Tag Archives: pivot

J. Rieger & Co.: A Case Study in COVID-19 Response

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In this time of uncertainty and distress, one Kansas City company is providing a remarkable example of how to produce what their customers need when they need it.

As the looming threat of the coronavirus (COVID-19) began to sink in, store shelves were emptied of hand sanitizers and disinfectants by panicked consumers stocking up for the duration of the crisis. The initial rush on disinfecting products left many people, including some of the most vulnerable to illness, unable to find what they needed to keep themselves safe and healthy. Consumers didn’t know where to turn.
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Lessons from Startup Culture: Redefining Failure

In our recent blog, Lessons from Startup Culture: Learning from a Minimum Viable Product, we examined how “the creation of an MVP itself isn’t the revelation – it’s the ability to learn and adjust based on the customer response that results.” One of startup culture’s strengths has always been the ability to take a big idea and pursue it, iterate it, or change it completely in the search for an end product that resonates with consumers.

In this way, successful startups have redefined failure as a pivot point instead of an end point. For larger, more “traditional” businesses seeking agility, there’s a valuable lesson to be learned.
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What We Can Learn from the “Pivot”: Simple Steps to Rebranding Success

In movies, television shows and magazines, entrepreneurs are idolized and presented as individuals with laser-focused plans who are willing to work through obstacle after obstacle to make their big vision a reality. While most entrepreneurial success arises from an understanding of where you are and where you want to be (i.e. the big vision), this emphasis on stubborn determination is a bit overblown and, frankly, bad for business.

The truth is: great entrepreneurs must be willing to change. The really good ones understand that new businesses and products are unreliable, and they will likely need to change their idea at some point in the future. In the startup world, we refer to these changes or strategic shifts as “pivots.”

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