McMichael Group, LLC http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com opportunity realized Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:44:14 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 5 Fav Business and Strategy Insights #33 http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-insights-33.htm http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-insights-33.htm#comments Sat, 14 May 2011 16:42:18 +0000 Donald McMichael http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-insights-33.htm
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Family, a revelation hit me this week about this blog series. The base premise has been that I would highlight the five most interesting post that I read during the week. I have always focused on posts that were delivered during the past seven days, but what if I read for the first time an interest post that was crafted outside of that week period? Better yet, why am I artificially limiting myself to blog posts? 

The purpose of this vehicle is to present relevant insights that help propel our business knowledge and understanding forward. Want an example of what I mean? Checkout this week’s first of five.

That’s why I’m changing out ‘Posts’ in the title name to ‘Insights’. It better fits how we need to think in this cross-platform environment. As always, I’ll never going into depth about the finds, so I encourage you check them out if they sound interesting. 

Looking for the Change

This week’s first item of interest is episode 2: ‘Looking for the Change’ of the WHAT THE FUTURE (WTF) Television series that comes to us courteously of CNBC World. It focuses on MPESA (Mobile PESA), the African mobile payments system that is leading the world. With 11,000 new cell phone signups a day it is definitely a trend to watch.

This week’s other interests are:

  • 21 principles for innovating in the real world from IDEO’s Diego Rodriguez
  • Am I Allowed? Nilofer Merchant on Innovation
  • Social Media. Listen. Learn. Respond. Repeat.
  • Making Networking Effective — Your Timing is Everything

To read comments on the other article go to my main blog at DonaldMcMichael.com


 

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]]> http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-insights-33.htm/feed 0 5 Fav Business and Strategy Post #32 http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-post-32.htm http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-post-32.htm#comments Sat, 07 May 2011 15:52:00 +0000 Donald McMichael http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-post-32.htm
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While I never going into depth about the finds, I do encourage you check them out if they sound interesting. 

Nielsen: PCs, ereaders are taking the backseat to tablets
It should come as no surprise that a recent Neilson study showed that tablets are pulling consumers away from desktop PCs, but did you know that it is also taking a big bite out of laptops, e-readers and portable media players as well? Amazingly the device categories that showed the largest usage gains after tablet ownership, connected internet tv (21%) and portable gaming console (26%), had respectively only a 1% and 3% attrition rate (stopped using because of tablet ownership).

Here are the other four. If you want my take on them visit my main blog at DonaldMcMicheal.com

  • 10 Brilliant Startups That Failed Because They Were Ahead Of Their Time
  • As Curators Proliferate, Media Brands Face Loyalty Crisis
  • Why Social Isn’t Helping Online Retailers Find Customers
  • 10 Ways to Find Customers with Mobile Marketing

 


 

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]]> http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-post-32.htm/feed 0 Warning: 8 Point List Might Get You to Your Destiny Faster http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/warning-8-point-list-might-get-you-to-your-destiny-faster.htm http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/warning-8-point-list-might-get-you-to-your-destiny-faster.htm#comments Wed, 04 May 2011 17:21:01 +0000 Donald McMichael http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/warning-8-point-list-might-get-you-to-your-destiny-faster.htm
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Do you know where you’re at? Are you cool with that? If not continue reading to understand an 8-point checklist that focuses you onto the right coordinates.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, employee, or retiree you can benefit from periodically stepping back and taking stock. After all, we do liken ourselves to a visionary who enjoys building their business, career, and/or life. You do don’t you?

But, are you also a seeker of truth?

Seekers of truth are honest with themselves about their current state. Highlighted below what I believe are the three most critical elements of the self-evaluation checklist. I cannot promise that this examination will keep you from hiccupping, but it can help you head-off some serious aliments.

Check your customer value proposition. 

[read more at my main blog –>]

 

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]]> http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/warning-8-point-list-might-get-you-to-your-destiny-faster.htm/feed 0 5 Fav Business and Strategy Post #31 http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-post-31.htm http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-post-31.htm#comments Mon, 02 May 2011 00:48:40 +0000 Donald McMichael http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-post-31.htm
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While I never going into depth about the finds, I do encourage you check them out if they sound interesting. 

 

The Struggle for the Right “Business Model”: Distraction or Imperative for Creating and Sustaining the Business?

The essence of a business model is that it defines the manner by which a business delivers value, entices payment for the value, and ultimately converts those payments to profit. It all starts with a hypothesis about what a particular market needs/wants but is quickly converted to an actuality, not necessarily the one originally envisioned, when it hits the light of reality. The question put forth in this post is:

  • Is real-world verified information best incorporated into going concerns via strategy adjustments or business model innovation? 
  • Or, better yet are business model innovation and strategy development/application one in the same at the operating level?

 

The Television of Tomorrow

Have you ever noticed that “TV is the only medium touched by the Web that isn’t crushed by it – it rolls it in” says Kevin Roberts in this Blogging Innovation post. I attribute this to the fact that lean-back and lean-forward are after all not mutually exclusive. This started coming to light in the late 1990s while I was at Showtime. Showtime, and other televised entertainment research, showed that the early adopters utilized both during their leisure time. At that time no one envisioned the blurring of the boundaries that are pointed in this post. I guess we best get back to reworking the business models… or is it strategy?

 

To see the other three visit the full post on my offical blog DonaldMcMichael.com

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]]> http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-post-31.htm/feed 0 5 Fav Business and Strategy Post #30 http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-post-30.htm http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-post-30.htm#comments Sat, 16 Apr 2011 19:56:02 +0000 Donald McMichael http://www.mcmichaelgroup.com/5-fav-business-and-strategy-post-30.htm

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photo via Donald McMichael 

While I never going into depth about the finds, I do encourage you check them out if they sound interesting. 

NYT Paywall, Huffpo Lawsuit – Symptoms of the same misconception

In this post about survivability of the New York Time’s (NYT) paywall Chris Saad comes at it from a unique angle. In almost all of the cases laid out, both pro and con, the core premise was that people – that’s you and I – are interested in and derive value from the content. We Chris’ position is that people have historically paid for the medium not the content. This was so because people perceived the medium to be scarce, a limited resource. The point is that we live in a world of abundance where digital space is virtually infinite. 

Scarcity now is on the consumption side – content providers have to fight for attention. A total flip in the prevailing paradigm on the last 100 years.

If true, it’s kind of a King has no clothes moment for many media and entertainment concerns.

I’m still of the school that content does matter. The question that I’m currently pondering is: ‘What’s the right balance of interesting content and delivery vehicle (experience) that drives the highest financial return?’

What do you think?

To review the remaining article visit my my main blog.

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