Business Change Management

The phenomenally successful book, "Blue Ocean Strategy" by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, powerfully teaches business leaders of all stripes how to "go where the profits and growth are and the competition isn’t." Easier said than done, right? 

But even if you know what a Blue Ocean Strategy is, and also if you don't, how do you find this untapped market space where nobody else is? Where prospective customers with unmet needs are waiting for you to help solve their problems in innovative ways? These 10 blogs, podcasts and white papers will show you.

Hopefully they will also spark some Blue Ocean "a-ha" moments of your own and open your eyes to all the wonderful growth opportunities that might be right in front of you...if only you could see them. Enjoy.

Although it's becoming harder and harder to make serious financial returns in today’s retail world in the age of Amazon, there's still room for entrepreneurs to excel at retail and e-commerce. So how are some succeeding when so many are failing? By driving change. But to drive change—i.e., sustain growth in changing times—takes courage, stamina and ingenuity. And, dedication, persistence and a lot of hard work.

But even in today's harsh market demands and strong competitors, can young businesses still make it big and maybe even transform the world of retail? Yes!

As proof, take a look at this list of retail startups led by successful entrepreneurs that broke out of the pack in recent years, either through smart marketing, unique services or highly specific target markets. 

How many times has someone said to you, “That’s a great idea, you should really run with it and make it a reality”? And how many times have you successfully converted a brilliant idea into a successful innovation? If the answer to the second question is zero, you're not alone. Unfortunately, most potentially great ideas remain dormant. Why? Most people don’t have the resources, courage, time and/or money to take action.

As entrepreneurs, we at SAMC have been through the journey of discovery enough times to know the pain and the joy that comes with having a big idea and making it happen. 

But bringing an idea to life is really hard. As the saying goes, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” It's mostly a battle against time (competitors with the same idea are often right on your heels), so in the beginning, the crucial parts of your business strategy should be planning and research.

More like a marathon than a sprint, the process of converting an idea into something real is an ongoing one. To help you on your journey, here are a few things every entrepreneur should know.

Do you see what we see in the world of higher education? Is this the death of higher education institutions as we know them?

For the past 18 months, I have been blogging about higher education.

Part of our portfolio of assignments includes strategic work we have conducted for higher learning institutions. Challenging is the disconnect between the institution and the workplace. There appears to be a built-in bias against the needs of industry. This resistance has created a reluctance on the part of administrations and faculty to understand what their students will need to succeed after they leave the university. Why are colleges failing their students?

Our research among employers delivers a recurring theme: please, they say, you are sending us students with excellent technical skills but without the people skills that they need to communicate, coordinate, collaborate and creatively solve problems. Industry seems to be responsible for those softer skills that higher education should be instilling in their students.