By Rolfe Larson on June 18, 2015
The results are in. Execution trumps strategy. Your business plan may have great strategies, but it will be a great failure if executed poorly. So just hire the right people, right? Turns out the answer is not what you think. At least according to a a recent Harvard Business Review Article. Here are their five myths about […]
By Rolfe Larson on September 22, 2014
Last week, I attended a celebration for B corps in Colorado. These are for-profit companies certified by a nonprofit called B Lab for achieving social and environmental goals along with business ones. What I noticed differently from other discussions among B Corps in the past, was a stronger focus not only on this vibrant community of […]
By Rolfe Larson on February 18, 2014
One emerging trend we’re noticing in our work is the number of companies using meditation and mindfulness practices to increase individual and group productivity, improve well-being and health, and reduce stress in the business environment. Moreover, recent neuroscience research demonstrates at the brain’s molecular level that meditation and mindfulness, even if practiced for just 20 […]
By Rolfe Larson on April 2, 2013
It’s been widely reported that the company co-founded by Michael Porter, the famous Harvard Business School professor who wrote The Book on business strategy, was forced into bankruptcy protection. We’ve written several blogs about Michael Porter’s insights. How could a business started by the guru of five-force analysis, possibly one of the most widely-adopted competitive strategy in […]
By Rolfe Larson on February 11, 2013
With the emergence of so many “social businesses,” there’s been a widening distinction made with what many people are now calling non-social businesses. The distinction is that social businesses are built around a heroic mission to make the world a better place, while their non-social cousins exist for a crass purpose — solely to make […]
By Rolfe Larson on March 6, 2012
Let’s face it; it’s no fun when someone complains. Some people, the saying goes, just like to complain. Best to give them what they want and send them away, right? Not really. Complaints can provide such valuable market feedback that you’ll want to include strategies in your business plan for dealing with them. Most of […]
By Rolfe Larson on November 9, 2011
In a previous blog, I described “value chain” analysis, which is an analytical technique designed by Michael Porter to evaluate the sequence of business activities to improve profitability. Those five areas are: inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing & sales, and service. That leads to a review of cost advantages and areas of differentiation for […]
By Rolfe Larson on August 18, 2011
Ultimately, success in business depends on finding your competitive advantage, which is to say that which makes you superior to your competitors and is perceived as valuable by your customers. One approach for figuring that out is through value chain analysis, as developed by Michael Porter. The value chain is a sequence of activities that […]
Rolfe Larson provides consulting and training in areas such as strategic planning, market research, feasibility analysis, business planning, marketing, and implementation strategies.