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The Resource Center has all the info you'll need From content to user feedback, the resource center has the information you need for every level of the entrepreneurial process.
Vendors who present a large menu of features in an attempt to differentiate their products would do better to emphasize two or three proven points of difference in the value each product delivers. This article is based on research published in the Harvard Business Review.
Very short but very sweet advice on testing a poorly selling product's appeal in the marketplace--and useful tips on what to do if it fails the test.
After leaping into "Lean," Southern Vinyl Manufacturing gained efficiencies in nearly every area of its operations. Specifically, entrepreneur Rod Matthews explains the challenges and rewards of involving employees in finding and eliminating waste using the "Five Why" process. As a result of "getting lean," the company resolves manufacturing problems by digging deeply to identify root causes instead of just treating symptoms.
The Six Sigma manufacturing process drives production to near-perfect levels, seeking less than 3.4 defects per million output units. Here, the basic purpose and process of the Six Sigma methodology, and its connection to "lean" manufacturing, are clearly explained for entrepreneurs. The article also provides tips on getting started and guidelines to successful implementation.
Does Six Sigma methodology have benefits small- to medium-sized entrepreneurial manufacturing firm? "Yes!" proclaims this author, a Six Sigma Master Black Belt. He provides an overview of, outlines four actions needed for a company to succeed with, and defines steps to deploying Six Sigma.
Although somewhat out of date, this article provides a useful overview of the purpose and principles of competitive intelligence gathering as well as tips and techniques that still apply.
Complements are products or services that are consumed together or that enhance the consumption of one another, such as movies and popcorn. This in-depth article offers grounding in the theory of complementarity in business; practical examples, such as IBM and Linux; and questions to help you determine what role, if any, this approach can play in the growth of your company.
Facing facts and forgetting fantasies are vital to accurate forecasting for startups seeking outside investment. This highly practical blog entry provides eleven helpful tips for doing forecasts realistically and presenting them in ways that investors understand and appreciate.
Profiling twenty-five methods used by consistently successful companies to stay ahead, often way ahead, this article will at the very least give you great ideas you can adapt and at best spark a few of your own. The innovative, highly effective techniques range from extreme tracking of competitors' numbers (Hewlett-Packard) to providing thousands of toys and gadgets to spark creativity (Ideo) to betting on new-product launch dates (Microsoft) to bright red "bad news" file folders (Colgate-Palmolive) that can head off catastrophe.
Benchmarking your firm's performance against the performance of others is essential to creating and following a strategic plan. The seven steps listed here from a professional competitive intelligence service will smooth the way to an improved ROI.
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