Time goes by but fundamentals do not change.  Since the birth of the trade economy, producers have strived to showcase what makes them special – where they’ve come from, the people behind them and the worthy work involved in bringing their goods … Continued

Let’s play buzzword bingo. Authentic, fresh, crowd-sourced, values-driven, social, organic, native, local, streaming, user-generated, dynamic… content. We all want content. Good content. Content that supports our story, content that will connect and inspire; content to showcase our advocates and engage … Continued

For decades, the advertising & media industries have thrived off their ability to tell stories. Time & time again, creative departments and public relations teams around the globe have responded to briefs and found ways to paint the picture their … Continued

We all get 5 days a week, or around 10,000 days in total over the course of a typical 40 year “career”. We spend these days trading labour – be that physical, intellectual, or emotional – for value. Or, in some … Continued

We could all learn a lot from the successful local merchant.  Not the one that tries to flog us cheap crap for more than its worth, or the one desperate to grab our attention at all cost. The one who becomes a part of the community. … Continued

The world actually functioned pretty well before the Dollar. Back in the good old days, the farmer would trade a pig with the baker in exchange for bread. The baker would trade with the butcher, the butcher with the goldsmith, the … Continued

There’s a couple of ways to get noticed and get paid. One way is to pay for the privilege – buy some eyeballs, sell some stuff. For years, traditional media has provided a sure fire way for average people – … Continued

The world is pretty messed up right now. Let’s be honest. What got us here was short-sighted greed and capitalism. A society where quality & purpose fell secondary to profit. And generations that silenced their dreams, their ability to create … Continued

Excess, averageness and control – there are the currencies of the world we’ve been living in. The ideals that have driven us have seen us create systems where the name of the game is to control, manipulate and profit from … Continued

Paying it forward, selling the future – call it what you like. Every time we interact with someone, we create energy. The energy created depends on the people concerned, any value exchanged and how that value performs relative to the … Continued

If you do this for me right now, I’ll give you this. Chasing the cheese can be a thrilling pursuit. The greedy mouse gets fat and the clumsy mouse gets trapped. The wise mouse takes a little in order to … Continued

If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there. The vision to design a future state that represents something new, a destination untouched, a source of real value, is an essential component of that journey. The ability to … Continued

She’s a big world out there. Yet, every new business, every individual, every idea, starts out with the potential to be second to none. The passion and belief to carve out new sources of value, to go where no-one else … Continued

We’ve become masters of deception. We’ve become incredibly good at taking something exactly the same, tweaking it slightly, then packaging it up in different ways and creating multiple products and revenue streams. Baked beans, laundry powder, shampoo, toilet paper, coffee … Continued

We all feed off meaningful connection. It keeps us going, gives us purpose, makes it fun, provides fulfillment. The exchange of passion is what creates the most valuable sales, sits behind the most effective marketing, attracts and retains the best possible talent … Continued

It’s actually pretty simple. The origins of value are people and their good ideas. Ideas themselves are cheap – we’re designed to have instincts – so realising the value requires three things: the craftsmanship required turn an idea into a product … Continued

Humans are pretty clever beasts. We inherited a blank canvas and look what we’ve created. The buildings around us, the industries we’ve built, the stuff we’ve created, the wealth we’ve accumulated. Workers file in and out of their offices on … Continued

Leadership is changing, media is changing – and you’re in control now. The old regime of taking orders, following introductions, keeping your head down, sticking with the crowd, not doing anything too crazy, is the old regime. We don’t need … Continued

Great artists have always labelled their work.  Whether it be to assert ownership over a cattle-beast with a branding iron, or to sign a masterpiece with an ink pen, the label serves as a quality mark – a link back … Continued

Christchurch has always been an inspired city. A vibrant arts scene, beautiful garden surroundings, creative hospitality joints and a relaxed, easy-going way of life have long been mainstays of mainland New Zealand’s largest centre. In 2011, the city was shaken … Continued

We love troublemakers. A troublemaker has the confidence to go with their gut, do what feels right and not give a shit about what anyone else thinks. A troublemaker will attract other troublemakers with the same instincts, eager to cause … Continued