The Business Trendsetter Podcast

10 Episodes
Subscribe

By: Adam Hartung, Manny Teran, Spark Partners

Ready to create lasting and sustainable business growth? Join our weekly show with hosts Adam Hartung & Manny Teran of Spark Partners. Combined they have created over $3 Billion in customer value and leverage Adam’s deep domain expertise on Disruptive Innovation to teach business leaders how to transform their businesses. Do you want your business to be a market leader or a market laggard? Discover business trends and learn how to leverage them to create lasting business success and become a market disruptor. Join us today to evolve your thinking, create and execute better business growth strategies, and grow!

Business Trendsetter Pocast - Why Retailers Keep Failing – And Why It Matters To You
#171
03/19/2024

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 smart enough to avoid investing in traditional retail – and avoid investing in retail real estate. Others who saw this coming were smart enough to adjust their leases to take advant...


Yes, Roe v Wade and Other Supreme Court Actions Do Affect Business
#93
03/19/2024

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 businesses will need to possibly re-think their position/plans with customers, employees and suppliers.  What you have been assuming about these relationships might well need...


GE & Boeing Catastrophes: Blame Them On Earnings-Focused Leaders
#170
03/13/2024

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 planes are safe.  Founded in July, 1916 Willliam Boeing created the commercial aviation industry.  And Boeing led it for decades.  This podcast explains how leaders that focused on cutting c...


Business Trendsetter Podcast - GIGATRENDS – Trends Affecting Billions of People Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities
#169
03/04/2024

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 lighthouse beacons for those sailing the seas of change.  They explain how demographics, artificial intelligence, health care collapses and changes in our identities and how we work will be shaping the next decade and beyond.  Tom se...


Why Immigrants Are Essential for the US Economy
#168
02/28/2024

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 overview how immigrants are adding $7trillion to the US economy, and have been responsible for avoiding the expected recession.  Undocumented immigration is actually down 14%, while legal immigration is up...


Changes in DJIA Have Lessons for Us All
#167
02/24/2024

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 how really big money investors look at the importance of relevancy and growth.

This podcast also overviews how important it is to use...


The Impending Commercial Real Estate Collapse, and Ongoing Labor Shortage – What It Means For You
#166
02/16/2024

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 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...


Identifying and Planning with Trends
#143
02/13/2024

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 pandemic onset(Mobility, Asynchronous Work, Artificial Intelligence and Gig Economy) for verification of their ongoing importance – including new technologies, government programs and environmental changes like real estate, e-commerce use and a...


Using Your Value Proposition to Drive Start-Up Growth
#145
02/13/2024

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 selling 100% of her capacity, and looking to expand her 6 month old business.  It’s a great example of understanding the under-served, poorly met needs of customers and comin...


Using Demographics to Make Better Decisions
#165
02/03/2024

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, and low birth rates, is contributing to a significant shift in demand and supply.  It affects how businesses perform even at the most local level, because it affects the supply, demand an...