MARKETING
What marketers can learn from two simple words
In Ireland, parents buy school books for their children every year. This has been the case for decades.
When I was at school I recall queuing alongside my mother with booklist in hand for hours at our local bookstore. It was painful.
The internet changed this.
In 2003, Schoolbooks.ie was launched. There were naysayers. One supplier said to the original founder: “Who would ever want to order their schoolbooks online?”
Despite this, the business ploughed ahead and grew from 50 orders during its first trading year in 2003 to 200,000 orders a year today. For eCommerce goliaths 200k orders a…
SOCIETY
Social unrest is the offspring of prejudice
In August 1969 a conflict erupted between a community of civilians against the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), a state-backed Police force in Northern Ireland until it was dissolved in 2001. For 3-days, local residents from the Bogside in Derry fought and pushed back RUC forces.
The “Battle of the Bogside” was more than a mere flashpoint in Irish history, it was pivotal. It sparked “Bloody-Sunday”, “Internment”, the “Hunger-Strikers”, and years of pain before eventually paving the way to the “Good-Friday Agreement”, almost three decades later in 1998.
“Bloody Sunday killings increased IRA recruitment, paramilitary violence and led to huge rise…
LEADERSHIP
Lessons from “Leaders Eat Last”
In 2002, US Air Force pilot Johnny Bravo (his call name) decided to fly beneath cloud-cover to check out what was going on below. He knew his colleagues were moving through hostile territory. Instructing his wingman to stay above for cover he descended through the dense clouds.
Just before he emerged, he heard a call over the radio … “Troops” … “Troops in contact.” The Soldiers on the ground were under enemy fire.
As he cleared cloud cover he was surrounded by mountains, flying no more than 1,000 feet above ground level over Afghanistan. Within seconds he was greeted with…
A personal journey as a rookie investor dipping a toe into the stormy seas of the cryptocurrency ocean
I have an admission to make. I’m a recovering smoker.
Yes. After years of a stop-start cycle, I’m delighted to announce that I’ve been a non-smoker for over 100 days. My longest tobacco-free stretch in a decade.
I also have another admission to make. I’m a novice crypto investor.
So why am I telling you this, and what is the connection?
Simple, both myself and my wife quit smoking in February, saving an incredible $600 a month.
Crazy, huh?
So what to do with the extra cash?
Gamble it? … Maybe not, well not quite.
Let me rephrase that —…
A case-study observation about simple cost-effective innovation
Innovation doesn't have to be complex.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” — Leonardo Da Vinci
In fact, it rarely is. Most industry experts know that the lions share of innovation is no more than a succession of baby steps.
A Casestudy
One of the main takeaways during an interview conducted at a Startup organisation recently was the clear division in innovation.
That said, incremental innovation was very much present within the eCommerce process-oriented sub-unit, which was validated as “80% of all innovation” by the leadership team.
In contrast, within the investment and property divisions of the group, there was a “primary focus”…
The market demand for superyachts is red-hot
Project Y721 is the name of the superyacht currently under construction for Amazon Billionaire, Jeff Bezos. The world’s richest man appointed Oceanco, the Dutch yacht builder to construct his new toy.
Jeff Bezos’ new yacht will measure 127 meters or 417 feet long upon completion, with several layers of decks, plus three masts and its own support yacht for shore excursions.
Bezos’ new baby will be one of the largest ever built in the Netherlands, an emerging go-to capital for yacht building enthusiasts and the super-rich of course.
Given that the Amazon.com founder is now the wealthiest person on the…
Ransomware attacks are a result of underinvestment
The DarkSide criminal gang behind the cyberattack that took out the Colonial Pipeline in the US earlier this month, acknowledged the incident in a statement online.
Our goal is to make money and not creating problems for society.
A week later and over 3,500 miles away in Ireland, the National Health Executive suffered the same fate, which did create problems for society due to the global pandemic.
Last fall the FBI issued a national alert to highlight the risk of such attacks, specifically naming healthcare organisations as key targets.
Security companies around the world reiterated this warning since the start…
The writing-riddle
From Africa to Borneo
Our words will always flow
Things that the world should know
Can you hear our silent screaming?
Between Melbourne and Dublin
Our creativity is bubblin’
From thoughts that are troublin’
Every prose has meaning
The pen beholds our strife
Words that cut like a knife
From all walks of life
Inspired by our dreamin’
Our poetic words are rife
Reflection is our wife
This is our sacrifice
For peace in the afterlife
The paradise that we seek
Is no place for the weak
Cos we rarely hit our peak
But we never stop believin’
Haiku — A mapless life
Our enriched-world is impoverished by greed
Paul Myers MBA
Top writer in Business, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Startups & Innovation. Interested in all things E-commerce — https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-m-ecommerce/
