Mouli Cohen» For Sustainability, Sell the Design Not the Product | Mouli Cohen

For Sustainability, Sell the Design Not the Product

scottlachut — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:22:26 +0000

With the growing consumer demand for sustainability, manufacturers and designers increasing numbers of factors to consider when creating new products from material sources and processes to packaging and distribution lines. While this is well within the capabilities of companies of any scale, it certainly adds a level of complexity to companies, particularly small businesses with limited staffs and already small margins. But this strive to not only survive, but also compete and thrive, often leads to some of the most interesting innovations.

I read about one such business concept recently on Fast Company. As part of the One Good Chair design competition, Andrej Blazon has decided to forgo the consumer product model and sell the intellectual property instead. In this case, it’s the design blueprints for a chair that can be constructed out of a single sheet of virtually any material – a global idea that can be replicated almost anywhere.

Sure, it caters to a very small audience that has to want to get its hands dirty and once the design is purchased once, it can be duplicated innumerable times, but it also points to the potential for a network of niche industries. Tools and services to help individuals create on a local, smaller scale.

Regardless of its success or lack thereof, it poses a number of provocative ideas to consider.

Streamlining Desperately Needed For Patent Approval Process

scottlachut — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:23:37 +0000

I was a bit stunned to learn that on average, it takes a patent application 32 months to receive final approval in the US, a fact that is clearly hurting the prospects of entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to move forward with their ideas and inventions. Given the nature of the business world, where in most cases, potential investors want to ensure that companies have their intellectual property in place so that they won’t be beaten to the marketplace, this lags not only threatens these individual start-ups, but the entire economy as well. As I’ve said before, entrepreneurs and small businesses provide the kind of innovation we need to speed our recovery and guarantee rich long term prospects.

According to Entrepreneur Magazine, the biggest challenges to streamlining the process are uneven government funding (though much of the Patent office is directly financed by application fees) and high attrition rates amongst employees. Despite these obstacles, the backlog just keeps growing.

Two telling statistics: 1) The number of applications filed with the USPTO totaled almost 497,000 in fiscal 2008, up 31 percent from fiscal 2004. 2) During that five-year span, the total number of applications pending at the agency has increased 60 percent, from around 756,000 to more than 1.2 million.

Troubling news indeed. Perhaps a joint venture between private enterprise and the patent office is in order to really explore the approval process and determine how best to address the problem going forward.

For those preparing to tackle the patent process themselves, the article offers some savvy advice to ensure that your approval aren’t further delayed. Read the full piece here.

[image via westerndave]

My Insights on Business, Culture and Philanthropy from Around the Web

scottlachut — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:19:01 +0000

In the interest of sharing knowledge and creating a more active discussion on my site, I wanted to take a moment and collect some of my insights on business, culture and philanthropy from around the web.

“By inspiring communities, motivating organizations, and equipping local leaders with programs and facilities, we can make a difference in the lives of millions.” – a video interview with my thoughts on Philanthropy.

“My favorite period of art is the 20th century. The iconic names of the time, are very talented, very competitive. When you look at their pieces, sometimes you find similarities and sometimes you see a great innovation from each one of them, capitalizing on each others’ ideas.” – a video interview with my feelings on the importance of Art.

“Innovation is finding a solution to a process in an unanticipated way, because usually innovations, the truly good ones, are counter-intuitive.” – a video interview with my philosophy on the “Secret Sauce” to Success.

“By watching, working and interacting with many great business leaders over my career, I’ve been fortunate to hear firsthand their wisdom and experiences, important insights to anyone seeking success.” – a presentation sharing some of the key knowledge I’ve gained from the Business World.

“While many important decisions in business center around choosing the best strategies and determining how best to implement them, I can say with confidence that the best and hardest decisions that I have ever made were all about people.” – a presentation offering my insights into the “The Art of the Tough Decision“.

“Despite the truly global nature of the marketplace in which we live and work, the world is smaller than ever.” – a presentation on the factors that drove this trend, “10 Moments that Flattened the World“.