September 18, 2020

Adam Hartung, Manny Teran

This week Adam and Manny discuss the history and current state of Kraft-Heinz, one of America’s biggest food processing companies. Despite decades of providing the country with some of the most recognizable foods, the company has been directionless and in the process of decline.

Direction, Strategy, Financial Machinations, Acquisitions, Value Delivery System, Kraft-Heinz, General Foods, Oscar-Meyer

September 4, 2020

Adam Hartung, Manny Teran

Adam and Manny take a look at how one of the world’s most innovative companies, Tesla, arose and achieved such high valuation when others in the automotive industry have considered it too unconventional and no match for other auto companies. Despite Tesla’s different operative practices and primary emphasis on producing electric cars, Adam points out that Tesla found success by finding the unmet need of consumers for stylish, high performance, and ecologically secure cars and, now, other clean energy technology.

Tesla, Auto Industry, GM, Electric Car, Value Proposition, Value Delivery System, Mobile, Asynchronous

August 28, 2020

Adam Hartung, Manny Teran

The Spark Partners dive deep into one of the biggest marketplace trends, the Gig Economy, with their discussion brought on by California’s Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) that’s impacted tons of workers and businesses, like Uber and Lyft. The law passed in 2019 attempts to redefine independent contract workers as employees, going against the growing trend of gig work and the age of information that we live in today. We no longer need the established employer-employee model needed to run the obsolete industrial economy. It’s time for business leaders, government heads, and even unions to embrace the gig economy and gig workers’ needs for the infrastructure -- access to resources such as healthcare, workers’ compensation, and unemployment insurance -- to be successful.

Gig Economy, Innovation, Leadership, Regulations, Strategy, Trends, Lyft, Uber, Value Proposition

August 21, 2020

Adam Hartung, Manny Teran

On this week’s episode, the Spark Partners are joined by special guest Taber MacCallum to discuss how he has established a successfully innovative space tourism business, and important points from his experience of developing it. For Taber, incorporating research, working through obstacles, and simultaneously holding a critical perspective of your business and perseverance are keys to creating a valuable business that signifies human achievement.

Space Tourism, Regulation, Behavioral Lock-in, Value Proposition, Trends

August 14, 2020

Adam Hartung, Manny Teran

Don’t shoot the messenger! With the future of the US Postal Service in question, the Spark partners examine the harmful role leadership can play in suppressing innovation. Business leaders risk failing their organization when they ignore growing trends, deny the impact of market changes, and choose to defend and extend their classic business model. Without top level and governmental support to adapt to a mobile world, USPS hasn’t been able to incorporate the digital efficiency that would guarantee timely service for escalating delivery demands. Even leaders running automobile giants like Ford and GM have ignored Tesla’s rising influence and risk falling behind they’re most innovative competitor. Business leaders, are you actively looking for new ways to innovate? Or are you the reason for your organization’s stifling growth?

USPS, Innovation, Leadership, Mobility, Auto Industry, Trends, Value Proposition

August 7, 2020

Adam Hartung, Manny Teran

Businesses everywhere too often fail because they’ve been stuck trying to carry on tradition or old values that have less and less impact in today’s world. Classic businesses from sports to family-owned operations are plummeting, and the Walt Disney Company is the perfect example. With its continued investment in theme parks and aged fantasies, the franchise is on the verge of bankruptcy and has yet to fully embrace the modern tech and trends that younger audiences are into. Every business must be willing to let go of outdated traditions to thrive NOW and in the FUTURE.

Growth Stall, Disney, Family-Owned, Tradition, Trends

July 31, 2020

Adam Hartung, Manny Teran

The Spark Partners continue their conversation on pivots, looking at real world examples of both successful and unsuccessful pivots. Netflix sets the gold standard, having pivoted from DVD movie distribution towards worldwide media streaming, while Kodak is bound to flop as a pharmaceutical producer after consistently failing to make any truly strategic pivots in recent decades. Successful pivots are about problem solving and might mean totally transforming your business to produce a true innovation. Is your business changing direction to meet unmet needs, or are you just looking for new ways to continue business as usual?‍

Pivots, Trends, Value Proposition, Defend and Extend, Netflix, Kodak

July 24, 2020

Adam Hartung, Manny Teran

With the forced closures of thousands of businesses across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the inevitable fate of the retail industry: traditional retailers are failing amidst the rise of e-commerce. In this episode of The SparkCom Podcast, the Partners go in depth on how retailers should rethink their business considering the major trends dominating the marketplace. Entrepreneurs in retail have no choice but to set their sites on where their market is gong, and create a business that's fit to compete with any retailer, including Amazon.

Retail, COVID, Value Proposition, True Value, Market Trends, E-commerce

July 17, 2020

Adam Hartung, Manny Teran

The term "pivot" is commonly thrown around among businesses of all scales to define changes in business strategy. Many entrepreneurs attempt to make big changes to improve business, but don't actually create a change in its value. Watch this week's episode to understand how to make the pivotal changes in your business tactics to steer it towards success.

Entrepreneurship, Pivot, Value Proposition, True Value, Netflix, Microsoft, Market Trends

July 10, 2020

Adam Hartung, Manny Teran, Ryan Egan

What do the Spark Partners' think about the so-called innovative ideas of today's startups? Adam and Manny discuss innovation in the housing market this week with guest Ryan Egan, founder of Stackhouse, a Tucson-based business that provides affordable shipping container homes to meet national housing codes. The Partners provide their perspective on his business and reveal how he can dive deeper into understanding his value proposition to be truly innovative.

Value Proposition, Housing Market, Innovative Housing, Stackhouse, Startup, Tiny Houses, Affordable Housing, Trends