The Business Trendsetter Podcast

Today, we're joined by Jeanne Cummings, a turnaround CEO with a specialty in guiding founder-led companies towards manifesting their visions. She delves into her unique approach, an 'inside out engagement,' which begins with grasping the founder's vision and extends through conversations with employees and customers. This process offers invaluable insights into the company's viability, free from the biases of entrenched leadership.

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Today, we had a conversation with Brendan Staib, the latest addition to the SparkPartners team and a sophomore at the University of Arizona's business school. Understanding the distinct buying patterns of each generation can provide valuable insights on how to sell to each of them and grow your market share. In our discussion, Brendan shed light on the evolving trends defining the Gen Z lifestyle, highlighting the significant impac...

This podcast reviews 2 innovators launching new businesses.  One we see as very likely to succeed. The other is a lot more questionable.  We explain in detail what distinguishes the difference.

Adam Hartung made over 300 predictions during the decade he wrote for Forbes.  100% of those predictions turned out to be accurate – a record for Forbes writers.  That accuracy was based upon understanding the key elements to success of laun...

April 2, 2024 was the day General Electric died.  After 132 years, the behemoth founded on invention and innovation by Thomas Edison is no longer.  How could one of the founding members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffer such a fate?  After all, just 24 years ago GE – led by Jack Welch – was the most admired company in the USA; and one of the most admired globally.

Simultaneously, Boston Market has disappeared.  Down to just...

Last week Family Dollar/Dollar Tree revealed it was filing for bankruptcy and closing approximately 1,000 stores.  For most of us, these announcements are so common we don’t even notice any longer.  Last year 4,600 retail locations closed in the USA. CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens closed 800 stores. 

This podcast explains how the US became so “overstored.” Something that was clear a decade ago. Those who were paying attention were smar...

In the last couple of weeks the Supreme Court has overturned a lot of precedent.  Similar to other headlines, it’s important business leaders use this input to update future scenarios.

This podcast reviews how the 3 big precedent changes (New York gun law, reproduction rights and school prayer) all indicate a shift in the high court toward personal rights over the rights of society.  This is a substantial change, and can reflect how...

GE was founded on April 15, 1892.  On April 2, 2024 there will be  no more GE.  This podcast explains that what took 108 years to build, culminating in Jack Welch’s huge growth spurt from 1980 to 2000, was systematically destroyed by CEO Jeff Immelt and his successors.  How?  By focusing on earnings rather than growing revenues.

This week Boeing was put under criminal investigation.  Its reputation is a disaster as we wonder if its...

This podcast interviews Tom Koulopoulos, Founding Chairman of Delphi Group, Executive Director of the Babson College Center for Business Innovation, past Director of the Dell Innovation Lab and contributor to Inc Magazine as well as many other journals. We overview his latest book (#14) “GIGATRENDS” offering insights to the major trends creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses globally.

The 6 Gigatrends act as l...

There is a lot of immigrant bashing in the USA these days. Somewhat ironic, given that almost all Americans have an immigrant background. Nonetheless, there is a perception among a lot of people – business leaders included – that immigrants are bad for the economy.

This podcast sets out to reverse that thinking. Reviewing ample data from the Congressional Budget Office, Department of Labor and regional Federal Reserve offices we ov...

Starting next week Amazon.com will replace Walgreens on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA.)  This 100+ year old index may seem out of date, but it does still have meaning.  Being selected for inclusion means a company is relevant and growing, and being opted out is the opposite.  We discuss in this podcast how changes in the DJIA and the Dow Transport Average (which just opted in Uber to replace Jet Blue) provide insight to ho...

Fed 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 impac...

Trends are long-lived customer behavioral changes.  Trends cause customers to develop new needs and allow companies to supply new solutions.  Thus, trends are loaded with opportunity, and the source of obsolescence.  But far too few companies use trends in their planning.

This podcast overviews how we verify trends, identify trend reinforcers, and then use those trends to plan. We dig deep into the 4 trends we identified at the pand...

Do you know WHY people should want to do business with your start-up, without discussing HOW you do it?  This #Podcast interviews Jordan Shepley founder of The Headling Lounge.  In this interview Jordan describes exactly why people should want to buy her products. Over and again she describes the benefits customers receive, short and long-term.  We almost had to pry the Value Delivery System out of her.  And for that reason she’s s...

Despite the reliability of demographic data, and projections, few business leaders use demographics as part of their future planning.  Because most leaders assume demographics won’t change much, and they need to appeal to today’s marketplace.  But we are facing a global shift in demographics that is changing business conditions in every market – right down to the local level.

This podcast overviews how the aging society,...

US 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 – Demographic...

Demographics are one of the most important trends for business forecasting.  They are extremely predictable, and offer tremendous insight to future markets.  From the 1980’s onward it was clear there would be a demographic problem of aging in the developed world which would create conflicts as major countries started to suffer declining populations.  Yet, universally no developed country prepared for the situation.  And now we have...

Planning for 2024 and beyond, the biggest factor determining your success is where you invest your resources.  Most of us invest in doing more of the same thing, only better, faster, cheaper.  But that has diminishing returns, and for most of us will have low payoff.  Greater success comes from investing in future trends, breaking out of our Lock-in to the past and investing in something new.

Using Tesla and the auto industry as a c...

Often leaders push their organizations to be “cost conscious.”  This almost always leads to bad customer service, which can really, really hurt your business.  This podcast digs into how some companies have bad service for years, like Comcast and United Airlines, while profits stall.  Others, like Sears and ToysRUs completely fail.  Yet other companies like Costco and Amazon turn customer service into an advantage offering greater ...

Well, McKinsey finally did it.  After a full year of analysis they figured out what we’ve been saying on this podcast all along – that a growth strategy outperforms a defensive strategy, even in recessions.  Wow, pop the champagne corks. All of you readers already know this, and that their #1 method of growing in 2024 is (wait a minute) using automation and AI!!  Wow, I’m glad they finally had time to listen to our podcast!

This pod...