Tag: Apple

Dear HBO, Please Keep ‘Silicon Valley’ Real!!!

Kelli Richards May 19, 2014

Startup life is a hot topic in Hollywood right now. From Joshua Michael Stern’s “Jobs” to the Amazon original series “Betas” there’s an undeniable appeal to life in Silicon Valley for those both inside and outside the startup bubble.

Of course, Hollywood is famous for exaggerating or overlooking important aspects of reality for entertainment purposes, but so far, HBO’s “Silicon Valley” looks promising. Despite the dramatic plotline and startup stereotypes, the show provides a mostly accurate portrayal of entrepreneurial life and may even help demystify some aspects of startup culture.

Can ‘Silicon Valley’ Avoid Hollywood Startup Myths?

“Silicon Valley” follows the lives of near-genius, socially awkward computer programmer Richard Hendrix (played by Thomas Middleditch) and his friends as he attempts to launch his company in the star-studded world of Silicon Valley.

The show was inspired by the real-life experiences of director Mike Judge, who was a Silicon Valley engineer in the ’80s. Living up to his “Office Space” brilliance, Judge carries the mindset of the tech community to the small screen and introduces a number of well-cast (if stereotypical) characters we can all relate to: that bright but socially awkward programmer and the naïve entrepreneur with a lot to learn.

“Silicon Valley” seems like a winner so far, but the question is whether it can avoid falling prey to a lot of the common myths Hollywood likes to perpetuate about startup life.

Myth 1: A good idea automatically equals success.

When all you read about are the multibillion-dollar success stories, it’s easy to think that success is a sure thing if you have a good idea — or that good ideas are immediately rewarded with plentiful funding.

In reality, it’s not that simple. The venture capital world is complicated, and there’s a lot of competition to secure funding of any kind. A good idea needs a good plan, a good team, and a lot of luck. And even with all those things, failure is all too common.

Myth 2: Genius and social skills are mutually exclusive.

In shows like “The Big Bang Theory” bright, technology-obsessed characters are often stereotyped as socially awkward geeks. Or, as we saw in “The Social Network,” brilliance in Hollywood often translates to arrogance, self-importance, or standoffishness on-screen.

While there are plenty of antisocial geniuses, tech shows distort reality. Succeeding in Silicon Valley is not for wallflowers. By and large, entrepreneurs must be bright, motivated, and willing to listen and learn, as well as equipped with good social skills.

Myth 3: It’s easy to put together the perfect team.

Television shows often give the impression that it’s easy to pull together a highly skilled, highly compatible team right off the bat. But in the real world, there’s no casting call for the right skills and the right temperament. The perfect team isn’t just sitting around waiting for your breakthrough. The right people can be challenging to find and motivate to join the team. Your team’s chemistry relies on a combination of referrals, trial and error, and luck.

Shortly into its debut, “Silicon Valley” has done a good job of presenting a microcosm of the real Silicon Valley, especially for first-timers. And it’s popular for a reason: To those outside the startup bubble, it’s a fascinating world with a mysterious way of doing business. Anyone who has spent time in the tech industry will see where Judge gets it right, and anyone who hasn’t will find themselves more informed about the realities of Silicon Valley.

But the truth is that startup life is not particularly glamorous or mysterious. It’s not about fancy campuses or billion-dollar algorithms — it’s about bright, motivated people who work very hard every day to make an impact on the world.

Until next time,

Kelli Richards
CEO of The All Access Group, LLC

PS, The right mentor should also have the right CONNECTIONS to move you forward. Be sure to ask who they think they can bring to the table around advisorship, possible collaboration and even funding.

Originally posted: https://www.forbes.com/sites/85broads/2014/05/06/dear-hbo-please-keep-silicon-valley-real/

3 SEEMINGLY OBVIOUS TECH MERGERS WE’RE STILL WAITING FOR

Kelli Richards May 12, 2014

THESE TOP COMPANIES DO BIG THINGS SEPARATELY; IMAGINE WHAT THEY COULD ACCOMPLISH TOGETHER.

One of the best parts of working in the tech industry is having a ringside seat to watch heavyweights like Google and Apple duke it out for market share and to be the first to develop the next big thing.

When tech titans acquire smaller, hotter companies or struggling enterprises that have been around the block, the result is often an exciting jolt of innovation and a threat of a bold industry upset.

When Google acquired Nest Lab this year for example, it was great for business and the consumer. Google had a vision for Nest as a game changer in the smart home category, and Nest enjoyed a long list of benefits. Google accelerated Nest’s strategic initiative, took it off the market to prevent its competitors from acquiring it, and boosted its own brand appeal. Nest was young, sexy, and desirable–an image that Apple has dominated for years.

Likewise, Facebook acquired Instagram in April 2012, when it was extremely small, for $1 billion–inheriting a rock-solid user base and carving out a larger chunk of the social sphere.

Successful mergers drive the tech industry forward and make new devices and services accessible to the average person. In the case of Nest, it made the young company able to reach more consumers with its clean tech initiative, and Instagram’ following quadrupled to more than 150 millions monthly active users after its acquisition.

There are several tech giants that have been dancing around some promising acquisitions for a while now, and I think I speak for everyone when I say they just need to do it already!

1. APPLE ACQUIRING DISNEY OR NETFLIX

Everyone knows that Apple has a huge war chest to buy relevant companies, and of course they’ve employed it several times over the years.

While Apple devotees around the world were disappointed to learn an Apple-Tesla merger was not in the cards for Elon Musk (at the moment, anyway), a more likely scenario is that Apple will try to acquire a major content company like Netflix or Disney in the near future.

Of course, Disney would be a big catch for Apple. The brands both embrace creativity, innovation, and delivering an amazing customer experience. In a merger, Apple would be able to ship the long-awaited Apple TV with access to ESPN, Pixar movies, and other Disney content. Consumers would have access to a much broader content library largely on-demand in the cloud, and Bob Iger and Tim Cook would be a dynamic duo that could boost shareholder confidence and inject innovation into both brands.

Netflix boasts a similar advantage of on-demand streaming and high-quality original content. An acquisition would reinforce Apple’s commitment to a seamless customer experience by offering a completely integrated content ecosystem. Owning a major content company would give Apple greater leverage when negotiating other forms of movie, TV, and sports content and make it virtually unstoppable in the media space (beyond its existing bench strength).

2. AMAZON ACQUIRING RADIO SHACK OR BEST BUY

Amazon has long expressed a desire to have a retail footprint, and Radio Shack and Best Buy both need a savior.

Brick-and-mortar electronics stores can’t match Amazon prices, but people still want to go into a store to play with the products or speak with a knowledgeable representative. Most people will go to Best Buy to kick the tires, then turn around and buy a product for less on Amazon.

It makes perfect sense that Amazon would want to offer the best of both worlds. Jeff Bezos has expressed the idea that he would be interested in physical retail locations, but only if Amazon had a “truly differentiated idea.”

What better way to accomplish that goal than to acquire a chain of established stores and existing real estate in local neighborhoods?

3. SAMSUNG OR GOOGLE ACQUIRING FITBIT

These companies are focused on innovation, delivering seamless data integration across all their devices, and creating functional, stylish products that consumers rely on daily.

The race for the ultimate wearable is on, and both Google and Samsung have thrown their hats into the smart watch solutions ring.

Samsung released its Gear Fit fitness tracker in April. The verdict is still out about Gear Fit’s performance, but if it’s not a blockbuster success, Samsung may want to consider buying Fitbit to knock out its chief competitor. Samsung would also gain Fitbit’s audience, technology, and great customer experience.

Google hasn’t come out with a smart watch yet, though the Google Gem is rumored to be almost ready for market. The Gem is reportedly clunky, so it may fail to take off simply because it’s too large and unwieldy. The ability to offer consumers the sleeker Fitbit may appeal to Google, especially because it would take the company off the market for Apple or Samsung.

Industry behemoths will only make a move to acquire another company when they see the potential for huge returns (or a threat from a partnership with their competitors).

These players are primed to disrupt the industry together, and these acquisitions would also bring exciting changes for the consumer. These companies already provide a great customer experience individually–just imagine what they could do together.

Until next time,

Kelli Richards, CEO of The All Access Group.

Originally posted: https://www.fastcompany.com/3029955/3-seemingly-obvious-tech-mergers-were-still-waiting-for

What are the 5 Best Steps to Deepening Your Relationship with a Mentor?

Kelli Richards May 5, 2014

Once you’ve chosen a mentor, or accepted a mentee, and established the ground rules of working together, the pressure is on to keep the conversation productive and relevant. After you’ve built a solid rapport, consider using these unconventional questions to deepen and advance the conversation into new areas of insight:

1. What qualities do you look for in the people you hang out with? Have you ever heard the saying that you are the average of the top 5 people you spend time with? A top performer knows that their time is valuable and not to be wasted on people who don’t help them become better in some way. If you can start a conversation with those you mentor about what they look for in others, you will get a 10,000 foot glimpse of the qualities they are trying to develop within themselves.

2. What values are you committed to? Having values at the center of your business is invaluable. In fact, one of the little-known secrets to Apple’s success is its unwavering commitment to challenging the status quo. Strong values such as these provide grounding and direction whenever you are faced with a new problem or opportunity. Spend some time defining and exploring a time when remaining true to their values required a mentor or mentee to embrace extra work or strong personal or professional sacrifice.

3. When is breaking the rules okay? Rules exist for a reason, but a top performer knows that many rules regarding “the way things are done” are simply a product of social construction, and no heads will roll if you break them. Why not ask for the story of a time when your mentor or mentee decided to break a rule in their own business and how it panned out. How did they evaluate the risks and benefits? Would they do anything differently today?

4. How do you keep your feelings from clouding your decision-making? Humans are far from purely rational beings, and yet we’re expected to make hundreds of decisions every day from a place of logic and reason. Top performers recognize the powerful role emotions play in tough decisions and develop constructive habits to raise their own awareness. Talk this over for a while to gain more insights into both parties.

5. How do you challenge your underlying beliefs or assumptions? While it’s not easy to prevent emotions from clouding one’s judgment, it’s even more challenging to recognize when you are operating from an assumption that may not be true. Top performers know that they don’t have it all figured out; the most successful people actively seek out new perspectives that challenge them to grow. Talk about how each of you challenges underlying beliefs and stringencies.

Until next time,

Kelli Richards
CEO of The All Access Group, LLC

PS, The right mentor will also have the right CONNECTIONS to move any effort forward. Be sure to ask who they think they can bring to the table around advisor ship, possible collaboration and even funding. If you’d like to discuss mentorship with me and learn more about my own connections and process, please reach out by email.

Want to Take Your Project to the Next Level? Collaborate!

Kelli Richards April 7, 2014

Although our culture tends to celebrate the idea of the “lone creative genius,” the truth is that a look behind the scenes of any success story will very often reveal the work of a stellar team; a group of passionate people who worked together to challenge and motivate one another. Steve Jobs famously promoted collaboration to increase productivity and creativity at Apple. It was one of the benchmarks of all the work that went on during my years there, and it continues to be a best practice of the corporation, and the alum that worked there.

How does this apply to you? Here’s the truth: If you want to take your creative project to the next level, it’s time to give the focus on individual productivity a break and shift toward harnessing the amazing power of effective collaboration.
Remember this rule as you go forward: A team is more than just a group of individuals. Creating a cohesive team unit depends on a variety of factors that, if properly understood, can help you optimize your team selection and work habits. Here are a few facts to get you started:

1. The mere presence of others can boost your performance.

Ever wonder why so many creatives seem to enjoy working in a crowded café, surrounded by strangers? Evidence suggests that the energy of other people can act as a surrogate team, even if we’re working solo. In a 1920 experiment by social psychologist Floyd Allport, a group of people working individually at the same table performed better on a whole range of tasks even though they weren’t cooperating or competing, This is now known as the “social facilitation” effect – the way the mere presence of other people engaged in the same task as us can boost our motivation.

2. Team effectiveness depends on social sensitivity.

The ability of teams to perform well across a range of challenges is referred to as “collective intelligence,” and interestingly it is not based on the average IQ of individual team members. Rather, the collective intelligence of a team is derived from the way team members take turns during conversations – and this often correlates positively with the proportion of women in the group. Which brings us to number 3…

3. Teams perform better when they include both men and women.

A 2012 analysis of nearly 2,400 international companies found that those with at least one woman on their boards tended to be the strongest performers, and the benefits were especially apparent in tougher operating conditions. According to a 2011 experiment by European researchers, the optimum gender balance is 50-50.

4. A good team needs a balance of extroverts and introverts.

Our culture tends to idolize the extrovert, but evidence suggests that the perceived value of introverts in a team setting increases as time goes on, whereas the perceived value of extroverts actually falls – as demonstrated in a recent study by UCLA. While extroverts tend to grab our attention and introverts tend to take longer to showcase their abilities, often it is a balance of complementary personalities that makes for the most effective mix.

The Grand Takeaway? The best teams are built from diverse perspectives and abilities. When creating your dream team, seek out people with different specialties, personalities, and problem-solving styles. If there is friction, don’t give up; instead, train them in better communication.

If you’re building a team to move your best projects forward, remember that the music to making it all work is your mentor. A powerful mentor should be an ally who sees your vision, a leader who brings the very best people and advisors, and a clear picture of how to get from starting point to end game. If you’re looking for that, I’d love to have a conversation with you.

Until next time,
Kelli Richards

CEO of The All Access Group, LLC

PS: The right mentor will also have the right CONNECTIONS to move any effort forward. Be sure to ask who they think they can bring to the table around advisorship, possible collaboration and even funding.

The Who What Where When & Why of Startups

Kelli Richards March 31, 2014

Essentially, startups form because a group of rebels are fueled to the brim by enthusiasm, innovation and passion about their ideas and products. Sadly, those assets are not enough though. Without the resources, infrastructure, and / or the knowledge to develop it on their own, it’s very likely to go supernova before it ever develops a comfortable orbit. Mentoring is a core part of running a successful startup.

Too many startups are unable to move from the ‘pitch’ phase into the ‘construction’ phase and are lost as a result. Having a reliable sounding board to provide practical advice is one way to be smart about the startup process. In fact, many statistics show that startups with mentors are 90% more likely to succeed. The secret sauce, of course, is to find a mentor with the right expertise in your vertical, the bench strength in management and the powerful connections and relationships to accelerate the success. Expertise from a seasoned veteran can make all the difference.

Successful startup mentors start at the bottom with the companies and are strongly integrated into the vision and process. It’s natural to want to create your own spin on the product or add outside value from the get-go, but everyone on the team has to fully understand the project in its most basic form before moving forward. If they see the vision and the possibilities, the right mentor could come in at any time.

Every product is designed to address a problem, so you’ll need a deep understanding of both the cause, or problem, and effect, or product. With broad understanding and a level head, a mentor may have to deliver some harsh news, but it’s always for the good of the cause. As a mentor, it’s not your pride and joy on the line, it’s someone else’s success – their baby. So while any criticism must be delivered tactfully, it’s also important to remember that the project needs your guiding voice, no matter which direction it leads

Entrepreneurs and mentors have to create a solid bond and trusting connection if their relationship is going to thrive for the success of the endeavor. The mentor has to be knowledgeable, rational, and tactful – and the entrepreneur has to be willing to be mentored – to NOT have all the answers. Passion and drive only go so far when starting a business, and in order to learn from a trusted coach and successfully implement the ideas and changes discussed, the startup needs to be flexible and accept the information that’s given. Getting a business of the ground is difficult, but with hard work, positive thinking, and reliable advice from the right mentor, it is definitely possible – and far more probable than going it alone.

Until next time,

Kelli Richards
CEO of The All Access Group, LLC

4 Steps to Ace an Early-Adopter Culture

Kelli Richards March 24, 2014

In this era of rapid innovation, a new technological breakthrough can shake an entire industry in an afternoon, and consumers are hungry for the most advanced gadgets available. Businesses are constantly expected to be at the forefront of emerging technology.

When Corning’s “A Day Made of Glass” video series went viral in 2011, the company leaped in the spotlight. In the process, consumers and businesses alike found themselves considering the company’s role as an innovator in specialty-glass technology for a wide range of uses.

For consumers, the roles of early adopter and a thought leader often become intertwined. Customers tend to gravitate toward companies that can speak credibly about new technologies and apply them to product development and business processes.

Being at the forefront of emerging trends will make your business more sought after by the media as an authority within your industry sector and your staff will be viewed as capable of speaking with intelligence about the latest developments’ impact on your niche or sector.

But being an early adopter doesn’t come naturally to every business — nor can it be achieved overnight. Creating a culture of early adoption and keeping your business ahead of the curve requires a change in mindset at the leadership level. To grow a thriving business on the bleeding edge, savvy leaders would be wise to take some of the following steps:

1. Make the latest tools available to employees. Having the latest gadgets available for staffers to play with encourages a culture of innovation, experimentation and evangelism. It gets employees thinking about how new technology can be used and it encourages a cross-pollination of ideas. For example, when Google Glass was released, forward-thinking businesses made the product available for their employees to try and discuss.

2. Encourage team members to engage with new technologies. For its own part, Google requires its employees to take days off to simply experiment with the latest technologies and test ideas. Ensure that your employees engage with the latest from Silicon Valley by asking them to take an hour from their workday to acclimate themselves with a gadget or tool. Or have an employee do a presentation summarizing the applications of a new device so your team can focus on its possible impact on your industry.

3. Create incentives and reward innovators. Give your employees a reason to keep up with tech news and drive innovation by rewarding those who do so. Grant the employee who discovered and implemented a new task-management platform a paid day off. Reward the staffer who forwarded the latest news to the rest of your team with a free lunch.

4. Lead with an early-adopter spirit. Cultivate a company mindset of curiosity by being a leader who embraces change and risk in the name of progress and cutting-edge disruption. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz revealed his hunger for innovation when he invested $25 million in Square — a startup few knew about at the time. What seemed like a risky and questionable move to some ultimately paid off. Through collaboration with Square, Starbucks now accepts mobile payments globally, paving the way for other companies hopting to implement mobile-payment systems in their operations.

The pace of technological change is faster than ever before and businesses that wait too long to embrace innovation can easily be deemed irrelevant by consumers. Instead, infuse the early-adopter mindset throughout your company’s culture — and you may well end up being celebrated as a forward-thinking visionary within your industry.

Until next time,

Kelli Richards, President, CEO of the All Access Group, LLC

PS: Subscribe to my FREE All Access Group Newsletter https://bit.ly/AAGNewletter

4 Tech Dinosaurs That Will Finally Die in 2015

Kelli Richards March 17, 2014

In recent years, technology has changed the way we view work, entertainment, media, and even our workout habits. While most people are focused on what’s next for wearables, cloud computing, and syncing gadgets, few have taken the time to consider the tech we’re going to be sending into retirement in the coming years.

Here are the tech trends that are coming to an end in 2015.

1. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

With cable-cutters everywhere, cable and satellite providers across the country are scrambling to lock consumers into their tiered contracts. Millennials, however, aren’t as attached to their TV sets as older generations. Netflix, Hulu, Apple, and Amazon already provide great streaming options, while cable favorites like HBO and ESPN are moving to mobile devices.

By 2015, content providers will have much more control than cable companies. Cable companies won’t go down without a fight, though — the majority of them also provide digital cable, DVR, and Internet services. However, with lightning-fast Google Fiber expanding into more major cities, it’s only a matter of time before these services will need an upgrade, too.

2. Home Entertainment Is Entering a New Dimension

Your television set won’t end up a nostalgic antique like your grandfather’s eight-track cassette player, but the TV industry is upping the ante in the age of high definition.

While Nintendo focuses on integrating its content into mobile platforms, Sony and Microsoft are pushing forward with ways of integrating their gaming consoles into your entire home, allowing for interactive entertainment options we’ve never seen before.
Glasses-free 3D and curved screens are changing the way studios create and release both theatrical and home content.
Set-top boxes and streaming options by Apple, Google, and Roku even further blur the line between our TVs and computers. By 2015, there will be little (if any) difference between your television set, mobile phone, and computer as cloud computing creates a seamless web experience.

3. Call Somebody Who Cares

Millennials have come of age with cell phones. Gone are the days when you couldn’t get reception unless you were directly underneath a cell tower. These days, landlines are used strictly for emergencies such as Hurricane Sandy, and most are Internet-based VoIP services.

The days of Ma Bell and her Baby Bells are a distant memory, as those former communications giants struggle to maintain the outdated infrastructure of their phone lines. Cell phones are as likely to drop a call as a landline, and less than 10 percent of households in the country have only a landline phone. As current generations age, landline telephones will disappear altogether.

4. Goodbye, Gutenberg

When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, the machine made it possible to put magazines on every shelf, books on every desk, newspapers on every porch, and Bibles in every hotel nightstand.

We all know the newspaper and magazine industries are struggling, but 2014 looks to be the year when we drive the final nail in the coffin and bury these struggling industries for good. After J.K. Rowling authorized the release of the Harry Potter series on Amazon’s Kindle, the publishing industry essentially crumbled. Major magazines and newspapers started shutting down, and the only holdouts seemed to be textbook publishers.

Apple took this market by convincing McGraw-Hill, Pearson Education, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to create iBook textbooks to integrate the iPad into schools, while Dynamic Books allows instructors to create customized textbook content for their SMART Boards.

It’s not just books, either. The whole world has gone paperless. Your tablet and smartphone allow you to travel without a boarding pass, publish your own e-books, attend concerts without a ticket, and even pay without cash, a credit card, or coupons. Gutenberg must be rolling over in his grave.

Much like video killed the radio star, the Internet is demolishing them both. Every innovation we come up with disrupts another. Nobody knows where we’ll be in 2015, but I’m sure we’ll have our smartphones in hand, ready to check in on Foursquare to prove it.

A highly sought-after consultant, mentor, speaker, producer, coach, and author, Kelli Richards is the CEO of The All Access Group. She and her team facilitate strategic business opportunities in digital distribution between technology companies, established artists and celebrities, film studios, record labels, and consumer brand companies in order to foster new revenue streams and deliver compelling consumer experiences. Kelli is also the author of the bestselling e-book, “The Magic & Moxie of Apple — An Insider’s View.”

Until next time,

Kelli Richards, President, CEO of the All Access Group, LLC

PS: Subscribe to my FREE All Access Group Newsletter https://bit.ly/AAGNewletter

How to Vet a Crowded Industry for Hidden Innovation Opportunities

Kelli Richards March 10, 2014

Few people look at a thermostat and think, “Now there’s an exciting business opportunity!”

As a device, it’s a boring commodity — a relic of a stagnant, saturated market. So why did the co-founders of Nest decide to build a multimillion-dollar company around the reinvention of the thermostat?

Where others saw an industry that offered no room for new ideas, Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers saw potential. Most of the 10 million thermostats sold every year throughout the U.S. were clunky, inefficient, and impossible to program, but a simple, Wi-Fi-enabled device that could be programmed via a smartphone — that could be a game changer. Fadell and Rogers saw this opportunity, left their jobs at Apple, and got to work.

Within just three years of unveiling the Nest Learning Thermostat, the company has reduced energy usage across the U.S. and Canada by at least 225 million kilowatt-hours. They’ve saved consumers more than $29 million in heating and cooling bills. And earlier this year, Google bought Nest for $3.2 billion in cash.

What gave Fadell and Rogers the confidence to dive into an overcrowded market? They saw room for innovation. Here’s how you can see through the crowd to the opportunity.

How to Vet a Crowded Industry

When a market has a reputation of being fully saturated or crowded, many potential entrants will steer clear without a second thought. But popular perception isn’t always reality. Though it may not be immediately obvious, there’s often room for innovation and more than one player in the most stagnant of industries.

If you’ve got an idea that you think could disrupt a crowded market, it’s critical that you vet the industry before launching.

Do your homework. Who are the key players in the industry? What are their strengths and weaknesses? A comprehensive understanding of the competitive landscape is vital for determining your strategy.

Clarify your value-add. What makes your idea different? Are you cheaper, faster, better, or more innovative than everyone else? You can’t survive in a saturated industry without clearly being different and better.

Know your customer.Are consumers satisfied with the current market? If your product or idea can effectively address unmet needs and pain points, you’ll be able to capture significant market share.

Position yourself as a trailblazer. People aren’t expecting innovation in a stagnant market. Find the gap by researching industry trends, then stake a bold claim as the “next big thing.”

Prepare for scale.When you unveil a great idea on a commodity market, you have to be ready to handle a sudden wave of demand. Had Nest not been able to keep up with the brisk pace of adoption, the company would have tanked. They were prepared, though, and rode the wave all the way to a multibillion-dollar acquisition in a relatively short period of time based on mass adoption by consumers.

Surviving the Changes in Your Industry

Once you’ve made the leap into the market, you need to be proactive to survive your industry’s lifecycle changes. Achieve the following, and you’ll not only keep your head above water — you’ll thrive.

Stay up to speed on the latest trends and technologies. That way, you can remain nimble and capable of edging out competitors.
Get the word out. Make sure customers know about you — and know that your solution is superior.
Make sure you offer the best possible customer experience. You’ll garner loyalty and brand equity, and you’ll reduce the churn factor.
Optimize key elements: pricing, service, process, and customer satisfaction. Piece these components together in a way that tells a compelling brand story to attract your target audience.
Always strive to stand out from the crowd through your marketing, products, and customer experience. When you delight your customers, they’ll become brand advocates and stay with you in the long run.

A Matter of Perception

When an industry undergoes a fundamental transformation, many people wrongly assume it’s vanishing forever.

Consider the entertainment industry, for example. Just 15 years ago, film studios, record labels, and media distributors believed that file-sharing technology would ruin their entire livelihood. Those who were stuck in their ways wanted to put an end to the technology.

Savvy, forward-thinking tech entrepreneurs, on the other hand, saw an opportunity to pioneer change. While everyone else was lamenting the death of entertainment, they harnessed the disruptive power of technology to meet market needs.

Now, decision makers in the industry are embracing next-generation distribution technology because it enables them to reach global audiences and create new revenue streams.

It takes a keen eye and a great idea to capitalize on lifecycle changes in a crowded market. The risks, however, are often a matter of perception. By seeing potential where others don’t, you can access a world of opportunity and profits.

Until next time,

Kelli Richards, President, CEO of the All Access Group, LLC

PS: Subscribe to my FREE All Access Group Newsletter https://bit.ly/AAGNewletter

Two Steps to Creating Collaborations and One to Surviving When they Go Wrong.

Kelli Richards February 24, 2014

Today I had the privilege of interviewing Ian Miller. Ian is an expert brand and marketing strategist with 30 years of experience building hugely competitive brands and the CEO and Founder of The Brand Practice, a business and brand strategy consultancy. A recognized expert / lecturer in Ingredient Branding, Ian Miller has led the creation and global launch of the ingredient brand, NutraSweet, and worked closely with over 50 partner brands, including Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi – creating great synergy and collaboration around the business world.

One of the most important questions I got to ask Ian was about the subject of collaboration – something near and dear to my heart, as a consultant in the music and digital arenas and as a coach. Today, I wanted to go over the two largest pitfalls of being involved in collaborations that just don’t work and what we do to get out of them.

1. Imbalance. One of the greatest pitfalls of any collaboration is that it is not reciprocal. There’s no win / win – just hard work for one party and limited rewards for the other. The truth is that any collaboration can only succeed if all the parties involved are givers AND takers. If any one party involved has nothing to offer, they’re simply a drain on the whole. Be sure that all parties invited into any project are clear about their deliverables – even if it’s just to bring a creative edge to the process – and that nobody is “dead weight” in the group, just along for the ride.

2. End Game. Another pitfall to successfully working with other artists, mentors or business alliances is that we are simply NOT all cut from the same cloth. We don’t all have the same work ethic or goals – just ask Beyonce about the original Destiny’s Child members. BEFORE any collaboration goes wrong, in fact, before it even gets started, you have to be very honest with everyone involved. Before you set out on any journey you must know that what is obvious to you may look like murky waters to the people you’re working with. In addition to making sure you have the right team (number one, above), definitely take the time to carefully go over the goals and endgame of the project.

3. What to do when it goes wrong? No matter how great the team, sometimes things start out fine but go way off course along the way. Before you jump overboard, step back and measure what you can do to salvage your part – to bring the best you can to the project. It might not be great, but it’s possible that showing up for your part of the work – to preserve your future relationship with the other artists or parties involved – might be the best solution.

Collaborations are definitely NOT easy, but they are worth it. The bottom line is that we are in the people business, and tapping into that most important resource – the HUMAN resource is an important part of our industry. So DO collaborate. Take the risk. But no matter how “big” the names and other parties are, be sure to keep it simple, to keep your goals clear and to have definite accountability for every collaborator, every step of the way. If you do, the rewards can be well worth it.

Kelli Richards
CEO of The All Access Group

You can sign up for an advance copy of my ebook at https://allaccessgroup.com/services/ (just click ebooks when you get the confirmation).

The Benefits of BYOD Across Different Company Sizes

Kelli Richards January 27, 2014

Anyone connected to the business world has heard about the rampant popularity of bring-your-own-device policies, better known as BYOD. The trend will continue for the near future and likely beyond, with Gartner analysts claiming that 50 percent of companies will mandate a BYOD platform over the course of the next five years. The popularity and gains in morale aside, however, does a BYOD set of policies make sense to a company on a financial standpoint? In terms of dollars and cents, some businesses may get more out of BYOD than others.

Small Companies

Could a BYOD platform benefit the larger conglomerates more than the small, home-based businesses that employ so many independent workers? The answer may be no, but not necessarily due to the basic revenue-expenses flowchart on your bookkeeping. The risk to small companies with a BYOD system lies in the security or lack thereof. V3 made headlines by proclaiming that a small business with BYOD is one cyber-attack away from bringing the company down. A small company may not be able to afford training or security to keep a BYOD network afloat, resulting in a far higher risk of a data breach. When that happens, the savings of a few hundred dollars per employee becomes trivial: The average data breach costs a company no less than $6.75 million dollars and an average of over $200 per compromised customer, Poneman research reports.

The Muddled Middle

Medium-sized businesses may have the resources to put a comprehensive BYOD platform in place to allow for security and increased safety, yet few end up doing so. CSO Online estimates that between 60 percent and 80 percent of businesses have no formal BYOD policies in place whatsoever. Businesses with the luxuries of modest resources and relative flexibility must think long and hard about the dollar value of each employee under its company umbrella. The advantages of cost savings and increased productivity often win out, since a medium-sized business rarely has to hire more than a handful of new staff members to police BYOD or train employees. When a medium-sized company has had limited success with safety, however, it may find a BYOD platform to be an unpalatable risk.

Corporate Policy

When your company employs hundreds or even thousands of workers, the solution becomes quite simple: Go big or go home. The math firmly stands in the BYOD camp, with Cisco reporting that a basic BYOD platform generates $350 per employee per year, while comprehensive policy boosts that figure up to $1,300 per employee per year. Risks remain, of course, and risks become more expensive as the size of a company grows, but when the benefits start climbing in to the millions of dollars, a corporation with a large workforce would greatly limit their growth potential by restricting BYOD policy in favor of uniform devices. There are also platforms that allow BYOD devices to switch from personal to business mode, keeping the two areas separate.

Until next time,

Keith Hart, Guest Blogger for the All Access Group, LLC

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