Shows
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketThe Little Things That Built It All: A Conversation with Shawn CampbellIn this episode of The Profectory Podcast, host Manny Teran welcomes acclaimed author and marketing expert Shawn Campbell to share his entrepreneurial journey. Shawn dives into the pivotal moments and lessons learned from years of building businesses and adapting to change. The conversation touches on the value of reinvention, the evolution of marketing, and how seemingly small decisions often shape the biggest outcomes. Listeners gain insight into how resilience and curiosity fuel long-term success.2025-05-1229 min
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketThe Stillness Series- Part 4: Tools to Recharge and RefocusIn this final episode of The Stillness Series, Manny Teran shares how stillness helped him through one of the hardest seasons of his life. He offers four powerful tools—solitude, nature, digital breaks, and reflection—to help you reset and sharpen your focus. These practical strategies are designed for high achievers who need to recharge without losing momentum. Stillness isn't retreat—it's preparation for your next leap.2025-05-0712 min
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketThe Stillness Series- Part 3: The Hidden Power Behind Free Flow ThinkingIn this third episode of the Stillness Series, we explore the power of free flow thinking and its connection to breakthrough insights in business and life. We explain the difference between focused and diffuse thinking, urging listeners to deliberately create space for mental stillness. Through personal stories, scientific research, and team-based applications, Manny shows how moments of rest can unlock strategic clarity and performance. Stillness isn’t about doing nothing—it’s about preparing the mind for the next powerful move.2025-05-0517 min
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketThe Stillness Series- Part 2: How Nature Restores the High-Performing MindIn this second episode of The Stillness Series, we explore how nature can act as a powerful antidote to the chaos of modern life. He shares personal insights from a transformative camping trip that sparked the idea for this series. Backed by science, Manny reveals how nature lowers stress, boosts creativity, and replenishes cognitive energy. Whether you're deep in the woods or stuck in the city, you'll learn practical ways to reconnect with the natural world—and with yourself.2025-04-3014 min
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketThe Stillness Series - Part 1: Why Leaders Must Retreat to AdvanceIn this first episode of The Stillness Series, Manny Teran breaks down the powerful—but often overlooked—principle of stillness and its essential role in high-performance leadership. Drawing from Stoic wisdom and modern neuroscience, Manny explores how stepping back, slowing down, and creating intentional space in your life is not weakness—it's strategy.He shares personal stories of emotional growth, explains why leaders feel like they “can’t afford” to stop, and dismantles that myth with both science and experience. You’ll hear about: The Stoic mindset on stillness as a leadership tool How time in nature recharges yo...2025-04-2413 min
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketBuilding Vulnerability and Community: Frank Vidal on Tucson Thrive and Authentic ConnectionsIn this powerful episode of The Profectory Podcast: Mastering the Mind and Market, host Manny Teran dives into the world of authentic connections and community building with Frank Vidal, the founder of Tucson Thrive. Frank shares the inspiring journey behind creating a virtual mastermind that fosters vulnerability, deep conversations, and genuine growth. We explore how Tucson Thrive breaks the mold of traditional networking by prioritizing openness and real-life experiences over surface-level success stories. Frank also opens up about the challenges of building a community where people are encouraged to be real and shares thought-provoking insights on imposter syndrome, AI's i...2025-04-2244 min
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketFLASH Decisions & Fastballs: STEM, Sports, and Smarter Thinking with Dr. Ricardo ValerdiIn this episode of The Profectory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and Market, we dive into the story behind the story with Dr. Ricardo Valerdi — professor, engineer, and founder of the groundbreaking nonprofit Science of Sport. What started as a small baseball statistics camp for middle schoolers in Tucson has grown into a national movement partnering with over a third of Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA, and more.Ricardo shares how the intersection of STEM, sports, and systems thinking can inspire the next generation to love math and science. He also teases his upcoming book, The Fi...2025-04-2132 min
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketBeyond Stoicism: Hack your mind to get things done!Most leaders think willpower is the key to achieving goals. But what if the real power comes from alignment — aligning your habits, your environment, and even your subconscious mind? In this episode of The Profectory Podcast, we explore: - Why stoicism alone isn’t enough - James Clear's 4 Laws of Behavior Change - Chase Hughes' methods for subconscious alignment - Why identity shapes action more than motivation ever could - How to build habits that your subconscious mind actually wants to keep This is goal-setting at the leadership level — the intersection of discipline, environment design, emotional clarity, and internal alignment...2025-04-1528 min
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketMemento Mori – Making Every Day Count in Business and LifeWelcome to The Profectory Podcast, where we explore the forces that shape success—both in business and within ourselves. I’m Manny Teran, and today, we’re diving into a concept that has the power to transform not just how we lead in business, but how we live our lives. Today’s topic is ‘Memento Mori,’ a Latin phrase that translates to ‘remember you must die.’ I know—it sounds intense, but trust me, it’s one of the most powerful ideas you can apply to your business, your relationships, and your legacy. This episode is about how embracing the finite nature of...2025-04-0226 min
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketMolly Gravatt: Transforming technical staffing with Grit and GraceIn this episode of The Profectory Podcast, I’m joined by Molly Gravatt, CEO of Radiant Dev, to uncover the story behind the story of her career. From navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship to empowering engineers and businesses with the right talent, Molly shares golden insights on resilience, AI in staffing, and overcoming bias in hiring.💡 Key Insights: How vulnerability and authenticity create lasting relationships. Why removing bias in hiring leads to unexpected success. The impact of AI and technology trends on the future of work.🎧 Watch now to gain actionable advice from Molly’s journey2025-03-2834 min
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketQuantum Shift: What Business Leaders Need to Know About Quantum ComputingIn this solo episode of The Profectory Podcast, host Manny Teran breaks down the coming wave of quantum computing and why entrepreneurs and business leaders can’t afford to ignore it. While the technology may sound complex or futuristic, its impact is very real—and closer than you might think.Manny starts by simplifying what quantum computing actually is, explaining how it differs from classical computing and why its problem-solving power is exponentially greater. He explores how industries like finance, healthcare, logistics, cybersecurity, and AI will be fundamentally transformed by this leap in processing capability.But...2025-03-2726 min
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketThe Fall of 23andMe: Lessons in Leadership, Trust, and Resilience23andMe’s bankruptcy isn’t just a tech story—it’s a case study in modern leadership. On the latest episode of The Profectory Podcast, I unpack how a $6B biotech darling lost customer trust, failed to evolve, and collapsed under the weight of its own disruption.This isn’t about blame—it’s about learning. We explore:✅ The stoic mindset in business✅ Trust as your most valuable asset✅ What every founder should do now to protect their future✅ The illusion of control in a volatile marketWhether you’re a CEO, investor, or risi...2025-03-2735 min
Profetory Podcast - Mastering the Mind and MarketThe Profectory Podcast - TrailerHosted by Manny Teran, The Profectory Podcast helps entrepreneurs and business leaders navigate both external market forces and internal leadership challenges.Through insightful monologues and deep-dive interviews, we explore trends, strategy, and operations while uncovering the mindset needed to lead with clarity, resilience, and wisdom.Success isn’t just about mastering the market—it’s about mastering yourself. The Profectory Podcast helps you do both.2025-03-2704 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastBuilding a Community - Frank Vidal - Founder, ThriveThe episode of the Business Trendsetter Podcast Innovators Series features Manny Teran interviewing Frank Vidal, a development manager and founder of the Tucson Thrive virtual mastermind group. Frank shares insights into his community-building efforts through Tucson Thrive, which fosters open, vulnerable discussions and authentic relationships among members. The conversation explores mentorship gaps for entrepreneurs, the impact of social media and AI on networking, the importance of financial literacy, and the need for creating meaningful personal connections. Frank highlights the value of storytelling, vulnerability, and building community as cornerstones of personal and professional growth.
2025-01-2044 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastInnovators Series AnnouncementSpark Partners is excited to introduce the Innovators Series, a special mini-series within the Business Trendsetter Podcast. In this new series, Manny Teran will sit down with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and bold innovators to uncover the stories behind their journeys—exploring their triumphs, challenges, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.Meanwhile, the core Business Trendsetter Podcast will continue to bring you weekly episodes featuring Adam Hartung and Manny Teran, offering valuable insights into trends, current events, and case studies that reveal what it truly takes to achieve long-term success. Stay tuned and join the conv...2025-01-0901 min
The Marketing Corner with Shawn CampbellThe Marketing Corner: Episode 7 with Manny Teran and David BradleyThe Marketing Corner: Episode 7 with Manny Teran and David Bradley
In this episode of The Marketing Corner, host Shawn Campbell dives into a critical topic for every business owner: how staying updated with trends is essential to keeping your business relevant and competitive. Throughout the episode, Manny breaks down why understanding and adapting to current industry trends is no longer optional—it's a necessity. Shawn opens the episode by discussing the fast-paced nature of modern markets and how businesses must evolve to meet changing consumer expectations. He emphasizes that while trends can sometimes seem overwhelming, not paying at...2024-10-1544 min
The Tech PanelScaling Smarter: Embrace AI, Growth, and Informed Decisions with Manny TeranSend us a textIn the latest episode of The Tech Panel, we sit down with Manny Teran, CEO of Spark Partners, to discuss how companies can achieve rapid growth by embracing trends like AI and making informed decisions.Manny shares valuable insights on why post-mortems are essential for success, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right team, and focusing on customer needs and market trends instead of just core offerings. He also highlights the importance of playing to your strengths, learning from failure, and balancing data with emotion in decision-making. Whether y...2024-09-1652 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastReal Estate Market Outlook From The TrenchesIn this episode, Manny engages in conversation with Tanner Herbert and Rebecca Crane, both principals of the Signature Group, a longstanding full-service residential real estate company supporting buyers and sellers in Southern Arizona's fast-paced market. Beyond traditional services, their company also engages in wholesale transactions and fix-and-flip projects. Through their insights, we gain a deeper understanding of how the real estate market intertwines with global megatrends like demographics, AI, and the gig economy; and how the local landscape is in a constant state of evolution. The Southern Arizona real estate market, centered around cities like T...2024-05-0934 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastThe Impending Commercial Real Estate Collapse, and Ongoing Labor Shortage – What It Means For YouFed Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen have both confirmed we will have a commercial real estate debacle on our hands soon. Great, they finally figured out what Manny and Adam have been saying for over a year! Better late than remaining ignorant! So what does this mean for you?This podcast explains the risks this is creating for CRE owners and banks with loans on these properties. And those risks will impact regional banks most, which are the banks that also mostly serve small and mid-size businesses. If they lose their reserves, they can’t loan...2024-02-1633 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastMexico – Trends Are Making Mexico a Place to Consider for BusinessUS businesses are struggling to find workers, a topic this podcast has discussed many times. And political divisiveness has been making it hard to implement policies to grow the economy. To grow your business now could well be a good time to consider Mexico, as a final market or as part of your supply chain.This podcast overviews Manny’s recent trip to Mexico, and discusses the impact of the 3 big trends – Demographics, ESG (environmental awareness), and AI (artificial intelligence) – on Mexico’s business and tourist industries. With a much younger workforce, effective and affordable health care, workable en...2024-01-2533 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastGet Outside Your Box – Then Think! We all get trapped in our daily world. Our location, our contacts, our responsibilities can often create a commonality to what we do and the decisions we make. And we often fail to realize how this localization creates an internalization which makes it hard to think creatively. We do more of the same because of the rut we’re in. This podcast was recorded with Manny in Panang Malaysia, where he was getting his eyes and ears full of new ideas. Attending a semiconductor manufacturing conference he was hearing from leaders and entrepreneurs about how they get things...2023-07-2631 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastTrendcasting – How to Build Better ScenariosManny’s back from France, and in this podcast we discuss the difference in adoption rates of various trends in France versus the USA. Work from Home, Gig economy, electrification of the auto fleet – we cover a lot of ground about the differences. Doing so we discuss how local issues affect trends, as well as regulations. The big trends apply, but when scenario planning we have to look at a lot of factors to develop accurate scenarios around adoption rates.Additionally, we overview how easy it is for leaders to project scenarios based upon the past, and the exi...2023-03-0733 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastTo Grow – Get Outside Your Box and Country, Then Think!With Manny in Grenoble, France this podcast focuses on global business. First and foremost, it focuses on how every business – large or small – gains by having a better understanding of foreign markets. Instead of thinking offshore is a way to export American business models, learning from foreign businesses new ways to compete. Opening our minds, and our processes, to alternative ways of doing business.We explore how technology and tools make global business easier than ever. But nationalism in several countries is trying to reverse the clock. Business people have a role to play in understanding foreign countries...2023-03-0133 min
Coffee with ComradesEpisode 184: "Little Turtle" RIP, Manny This episode of Coffee with Comrades is dedicated to Tortuguita. Rest in Power, Tort. May we carry on the defense of Earth in your memory. Eros, a dear friend and comrade of Manny "Tortuguita" Teran, joins me to memorialize the dearly departed. Donate to the GoFundMe for Manny's family. Here are some ways to support the defense of the forest in Atlanta: Donate to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund to support legal costs for arrested p...2023-01-2330 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast“God Save the King” - Does That Mean England, or the Federal Reserve?Queen Elizabeth II funeral drew over 4 Billion viewers. An incredible number of people from around the globe. This podcast admits this caught Manny and Adam by surprise, and it indicates there is a very important need that the Queen fulfilled. What is that need? And will King Charles III meet that need? We all can be caught off guard by new trends. When that happens, it indicates we aren’t fully understanding some need. Step up and study that trend to determine the need. When you know your customer’s needs you will be a lot more successful than when you f...2022-09-2134 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastGrowth Takes Grit WebinarGROWTH REQUIRES MOVING OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONEChanging the way we do business can seem risky, but it is less risky than being late to market shifts. You need to find a way to align your business with emerging trends in order to grow your business and remain relevant. What's the problem? Comfort!! The Status Quo is Comfortable:- We know how to do what we’ve always done- We are good at doing what we’ve always done- We like getting better at what we’ve always done- We fe...2022-04-2059 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastEnvironmental Awareness Trend Part 1 - The impact of electric vehiclesThe Environmental Awareness mega-trend is having a big impact on all businesses today, and will continue to do so for 20 years. Businesses that seize the opportunity can profitably grow, while those that ignore the changes will suffer negative consequences.This podcast overviews why electric vehicles are part of this trend, and why the transition from internal combustion to batteries is unstoppable. And how it will impact everyone - in all industries and all geographies. It's not just a "car" thing, but rather an impact on everyone that transports themselves, another person, or a product. Taking action now will...2022-01-0633 min
Tell Me More...Where Have All the Workers Gone?What are the root causes of the current labor shortage? Matt Lehrman invites business leaders Katharine Halpin, Doug Berger, and Manny Teran to compare their different perspectives in a courageous conversation. LINKS Ask a Question or Leave a Comment: 602-688-2724 Send us a Note: TellMeMore@SocialProsperity.us Apply to Be a Podcast Guest: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tellmemore1 Produced by Social Prosperity Partners: https://socialprosperity.us/ Follow on Twitter: @MattLehrman Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattleh...2021-12-161h 00
The Business Trendsetter PodcastEvery Company Needs Software - How Future Development is ChangingIn 2022 every company needs to think of itself as a tech company. Amazon, Tesla, Netflix have value delivery systems in retail, autos and media. But their success has everything to do with how they implement and manage technology, including software development. This podcast dives into how you can hire resources to help you develop software that will make your business more successful.All companies today are building their business models on platforms from Google (search and YouTube,) Meta (Facebook and Instagram,) Twitter, Amazon (including AWS,) and others. Knowing how to program these platforms is directly tied to you...2021-12-1535 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastOvercoming Obstacles to GrowthWe create our own obstacles to growth. We just don't see them. As we create our organizations we set up programs to do more, better, faster and cheaper. We eliminate the people, and projects, that aren't directly tied to improving our business as it has existed.When we're ready to do something different, our organizations have the adaptability of concrete. Locked in place. And we don't have any other resources to put forward for developing new growth opportunities.This podcast explains how we "lock-in" our organization to initial conditions. Intentionally. To improve operational excellence, and bec...2021-12-0931 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastPhantom Inflation - Analyze Trends Accurately to Avoid Big MistakesRecent reports of runaway inflation in the USA are fabricated. By comparing a single quarter to another single quarter, compared to a single quarter a year ago, popular media said that inflation was the greatest in 30 years. And that simply wasn't true. First, one quarter does not make a trend. Second, 6% inflation is not "runaway."A year ago, that quarter prices were deflated by the pandemic. Third, this year the single quarter was impacted by supply chain problems - again caused by the pandemic. Reacting to short-term data points can whipsaw you into very bad de...2021-12-0929 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastMeta - What? Facebook is now Meta - and why Meta is big deal right now.Recently Facebook changed its name to Meta. This podcast explains why this is a good thing for the company both when communicating, and as part of its strategy. Meta is really 3 extremely important platforms. Facebook the website, which is the most popular website in the world. Instagram, which challenges YouTube as the most popular video site. And WhatsApp which is the biggest platform for texting, calling, and meeting in the world. Together these 3 platforms account for 40% of all internet traffic in the world. No joke. All are owned by Facebook, and it was confusing to lots o...2021-11-2432 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastGE and Sears Failed - and Why You Should CareSears closed its last Illinois store last week. You're probably surprised they still had any open. GE announced it is splitting what little is left of the company into 3 pieces, and you most likely thought GE was already as small as it could get. Despite magnificent histories, in less than 2 decades these 100 year old companies have lost all relevance, and their very survival.This podcast reveals that this can happen to any company. But it doesn't have to. There were plenty of signs of trouble, and plenty of opportunities for both companies to turn toward prosperity. But they...2021-11-1729 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastPost-Pandemic: Separating Trends from PromotionsAs the pandemic ends, there is enormous pressure to "re-open." This phrase is mostly used to describe the hospitality industry, which was devastated by the lockdown and restrictive behavioral requirements of COVID-19. Millions of jobs were lost, airlines placed in jeopardy, hotels and restaurants failed, and prices have risen while services have fallen. Many are asking, what's the new trend?This podcast explains how to separate demand-based trends from supply-based promotions. To do this, we must go back before the pandemic to look at trends in hospitality. The market exploded in the late 1990s as more and more...2021-11-1033 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastOvercoming Your Obstacles to Growth - Managing Lock-inOften people see changes in their market. And they see new opportunities being created. Yet, despite awareness of new opportunities and the need to change far, far too often we don't change. We don't implement changes to overcome threats, and we miss out on new growth opportunities. Even when we know we should. Why not?This podcast goes over how "best practices" causes us to "lock-in" our business model, and our business practices, behaviorally, structurally and with costs. We create a specific culture, and work hard to maintain that culture, even when the culture needs to change. We i...2021-10-2731 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastStrategic Planning is About Looking Externally and Finding Routes to GrowthDo you plan for 2022 and beyond by looking at 2021 and backward? How does that make any sense? When Blockbuster Video built its future plans based on past success, where did it end up? In the movie "Cannonball Run" one of the racers rips the rear view mirror off the car, throws it out the window and says "What's behind me is not important!" And the same can be said about your business. Your company's future is not created, nor limited, by its past. Your future is whatever you want it to be! But you MUST align with trends.Th...2021-10-2134 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastMEGATRENDS: How to Include Climate Change In Your PlanningIt is easy to ignore small changes in a long-term trend. But these small changes add up to big changes - creating a "punctuated equilibrium" where the entire marketplace shifts. Too often we become accustomed to our surroundings, and we miss the small evolutionary changes. We fail to see how trends add up, creating a major shift. There is also a tendency to omit planning for changes we cannot control. We assume the future will look like the past, when even the "now" doesn't look like the past.Climate change has already impacted the entire planet, and thu...2021-10-1130 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastEven when you're on trend, success requires fulfilling unmet needsArtificial Intelligence is one of the biggest trends driving growth this decade. Machine learning and AI have infinite applications, and the ability to help customers accomplish more with less effort. So companies will benefit from applying AI, no matter what business they are in.Yet, generic AI won't succeed unless it focuses on fulfilling an unmet need. Offering features, functions and benefits is insufficient as a solution. Or even a component to a solution. All successful solutions start by recognizing an unmet need, then applying technology to solve that need. This podcast dives into technology that has many ap...2021-09-2837 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastThe implications of ONE BIG trend: DemographicsDemographic changes, which are entirely predictable with high accuracy, will have the most impact of any trend on businesses globally for the next 20 years. Specifically, the aging population in the USA, Japan, China and Germany will create major changes in how manufacturing is implemented, creating tremendous market shifts. Japan and China are likely to be the biggest losers, and America has a lot to gain, returning the USA to the #1 spot in global manufacturing, if we use this trend to America's benefit.The aging population in all 4 top manufacturing countries will lead to greater automation and use o...2021-09-1529 min
The Business Trendsetter PodcastIt's Good to Feel Good About SalesTo succeed, all businesses - large to start-up - require sales. If you don't sell, you don't have a business. Yet, many of us have a terrible impression of sales as an occupation. Even salespeople often have a bad attitude about their own profession.And this is just silly. Sales is a great occupation. Mostly we need to get over our own beliefs about sales, and return to understanding that everyone wants help solving a problem. And sales is just helping people solve a problem. Too often we devolve into pushing our value delivery system, and undermine our a...2021-09-0838 minThe Business Trendsetter PodcastLessons Learned from America Leaving AfghanistanAmerica occupied Afghanistan, and appeared capable of staying much longer. But in reality America's position had weakened dramatically, and the decision to leave laid bare false assumptions built on hope. Business leaders can learn from this in order to be more successful.First, if you aren't growing your customer relationship, it is dying. It is impossible to have a strategy of maintaining the status quo. Impossible to think that if you hold the status quo long enough things will revert to a previous state. Everyone is moving forward, all the time. New needs are emerging, and as lea...2021-08-1829 minThe Business Trendsetter PodcastThe Delta Variant is Not a Trend – But It Continues Accelerating TrendsCover 19, and now the Delta variant, are Disruptions. As we at Spark Partners discuss in our writing and training, significant disruptions create market shifts. And as Adam wrote in “Create Marketplace Disruption: How To Stay Ahead of the Competition” those who build on the trends accelerated in a Market Shift stand to be the really, really big winners. Mobile technology adoption is 15+ years along. From pagers to mobile phones to smart phones, to FaceTime, Skype and now Zoom the trend to mobile has been growing. Asynchronous work tools include email, which goes back 20+ years. Now augmented...2021-08-1229 minThe Business Trendsetter PodcastHow to Sell in a World that Never Stops Changing - Special Interview with Frank CespedesRevenue growth requires strategy AND execution. Yet despite over 5,000 business schools in the USA, there are fewer than 300 courses on sales. Dr. Frank Cespedes of the Harvard Business School has been closing that education gap for over 20 years, as an academic and leader of a services firm focused on sales process improvement.Successful sales improvement requires hiring good people. But that is not enough. Success is highly context specific, and the “right” person fits the marketplace, the solution, and the sales support system to close more deals. Too often C-level execs think only of the people, and not en...2021-07-2741 min
Tucson Means BusinessTMB E49: Spark Partners, Think & Execute Like InnovatorsSpark Partners prepares business leaders and entrepreneurs to think and execute like innovators. We drive results in your business by teaching you to identify, classify, and develop innovations that will conquer your market. Stay in front of market shifts by becoming part of our SparkCom Innovator community, giving you insights, tools, and resources to gain the advantage and & help propel your business to greater success. ADAM HARTUNG: “Don’t plan for what you know. Plan for what you don’t know.” Adam is a world-renown expert on innovation, strategy, and change management. He has served on multiple...2021-07-2752 minThe Business Trendsetter PodcastNetflix and Zoom – More Lessons from Market LeadersNetflix wasn’t always a household name. They had to destroy Blockbuster first. But then to keep from being destroyed itself Netflix had to transition from delivering DVDs to streaming movies. When streaming technology became generic, causing Disney, NBC and others to unleash their content Netflix became the #1 content producer. Now, as entertainment keeps changing, Netflix is going to pivot again – building on trends to increase sales.Zoom was one of the biggest winners in the Pandemic. Sales growing 300%/quarter. But as Zoom’s market capitalization has climbed Zoom has chosen to invest heavily (20% of its market cap) in Fi...2021-07-2136 minThe Business Trendsetter PodcastBranson Goes to Space – The Wonders of Blank SpaceTaking advantage of Trends to grow your business requires implementing projects outside the normal flow of business. To do this successfully you need Blank Space teams that have the opportunity, and permission, to color outside the lines – to Get Outside the Box, Then Think. These teams can figure out how to build on the trend creating new revenue opportunities, unhindered by the existing business model, existing industry norms and existing culture. Virgin has long been a company launching Blank Space Teams to create new revenue opportunities, moving the company into a plethora of businesses – includi...2021-07-1437 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast7-8-2021: Trend or Fad? Knowing Which Could Make (Or Break) Your BusinessDo you know how to tell the difference between a trend and a fad? If you invest in trends you can be ahead of competitors and make lots of money. If you invest in fads the bottom could fall out and you could lose it all. So understanding the difference has enormous implications for the success of your investments.
This podcast offers insight into current events, describing them as trends or fads, then explains how you can determine which is which. Using these benchmarks could make all the difference in your future results.2021-07-0838 minThe Business Trendsetter PodcastWill You Be the Next Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg? Meet Up-And-Comer Max TornowMax's goal is to be a billionaire, and possibly the next Jeff Bezos. He doesn’t just goal it – he’s planning for it. In this podcast he gives his perspective to challenges entrepreneurs face, and how programs like his and Spark Partners help companies succeed. Topics include:- The role of social media in quick success- Why regulators and politicians cannot stop the global trends- Why you need to move quickly- How to remove your blinders to see opportunities right in front of youThinking points:- How...2021-06-2933 minThe Business Trendsetter PodcastConstruction industryLike all industries, construction is impacted by trends. Even though it seems very traditional, trends in financing costs and how we work are making a big difference in the facilities we need for living and working. While high materials cost is most likely a bubble, trends in labor shortages are here to stay. Being creative will be crucial for success if you are a builder, contractor, office owner or homeowner.This podcast covers how trends in government policies, local regulations, material availability and labor all merge to alter what people want from their office and home, what they...2021-06-2332 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast6-16-2021 There’s Mushroom for Growth When You Focus Your MarketIn this week’s podcast, Manny and Adam bring on special guests John De Lorenzo and Kristopher Savage of Desert Pearl Mushrooms, a Tucson-based business that grows and sells culinary and medicinal mushrooms throughout the city. In a time of great push for plant-based proteins and meat alternatives, John and Kris strive to create a business that meets the needs of consumers who want low fat, high protein foods bringing similar flavors to meat. Plus, they grow much of their mushrooms to add variety to the flavors of Tucson’s culinary scenes. They’re selling at farmer’s markets one mome...2021-06-1635 minThe Business Trendsetter PodcastTrends in TransportationAutonomous cars are going to happen. The question is when. It’s most likely a LOT earlier than you are anticipating. And that’s a missed opportunity for your business to perform better, building on the higher reliability and safety of autonomous vehicles – which will include semi-trucks. You need to plan on this trend as you develop future scenarios and plan on new markets and new products.Demographic trends assure us that the USA is aging, family formation is falling, and the number of children born in new families is dropping as well. Rather than sticking to its old b...2021-06-0833 minThe Business Trendsetter PodcastThe Business Trendsetter Podcast 6-2-2021: The Gig Economy is the Empowerment EconomyWe love to talk about trends and the importance of following them, but there’s a few trends that need a little love on their own. In this episode of the Business Trendsetter Podcast, Spark Partners hone in on the growing trends of remote work and the gig economy, and the serious need to fully embrace them.
Self-employed and remote workers have increasingly begun to inhabit the economy in the last few decades, now making up a third of the US economy.With the freedom to work when and where they please using mobile and asynchronous tools, “digital nomads” have the po...2021-06-0238 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast5-27-2021 How Amazon Bought MGM for FreeAmazon is buying MGM Studios for $9B. But actually, Amazon is buying MGM for free. And you can do the same thing – if you follow trends. You too can create enormous “Trend Value."
Amazon grew from $0 to $1B revenue/year in under 5 years. By following trends in e-commerce, cloud computing and video streaming. In 25 years Amazon’s sales grew to $386B. That rapid growth, created by investing in trends, has made Amazon’s market capitalization $1.62Trillion.
Amazon is $1.3Trillion greater than its assets – what we call Trend Value. 21.5x the Trend Value of Walmart, which is stuck in an outdated business...2021-05-2738 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast5-2-2021 You’re Living the Trends, So PLAN For ThemWe’ve said it before. You’ve got to pay attention to the trends, but not just the trends in your business’ performance.
It is crucial to look beyond your business, beyond your market, beyond your beliefs and culture for the trends that will shape the future economy and consumer habits.
In this episode we consider the ten megatrends John Naisbitt predicted in his 1982 book on the topic. Amongst them Naisbitt’s forecasted the shifts from industry to information, from centralized to decentralized decision making, from forced technology use to desired technology use, and the US population shift from the East to...2021-05-0231 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast4-16-2021 The 4 Megatrends for 2020-2030Megatrends are the big trends that affect all people, and all businesses. Originally identified in 1982 by John Naisbitt (who died 13 April) and detailed in his book of the same name, today we can still use Megatrends to make decisions that will improve our success. By using Megatrends to drive our planning, and decision making, we position our careers, and our businesses for greatest success. We can look at current events and see how the 4 Megatrends in “Thrive to the Future” (available on this website) are driving immediate behavior. (1) Mobile – demonstrated by the acceleration in tablet sales (2...2021-04-1612 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast4-8-2021 Focus Your Resources on Growth OpportunitiesWe put resources onto our business, and it becomes an ongoing “constant.” We insufficiently evaluate if we are over-investing people, money and our management resources in protecting historical businesses. Thus, we don’t sufficiently invest in growth opportunities. Too often we think that we have no resources to pursue growth, when in fact we have ample resources if we redeploy.2021-04-0835 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast3-31-2021 Finding the Right Advisors and Coach for Your BusinessObtaining the right advice is really important to helping you succeed. We all need external input to get over and around our biases, while providing external eyes, ears and mental energy to our business. But most of us have no idea how to identify the right advisor or coach, nor how to structure the relationship to get the best advice.
This podcast identifies the most common mistakes, and how to avoid them. Plus how to find the right kind of person to help you, and structuring the relationship correctly. The pitfalls of creating a Board of Directors, Advisory Board, project...2021-03-3129 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast3-25-2021 Focus on Growth and Build on Trends to Create Value – Learn from the Success and Failure of General ElectricYou can never assume your business is sustainable. In reality, market shifts can happen remarkably fast. Your business can become obsolete faster than you ever imagined. Just as technology and disruptive change creates opportunity, it also creates “creative destruction.” Great leaders build on trends to grow value. Poor leaders get stuck trying to “sustain” and inevitably destroy value.2021-03-2525 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast3-18-2021 Overcome Perceptual BIAS and Fear of Risk to Be More SuccessfulThere is real, measurable risk. But we make most decision on our perception of risk – rather than real risk. What’s new, or you don’t understand, you think of as risky. But many new opportunities are NOT risky. In fact, often doing nothing (maintaining the status quo) is the riskiest strategy.2021-03-1825 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast3-10-2021 Tie Current Events to Long-Term Trends So You Make Decisions to GrowYou can create “Opportunity Value” in your business – making it possible for your value to increase by creating more opportunities for success. It’s easy to keep busy and not get around to innovating. But if we use current events to help us address trends leading to permanent changes we won’t be whipsawed by headlines and instead invest in opportunities to create higher long-term value.
Examples - Work from home will lead to changes in demand for real estate and transportation (cars and planes) that should be part of our growth plans. Technology is allowing many more, shorter meetings – which can he...2021-03-1028 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast3-3-2021 Pandemic Success Story – Pivoting to the Future at Crooked Tooth BreweryThe pandemic hit a lot of small businesses hard. None worse than food & beverage, which shut down totally with no idea what the future would bring. Facing potential failure Crooked Tooth Brewery in Tucson, AZ had to figure out next steps. But rather than waiting for the pandemic to end, or doubling down on its existing business, Crooked Tooth looked at market trends and invested in new products and new distribution methods.
These investments have quadrupled revenue/customer at the brewery and dramatically extended distribution during the pandemic. Even in a no growth beer market Crooked Tooth built on trends...2021-03-0335 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast2-24-2021 Cryptocurrency – Trend or Fad? Knowing Which is Critical for SuccessCryptocurrencies recently drew a lot of attention due to Elon Musk personally investing heavily, while having Tesla also invest. Subsequently some CEOs (mostly of tech companies) began saying companies should hold cryptocurrencies instead of dollars, euros or other government backed currencies. Thus, the price of the major ones, like Bitcoin, skyrocketed.
However, there is good reason for wild volatility in cryptocurrency values. This podcast describes the breadth of cryptocurrencies, the foundation upon which they claim to have value, as well as how they are stored, traded and spent, explaining how weak the infrastructure really is. It also explains the difference...2021-02-2428 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast2-17-2021 Innovation Success – Chase the Money Not the TechnologySuccessful innovation requires tracking big trends, and thinking about how these will change customer behaviors and markets. Innovators have to develop for the long-term, yet far too many are so focused on short-term results they don’t see long-term implications – and opportunities!!
Success doesn’t come from hard work. It comes from working smart. Put your energy/resources into innovations, and projects, that are on trends in order to get the most out for the work you put in.
Takeaways:
Don’t let your “passion” drive innovation. Let market needs drive innovation.
Don’t get so focused on short-term results that you don’t...2021-02-1827 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast2-9-2021: 4 Big Trends – Lessons from Super Bowl LV That Can Grow Your BusinessOver Time the Super Bowl has become the premier location for launching advertising related to emerging products. Super Bowl LV was no different. There were of course traditional ads for mass market products from companies with ad budgets over $100million. But between those were advertisers using the event for first time ads, and other advertisers promoting new features or applications. These ads were wholly aligned with the 4 Big Trends Spark Partners has outlined for revenue growth in the 2020 decade.
Our eBook “Thrive to the Future” outlined 4 Big Trends that emerged BEFORE the pandemic, and which have grown much stronger DURING the...2021-02-1026 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast2-3-2021: GAMESTOP – Manage for the Long-Term, Follow Trends Rather Than FadsGameStop stock was recently manipulated by stock traders into wild price volatility. But this was a fad – with many losers and some winners. This was not based on long-term trends for the retailer’s business, nor was this buying and selling of stock based on long-term valuation. Although news making, the story was due to a short-term squeeze, not business fundamentals driven by trends.
However, the financial services market is undergoing dramatic change, reacting to long-term trends for mobility, applied AI and support for the Gig Economy. This is making business easier for entrepreneurs and small businesses, while simultaneously creating new...2021-02-0327 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast1-27-2021: The Death of IBM - How To Avoid Your DemiseIBM is well on its way to becoming the next Sun Microsystems, Wang or Digital Equipment Corp (DEC.) Despite an incredible legacy, today IBM is irrelevant in the marketplace, and its sales have been declining for nearly a decade. Since 2000 the value of Apple has risen 14,900%, while IBM’s value has risen 5.7%.2021-01-2726 min
The Business Trendsetter Podcast1-19-2021: From Research Invention to Commercialization – Friction and ObstaclesThis week’s podcast is an interview with Doug Hockstad, Assistant VP at the University of Arizona’s Tech Launch Arizona. Doug discusses how the university undertakes initial efforts to commercialize inventions for its labs and how he focuses resources on moving inventions from paper to license. Universities and research organizations typically focus on inventing new things, without much concern for commercialization. Thus university commercialization is more concentrated on invention protection and preparing for licensing, than figuring out how to turn the invention into high value commercial products.Research organizations operate quite separately from commercial thinking. Reaching lice...2021-01-2031 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast1-12-2021: Planning and Executing for a Future of GrowthFrom storming the Capitol to running a business, failing to plan is a common reason for failure. During the pandemic, individuals and business failed to plan well. Restaurants made the temporary changes of enforcing healthy guidelines in line with COVID-19, but what more are they doing? Without investing time in organizing your business goals and understanding market trends, your business will fall victim to competitors and disruption. Even Manny admits that lack of planning played a role in past business errors.
Take it from Spark Partners to know how to plan SMART for the future.
Planning is not just goal-setting...2021-01-1326 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast1-5-2021: Don’t Plan for What You Know, Plan for What You DON’T KnowIt’s 2021 and Spark Partners discuss how business leaders can strategically prepare for the future ahead. This episode Adam and Manny focus on planning for disruption, rather than business as usual. We’re almost a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, but not everyone seems to have fully grasped the extent of its effects. Individuals and businesses are following mandatory health guidelines and have undoubtedly felt the economic impacts.
Many business leaders continue to make the same three mistakes that keep them from growing beyond COVID:
1. Thinking they’re not affected
2. Thinking the pandemic will end soon
3. Thinking we’ll eventually return t...2021-01-0626 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast12-29-2020: Your New Year’s Guide to THRIVING to the FUTUREThe new year is right around the corner, and Spark Partners are wrapping it up with a conversation to prepare you for 2021. What tools do you need to have handy to make the upcoming year a success? We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: you must follow TRENDS! Trends are the signs no business leader can ignore if they want to take their work further and make it profitable well into the future. This episode, Manny and Adam go over the four trends that helped top companies thrive through 2020, and remain relevant tools to help your busi...2020-12-3026 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast12-22-20: Deserted Shopping Mall Turned Flourishing Farm - Turning Setbacks into OpportunitiesIn a continued exploration of important innovators, Adam and Manny launch a conversation from a troubling phenomenon -- unused real estate in the US. What’s left of once bustling shopping malls, busy workplaces, and thriving communities are now empty and run-down buildings. The pandemic accelerated so many trends, from demographic to technological, that point to changing American landscapes and business expectations. When things go south it’s hard to see how things can get better. But it’s crucial to remember that when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.
Many successful innovators today created opportunities out of events that happen...2020-12-2225 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast12-15-2020: Take a New Route and Drive Towards Your CustomerSpark Partners continues December’s highlight of admirable and not-so-admirable innovators by looking at the mistakes companies have made by investing in the wrong innovations. Companies like Uber, Segway, and others with unique creations have gone wrong when they confused their value delivery system with their value proposition. Uber just gave up on their billion dollar investment on autonomous vehicles, an effort that never aided their value proposition. As cool as Segway was, no one had any use for it. Even the great winners in innovation, like Microsoft and Google, have lost by creating products that customers did not need (re...2020-12-1627 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast12-8-2020: Want to Succeed? Put Yourself in Hsieh’s ShoesIn this month’s celebration of notable innovators, Spark Partners take this episode to compare two notable innovators: the late Tony Hsieh and the late Frank Carney. Hsieh, the former CEO of the online shoe company Zappos, pioneered the concept of easy product returns that led the entire ecommerce industry to follow suit. Pizza Hut co-founder Frank Carney created the pizza that defines America by its low cost and unique flavor, and spread it nationwide through the nation’s first pizza franchise. But what made Hsieh successful--and Carney less so--was his ability to innovate past one great idea.
As Hsieh did...2020-12-0926 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast12-1-2020: Innovate to Save Lives - With Insulin Now CEO Mica KinderThis week on The SparkCom Podcast, Manny and Adam are joined by Mica Kinder, founder and CEO of Insulin Now. The online pharmacy provides low-cost insulin for uninsured and underinsured diabetes patients, and is the only commercial group in the United States doing so.
Business leaders often think narrowly about innovation, as though it only implies changes to products. But in a business where the product can’t change, Mica demonstrates how necessary and possible it is to find alternative services that fulfill consumer needs. With numerous supply chain players involved in insulin’s production and distribution, and no generic subs...2020-12-0331 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast11-24-2020: Pivot Your Business Toward 2021As we fast approaching the end of 2020, we can see how much the business landscape has changed through the COVID-19 pandemic. In a time of need and economic fallouts, several companies have stayed on top after bringing considerable value to consumers. How have they done that? Through change and sales.
Looking at the most valuable companies in 2020 versus those fifteen years ago, it’s clear how much the world and consumer needs have shifted. How did tech giants like Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft gain such incredible value to now own some of the largest market caps? How did Disney survive th...2020-11-2425 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast11-17-2020: The Essential Qualities of a Successful EntrepreneurWhat makes a successful entrepreneur? What makes a successful innovator? Hint: It’s not DNA.In this week’s episode of the SparkCom Podcast, Manny guides a conversation on the traits, experiences, and mentality of successful startup entrepreneurs. There’s a level of spirit and drive that not every entrepreneur possesses, but can possess to succeed. Understandably, many are held back by the fear of failure and of losing the security that comes with a day job. So here’s one question to ask yourself before becoming a full-fledged entrepreneur: Can you live without a paycheck to do somet...2020-11-1828 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast11-11-2020: It’s in Your Control - Prepare for Failure or Prepare to SurviveIf you could predict the future accurately, would you do anything different? So many business leaders from prominent companies and small businesses choose to not take action to prevent their business from failing, even when they know all odds are stacked against them. This week, the Spark Partners discuss this all-too-common mistake businesses make, and the steps any leader can take to push their business towards growth. We all deny the reality of what we might be doing wrong, and what we should be doing better. Just look at what happened to major retailers like Sears and ToysRUs, and how...2020-11-1126 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast11-3-2020: Trends are the Entrepreneur's Compass to InnovationAdam and Manny take this week’s episode to cover trends and why they are so paramount to the field of innovation. From a changing energy industry and the rise of vegetarian diets, to the rising costs of homes and shifts to working from home, trends completely dominate the world, not just business! No innovator can afford to ignore trends or make excuses to not adopt them. Even fifteen years ago, many business leaders were slow to incorporate mobile technology into their business. Now, no business can survive without a Facebook page or website. Today we see Exxon Mobil’s stoc...2020-11-0427 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast10-23-2020: Trends Will Always Outweigh the GovernmentThis week the Partners spark a conversation on the effects of third party involvement on business growth and innovation. Reviewing the Department of Justice’s new antitrust lawsuit against Google and it’s 2001 lawsuit against Microsoft, Adam and Manny question the role of the government in regulating competition in the marketplace. There’s no denying that e-commerce, social media, and big tech platforms have dominated the 21st century’s economy. Small businesses might feel at an unfair disadvantage against big businesses when advertising through major tech sites. If small businesses are truly limited this way, it’s definitely necessary to seek suppo...2020-10-2726 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast10-16-2020: The Future of Film - Beyond Overpriced PopcornFollowing up on a previous discussion on Disney, Spark Partners turn their attention to the struggling film industry and movie theaters. Hollywood’s heavy reliance on the traditional value delivery system of theater-viewing has left the industry to fall behind competing platforms utilizing trends in streaming and technology. According to Adam, the mutual relationship between film producers and theaters is long gone. Large box office productions have less use now that movies can be made on smartphones and exceptionally low budgets, and now that at-home streaming is the most popular and preferred method for viewing. The COVID-19 pandemic is not to...2020-10-2025 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast10-2-2020: Growing Opportunity AND High Risk in the Cannabis IndustryIn this episode of the SparkCom Podcast, Adam and Manny discuss the contrast of growing opportunity and high risk in the cannabis industry. Entrepreneurship is about discovering solutions to address consumer problems. And, at its foundation, the cannabis industry at its foundation identifies unmet customer needs, making it outwardly appealing for modern business leaders. But it’s the value delivery system where complications arise.
Despite growing demand for cannabis products, a whirlwind of legal, political, and financial barriers make entering and succeeding in the industry highly challenging. Regulation costs, tax costs, and distribution costs make participating expensive, and state and fe...2020-10-0626 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast9-25-2020: Don’t Bank on Your Bias - Acknowledge It and GROW PAST It“That’s not the way things are done here” is one of the most common and destructive mentalities any business leader can have, especially if they want their business to grow. Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Sharf perfectly demonstrated how maintaining age-old and faulty biases is an undeniable reason for business limitation, when he recently commented that the bank’s lack of Black employees is due to there being “a very limited pool of Black talent to recruit from.” From racial to operational, all business leaders must be able to get rid of the biases they and their organizations hold that curb creativ...2020-09-2926 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast9-18-20: Know Your Destination and Direction, or Go Nowhere Like Kraft-HeinzIn Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Caroll said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” Maybe you’ve applied his words to life in general or literal geographical advice. As an innovator, you’ve got to apply it to your business.
This week Adam and Manny discuss the history and current state of Kraft-Heinz, one of America’s biggest food processing companies. Despite decades of providing the country with some of the most recognizable foods, the company has been directionless and in the process of decline. In an attempt to keep business alive the company re...2020-09-2225 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast9-4-2020: Look to Tesla for Creating High Value InnovationsAdam and Manny take a look at how one of the world’s most innovative companies, Tesla, arose and achieved such high valuation when others in the automotive industry have considered it too unconventional and no match for other auto companies. Despite Tesla’s different operative practices and primary emphasis on producing electric cars, Adam points out that Tesla found success by finding the unmet need of consumers for stylish, high performance, and ecologically secure cars and, now, other clean energy technology. Meanwhile, the rest of the auto industry have become unmatched and uninnovative competitors with resistance to moving beyond the...2020-09-0826 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast8-28-2020: The Time is NOW to Embrace the Gig EconomyThe Spark Partners dive deep into one of the biggest marketplace trends, the Gig Economy, with their discussion brought on by California’s Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) that’s impacted tons of businesses like Uber and Lyft. The law passed in 2019 attempts to redefine independent contract workers as employees, going against the growing trend of gig work and the age of information that we live in today. We no longer need the established employer-employee model needed to run the obsolete industrial economy. It’s time for business leaders, government heads, and even unions to embrace the gig economy and gig worker...2020-09-0231 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast8-21-2020: Make Your Innovations Out of this World! With Space Perspective Co-Founder Taber MacCallumOn this week’s episode, the Spark Partners are joined by special guest Taber MacCallum to discuss how he has established a successfully innovative near-space tourism business, and important points from his experience of developing it. For Taber, incorporating research, working through obstacles, and simultaneously holding a critical perspective of your business and perseverance are keys to creating a valuable business that signifies human achievement.
About Taber MacCallum:
Taber MacCallum is the Co-CEO, a founder and CTO of Space Perspective, a human spaceflight company taking people and payloads to the edge of space by balloon. He is also Chairman of th...2020-08-2535 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast8-14-2020: LEAD Your Business To Growth or Get Lost in the MailDon’t shoot the messenger! With the future of the US Postal Service in question, the Spark partners examine the harmful role leadership can play in suppressing innovation. Business leaders risk failing their organization when they ignore growing trends, deny the impact of market changes, and choose to defend and extend their classic business model. Without top level and governmental support to adapt to a mobile world, USPS hasn’t been able to incorporate the digital efficiency that would guarantee timely service for escalating delivery demands. Even leaders running automobile giants like Ford and GM have ignored Tesla’s rising influe...2020-08-1831 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast8-7-2020: Disney’s Growth Stall Proves Why You Should Drop Outdated TraditionsBusinesses everywhere too often fail because they’ve been stuck trying to carry on tradition or old values that have less and less impact in today’s world. Classic businesses from sports to family-owned operations are plummeting, and the Walt Disney Company is the perfect example. With its continued investment in theme parks and aged fantasies, the franchise is on the verge of bankruptcy and has yet to fully embrace the modern tech and trends that younger audiences are into. Every business must be willing to let go of outdated traditions to thrive NOW and in the FUTURE.2020-08-1135 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast7-31-2020: Real Pivots Extend VALUE Not CapabilitiesThe Spark Partners continue their conversation on pivots, looking at real world examples of both successful and unsuccessful pivots. Netflix sets the gold standard, having pivoted from DVD movie distribution towards worldwide media streaming, while Kodak is bound to flop as a pharmaceutical producer after consistently failing to make any truly strategic pivots in recent decades. Successful pivots are about problem solving and might mean totally transforming your business to produce a true innovation. Is your business changing direction to meet unmet needs, or are you just looking for new ways to continue business as usual?
Thinking Points:
What is yo...2020-08-0633 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast7-24-2020: Failing Traditional Retailers MUST Innovate to SurviveWith the forced closures of thousands of businesses across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the inevitable fate of the retail industry: traditional retailers are failing amidst the rise of e-commerce. In this episode of The SparkCom Podcast, the Partners go in depth on how retailers should rethink their business considering the major trends dominating the marketplace. Entrepreneurs in retail have no choice but to set their sites on where their market is gong, and create a business that's fit to compete with any retailer, including Amazon.2020-08-0632 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast7-17-2020: Strategically Pivot to Offer What Your Customer REALLY WantsThe term "pivot" is commonly thrown around among businesses of all scales to define changes in business strategy. Many entrepreneurs attempt to make big changes to improve business, but don't actually create a change in its value. Watch this week's episode to understand how to make the pivotal changes in your business tactics to steer it towards success.2020-08-0630 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast7-10-2020: How Innovative is Your Business? With Stackhouse Founder Ryan EganWhat do the Spark Partners' think about the so-called innovative ideas of today's startups? Adam and Manny discuss innovation in the housing market this week with guest Ryan Egan, founder of Stackhouse, a Tucson-based business that provides affordable shipping container homes to meet national housing codes. The Partners provide their perspective on his business and reveal how he can dive deeper into understanding his value proposition to be truly innovative.
For more information on Stackhouse visit https://stackhouse.life/2020-08-0636 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast7-3-2020: Your Business Should Go Where the Global Economy is GoingAdam and Manny cover the importance of understanding globalization for business at all scales. Business leaders must learn to think outside of the perspective of the US, understand globalization as a trend, and know where the global economy is going, including demographically and technologically, to make their enterprise competitive and durable.2020-08-0628 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast6-30-2020: The Facebook Ad Boycott Proves Why You Should Follow TrendsAdam and Manny release a short mid-week podcast to highlight the current Facebook Ad Boycott by hundreds of companies for the platform’s inaction to remove hate speech and false information. According to Adam, the boycott is a result of Facebook’s failure to follow a trend of growing calls for meeting the needs of underserved communities. In this case scenario, both small and big businesses can learn what not to do from Facebook, and instead aim to follow trends to meet the needs of their target audiences.2020-08-0614 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast6-26-2020: Understand the TRUE Value to Innovate Your BusinessWhat's the true value of your business? This concept is the center of discussion in this week's episode, where the Spark Partners discuss how important identifying the true value is essential to innovating for success. Hear how companies like Ford, Harley Davidson, and Motorola missed key opportunities to grow, and what suggestions Adam has for small businesses like a local brewery and photography business to innovate.2020-08-0633 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast6-19-2020: Disruptive Innovation is the Key to Continuous Business GrowthAdam and Manny break down the Spark Partners' core idea of disruptive innovation, and explain how businesses win or lose when they choose between constantly meeting customer needs or defending and extending traditional business models. What do the experts say? Embrace creative disruption or prepare to see your business fail.2020-08-0634 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast6-12-2020: Where to Take Your Business Post-COVID-19Amidst the corona virus pandemic, the biggest question is when will we return to normal? According to Adam, never. And returning to business as usual is the wrong way to go. The Spark Partners discuss exactly where leaders should take their business to adapt to a new normal and come out on top.2020-08-0629 minThe Business Trendsetter Podcast6-5-2020: Be Diverse, Be Inclusive, Be Open to GrowthIn light of the protests sparked nationally following the killing of George Floyd, Adam and Manny discuss the importance of incorporating diverse people and ideas into business to stimulate growth and to create the workplace culture of the future.2020-08-0629 min
The Student Section ReportEp. 13 Newport Harbor Tarpit, Santa Ana Marching Saints, Teran RodriguezThe 13th episode of the Student Section Report Podcast! Unlucky 13. It seems fitting with what we are dealing with.
Anyway, Manny Alvarez talks to co-host Chris Hulme talk to Ruby Trestik and Zach Forbath of the Newport Harbor Tarpit on what it has taken to stay as one of the best in Orange County that goes along with their much improved social media game this year while we discuss the best pizza spots in Newport Beach!
We also go back into marching bands and talk to Band Director Victor de Los Santos and his Marching...2020-04-011h 41
Skylight Books Podcast SeriesANDI TERAN reads from her debut novel ANA OF CALIFORNIAAna of California (Penguin Paperback Original)
Many a young reader has been charmed and transported by L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables and its spunky, smart heroine, Anne Shirley. Debut novelist Andi Teran reworks this classic coming-of-age tale for the 21st century in Ana of California and gives us a new—and equally loquacious—underdog to root for in Ana Cortez. Teran introduces characters with modern sensibilities and issues while staying true to the heart and spirit of Montgomery’s bestselling series. Teran’s novel also reflects her own Mexican heritage, bringing much needed diversity to contemporary lit...2015-08-0629 min