Imagine you are reading about an acquisition by Apple, the latest financial results of Candy Crush maker King, or the IPO of a hot start-up in your morning news. Do you understand what's really going on? Are you learning as much as you can for your own business?
At Strategyzer, we've found that using our tools with a good cup of coffee is the most effective way to consume business news and sharpen our analytical skills. It's so quick and easy that we decided to share this practice on our blog in so-called News Posts. We pick an article and simply codify the content with our tools to enhance our understanding of what's going on. Not more, not less.
Our first such News Post is based on a Financial Times article about an acquisition by Alibaba, the Chinese ecommerce giant and candidate for one of the largest IPOs this year. Read the article first and then watch the video below.
Anyone can use the Business Model Canvas and the Value Proposition Canvas to visualize and structure information. All you need to get started is a piece of paper and a pencil! That's why we are keeping our News Posts simple with paper and sticky notes. Later on you can always graduate to our online platform or online courses for a more systematic use of our business tools in your organization.
It's your turn now. Print a canvas and dissect your morning news. The more you practice the better you get!
By the way, this first News Post is still a prototype that we are testing with you (that's why the news is a bit dated ;-). Tell us what you think! We will only continue this type of post if you ask us to. The idea is to pick news articles on a regular basis and codify the information with our tools. How does that sound?
Do you want us to continue these news posts? What did you like or dislike about this first prototype? Which companies in the news do you want to hear about?
Tools and techniques used in the video:
- Business Model Canvas
- colour-coding based on customer segments
- Story-telling one sticky note at a time
