Lauri Elliott

This article was commissioned by ITWeb’s Brainstorm Magazine of South Africa for July 2010. 

Constant change in business is seen as a problem. But what if it wasn’t a problem, but an opportunity?

The turbulent, fast-paced business environment is causing many organisations to re-think both operation and strategy. Many struggle to keep up with the pace, but the answer may not be in keeping up with it, but flowing with it.

Firms today are urged to flatten their organisations in order to more readily handle the consistent change. A better frame is seeing organisations as living organisms, which evolve and adapt.

The crux for business is adapting successfully. There is an entire field of science called complexity, dedicated to the study of complex adaptive systems (CAS) like businesses. Complexity is often confused with complication. Complication means difficulty, but complexity means many elements are woven together.

One principle of CAS is emergence. Emergence is the process by which CAS and patterns emerge from a multiplicity of simple interactions. Something reaching a tipping point or going viral on the internet is representative of emergence.

John Holland, father of the study of CAS and author of Hidden Order: How Adaptation Builds Complexity, shares that particular attention should be focussed on boundaries, shocks, and signals. Living organisms, including businesses and markets, have boundaries. As systems adapt, they push boundaries. Businesses need to adapt, so they need to push boundaries, or innovate.

Boundaries are also the points at which information, resources, etc., flow in and out of an organisation. Boundaries can be both formal and informal. The choice of with whom we share specific information is an example of an informal boundary.

While open boundaries are characteristic of systems, there are instances where boundaries are used to control flows in and out, if they are detrimental to the system. For example, negative external shocks like the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the United States that contributed to the global economic crisis.

Signals, or patterns, are building blocks of organisms. New signals, or emerging patterns, are really re-combinations of old signals, according to Holland. Signals can help organisations anticipate both positive and negative shocks. As businesses act on emerging patterns, they are adapting.

The concepts of complexity and emergence have led to new business practices, strategies, and technology tools. Yvonne Genovese, senior VP and distinguished analyst at Gartner, explains a framework for businesses to deal with complexity. Gartner’s “Pattern-Based Strategy” framework says the process that businesses need to follow is to identify patterns, model a strategy, then adapt instead of sensing and responding. Genovese says that it involves “culture, technical capabilities, and technology”.

Ronald Schultz, an expert on complexity in business and co-author of Open Boundaries: Creating Business Innovation through Complexity, says firms need to be able to view the entire landscape. To do so, firms orchestrate an environment that allows information and resources to flow freely. In essence, it’s finding the right mix of infrastructure and innovation. Too much infrastructure is characteristic of many firms today and why they struggle to adapt successfully. This is also a factor in the health of the culture, according to Schultz.

Schultz adds firms need “cue spotters”, a term coined by Michael Lissack, to orchestrate this environment. He says these individuals have the capacity to scan the entire landscape and identify cues, or signals, of emerging patterns. Cue spotters are “mindful and aware of things in front of and around them,” indicates Shultz.

War Room

From an organisational perspective, Genovese says that there are four core competencies that firms need to develop. First, firms need the competency to seek and exploit signals that may lead to a pattern, which will have a positive or negative impact on strategy and operations. Second, firms need a performance-driven culture that incorporates these leading indicators instead of just traditional performance frameworks. Third, firms need to develop agile operations that can work rhythmically with new models developed from leading indicators. And finally, there needs to be a greater degree of transparency across the landscape to allow better information and collaboration flows.

Both Schultz’ and Genovese’s input brings to mind a war-room, or ready-room, approach. In the military, there is a platform to take in information from every angle, determine what is significant, and develop courses of action.

That first step of taking in information from every angle involves looking at both current and emerging patterns. It is also important to be able to see patterns inside and outside the organisation. Because of technology like social media, the masses now have a voice. This arena outside an organisation is called collective intelligence or the “collective”.

Genovese indicates that the next two years are a critical period for firms to learn how to seek patterns. Baynote, a firm that specialises in the field of analysing emerging consumer behaviour patterns, has a technology platform to help firms do just that.

Jack Jia, founder of Baynote, shares that his own experience with an emerging pattern started the company. Jia was looking for the next business venture and did an informal survey with about 50 CIOs and CTOs, asking them to indicate what they would pay for, if provided. Out of a scale of one to ten, all rated information discovery as ten, except for one person, who rated it 11. Jia says: “That was my emerging pattern. It was right under my nose.”

He says that Baynote’s technology simulates how people seeking information behave. Instead of wading through infinite web pages, people will ask others until someone is able to help them identify the right resource
on the web. He says that the current model of relevance engines miss the mark. “It’s not semantic relevance,
but human-defined relevance that works.”

Built on this principle, Baynote’s Collective Intelligence Platform (CIP) helps clients get better rankings on search engines and provide better recommendations to their customers.

One Baynote client noticed that red appliances were appearing as a top choice of its website users, but the company didn’t sell them at the time. The client thought it might be a mistake, but decided to offer the products. In a short time, the red appliances became best sellers.

The CIP platform simulates the eyes, mind, and touch of humans. The core engines are the observer and affinity. The observer collects the information on consumer behaviour and affinity identifies the patterns within the information.

Jia says it takes as few as seven consumers demonstrating the same behaviour for Baynote’s technology to identify an emerging pattern. “The patterns are identified based on 24 heuristics of consumer behaviour, which allows us to tap into the invisible or ‘silent’ crowd.” Jia calls these emerging consumer behaviour pattern groups “micro” niche markets.

After an emerging pattern is identified, the CIP has different modules, called touchpoints, to act on the pattern. Some touchpoints are search engine optimisation and search engine marketing. Another touchpoint can automatically create websites targeted at “micro” niche markets. This allows firms to quickly adapt to potential emerging patterns efficiently and without human intervention.

Today’s evolving business environment and its complexity can seem daunting at times. However, the opportunities in emerging patterns can serve as a catalyst for innovation in any organisation prepared to take a chance.

This is an article I wrote for Brainstorm Magazine of South Africa. It appeared in the December 2009/January 2010 issue.

The penetration of mobile phones and mobile data will serve as catalysts for a growing mobile gaming market in South Africa. The question is how well the industry will navigate these opportunities.

Globally, gaming is a hot market – from console, to PC, to online, to mobile. Pyramid Research’s recent report, Mobile Gaming in Emerging Markets, says that mobile gaming will grow at least 20 percent per year from 2009 to 2014 in the Africa and Middle East regions.

Jan Ten Sythoff, research manager for Pyramid Research, says that mobile phone and mobile data penetration serve as catalysts for this market. While Africa has good mobile phone penetration, there are differences between consumers in mature markets like the United States and those in emerging markets like Africa.

Says Matt Benic, a developer with I-Imagine: “While we have high mobile phone penetration, our potential consumers in South Africa typically have low levels of disposable income (also typical of the rest of Africa).”

This means handsets used by consumers are lower-end devices, and the cost of games needs to be lower than in developed markets. In addition, consumers would not necessarily have previous experience with other gaming platforms like consoles and PCs. Says Danny Day, owner of QCF Design: “The first provider that offers a truly engaging, massively multi-player, micro-transaction-enabled game on phones is going to win big.”

Benic says there is also huge opportunity with sports, like soccer, and SMS-based games in South Africa. A “taxi”-driving game might be an appealing concept in South Africa too. This is tapping into what consumers know and feel comfortable with.

Sythoff says the challenges facing emerging markets include game cost, affordable handsets and piracy.

Benic mentions that the misperception that game development is inexpensive is a challenge in the local industry. Companies that would pay to have games developed for advertising and promotional purposes are often shocked when quoted a price.

Furthermore, according to Benic, the lack of sufficient numbers of skilled developers is slowing down the mobile game development industry. And then there is the ongoing issue of the cost of internet access. There are many free and inexpensive tools online to support mobile game development but the data usage expense can be prohibitive for small firms.

Challenges impact the consumer too, says Day. “Poor visibility, commodity-focused instead of product-focused marketing, shoddy after-sales support and lack of penetration by local mobile developers means…potential players have to wade through sheets and sheets of poorly advertised games.” In addition, the games are not localised to suit consumers.

Challenges notwithstanding, Sythoff shares several business models with the potential to succeed in African markets. First, there is gaming for advertising, or adver-gaming: players are allowed to download games for free, but the games contain advertisements. The vendor and developer generate revenue by selling advertising space.

A second potential business model allows consumers to play games for free until they reach a certain level, after which they must pay. This is a good way of getting consumers hooked on a game, providing motivation for them to pay to continue.

In some instances, a game developer will work with a data provider to provide games. Both share the revenues while keeping the price of games lower. Day says QCF Design is looking into another business model – subscriptions.

No matter which business model is employed though, says Benic, a game has to make it the first month it is released.

Sythoff says there are potential spinoffs in digital content and educational games, while Day says his firm “has had some success with mobile-based learning games”.

Sythoff points out that new mobile game developers need to address several issues. First, they have to find channels to reach potential consumers. This will normally result in partnerships with mobile phone operators or aggregators. Second, developers need to consider how they will bill the end-user.

Third, games should be localised to match language and culture.

Unlike the iPhone Appstore, which shook the US mobile game industry by allowing new and more agile mobile developers to enter the market, local developers find it difficult to enter the market. Day says “commissioned game development is currently more lucrative”.

Up, up and away

As for the future, Day provides several insights. “New studios are applying lessons learned from digital distribution games on consoles and PCs to the mobile space. These are studios and products that will change the mobile gaming sector in South Africa.”

Also, says Day: “Watch content creators that produce content for local consumers, as well as the Indian mobile game development industry… (it) will inform developers here.”

Finally, Day says to track MXIT.

“MXIT is a heavyweight in the industry. It’s one to watch for future growth in the mobile game sector, especially if it acts as an aggregator for quality local content.”

The sector will also be tamed. “New gambling control laws and changes to premium cost services should help reign in the `Wild West’ nature of many mobile businesses,” according to Day. This will reduce exploitation of consumers.

Overall, two possible scenarios will develop in South Africa’s mobile game sector. Mobile games will be overtaken by flash- or browser-based games as phones evolve, if the mobile game industry does not respond on time. Or, the industry will shift from its current business models to more customer-focused models, which focus on alternative revenue streams.

Sythoff says the mobile game sector is complex. Navigating this complexity successfully is a key enabler for firms wanting to enter this space. Success will come to firms like Apple, which are able to deconstruct the complexity and tap into the potential of the sector. With the potential revenue stream and under-tapped market, it’s definitely a sector to consider.

Originally posted at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/art-of-biz.

In this segment, we discussed a critical contributor to building a business – capital.  But, we didn’t take the normal road in discussing capital.  We spoke of social capital.  Author of “Achieving Success through Social Capital”, Wayne Baker, defines social capital as “the resources available in and through personal and business networks.  These resources include information, ideas, leads, business opportunities, financial capital, power and influence, emotional support, even goodwill, trust , and cooperation.”

However, the question concerning social capital in business is “how to translate social capital to the bottom line.”  This is where our guest expert, Verna Allee of Value Networks, really opened our eyes.

First, social capital is held within social networks.  Verna indicated that we participate in them on a personal level.  The network does not have a shared purpose working toward common objectives.  However, to maximize social capital we need to evolve the relevant social networks to what Verna calls value networks.  Value networks are people who come  together in a loose association to achieve some business, economic or social good.

Verna adds that value networks actually marry both the tangible assets, e.g., cash, buildings, and the intangible assets, e.g., social capital and human capital, to provide a complete picture of your business strength.   For example, if intangible assets represent 50% or more of the value of your business as research says, a business valued at $500,000 based on its financial would really be valued $1,000,000 at minimum.

To translate intangible assets to the bottom line, Verna says businesses need to first measure performance both in financials and non-financials.  Second, businesses need to identify the people and their roles in the value network.  Third, businesses need to identify the transaction flows, which are both formal/tangible and informal/intangible, between the roles. An example of a formal/tangible flow, or deliverable, is a product.  An example of informal/intangible deliverable is information.  Once businesses are able to identify and map these elements, they can see both the strengths and gaps in the value networks.

Value networks have tremendous power to help businesses cut costs, grow and manage risks.  For example, once the value network is mapped, an entrepreneur can identify costly and inefficient areas.  In another case, you can use the value network to identify new growth opportunities in product and service offerings.

In actuality, using social networks and value networks goes hand in hand.  However, each serves a different role.  For example, social networks are great for company, brand and product awareness activities.  Value networks helps you identify and manage ways to increase the value of your company, brand and/or product to your customers.

Take time to listen to the entire radio segment. (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/art-of-biz/2009/11/12/Power-Push-Using-Social-Capital-for-Success)

To learn more about translating social capital to the bottom line, visit http://www.valuenetworks.com.  In particular, check out Verna’s paper, “Value Network Analysis and Value Conversion of Tangible and Intangible Assets.” (http://www.openvaluenetworks.com/Articles/Value_Conversion_JIC_online_version.pdf)

To follow other topics on The Art of Making Business Happen, visit http://www.blogtalkradio.com/art-of-biz and http://artofbiz.ning.com.  To follow us in real-time, check out http://www.twitter.com/theartofbiz.

This article is one in a series about ICT in different sectors for Brainstorm Magazine of South Africa.  It was co-authored with Hilton Tarrant.

The mining sector has been slow in its uptake of technology, but the global economic crisis and long-term issues are serving as catalysts for adoption.

The outlook for the mining sector has radically changed due to the global economic crisis. This boom and bust cycle has left many mining companies considering ways to manage operating costs in order to remain economically viable. But this is not the only challenge the sector faces, according to Deloitte’s report, Tackling Trends 2009: The Top 10 Global Mining Issues. In the long run, the sector must find ways to remain sustainable amid the sea of legal, social, economic and environmental issues.

These challenges actually present opportunities for the ICT sector because technology can manage complex systems, streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve efficiency and productivity. Consider enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, which coordinates the entire mining value chain, from locating to divesting minerals. Think of radio-frequency identification (RFID) and global positioning system (GPS) technologies, which track the movement of minerals and equipment.

There are also examples of technology specific to the mining sector. The oil sector is demonstrating the potential of ultra-deep water drilling technology, which drills and extracts oil from greater water depths.

The technology is creating and extending market opportunities to the industry by accessing previously unreachable deposits. For example, new oil operations were recently announced off the coasts of Ghana and Sierre Leone.

Dr Greg Baiden, director of Penguin ASI and a global expert on automation, says: “Automation in the mining industry will follow similar trends to those in the manufacturing industry.”

It starts with a person using an automated machine to handle multiple tasks and eventually evolves to artificially intelligent, autonomous machines. Baiden says the future includes intelligent machines that can heal themselves.

For now though, automation has not reached critical mass in the sector. Large mining companies like Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are considered early adopters. Teleoperations, or telerobotics, is the operation of a machine at a distance.

Penguin ASI’s wireless technology, which communicates with robotic equipment under water, gives a glimpse of the potential of telerobotics in solving some of the mining sector’s sustainability issues. This wireless technology will enable mining companies to extend the life of their mining operations on land. Imagine flooding mines with water to double their mining depth, and using telerobotics equipment to run the operations.

One natural result of using better technology and innovation is cost reduction in the mining value chain. This will eventually serve the economic development of Africa well. As the cost of mining decreases, it allows smaller mining firms to establish themselves.

The business opportunities for ICT providers in the mining sector can be found in the corporate, technical and value chain systems. Historically, ICT providers focus on mining as a niche. However, as enabling technologies provide broader benefit to the sector and new mining entities arise, there are increased opportunities for the ICT sector.

Mining of Data

Also, the mining sector faces serious challenges to its long-term sustainability. ICT firms, which identify gaps in the value chain and create solutions that close the gaps, leverage the value chain and contribute to sustainability, will carve their own space.

While there is undeniably a lot of technology used in the underground oreextraction part of mining, more focus is currently being put on the processing side of productions.

MD of Softline Accpac, Jeremy Waterman, says that “inherently it’s a reasonably simple business”. With mining, “you’re putting a whole lot of resources in and you’re taking production out”.

But there has traditionally been a disconnect between production and what Waterman terms the “financial side of things”, particularly among smaller miners. This has been a cause of frustration within the industry, and a number of solutions now seek to marry the two elements.

This is a classic implementation of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, but up until recently, “marrying the elements” was simply absent.

“In the past it was tended to be done more on a kind of matchbox,” says Waterman. “You had a whole lot of costs and you had a lot of production and you subtracted one from the other and you made a profit.”

Nowadays it’s a lot more complicated. Waterman describes how workflow management systems can be used for control, and to “capture production data that’s coming back” into the system. The real difference is made by the layering business intelligence on top of these systems.

Ugan Maistry, business unit head of Mining & Manufacturing at EOH, agrees: “Over the years, there’s been this maturity in terms of process-control and automation systems to be able to execute. There is now maturity in business systems like ERP.”

But over the past few years, Maistry says there is a newfound maturity around the systems in between the parts. He calls it ‘mining execution systems’, and describes it as very similar to manufacturing execution systems.

He likens many of the processes in mining to inventory management. “Previously, people only knew what they had and what they produced if they actually stopped their operations and took stock.”

“Questions like, ‘Where is the actual material in their value chain?’” adds Maistry.

He says some customers have been spending considerable amounts of money in the last two or three years on exactly this: business intelligence systems, which he likens to “enterprise manufacturing intelligence”.

“But,” says Maistry, “what they haven’t explored is how to extract value out of that information.”

This is the next frontier. Now, “our customers need to mine the data, and I’m talking end-to-end,” says Maistry. “It’s about looking at information in context, not just in terms of volumes and quantities, but in costs as well.” Waterman takes it one step further: “We [South Africa] are trend-setters in mining as a whole.

“There’s been an explosion of midcap miners, and that is where we’re seeing the real growth.”

Aside from ERP and workflow management systems, the back office sees similar ICT trends to those in pretty much every industry. Working costs are being rationalised, with single vendor outsourcing one way of saving money.

Licensing rationalisation is being looked at, says Maistry, and providers like Microsoft and SAP are “coming to the party.”

I had the great opportunity to share about tapping the power in social networks for business and careers with a group of Harvard graduate students on November 19, 2009. It was sponsored by the African Caucus student group of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  I’d like to give special thanks to Julia Mensah for the opportunity.  Below is a summary of the workshop.

I, myself, am a task-oriented person.  This means I travelled the hard road to learn the significance of people in getting results and business success.  My training ground was Africa for the past five years.  While expertise played a part in my success, relationships also played a significant role.

When I started to research the notion of social networks, I learned that social networking was even important for Bill Gates.  When Gates started his firm, his mother used her social connections in Seattle to provide Gates access to key business people.

One of my biggest observations is that social networks are very important when one is initiating a new idea, whether in business or covering social issues.  So, just as we spend time developing the next greatest idea, we need to focus on developing the ecosystem that will support the idea through its lifecycle. 

Cultivating your network is an intentional activity.  It’s easy enough to understand because we know that relationships take work. 

The workshop highlighted practical means for cultivating your network.  For example, sharing useful information with people is a simple, but effective way to provide value to others.

To learn more, you can download Tapping into the Power of Your Network (297) presentation.  You can also listen to a recent radio show, “Power Push:  Using Social Capital for Success.”

This is a post-show note for the radio segment, “Power Push:  Using the Strength of Leadership.”  You can check out other radio broadcasts I host at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/art-of-biz.

We focused on the role of leadership in business on November 5, 2009.  In research done by Dr. Bruce Winston and Kathleen Patterson, more than 90 variables of leadership were identified.  That can make the task of understanding, much less acting upon, leadership complex.  However, the correct working definition of leadership upon which an entrepreneur or organization acts makes all the difference, particularly during challenging times.

Our conversation started with a definition of leadership by Dr. Myles Munroe, “Leadership is the capacity to influence others through inspiration motivated by passion, generated by vision, produced by a conviction, ignited by a purpose.”  Brett Johnson, developer of the LEMON Leadership model, says this is a picture of the visionary leader.  But, he adds, leaders also allocate resources and build structures in which people can be successful.

Brett agrees that everyone is a leader in space unique to them.  This fits well with the leadership paradigm proposed by Charles Manz.  First, a person learns to lead him or herself (self-leadership). Second, a person becomes a leader of others.  Third, a person helps others become leaders (super leadership).

In this paradigm, our organizations and society is filled with leaders.  Some ask the question, but there have to be followers right?  True.  A person leads other in his or her unique space while following others in their unique spaces.  As Brett points out, this is a characteristic of the shift from hierarchical (control-centered) organizations to networked (authority-centered) organizations.

Brett brings a new perspective with the concept of leadership identity.  Leadership identity is a blueprint, or DNA, of who you are as a leader.  As with your psychological identity, it is not something that can be changed.  However, they both can be discovered as you learn more about who you were designed to be.

In the LEMON Leadership model, a person’s leadership identity can be characterized in five leadership types – Luminary, Entrepreneur, Manager, Organizer and Networker. Brett says that people have a primary and secondary LEMON leadership type.  He also found a leader resorts to the strengths of his or her primary LEMON leadership type during the best times, but resorts to the weaknesses of his or her secondary LEMON leadership type during the worst times.

With all the insights we discussed, it still comes back to the question how does leadership make a difference in my business?  Simply, leaders are people who make things happen.  Brian Klemmer describes these type of people as “creators, go-getters and aggressive producers in society.”  Sounds like the entrepreneur, right? Because you are one of these people, you can transform a failing business into a successful one.

 

But…And a BIG but.  Klemmer points out that these individuals often lack ethics.  On the show, Brett and I looked at the current economic crisis in the leadership context – greed overrode ethics.  Leadership in business and society is not about how much you can get for yourself, but how much you can get for others and yourself in a positive, sustainable manner.  It’s about creating win-win situations.

So, when we speak of the “rise of the entrepreneur,” we are not only speaking about the potential of the entrepreneur to create monetary prosperity but also to address society’s issues – poverty, illness, crime.

There was so much more that we discussed on the show.  Take the time to listen. (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/art-of-biz/2009/11/05/Power-Push-Utilize-Your-Strengths).

If you would like to learn more about the LEMON Leadership model, you can purchase the book at Amazon.  To contact Brett Johnson, visit The Institute’s website (http://www.inst.net).

And don’t forget to stay connected with The Art of Making Business Happen community at http://artofbiz.ning.com and http://www.blogtalkradio.com/art-of-biz.  You can even join the community.

“The process for seeking capital, or funding, for a business is an ongoing task that entrepreneurs need to understand,” says Patrice Backer.  Mr. Backer is Chief Operating Officer for Advanced Finance and Investment Group (AFIG).  He joined us for our November 4, 2009 segment, “Preparing Your African Venture for Investors.”

We opened the show with an overview of private equity funding options for businesses based on their lifecycle.  There are essentially two phases – start-up and growth/expansion.  During the start-up phase, businesses seek pre-seed, seed or early stage funding.  This start-up phase is connected with what its called venture capital.  Newer firms present higher risks, so there are certain types of investors, venture capitalists, who focus on these types of firms.  Backer noted that venture capital is still not a strong option in Africa.  The exception is South Africa which has a more mature market.

In the growth and expansion phase of an existing firm, there are also three funding cycles – second stage, third stage and bridge funding.  There is also an option of buy-out.  Growth and expansion funding for existing firms is the focus for the majority of private equity firms with an African portfolio.  Backer explains that it provides a good middle ground for investors – they get good performance with lower risk.

Backer says that investors in private equity funds in Africa are development institutions, private sector or a combination.  He says that development institutions, often affiliated with governments, have a higher tolerance for the risk environment in Africa so they are consistent contributors.  When the global economic crisis hit, it was private sector contributors who mostly pulled out of African investments.  However, it’s important to note the predominant reason for withdrawing investments was the need for cash not a lack of performance.  In fact, the only African country that had negative growth during this period is South Africa.

When firms are looking for private equity funding, Backer has three recommendations.  First, the firm should have a solid business plan.  Second, the firm should be organized, demonstrating it can handle all aspects of the business operation from customers to legal requirements.  Third, the owners should not shy away from hiring professional, e.g., financial and legal, to help them with the process.

Backer notes that there challenges which limit the private equity sector in Africa.  First, the legal and institutional frameworks conducive to private equity firms still lag in Africa.  Second, investments come mostly from foreign sources instead of local.  Once more local investments occur, it will shore up the number of foreign investors that come to the table.  One of the recent success stories is SEACOM, the undersea broadband cable provider for Africa.  SEACOM had a strong showing of both local and foreign investors.

To learn more from this insightful discussion, listen to the recorded show.  To learn more about AFIG, go to http://www.afigfunds.com.  To stay in the mix of venture capital and private equity opportunities in Africa, you may want to join one of the online communities like VC4Africa.

For additional resources about doing business or investing in Africa, go to our site – http://www.afribiz.info.

One of the paradigm shifts in our global society is moving to an entrepreneurial culture.  This means that the entrepreneurial “lifestyle” will be a significant influence moving forward.  This cultural change will influence companies and consumers alike, so businesses need to understand what will influence success in this new age.  One of the defining characteristics is creativity. 

We had an energizing show about creativity and business on October 29, 2009.  We were joined by Dr. Lynne Levesque, a creativity expert and author of “Breakthrough Creativity.”  Our show discussed how creativity is a strength and imperative in business, as well as the thought that everyone is creative.  The concept that everyone is creative aligns with the concept that everyone is an entrepreneur, or someone who creates.

Dr. Levesque presented an excellent definition for creativity, “ability to produce different and valuable (useful) results.”   She said that people, who were considered creative throughout history, produced something of value.  It wasn’t just about brainstorming ideas.

Another aspect of creativity is its relationship with innovation.  Levesque says creativity is something that belongs to an individual while innovation is the ability of an organization to pull out creativity in its employees to produce great products and results for its customers.

Levesque supports the thought that everyone is creative, but each person’s creativity manifests differently.  It’s something that is within every individual.  The creative process, including tools and techniques, is what develops the creativity within individuals.

The eight Creative Talents, e.g., Visionary, Harmonizer, are aligned with the eight personality types proposed by Carl Jung.  Levesque says all the Creative Talents are necessary in successful business and on teams.  It is interesting to note that all the Creative Talents are at work in every person, but in varying degrees.  A person will have a primary and auxiliary Creative Talent.

In closing the discussion, Levesque spoke of the importance of entrepreneurs knowing their creative strengths, then determining if they and/or their teams represent all eight Creative Talents.  Also, entrepreneurs need to:

• find ways to respect the differences in the Creative Talents
• remain open as a leader
•  work on a culture incorporating creativity
• have goals and metrics.

In all, the process to develop the creative culture is embedded into the team building process, not a separate task.

To learn more about the eight Creative Talents, access resources and contact Dr. Lynne Levesque, go to http://www.breakthroughcreativity.com.  To listen to the show recording, go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/art-of-biz/2009/10/29/Power-Push-Living-Life-as-an-Entrepreneur.

To share in other discussions on The Art of Making Business Happen, check out our show page at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/art-of-biz.  You can also follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/theartofbiz.  Join our online community to become more involved at http://artofbiz.ning.com.

We had a quite a discussion with Cedric Muhammad, author of “The Entrepreneurial Secret to Starting a Business without a Bank Loan, Collateral or Revenue.”  The context for the discussion was the extreme environment in which we do business today globally.  I described the environment as openly hostile, meaning opposing or resisting our efforts to do business.  But, we concluded that entrepreneurs have the ability to tame this environment for success.

Cedric has an extensive background as an economist and entrepreneur.   He even formulated a business leadership model called “Hip-Hopreneur.”  A Hip-Hopreneur is an individual steeped in the hip-hop culture who is ready to become a power broker, business owner and political leader.  A Hip-Hopreneur is someone who appreciates the hip-hop art form and culture, as well as the responsibility of leadership and power to influence people around the world.  These are truly characteristics of successful entrepreneurs in any sector.  Entrepreneurs transform lives, communities and societies.

Cedric highlighted four key challenges faced by entrepreneurs at any time – capital, culture, communication and competition.  Each of the challenges when approached successfully enable entrepreneurs to navigate past a hostile business environment.

Looking at capital, we need to focus differently.  First, Cedric said entrepreneurs must view themselves and their ideas as the greatest source of capital.  Second, seek funding from your own social networks, e.g., college friends, family, church members.  Cedric emphasized that entrepreneurs often overlook the best source for accessible capital.

 Another point is that entrepreneurs go looking for funding before their concept is developed or proven.  Banks, venture capitalists and angel investors look for “bankable” businesses.  They want to make money, too!  When entrepreneurs start, they need to recognize the funding stages aligned with the business lifecycle.  Typically, when an entrepreneur first starts, he or she is at the pre-seed stage.  This is where your social networks can really help you out. 

Navigating culture and the competitive environment successfully is essential.  If you can tap into the culture that will support your business either as consumers, suppliers, etc., you will be amazed at the momentum you gain.

 In the competitive landscape, you need to be prepared for the shifts competitors may bring, such as disruptive technology.  The recent shift in Facebook’s prominence over MySpace is an example.  As Cedric put it, “it’s obvious MySpace didn’t see Facebook coming.”  But the story behind the story, which attests to the brilliance and adaptability of the entrepreneur, is that MySpace changed its business model to focus on its strength – communities around music and entertainment.

We also looked at how the current hostile environment evolved. A key crux was lenders providing funds not based on merit of your business venture or your personal credibility, but knowing they could re-sell the loans for a profit.  We moved from the foundation of exchanging value in our trade systems to exchange money without value behind it.  While the crisis occurred, it is moving people back into alignment so that our trade systems will work.  It’s a bit painful now, but necessary.

There are many other points made in the conversation that you don’t want to miss. Take time to listen to the recorded show.

Also, spend some time getting to know what Cedric Muhammad is sharing.  He brings insights to help you with your business.  Check out his three-volume book, “The Entrepreneurial Secret.”  You can also catch him on www.blackelectorate.com, www.blackcoffeechannel.com and www.cedricmuhammad.com.

Continue the dialogue about “The Art of Making Business Happen” at our online community – http://artofbiz.ning.com.  And listen to our weekly broadcasts at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/art-of-biz.

Signing off for now – peace and prosperity to you!

As Christians, we often get stuck with God-inspired business ideas that we cannot bring to birth.  Like Hezekiah said, “for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.”  (Isaiah 37:3)  But God is in this.  He sets the order.  He reminds us that “Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.”  (Isaiah 66:9)  What we often do not understand is there is a process or pattern God has designed for us to follow.  This process always involves moving from the invisible to visible, from the impossible to possible, from heaven (spirit) to earth (physical).  These business ideas die on the vine because we do not have enough revelation.

While we can never put God in a box, there are some supernatural and natural strengths in which we can operate to see our business ideas come to birth.  God used my experience in developing business ventures in Africa to teach me this.  The path often started with nothing but transformed into something significant.

This seminar reveals more of the creative, competitive process to see your business idea come to birth, multiply and produce profit.  It is a part of the Art of Making Business Happen – God’s Way brand. Come be a part of what God is doing to create economic prosperity for His people regardless of the circumstances in the world.  

This seminar is a 1.5-hour overview for our workshop series by the same name. The focus of the series is to get you from the “idea” of doing business to “implement” a business idea.  The topics covered in this seminar are:

• Unique Competitive Space
• Business Opportunity Identification and Prioritization
• Positive Cash-Flow Business Model and Implementation

The full series involves an additional four workshops, which walk you through the entire process of taking a business idea to implementation.  At the end, you will have a plan to start your new business or new plan for an existing business immediately!  If you want to understand the spiritual secrets behind these workshops, you can sign up for KingdomBiz study circles.  When you are ready to move forward, just contact me at info@conceptualee.com.

Download this seminar for free.  It is available for online and mobile platforms as video or audio below.  You will also find links for the seminar slides and additional resources below.

Hold on for the ride!

Seminar Video (MP4)

Seminar Audio (MP3)

Seminar Slides (PDF)

P.S.  You can post comments and questions about the seminar if you register on the site.