Articles

NvestNtech eNewsletter: Protecting Business Method Innovations: Patents Aren't the Only Way (April, 2006), by Gregory S. Hopper -- Trade secrets are discussed as a potentially valuable way to protect vital innovations. LinuxWorld Magazine: "The Perfect Storm of Disruption" (October, 2004), by Gregory S. Hopper -- This article looks at the convergence of three disruptive forces (Linux, broadband, and WiFi) creates opportunity in the internet client space. DesktopLinux.com: "Linux Beyond the Desktop" (February 5, 2003), by Gregory S. Hopper -- This article offers a perspective that the PC is the "Model T" of today, and the combination of disruptive technologies and changing business models will dictate the desktop market of tomorrow. The Business Journal: "Market Success - Paving the Way for New Product Rollout" (June 8, 2001), by Gregory S. Hopper -- This article describes an application of the "Three Questions" approach described elsewhere on this site.

Magazines

These are magazines that I recommend to keep the innovative juices flowing. Business Week -- the standard for traditional business news reporting. Recently added a focus on innovation. Good e-mail newsletters, too, particularly for small business. Weekly. Car and Driver -- perhaps the ultimate guide to understanding how to evaluate and differentiate commodity products. All cars do the same thing, and are built roughly the same way. Read this magazine to understand how different models serve different market segments, how some do well and others not so well. Monthly. Fast Company -- a different way to look at innovation, and the companies and people that make it happen. I find something in each issue that can be put to use immediately. Monthly.

Books

These are books that I have read and recommend. I have taken something away from each one, and have integrated the key points into my own view of how business and marketing strategies should work. Selling the Invisible, by Harry Beckwith -- A terrific introduction to marketing and selling services. A good read, even for product marketers, since there is always an intangible element to product purchases. Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology", by Henry Chesbrough -- Chesbrough argues that sources of innovation behind new product and service offerings should come from both inside and outside the enterprise, and trying to do it all yourself is a recipe for failure. Very thought provoking in our dynamic business environment. The Innovator's Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen -- The classic in describing "disruptive technologies". It gives great insights into why large, well managed companies fail to capitalize on new technologies and products that threaten the status quo. The Innovator's Solution, by Clayton Christensen and Michael Raynor -- an excellent follow-up to the previous entry, it describes strategies for capitalizing on disruptions. The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century", by Thomas L. Friedman -- An illuminating look at globalization. Very well written, and with valuable insights into how events in China and India (among other places) are affecting business in the US. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell -- This book provides insights into how ideas, products, and other phenomena happen all of the sudden. Draws on many fields for examples and cases, and builds a model of "social epidemics". It might help you get your product turned into a mass market sensation! Kellogg on Marketing, edited by Dawn Iacobucci -- An excellent compedium of leading thought on marketing from one of the premier graduate schools in the field. Seventeen chapters organized into three main sections: Strategy, Intelligence, and Implementation. Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant, by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne -- This book looks at how to break out of hypercompetitive markets that are zero-sum games by innovating into areas where your competitors aren't. Very good tools for helping you put this into action. Kotler on Marketing: How to Create, Win, and Dominate Markets, by Philip Kotler -- If you aren't a trained marketer, and want to understand the field, this is the book for you. Well written by a great authority. Crossing the Chasm, by Geoffrey Moore -- A classic in understanding technology adoption (and lack thereof). Inside the Tornado, by Geoffrey Moore -- The sequel to "Crossing the Chasm", this book includes an excellent summary of the first, and strategies to take new technologies into the mass market. Competitive Strategy, by Michael Porter -- The 1980 classic. Many disparage "old economy" strategy thinking, but if you have a desire to make a profit by staking out a defensible market, you should understand Michael Porter's approach. Value Migration, by Adrian Slywotsky -- A great book to understanding how what your customer values changes. It may start with your product, but move to your service. Read this to understand how to produce what it is that your customer values the most. The Profit Zone, by Adrian Slywotsky and David J. Morrison -- The follow-on to "Value Migration", this book describes 23 different models for profit -- essentially, the different ways to create a sustainable competitive advantage. The problem for you is: it keeps changing with time. A Business and its Beliefs, by Thomas A. Watson -- You may think this outdated, but the principles of running a business have never been better laid out.