Trent365

Any time a significant new technology or new platform appears, you owe it to yourself and to your business to explore all possible use cases.

Blockchain, Metaverse, NFTs are just a few of the current examples.

It may not seem obvious right now exactly how you can leverage these new technologies and platforms in your business.

However, if they ultimately live up the hype around them today, they will definitely have significant influence on the businesses of tomorrow...including yours.

And if you want to get really strategic, explore use cases for your industry in general.

Even if you can't find practical use cases for your specific business, if you can see applicable use cases for your broader industry, then you can stay ahead of the curve.

These are exciting times. There are many potential opportunities. There always are.

Enjoy the ride!

#technologies #platforms #futureofbusiness

In life we tend to spend a lot of time looking back.

In business, we spend most of our time looking forward.

The next sale. A new product launch. Growing the business.

But when we do that, we can lose sight of the opportunities in front of us right now.

When we focus on making sure our business is right for the future, we can overlook that maybe it isn't quite right for now, for this point in time.

If you have a product, a service, a business that is right for right now...you'll probably get some customers.

Sure, maybe all is not quite ready for next quarter, next year, the next cycle.

But sometimes, right for right now is good enough...for now.

Get right now right first. Then focus on right for tomorrow.

#focus #businessstrategies #rightnow

Thanks to the capacity limits forced on many businesses due to COVID-19, customers are these days needing to make bookings in advance.

Whenever they make a booking, you, as the business, now have their direct contact details.

So use them!

Not to try to sell them.

Not to market to them.

But to create meaningful, thoughtful connections with them.

Not sure how to start?

Try by just saying something like, "Thanks for your support!"

#custoercontact #connection #thankyou

If you have already proven your business model, have sales, have orders, etc then your business is in the Implementation Phase.

However, if you have simply identified a gap in the market, but not yet built a solution to address it, them you're in the Experimentation Phase.

If your business is Implementing, instead of looking for Venture Capital Money and giving away a slice of your company, try traditional financing options, like a bank loan.

Especially if you have purchase orders in hand. 

Or, consider raising money from Friends & Family.

People often look to raise money from Friends & Family during the Experimentation Phase. Mainly they can't convince banks, Venture Capital and Private Equity to fund them at this stage.

But funding during the Experimentation Phase is much higher risk than during the Implementation Phase. And Friends & Family usually have a much lower risk profile.

However, if you're Implementing, the risk is generally much lower. 

So I'd suggest Friends & Family funding could be a great option.

Consider the alternatives. Think beyond the norms.

#familyandfriends #raisingmoney #financingoptions

These days we always seem to be in a hurry.

Don't think, Do!

Ideas are great, but Execution is what matters.

Make your move quickly, before someone else does.

And I'm all for that philosophy...to a point.

But sometimes the real value lies in doing nothing.

Stop.

Think. And think deeply.

Consider all the permutations.

And if you do that, you may just find that in the long run you actually achieve more.

Now, go and put that Time Out to good use.

#think #achievemore #timeout

Not so long ago, it as the Gatekeepers who set the rules for just about every industry.

The barriers to entry were so high that only those with the most resources could enter the market.

And once they did, the made the rules.

Think any industry you like - Media, Transportation, Banking, etc.

Then, over time, largely thanks to technology, the costs of entry lowered. 

Now, anybody who wanted to create, who wanted to build, could enter the market. And they did.

Clearly, thing because much more open and inclusive.

However, that still excluded those who weren't creative or those who couldn't build.

But the good news is, with all these new creators and builders, there is now so much stuff out there that people need someone to curate it all for them.

And ANYONE can be a curator!

Remember, you don't need to be the ultimate authority on the subject to curate it.

All you need to do is say, 'Here's what I know. Let me share it with you.'

And that's enough for people like you.

Still not convinced?

Have you ever been asked for a recommendation for anything?

If so, you're a curator!

#curator #marketopportunity #curatoreconomy

The best way I've found to avoid getting stressed when I face a problem, is to focus on that which I can control.

Not influence, mind you.

Because even the things we can influence might still not go our way.

You may not be able to find a complete solution within that which you can control...but that's ok.

Focus on the parts of the solution that you can control.

And if you can live with that...that's the best you can do.

To worry about the other factors is really quite pointless.

If you can't control it, there's zero value in worrying about.

Easy to say, perhaps. Harder to do.

But try to worry about only that which you can control and I can assure you your stress levels will be dramatically reduced.

Good Luck!

#problemsolving #stressmanagementtips #worrying

Many companies consider Customer Service as one of their Key Performance Indicators. 

They endeavour to measure it, track it and then incentivise it.

But I have a different attitude to Customer Service.

I don't think it should be a KPI at all.

Instead, just make sure you hire people based on their passion for Customer Service.

Denying me a bonus because my Customer Service doesn't meet the performance criteria is unlikely to result in me giving better, more genuine service in the future.

If I'm just not a customer service kinda guy, no amount of incentive will make me one.

Sure, I can fake it if it means getting a bonus.

But it will not be sincere. It will not be genuine. And ultimately, your guests and customers will see right through it.

#customerservice #KPIs #attitudeiseverything

Well known entrepreneur and VC, Chris Dixon, says we should view NFT art the same way we view Roman statues....as community artifacts.

To say a piece of NFT art is just a JPEG is the same as saying a Roman statue is just a piece of stone.

NFT art is a representation of a person or a community. 

It is a symbol of a moment in time, on the internet, in our digital world.

Sure, you could always just buy a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT, hold it for a few months, then flip it for a profit.

But if you do that, you're really missing the point.

#nftart #boredapeyachtclub #culture

It's important for every business to understand its breaking point.

How far can it go before its systems and process start to crack?

Because when that happens, a business starts to fail to deliver on its promise.

Most companies tend to approach this from an angle of maximum capacity.

How many widgets can we make before the machines burn out?

How much revenue can generate with our current sales force?

How many customers can we handle in our restaurant for dinner service?

But your systems and processes can break at minimal capacity levels too.

If you're only running at 35% capacity, chances are you'll have less staff working.

Even though that staffing level could be ok based on the demand, it may also mean you have less flexibility if something goes wrong - which it often does.

Thus, it's important to consider a minimal capacity scenario when assessing your breaking point.

#systemsandprocesses #breakingpoint #scenarioplanning