In this episode, Manny engages in conversation with Tanner Herbert and Rebecca Crane, both principals of the Signature Group, a longstanding full-service residential real estate company supporting buyers and sellers in Southern Arizona's fast-paced market. Beyond traditional services, their company also engages in wholesale transactions and fix-and-flip projects. Through their insights, we gain a deeper understanding of how the real estate market intertwines with global megatrends like demographics, AI, and the gig economy; and how the local landscape is in a constant state of evolution.   ..read more

Most people think of strategic planning as a periodic exercise, typically done annually (or every 3 years) and reviewed possibly quarterly (or semi-annually.)  It’s almost an activity that is undertaken “just because” but which has minimal impact on daily decision making.  But successful innovators do strategic planning very differently. They don’t even think of it as an exercise, but a continual process that guides decisions – and investments – in the right direction.  Strategic planning becomes part of the decision-making process, not a relegated activity.  This podcast n ..read more

For years Adam has been a fan of Tesla.  Tesla innovated the EV market, overcoming multiple obstacles that traditional auto execs felt were unsolvable.  And Tesla’s founder proved to be an innovator of cars, as well as business models.  For over a decade Tesla had limited competition, and it grew very quickly. Times have changed.  This podcast explains why Tesla’s value has decreased by 65% over the past 3 years, and 50% even in the last 10 months.  Tesla has failed to innovate into pick-ups, and failed to innovate into low-cost autos.  Facing intense competition ..read more

Today, we're joined by Jeanne Cummings, a turnaround CEO with a specialty in guiding founder-led companies towards manifesting their visions. She delves into her unique approach, an 'inside out engagement,' which begins with grasping the founder's vision and extends through conversations with employees and customers. This process offers invaluable insights into the company's viability, free from the biases of entrenched leadership. For Jeanne, transparency, purpose, and leveraging the right human resources are paramount in fostering a robust business model. Our dialogue shed light on a fascina ..read more

This podcast includes a conversation between Manny and the newest member of the Spark Partners team, Brendan Staib, about how the younger generation is responding to trends in the business world. Brendan is a sophomore at the University of Arizona and is now a digital marketing specialist for Spark Partners. He and Manny talked about how the people in generation Z are using trends like AI  to help them with school work, and how university staff has been responding to this. They also talk about the grip social media has on todays society, and what makes certain people so influential with t ..read more

This podcast reviews 2 innovators launching new businesses.  One we see as very likely to succeed. The other is a lot more questionable.  We explain in detail what distinguishes the difference.   Adam Hartung made over 300 predictions during the decade he wrote for Forbes.  100% of those predictions turned out to be accurate – a record for Forbes writers.  That accuracy was based upon understanding the key elements to success of launching innovations (and new products) – elements that are still poorly understood by most business people.   Listen to how one innovat ..read more

April 2, 2024 was the day General Electric died.  After 132 years, the behemoth founded on invention and innovation by Thomas Edison is no longer.  How could one of the founding members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffer such a fate?  After all, just 24 years ago GE – led by Jack Welch – was the most admired company in the USA; and one of the most admired globally. Simultaneously, Boston Market has disappeared.  Down to just 1 store left (in Newark, NJ.) Once a glowing winner in fast casual dining, and owned by the behemoth McDonald’s, how could such a famous brand ..read more

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 ..read more

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 rel ..read more

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 ..read more