Check out this fun video. A creative example of how a great idea, a little networking and something different can get you noticed.
Wednesday 29 February 2012
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Is the Education System Failing?
Are we teaching our children outdated skills designed to feed a factory based system when many jobs that exist today were not around 20 years ago? Perhaps we should focus on teaching them how to acquire new skills rather than remembering and regurgitating boring facts.
Thursday 16 February 2012
Kodak's Failure.
Every once in a while a brand becomes a household name where it is not used to refer to its own particular range of products but to refer to other similar products in the same range. Kleenex did it with tissues where the phrase "Pass me a Kleenex will you" was used to refer to any tissue paper, the Fedex brand was used in mail delivery "Just Fedex it to me" and more recently the ever pervasive Google with internet searches "Just Google this information".
One company, however, managed this in relation to the camera industry. Years after the slogan was first coined, people still refer to "A Kodak moment" as a memory worth capturing forever on camera.
Kodak, a pioneer and heavyweight in the film and camera enterprise, filed for bankruptcy recently due to massive debt.
As analysts examined every nook and cranny of Kodak's history to work out the reason for the failure, one reason cropped up again and again and that was the company's failure to realise and adequately cope with the change from film to digital photography.
The change in technology and the way people run their memory capture hit Kodak hard, and in an effort to compensate they made a few costly and ultimately very bad decisions.
Kodak actually developed the digital camera in the 1970s but, instead of using this early start to propel themselves into an untouchable market position, they chose to focus on film and got relegated to spending the next three decades trying to catch up with the competition.
They forgot that they were helping "capture memories" and focused on trying to just sell an increasingly redundant product. Also in the news a couple of weeks back was the shut down by the FBI of the world's largest internet file-sharing company Megaupload.
Megaupload provides a drop box type service for files that are too big to send by email, or files that you want to share with many others.
They were accused of fostering internet piracy and copyright violations (among several other issues).
Anyone who remembers the Napster debacle a few years ago (the fight over the digitalisation of music) can see the same trend playing out.
Movie companies are probably losing millions to piracy that enables free download of movies, but instead of using the technology to their benefit they are busy trying to sustain an old mode of media transmission.
Movie makers are more content with continuing to sell a DVD at US$30 rather than making it easy to download or live stream an online movie for under US$5.
Technology is offering filmmakers a great opportunity that few seem to want to take at the moment.
Anyone with a 3G compatible phone has probably heard about Whatsapp-the internet based messaging service that can be utilised to cut your communications costs.
Founded by two guys who wanted to build a better SMS alternative Whatsapp chews little of your bandwidth and less of your money.
The question to ask is why the application was independently developed instead of being made by a cellular network.
One answer is that networks are content to charge five to 10 cents for a text (depending where you are in the world) because it makes them more money in the short term than a less lucrative mobile application.
Numerous cash-strapped, local teenagers use the application-not to mention an increasing number of adults.
The most obvious, but not popular, solution for a network wanting to stay on the old money-making-off-texts model would be to block the application.
The downside of such a decision would be to see consumers flocking to a rival network that allows it.
Rather than seeking to destroy the software, find a way to harness its power - the small bandwidth usage multiplied by a couple of million users may add up to some pretty powerful economies of scale.
Offering the most reliable and cheapest bandwidth could guarantee you a lot of happy clients, especially when they start to use all the other communication applications that use a little more bandwidth (think Facebook, Skype, Gmail for phone).
So I guess the real question at the end of all this is "How can I prevent this from happening to my business?"
Technology changes all the time and there is a pretty good chance of you getting left behind - ask bookstores and publishing houses that are facing the e-book revolution.
Keep focused on what you do - your mandate to the world. Make sure this mandate is not based on selling a particular product and is focused on the client.
Perhaps if Kodak can focus on "helping you store and share your memories" rather than selling film and printing they will pull through the current crisis - at least I hope so because somehow "A Canon moment" does not have the same ring to it as "A Kodak moment".
boardmilkshake@gmail.com
Isaac Asimov 1974 once said: "I discovered, to my amazement, that all through history there had been resistance . . . and bitter, exaggerated, last-stitch resistance . . . to every significant technological change that had taken place on earth.
"Usually the resistance came from those groups who stood to lose influence, status, money . . . as a result of the change. Although they never advanced this as their reason for resisting it. It was always the good of humanity that rested upon their hearts."
One company, however, managed this in relation to the camera industry. Years after the slogan was first coined, people still refer to "A Kodak moment" as a memory worth capturing forever on camera.
Kodak, a pioneer and heavyweight in the film and camera enterprise, filed for bankruptcy recently due to massive debt.
As analysts examined every nook and cranny of Kodak's history to work out the reason for the failure, one reason cropped up again and again and that was the company's failure to realise and adequately cope with the change from film to digital photography.
The change in technology and the way people run their memory capture hit Kodak hard, and in an effort to compensate they made a few costly and ultimately very bad decisions.
Kodak actually developed the digital camera in the 1970s but, instead of using this early start to propel themselves into an untouchable market position, they chose to focus on film and got relegated to spending the next three decades trying to catch up with the competition.
They forgot that they were helping "capture memories" and focused on trying to just sell an increasingly redundant product. Also in the news a couple of weeks back was the shut down by the FBI of the world's largest internet file-sharing company Megaupload.
Megaupload provides a drop box type service for files that are too big to send by email, or files that you want to share with many others.
They were accused of fostering internet piracy and copyright violations (among several other issues).
Anyone who remembers the Napster debacle a few years ago (the fight over the digitalisation of music) can see the same trend playing out.
Movie companies are probably losing millions to piracy that enables free download of movies, but instead of using the technology to their benefit they are busy trying to sustain an old mode of media transmission.
Movie makers are more content with continuing to sell a DVD at US$30 rather than making it easy to download or live stream an online movie for under US$5.
Technology is offering filmmakers a great opportunity that few seem to want to take at the moment.
Anyone with a 3G compatible phone has probably heard about Whatsapp-the internet based messaging service that can be utilised to cut your communications costs.
Founded by two guys who wanted to build a better SMS alternative Whatsapp chews little of your bandwidth and less of your money.
The question to ask is why the application was independently developed instead of being made by a cellular network.
One answer is that networks are content to charge five to 10 cents for a text (depending where you are in the world) because it makes them more money in the short term than a less lucrative mobile application.
Numerous cash-strapped, local teenagers use the application-not to mention an increasing number of adults.
The most obvious, but not popular, solution for a network wanting to stay on the old money-making-off-texts model would be to block the application.
The downside of such a decision would be to see consumers flocking to a rival network that allows it.
Rather than seeking to destroy the software, find a way to harness its power - the small bandwidth usage multiplied by a couple of million users may add up to some pretty powerful economies of scale.
Offering the most reliable and cheapest bandwidth could guarantee you a lot of happy clients, especially when they start to use all the other communication applications that use a little more bandwidth (think Facebook, Skype, Gmail for phone).
So I guess the real question at the end of all this is "How can I prevent this from happening to my business?"
Technology changes all the time and there is a pretty good chance of you getting left behind - ask bookstores and publishing houses that are facing the e-book revolution.
Keep focused on what you do - your mandate to the world. Make sure this mandate is not based on selling a particular product and is focused on the client.
Perhaps if Kodak can focus on "helping you store and share your memories" rather than selling film and printing they will pull through the current crisis - at least I hope so because somehow "A Canon moment" does not have the same ring to it as "A Kodak moment".
boardmilkshake@gmail.com
Isaac Asimov 1974 once said: "I discovered, to my amazement, that all through history there had been resistance . . . and bitter, exaggerated, last-stitch resistance . . . to every significant technological change that had taken place on earth.
"Usually the resistance came from those groups who stood to lose influence, status, money . . . as a result of the change. Although they never advanced this as their reason for resisting it. It was always the good of humanity that rested upon their hearts."
Tuesday 14 February 2012
The way to live
Don't be conformist...let your work create the art that makes people cry without embarrassment.
Get Seth Godin's Lynchpin!
Get Seth Godin's Lynchpin!
Thursday 2 February 2012
Where do your values lie?
The word "hustle" in business circles is often used to describe an aggressive use of borderline methods to gain additional business or money. In an emerging and healing market like Zimbabwe, "hustle" is an accurate thesis of most people attending meetings, seizing opportunities, and making a killing in the market. Coffee shops are seen as the most convenient places to discuss deals by dignified personas all hungry and intrigued with what each opportunity holds.
However, there is need to be cautious of the people you do business with.
The saying, "Don't go hunting with someone who's never shot a bear" is an interesting phrase that illustrates what I am talking about.
Basically, it means that if you go after an opportunity with someone who's never really accomplished anything before, he or she may take the shot themselves if they get the opportunity.
Part of this hustle and opportunistic mindset is being propagated by the numerous opportunities in this emerging economy.
Part of it is a culture that sometimes sacrifice moral and relational capital. I met a man this week who has built and run his retail business over the past 50 years.
Everyday for the past 50 years he has woken up, opened up his shop and created a personal business experience for loyal clients.
What struck me the most as he related the story was the sense of contentment that he had.
Contentment! His business has helped him educate his children right through university.
He has since helped his children to start their own companies, buy their own houses while he has travelled the world and at a time when most are thinking of retiring, he continues to work.
These were goals he set out to achieve and he managed to achieve them.
This "contentment" state of being somehow rivals the "hustle" mentality, which often seeks to spin every opportunity and eat as many "Opportunity Apple Pies" as possible.
Sure, perhaps this retailer could have developed a chain of stores and franchised out his experience.
He could have skyrocketed his prices as he had the opportunity to do so and also bought other businesses that he never had an interest or passion for in the first place.
Instead he chose to do what he loves and at the end of 50 years he is satisfied with what he has achieved and content with his inner being.
He has enough to meet his needs and is not going out of his way to milk his customers rather he fondly tells of regular clients who come in and discuss their families and diverse lives with him like old friends.
This man has an incredibly high value tagged onto his relationship capital.
Satisfaction and contentment are words that perhaps seem alien and elusive in our hectic societies.
Money, cars, impacted lives, legacy for the kids, social change . . . What is enough for you? Where do you stop hustling? Where do you start feeling content?
Comparing prices between Zimbabwe and South Africa probably gives you an insight into some people's train of thought.
The 40-inch HD screen radiating sleekness in my sister's UK lounge got me imagining what it would like in the empty space in my home.
So I went shopping here in Zimbabwe. The cheapest equivalent was three times the price she paid on Amazon.co.uk, and considerably more than twice the retail price in South Africa.
In one shop it was cheaper to fly to the UK and bring one back (never mind the saving if I went on the cheaper flight to South Africa).
Duty, transport and overheads aside -what is a reasonable mark-up? This is comparing retail prices mind you - not the warehouse or factory prices that the goods are procured at (well at least they should be - if you are buying for resale from a retail store and if this is not the case you should probably re-examine your source).
In the Zurich Axioms: Investment Secrets of the Swiss Bankers, Max Gunther outlines that you need to decide on what you want as a return before you invest, and when you reach that level you pull out.
No staying in to get an extra quick buck. No seeing if the upswing will continue.
If you set 10 percent as a target when you reach 10 percent you liquidate and reinvest in new targets.
Now this needs to be applied in the scope of all the axioms if you want to make his system work, the principle helps you avoid the emotional responses of greed that may land you, and others in trouble later.
It has to do with deciding what you want and what you are content with. If you never reach a place of contentment, with your financial goals, you will sacrifice your relational and moral capital banks.
However, there is need to be cautious of the people you do business with.
The saying, "Don't go hunting with someone who's never shot a bear" is an interesting phrase that illustrates what I am talking about.
Basically, it means that if you go after an opportunity with someone who's never really accomplished anything before, he or she may take the shot themselves if they get the opportunity.
Part of this hustle and opportunistic mindset is being propagated by the numerous opportunities in this emerging economy.
Part of it is a culture that sometimes sacrifice moral and relational capital. I met a man this week who has built and run his retail business over the past 50 years.
Everyday for the past 50 years he has woken up, opened up his shop and created a personal business experience for loyal clients.
What struck me the most as he related the story was the sense of contentment that he had.
Contentment! His business has helped him educate his children right through university.
He has since helped his children to start their own companies, buy their own houses while he has travelled the world and at a time when most are thinking of retiring, he continues to work.
These were goals he set out to achieve and he managed to achieve them.
This "contentment" state of being somehow rivals the "hustle" mentality, which often seeks to spin every opportunity and eat as many "Opportunity Apple Pies" as possible.
Sure, perhaps this retailer could have developed a chain of stores and franchised out his experience.
He could have skyrocketed his prices as he had the opportunity to do so and also bought other businesses that he never had an interest or passion for in the first place.
Instead he chose to do what he loves and at the end of 50 years he is satisfied with what he has achieved and content with his inner being.
He has enough to meet his needs and is not going out of his way to milk his customers rather he fondly tells of regular clients who come in and discuss their families and diverse lives with him like old friends.
This man has an incredibly high value tagged onto his relationship capital.
Satisfaction and contentment are words that perhaps seem alien and elusive in our hectic societies.
Money, cars, impacted lives, legacy for the kids, social change . . . What is enough for you? Where do you stop hustling? Where do you start feeling content?
Comparing prices between Zimbabwe and South Africa probably gives you an insight into some people's train of thought.
The 40-inch HD screen radiating sleekness in my sister's UK lounge got me imagining what it would like in the empty space in my home.
So I went shopping here in Zimbabwe. The cheapest equivalent was three times the price she paid on Amazon.co.uk, and considerably more than twice the retail price in South Africa.
In one shop it was cheaper to fly to the UK and bring one back (never mind the saving if I went on the cheaper flight to South Africa).
Duty, transport and overheads aside -what is a reasonable mark-up? This is comparing retail prices mind you - not the warehouse or factory prices that the goods are procured at (well at least they should be - if you are buying for resale from a retail store and if this is not the case you should probably re-examine your source).
In the Zurich Axioms: Investment Secrets of the Swiss Bankers, Max Gunther outlines that you need to decide on what you want as a return before you invest, and when you reach that level you pull out.
No staying in to get an extra quick buck. No seeing if the upswing will continue.
If you set 10 percent as a target when you reach 10 percent you liquidate and reinvest in new targets.
Now this needs to be applied in the scope of all the axioms if you want to make his system work, the principle helps you avoid the emotional responses of greed that may land you, and others in trouble later.
It has to do with deciding what you want and what you are content with. If you never reach a place of contentment, with your financial goals, you will sacrifice your relational and moral capital banks.
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