1. The attributes of successful
modern entrepreneurs, how to
always be on the top
Pr Alain Ndedi
Email: ndedi.alain@gmail.com
Follow me @ T Alain_Ndedi
2014/04/22

2. Problem Statement
• Many are struggling to keep their
company afloat, and need some insights
on how to remain competitive…
• Entrepreneurship Education is a new
field, and must be explained to potential
and current entrepreneurs
2014/04/22

3. Objectives of this presentation
Understand:
• Linkages between ‘staying afloat’ and
company growth
• Linkages between ‘being on the top’ and
constant innovation
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4. 2014/04/22

5. What can we learn
Some examples on how the writting on the wall
or imminent doom or misfortune of valable
brands is experienced when these valuable
companies forget the basics rules on how to
stay afloat in the market
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6. Origin of the writing in the wall
The expression originates from the Bible book of
Daniel, Chapter 5, from the handwriting on
the wall that was witnessed at a banquet
hosted by king Belshazzar.
As those at the feast profaned the sacred
vessels pillaged from the Jerusalem Temple, a
hand appeared and wrote on the palace wall
the words,
Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin
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7. Link with our talk
As Belshazzar who was the supreme king, but
experienced destruction after all….
Being the Most Valable Brand is not a
guarantee that you will remain there, specially
if the company ignores basic some rules in
entrepreneurship
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8. Case study :
Nokia
Blackberry
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9. Nokia
Nokia was, at its heart, a hardware company
rather than a software company—that is, its
engineers were expert at building physical
devices, but not the programs that make
those devices work.
In the end, the company profoundly
underestimated the importance of software,
including the apps that run on smartphones.
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10. Difference between Nokia and Apple
Nokia’s development process was long
dominated by hardware engineers; software
experts were marginalized.
Executives at Apple, in stark contrast, saw
hardware and software as equally important
parts of a whole; they encouraged employees
to work in multidisciplinary teams to
design products.
2014/04/22

11. Lesson learnt
Never underestimate certain units/employees
within your organisation…
Minor units today may add more value to your
organisation or be source of innovation and
efficiency in the future
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12. Nokia Failed the move to 3G and 4G
It wasn’t just that Nokia failed to recognize the
increasing importance of software. It also
underestimated how important the transition to
smartphones would be. Nokia is a classic case of a
company being enthralled by its past success.
Nokia was, earning more than 50 % of all the profits in
the mobile-phone industry in 2007, and most of
those profits were not coming from smartphones.
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13. Nokia was Confortable by past success
Nokia overestimated the strength of its brand, and
believed that even if it was late to the smartphone
game it would be able to catch up quickly. Nokia
continued to insist that its superior hardware
designs would win over users.
In 2008, Nokia was said to have one of the most
valuable brands in the world. But it failed to
recognize that brands today aren’t as resilient as
they once were.
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14. Lesson learned
Entreprenership has taught people to expect
constant innovation; when companies fall
behind, consumers are quick to punish them.
Late and inadequate for Nokia, it was a deadly
combination.
Nokia had applications, had internet phones,
had all that functionality . . . but all user
testing pointed to the fact that no-one
wanted touch phones. Nokia fails to listen….
2014/04/22

15. One Nokia insider said
‘I look back and I think Nokia was just a very big
company that started to maintain its position
more than innovate for new opportunities.
All of the opportunities were in front of them,
but the key word is a sense of urgency’
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16. Blackberry
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17. BlackBerry Limited
Formerly known as Research In
Motion Limited (RIM), is a Canadian
telecommunication and wireless
equipment company launched in
1994 best known as the developer
of the BlackBerry brand of
smartphones and tablets
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18. RIM
Originally a dominant innovative company in
the smartphone market with 43% US market
share in 2010, the company has in recent
years declined precipitously
On September 23, 2013 the company signed a
letter of intent to be acquired by a consortium
led by Fairfax Financial.
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19. What went wrong?
While RIM's was attractive to corporate customers, their
handsets were sometimes considered less attractive
to consumers than iPhone and Android smartphones.
The company also faced criticism that its hardware and
operating system were dated and unappealing
compared to the competition and that the browsing
capabilities were poorer.
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20. BlackBerry never tried to get a broader portfolio going
and it is stuck in the position of playing the hand it
has been dealt rather than one it could have created.
What BlackBerry did was try to improve its
(1)performance, (2)improve its product and (3) build a
stronger ecosystem. These were all ways of developing
the core business on.
Its options portfolio needed to reach new markets, with
new products, because it had already been
outcompeted not just by Apple but also by Samsung
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21. Workforce reductions
In June 2011, RIM announced the revenue would drop for the
first time in nine years, and also unveiled plans to reduce its
workforce.
In July 2011, the company cut 2,000 jobs, On June 28, 2012,
announced a plan to cut 5,000 by the end of 2013,
On July 25, 2013, 250 employees from Blackberry's research and
development department and new product testing were laid
off.
On September 20, 2013, Blackberry confirmed that the company
will have a massive layoff of 4,500 employees by the end of
2013; approximately 40 percent of the company's workforce.
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22. RIM Lack of innovative posture
Since then, RIM has been embroiled in
a series of lawsuits relating to
alleged patent infringement.
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23. How to always be on the top
INNOVATION
And
INTRAPRENEURSHIP
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24. Peter Drucker contribution…
Peter Drucker states…
Innovation is the specific function of
entrepreneurship.
It is the means by which the entrepreneur either
creates wealth or endows existing resources with
enhanced potential for creating wealth.
2014/04/22

25. Growth strategy
Market Penetration
The only way to grow using existing products and
markets is to increase market share.
One way to increase market share is by lowering prices.
For example, in markets where there is little
differentiation among products, a lower price may
help a company increase its share of the market
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26. Growth strategy
Market Expansion
A market expansion growth strategy, often called market
development, entails selling current products in a new
market to find new uses for its product.
For example, a small soap distributor that sells to retail stores
may discover that factory workers also use its product.
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27. Growth strategy
Product Expansion
A small company may also expand its product line or
add new features to increase its sales and profits.
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28. Growth strategy
Diversification
Growth strategies in business also include
diversification, where a small company will sell new
products to new markets. This type of strategy can
be very risky.
A company need to plan carefully when using a
diversification growth strategy. Marketing research
2014/04/22

29. Growth strategy
Acquisition
Growth strategies in business can also includes an acquisition. In
acquisition, a company purchases another
company to expand its operations.
An acquisition growth strategy can be risky, but not as risky as a
diversification strategy. One reason is that the products and
market are already established.
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30. Intrapreneurship
Organizational Factors
• Management Support
• Work Discretion – tolerate failure
• Rewards / Reinforcement
• Time Availability
• Organizational boundaries – rules exist?
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31. Siyabonga
• Mi na som
• Ka ye le boga
• Merci
• Thank you
2014/04/22