I’ve finally made it through all of the hours of Olympics coverage which I DVR’d because I had been unable to watch most of the Games live. 
Since I already knew the result of many of the competitions, I was interested in watching mostly for the profiles of the athletes and stories behind and nuances of their achievements. I gleaned a few insights that seem to have relevance for companies who are competing in the game of business.
Nike recently released their “Corporate Responsibility Report FY07-09” and I was so impressed by it, I just had to share my thoughts about it.
(more…)
I just returned from a great trip to CES, the Consumer Electronics Show. 
There was a lot of excitement around new, innovative products and it seemed like important deals and connections were being made – it was an energizing way to start off the new year!
I particularly enjoyed participating in some breakout sessions in the MommyTech and digitalHealth summits. It was there that speakers offered up a few sound bites containing wisdom – wisdom that extends beyond the world of consumer electronics and digital technologies.
Here’s what I heard:
I’m fascinated by the recent flurry of activity of designer PCs. Having worked at Sony during the early years of VAIO (perhaps the first fashionable PC line, launched with its distinctive violet color and sleek features and all), it’s pretty amazing to me to see how the category has developed. (more…)
Recently Ad Age published a list of what it considered to be “America’s Hottest Brands.” 
The list featured 40 brands that are “setting the pace for innovation — and getting results – right now.” Although their selection criteria wasn’t clear and I can’t say I agree with all of the choices, I did find some instructive insights in the write-up. (more…)
Yesterday’s New York Times’ article, Apple’s Game Changer, Downloading Now, was a fascinating read. 
I’m not knowledgeable enough about the technology behind mobile apps to evaluate the story as a representation of the programming and development challenges and opportunities of all the different companies. But I found it a provocative report on the different brands’ strategies. (more…)
This week’s BusinessWeek features two stories back-to-back that together make an important point for all businesses trying to navigate today’s recessionary times. First is a piece on Target’s apparent move down market, “Look Who’s Stalking Wal-Mart.” 
It outlines several moves by Target that seem to be taken from Wal-Mart’s playbook. Then there’s the article, “Why Old Navy May Still Be at Sea,” 
relaying the cheap-chic retailer’s struggles and successes over the past few years. (more…)
I just finished listening to Chris Anderson’s latest book, Free, 
and I was particularly fascinated by the portion which discussed the changes in music distribution in China. I’ve been thinking a lot about how the book publishing business is experiencing some dramatic challenges and I believe there may be some important takeaways for book publishers from the changes that Chris describes in his book. (more…)
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to hear the leaders behind four of the most exciting brands in action sports talk about their journeys as entrepreneurs. They were brutally honest about their struggles and gave some great advice. I’ve compiled my notes into the following presentation.
Thanks much to the entrepreneurs:
Brian Enge, CEO of Zoot Sports
Andy Laats, Co-Founder and President of Nixon
Todd Richards, Olympic Snowboarder, Co-Founder Omatic Snowboards
Beaver Theodosakis, Founder & CEO of prAna
and SI and the USD Entrepreneurship Club for sponsoring the event!