Being different has always mattered, but now it matters even more. Setting yourself apart from the competition is Entrepreneurship 101, but it’s since evolved into putting yourself in a whole new world from the competition. Why compete on the same playing field when you can invent a whole new one and make up the rules as you go along? Here is the mindset, platform, and capabilities you will need to succeed. Presented by Faisal Hoque at the Harvard Alumni Association Event. #HAAEvents

1. By Faisal Hoque
founder of:
HOW TO ACCELERATE
SUSTAINBLE GROWTH
Ask any business leader what their
biggest challenge is and they will
probably say scaling and sustaining
growth. Here is the mindset,
pla>orm, and capabili?es you will
need to succeed.
Presented at:
Image: Unsplash User Olu Eletu

3. AGENDA
• MINDSET
• PLATFORM
• CAPABILITIES

4. “Extinction is the
rule. Survival is the
exception.”
– Carl Sagan

5. The right choices can
become the wrong
choices very quickly.

6. GE was founded as an electricity
generator and producer of ligh?ng
components to create the power
industry. But over its 130 plus year
history, it has con?nually challenged
itself to innovate and has produced
everything from jet engines to
industrial IoT.

7. In 1966, Nintendo started producing
electronic games and consoles and
eventually became famous for Super Mario
and Donkey Kong video games. However,
the company existed several centuries
before that. Producing everything from
playing cards to vacuum cleaners, and
instant rice.

9. Agility is the ability to sense
changes in economic condi?ons
and the compe??ve landscape, and
to proac?vely implement a
response.
Agile organizations learn to
radically reinvent their
competencies—including those
that made them the most
compe??ve only yesterday.

11. AGENDA
• MINDSET
• PLATFORM
• CAPABILITIES

12. If vision is an expression of the soul of
an organiza?on, pla>orm is its body.
The assets, whether internal or
external, lend the company its "core
competencies," which tend to grow
organically.
Competencies are platforms,
or assets with business
applications.

13. Authentic Purpose
Every company needs to pin down ‘why
we do what we do’. That’s the company’s
North Star, guiding every aspect from
recruitment to customer management to
product development and sales. A strong
purpose drives growth and profitability.

14. A Powerful Brand
Some basic rules to connect, shape,
influence, and lead with your products
and brands:
• Choose your target audience
• Connect with the public
• Inspire your customers

15. Being different has always maered,
but now it maers even more.
Unique Offering

17. Repeatable Sales
and Customers
It’s one thing to sign up a few
customers; it’s another thing to
design and implement sales and
customer care processes that can
be successfully deployed again
and again at ever greater scale.

19. AGENDA
• MINDSET
• PLATFORM
• CAPABILITIES

20. Crucial to sustainable growth
is the constant need to
embrace new ways
of doing business
altogether. This means
new structures, the crea?on
and sharing of new types of
informa?on, and the
establishment of new
decision-making processes.

21. Bringing in a persuasive leader or two
might help, but it comes down to the
ability of the leadership
team to foster collective
change-management
capabilities.

22. Look At Processes,
Not Just People
• Closely examine your current
strategy.
• Next, analyze the impact of the
work of your team, partners, and
customers.
• Finally, evaluate your present
capabili?es.

23. Start Experimenting
and Delegating
Responsibilities
Change may or may not be
woven into the fabric of your
company culture, but
some?mes circumstances
require it. People oaen learn
more about each other when
they have to change together.

27. Shadoka’s por4olio of offerings enables
entrepreneurship, growth, and social impact. Our
customers and partners aspire to create sustainable
value. They are focused on repeatable and
measurable impact. We enable their aspira?ons.
We bring together the management frameworks,
digital pla4orms, and thought leadership for:
• EvaluaCon, execuCon, and monitoring of
programs
• Scaling sales, revenue, and profitability
• CreaCon and management of digital
communiCes and marketplaces
About SHADOKA
Follow us @shadokaventures
shadoka.com

28. About Me
Founder of Shadoka and other companies. Shadoka
enables entrepreneurship, growth, and social impact.
Formerly of GE and other global brands. Author of
several books, including Everything Connects – How
to Transform and Lead in the Age of CreaBvity,
InnovaBon and Sustainability (McGraw Hill) and
Survive to Thrive – 27 PracBces of Resilient
Entrepreneurs, Innovators, And Leaders (MoCvaConal
Press).
Follow me @faisal_hoque
faisalhoque.com