Recently, several members of the CI Fellows organization, Dr. Tom Tao, Dr. Craig Fleisher and Dr. Brad Ashton (a whole lot of doctors!) presented a fascinating discussion (you can watch the video at the bottom) on what is called Competitive Technical Intelligence, or CTI. Now, before you say, “that’s not me!/for me!”, don’t jump out just yet... in fact, if you have a company with some sort of technology that you develop or use, it probably is very much for you.

When I was working at Apex Industries, I had an opportunity to learn a lot about doors. For those of you that don't know, Apex Industries, headquartered in Moncton, N.B., is one the leading manufacturers globally for a number of items, including security doors. More specifically, they do some fascinating work with bullet-resistant doors and windows.

For many new or existing exporters, entering a new market can be one of the most costly line items in terms of expense. While the cost of entry for a business will vary widely based on the type of business, industry, customers served, distance from current locations, distribution (well, you get the picture), for most businesses, entering a new market comes with a significant price tag. So, it’s important that you evaluate this correctly.

What’s my competitor doing right now? Why are they doing THAT? What do I need to be considering in the next six months? These are all questions that leaders of organizations have (and rightly should). Depending on your industry and the true nature of your competitive environment, competitors’ actions can have a significant impact on your business.

What are the chances that a blogging conference is coming to Moncton? How often do you get to meet published authors and successful bloggers, interrogate their minds and ask them about their strategies? Well…it’s happening!

Alicia Roisman Ismach is a serial fintech entrepreneur from Israel, the country that has been dubbed the ‘Startup Nation’. With just a population of 8.5 million people, Israel has become a giant on the global tech startup stage. Tel Aviv for instance is home to a number of established accelerators and incubators, and has seen the rise of many successful startups as well as huge exits.

Maybe it is because it is getting close to tax season, but seeing people WASTE money is really getting on my nerves. Case in point (again): hiring a PR firm to send out generic pitches on your behalf. I don’t care if you’re a startup, an entrepreneur, a professional in the professional services area or small business owner or whatever! STOP doing this.

Names have been removed to protect the senders…and the text has been edited down to reduce the cringe-factor of reading the full text of the desperately-seeking-media-attention pitches. Have a read, a chuckle (in all likelihood, a painful one), and yes, I’ll provide you with a far better solution to connect your startup or business smarts to journalists, bloggers and writers.

Monday afternoon, during an interview with students from the School of Visual Arts, I was asked what developments in technology or innovation generally excites me. What immediately popped into my mind wasn’t the latest subscription service or productivity app or (supposed) Facebook killing social network, it’s the fact we’re taking a harder look at innovation (what it means, where it is headed, at what cost to us) — and vocalizing our angst and concerns.

This post is not what you think it is about. Nope. Not about the time or effort it takes to build a network or show-up to three events in one evening. It’s about the brand called you.

What value can you provide to benefit someone else?

I have a #BYDN challenge for you: Instead of wondering how to go about “networking” give some consideration to how you can be of service.

Internship is a topic-du-jour in the tech industry and beyond with leaders like Google and Facebook boasting robust internship programs that attract tens of thousands of applicants every year. Even Hollywood is in on the trend with films like The Intern featuring Robert DeNiro and The Internship with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson at the box office over the past few years.

In 2017, there is no shortage of companies who gather competitive intelligence. Organizations are spending more money and time digging in to the factors, both internal and external that have the power to affect their success and longevity. What may surprise you though, is the reality that many companies don’t use this information systematically to influence their decision-making. In reality, most organizations base their most important decisions on internal operational factors like budget, execution capacity and deadlines, ignoring the potential activities of their competitors.