The document discusses the concept of 'minitrends', which are emerging trends expected to be significant in 2-5 years but are not yet widely recognized, providing opportunities for entrepreneurial ventures. It outlines strategies for identifying these trends, including understanding demographics, analyzing frustrations, and following financial investments. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of a strong purpose behind business initiatives and includes worksheets for individuals to define their interests and action plans to capitalize on these minitrends.

1. 7 Pathways to
Profit and Personal
Satisfaction
Carrie Vanston
Vice President, Communications
Conference Director, MiniTrends 2014
Co-Author, MINITRENDS: How Innovators
& Entrepreneurs Discover & Profit From
Business & Technology Trends
(512) 258-8898 ● www.minitrends.com ● www.tfi.com ● jvanston@tfi.com
Copyright © 2014, John Vanston/Carrie Vanston, Technology Futures, Inc.
2014
February 2014

2. MEGATRENDS John Naisbitt 1982
Industrial Society → Information Society
Forced Technology → High Tech/High Touch
National Economy → World Economy
Short Term → Long Term
Centralization → Decentralization
Institutional Help → Self Help
Representative Democracy → Participatory Democracy
Hierarchies → Networking
North → South
3
Either/Or → Multiple Options
Megatrends Current
Convergence of Computer & Communication Technologies
Aging of Populations in Earth’s Most Prosperous Nations
Increasing Awareness of Climate Change
Explosion of Social Media Involvement
Movement to Big Data
Movement from a Physics Age to the Biotech Age
Government Involvement in the Financial Arena
Growing Difficulty with Sovereign Debt
Long Term Energy Shortage
Increasing Transition to Mobile
4

3. MiniTrends Offer Real Opportunities
to YOU and Other Individuals!
Characteristics of a Strong MiniTrend:
Far enough along to make projections
Promises to be significant in 2-5 years
Not yet appreciated widely
Great purpose drives passion
5
Four Categories of
Great Purpose
The Good: Service to others  improving
health, education, communications, and
quality of life
The True: Discovery & furthering human
knowledge
The Beautiful: Excellence and the creation
of beauty
The Heroic: Courage to do what is right to
change and improve the world
From Conscious Capitalism by
John Mackey/Raj Sisodia

4. MiniTrends Assist:
Entrepreneurs to identify, assess, and
exploit attractive new business opportunities
Decision Makers in small and mid-size
businesses to gain advantage by recognizing
and utilizing emerging trends
Innovative Thinkers in larger businesses to
distinguish themselves by their special
insights and perceptiveness
Investors to uncover attractive new
investment opportunities
Job Seekers to define
employment opportunities
7
MINITRENDS Book
7 Ways to Search
8 Places to Search
9 Sample
MiniTrends
4 Ways to Select
MiniTrends
4 Ways to Develop
MiniTrends Plan
13 Ways to Put
Plan into Action
8

5. How to Search for MiniTrends
Consider Human Nature
Follow the Money
Take Note of Demographics
Follow the Leaders
Search for Convergence
Examine Limits
Analyze Frustrations
9
Consider Human Nature
10
Photos: Clipart.com or unsourced

6. Human Needs
Meaningful long-term relationships
Quality education for children
Involvement with groups
Mobility
High quality medical care
11
Stacy Zoern
CEO, Community Cars
12
Photo Source: Stacy Zoern (from Internet)

7. Stacy Zoern
Austin Attorney
In a wheelchair her entire life
Independence limited by
difficulty in getting wheelchair
in and out of retrofitted van
Wanted to help herself
and others like her be more mobile
13
Photo Source: Stacy Zoern (from Internet)
Human Nature MiniTrend: KENGURU
Driven Directly From Wheelchair!
Stacy, Founder/CEO, Community Cars
Driven from wheelchair
Completely
green
Raises 3 million
First vehicles
out this summer
Orders flooding
in from all over
the world!
Photo Source: Kate Weidlaw, KXAN (Internet photo)
14

8. Follow the Money
15
Who Are They Giving
Their Money To?
Venture Capitalists
Commercial Organizations
Non-Profit Organizations
Federal Government
16

9. Federal Programs
National Science Foundation
Small Business Innovative Research
Program
Small Business Technology Transfer
Program
U.S. Patent Office
In-Q-Tel
17
Take Note of Demographics
18
Photo Source: Clipart.com (Getty Images)

10. Jeffrey Fry
Founder & Principal, Help Find Care
19
Photo Source: LinkedIn
Jeffrey Fry
Successful Business Man
Personally experienced
difficulties getting care for
his mother
Saw baby boomers needing
innovative ways to care for
their parents
Saw disconnect between
wages and importance of
home care workers
Photo Source: Jessica Scorpio, LinkedIn
20

11. Demographic MiniTrend:
Empowers Caregivers
Jeff, Founder/Principal, Help
Find Care
Healthcare workers go into business
for selves
Innovative ways to seek in-home
care for parents
Drives cost of home healthcare down
Empowers all stakeholders
21
Follow Leaders
22

12. Lists of Leaders
Time Magazine
100 Most Important People in the World
Wall Street Journal
50 Most Important Women in the World
Fortune Magazine
25 Most Important Business People in
the World
23
Futurists
Check List of Futurists on Wikipedia
•
David Snyder
•
Joe Coates
•
Oliver Markley
•
David Smith
•
Raymond Kurzweil
•
John Vanston
24

13. Search for Convergences
25
Photos: Clipart.com or unsourced
Charles Studor
Founder and CTO at Briggo Inc.
Photo Source: Charles Studor

14. Charles Studor
Interests & Expertise
20 years at Motorola/Freescale
•
Expertise in Robotics, Mobile
apps, Cloud computing
While building a school in
Honduras, fell in love with origin of coffee
Desire to be socially responsible
27
Photos: Charles Studor + Internet
Convergence MiniTrend:
Briggos Made-to-Order Coffee Kiosks
Charles, Founder/CTO, Briggo Inc.
Favorite coffee recipes in the cloud and
ready by remote order
Ethically sourced, fair-trade organic
Peruvian bean
28
Photo: Briggo.com

15. Examine Limits
29
Types of Limits
Physical
Perceptive
Practical
30

16. Addressing Limits
Define Limit
Determine limiting factor
Search for ways to overcome this factor
31
Analyze Frustrations
32
Photos: Clipart.com (Getty Images)

17. Andre Angel, Founder/CEO
TangoTab
33
Andre Angel
Co-founded, grew and sold
numerous high-tech companies
Formerly Global Vice
President of Sales at Nortel
Networks
Grateful and wants to give back to his
community
Wants to make a difference in the world
34

18. TangoTab — When you eat, they eat
Andre, Founder/CEO,
TangoTab
Fill restaurants when slow
Offers discounts to customers
For every meal sold, meal goes to a local
food pantry
Expanding to other cities
35
Download Free App and 2 Meals Donated to
those in need! Use Code “Mini”
36
Free App! Use Code “Mini”

19. MINITRENDS Book
7 Ways to Search
8 Places to Search
9 Sample
MiniTrends
4 Ways to Select
MiniTrends
4 Ways to Develop
MiniTrends Plan
13 Ways to Put
Plan into Action
37
MiniTrends 2014: Fall, Austin, TX
38
Photo Source: TFI

20. MiniTrends Resources & Services
http://minitrends.com/minitrends/resources/ (see handout)
MiniTrends Resources:
• MINITRENDS:
How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover
& Profit From Business & Technology Trends
by Dr. John Vanston and Carrie Vanston
2014: 3rd Annual Conference & Master Workshop
Fall 2014, Austin, TX
• MiniTrends
• MiniTrends
Meetups: TBA in early 2014.
• MiniTrends
Resource Page
http://minitrends.com/minitrends/resources/
MiniTrends Services:
• MiniTrends
Presentations
• MiniTrends
Workshops
• MiniTrends
Seminars
• MiniTrends
Annual Conference Sponsor
• MiniTrends
Annual Conference Partner
• Research
39
and Alerts
The MiniTrends Concept allows you
and your colleagues to demonstrate
and utilize your imagination, your
intelligence, your perceptiveness, your
desire to make the world a better
place, and
YOUR PASSION
40

21. It’s also a lot of fun!
41
These and other non-sourced photos: Clipart.com (A division of Getty Images) or TFI
2014

22. 7 Pathways to
Profit and Personal
Satisfaction
Carrie Vanston
Vice President, Communications
Conference Director, MiniTrends 2014
Co-Author, MINITRENDS: How Innovators
& Entrepreneurs Discover & Profit From
Business & Technology Trends
February 2014
(512) 258-8898 ● www.minitrends.com ● www.tfi.com ● jvanston@tfi.com
Copyright © 2014, John Vanston/Carrie Vanston, Technology Futures, Inc.
Worksheet 1: My MiniTrends Interest/Purpose Areas
MiniTrends are emerging trends that promise to become significantly important in 2-5 years, but aren’t yet widely
recognized, and thus offer opportunities for starting or growing a business in your areas of interest and passion.
Pick 2 or 3 areas of interest where you would like to find and take advantage of a MiniTrend Opportunity. At least
one must be a passionate interest. Include a value-driven purpose statement with each entry about the difference
you want to make in the world with your interest.
Interest/Purpose #1
Interest/Purpose #2
Interest/Purpose #3
I am interested in:
I am interested in:
I am interested in:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
My value-driven purpose is
(helping, creating, inspiring,
clothing, alleviating,
entertaining, providing, etc.):
My value-driven purpose is
(helping, creating, inspiring,
clothing, alleviating,
entertaining, providing, etc.):
My value-driven purpose is
(helping, creating, inspiring,
clothing, alleviating,
entertaining, providing, etc.):
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
Copyright © 2013, John Vanston/Carrie Vanston, Technology Futures, Inc.
A Project of

23. Worksheet 2: My Strategy to Find MiniTrend(s)
MiniTrends Interest Area (from sheet 1):
Choose 2-3 Search Strategies
•Follow
the Money
•Follow the Leaders
•Examine Limits
•Consider Human Nature
•Take Note of Demographics
•Analyze Frustrations
•Search for Convergences
•Other
Choose Organizing Tools
Choose 2-3 Research Strategies
•Published Sources
•Electronic Resources
•Key Associations
•Social Networks
•Patents and Patent Applications
•Ph.D. Dissertations
•Television
•Platforms of Losing Presidential
Candidates
•Other
Copyright © 2013, John Vanston/Carrie Vanston, Technology Futures, Inc.
•Alert
Systems: Google, RSS
Feeds, Innography, Compendex,
etc.
•File
Systems: Manilla Folders,
Delicious Bookmarking, Evernote,
etc.
•Portfolio
of Networks
•Other
A Project of
Worksheet 3: Next Steps in My MiniTrends Adventure
My MiniTrends Interest Area (from sheet 1):
My MiniTrends Search Strategies (from sheet 2):
My MiniTrends Research Strategies (from sheet 2):
_______________________________________________________________________________________
My Organizing Tools (from sheet 2):
Social Responsibility Element(s)
Consider win-win-win situations for all
stakeholders (you, team members,
customers, suppliers, investors,
community, etc
Action Plan
Specific Action Steps I will I take to
Find & Profit from my minitrend(s)?
Assessing Results
How will you know you are on right
path? What is your desired end
goal?
Partners in Crime
Who Can Help/Collaborate w/me?
Commitment
I will spend __ hour(s) each week on
my MiniTrends Adventure
Copyright © 2013, John Vanston/Carrie Vanston, Technology Futures, Inc.
A Project of