Taking Bangladesh’s Organic Tea International

MTI was retained by Teatulia, the fast-growing niche organic tea brand in the USA & UK, to chart their strategic direction and to provide implementation support. Teatulia recently launched its first Tea Bar near Covent Garden, London as a part of their growth strategy
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Game-changing for USA’s largest Lemon Producer

MTI’s enabled Limoneira to develop a global direct go-to-market strategy – breaking free from a legacy co-operative approach.
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Enabling India’s Enterprise Digitalization

Tata Tele Business Services retained MTI Consulting for the second phase of their business strategy - based on MTI’s 8S ® model, working collaboratively with their management team
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Enabling Rwanda’s Socio-economic Development

The MTI-enabled Strategic Plan of the Rwandan Telecom and Energy Regulator (RURA) has now been published, which is strategically linked to Rwanda’s Vision 2050
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Strategizing Social Impact in Bhutan

MTI developed five Strategic Initiatives for Tarayana foundation which will assist them to continue building a happy and a prosperous Bhutan
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Export Strategy to realize Pakistan’s potential

MTI Consulting worked with the Pakistani government under the auspices of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, in an endeavor to reform the national export strategy, structure and processes
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Driving Human Performance through Strategy

Toyota embarks on a journey to implement MTI's comprehensive competency model
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Media & Thought Leadership

Media Releases Strategic Reflections Strategic Insights

MTI in USA for Strategy Imple-mentoring Project

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Tata Tele retains MTI for second phase of Strategizing

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MTI strategically re-assessing 5 Ethiopian SOEs

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MTI finalizes inflation study for Pakistan – takes positive learnings from Sri Lanka

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MTI enables Strategy for Rwanda’s Utilities Regulator

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MTI enables Link Natural’s breakthrough into Vietnam and Myanmar

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Lazard Asia, MTI Consulting to be appointed transaction advisor to sell Hilton and Grand Hyatt hotel

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MTI’s success with USA’s Limoneira to be published in London

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EDB finalizes USAID-funded strategic plan with MTI

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MTI completes strategic planning for Bhutan’s Tarayana Foundation

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Ethiopia SOE Reforms: MTI completes 4 Strategic Assessments

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MTI enables Strategy & Acquisition Integration for HNB Finance

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Socialising businesses

Businesses exist because of nature (to produce) and society (to consume).

Therefore, businesses should think and act as social-impact organisations. This can only happen if the business is sincerely purpose-driven.

Do not interpret ‘social impact’ as benevolence, inefficient and/or loss-making.

Purpose (effort) and profit (reward) can co-exist. Businesses that struggle with this paradigm are perhaps in an exploitative mode!

Blinded by Corporate Vision

Corporate Visions, that are based on market dominance and business sizing, are often a manifestation of deep-seated ego and greed.

Instead focus on ‘Purpose’, with a wider societal impact. Execute it effectively, authentically and sincerely.

The rewards will follow. But let not the rewards be the preoccupation.

New Year Reflections

Clarity on life’s purpose and pursuits.

Living within your means – financially, socially, emotionally.

Learning to say ‘No’ - to focus on what matters most.

Challenge your thoughts and actions – keep asking ‘Why?’ and ‘So What?’

Exercise regularly at the ‘Mind Gym’

Imaginary Money

The valuation of any listed stock has 3 components, i.e., the true economic value (based on the current business performance), the future potential value (based on future plans/cash flow) and of course, what we know as the ‘speculative / imaginary money’.

The global financial crisis has taught us that when the ‘speculative / imaginary money’ becomes the major component, then the ‘casino’ effect starts, and it begins to collapse like a pack of cards.

Immediately after the global financial crisis, a child asks, “Who took all this money that people claim they lost?” Perhaps it never existed!

When Albert Eisenstein said imagination is more than knowledge, I am sure he did not intend it for Hedge Funds or Day Traders!

Sharing economy – a double-edged sword!

The time we have to 'consume' in a day is largely the same as we did decades ago. But per capita acquisition (of all forms of goods and services) has significantly increased.

This means a lot of idling assets in our homes and offices, from cars to camera, from washing machines to wardrobes. On average, a car is used only 8% of a day.

Not surprising the concept of a sharing economy (think Uber) has taken off.

However, in a consumption driven global economy, if Uber reduces the number of cars being produced, that is arguably bad for the global economy.

Therein lies the dilemma!

Consumption Addiction

Our economies, our businesses, and, therefore, our jobs are all critically dependent on ‘consumption’.

If consumption (and, therefore, revenue) does keep increasing year on year, our economies, our businesses, and our jobs will be negatively affected.

Therefore, not only have we expected others to consume more, but we, too, (as consumers of others) have to consume more.

The world runs on our addiction to consumption, which the planet cannot ‘afford’. If you do a simple extrapolation of the population growth, consumption growth, and the consequent space needed to live, grow food, transport, etc., it is quite scary.

Maybe that’s why we humans are exploring other planets!

Is there a ‘child’ in your boardroom?

Tom Peters once said: “Strategies are okayed in boardrooms that even a child would say are bound to fail.”

With the increasing emphasis on corporate governance and the rising rate of ‘white-collar’ crime, board decisions are critical to the survival of any business.

However, stressed-out board directors who shuffle between the many boards they serve on, hardly find quality time to reflect and ponder on key decisions.

Hence my question: Is there a ‘child’ in your boardroom – one who can ask the most basic questions, yet not get ‘drowned’ by the weight of board papers and the sound of ‘big talk’?

The other side of strategy

Most strategies tend to focus on ‘demand gains’. Often forgotten, yet critical in any strategic exercise is to address: What will competition do while we ‘grab’ their customers? Which competitors will lose business – as a result of our gain? Why should customers come to us? (the logic and the magic) Have we got our supply chain sorted out?

The ‘enemies’ of strategy

Love: Falling in ‘love’ with your strategies, when in fact they should be clinically challenged on a regular basis. Strategies must be market-responsive, hence even be prepared to ‘kill’ your own strategies if need be!

Ego: When senior management start taking ‘proprietary ownership’ of strategies, and it becomes the basis of boosting their egos!

Awards: When corporate awards become the primary source of ego and job satisfaction, strategies tend to be made for awards!

Fashion: Seeking novelty for the sake of novelty, blindly aping ‘buzz’ management concepts!

Clinical as it may sound, this does not underestimate the importance of ‘passion’ in executing strategy

Start-ups need more logic, less magic!

Pick your domain based on real ‘pain points’ in the demand or supply chain – not technology looking for a problem!

Get the commercial business model right upfront, i.e., how will you make money? – not just hoping for an inflated valuation to flog it!

Fulfilment is what the end user will pay for – technology is only an enabler.

Taking Bangladesh’s Organic Tea International