Posts Tagged ‘Innovation’
New Manufacturing Jobs Require New Manufacturing Skills
Making spare parts doesn’t sound like ground zero for a technological revolution. But at a time when the entire manufacturing workforce is bracing itself for the changes sweeping the industry, the concept of “replacements” takes on extra resonance. I recently met with managers on the shop floor of an industrial machining company, discussing the challenge…
Read More4 Ways to Live It Up and Prosper in the New Marketing Era
We have been living in the era of marketing, ever since cavemen bartered food for pots. The Internet enables marketing to reach levels way beyond what was possible 30 or even 20 years ago. There are many ways in which marketing has changed in the modern era. Here are four tips to help you live…
Read More7 New Business Realities Challenging Every Business
Even small business have a global reach these days, thanks to the Internet. Thus every entrepreneur and business owner needs to see their market in that context, understanding the global forces that will impact them sooner or later. This impact can be positive, as a huge untapped opportunity, or negative as a global competitor invades…
Read MoreCould You Be the Next Ford, Jobs, or Musk?
Well, it’s a fair question. Note that none of these three famous innovators were inventors like Thomas Edison, but visionaries who find a new marketplace or niche – or how to reach the mass market in new ways. Leaders and companies that innovate new products, services and methods of delivery are the ones that stand…
Read MoreRespect: Thomas Edison’s Accomplishments Go Beyond the Bulb to Modern R&D
It’s impossible to overestimate the influence that Thomas Edison’s accomplishments have had on modern life. Although Edison (1847–1931) is best known as the inventor of the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, and the motion picture, these innovations are a fraction of Edison’s legacy. More than 85 years after his death, his accomplishments in the field…
Read MoreHow to Build a Service Business with an IoT Framework
What is the machine of the future? It’s still an assembly of parts, gears, and electronics—but that’s not all. The machine of the future is also an integrated collection of sensors and actuators connected by software (think Tesla). That’s according to Dr. Timothy Chou, author of Precision: Principles, Practices, and Solutions for the Internet of Things (Crowdstory, 2016).…
Read MoreThe Future of Contactless Payments for Businesses and Consumers
During the last few years, the way we pay for everyday products has changed dramatically. After saying goodbye to the signature, the era of Chip and Pin transactions has given way to contactless methods, leading to faster payment processes and the first steps in the creation of digital wallets. It would appear that contactless is…
Read More8 Small Business Hacks for Growth and Productivity
I view small business hacks as falling into two categories: strategies and habits. And, whether it’s a strategy or a habit, I think that what makes a hack a hack is the ease at which it can be implemented. Following through on a small business hack is more about taking Nike’s advice of “Just do…
Read MoreHow to Win in the Corporate Venturing Game
I like to use the line “the robots are coming” when I speak about the future. Lately I’ve noticed that it makes entrepreneurs smile and executives frown. The frowns are understandable. After all, what’s a relatively slow-moving, billion-dollar-plus company (like yours?) to do? You have to keep making money the old fashioned way whether your…
Read MoreHow to Turn Your Employees into “Intrapreneurs”
For both startups and large established corporations, there are tangible benefits to empowering employees to act like entrepreneurs, like cultivating a culture of learning, iteration and innovation among corporate employees. During Lean Startup Co.’s inaugural enterprise summit in New York City earlier this year, we brought people together to share best practices. One of them…
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