Alessandro Daliana

Last mile logistics is a very challenging business. Having significantly contributed to and led the number 2 parcel service in its market in B2B and B2C, I know first hand how difficult this is to achieve with any regularity because the number of variables is so high. However, I will offer you this bit of advice as to the perspective I use when facing the market.

All businesses exist because th... Read more

In all the businesses I have worked with, the first asset I want to identify is the one that underpins the whole organization. I call this asset the "Key Component" because without it nothing else is possible. The Key Component is a legally recognized asset the business owns and/or controls and is used in the products customer seek to acquire. The Key Component is the cornerstone of the business b... Read more

First of all, all businesses exist because they own and/or control an asset - the Key Component - that they use in their products/services which customers will seek access to because they provide them a competitive advantage. In other words, the products/services take the uncertainty out of achieving a specific outcome. Therefore, the Key Component is valued because without it the products/service... Read more

Have you ever watched one of those home decoration shows? If you have, then you know one of the most elements to any well designed room is the focal point. The same is true if you watch shows about hotels; people need to have a reason to stay there. Just about everything we do can be done better if everyone knows why they are there. Business is no different.

In all my years of working with busi... Read more

Having divested of businesses before and done my fair share of acquisitions what you want is to have as a clear a set of numbers as possible. Buying branches of a single legal entity often muddies the waters so I advise spinning off the business into a subsidiary before selling it. This also allows you to create a data room that is separate from your on-going business thus maintaining client confi... Read more

All deals start off based on assumptions which some times don't survive reality. If you have empirical information that contradicts those working hypotheses you initially made then by all means speak up!

Just to let you know my own experience in this area, some colleagues of mine worked for months on a deal (c. $500MM) and were close to signing when someone asked me to sit in on the meeting. T... Read more

I assume you are referring to executive coaching so you must be interested in hiring someone who will help you be a better executive. However, the coach you will work best with is one who probably has previous experience in your particular field. For example, I have held CFO, CEO, Board, and Chairman positions in everything from a startup to a market leading subsidiary, division and worldwide HQ o... Read more

The pre-requisite for delegating is trust, which can only develop over a period of time. I recommend a process of testing that starts with low risk tasks and gradually increases in risk over time commensurate with your experience. It is up to the delegator to make their expectations known to the delegatee who should confirm their understanding of what is expected. And, it is up to the delegator to... Read more

American and Japanese business cultures are very different. The first is based on the individual while the second is based on consensus. Consequently, reading your question gave me a chuckle because you are setting out with a mindset that does not take this cultural difference into consideration. You are setting yourself up for a lot more challenges than you need to.

You will have to work very ... Read more

All businesses exist because they own and/or control an asset that can be used in a product or service that provides customers with a competitive advantage. That is, the asset somehow makes the customer's life easier or less uncertain in some way. The busy part of the business involves putting in place processes that make that asset usable to the customer, and managing the risks inherent in the bu... Read more

Training is obviously the best course of action however it can become expensive over the long term and downright value destroy when competition enters the market. It is for this reason that knowledge bases are built. They are't a perfect solution but they do allow for the a more efficient transfer of knowledge than can be gotten from training alone.

Likewise, educating the buyer beforehand can ... Read more

Without saying much, you have spoken volumes. Your company's value is tied up in its name. So much so that you refer to it as a brand which implies that it is so well known in India that it has a value superior to the trademark registration cost posted to your intangible assets on your balance sheet. In other words, you have built brand equity. However, this is in India not in the US.

Consequen... Read more

All businesses exist because they own and/or control an asset that can be used in a product or service that provides customers with a competitive advantage. That is, the asset somehow makes the customer's life easier or less uncertain in some way. The busy part of the business involves putting in place processes that make that asset usable to the customer, and managing the risks inherent in the bu... Read more

From what you wrote, I understand that this acquisition will give your production facilities a higher volume of business by having a greater number of retail outlets. Consequently, you are seeking to improve the return on the investment made in productive capacity instead of in retailing.

Assuming this is the motivation for the acquisition then you may have an undisclosed risk related to the ac... Read more

Lowering labor costs as a percentage of sales might be an arbitrary decision. It assumes there is no difference between your company and your competitors. However, this is rarely the case because businesses are built on a productive asset that varies from business to business. What you want to look at is what is this asset and what is your return on it in comparison to the competition.

Let's lo... Read more

Reorganizations seldom provide the results defined on paper for the simple reason they usually focus on the symptoms and not the causes.

In my practice, I insist my clients organize their companies around the asset owned and/or controlled that provides the customer with a competitive advantage in the market in which the client operates. In other words, the asset is employed in a product/service... Read more

All businesses exist because they own and/or control an asset that can be used in a product or service that provides customers with a competitive advantage. That is, the asset somehow makes the customer's life easier or less uncertain in some way. the busy part of the business involves putting in place processes that make that asset usable to the customer, and managing the risks inherent in the bu... Read more

If your employees are not working together it is not their fault. It is yours. There is a lack of leadership.

Leaders are those individuals amongst us who can show us a less uncertain world, inspiring us to work together to make it a reality. Your employees lack this common vision so they don't see how their colleagues can contribute in any positive way to what they are doing on their little pi... Read more

Men mentoring women. Women mentoring men. Neither is at issue here. The challenge you express is one of expectation. There is an expectation of the conforming to the dominant culture which involves the activities you mention above. Unfortunately, this implies the organization identifying leaders who conform but do not challenge the status quo, thus leaders with no teeth, or non-leaders.

"Leader... Read more

Strategy is defined by two elements:

1. The asset you own and/or control that underpins your business's product/service.
2. The competitive advantage your product/service provides to the customer.

Between these two fixed points are the processes and risks involved in bridging the gap. And, the economics of the transaction which need to cover the cost of capital, return money to investors an... Read more

All businesses exist because they own and/or control an asset that can be used in a product/service which can be acquired by a customer to give them a competitive advantage in the market in which they operate. The goal of the business is to put in place the processes and manage the risks such that the value shared between itself and its client creates an excess that covers the cost of capital, ret... Read more

All businesses exist to provide customers with a competitive advantage. If you focus your meetings on this and on the asset you own and/or control that underpins your company's existence then all discussions can be about process and risk management... Read more

This is one of my more frustrating issues, too. I find business leaders spend way too much time scratching the surface of strategic issues and not nearly enough asking really fundamental questions, like: Why does your business exist? or What risk does the business reduce for the customer and who is the customer?

In my practice, I focus my clients on the very basics of business and build from th... Read more