“International Dimensions of Strong Corporate Cultures” – Friday, April 1, 2016, Austin, TX

March 30, 2016

Minitrends 2013 -- Carrie Vanston, TFI, http://minitrends.com/minitrends-2013/I’d like to cordially invite you to my luncheon presentation on “International Dimensions of Strong Corporate Cultures” this Friday, April 1, at ACC Highland Mall in Austin, TX. The free event, the second of the Global Business Luncheon Series, is sponsored by the World Affairs Council in partnership with the International Business Institute at ACC. My focus will be on the commonalities of organizations with great business cultures no matter whether in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world.

Details:

  • Speaker: Carrie Vanston, Corporate Cultures That Rock
  • Subject: “International Dimensions of a Strong Corporate Cultures
  • Date: Thursday, April 1, 2016
  • Time: 11:30 am-1:00 pm
  • Location: ACC Highland Learning Center, Room 2216
  • 6101 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78752. (In the new ACC wing)

We often concentrate on differences, but similarities are as important, if not more, because they form the foundation for all of our relationships. We ALL want to connect with each other, be appreciated for what we do, and have a higher purpose that impacts the world.

This talk provides five keys that create, grow, and sustain great corporate cultures and suggest ways you can increase your own culture quota. These keys include connecting, developing, discovering. collaborating, and, finally, transforming.

For more details and to register, click here. Hope to see you on Friday!

Warm regards,
Carrie

P.S. Please feel free to contact me if you’d like a similar sample presentation or a 1/2 hour free consultation on improving your organization’s culture! I’d love to hear from you.
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Carrie Vanston helps organizations, large and small, maximize purpose and connection to create better performance and profit. She is a consummate connector, who enjoys bringing like-minded people together to share, learn, and grow through advice, workshops, presentations, coaching, and facilitation. She is the developer of “Five Keys to an Engaged & Innovative Culture”? and co-author with Dr. John H. Vanston of the award-winning book MINITRENDS: How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover & Profit From Business & Technology Trends.

John & Carrie on BOSS-Talks — Free Webinar – Mon., Nov 10, 12-1 CST

November 7, 2014

BOSS-Talks: Tech Tools Free Webinar:

“MiniTrends: Trends Inside Trends”

with Dr. John H. Vanston and Carrie Vanston

Monday, November 10, 2014, 12-1 pm CST
In this one-hour online webinar, award-winning authors Dr. John H. Vanston, and Carrie Vanston discuss the MiniTrends Concept and how you can find and act on significant minitrends — trends that smaller firms can run with and medium to large companies can use to stay innovative by engaging their leadership’s and employees’ creativity and imagination.
Participants learn:
  • How and where to search for MiniTrends.
  • How to evaluate the business attractiveness of a MiniTrend.
  • How to develop an effective MiniTrend Strategy.
  • How to turn the strategy into profitable business opportunities…
  • RSVP Blue Button You should participate if you are:
    • A Corporate Intrapreneur seeking strategies to keep your organization on the cutting edge of business and technology.
    • An Entrepreneur wishing to identify, assess, and exploit attractive new business opportunities.
    • An Innovative Thinker interested in gaining recognition for originality and perceptiveness.
    • An Investor interested in uncovering attractive new investment opportunities.
    • A Job Seeker wishing to define emerging employment possibilities.
    Participants will recieve a solid basis for developing their own “MiniTrends Mindset.”
The session is based on John’s and Carrie’s experience in identifying and applying technical, social, and business trends and their award-winning book MINITRENDS: How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover & Profit From Business & Technology Trends.
Business Success Center logo

 Tech Tools Webinar Host: BOSS-Talks’ Dr. Jan Triplett and Business Success Center provide ramp up assistance for new businesses and scaling for growing businesses.

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MiniTrends 2014: Thank You, Slides & More

October 29, 2014

Thank you to everyone who had a part in making MiniTrends 2014: Insight, Innovation & Strategy such a huge success! The speakers were fantastic, the synergy between attendees exciting, and the overall response great. Now let’s build on the connections we made and all we learned!

We want to give special thanks to our Keynotes David Pearce Snyder, Brett Hurt, and Dr. John Vanston. They brought to life our theme of the importance of foresight and culture for the success of organizations. Ditto to Dr. Jani Byrne, Joyce Gioia, and our distinguished panel.

We also greatly appreciate our wonderful Sponsors and Partners, as well as our Planning Committee and Advisory Board for their integral role in making this such a valuable and fun event.

Conference slides are up! We will post conference pictures of the sessions, meals, and reception on our MiniTrends Facebook soon. We are also preparing a video of the proceedings for purchase.

Thank you to those attendees who turned in an Evaluation Sheet. If you didn’t, please fill it our now by clicking here. We take your comments very seriously for future planning.

Join our LinkedIn MiniTrends Group and/or guest blog on our MiniTrends Blog to share thoughts about the conference and your own minitrends, experiences, and resources. Twitter is @MiniTrendsBook, #minitrends.

We welcome feedback on the book MINITRENDS: How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover & Profit From Business & Technology Trends that attendees received at the conference. (A quick read of the Preface (Page xxi) and Chapter 10 (Pg 185-186) gives a good overall theme of the book.) MINITRENDS also available on Amazon.

Please keep us in the loop on your activities and how you are applying methods and ideas you picked up at the conference and in the book. We use examples in our talks, blogs, and/or they may be speaking subjects for you next year.

Also please let us know if we might bring a MiniTrends Mindset to your organization through a presentation, workshop, and/or other in-house services. We want to know the direction you are heading and how we and the MiniTrends Community can help you get to where you want to be. We look forward to continuing the conversation.

IBM’s Dr. Jani Byrne joins MiniTrends 2014 (Sept 26) – Special $150 rate ends Noon Monday Sept 22

September 19, 2014

Minitrends 2014 -- Jani Byrne, IBM  http://minitrends.com/minitrends-2014/

Dr. Jani Byrne
Director of Marketing, Cloud, IBM

We are delighted that Dr. Jani Byrne, Director of Marketing, Cloud, at IBM has joined the program for our 3rd annual MiniTrends 2014: Insight, Innovation & Strategy. Jani will be sharing her experiences as corporate innovator in her talk “Musings of a Wild Duck in a Big Pond.”

Jani is responsible for Content Marketing globally for Cloud, one of IBMs leading strategic initiatives, creating and distributing consumable, relevant content to drive client acquisition and purchase. Previously she served as IBM’s Director, Marketing Strategy for Global Mid-Markets MSPs and Director, Strategy.

Jani is on the Boards of The Seton Fund at the Seton Family of Hospitals’ and Austin Chamber of Commerce Technology Partnership.

Register Now for special price for full conference of only $150 until noon, Monday, September 22.

Our Keynotes are Austin Tech Leader and Bazaarvoice Founder Brett Hurt, top D.C. Futurist David Pearce Snyder, and award-winning author Dr. John Vanston. Also headlining is USA TODAY’s Road Warrior of the Year Joyce Gioia.

Minitrends 2014 Keynotes

MiniTrends 2014 SpeakersWe have an excellent applications panel on how to turbo-charge your success and profit by combining MiniTrends methods with your innovation strategy. Panelists include Raj Asava, Jeffrey Fry, Steve Pearson, Carrie Vanston, and Larry Vanston.

The breadth and depth of the speaking talent and schedule for this awesome event it exceptional. In addition we have incredible attendees who are thought-leaders in their own right. (See what our past attendees say.) We hope you, too, will be part of the this year’s amazing event.

MiniTrends 2014: Insight, Innovation & Strategy.

Friday, September 26, 2014
8:30 am – 5:30 pm followed by “Power Hour” Reception
Holiday Inn Lady Bird Lake, Austin, TX
Full Conference for Only $150

(Special ends Noon, Monday, Sept. 22)
All attendees receive Continental Breakfast, Breaks,
and Lunch followed by a Networking Reception!

Please share offer with your friends, colleagues & networks.

 

2 Weeks Until MiniTrends 2014: Insight, Innovation & Strategy – Sign Up Now at Special Rate

September 12, 2014

MiniTrends Conference Promo Video

See what all the excitement is about! MiniTrends 2014, September 26, Austin, TX

Why attend MiniTrends 2014: Insight, Innovation & Strategy on Friday, September 26, in Austin, Texas? Because it’s all about how YOU can…

1) Do More with Less.

2) Work Smarter, Not Harder.

3) Game the System.

4) Become that Rock Star!

How, you ask? Becoming adept at discerning MiniTrends will first give you insights into innovation. This ability to understand people’s wants and needs, and the underlying causes of change will allow you to see how to achieve a high return on effort, essentially letting you see a path of doing more with less, and in turn working smarter not harder.

With these new insights on possible innovations, you can begin to act on and process these new ideas in the development of new products or methodologies, thus allowing you to get a competitive advantage or as VCs like to say, “game the system.”

Finally, combining these new, undiscovered insights with derived innovations, you can increase your acumen in making or carrying out plans of action to achieve your new strategic goals. In other words, by attending MiniTrends you can become that “Rock Star” everyone talks about!

From the development of the printing press, to the photocopier, to the PC, to the Internet, and the cell phone, each one of the these now “common” inventions began when one individual was able to see an emerging trend way before the rest of crowd.

If you ever wonder how they were able to see that far into the future, you first need to have the ability to recognize what you are looking at. This conference will start you on your way to doing so.

MiniTrends 2014: Insight, Innovation & Strategy

8:30 am – 5:30 pm followed by “Power Hour” Reception
Friday, September 26, 2014
Holiday Inn Lady Bird Lake, Austin, TXA limited number of MiniTrends Community spots are available for $150 for this all-day premier event with code Special150-2014 (until Sun Sept 21). Student rate also available.

Registration for MiniTrends 2014

Contact TFI at info@tfi.com or (512)-8898 or visit www.minitrends.com/minitrends-2014 for more information.

A Special Price + 9 More Reasons You Should Be at MiniTrends 2014

September 5, 2014

MiniTrends 2014: Insight, Innovation & Strategy is coming to you on
Friday, September 26, in Austin, Texas. 

MiniTrends Community Special:  20% Off Discount

10 Reasons You Should Attend MiniTrends 2014: Insight, Innovation & Strategy

1. Insights for InnovationMiniTrends 2014 Keynote: David Pearce Snyder, Futurist

Insight: the ability to understand people and situations in a very clear way.

Becoming adept at discerning MiniTrends will first give you insights into innovation. This ability to understand people’s wants and needs, and the underlying causes of change will allow you to see how to achieve a high return on effort, essentially letting you see a path of doing more with less and in turn working smarter not harder.

  • Examine the predictable forces that are reshaping our business and technology environment.
  • Learn 20 knowable future trends that you must be prepared for.
  • Understand how the MiniTrends Concept can be key for continuing success.
  • Use this foundational foresight to build an innovation thought-process and strategy throughout the conference day.

2. Innovation Skills

Innovation: the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods.MiniTrends 2014 Keynote, Brett Hurt, Bazaarvoice Founder

With these new insights on possible innovations, you can begin to act on and process these new ideas in the development of new products or methodologies, thus allowing you to get an unfair competitive advantage or as VCs like to say, “game the system.”

  • Discover seven approaches for identifying minitrends.
  • Learn eight resources to find where minitrends hide.
  • Appreciate the vital role of leadership in promoting an innovation culture where employee creativity becomes the innovative “heart” of the organization.
  • See how appreciating all stakeholders, not just stockholders, is the “secret sauce” of success.
  • Find and share minitrends of your own with fellow attendees.

3. Innovation Strategy

MiniTrends 2014 Keynote, Dr. John H. VanstonStrategy: the skill of making or carrying out plans to achieve a goal.

Finally, by combining these new, undiscovered insights with derived innovations, you can increase your acumen in making or carrying out plans of action to achieve your new strategic goals.  In other words, by attending MiniTrends 2014 you can become that “Rock Star” everyone talks about!

  • Accelerate your innovation and process development.
  • Find the exogenous drivers and constraints that can help with decision making.
  • Leverage minitrends in market strategy development.
  • Use minitrends in making a market for a new product or service.
  • Benefit from personal interaction with conference speakers during special session.
  • Bring back ideas and strategies for you and your team.

4. Direct Interaction with Speakers and Expert Panelists

MiniTrends 2014 Speaker, Joyce Gioia

MiniTrends 2014 Speaker -- Jani-Byrne, Director of Mktg, Cloud, IBMAll-star visionaries and thought-leaders will give you the insight and tools you need to stay ahead of the curve and remain innovative in a rapidly changing business environment.Speak directly with the speakers about your own personal interests and ideas during a scheduled session just for this purpose.

MiniTrends 2014 Speakers

5. Individual and Small Group Hands-On Exercises

Individual and group activities at MiniTrends 2014 will help you generate ideas, consider their potential as minitrends, develop partnerships, and leave with actionable plans.

6. Great Networking Opportunities

Meet, mingle, network, and share ideas with marketers, analysts, development managers, strategists, research managers, and others during continental breakfast, breakout groups, breaks, discussions, provided lunch, and the MiniTrends 2014 “power-hour” reception overlooking beautiful Lady Bird Lake.

See what all the excitement is about! Watch the video or visit our testimonial page and find out what our past MiniTrends Conference say!!

 

7. FREE copy of Award-Winning MINITRENDS book

—Your Own MiniTrends ResourceMINITRENDS: How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover & Profit From Business & Technology Trends by Dr. John H. Vanston with Carrie Vanston

As a special value add, you will receive your very own description of the MiniTrends Concept to take home—the award-winning book MINITRENDS: How Entrepreneurs & Innovators Discover & Profit From Business & Technology Trends by Dr. John Vanston and Carrie Vanston.

A $19.95 value!

8. Meet our Sponsors and Partners

We appreciate our Sponsors and Partners who share our vision of helping business leaders thrive by combining foresight with a creative culture honoring all stakeholders.

MiniTrends 2014 Sponsors and Partners

9. Enjoy Tech-Friendly and Beautiful Austin, Texas!

Austin is a thriving, cosmopolitan city and one of the leading high-tech hubs in the U.S. With more than 120,000 people employed by more than 4,400 technology firms, we have the techies, the entrepreneurs, the innovators, the investors, and so much more. And we’re the Live Music Capital of the World! What better place for a cutting-edge innovation conference?

Our MiniTrends 2014 meeting and reception overlooks beautiful Lady Bird Lake. The Holiday Inn Austin Lady Bird Lake (800-593-5676) is in a wonderful location to experience Austin’s major attractions. The hotel has direct access to the lake’s hike & bike trails and is a mile from Austin’s famous 6th Street entertainment district.

10. Special 20% Off Discount for Our MiniTrends Community!

Discount Code: Special20-2013  brings the regular price to $292  or Small business/Government/Academia to  $208.  Students still can come for $65. (Please register as soon as possible so we can have accurate catering numbers for the hotel!)

Join us at MiniTrends 2014: Insights, Innovation & Strategy on Friday, September 26, 2014, 8:30 am–5:30 pm, followed by reception. The full day conference includes continental breakfast, lunch, and evening “Power-Hour” reception. Attend this important event to insure you and your company remain successful and profitable in a constantly changing world.

Take Advantage of MiniTrends Community Special 20% Off Discount

MiniTrends 2014 Special Rate: Special150-2014

Please feel free to let your friends, colleagues and social networks know about this valuable offer!

Contact TFI at info@tfi.com or (512) 258-8898 or visit Minitrends 2014 for more information.
www.MiniTrends.com/MiniTrends-2014

 

Meet John & Carrie at WorldFuture 2014 in Orlando

June 17, 2014

WorldFuture 2014, July 11-13, Orlando, FLMiniTrends’ leaders Dr. John Vanston and Carrie Vanston are excited to be conducting a day-long Pre-Conference Master Course at the World Future Society’s annual conference WorldFuture 2014: What If? Our Master Course, MiniTrends and Macro-Change: Turbo-Charging Your Future, also includes our co-presenter and long-time partner, the highly-esteemed futurist David Pearce Snyder and will be held on Thursday, July 10 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Mintirends Keynote Speaker: David Pearce Snyder, Futurist and Contributing Editor, The FuturistThis inspring day begins with David describing the changing world and the forces driving it. He helps you see the future through a matrix of many emerging trends – MiniTrends – that reflect the macro-changes that you must anticipate to be successful as the future unfolds.

Dr. John Vanston, Author, MINITRENDS, Carrie Vanston, Co-Author, MINITRENDS

Dr. John Vanston & Carrie Vanston
presenting Pre-Conference
Master Course at WorldFuture 2014

John and Carrie, authors of the award-winning book MINITRENDS: How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover & Profit From Business & Technology Trends, then provide you with the foundation for a strong MiniTrends process with seven ways for you to find, analyze, and profit from important minitrends and their potential business opportunities.

Participants will leave this course with an understanding of:

  • How predictable forces are rapidly reshaping our demography, economic structure, productive technologies, and decision-making processes.
  • How monitoring these forces can enable participants to identify and profit from emerging trends and attractive business opportunities.
  • How participants can apply the information, ideas, and insights presented in this course to guide their business, cause-related, personal, and investment decisions.

We hope you will join us in Orlando for WorldFuture 2014: What If? and our Pre-Conference Master Course: MiniTrends and Macro-Change: Turbo-Charging Your Future.

Register Now! MiniTrends 2014: Insight, Innovation & Strategy – Sep 26, Austin, TX

May 31, 2014

Minitrends-2014: Insight, Innovation & StrategyWe cordially invite you to attend the premier event for innovators, futurists, technologists, trendsetters, and blue sky thinkers, the 3rd Annual MiniTrends conference, MiniTrends 2014: Insight, Innovation & Strategy.

Dr. John H. Vanston, Chairman, Technology Futures, Inc.; MINITRENDS: How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover & Profit From Business & Technology TrendsScheduled for September 26th, 2014, in beautiful downtown Austin, TX, this unique conference is in its third successful year of leading the conversation about innovation. Hosted by award winning author and renowned futurist, Dr. John Vanston, this one day event gives you the insight you need to stay innovative and to thrive in a rapidly changing business environment.

Mintirends Keynote Speaker: David Pearce Snyder, Futurist and Contributing Editor, The FuturistThe day begins with an inspiring keynote by highly regarded futurist David Pearce  Snyder describing the forces driving that environment, followed by keynote and feature presentations and expert panelists. All speakers are focused on getting you up to speed with the concept of minitrends and how you can use that knowledge to skyrocket your success into the future.

You’ll be provided lunch as well as have the opportunity to mix and mingle with conference attendees and speakers in an after-conference reception.

Minitrends 2014: Insight, Innovation & StrategyYou Will Gain:

INSIGHT: Discover what is coming up for your industry; be open to new ways of looking at things, and find strategies to innovate within your company!

CULTURE: See how in creating and nurturing a supportive culture for innovators to discover and apply innovative ideas, can be your “secret sauce” in seizing new markets and opportunities, and ultimately improving your bottom line.

STATEGY: Get the advantage of a MiniTrend Mindset and Strategy by attending this unique conference in innovative hot-spot Austin, Texas with direct interaction with Industry experts. 

If This is You, This Conference Is A MUST!

    • Analysts: Business, Marketing, Competitive, Market Acceptance
    • Development Managers: Technology, Strategy, Product, Delivery
    • Strategists: Technology, Business, Product, Partnerships, Channel
    • Research Managers: New Product, Technology, Science, Materials, Methodologies

Register now for MiniTrends 2014 and leave with a Concrete Strategy to
keep your organization innovative and successful!

 MiniTrends 2014 Conference - Eventbrite Registration

Take Advantage of Early Bird Rates!

Attendance includes Continental Breakfast, Breaks, Lunch followed by Reception!

VOTE for MiniTrends Panel for SXSW Eco 2014 by May 16 – “Creating a Profitable & Purpose-Driven Business”

May 11, 2014

PLEASE take a moment to VOTE for MiniTrend’s panel submission for SXSW Eco Conference titled “Creating a Profitable and Purpose-Driven Business” at http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/29857 by May 16. 

The panel includes Carrie Vanston, VP, Communications, MiniTrends/TFI; Jeffrey Fry, Chief Executive, The Profit Prophet; Andre Angel, Founder/CEO, TangoTab; and Joy MillerMarketing and Outreach Coordinator, City of Austin Small Business Development Program..Short videos of each panelist can be found at http://vimeopro.com/tablerockers/sxsw-eco-conference.

A third of the decision is directly from votes! You do have to sign in, but it does not take long to vote. Please go to http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/29857 and VOTE NOW.

Thank you so much for supporting the creation and growth of purpose-based businesses and making a difference in the world! 

MiniTrends Conference: “Go for the booty and discover new, uncharted lands”*

November 12, 2013

MiniTrends 2013 Conference Panel "Taking the Plunge" - Christopher Justice, Andre Angel, Stacy Zoern, Jeffrey Fry, Steve Pearson

MiniTrends 2013 Conference Panel “Taking the Plunge” – (l-rt) Christopher Justice, Founder/CEO, Sparksight, Inc.; Andre Angel, Founder/CEO,Tango Tab; Stacy Zoern, Founder/CEO, Community Cars; Jeffrey Fry, Founder/Principal, Help Find Care; Steve Pearson, Founder/CEO, The Pearson Strategy Group;

I was honored to participate in this year’s MiniTrends Conference, an exciting gathering based on exposing that sweet spot where new and established businesses can find the tools and directional choices to profit and inspire themselves and their employees.

The message that making money does not require tossing out your social responsibility was uplifting and contagious. The conference attendees I met were especially eager to learn more about being successful while making a positive difference.

We heard excellent keynotes by Jani Byrne, Gary Hoover and Dr. John Vanston that provided the structure of the conference.

Minitrends 2013 ConferenceA total of 17 speakers presented and all of their slides can be found at http://minitrends.com/minitrends-2013-slides/

Carrie Vanston, MiniTrends Conference Director, was her usual self: a powerhouse of preparedness and always carrying a smile.

As for me, I was pleased to be invited to be the moderator for Expert Panel Two: “Taking the Plunge: What you can learn from those who have initiated successful, value-driven businesses.”

The enthusiastic panelists were all knowledgeable and spoke from strong entrepreneurial backgrounds.

  • Andre Angel, Co-founder/CEO at TangoTab; Co-Founder/Chairman, WorkMeter; Co-founder, Servoyant, LLC; Co-Founder/Chairman, CODEKKO Software
  • Jeffrey Fry, Principal, Help Find Care; Chief Executive, Profit Prophet; Director/CMO, MainGain; Board Member, baqpak; Executive Dir, Firefly Funds; Executive Dir, SHINE Night; President, SEDA RICO, LLC
  • Christopher Justice, Chief Executive Officer at Sparksight, Inc.
  • Stacy Zoern, CEO, Community Cars
They had great advice, but here are their key points:
  1. Trust your gut.
  2. Listen and change your course when needed.
  3. It’s not about YOU. Remove your ego.
  4. Fail often. Test and try.
  5. Be flexible.
  6. Choose your team wisely.
  7. Manage your stress, your health is important.

I can’t wait to continue the conversation at next year’s conference.

Steve Pearson, Lead Strategist and Founder of The Pearson Strategy Group, LLC.

*My favorite take-away was Jeffrey Fry’s adjustment to a Steve Jobs quote: “[Being an entrepreneur] is like being a pirate…go for the booty and discover new, uncharted lands.”

MiniTrends 2013 Conference - Conf. Dir., VP Communications, Carrie Vanston, TFI, Steve Pearson, CEO, Pearson Strategy, John Vanston, Conf. Chair, Chairman, TFI

MiniTrends 2013 Conference – Carrie Vanston, Conf. Dir., VP Communications, TFI, Steve Pearson, Founder, CEO, Pearson Strategy, John Vanston, Conf. Chair, Chairman, TFI

This blog post originally appeared in Pearson’s Strategy News.

 

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