Uncategorized Posts
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Blog / Interviews
Kelly Leonard & Tom Yorton on Business and Books
By Porchlight
Kelly Leonard & Tom Yorton, authors of Yes, And, talk about the books that have influenced them and what they're reading now.
Categories: interviews
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Blog / Interviews
A Q&A with Kelly Leonard and Tom Yorton
By Porchlight
Kelly Leonard and Tom Yorton of The Second City answer our questions about their book Yes, And.
Categories: interviews
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Blog / ChangeThis
Change the Game or Go Home: A Manifesto for Innovation
By Joseph Jaffe
"How is it that the likes of MapMyFitness or Mint end up being purchased by the likes of Under Armor or Intuit for hundreds of millions of dollars instead of being created by these same companies? Isn't it time companies asked the same questions as these entrepreneurs, but instead of articulating this in a creative brief and being satisfied with a jingle, tagline or even real-time tweet as the output, fast tracked and super sized this expectation in the form of a disruptive technology-led solution? Isn't it time to look towards the tens of thousands of viable startups out there for collaboration opportunities? And if the solution doesn't already exist, why wouldn't you start it yourselves?"
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
Is Your Brand Missing the Mark with 60% of U.S. Consumers?
By Paul Jankowski
"There's one part of the country where, I think, many brands are completely missing the mark: it's what I call the New Heartland. It's made up of the Southwest, Midwest, and parts of the Southeast and is home to 60% of all U.S. consumers. It's a massive and influential cultural segment that is largely misunderstood and underserved by advertisers—and a huge opportunity for brands willing to make the effort. So how do brands effectively reach the New Heartland?"
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
Why Technologists Should Work For Themselves
By Mark Beckner
"There are freedoms and opportunities in the technical industry that are not as readily available in other trades and professions. These freedoms and opportunities are left largely untapped by the millions employed in this industry. What are these freedoms? What are these opportunities? [...] Programmers, developers, solution architects, and technical consultants—all of you have the basic skills necessary to become highly successful outside the confines of traditional employment. You have to take on the activities of a businessperson. This is easier than it may seem; it is a natural progression from where you are today, and one which will pay immense dividends."
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
Out for Brains! (Why Customer Service Will Drive the Economy of the Next Fifty Years and Beyond)
By Peter Shankman
"The age of 'buy from us because we say we're awesome' is over, and has been replaced by an age of 'I'll buy from them because someone I trust says they're awesome.' We commissioned a survey on customer service, and the results will shock you. ... 25% of customers report an instance of poor customer service in the past two months alone! Each instance is estimated at resulting in over $700 in lost sales from that customer—and then spreading the word to an estimated 700 additional people on social media! However, the overwhelming majority of businesses think that their customer service is superior. There is a huge disconnect."
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
Sprinkles: An Antidote To The Demise of Customer Surprise
By Chip R. Bell
"What has made customer surprise in such a scarcity? At least three culprits have robbed the glee of service. First, many organizations have been forced to apply austere expense cutting in the face of ever-diminishing profit margins; value-added amazement has gotten pricey. Second, rising customer expectations have elevated what it takes to be judged as enchanting. Customers live in a highly stimulated daily lives. Stores have become sensory theater; TV and the Internet as vibrant as Broadway after dark. To paraphrase an old song, "How you gonna keep 'em down on the farm, after they've seen Zappos." There is a third reason...one subtler and far more challenging."
Categories: changethis
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Blog / Interviews
Kelly Leonard & Tom Yorton
By Porchlight
Kelly Leonard & Tom Yorton take the secrets of improv from Chicago's famed Second City into the business world to tackle problems with laughter and trust.
Categories: interviews
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Blog / New Releases
A Beautiful Constraint
By Porchlight
explains how “constraints can be fertile, enabling, desirable"—how they can free us rather than limit us.
Categories: new-releases
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Blog / Excerpts
Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant (Expanded Edition)
By Porchlight
W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne tell us how numbers-based goals are ineffective, even counterproductive, motivation—and what to replace them with.
Categories: excerpts