The personal circumstances of employees are a minefield for employers: Whether in hiring or in staff development: On the one hand, as an employer, you have to consider potential risks such as illness, financial stability, family situations, even possible pregnancies; on the other hand, in an ideal world, these issues should really remain a private matter for the respective employee … Read More
Angel Fallacies 3.1: Neglect of Target Market Imponderables (“Competitors”)
“So, who are your competitors?” Within the start-up ecosystem, this hyper trivial question is asking for a routine answer. It is one of those questions that usually does not raise any serious worry among start-ups asking for money. But it should. Because these standard responses follow a pattern which can be easily anticipated and usually is astoundingly poor. Variant 1: … Read More
Die Illusion des Know-How
Letzte Woche habe ich mich in einem Post einigermaßen unfreundlich über ein sogenanntes Whitepaper von @RolandBerger und @sas-dach geäußert. Es trägt den stolzen Titel „Die Illusion der Kundenzentrierung, 5 unbequeme Thesen zum digitalen Marketing“. Schimpfen ist immer leicht. Daher möchte ich an dieser Stelle die Gründe für meine Kritik nachholen. Mit ihr sollte nicht gesagt sein, die deutsche Wirtschaft benötige … Read More
Confirmation Bias and Neglect of Contrarian Market Forces
Start-ups need a USP for their products and services that is not just unique but also in demand. There lies a structural tension in this: Whatever is really novel or unique cannot be in demand, because nobody as yet knows about it. So, frequently you can only guess or assume or hope that the new feature of a new product … Read More