Own it.

May 15, 2016 | Business Strategy

Whenever someone says they want to “manage” something, I cringe.

I immediately ask myself, is there a better word? After all, words matter. The words we chose carry deep significance, not just because of their inherent meaning, but because they give insight into our actions. They cast light on our motivations.

So when people tell me they’re going to manage something (or even worse, manage-through something), I immediately try and discern whether they’re setting themselves up for failure.

After all, ownership breeds success. Management reeks of passivity.

Why you can’t lose those 10 pounds – And why Oprah should run for President

May 8, 2016 | Business Strategy

Americans are obsessed with weight loss.

Our culture is fixated on it. Everywhere you turn you see diet books, commercials for weight loss products. There are entire television series devoted to it. It seems like everyone at Trader Joe’s is infatuated with kale.

Even Weight Watchers can’t seem to go wrong. Call it the Oprah effect.

What’s your legacy?

Apr 30, 2016 | Business Strategy

Because in the end, that’s all that really matters . . .

Misery Loves Company: A Heatwave, Dr. Faustus & Economic Coincidence

Apr 17, 2016 | Business Strategy

Everybody’s talking about it. It’s hot. And it’s only April. Mission Dolores Park was overrun with Millennials (and those who wish they were Millennials) escaping the suffocating heat of their rent-control apartments.

The beaches were packed. The screen on your iPhone was hot enough to cause second-degree burns. We just had two of (hopefully) ten nights this year when San Franciscans wish they had air conditioning. Almost no one does.

The Innovator & The Hoarder: Google vs. Yahoo & Lessons for your Business

Apr 3, 2016 | Business Strategy

Lot’s of news around Yahoo recently.

They’re up for sale. They’re not up for sale. Sell part of it. Sell all of it. An analyst hikes a target price. Another one downgrades. “Time wants to buy it!” “Verizon should buy it!”

Good Grief.

The headlines surrounding Yahoo are as ferocious as ever. Some to the positive, some to the negative. The name has always been controversial.

Coffee With Daisy: Business, a Puppy and a Nike Mentality

Mar 30, 2016 | Business Strategy

What did you do this morning?

It’s a simple question. The answer, however, is loaded with all kinds of information about what you do for a living, whether you maintain work/life balance, and how seriously you take your health.

Over the years, I’ve had various morning routines that have empowered me to elevate my productivity during the “work day”. For those that are self-employed or run a business, the concept of a “work day” contains a lot of grey area. The phone rings, we answer.

Is your business on a sugar high? Important lessons imparted by a gigantic doughnut.

Mar 27, 2016 | Business Strategy

I went to the food trucks with a friend on Friday night.

In San Francisco, you can just say that. Everybody knows what you mean. You go to an event hosted by Off The Grid, eat too much, and eventually succumb to the complimentary air conditioning provided by the Pacific Ocean.

An evening that starts in the mid 60’s can quickly dip to a wind-aided 53. When you’re digesting, that’s cold.

Have Yourself a “Money Monday”

Mar 20, 2016 | Business Strategy

What are the three things you can do – today – that will improve revenue or boost profit? You got that right. It’s a one-day proposition. That’s what Money Monday is all about.

Three things. Map them out. Then . . . get started.

Here are a few ideas to inspire your Money Monday:

Starry Night & The Painting of Economic Turbulence

Mar 17, 2016 | Business Strategy

Last week, I painted an economic picture of an overheated consumer and lousy corporate profits. I described an economic undertow that was working against the all too easy-to-paint picture of a bright and robust business environment.

This week, things got a little uglier.

Stay Thirsty: What The Most Interesting Man Had Right About Business

Mar 14, 2016 | Business Strategy

A ten year run in advertising. It doesn’t get much better than that. The Most Interesting Man in the World, who successfully peddled Dos Equis for an entire decade, is opting for a well deserved retirement and taking a one-way trip to Mars.

Don’t worry, you have until Cinco de Mayo to send him off and bid him a fond adieu. #AdiosAmigo.

2 Things Happened This Week That Should Terrify Small Business Owners

Mar 10, 2016 | Business Strategy

Every time I go to the beach, I am absolutely astonished. For one, there are more stars in the sky than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. The very moment my feet hit the sand, that thought races into my mind. I quickly realize that I could hardly count the grains of sand in a single handful. Wow. Those are big numbers.

Live Like We’re Dying – What Kris Allen, Jon Snow & Chipotle Teach Us About Management

Mar 6, 2016 | Business Strategy

I was running the other day. It was an easy route. 3 Miles. I’ve been hurt for awhile so in all honesty I’m thankful for the opportunity just to be out there on the streets at all.

After two-and-a-quarter pain free miles, I hit a downhill stretch of my route that descends out of Pacific Heights back towards the center of San Francisco. The prolonged descent used to be a part of the course where I just “put it in cruise control”, let it go, and enjoy the last stretch of the run.

Money For Nothing. I Want My MTV. What The Dire Straits Teach Us About Bubbles & Unicorns

Mar 2, 2016 | Business Strategy

As Sting opines in his cameo at the opening of Money For Nothing, we are back in a period of history where consumers (and businesses) want to consume everything. This time, we’ve taught them that they don’t have to pay for it.

A Treatise on the Power of Nothing

Feb 28, 2016 | Business Strategy

On a deceivingly cold day on the Kennedy Expressway, I had the pleasure of inadvertently sharing a ride to the airport with an entrepreneur that had just sold her business. Despite the fact that the collapse of the technology bubble was in full-swing, this founder had just sold her company to a multinational conglomerate for a ripe eight-figure sum.

Contagion: 3 Shocks That Will Crush Small Business Performance in 2016

Feb 22, 2016 | Business Strategy

Why 0% interest rates, the price of oil, China, and $5 pour-over drip coffee are going to wreak havoc on your business . . .

Mission Driven Management: Knowing the key drivers of profit & growth

Jan 25, 2016 | Business Strategy

Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind. — Nathaniel Hawthorne

Time is an incredibly valuable asset. Where management spends its time signals to employees what is important to a firm. Management time and focus also dictate what areas of the business will flourish and what business processes, products or services will languish.

Small-Ball: A Winning Business Strategy

Jun 11, 2011 | Business Strategy

Ride & develop your winners, and consider strategic alternatives for the under-performing. Whether you are running a business or a Major League Baseball team, this principle is critical to long-term success.

Creating Stakeholder Value in M&A

Nov 15, 2010 | Business Strategy

We believe that M&A can drive value. However, successful deals must have BOTH a positive strategic impact & favorable financial impact. Don’t fall victim to Ocean Effect; keep your head above water when considering the strategic & financial ramifications of potential transactions.

Strategic Alternatives for Cash

Nov 15, 2010 | Business Strategy

According to recent data out of the Federal Reserve, corporate America is carrying record levels of cash. As of March, non-financial companies held 7% of their assets in cash and other liquid investments, up 26% from 2009 and the highest level recorded in nearly fifty years. On the face, this makes sense. The financial crisis of 2008 clearly caused many companies to elect to retain higher than normal cash balances in an attempt to preserve much-needed financial flexibility. It is likely that many companies are holding cash not only due to the many uncertainties that plague the current economic environment (a weak consumer, a likely increase in corporate taxes, and a possible double-dip recession), but also to fuel the next wave of mergers and acquisitions.

The Financial Demise of Blockbuster

Oct 16, 2010 | Business Strategy

Blockbuster, yet another retailer to meet its fate in Chapter 11, is an important example of what can happen to companies that employ the strategy of “disrupt, then defend”. At Bridgesphere, we believe that it is all-to-easy to play “Monday Morning Quarterback”. We do, however, believe it is useful to view Blockbuster’s tribulations through our framework, identify the key strategic / financial issue that essentially predetermined its demise, and most importantly consider: who could be next.

Google vs. Yahoo: Continuous Disruptive Innovation

Oct 15, 2010 | Business Strategy

Within the internet world, both Google and Yahoo were certainly disruptive, forever changing the manner in which consumers (as well as businesses) interact with the internet. While both companies developed disruptive technologies & services, only Google has achieved what we would consider Continuous Disruptive Innovation. Its ability to dominate search, and then leverage its platform into a portfolio of disruptive technologies & services has created tremendous value for shareholders, not to mention a long-term stream of impressive earnings and cash flows.

What is Continuous Disruptive Innovation?

Oct 14, 2010 | Business Strategy

Disruption: In the world of business strategy and finance, this word is particularly meaningful. In a simplistic sense, disruption is defined as an innovation that improves a product or service in ways that the marketplace does not expect. Disruption can often be game-changing, forever altering the competitive balance within a market or industry. At Bridgesphere, we classify the concept of disruption into two primary strategies:

Apple: Continuous Disruptive Innovation

Oct 13, 2010 | Business Strategy

In October of 2001, Steve Jobs & Company unveiled the iPod. At $400 and the inability to interface with Windows, the product largely appealed to a select group of “power users”, music fanatics who also happened to be Apple loyalists.

For many companies, the development of the iPod would have been the culmination of years of R&D investment and would have transitioned into some sort of an endgame. Sure, the product would likely advance through additional development and innovation, but the primary strategy would center around growing the business and defending the resulting earnings and cash flows against traditional competitors, the majority of which would be the purveyors of competing digital music devices.

Creating Stakeholder Value in Social Media

Sep 15, 2010 | Business Strategy

Creating networks of like-minded (and also not-so-like-minded) participants has facilitated the emergence of new companies and entirely new industries. Social networks such as Facebook, professional sites such as LinkedIn, and gaming companies (Zynga, Ngmoco, etc.) have experienced hyper-growth in users, revenues, and enterprise value in just a matter of years.