Market Entry and Exit
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- 23 Jul 2024
- Cold Call Podcast
Transforming the Workplace for People with Disabilities
In 2019, Nadine Vogel, founder and CEO of Springboard Consulting, needed to decide the best path forward to grow her small consulting firm. Springboard works with Fortune 500 companies on issues related to disability and the workforce. Should Vogel expand the topics she works on with her current clients, or should she explore the possibility of moving into a new market of smaller businesses? Vogel joins Harvard Business School professor Lakshmi Ramarajan and Harvard Kennedy School professor Hannah Riley Bowles to discuss her experience starting and scaling her firm, while also being a caregiver to two children with disabilities, in the case, “Nadine Vogel: Transforming the Marketplace, Workplace, and Workforce for People with Disabilities.”
- 30 Oct 2019
- Research & Ideas
How to Recover Gracefully After Shutting Down Your Startup
It’s hard to call it quits on a business venture, but entrepreneurs can wind down a struggling startup while keeping their reputations and sanity intact, says Tom Eisenmann. The first step is knowing when to accept defeat. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 13 Apr 2016
- Research & Ideas
Why Your Company Wants to be a 'Cognitive Referent' (Hint: SpaceX)
Companies that come to epitomize a nascent market—think Starbucks and boutique coffee—can capture greater success than other startups, says Rory McDonald. Is there a roadmap to becoming a “cognitive referent”? Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 06 Apr 2016
- Research & Ideas
Should Entrepreneurs Pitch Products or Ideas for Products?
Entrepreneurs with a new product idea must decide whether to pitch the concept or provide an actual prototype. Which works best? Professor Hong Luo finds answers in Hollywood screenplays. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 25 Oct 2010
- HBS Case
Tesco’s Stumble into the US Market
UK retailer Tesco was very successful penetrating foreign markets—until it set its sights on the United States. Its series of mistakes and some bad luck are captured in a new case by Harvard Business School marketing professor John A. Quelch. Key concepts include: Entering the US, Tesco deserves credit for creating a neighborhood market approach—emphasizing fresh produce and meats, and good quality but value-priced prepared meals. By not partnering or hiring local executives, Tesco missed the opportunity to learn more about the habits and needs of target customers. Tesco rightly aimed to scale the concept as soon as possible so that fixed overhead investments in its own distribution centers could be spread across a larger number of stores. Perhaps Tesco's original rollout plan was too ambitious, with executives assuming that the company would get everything right on the first try. Tesco has listened to its customers, learned from its mistakes, and made appropriate midcourse corrections. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
Choosing Passion: A Founder’s Mission to Meet a Need for Obesity Care
Early in her career Brooke Boyarsky Pratt enjoyed considerable success in roles at McKinsey and Berkadia, a Berkshire Hathaway portfolio company. But a routine visit to the doctor in 2020, where she experienced weight stigma yet again, led her to address the problem of obesity care. Boyarsky Pratt had struggled with her weight since she was young. So when she started Knownwell, an integrated weight and primary care provider that was designed to support people with obesity, it was a huge step for her both personally and professionally. In the spring of 2023, Knownwell opened its first weight-inclusive clinic in the Boston area. But Boyarsky Pratt had to make a fundamental decision on how she wanted to grow the company. Should she grow slowly and build a small footprint of clinics in the Boston area over the next few years? Or should she scale fast to potentially help millions of people across the US? Boyarsky Pratt joins Harvard Business School assistant professor Jon Jachimowicz to discuss what it means to pursue your passion in the case, “Choosing the Course of Passion: Brooke Boyarsky Pratt at Knownwell.”