (M&A) annually as companies seek to increase market share, reduce costs, differentiate, diversify, refocus, and capture other sources of value. Unfortunately, M&A success is the exception, not the rule. A whopping 70 to 90 percent of transactions fail. This means, only 10 to 30…

  David A. Fields identifies two issues consulting firms must overcome to win projects and asks four pertinent questions that can help you take the action needed to move forward. Your consulting firm has probably encountered more resistance from prospective clients than usual over the past eight weeks. Fortunately, you can understand and overcome the elevated stumbling blocks. The basics of winning consulting projects haven’t changed. Keep them moist and use lots of butter. No, wait. That’s for sheets of…