Shift Happens

Invest 5 minutes with Karl Fisch. 

• A good presentation looks like this. 

• Information worth knowing.

Think Dichotomy

Extreme dichotomies are emerging in many markets:

 

Hybrid  – Hummer

Business class only airlines – Discount airlines

Subway – Krispy Kreme

Adventure travel – Virtual worlds (Second Life)

Harley Davidson – Vespa

 

Which dichotomy will your start up occupy?

Counter intuitive

In my part of the world we have water restrictions in place. The current restrictions allow people to water their garden twice a week: between the hours of 6am-8am and 8pm -10pm.

We all agree it makes sense to water in the cooler hours of the days.

We have now entered the next phase of restrictions. Which only allow us to water the garden once on selected days. If we had decide whether the watering be allowed in the morning or night, we’d all say – at night. Common sense says that there is less evaporation through the night – a more efficient use of water.

The decision was made to only allow watering in the morning. The water authority knows less water will be used. Why? We have to get up early. They know we won’t do it as often. Though it is less efficient, we save more water.

Strategy must be based on behaviour, not rationale.

Not from here

One of the best brand strategies is… not from here. It can be from anywhere. So long as it’s not here. You see, we know everything and everyone from where we are. So it must be better if it’s from elsewhere. They know what they’re doing. They’ve been doing it for years. There’s all this history, or maybe it’s their technology. Whatever, they really know what they’re doing. So we’ll pay a lot more for it.

It feels semi romantic to pay $14.50 for a bar of soap hand made in
Tuscany from capsicum and Amalfi red oranges. We unlock the power of our imagination.

Language on packaging (Latin?)

Localised flavours

Hand made

Old world packaging

There are plenty of niche brands overseas who’d love an international distributor. The bonus is, the strategy is already written…

Start up strategy – Not from here.

The Simpsons

The first Simpsons episode lasted 109 seconds. The voices were weird, the dialogue was banal and the animation was average.

 

 

 

 Then

 

 

 

 

  Now

 

 Another great example of launch now, improve later.

Self Funding

10 reasons to avoid using VC or angel capital to fund start ups:

1. We will get to make all of the decisions
2. We can focus on doing, not reporting
3. A VC funded business is just like having a job. Isn’t that what we left?
4. It doesn’t have to be about making money
5. We wont need an exit plan – like selling what we’ve built.
6. VCs are fun vampires
7. VCs don’t get bootstrapping & viral marketing
8. We can do it quicker without them
9. Not having money stimulates creativity
10. We’ll learn more without them
11.  (bonus reason) – it’s OK to fail

Hand it over…

Your brand that is

It’s not yours

You never owned it anyway

You won’t own it tomorrow

They always owned it

But we didn’t realize

When they stop feeding it, it dies

So it must be theirs

Passion

Here’s a brand that is really into what they do. It’s not about anything, but making surfing possible – anywhere.

I bet they’ll make profits possible anywhere too.

Cut through

Here’s a photo of something I drove past a few times before I just had to get a closer look.

 

 

My first impression driving past was that it may be advertising some eco product, maybe green cars (no pun intended). Turns out it was at a garden supplies centre advertising Smart Grass.

 

The point is, I was engaged enough to explore further. It was eyeball worthy. The exciting insight for entrepreneurs is that creating cut through is more about imagination than money.

Straight lines

Nothing in life moves in straight lines. Humans, electricity, weather, health, success, relationships, sales…. This chart is a nice reminder.

 

 

The important thing is we don’t confuse a movement or pulse with the real trend.