The Blog
Long-form essays, field notes, and frameworks from the FIRMSconsulting team — published weekly.
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Published weekly-
The cost of revolutionary ideas
The cost of revolutionary ideas Most people don’t have the confidence to push through revolutionary ideas. There was an article from the Financial Times about the makeover of Claridge’s in London, which is one of the most prestigious hotels in the world. While Claridge’s was being renovated—one of the most extensive renovations of any building in the world—they kept…
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One of the biggest strategy shifts ever in the next 10 to 20 years
One of the biggest strategy shifts ever in the next 10 to 20 years There was an interesting piece in the Financial Times related to how new is not always better. This shift is probably going to be one of the biggest strategy shifts in the next 10 to 20 years. Let me share with you a number of…
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The Myth of Case Studies and Best Practices
The Myth of Case Studies and Best Practices An article appeared in The Wall Street Journal about Pfizer’s development of the COVID-19 vaccine. I’m using Pfizer’s good work to contrast how hard it is to know when good work is being done. This article talks about the incredible drive and determination of pharmaceutical companies to roll out a vaccine in less…
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How to Build an Idea for Your Career
Building Your Career It’s the end of the year, and many of you are looking at building your career. Many of you will be getting performance reviews and feedback from colleagues. You’ll be reevaluating your life, and a lot of it is going to come down to your ability to have a conversation with someone…
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The Economics of Innovation and Big Bets
The Economics of Innovation and Big Bets “How do you make these big bets and when? When everyone can see that the economics makes sense, it’s usually too late.” There was a story in The Wall Street Journal about utilities that made a big bet into renewables 15-20 years ago and are starting to see their valuations increase to…
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Are Netflix and Disney+ Really Beating HBO Max and Apple TV?
Are Netflix and Disney+ Really Beating HBO Max and Apple TV? Disney and Netflix have been posting record-breaking numbers in their streaming uptake. They and Amazon Prime are the frontrunners in the streaming wars. The other players—Peacock, HBO Max, Apple TV, CBS, etc.—are not seen as frontrunners, at least not yet. The Financial Times has a couple of articles on…
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Risks and Liabilities: Injuries Are Not the Worst Liabilities in Pro Sports
Risks and Liabilities: Injuries Are Not the Worst Liabilities in Pro Sports In this excerpt from Monday Morning 8 a.m. newsletter, issue #9, we are addressing some liabilities and risks in business. But first, let’s define what is a business risk and what is a liability in business. What Is Business Risk? Business risk is the…
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All Shareholders Are Not Equal
All Shareholders Are Not Equal “In corporate finance, you are taught that a company doesn’t need to diversify because shareholders can always diversify. That’s true, but it also implies that if companies that aren’t diversified have core products that fail, the company fails too.” A story in The Financial Times talks about a press release from Continental Auto Group—a…
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Who are you listening to?
Who are you listening to? The final story is about how one of the main sovereign wealth funds in Abu Dhabi has gone on a significant investment streak despite uncertainty due to COVID-19. It’s a nice piece about the head of the fund and how he’s built his career from the early days when the leader of…
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How Emerson and it’s CEO, David Farr, are responding to COVID-19
How Emerson and it’s CEO, David Farr, are responding to COVID-19 There’s a piece from the Wall Street Journal about how Emerson, a conglomerate, and its CEO, David Farr, has been responding to COVID-19. We often think of strategy as a document we put together. We often think of decision making as the process of putting together a proposal,…
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What Bob Dylan Teaches Us About Digital Strategy
What Bob Dylan Teaches Us About Digital Strategy Bob Dylan has decided to sell the rights to his entire music catalog to a major music label. Let’s look at what Bob Dylan teaches us about digital strategy. A corporation now owns Bob Dylan’s entire life’s work—he no longer owns the underlying property that made him famous in…