Archive for February, 2007
Social Networking for Business
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
So what’s with all the buzz about social networking? What’s the difference between old school networking and social networking? As a CEO or entrepreneur why should you care? With so much being written about the impact of social networking on business and the numerous examples of companies that are capitalizing on its many benefits, I’m amazed at how few companies still just don’t get it. Not only has social networking arrived but it is clearly here to stay All you have to do is look at the tremendously successful companies that have been built upon the platform of social networking (MySpace, YouTube, Ryze, Linked-In, Flickr, Facebook etc.) or the unprecedented growth of the Blogosphere and you will quickly recognize that social networking is a powerful medium. In today’s post I’ll share my thoughts about why you can’t afford not to jump on the social networking bandwagon.
Read The Full PostLeadership Development and the CEO
Wednesday, February 21st, 2007By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
A CEO by definition must have some level of leadership ability. Regrettably many CEOs will never develop their leadership skills to their full potential. Put bluntly, those CEOs who fail to become great leaders will inevitably fail to become great CEOs. Part of being a true leader is having a commitment to developing not only your own skills but the skills of those around you. One of the fastest routes to leadership greatness for a CEO is to understand the value of creating great leaders from within the ranks. Great leaders teach, train, mentor, coach and inspire those around them to become the best that they can be. In today’s post I’ll make the case for CEOs as champions of leadership…
Read The Full PostHow To Become A Great CEO
Tuesday, February 20th, 2007By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
What does it take to become a great CEO? Much more than it did even 5 years ago to be sure. The rapidly changing global landscape and the evolving complexity of business makes the job of CEO something that is only well suited for a rare few. For these reasons sustainable success at the C-suite level is an elusive thing in today’s business world. With the average tenure of a CEO being less than 5 years it is critical for executives to understand what it takes to beat the odds. In today’s blog post I’ll examine the characteristics that a CEO must posses in order to maintain his or her position and remain in control for as long as they choose…
Read The Full PostAssessing Brand Value
Thursday, February 15th, 2007By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Assessing a brand’s value is not rocket science, nor does it constitute ethereal hocus-pocus. Good brands have real value and understanding this is central to measuring whether or not your brand equity is increasing or whether you have a brand in decline. Whether you are a brand asset manager at a Fortune 500 company responsible for the brand of a product line, a professional concerned about his/her personal brand or the CEO or entrepreneur measuring the brand value of the enterprise you must value your brand in order to understand and manage your brand. In today’s post I’ll give my perspective on not only why a brand should be valued, but also how it should be valued…
Read The Full PostInterview with Marty Secada
Tuesday, February 13th, 2007By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
When it comes to the business of business few decisions are as pivotal as those surrounding capital formation issues. Understanding when to seek capital, where to look for funding, how to structure the deal and other such decisions are at a minimum complex, and if made incorrectly problematic if not disasterous. For those executives and entrepreneurs who deal with such issues you’re in for a treat…Today’s post contains an exclusive interview with Marty Secada, one of the leading minds in alternative corporate finance.
Read The Full PostCollaborate, Innovate and Dominate!
Thursday, February 8th, 2007By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Those of you who know me or have followed this Blog for any length of time know how strongly I feel about innovation (see my Return on Innovation Blog Post) as a key driver in business. You also know how heavily I value partnering, venturing and collaboration as key leverage points. Independently these two concepts are powerful, but couple them together and they create a catalyzing effect of unequalled proportion. In this blog post we’ll examine what these disciplines can mean to your business.
Read The Full PostInterview with Ken Fisher
Wednesday, February 7th, 2007By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Ken Fisher is perhaps one of the most fascinating men of our time. He possesses both incredible intellect and genuine humility. He is a true renaissance man…A family man who has been married for 36 years, a best selling author (his current book The Only Three Questions That Count is ranked #14 on the NY Times Hardcover Bestseller list), The CEO of Fisher Investments, one of the most successful investment firms in the world, his monthly “Portfolio Strategy” column in Forbes magazine makes him the fifth-longest running columnist in the magazine’s 89 year history and a man with a sense of character and responsibility. Oh, I neglected to mention he also happens to be ranked #297 on the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans (estimated to be worth more than $1.3 billion dollars). In today’s post you’ll read my interview with Ken Fisher one of the real “good guys” in business. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did…
Read The Full PostSuper Bowl Disaster!
Monday, February 5th, 2007By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Okay, I’m a huge fan of “Da Bears” but their loss to the Colts is not the disaster I’m referring to. Actually even I can’t be too upset about solid leaders like Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy getting the win, but I digress…The disaster I’m referring to is that of Super Bowl advertising. I appreciate a good branding play as much as the next guy…I aslo enjoy excellent creative and actually possess a true love for genuine marketing and advertising genius. That being said, I’m here to tell you that Super Bowl advertising makes no business sense whatsoever in that it cannot be economically justified by any sane method of analysis. In reality Super Bowl ads are far from genius and in fact more closely resemble irresponsible and frivolous action by advertisers. In today’s post I’ll point out the flawed business logic in purchasing Super Bowl advertising and even provide a few suggestions to advertisers for better alternatives…
Read The Full PostAd Agencies Just Don’t Get It…
Thursday, February 1st, 2007By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
There was a point in our not too distant past where branding and advertising were virtually synonymous however that point in time has long since past. While advertising has become a much smaller component of branding, advertising agencies have not continued to develop their approach or methodology to keep pace with the rapidly changing, increasingly sophisticated and very complex markets. In fact, I would go so far as to say that many advertising agencies are almost obsolete in their approach such that they add very little value to their client’s brands. In today’s post I’ll share my insights on why most advertising agencies just don’t get it…
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