Ascent at innoVasion 2009
Paul presented “Think You’re Special? Fact & Fiction of Being Truly Unique”.
Here’s a quick synopsis:
We’ve all heard it from all quarters: “Follow your passions and you will succeed.” This is but half of some very sound advice. Here’s the other half: Just because you love doing something, are good at it, or know it’s awesome, does not necessarily mean that you’re guaranteed success in doing it for a living!
Separate the fact from the fiction with some straight talk that you’re not likely to find in the “How To” books…
* Can my passion & talent translate into real business value
* Does being “customer-centric” mean sacrificing my own values
* How can my uniqueness impact my business success
innoVasion presented by Vancouver Economic Development Commission is the central event for Metro Vancouver’s contribution to Global Entrepreneurship Week. It will be on November 18th, 2009 from 10:00am to 6:00pm at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre. Visit the Innovasion website for full details.
Ascent at IxDA International Conference
February 8, 2009 | IxDA International Conference
In early February, Paul A. Joo spoke on Service Design & Usability at the Interaction’09|Vancouver conference hosted by the Interaction Design Association.
To view a slideshow of Paul’s presentation, click here.
If you’d prefer a downloadable PDF of the slide deck, click here.
A video of the presentation will soon be posted on the Interaction’09 conference site. We shall post a link on our website when it becomes available.
Value Creation – Transforming Crises into Opportunity
What do HP, FedEx and Google have in common? They are market leaders who were either born or grew exponentially during past depressions and recessions. Their secret? They all believe in the principle that “within every crisis there are great opportunities”.
You see in a downturn, there are those who look beyond the obvious “How do I reduce my costs?”, possessing the discipline to ask better questions, such as: “How do I keep and attract more customers in a downturn?” If this sounds like you, here are three practical tips to get some answers and perhaps find some of those hidden opportunities for yourself. continue reading »
Dreaming of scoring a big client? Are you ready to service them?
Everyone dreams of landing that big client: the fame and fortune and open doors to a whole new world of opportunity. If only you could land that first big fish…But as Oscar Wilde so wisely stated, “There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.”
The reality is that working with large corporate clients can indeed be very rewarding. However, if you are not wholly prepared, it can prove an overwhelming strain on your existing resources, practices and infrastructure.
So what can you do to ensure that targeting a larger client invites interesting challenges, but not an equal number of unpleasant surprises? continue reading »
Pearls of Wisdom – Advice & Family business
“Take pride in what you do”. “Hard work brings success.” “Honesty is the best policy”.
These words of wisdom will undoubtedly sound familiar to anyone that has grown up in or around a family business. And at face value, they are all in fact sound pieces of advice. Interpreting them successfully in the context of your own present life, however, is a tricky business. As with all advice, you have to keep in mind that positive intention does not always necessarily guarantee blanket accuracy!
continue reading »
Financing – Cents & Sensibility
We’ve all heard the old adage, “A dollar saved is a dollar earned”. But many of us forget its distant cousin: “A dollar needlessly borrowed is two dollars actually spent.” Remembering this one comes in very handy when it comes to contemplating financing.
If you’re like most businesses interested in financing, it seems to make the most sense to focus your energies on raising money, figuring out how & where to spend it once it is actually in hand. Not unreasonable, but not the best strategy either. And here’s why. continue reading »