Strategy
Lessons from Amazon – Principles and Practices / 6 January 2025
There’s certain people that you do not want to try to beat at their own game, and certainly Jeff Bezos would be number 1. (…) Jeff has just shown amazing talent in figuring out how to please customers. Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, a former senior […]
How To Create A New Industry / 8 May 2023
Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne W. Chan Kim (born in 1951) is a South Korean professor of strategy and management. Renée Mauborgne (born in 1963) is an American professor of strategy. Both are ranked among the most influential management thinkers, having co-authored several bestselling strategy books. Below are the key […]
Strategy Made Simple / 13 March 2023
Better, Simpler Strategy, by Felix Oberholzer-Gee Strategy is simple. (…) It is liberating to discover the simplicity in strategy. Felix Oberholzer-Gee Felix Oberholzer-Gee is a Swiss economist, author, and professor of strategy at Harvard Business School. I discovered him in a recent episode of the Columbia Business School’s Value Investing with Legends podcast, hosted by […]
How To Build An Enduring Business / 24 August 2022
Jim Collins (born in 1958) is an American author and consultant focused on business management and company sustainability and growth. In a six-year research project, Jim Collins and his team of researchers set out to find out what accounted for the success of visionary companies.
How To Make Your Business Great / 24 August 2022
Jim Collins (born in 1958) is an American author and consultant focused on business management and company sustainability and growth. Jim Collins and his team of researchers spent five years looking for companies who successfully transitioned from "good" to "great", and for the drivers of such transition.
Finally! Michael Porter’s Strategy Concepts Made Simple / 18 August 2022
Understanding Michael Porter, by Joan Magretta Joan Magretta is a former partner of consulting firm Bain & Co, a former strategy editor of the Harvard Business Review (HBR), an author on strategy and general management, and a senior associate at the Harvard Business School Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness (ISC). She has collaborated with Michael […]
Competitive Advantage for Strategy and Investing / 16 August 2022
Competition Demystified, by Bruce Greenwald and Judd Kahn Bruce Greenwald (born in 1946) is a professor of finance and asset management at Columbia Business School, and the author of several value investing and strategy books. Judd Kahn is COO of Hummingbird Management, an investment management firm. Below are the key insights from their book Competition […]
The Reference Book on Competitive Strategy / 10 July 2022
Competitive Strategy, by Michael Porter Competitive Strategy Michael Porter (born in 1947) is an American academic known for his theories on competitive strategy for firms and nations (see Michael Porter Wikipedia profile). He is a professor at Harvard Business School and was one of the founders of the consulting firm the Monitor Group (now part […]
Execution
The Toyota Production System / 6 February 2025
Introduction The Toyota Production System (“TPS”) is a precursor to the concept of “lean management”. It was codified by Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990), who joined Toyota’s textile operations before moving to the automotive operations, where he worked his way up from shop-floor supervisor to Vice President. The focus of TPS is to produce many models, in […]
Lessons from Amazon – Principles and Practices / 6 January 2025
There’s certain people that you do not want to try to beat at their own game, and certainly Jeff Bezos would be number 1. (…) Jeff has just shown amazing talent in figuring out how to please customers. Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, a former senior […]
Who to Hire – Wise Advice from Jethro and Buffett / 3 March 2023
Jethro and Moses In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the burnout syndrome in its list of diseases. The term used to be restricted to business, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, testimonies of “parental burnout” have abounded. Parents with experience of long-distance flights with toddlers or of driving their (often ungrateful) preteens to their […]
Management Tips From a Legendary CEO / 6 October 2022
The Real-Life MBA, by Jack and Suzie Welch Jack Welch (1935-2020) was an American business executive, who led General Electric as Chairman and CEO over 1981-2001, and wrote several management books. Though criticized for some practices, he was considered one of the best CEOs of recent decades. Below are the lessons from his book The […]
The Quick & Easy Guide To Boosting Your Profits / 24 May 2022
Double Your Profits In Six Months Or Less, by Robert Fifer This book was recommended to me by a friend, who applied the principles to his family business upon becoming CEO and was indeed able to double profits. Author Robert Fifer (born in 1956) is a retired business consultant. His book Double your profits in […]
Negotiation
Negotiation Techniques from an FBI Expert / 24 August 2022
Chris Voss (born 1957) is a former FBI hostage negotiator, consultant and author, known for his book on negotiating tactics. This book sets out the negotiating tactics he has learned and used in his career.
Sales and Marketing
Lessons From An Advertising Legend / 7 June 2023
David Ogilvy (1911-1999) was a British advertiser. He started his career as a cook in a hotel in Paris, then as a door-to-door salesman of cooking stoves for AGA. He later joined advertising agency Mather & Crowther in London, then Dr. Gallup’s Audience Research Institute, before founding his own agency in New York in 1949. […]
Marketing – Customer Segmentation and Targeting / 22 March 2023
This article is based on excerpts from Kotler on Marketing, by Philip Kotler, an American marketing author, consultant, and professor, and Kellogg on Marketing, edited by Alice Tybout and Bobby Calder. Below are the key insights from these books related to customer segmentation and targeting: Marketing Management Marketers see the marketing management process as five […]
Selling Tips from the Best Car Salesman in America / 11 November 2022
Joe Girard, was an American car salesman who broke the world record for the most cars sold in a year. The book contains down to earth tips to become a better salesperson.