tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63870178720905732312012-01-25T13:10:31.384-08:00The DirectiveRevenue growth strategies, market strategies, product innovation, and everything in between - by Kat ShoaKat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.comBlogger581100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-41603611876289993692012-01-25T13:10:00.000-08:002012-01-25T13:10:31.466-08:002011 is a wrap! The good, the bad, and the great<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-15089015307427541442011-08-18T23:31:00.000-07:002011-08-18T23:36:38.288-07:00HP CEO Leo Apotheker making the right strategic moves
Less than a year after Apotheker took the helm at one of the largest US tech companies, HP announces major strategic changes to its product lines – finally, some good moves out of HP.
It seems HP has been mired with controversy over the last decade, and each CEO made their mark with their own mistakes. Carly Fiorina who was a media darling at the time, pushed HP deeper into the hardware Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-9602049136888096892011-08-03T00:13:00.000-07:002011-08-03T00:13:23.837-07:00Corporate board of directors: how to formulate them for success<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-33454144748214435432011-07-13T12:16:00.000-07:002011-07-13T12:17:44.892-07:00Kat Shoa launches The Directive Group
Over the past few months, I’ve been diligently working to build a team to expand and strengthen the services I offered in the past, and I’m excited to announce the launch of my latest venture, The Directive Group, providing strategic business and revenue growth services for companies developing products, services, and intellectual properties.
Our team has a diverse experience base as hands-on Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-58012228178995450502011-05-19T10:36:00.000-07:002011-05-19T10:36:46.782-07:00Kat Shoa moderating panel at Connectivity Week 2011: Integrated Critical Communications InfrastructureI've been asked to moderate a panel at the Smart Grid Connectivity Week 2011. The topic is of utmost importance to the success of the Smart Grid: how to integrated all the critical communications around the utility infrastructure.
What: Integrated Critical Communications Infrastructure
When: Wednesday, May 25, 3:30-5pm
Where: Santa Clara Convention Center, Room #204
We have a prestigious panelKat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-40549930411479296562011-04-07T10:21:00.000-07:002011-04-07T10:21:28.093-07:00A Letter from JapanAs many of you might know, back in the 90s and in the earlier part of the 2000 decade, I worked closely with major Japanese clients, and I continue to hold those relationships dear. I also happen to have relatives who have lived in Japan for decades.
When the earthquake and the resulting tsunami hit Japan last month, I was up through the early morning hours emailing and checking on my Japanese Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-77274221580893944412011-03-01T23:37:00.000-08:002011-03-02T01:25:46.465-08:00The direct impact of R&D expenditures on market capitalization: an analysis of large cap companies – Google, Apple, Microsoft, HP, IBM, 3M, Intel, Xerox, Oracle, Cisco, Caterpillar, GE, Johnson & Johnson, DellAs many of my readers know, I’m a big proponent of R&D expenditures for companies developing products, services, and intellectual properties. And for some time, I’ve been thinking about analyzing the effect of R&D expenditures on two metrics: market capitalization and revenues. Today I’m looking at the impact of R&D on market cap. As important as revenues are, the CEOs of most public companies Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-1842429728480774512010-12-29T10:06:00.000-08:002010-12-29T10:15:53.225-08:00The Directive most read articles reveal business strategy reader interest in social media, hot business topicsI started The Directive in May 2009, and at the end of 2010, I thought I'd take a look at the statistics for the articles I've written to see what business strategy readers are most interested in. Granted, just clicking on the article doesn't show reader interest in the article (it shows they're interested in the headline), but it's still a valid metric to analyze.
Article #1: Eight mistakes to Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-26648593602786343002010-12-23T12:25:00.000-08:002010-12-23T18:02:02.944-08:00Happy Holidays from Kat Shoa2010 is a wrap! And it turned out to be a great year for Kat Shoa Consulting. With several highly strategic engagements in hot markets such as Hosted Unified Communications, Smart Grid, and with environmental organizations, I'm excited to have been part of the growth and turnaround for several of my clients in a continually difficult economic climate.
By definition, strategic activities embody Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-6211730049756924092010-12-15T17:11:00.000-08:002010-12-15T22:40:14.195-08:00How to set up your company to attract investors and outside sources of funding: VCs, angel investors, private equity funds
About seven or eight years ago, I had a client with such interesting patented technologies that I was willing to invest in the company, do away with my practice, and run the company through what I thought would be massive growth. Before I did that though, I decided to consult a private equity attorney to help me through the process, and what I learned during those discussions was invaluable for Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-43980798814423423692010-11-08T16:05:00.000-08:002010-11-08T22:46:02.745-08:00Competitors: Fuh’Get About ‘Em! How too much focus on your competition can throw your company off course<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-29422170236245086782010-10-27T16:12:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:35:10.021-08:00Kat Shoa moderating panel at UCLA WINMEC 2010 Forum: mobile media and wireless innovationsWINMEC (Wireless Internet for Mobile Enterprise Consortium) is a UCLA-based university, industry, and government collaboration with the objective to advance technological and business research and to educate its members on the state-of-the art in wireless and mobile industries.
The program, headed by Dr. Rajid Gadh, has actively worked with various Smart Grid initiatives in order to implement Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-51938515474016755502010-10-19T00:06:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:46:15.376-08:00Your pricing strategy can make or break your companyI’ve been very busy recently working with several clients, one of which needed strategic assessments of entering the Smart Grid market. And a big part of the assessment had to do with the pricing model for this new vertical.
As you can imagine, pricing model has a direct impact on the top-line, the bottom-line, and sales volume, and can effectively make or break a company – or make it float Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-68342610797841733852010-09-26T16:27:00.000-07:002010-09-26T16:31:32.600-07:00Kat Shoa moderating multiple industry panels at Smart Grid Summit, ITExpo, and UCLA thought leadership forum on electric vehicle integration into the smart grid I’ve been a little quiet lately not because I have nothing to say, but because I’ve been extremely busy with client work and getting involved in various industry forums. I’ve been asked to moderate a few panels in industry forums, and not surprisingly, they all happen to fall in the busy fall season for trade shows and industry conferences.
The panels I’ll be moderating over the next few weeksKat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-87876682240076939892010-09-11T12:39:00.000-07:002010-09-11T12:39:50.761-07:00Weekend Grab-bag - Portrait Painting - "Youth"My latest portrait painting.
This is one of the things I do when I try to get away from strategies, revenues, and the rest of it all.
"YOUTH" -- acrylics on canvas - 18" x 36"
Detail
Yes, we have very similar features. He's my nephew.Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-11294612806275215732010-08-11T00:04:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:41:22.404-08:00HP’s board, CEO Mark Hurd’s resignation, and the morality police circus in Corporate AmericaCorporate America has done it again. They pulled out their “morality” card and managed to topple one of the most powerful tech executives in the country. If you don’t know about HP CEO Mark Hurd’s resignation by now, I won’t get into details, just google “Mark Hurd resignation” and you’ll get thousands of links to the story. In short, Mark Hurd resigned abruptly late last week after Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-41108421155995844862010-07-13T18:39:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:41:36.888-08:00Eight mistakes to avoid on LinkedInIt’s been a while since I wrote about LinkedIn, and the more I use the platform, the more I realize its powerful potential. But also, I get exposed to so many poor practices sometimes I LOL (only if no one is around… OK, I threw in the acronym to see if you were paying attention).
So I thought it was high time for another LinkedIn blog, this time on practices to avoid.
Incomplete information. Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-20375927410473353772010-07-06T14:40:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:38:16.958-08:00Patent and intellectual properties: your questions, answered; PLUS the Supreme Court decision on BilskiIn our third and final discussion with Todd Miller, I asked him to answer the questions our readers had submitted on this blog and various other forums. Todd told us about the basics of patents, and how to deal with patent disputes in our last Q&A sessions.
It happened that on June 28th, the US Supreme Court had a patent case ruling related to “business methods” (Bilski v. Kappos), and many Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-12945720210538070322010-06-23T23:23:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:38:38.185-08:00Interview with Todd R. Miller, part II: patent disputes and patent litigationIn part I of my discussions with Todd Miller, we discussed the ins and outs of applying for patent protection, when to apply, how to apply, and what to expect. In part II, we discuss what to expect if there’s a patent dispute or litigation. This is Todd’s specialty, and if you have any questions about patent disputes or how to handle them, make sure to leave your questions in the comment section Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-60846732243585186182010-06-21T23:20:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:39:11.799-08:00An interview with Todd R. Miller, IP trial attorney; Part I: the ins and outs of filing for patentsAs my readers recall, in the past I’ve written about the benefits of patents for small companies, and ways to protect your intellectual properties with audits. Today’s blog is part one of an interview I conducted with Todd R. Miller, a partner at Jones Day, a full service international law firm. Todd is a trial attorney in intellectual property disputes, a very specialized field in IP law. I Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-5129092089801294682010-06-09T09:48:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:46:36.498-08:00Smart Grid Dynamic Pricing: Behavior Change Easier Said than DoneYou might be wondering why you’re hearing so much about smart grids and smart metering lately, and what the big deal is. The big deal is that the ramifications of “smarting” US’ electric grid systems will touch upon multiple aspects of business and policy from consumer protection, to federal budget allocations, and most relevant to the readers of this blog, the opportunities it will provide for Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-30331058528629614702010-05-25T00:11:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:46:52.077-08:008 clues to your company's health: detected in your org chartI posted this article some time last year, and it is still one of my most popular blogs, regularly getting hits through search engines. I thought I'd update it and give it another life.
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Org charts are fascinating (living, breathing, pulsating) organisms. I didn’t always see things this way. I remember being a number in an org chart and hating it. I was one of 100,000 employees working Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-82351584423559671812010-05-19T09:59:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:42:52.990-08:00Smart grids: electric utilities’ challenges and opportunities (thoughts on the UCLA WINMEC Smart Grid Forum)
If you haven’t already, you will hear more and more about smart grids, as the nation’s electric utilities plan to overhaul and modernize their existing grid system in order to better monitor their ageing infrastructure, and also to plan ahead for integration of new sources of energy (solar and wind) as well as disruptive new sources of consumption (electric vehicles).
On Monday May 17th, I Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-60676822230490389412010-05-14T22:44:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:40:05.985-08:00Weekend Grab-bag - Portrait PaintingMy latest creation.
"El" - 8x10" - acrylic on wood
Some more on my portrait link.Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-7389052278221166912010-05-10T23:16:00.000-07:002010-05-10T23:16:19.250-07:00What is “cloud computing”? And why should you care?I know you’ve heard about it. Pundits talk about it. Companies promote it. But what is, exactly, “cloud computing”? It’s really not that complicated (unless if you talk to industry analysts throwing around industry jargon). How about if we start with some examples: Yahoo! email, Flickr photo sharing, Facebook. These are applications that are accessible through a web browser, and as a user, you Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-31005153976567663492010-04-13T00:29:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:47:18.634-08:00Twitter bows to corporate advertisers, shuns average users: good bye social media, hello corporate advertisingLast summer Twitter made a lot of headline news for its explosive growth without a clear plan for a business model. I blogged about the company twice during that time, once to discuss their lack of revenue model, and another time when the company was being publicly dissed by VCs for… their lack of revenue model.
On Tuesday Twitter announced their long awaited revenue model.
The ad based programKat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-34575685393515617432010-02-02T15:57:00.000-08:002010-11-08T22:47:40.040-08:00Branding in a green world: how to target a wide audience with green productsI asked Leon Kaye from www.GreenGoPost.com to guest blog for me this week. Leon is one of the few voices that hold the fine line between “green” progressiveness and business pragmatics.
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Despite the economic downturn, companies and consumers continue to demonstrate an interest in green products and sustainable business practices due to concerns about energy independence, the world we will Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-21871874743769907522010-01-26T22:24:00.000-08:002010-01-26T22:24:17.860-08:00Poll results are in: how much information do you share on LinkedIn and Facebook social media sites?Last week I wrote about the awkwardness of using social media, and I thought the comfort level had something to do with the amount of information people share on social media outlets. So I threw in a couple of polls at the end asking these questions:
On a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest, how much information do you share on LinkedIn?
On a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest, how Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-41984449121159917952010-01-19T22:00:00.000-08:002010-11-08T22:43:50.924-08:00Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and the social awkwardness around social networking“8 pounds = 2 belt notches.“
That was my last Facebook update. Here’s another one before that:
“My mom told me last night her dream is to become a race car driver. She's 69. (go mom!)”
With these types of updates, and all the comments that ensue, who do I include into my Facebook circle? And then there are the family photos, the discussions, and the wall notes… you get the picture.
Whether Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-43348853662249924392010-01-13T23:15:00.000-08:002010-11-08T22:48:04.405-08:00Why branding strategy and change management are inseparableHappy 2010! I wish you all the best, health, success, and prosperity this year and beyond.
I’ve been quiet over the past few weeks mostly because of the holidays, but also because I’ve been insanely busy with strategic branding projects for two clients. People think of a brand in terms of a name and a logo – generally a visual look along with a name that’s recognizable, like Coca Cola or IBM. Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-15724515912287885822009-12-15T00:09:00.000-08:002010-11-08T22:45:09.887-08:00Social media housekeeping during the holidays – LinkedIn, Twitter, FacebookAs everyone gears up (or down) for the holidays, this might be a good time to take a step back and perform some housekeeping on your social media activities. Just like other aspects of your business, your social media gets outdated, collects garbage, and needs to get refreshed. I’ll be writing a lot more about social media in the future, so come back and visit.
Social media handbook
If your Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-1443345205165678702009-12-08T23:14:00.000-08:002010-11-08T22:48:27.515-08:00How to legally protect your business during layoffsI’ve asked attorney and law professor Melanie Calvert to give us some pointers about legal considerations to protect your business during layoffs. Hopefully your business is thriving and there’s no need for this!
Keep in mind these laws are specific to the state of California. Though some labor laws overlap in various states, it’s highly recommended that you consult a labor attorney in your Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-19275791805088569432009-11-18T01:02:00.000-08:002010-11-08T22:45:48.575-08:00It’s not all about profits: “do it pro bono” with the Taproot Foundation, the nonprofit intermediaryEver since I remember, I’d wanted to work with nonprofits to give back to the society I live in, or for a cause I care for, in an effective productive way. The problem was I never knew how to go about it. Were they going to make me stuff envelopes or answer incoming calls? (Get real, I’d never do that! – sorry, is that snobby?). Did they understand in what capacity I could help them? Did I get Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-8990486029119632172009-11-14T19:20:00.000-08:002009-11-14T19:34:58.314-08:00Weekend grab-bag: fan mailI get a lot of email as a result of this blog. 90% of it is feedback, positive and negative, about my point of view, or adding to my point of view (which I love), consulting groups who want to network, networkers who want to meet, service providers touting their services... Even better, many times the emails have lead to discussions about some sort of a working relationship, whether someone Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-39249995349904880652009-11-05T12:21:00.000-08:002010-11-08T22:48:49.340-08:00In search of “synergy” in corporate partnerships, and mergers and acquisitionsAs the readers of my blog know, I’m a strong proponent of corporate partnerships. I believe with a good partnership in place, each company can focus on their core competencies while relying on the partner to complement their product or service line, accelerate their market expansion, or help in areas of weakness like customer care, distribution, or geographic expansion. In hard economic times, Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-65721441152309663202009-10-30T00:49:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:49:13.738-08:00The collective power of LinkedIn for your company’s sales, marketing, and social media effortsI’ve been a member of LinkedIn for years, and it’s become a basic part of my “doing business”, whether to tout my skills, or to check on the backgrounds of people I come in contact with, especially potential clients (yes, I do check).
It amazes me how many companies either don’t have a prominent presence on LinkedIn or simply don’t utilize it effectively. The compounded power of the network is Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-83872159289543268322009-10-24T15:49:00.001-07:002009-10-24T16:12:23.472-07:00My Latest Portrait PaintingHere's some weekend fun. By popular demand, posting my latest portrait painting.Monique Daniels24"x36" - Acrylic on CanvasMore on my portrait painting site: http://portraits.katshoa.comKat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-71094296613653667772009-10-22T00:36:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:49:32.846-08:00HP CEO, Mark Hurd, speaks from both sides of his mouth: cloud computing good for the customers, but not for HPIn my very first blog on The Directive, I wrote a not-so-nice article about Mark Hurd, the CEO of HP. The blog was a reaction to Hurd’s major cutbacks in HP’s R&D expenditures, and the idea was that by cutting back on R&D programs, HP would lose its innovative edge and corner itself into commoditized markets. I find myself perplexed by Hurd again. I have nothing against the man, or the company heKat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-61918415270834570912009-10-14T23:48:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:49:49.370-08:00Is your organization emotionally ready for change? Some tips for easier change management.Every once in a while the economy whacks everyone on the side of the head to remind them to shape up, pushing companies into a state of shock. 2008 showed us a perfect example of a good whacking with a major collapse in the financial markets. A year on, the shock has worn off, and it’s time to shake off the dust and march forward. For many companies, this is the time to reevaluate the course of Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-44310380136651738522009-09-30T22:50:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:50:23.247-08:00How do you know your intellectual property licensees are not duping you? Get familiar with royalty audits.I can be such a nerd sometimes. Sure, I do my portrait paintings and world travel, but sometimes really nerdy things get me all excited. Case in point: licensing intellectual properties. Sure, your average person on the street doesn’t even know what that means, but I think there’s something entirely cool about developing technologies or intellectual properties (i.e., creating something valuable) Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-29606116296763394292009-09-23T23:56:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:51:10.959-08:00Ssshhh… my company is dying! How to properly shut down your companyI feel awful about this blog! I help companies grow their revenues, grow their profits, or reposition them to grow. But I recently had a conversation with Bob Light, the controller of a company in Virginia who is in the process of shutting down his last employer (ouch), and he told me it was a great learning experience and quite involved, so I asked him to write about it.
Here’s in hopes that Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-4011709429758313192009-09-21T22:25:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:51:31.111-08:00Preparing Your Business for a Major Transaction: Seven Key Issues to ConsiderFor today’s blog I’ve asked Ara Babaian, Esq., a partner at Ervin, Cohen, and Jessup's business and corporate law department, to tell us how to prepare a business for a major transaction.
Listen to the man. He knows his stuff!
By the way, Ara had a much longer list originally, but for the purpose of brevity, I asked him to condense the list. Feel free to add what other factors you think shouldKat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-654880608518676112009-09-17T12:04:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:51:52.021-08:00More than hierarchy, organizational structures reflect corporate values and… hidden problemsOrg charts are fascinating (living, breathing, pulsating) organism. I didn’t always see things this way. I remember being a number in an org chart and hating it. I was one of 100,000 employees working for corporation X many years ago, and whenever I looked at an org chart, all I saw was hierarchy. Who reported to whom? Who moved to the side? Who moved up? And why didn’t anyone ever move down? Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-87496488446919940682009-09-01T08:56:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:52:10.260-08:00Best Marketing Practices in E-mail MarketingAn ex-colleague, Kelly Flint, is now the regional development director at Constant Contact. I sat through one of her email marketing seminars last week and found the information so useful I asked her to guest blog for me today.
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Building relationships with your customers is key to growing your business, especially in a down economy. Now more than ever, it’s vitally important to market to Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-75233903431815390872009-08-20T10:43:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:52:28.258-08:00Eleven money allocation tips for small and medium business (SMB) during the recessionIn my last blog I discussed ten growth factors for small and medium businesses (SMBs) during the recession, and as promised, this blog discusses money allocation tips during the recession, i.e., where to cut back and where to allocate funds for best results. It will probably help if you read the last blog before you read this one.
Get the best finance VP (CFO) your money can buy. Many finance Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-29630054600884314212009-08-17T14:35:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:53:13.553-08:00Ten growth factors for small and medium business (SMB) during the recessionTimes continue to be difficult for businesses about a year into this recession. So many small and medium businesses I’ve recently spoken with are either going under or selling out, I’m beginning to take it personally (yeah, it’s all about me!). During good times, anyone can drift along, and during tough times, the weaklings fall off the grid, but during particularly hard times like right now, Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-27159587419951386892009-08-12T17:05:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:53:58.355-08:00The electric car industry mimics the internet eraBack in the mid 90s, I attended the first Internet World trade show at the LA convention center. I’d been working in high-tech for many years then, and I didn’t know what to expect. I remember the feel of the show was unlike the typical high-tech trade shows of the time (remember the loud music, and the dancers and the clowns at COMDEX?). This show had a quiet atmosphere. The show floor was Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-51041190677644137942009-08-06T14:50:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:54:26.001-08:00How patents can benefit small businesses (yes, yours too!)Before I started working with Corporate America, I thought patents were exclusively reserved for mad scientists and geniuses, those who spend hours in a laboratory mixing chemicals, and blow up the lab and burn half their hair in the process. A patent workshop at Xerox, my first real employer out of college, was my first exposure to patents and patent protection. Xerox had good reasons to Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-73392128208076299102009-07-31T01:24:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:54:53.112-08:00Starbucks Debrands for Market ExpansionBack in the early 90s, I knew someone who worked at a new coffee shop in Santa Monica, and couldn’t get over the fact that people lined up at the door at the crack of dawn before the coffee shop opened. That’s the first time I heard of the Starbuck brand, and in retrospect, I should have sold the house and bought the stock at IPO price back then, and then I would have been a gizzillionaire or Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-70653798797526369822009-07-24T01:37:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:55:48.949-08:00The Mind of the EntrepreneurAfter working within, with, for, or around corporations for over 20 years, I think I have a good handle on how things work in that environment. Roles are defined. Territories are drawn. Timelines are (mostly) prepared for. Corporations don’t all tick the same way, but there’s an order to the madness. There’s definitely madness, but order too.
This is how it goes.
The strategists stand atop the Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-46956214665483500322009-07-09T11:39:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:56:10.691-08:00Startup Funding Back to Basics?A few weeks ago I blogged about Twitter and its prospects as an up-and-coming player vis-à-vis the media attention it received due to the events in Iran. The point I made was that the company needs to come up with a proper business / revenue model sooner than later.
Yesterday this made headline news as Allen & Co.’s Sun Valley Media and Technology Conference got its kick start. Rupert Murdoch, Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-65075308067739613592009-07-02T11:55:00.000-07:002009-07-02T12:06:26.353-07:00Sedation Medication NationToday I’m taking off my business analyst hat and wearing my consumer hat…The news that some of the most commonly used drugs in US cause acute liver failure took the news pipelines by a storm this week, and as someone who has lost two loved ones to liver failure (one from complications of cancer, and one from complications of Hepatitis after blood transfusion, if you must know), I have some Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-27915860979393502892009-06-18T13:55:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:56:33.484-08:00Is Twitter Ready for Adult Supervision?Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock over the past week, you’d know that something’s brewing in Iran. News of mass demonstrations against voter fraud there has finally hit mainstream media in US, but it all started on the blogosphere, video sharing sites, and social media sites like the Huffington Post, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. This created side discussions about increased legitimacy of Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-220216236562249482009-06-10T23:19:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:56:51.829-08:00Note to Apple: Pssst…. This is what Commoditization Looks LikeWhen I was at college in the 80s (whoa, did I just give away my age?) my brother who had just graduated from college bought a brand new PC. Price tag: $2000. That’s $2000 in the 80s when the consumer had a comfortable choice of brand new cars well under $10,000. Which begs the question, how come cars are so expensive these days? But I digress. This isn’t about cars.
Back to the PC. I asked my Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-20978481709884230722009-06-02T16:08:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:57:10.096-08:00Hail to the Chief-essI’m reminiscing here…
When I joined Xerox in the late 80s, the average tenure of Xerox employees was a whopping 17 years (yes, average), and let me tell you, the “average” executive there wasn’t female, and he certainly wasn’t black. I remember hearing about Ursula Burns – a lot. Everyone knew of her, because (oooh!) a black woman had become the VP of something or other. This is before ObamaniaKat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-11284770435364291102009-05-18T15:29:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:57:27.819-08:00Everything I wanted to know about approaching an M&A deal, I learned from DatingWith every economic downturn, there’s a flurry of mergers and acquisitions as a result of lowered market value, lower-tiered companies threatened to fall off the grid, and companies with a cash hoard searching for bargains.
With this in mind, it occurred to me that approaching M&A deals mirrors dating in many ways. Here are a dozen parallels I thought about. Feel free to add anything I might Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-87457613089989463132009-05-13T16:07:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:57:56.541-08:00Gauging Kindle’s DisruptivenessDisruptive technologies always have a “cool” factor associated with them. They also tend to leave ripple affects on industries and businesses beyond their immediate circle (kind of like earth quakes? OK, I’ve lived in southern California for too long). When Marc Andreessen developed Mosaic, who could have imagined the depth and breadth of the Internet’s reach to concepts such as social networkingKat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387017872090573231.post-49102883839564325302009-05-04T12:11:00.000-07:002010-11-08T22:58:14.750-08:00Is HP’s CEO, Mark Hurd, stifling innovation?When I worked at Xerox many years ago, our division (unsuccessfully) competed with HP’s printer division. HP was the king of that sector, and all we could do was idolize the company and grapple for the dust they left behind. As masters of innovation, they drew the maps for everyone else to follow.
I hadn’t followed HP closely for some time, so when I ran into a profile of the company and its Kat Shoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131287502958034301noreply@blogger.com5