Welcome Letter

Welcome from Dr. John H. Vanston

Dear Fellow Innovators and Entrepreneurs:

Greetings! On behalf of myself and my fellow members of the TFI Minitrend Team, we welcome you to the Minitrend website and invite you to launch your own Minitrend Adventure. Although we have only recently begun to use the term “Minitrends,” in reality we have been using the Minitrend concept since I founded Technology Futures, Inc. in 1978.

Application of the Minitrend concept closely related to technology forecasting, and I had the privilege of working in that area with two TF giants, Ralph Lenz and Jim Bright. Ralph worked was involved in TF work at Wright-Patterson Air Force for many years and actually coined the term. Jim wrote several books on technology forecasting, and in his work at Harvard, the University of Texas, and the Industrial Management Center introduced the concept to many industry and government leaders.

For my part, over the last thirty-two years, I have conducted hundreds of forecasting seminars and workshops and have provided consulting services for a wide range of commercial, government, and academic organizations.

As my son, Dr. Lawrence Vanston, our staff, and I built TFI into a very well-respected company specializing in technology forecasting, depreciation and valuation studies, and telecommunications forecasting and analyses, I kept wishing to share the many useful ideas and techniques that I used to help organizations find and profit for business opportunities that are not yet generally recognized or appreciated. I felt that many of the insights I had applied not only to the medium and large companies that hired me, but also to investors and individuals looking for ideas to start their own enterprises. I was particularly interested in the 2-5 year window of opportunity for business and technology trends.

With the help of my daughter and co-author, Carrie Vanston, and the encouragement of friends and family, “MINITRENDS: How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover& Profit From Business & Technology Trends” was born. The objective of the book and the creation of the Minitrends Website is quite simple–to provide you with information, insights, and suggestions that will materially improve your business situation, your financial standing, and your personal satisfaction. I hope you will join me in a “Minitrends Adventure” through the MINITRENDS book, our blog, or our Minitrends services. We welcome your interest and participation.

Sincerely,

John H. Vanston, PhD

Chairman, Technology Futures, Inc.

Author, MINITRENDS: How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover & Profit From Business & Technology Trends