• Home
• Business development
  • Re-Invent Your Business
  • Innovation Funnel
  • Crafting Your Future
  • Internationalization
• Collaboration
  • Virtual Enterprise
  • Campus Development
  • Virtual Project Management
  • Virtual Workspace
• Workshops
• References
  • Automotive
  • Hi-Tech
  • Campusses
  • Sustainable business
  • Service sector
• News
  • News
  • Newsletters
  • Blogposts
  • Books and Articles
  • Archive
• About us
  • Our Way of Working
  • Virtual Management
  • Methaphore of the Universe
  • Partner Network
  • Personal
• Contact

•  

   

  Taking Collaboration To Another Level

•  

   

  Taking Your Business To Another Level

•  

   

  Taking Your Organisation To Another Level 

Since more than two years I have been lecturer of the Brabant Center of Entrepreneurship (BCE) for the skill training “Scenario Thinking”.

I always tell the participants “Scenario Thinking is more than a tool – it is a mindset”.

That is what entrepreneurship and business development have in common, both are a mindset, it has to become part of one’s “DNA”.

During the (global) entrepreneurship week BCE celebrated its 2 year anniversary and one of the highlights was the announcement of the winner of the New Venture Brabant contest. Before this announcement the ten selected entrepreneurs pitched their plans. It was interesting to look at this happening from both angles: from the entrepreneurship- and from the business development view.

VC’s always look at the business propositions as well as at the team; has the product potential and is the team capable. Again and again it is obvious that the capability part is much easier and much faster to judge than the business part. Capability is shown by your resume (LinkedIn- or Facebook profile) and entrepreneurship is in your blood – both you can see and feel. The mindset of a potentially successful entrepreneur runs like a thread through one’s life and charisma.

The business development judgment is much more complex and lesser reliable. 200 interesting innovative  ideas will lead to only 20 acceptable business cases and finally to one or two businesses with real growth potential. During this process you never know which ones and why; by the way you always know that after all.

Successful business development has three major ingredients for success: innovation, entrepreneurship and vision. The first two are relatively easy to judge the last one is the key: Which innovative idea will be needed en when?

Here is where scenario thinking comes in. The question can much easier be answered if we understand the future scenario in which this idea will play a successful role. The likelihood of such a scenario combined with the speed of emergence can be good criteria for the success potential of a business idea.

Peter Kopeczek, Tilburg, November 2011

Join our discussion group