I read a book recently that has been challenging my thinking. Am I too conservative as a business owner? Am I constrained by the smallness of my vision? Since I can’t afford to hire an expensive management consultant to advise me, I figured instead I’d think out loud in this article, and seek the advice… Continue Reading
Strategy
Rural Telcos: The 4 big ideas you need to succeed
In a world where wire-line subscriber numbers are declining, and big national carriers can offer service anywhere, how can a local independent telephone company survive and thrive?That’s the question being asked by telecoms executives across America, and in this article we identify four key concepts that will be crucial for your future success. These ideas… Continue Reading
Hosted VoIP providers: What is your strategy?
This is the third in a series of articles applying the wisdom of Harvard Professor Michael Porter to the world of telecoms. If you missed it, you should start by reading part one here. In the previous article we applied his principles to local IOCs. This article will focus on carriers who primarily offer… Continue Reading
Does my business have a purpose?
This is the fourth and final article in my series on strategy. If you’re just joining I recommend you read part one first, as that contains all the juicy wisdom from Harvard’s leading expert on the topic. In the previous two articles I’ve tried to apply his principles to local IOCs and to hosted… Continue Reading
Local IOCs: What is your strategy?
This is the second in a series of articles applying the wisdom of Harvard Professor Michael Porter to the world of telecoms. You can read part one here. This article focuses on regional carriers – and how they can compete in today’s competitive market. The first article in this series had a lot of… Continue Reading
The sign of a good strategy is that it makes some customers unhappy
“The sign of a good strategy is that it makes some customers unhappy” – Michael Porter, Harvard Business School. What strategic position does your business hold? Is it variety-based, access-based or needs-based? In this short series of articles I’ll share what one of Harvard’s leading experts has to say about strategy, and explore how… Continue Reading