Outcomes, not inputs
The posts in this blog are presented with the most recent at the top. Many of these posts follow up from previous posts in the sequence, so I recommend that you start at the bottom and read upwards.
Strategy Building Tools and Tips
When I did my MBA at Stern School of Business at New York University, the strategy courses were my favourite. The right strategy matters, and there are many ways to analyse your position and determine the right approach. Porter’s 5 forces, SWOT and other basic tools are certainly basic building blocks. More recently I haveContinue reading “Strategy Building Tools and Tips”
Everything in Australia is Trying To Kill You (Not Just the Spiders)
Before you read further, you need to know that this blog was written before the Corona Pandemic changed the world. It’s still worth a read, because it talks to overcoming our default thinking when we are looking at business strategy. But the global shutdown means that we need to rethink what we previously ‘knew’. IContinue reading “Everything in Australia is Trying To Kill You (Not Just the Spiders)”
Hire Locally. Don’t Screw it Up.
Every kiwi business person who has done business in the US has a hiring story. And not one of the good ones. The most consistently made mistake in the US market is hiring the wrong people. Why? I have a theory (from 20 years of living in the US) that Americans – and in particularContinue reading “Hire Locally. Don’t Screw it Up.”
Yeah Definitely!
In a previous post I discussed the mistake of trying to be too many things to too many people. American business, by and large, is about standardization and scale – think McDonalds or Walmart. Business trends towards customization and personalization are never allowed to get in the way of scale and the powerful leverage thatContinue reading “Yeah Definitely!”
Jack (Of All Trades) Doesn’t Live in the USA
OK we’re all in survival mode right now, and
Start With the End to Get to the Beginning
New Zealand businesses – particularly high growth businesses – routinely sell for less than they are really worth. There are a number of reasons for this: for instance the use of historical financial metrics (like revenue multiples) often doesn’t help New Zealand businesses because of our naturally smaller market and revenues. You may have builtContinue reading “Start With the End to Get to the Beginning”
Opportunism is Not Strategy
I speak often with Kiwi entrepreneurs about their US strategy. I ask how they decided on the customers that they have, and the markets they serve. The answer is almost always something like ‘I got a call from a potential customer in x…..’ If you answered this way, then your customer chose you, you didn’tContinue reading “Opportunism is Not Strategy”
What happens after what happens next?
The 6 thing you need to do now to be prepared for the expansion that comes after the recession.
Geography is Not Destiny
In the previous post, I was at pains to point out that some New Zealanders think of the US as a single market. That is a mistake – but there are circumstances where geography is important. This post is, therefore, a more ‘practical’ one in that we will discuss some do’s and don’ts for determiningContinue reading “Geography is Not Destiny”
A note on spelling…..
Yes – it’s been noted by more than one commentator that I use a lot of American spellings. So should you. Put away the pride and ego about ‘proper’ spelling and go native. Get used to it now and start using them in all contexts, not just in the American context. Of course this isContinue reading “A note on spelling…..”
There is No Such Thing as ‘The US Market’.
OK I say it, you say it, everyone says ‘The US Market’, and this is obvious, but it still needs to be said. The United States is not a market. It’s hundreds or even thousands of markets. There are 50 separate countries – and even within those countries, there are huge regional differences. Florida andContinue reading “There is No Such Thing as ‘The US Market’.”
Coming to America
This is the first in a series of blogs about creating the right strategy, scaling your business into North America and eventual exit New Zealand is a trading nation; we pay our way in the world by exporting our smarts and our wares to other nations. Our exporting history can be divided into 3 stagesContinue reading “Coming to America”
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