So What? Who Cares? Why You?

Music to my ears...

I always enjoy scanning the MaRS newsletter -- it's full of neat tidbits about the wonderful work being done globally and collaboratively by researchers and scientists.  The April edition arrived this morning and put a spring in my step to start the day.  There, at the very beginning, is the story of a new anti-malaria tool founded by a Harvard student, a UK entrepreneur and professors from McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health. 

What caught my attention wasn't the anti-malaria tool, although this in itself sounds quite intriguing -- no, it was how they described this tool...

..."The site was built to do for African research what YouTube did for sharing videos and what eBay did for auctions: open it up in a creative and engaging way to the vast global community through the Internet".

It may be a small, basic step to briding the gap between scientific professionals and business people, but nonetheless, it's a very important step.  I can only hope business backers and investors encourage and applaud scientists who bridge conversations with tools and approaches like this. 

You can read the full article here: 

Enjoy your journey!

Wendy
author/advisor/lady with the flipcharts!
www.wendykennedy.com

Back from a long NAP!!

I couldn't resist the title of this post -- some of you, no let me correct that, ALL of you must think I've been napping all winter and this post is about me being back from a long NAP -- Nope, not about me....although I've been jaunting about the country.  Read on.....

One of my favourite blogs, VentureBlog, always has lots of  fun, yet insightful reading for those of us that live in the world of investors, innovation and the daily turmoils of the VC/inventor dance.  A post by David Hornik, No Adjectives Please!, is a great case in point example about how annoying those pesky weasel words can be in an investor presentation. 

In my language, this post reinforces the point about concrete language in your plans and presentations and cautions against using generalities when specific proof points are needed.  I talk about this in detail in chapter one of my toolkit and it's great to see a VC coaching on this point.  I love his example of killer adjectives in a pitch..."an elegant solution serving a massive market designed by brilliant founders."

Your Takeaway Today -- check your materials - are they sewn together with adjectives or concrete language?  And remember, these rules apply to all of us, not just those presenting to VCs -- your boss, the technology transfer office, a grant reviewer, research foundation director -- all of these people are investors in your idea.

Oh yes, and that pesky acronym in the title....."NAP = No Adjectives Please" :-)

Enjoy the Journey!

Wendy
author/advisor/lady with the flipcharts!
www.wendykennedy.com

Register for Seminar - March 19, 1-2:30pm EST

There's only a few days left to register for the audio-conference I'll be delivering, hosted by Technology Transfer Tactics.  Information on the what? when? how? is located here.  It should be a fun, interactive event with lots of take-away advice.

I look forward to hearing you on the line!  Of course, there'll be handouts of tools and templates to take-away, plus every registration gets a copy of my book. 

How's that for great value?  Don't miss it!!

Wendy
Author/advisor/lady with the flipcharts!

Winter 2008 Educational Bulletin Posted

Hi Folks,

If there's anyone out there that's not on a beach in the sunny Caribbean, or contemplating whether to hit a 4 iron or a 7-wood, I've posted my latest educational bulletin here.  Sorry, no recipes for Pina-Coladas or Mai-Tai's -- but perhaps some interesting tidbits just the same. 

Cheers!
Enjoy your journey!
Wendy
www.wendykennedy.com
author/advisor/lady with the flipcharts!

7 Reasons No One Likes Your Ideas

This post by Dustin on his Casual Friday's blog has some great mental floss about communicating ideas.  A fun, but insightful examination of why ideas get shot down, along with some great suggestions for avoiding the 'Polite Nod!

Read it here.

Enjoy your Journey!

Wendy
author/advisor/lady with the flipcharts
www.wendykennedy.com

Live International Audio Conference with Wendy - March 19th, 1-2:30pm

I hope you can join us for this live international audio conference, hosted by Technology Transfer Tactics.  The topic we'll be discussing is: "Separating Winners from Losers:  Conducting an Effective Market Analysis for your University's Inventions.  If you're faced with the task of assessing the commercial value of discoveries and inventions, you should join us for a thought provoking discussion and exchange of ideas. 

Click here to register. 

Hope to see you there!

Wendy

Entrepreneurship in Sub-saharan Africa

  I am always inspired  when I discover organizations like the MicroLoan Foundation.  This foundation support women entrepreneurs in Malawi, Africa with business education and funding to start their own ventures.  A key aim of the MicroLoan Foundation is to enable families to become self-sufficient by financing and helping them launch small business projects.

A key aim of the MicroLoan Foundation is to enable families to become self-sufficient by financing and helping them launch small business projects.  Through these project, women are able to improve the family's food security and support the children's education.  We often talk about the struggles and challenges of starting a venture, but I think we can all agree that being an entrepreneur, specifically a woman entrepreneur in these harshest of conditions, takes courage and commitment on an whole new level.

I urge you to take a look at the work the MicroLoan Foundation -- not only is it a great example of social entrepreneurship, but it will give you a dose of reality about your own entrepreneurial "struggles".

Hats off!

Enjoy your journey!

Wendy
Wendy Kennedy
author/advisor/lady with the flipcharts!
www.wendykennedy.com

Filet-O-Fish! or Carving Out the Market

I came across this article by Clayton Christensen entitled, "Finding the Right Job for Your Product" . It presents a perspective of carving out the market by thinking about the job your idea performs for customers.  I'm a fan of the market carving a la "market fishbone" exercise, but I must admit I don't see the uniqueness in this approach.  Is this not simply segmentation by context/application, or simply stated, "how will the customer use the product?" 

Even so, the strength of the article is not lost.  It reminds us how important it is to dive into the details by asking and examining the customer environment .  In doing so, you expand the market potential beyond your product category. 

Have a read through the article - if you prefer, you can access the full length version through innovationtools.com  (link at the end of the article).

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Wendy
author/advisor/lady with the flipcharts
www.wendykennedy.com

Let the Games Begin for 2008!

Welcome to a fresh, new year everyone!  It's got all of the hallmarks of being a fantastic one and I wish the best of health, happiness, laughter and business success to each of you. 

There's something about the dawn of a new year that puts a spring in my step.  It must be when you put your brain in park over the Christmas holidays and enjoy some family play time, the most wonderful creative ideas start to grow your business start bubbling up to the surface.  I just love that -- POOF! out of left field comes a completely awesome approach to take your business forward.  This Christmas I'm grateful for 3 big, bold ones.  The best Christmas present you could get.  So I'm energized and focused on 2008 and looking forward to all things new, big and bold. 

What's the lesson here for entrepreneurs and company builders?  Well, perhaps it's that there's a delicate balance required in holding the reins of your venture -- hold them too loose and fancy free and you wander aimlessly without purpose chasing every opportunity; hold the reins too tight and you squeeze the creativity and energy out of it.  And every once in a while it's best to just put the horse in the pasture to rest and relax.  You'll be surprised -- sometimes the best ideas come when we quiet our minds and let our hard work over the past year be rewarded with revelations.

So, I'm off to the races with my 3 big ideas and feeling great about the prospects!  I hope your journey in 2008 is fun-filled, full of big wins, and most of all introduces you to new life-long friends at every turn.

Let the games begin!

Wendy
author/advisor/lady with the flipcharts!
www.wendykennedy.com

Shameless Self-Promotion!

Hello all,  Just in case you haven't popped on to my web site, I am sharing this article written about my book implementations at Pennsylvania State University and The University of Central Florida.  This was written based upon a panel presentation we gave at the AUTM Regional Meeting in Washington DC.  It appears in this month's issue of Technology Transfer Tactics.

Have a look! 

Stay tuned....i'm about to return to the blogosphere shortly!

Wendy
author/advisor/lady with the flipcharts!
www.wendykennedy.com