Pearson Strategy Group

Helping businesses look before they leap. - TM

STRATEGY AND INNOVATION BLOG

Apr 10

I’m Teaching my Dog to Drive

Okay, maybe I am a bit ahead of myself… but not for long. I was reading an article in Gizmag about the status of driverless vehicles and thought how close we’ve come to this milestone. Autonomous vehicles had been under research for some years when DARPA, the U.S. military’s research organization, initiated the Urban Challenge in 2007. The goal was to reward the team that could build an autonomous vehicle that would successfully navigate a simulated city environment. Self-driving vehicles are a great example of a disruptive technology unfolding in front of us that will affect many people (and maybe, dogs).

Mar 25

Dreamers? Experts? Novices? Realists? Whose technologies will change the world?

I accidentally caused a lot of controversy when I posed a question in a couple LinkedIn groups. Of course, my ramblings always gather inordinate amounts of attention (caution, sarcasm in play!), but this one went overboard. What did I do? I simply asked: “Who will create the next disruptive technologies that will change the world?” and pointed to this article’s premise that non-experts are better at disruption. While I certainly have my own thoughts on this subject, I wanted to hear the voice of others.

Mar 03

Disruptive Technologies: How Getting Plastered Lost its Appeal

Disrupters can be positive (the underdog in sports) or negative (the person who keeps interrupting a meeting). We don’t always know HOW a disrupter will influence us, but it’s generally better to know WHAT they are (or WHO if you’re in a meeting!) so that we can better prepare for their presence and their influence. What are disruptive technologies? Disruptive technologies are those technologies that displace an existing technology and its market. Applied positively, companies love to possess disruptive technologies. Applied negatively, companies hate learning of another company’s disruptive technology, especially when it is too late to recover.

Nov 28

Don’t Give A Toaster: Business Principles Will Save Your Shopping List

The turkey was delicious. Now it’s time to go shopping! But first, let’s take a look at a process that will make your shopping list easier than ever before. The same principles used by profitable businesses can net us savvy shoppers the adoration of our children, love of our spouses and maybe even the respect of our in-laws. Use these three business principles to help pick out the perfect gift:

Nov 22

Patent Countdown – You Have Less Time Than You Thought

Entrepreneurs have repeatedly asked this blogger for a basic timeline of the patenting process. Because such a short article cannot begin to explore all of the forks in the road (or all of the details) of the patenting process I’ve been reluctant to try and summarize the timeline. That being said, and because I could no longer leave your sincere requests un-answered, here is an ABBREVIATED TIMELINE (with times measured before and after the filing date)

Nov 11

Make Failure Your Teacher in Innovation

In an economic environment fraught with uncertainty, many companies face intense pressures to innovate in order to capture more market share or gain new markets. In this quest for the holy grail of innovation, leaders find themselves grappling with the question of what they can do to spark innovation within their organizations. The deceivingly simple answer is: act in ways that enable rather than stifle innovation. But what does this mean? Below, I will focus on two key points, underpinned by empirical research and practical experience, relevant for leaders trying to foster innovation.

Nov 01

MiniTrends Conference: “Go for the booty and discover new, uncharted lands”*

I was honored to participate in this year’s MiniTrends Conference, an exciting gathering based on exposing that sweet spot where new and established businesses can find the tools and directional choices to profit and inspire themselves and their employees. The message that making money does not require tossing out your social responsibility was uplifting and contagious. The conference attendees I met were especially eager to learn more about being successful while making a positive difference.

Oct 24

Provisional Patent Applications: Cheap “Protection” or Dead Man’s Curve?

You get what you pay for. Case in point: provisional patent applications (with one notable exception related to the America Invents Act (AIA)). U.S. law allows inventors to file “provisional” patent applications for a modest fee. Since the costs for provisional applications beat the costs for regular patent applications by quite a bit, many entrepreneurs speed down this fork in the road assuming that they are “protected” (more on this later) and that they can easily convert their provisional applications into regular applications before the one year deadline for doing so.

Oct 18

Patent First, Fine Tune Later — Advice to the Hesitant Inventor

To engineers, there is a natural tendency to put off such a task until they are certain the invention works and has merit. Maximize the efficiency of an inefficient process by waiting until you are sure! Of course, developing a concept to the point of commercial viability can take a long time. It would also seem to be most efficient to bring potential customers on board to develop the concept as quickly as possible. As much sense as these strategies make to the engineer, they are poison to the patenting process.