Notes from the East Woods

Category: Business Development

Traction and Mud

April 3, 2009 | Business Development, Customers, Life Sciences, Marketing |

I had an uneasy feeling as the car wheels slid sideways in the mud.  Spring is here and with it comes warmth, buds, birds, … and mud.  Getting traction in the slippery stuff is sometimes a tricky thing.  More effort usually gets you moving less.  Similarly, I often see wonderful products come to the market [...]

Avalanches and Forecasts – Living with Risk

February 6, 2009 | Business Development, Forecasting, Life Sciences |

I was having one of those post-card days skiing in Vail recently when my chairlift mate said, “That slope over there avalanched last month.”  Like most people, I brushed off the comment and avoided the fact that there was some chance of getting hurt.  The truth is that I am quite aware of the risks [...]

Ice Storms, Shade Tolerance, and Competition

December 15, 2008 | Business Development, Competition, Life Sciences |

The tremendous ice storm last night has put a fine point on this note, since as I write this, 14 inch oak trees are snapping like matchsticks.  It sounds like someone is shooting a shotgun outside your window, followed by the crash of branches and ice.  It’s pretty exciting except for the fact that the [...]

Stone Walls and Segmentation

October 10, 2008 | Business Development, Life Sciences, Marketing, Strategy |

I came across a marvelous stone wall in the woods the other day – four feet wide, three high and straight as an arrow as it made its way across the land.  I am always amazed at the amount of effort that went into building these things.  Built of necessity; they divided the countryside into [...]

Square Hockey Pucks and New Markets

August 1, 2008 | Business Development, Competition, Life Sciences, Marketing, Strategy |

It always amazes me how kids can take a product (e.g. building block) expressly designed for a particular purpose and use it very successfully in an entirely unintended fashion (street hockey puck). This approach should readily expand the size of the markets for many kids’ products. Similarly it seems to make sense that [...]