By Martin Fackler
Published: December 25, 2013 TOKYO — The 20-somethings in jeans sipping espresso and tapping on laptops at this Tokyo business incubator would look more at home in Silicon Valley than in Japan, where for years the surest signs of success were the gray suits of its corporate salarymen. But for those hoping the nation’s latest economic plan will drag Japan from its long malaise, the young men and women here at Samurai Startup Island represent a crucial component: a revival of entrepreneurship. The signs of that comeback are still new, and tentative enough that the statistics on start-ups and initial public offerings have not caught up. But analysts and investors report that hundreds of new Internet and technology-related companies have sprung up in the last two to three years, creating an ecosystem of incubators like Samurai Startup Island and so-called accelerator new venture investment funds, which invest in early-state start-ups in hopes of cashing in. ... For years, sagging entrepreneurial spirit has been cited as a major reason for Japan’s inability to save itself from a devastating deflationary spiral. The nation that produced Sony, Toyota and Honda has created few successors. ... Although Japan has a long tradition of entrepreneurship in blue-collar trades like manufacturing, it has had only limited success in extending that to more knowledge-based industries like software or computing, at the forefront of the digital age and where competitors like South Korea have sped ahead.
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Published December 24, 2013 4:00 PM
By Mario Gamper, VentureVillage It may be time to say goodbye to a well-trodden cliche. Young entrepreneurs are proving that Korea can do more than copy. The number of tech startups has surged by 80 per cent since 2011. The number of accelerators went from one to more than 50. Here marketing consultant Mario Gamper, who has worked for Platoon Kunsthalle in Berlin and Seoul, gives us a glimpse of how Korea is building a new culture of business creativity – that apparently rivals Silicon Valley. There’s no need to look for suburban garages — the next generation of Korean businesses is born downtown. Many startups are home in the now-famous Gangnam district, a landscape of 400 ft glass towers, expensive suits, and women with fashionable noses. Some of the startups, like online deal siteCoupang, have already succeeded in sticking their own logo on an office tower. But even young hopefuls who are still demoing enjoy prime real estate. In brand new coworking space Dreamcamp, teams polishing PowerPoints look out over a beautifully landscaped park. ... In 2012 the 10 biggest conglomerates were responsible for more than 80 per cent of Korea’s GDP, more than ever before. For decades the Chaebol – a form of business conglomerate in South Korea – throttled local entrepreneurship. In its quest to create new jobs, the Korean government is finally taking the side of SMEs. And it’s telling them to take bigger risks in hopes this will lead them to bigger markets. ... “Korea used to be a Galagapos of business creativity,” said Kim. An ecosystem so specific, that ideas and solutions could be successful here, but wouldn’t make it anywhere else. “This has changed.” According to Ryder's CEO, there's a downside to being at the very top of the food chain. You hae no boss. And this is where executive coaching can add value and structure.
We talked to Bill about re-inventing business & aligning yourself with the new energies of the marketplace, specifically the "conscious redesign of business".
It's no secret that the market has change dramatically over the last 2, 3 even 4 years in that there's now so much information and so many iterations out there that everything is diluted with the end result being that the market has become completely numb. Our talk with Bill should be of great interest to many in the coaching field as the market has become very crowded with the net result being that many coaches are now simply resigned to surviving rather than thriving. These are the questions that we posed to Bill: 1) You say that the energy of business has changed with the advent of content marketing, social media, social networks, mobile devices and people connected 24/7. Can you discuss this in more detail? 2) How can (and should) coaches and business respond or react to this? 3) You mentioned a new definition for branding, what is this? [heart / creative (presence) vs mind / cognitive (branding)] 4) What are the mechanics and the step by step process for brand or presence development? 5) Can you walk us through your definition and the process of your no-pressure, heart vs mind-based sales process? 6) Can you explain what you mean by "not selling" but "inviting" and then maybe walk us through an example? 7) Give us an example of a hard close script using your process. 8) You mentioned there's a key difference between a customer and a client. What is it and what does it matter? We're pleased to announce that Bill Gluth, Business Vision Mentor (Interview 1) (Interview 2) is offering a free initial consultation to all APCA Members to help us blend our talent with our brand to stand out from the competition.
Bill is also offering 10% off of any mentoring package when you tell him that you came from the APCA website. More Details: http://billgluth.com/services/ The questions that we posed to Bill during our time together:
1) Bill can you please describe what a Business Vision Mentor is and does? 2) The coaching marketing is becoming / seemingly very crowded today. How can coaches stand out from crowd and reach the people they can best serve and make a difference in the world? 3) What trends have you seen in the market since the 1990's, 2001 when you enter coaching and now today? 4) What do you say to strong (certified) coaches who can't develop a solid book of business while some coaches with no certification have developed a strong book of business? What's the difference? What can they do? 5) How do you define a brand? 6) What do you say to people who don't feel comfortable in selling or marketing themselves? Is there a way around that? Is there another way? 7) You talk about having a pressure free sales technique because "there is no sale to make". What are the mechanics of that? (hint: Presence, Attraction, Invitation, Collaboration) 8) What does the psychographic category "group cultural creative" mean and why should coaches care? 9) What is an Enlightenpreneur? 10) What do you mean "the energy of business has changed" and why do you say that? Please give us some examples? 11) How can coaches re-align themselves to the new energy of business and the new marketplace? Coach For Impact!™ Expert Interview Series, Runa Magnus, Personal Branding & Transformational Expert11/1/2013 Runa Magnus (based in Iceland) is a Personal Branding & Transformational Expert, the CEO & founder of Connected-Women.com, the co-founder of BRANDit the EU Awarded Personal Branding program, the creator of the Awarded Best Practice Leadership Program of the Year 2013 “Discover Your X-Factor” and the founding & Steering Committee member of ATL Europe, the Association of Transformational Leaders in Europe.
The questions that we posed to Runa during our time together: 1) Run, please introduce yourself to our audience. 2) As a personal branding expert in Northern Europe and Continental Europe, when referring to personal branding, what is the important mind-set that you're embracing? 3) In Northern Europe and Continental Europe, when referring to personal branding, what tools do you recommend to your clients and why? 4) What social media would you recommend to your clients for their personal branding? 5) Are there any personal branding trends that you have noticed? Coach For Impact!™ Expert Interview Series, Anna Rydne, Communications & Personal Branding Expert10/28/2013 What does it take to build a strong personal brand?
Why is this so crucial in today's crowded marketplaces? What social media tools are recommended? How long does it take? Today, Anna Rydne, a Communications and Personal Branding Expert shares her first-hand experiences, successes and insights with you. Are we continue to crank up our Coach For Impact! Expert Coaches series, we've prepared a short written and audio guide to help ensure that each guest's appearance on our show is as smooth, relaxing and valuable as possible for the guest while also making sure that each guest's appearance is as entertaining and valuable as possible for our listeners.
We cover: 1. What to Expect 2. Pre-interview Scheduling & Arrangements 3. Interview Equipment & Procedures 4. Post-Editing Production And Release We're always interested in interviewing expert coaches and related experts on a wide range of topics including skills acquisition, training methods, market trends, marketing, business development and related topics that will provide our readers and listeners unique insights or actionable advice in building or growing their coaching practices or coaching skill sets.
Our readers and listeners are primarily composed of six main segments: 1. Seasoned and successful coaches who want to stay out in front and on top of their game. 2. Seasoned coaches looking to step up and move their coaching skills & practices to the next level. 3. Part-time coaches looking to transition from part-time work to full-time coaching. 4. Newly minted coaches looking to establish or build out a practice. 5. Prospective coaches looking to gather information to see if coaching is right for them. 6. Corporate HR and Line Managers interested to discover the value that coaches can bring to their organization as well as interested to learn how to select a coach that best meets their or their organization's needs. Our monthly unique visitors currently ranges between 3,000 to 4,000 uniques and in recent months, this has consistently been trending upwards and we expect it to continue to grow as we add deep and unique content. |
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