Monday, November 26, 2012

Lemonade...the before and after business models

When my students come up with an idea, sometimes they are so passionate about it that they are blinded to the possibilities of just playing with the business model. Inspired by the good, old lemonade stand as a symbol of the entrepreneurial spirit of neighborhood kids, I played a bit with the looking at humble lemonade along the lines of reducing it to its core and imaging added value from raw materials through products, services and experiences. Surely this is not comprehensive but representative of what could be done with a simple idea if would be entrepreneurs are willing to step back and take a look at what value they want to create for their customers (c2c or b2b and the in-betweens)along a spectrum of possibilities.

update: 18 July 2013

45 uses for lemons...

Monday, November 12, 2012

Plane not Plain: Random Input in-flight

My plane rides give me the time to indulge in some easy reading fare. The free newspapers handed out and the onboard magazines offer some random input to break up my daily routines. Here are some news bites that caught my attention: From the Wall Street Journal: Pumpkin Pie Wars in Cincinnati, Ohio Usually its David vs. Goliath stories in small towns which have you rooting for the small guy but in Ohio its taking the hi(gh)larity route. Two rivals have started a humorous mock fight over pumpkin pies. This story is appealing as their seems to be no looser. They are using the rivalry to increase sales for both because customers are entertained with the ongoing exchange of banter and pranks as well as the seasonal, well crafed hometown, home cooked, all-american fare. For more, visit the original story online by Caroline Porter, Nov 7, 2012: In Your Face: In Cincinnati, a Pie War Heats Up
From Kaleidoscope - Lot Airlines in-flight magazine Recycling goes to New Heights with Sustainable Design in Focus The on-trend idea of upcycling takes on new dimensions when inspiring designers in this article by Agnieszka Rodowicz, Taste of Luxury feature - The second life of things like those by TING London; Dutch Designer Tejo Remy; and Michelle Brand with her environmental design that utilizes overlooked plastic bottles for inspiration and creative expression.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Learn Twitter through Data Visualization

While Twitter is in widespread use across the USA, its just gaining speed in other parts of the world. wefollow.com reports that Croatia's most followed list includes in the top spot "vbahun" with over 53,000 followers in the number 1 spot and but rounding out the top 50 is "dinanipedro" with just over 1,800 followers. If you want to simply figure out how it works and if its right for you to let people know the answer to "what are you doing" then for your viewing pleasure, enjoy this infographic.

Future Entrepreneurs

Teaching in higher education in Croatia for almost 20 years, I have mostly been in the private sector.  But I am happy when learners re...