The smartest people in college and business seemed to gravitate to big companies because of the money, perks, and potential. Now, we’re seeing other trends. Smart Brand U’s straight out of college or B-school go into a big business to learn product development, sales, purchasing, supplier management, customer service and general management. Then, they start …
The paradigm has once again shifted. “Entrepreneurship has arrived. The question of whether it’s mainstream, accepted by the powerful elite, or big enough to cross US borders and thrive is no longer open to discussion. Brand U entrepreneurs are the creators of the New Economy. And everybody wants to be one,” according to Inc. Magazine.[i] …
What percentage of American households includes someone who has started, tried to start, or helped fund a small business? One percent, five, or even ten percent? Well guess again! Thirty-seven percent, more than one-third, of American households are involved with some form of entrepreneurship.[i] Entrepreneurs were once considered folks who couldn’t work in a big …
Do you know your employer’s or customer’s wants, needs, expectations, and requirements like the back of your hand? What resources does your employer or customer need to get where it wants to go? Are customer expectations clearly spelled out? Are internal requirements based on customer expectations? Has a new employer-worker model been developed? Are there …
Many companies regularly ask workers to conduct a gap analysis of their skills in relationship to business needs. Brand U’s are then expected to develop skills that will satisfy these organizational needs. Or expressed another way, Brand U’s are expected to look out for #1. Brand U’s reassess their core proficiencies periodically just like any …
What does it take to be employable over the long term? We know it’s important to develop marketable skills, which can be learned. What’s becoming increasingly important is what I call Brand U survival skills and attitudes, those that last for a lifetime. These personal life and work attitudes may be a sense of humor, …
Is the Brand U a passing fad? Probably not! More companies want this top-down and bottom-up competency alignment to ensure everyone is rowing in the same direction and synergizing knowledge. The result is that more Brand Us, either as core employees or project contractors, will be hired, promoted, evaluated, trained, and rewarded based on our …
If there’s no job security, what can organizations do to secure Brand U ideas and inspiration? One way to become the ‘employer of choice’ is to establish a culture and quality of work life that embraces diversity, nurtures our talents, allows Brand U’s to develop new skills, and promotes work/life balance. Companies are more aware …
10 % of what we read 20% of what we hear 30% of what we see 50% of what we see and hear 70% of what we say 90% of what we do and say
Have a business model Know your market and customer Have a clear long-term vision Be able to change the vision at a moment’s notice