In this article, Tirrell Payton identifies common issues faced by product managers and how to fix them.  “Hi, I’m Tirrell. Thanks a lot for taking the time to chat with me about what you need and how I might be able to help. So tell me, what is the problem you’re trying to solve?” “We want to be more agile” “Ok, but what does that mean?” “We want to release software faster and still keep high quality. We want to…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Susanne Michelle Gruda with SMG Ventures. Susie has spent the last several years in venture capital and family offices helping to scale portfolio companies and advise on ventures investment decisions. She has also led fundraising ($100M+) for an investment fund and 6 portfolio combines. She has a deep understanding in all things sales, marketing, go-to-market, strategy, fundraising and venture capital. Prior to that, she was Google’s Global Head of ROI, helping Google’s largest clients ($500M+)…

In this article, Cheryl Lim Tan shares six ways to be a savvy wholesale buyer. The Boutique Hub and Tundra have communities of thousands of buyers who are always looking for more ways to confidently grow their business and make smarter buys. Some of the questions we often receive are around retail best practices for tracking metrics as well as tips for sourcing product. So we’re bringing in experts to share their advice with our buyers! Ashley Alderson is the…

Rob Ristagno shares a company post that explains the importance of understanding product market fit and where to find it. It’s a story we often hear on the CEO Campfire Chat podcast. A founder faces a problem in their life. They search for a solution in the marketplace, and it just doesn’t exist. Instead of sitting idly back, they create a product or service to address their need and bring it to market to share with others. The passion that…

In this article, Cheryl Lim Tan shares six ways to be a savvy wholesale buyer. The Boutique Hub and Tundra have communities of thousands of buyers who are always looking for more ways to confidently grow their business and make smarter buys. Some of the questions we often receive are around retail best practices for tracking metrics as well as tips for sourcing product. So we’re bringing in experts to share their advice with our buyers! Ashley Alderson is the…

In this article, Xavier Lederer provides key tips on how to stimulate growth when it seems your company has stopped moving forward. My company has great growth potential, but I spend my days fighting fires I can’t find time to work on my business.  And my team, they just don’t seem to be pulling in the same direction.  I have a clear vision of our future, but we are just not executing.” sighed the 55-years old CEO of this mid-market…

Sanjay Gandhi shares a company post that explains secondary sales.  We frequently field questions from startup executives who are considering selling Common Shares in Secondary Transactions. Exchanges do exist to trade equity securities in private companies are traded, but the most common Secondary Sales of Common Stock we review come in the following forms: Direct sale of Common stock to new investors Direct sale of Common stock held by founders or employees to existing investors Common stock transactions tied to…

This post from Nora Ghaoui takes a look at revenue models that work for smart products with a digital service. Making a smart product needs more than adding an app. You need to cover the costs of the digital service or risk losing money. Which revenue model can you use? And why would anyone pay for this service? The revenue model for a digital service needs to cover the costs of running it Let’s consider the options for a new…

Carlos Castelan shares a report on the post-COVID impact on high-traffic malls. Malls in the U.S. continue to experience closures in the wake of the pandemic and changing customer behavior. The Background: Walkthrough of “Mall of America” located in Bloomington, Minnesota Goal to understand changing customer experience in leading malls and how stores are changing amidst the current landscape Observations supplemented by insights from company websites and publicly available information Key points include: Mall vacancies and tenant turnover continues post-pandemic…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Cecile Bernheim with S2E Partners. Cécile created S2E Partners consulting firm in 2014. She advises Boards, CEOs and executive teams of small and mid-cap companies on Strategy-to-Execution and Corporate Governance. Her action is guided by her conviction that “aligned strategy, disciplined execution and good governance lead to greater results” Cecile put her deep understanding of consumers, customers and market dynamics at the service of her clients and delivers valued insights and recommendations. Her professional experience…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Markus Gremmel. Markus runs his independent consulting and investment firm with focus on sales, marketing, sales partnerships, and development of business models. Markus has a deep industry expertise in cards, payments, consumer lending, and financial services in general, emanating from a variety of senior roles in banking: e.g., Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at BAWAG Group, non-executive board member of a leading card issuer and ATM operator, board member of a niche bank in debt capital…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Cyrille Alheritiere with Marmenia Consulting. Cyrille is a Freelance Consultant running his own firm based in Geneva. He specialises on advice to SMEs in particular in the preparation of business plans, valuations, due-diligence, sales & operations and fundraising pitch books. Prior to starting his own activity, Cyrille spent 14 years at UBS in Front and COO management roles, his last role as Head of Wealth Management Latin America Geneva. Here he gained a deep understanding…

  Robbie Kellman Baxter takes a look forward at subscription businesses in 2021 and provides a few tips on how to improve sales through improved membership strategies.  The time leading up to American Thanksgiving is often especially busy, with a combination of major conferences, ambitious sales goals and, of course, planning for the upcoming year before people check out (physically and/or mentally) for the holiday season. You’ve probably spent some time already thinking about your goals for next year, and…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Kordt Griepenkerl with Med-Beratung. Kordt  spent five years in the McKinsey healthcare practice in Germany and then worked in leadership positions for the medtech firms Biotronik and Trumpf Medical (now part of Hill-Rom). He covers a wide range of fields from operations to sales and marketing and extensive international experience. He and has been running his own consulting firm  Med-Beratung UG since 2012. Prior to McKinsey, Kordt obtained this PdD in theoretical physics. He lives…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Chris Moe with Cartograph. Chris Moe joined McKinsey in 2011 as a BA, focusing primarily on Sales & Marketing for B2C companies, across topics including pricing, digital pricing, and growth. After leaving to spend two years at a structured credit hedge fund in NYC, he returned to McKinsey and split between Marketing and Sales and work in Education, focused on University transformations. Chris co-founded Cartograph in 2018, an agency focused exclusively on Amazon consulting for…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Mika Malin. Mika has broad experience in line management and business development roles, as a senior executive and as a management consultant.  He’s tackled complex board level as well as factory floor level business problems as a consultant at the BCG, in a boutique consulting firm and as an independent consultant. Mika has a track record of successfully leading businesses and people with a P&L responsibility, as well as planning and executing strategy and M&A…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome George Nahra with GZN Consulting.  George spent four years in the Chicago office of McKinsey, in the retail and sales & marketing practices, serving predominantly retailers and other consumer-facing clients. After leaving McKinsey, he spent several years as a Senior Management Associate at Bridgewater Associates. He then returned to retail, re-joining Abercrombie & Fitch (where he started his career several years earlier) and building the company’s first Strategic Planning function. He then move to Chico’s FAS, a…