Due to popular demand, I created one PDF document that summarize both posts (SMB- Redefined and the Subsidiary) about the different type of SMB companies. Enjoy.
Author: Gadi Shamia
SAP and Business Objects Acquisition—A Succession Scenario
I assume you’ve heard everything about the SAP and Business Objects Acquisition. After all, there are 182,000 search results in Google for this query alone… If you followed the news you also know that John Schwarz, Business Objects CEO, will join SAP’s executive board as its seventh member (SAP is a German company and the executive board acts as the company’s management team) and will get to manage both the former BO business and SAP’s fast-growing Business User division, that is led by Doug Merritt, SAP Labs top brass. Lots of power and influence from day one.
Major acquisitions like this one seldom have only one motive, and they are much more a form of art than science. One can assume that SAP liked the technology and products, was intrigued by the large installed base and the synergies with SAP’s Business User strategy. There are also many other hidden motives— I would like to speculate* about one of them—the succession motive. Continue reading “SAP and Business Objects Acquisition—A Succession Scenario”
The Fine Line Between a Technology Company and a Holding Company
Two different but unrelated stories that developed over the weekend made me think of the above topic: Sage has announced that it will change its management team in the US after disappointing results and slow growth. Oracle in turn, made yet another attempt to snap up a technology company, continuing a shopping spree of about $30 Billion (a good summary of the drama can be found in docu-drama blog).
This is the background for the question that popped into my head: at what point is a company no longer a product or technology company, becoming a holding company? And, what is the future of holding companies in the software world? Continue reading “The Fine Line Between a Technology Company and a Holding Company”
Leading a Global Team- The Starter Guide
After posting the article about small business goes global I got an email asking me to share my experience about managing a global team. I did manage a team of about 100 people that spread across 4 continents and 10 countries and learned a lot by doing it. Here are the 10 commandments of managing a global team (the ones I used and the ones I wish I had used): Continue reading “Leading a Global Team- The Starter Guide”
Small Business -Go Global
Jeff Cornwall writes in his blog about a new survey released by UPS. It found that most of America’s small and mid-sized businesses have failed to explore the significant growth opportunities offered by an increasingly global economy; 67% of the nation’s SMBs are still relying solely on the U.S. economy. The percentage of the exporters, the ones I am targeting in this post, is even lower. While some people will be surprised by the low number, I am actually not… Going global is risky and scary so one can understand why it should be the last thing on SMB owners’ minds.
Nevertheless, going global can be a very smart move. You expand your market potential, immune your business from local recessions and diversify your risk. It is also fun, and you will learn a bunch. Continue reading “Small Business -Go Global”
The Final Type of SMB: The Subsidiary of a Large Enterprise
Last week I attempted to further segment the SMB market. It turned out to be my most popular post, so I guess the topic is of some interest to the public… A clever comment made by my friend Philip Lay reminded me of one type of SMB company I forgot: the subsidiary—a company for which a majority of the voting stock is owned by another company.
For many businesses, selling to subsidiaries of large enterprises is the ultimate prize, the golden trophy. See how proud Microsoft is, as one example… There are several reasons for this desire: Continue reading “The Final Type of SMB: The Subsidiary of a Large Enterprise”
SAP Buys Business Objects- Is It Really A Change In Strategy?
The news is humming all day about the almost $7B deal between SAP and BO. Most of the bloggers and journalists think that this move breaks SAP’s organic growth strategy. While I would not attempt to evaluate the deal itself (some better qualified people like Joshua Greenbaum or Boris Evelson from Forrester did a great job doing just that), I would like to evaluate the “change in strategy” claim, made by almost everyone. Continue reading “SAP Buys Business Objects- Is It Really A Change In Strategy?”
Small Business: Be Large (or at least appear large…)
One of the basic Mountain Lion Safety rules (and if you hike in the Bay Area you want to
be familiar with the rules) is DO ALL YOU CAN TO APPEAR LARGER. This is a great rule for small businesses as well, as they try to stand out. Appearing to be big puts small business in parity with their larger peers, and then they can shine on knowledge, customer service or innovation.
Here are some basic tips for sounding and looking large: Continue reading “Small Business: Be Large (or at least appear large…)”
Better Segmentation and Customer Satisfaction in Business Management Suites
Although everyone already has read “Crossing the Chasm” by Geoffrey Moore, still most of the business management/ERP products are quite generic or adapted to very few broad verticals like “Services” or “Wholesales”. In reality, calling “services” a segment is nothing but marketing: there are hundreds of very different subsegments in this industry with different needs and requests: real estate agents will need good CRM and follow-up systems, and a link to MLS, and most probably will require a good BI system that can bridge both. Contractors will need great project management systems, and lawyers will need good billing capabilities. All of them are part of the service industry, but they have very little in common. Continue reading “Better Segmentation and Customer Satisfaction in Business Management Suites”
The List
I like books. Good business books are always an inspiration and can provoke new ideas. Over the years I found myself recommending many books to many people, so I am now attempting to put down the list with the most important books for me. I think that if you read all of them, you will get a lot of good ammunition that can serve you as a tech leader. Happy reading….
Gadi Shamia
Gadi Shamia 