Winning Moves Blog

By going back to basics, Wal-Mart experienced a recent uptick in profits. Based upon my 25+ years researching business success and failure patterns, going back to basics is a valuable turnaround strategy for companies that strayed from their roots. And, Wal-Mart is successfully following that pattern. Continue reading “Back to Basics Success Pattern Brings Wal-Mart Profits” »

When a major company is disrupted by an innovator, it doesn’t happen overnight. The innovator generally takes a series of evolutionary steps down the path to disrupting the incumbent. It is not enough for the innovator to identify and focus upon consumer dissatisfaction with the incumbent. The innovator will not disrupt the incumbent unless Continue reading “Disruptive Competition Needs an Evolutionary Path” »

Since the financial crisis, many companies have been shutting down locations and cutting back. They no longer want a growth at all costs approach that sacrifices profits for greater size or market share.

Does this mean that companies are less ambitious? And, what is an ambitious growth strategy and when is it likely to succeed? Continue reading “How to Make Ambitious Growth Strategies Succeed” »

The tremendous value of experience is a Winning Moves business success pattern that I wrote about previously in my newsletter. But, if experience is so important, how does an immigrant rug salesman with no experience working for technology companies, and no formal technology education become one of the most successful angel investors in Silicon Valley? Does his impressive success Continue reading “Did He Really Succeed with No Experience in the Industry?” »

According to a Fortune article (The Making of an Oil Empire, February 27, 2012), when Lucas Oil–the company whose name is on the stadium where this year’s Superbowl was played–built its second plant, it bought a nearby railroad with 13 miles of track to service the plant. Lucas Oil Continue reading “The Case Against Outsourcing” »