Business and Technology Strategy

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Comment by Anil Pattni on December 7, 2009 at 10:08pm

Hi all, I'm an entrepreneur and i'd like to introduce my new site that i'm currently in the process of developing. Please take a look and if you or someone you know is in this industry please leave comments on your business/services and what your would like to see. http://wirelessapplications.ning.com. Thanks :o)

Comment by Cailyn james on September 17, 2009 at 4:58am

planning to buy property in Thailand for very cheap? for more info check http://condo-for-sale-in-pattaya.com/

Comment by erica kelsey on September 16, 2009 at 6:51am

“BEST” handbag holder/ couture design for more info check the link http://pavinastore.com

Comment by Jack Sandler Bloom on July 4, 2009 at 9:56am

According to Professor Stephen Kaplan at the University of Chicago, who studied hundreds of ventures, it was clearly product and market and not the management team that drove success. He published his results in the Journal of Finance - Is is the Jockey or the Horse - It's the Horse - Please read the following paper for those interested.


Should Investors Bet on the Jockey or the Horse? Evidence from the Evolution of Firms from Early Business Plans to Public Companies." Steven N. Kaplan, Berk A. Sensoy and Per Stromberg; Journal of Finance, 2009, 64(1), pp. 75-115.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.2008.01429.x

Comment by Anita Y Mathis on May 27, 2009 at 5:59pm

I'm pleased to be here.

Comment by Adrian N Carvajal on May 21, 2009 at 3:03pm

I am new in this field I hope that you don't mind me learning from you all.
Kind of selfish hoom? well I just wanna prepare for the real world.

Regards,
Adrian

Comment by Mary Ann Butcher on May 21, 2009 at 10:01am

Are we overstating the obvious? A good plan is useless without tactics that are executed flawlessly PERIOD.

Comment by Kurt O. on May 21, 2009 at 9:58am

In "Good to Great" by Jim Collins, I believe the argument is made that the first key to success if the "who", then the "what", with a focus on the leadership group. Then I would argue that a business plan which addresses the other two areas, market environment and product/service, comes next. Granted, when applied to a VC situation, Collins might come to a different conclusion. In chapter 9 of the book he briefly touches on small and early-stage companies, but does not address VC specifically.

Comment by Clement NOUNKEU on May 21, 2009 at 8:11am

I apologize i didn't argue my classification
If we consider the lifecycle of a service, we ca notice that 2 of the 4 listed factors are to be considered in Strategy phase :
Market Environment
When someone decides to invest in an area, he should first of all look at the market environment; is it favorable for business ? (risks, neeeds, coverage, etc.). If the market environment is favorable, we move the 2nd factor to consider
Business plan
We the market environment is favorable, the investor needs some guaranties on financial apects : Equity, Return On Investment, Return On Equity, Profitability, etc.

The 2 other factors (product/Service, Management Team) are to be considered from the Design phase

Product / Service
When the market environment is favorable, and the business seems to be a good one (from the business plan) we can see all the requirements that the product / service should meet. When we think we will delever service/suitable for customers, we can look at the last factor

Management Team
To run the business we need a good Management team. The criticity of this factor is less than those of the other factors. Here, it is a matter of training
I maintain my classification
1. Market environment
2. Business plan
3. Product/Service
4. Management team

Comment by KWLandry on May 20, 2009 at 6:58pm

Folks,

I'd have to politely disagree with some of you. In my experience the list is almost as it should be, as a VC I'd base it all on the Management Team on the order of 70% Management Team, 10% Business Plan, 10% Product and 10% Market.

The reasoning is that a Top Notch Management team will correct any issues in any of the other three (or mitigate in the case of the market) before themselves investing in the Product and the Market.

Top Notch talent looks at Time as a number one resource and will not waste it on "A hope and a prayer".

Of course, looking to maximize returns I'd not look beyond a weak Management Team. But if I liked the team as talent and a fit for the product and market, I'd then also make sure the other three, the Plan, The Product and the Market fit like an Egyptian tomb (solid foundation with a sharp point on the other end).

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