BRAND MINDS ticket prices go up on February 16

Ticket prices to BRAND MINDS 2023 go up on February 16 so hurry up and book your tickets at special prices today!

Business leaders from 80 countries meet at BRAND MINDS, in 2023, the biggest business event in Central and Eastern Europe.

Over 7000 professionals and industry leaders are expected to join this year’s edition to access the ultimate insights and tactics in business strategy.

CEOs, Entrepreneurs, Marketing & Sales Managers and HR Directors bring their teams to BRAND MINDS to learn from the most respected business experts in the world:

• SALES STRATEGY
• INNOVATION & CREATIVITY
• TEAM MANAGEMENT
• BUSINESS STRATEGY
• MARKETING
• RISK MANAGEMENT
• TECH INNOVATION
• PERSONAL LEADERSHIP

THE BEST GLOBAL BUSINESS THINKERS share the hottest growth strategies in business at BRAND MINDS 2023

Bestselling Author of Atomic Habits James Clear is a world-famous expert in habit formation. 

His weekly newsletter is one of the most popular in the world inspiring over 2 million people monthly.

Join BRAND MINDS 2023 and learn:

• 3 ways to form better habits and stick to them;
• What is the power of tiny gains and how to use them for continuous improvement;
• How to design the life & career you want through habit systems;
• How to achieve meaningful results without overwhelming yourself.

Successful professionals are not risk-avoidant; they are great assessors of risk and learn how to turn adversity into an advantage.

Author & Risk Analyst Nassim Nicholas Taleb spent 21 years as a risk taker and has advised heads of state, top financial institutions, and various central banks on tail risks.

Join BRAND MINDS 2023 and learn:

• The 6 mistakes executives make in risk management;
• Why Big Data brings more risks than it solves;
• How to take risks you understand, instead of trying to understand the risks you are taking;
• Why business owners should study risk-taking, not risk management.

Bestselling Author of Blue Ocean Strategy Renée Mauborgne is the first woman ever to secure the #1 spot on the Thinkers50 list of global thought leaders. 

Awarded leadership thinker, she is the co-director of the INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute and a Fellow of the World Economic Forum and Davos.

Join BRAND MINDS 2023 and learn:

• The framework for creating a blue ocean for your business;
• Essential tools & templates to outcompete bigger companies;
• Key steps to uncover untapped business growth opportunities.

With over 20 years of experience in digital marketing, Neil Patel’s insights and amazing tools have helped 5000+ companies scale up, including Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Airbnb, and Google.

The digital marketing tools that Neil has created (Hello Bar, Ubersuggest, SEO Analyzer, Backlink Checker, AI Rewriting Tool, and Website Traffic Checker) are currently receiving over 600 million monthly queries.

Join BRAND MINDS 2023 and learn:

• 5 powerful SEO lessons;
• 7 practical content marketing tips;
• Neil Patel’s Top 5 favourite growth marketing frameworks;
• How to build an ultra-engaged audience that will also buy.

Future of Work Strategy Expert @ London Business School Lynda Gratton has developed key frameworks to build high-performing teams. 

Her programme ‘Human Resource Strategy in Transforming Companies’ is considered one of the world’s leading programmes on developing people and organisations.

Her research and insights are the foundation for Japan’s resources development revolution launched by the government in 2017. 

Join BRAND MINDS 2023 and learn:

• The top 3 skills a team leader needs to build a highly engaged team;
• How to create efficient frameworks to build a high-performing team;
• How to reimagine creative, new approaches to the development of company culture;
• Discover the most frequent mistakes leaders make that result in low team engagement.

World Famous Sales Expert Blair Singer has trained 200.000+ sales professionals and corporations on how to increase their sales, skills and income.

In the early 2000s, the demand for his teaching was so great that in less than ten days, he circumnavigated the planet twice in opposite directions!

Join BRAND MINDS 2023 and learn:

• 1 simple, time-proven process of selling that will generate great income for most businesses in any industry;
• The 5 most important selling skills to master;
• How to overcome any objection;
• How to choose the best professionals for your star sales team.

Tech Leadership Expert Anne-Marie Imafidon is one of Britain’s most influential women in tech. 

In recognition of her services to STEM sectors (science, technology, engineering, and maths), she was awarded an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), the third highest order of the British Empire.

Join BRAND MINDS 2023 and learn:

• Key A.I.-driven tools leaders can use to adapt to the future of work;
• 5 key strategies to select the right people working with technology in your company;
• How to leverage the power of A.I., data science and machine learning to increase revenue.

Duncan Wardle teaches leaders how to build an innovation-driven employee culture.

He led the Innovation and Creativity department at Disney increasing the company’s capacity to innovate at scale. He was amazingly successful and realized his goal of transforming Disney into one of the world’s most creative and innovative companies. 

In recognition of Duncan’s unique approach to innovation and creativity, he was awarded by The White House and Queen Elizabeth II.

Join BRAND MINDS 2023, on Day2 and learn:

• 8 creative behaviours and how to use them to think more creatively;
• 5 lateral thinking tools allowing your team to innovate;
• How to outperform your competition by challenging the rules of your industry;
• Frameworks for creating a sustainable culture of innovation and creativity throughout your organization.

5 benefits of attending BRAND MINDS 2023

1. Network with decision-makers at 300+ Top Companies
2. Meet world-famous business thinkers
3. Enjoy the most memorable team building of 2023
4. Reconnect with all your partners in a premium business event
5. Boost your professional brand with the BRAND MINDS certificate

BRAND MINDS 2023 is your unmissable opportunity to get unique frameworks and strategies to prepare your company for the future.

Learn with your team how to build a winning strategy for your company at BRAND MINDS 2023!

2 ways to use A.I. tools to grow your business

Speed is the number one reason why Artificial Intelligence marketing tools should be present in every business. 

A.I. tech tools analyse huge chunks of information from the web and bridge the gap between the data available and the actionable solutions you can implement in your company.

Looking to improve your marketing campaigns?

Learn more strategic tactics to improve your professional development at BRAND MINDS 2023.

#1 Use AI SEO to improve your website through

Opportunity Discovery: AI-powered SEO tools give you more in-depth insight into the keyword you should be targeting and link-building opportunities.

Content Creation: AI-powered tools scour the web for content created around a given keyword. In a few seconds, you’ll find trending topics and content gaps to exploit.

Content Optimization: AI SEO tools help you create topic clusters that answer user questions, know the optimum length of content on your given topic, and use keywords correctly.

#2 Use AI Digital Assistants to

• Boost your productivity
• Automate your workflow and growth
• Personalize your AI marketing strategy
• Create better content, faster
• Boost Your SEO in less time

The 3 big risk management mistakes executives make

If you’re an executive, in charge of outlining the business strategy, read on to learn what the 3 big common risk management mistakes are and how to avoid them.

Risk Management Mistake #1 Thinking we can manage risk by predicting extreme events

Energy companies have gone from predicting the moment a nuclear power plant will explode to preparing for the consequences of such an event.

Like these companies, we’re very good in our day-to-day lives at thinking about how we’re going to deal with the repercussions of a Black Swan event (low probability, high impact) instead of worrying that it might happen.

For this reason, we get insurance for health, home, or car, but to a lesser extent, we do this in business, which is more seen as an optional thing.

How to avoid this risk: Adopt strategic foresight.

What is strategic foresight? It’s the Waze of business; it’s strategy, tool, process and mindset combined.

By using strategic foresight, companies can identify vital early signs of change that could influence or disrupt their industry. It is a contribution to the mitigation of risks explicitly related to external events — changes in the competitive environment.

Further on, strategic foresight allows them to think in alternative scenarios and turn change and uncertainty into opportunities. If you were a decision-maker, wouldn’t you like to have an early warning capability?

Foresight also helps companies build relevance: understanding future trends allows companies to anticipate what consumers/employees want next and create relevance for them. Ask yourself, is the industry changing, but your company is not?

Learn more on business foresight. 

Risk Management  Mistake #2 Being convinced that studying the past will help us manage risk

Until the late 1980s, the worst drop in stock prices in a single day had been about 10%. However, prices fell by 23% on October 19, 1987.

Risk managers believe that they can find precedents for all events that happen and that they can predict everything that will happen based on previous events. But Black Swan events are unprecedented, and the interdependence and non-linearity of events increases.

How to avoid this risk: Be aware of any change in your customers’ behaviour.

Studying the past doesn’t help us predict the future. But studying our customers’ behaviours can help us better prepare for any change the future might bring.

We don’t need to be aware of the latest development in technology in every market; just the tech our customers use or switch to. Look closely at your customers’ moves and preferences and create strategies to meet their needs accordingly.

Risk Management Mistake #3 We don’t listen to advice about what we shouldn’t do

Almost every business section in all bookstores is full of titles showcasing success stories and just a few with a negative connotation that teaches you what you should not do. This is why economists are framed to create success stories.

If there’s one lesson we should learn from chess, it’s this: grandmasters win games by focusing on avoiding errors while inexperienced chess players play to win and invariably make fatal mistakes.

Likewise in the economy, most of the time risk managers act like risk investors trying to win, but a dollar saved is a dollar earned, so saving money for your company is just as important as bringing in additional profits.

This is why corporations should integrate risk-management activities into profit centres and treat them as profit-generating activities, particularly if the companies are susceptible to Black Swan events.

How to avoid this risk: Listen to your frontline workers.

Whether they are in customer experience or sales, workers who are in direct contact with your customers are extremely valuable and their input should not be taken lightly. They are your company’s proverbial finger on the pulse and if allowed, will share their insights and prevent you from making bad decisions.

Afraid of making the wrong decisions?

Attend the BUSINESS STRATEGY MASTERCLASS, on October 27 and learn how to make the best decisions for your organization from Costas Markides, Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at London Business School.

4 successful leadership models to future-proof your business

Looking to learn successful leadership models to improve your skills and become a better leader for your team?

Get your tickets to the BUSINESS STRATEGY MASTERCLASS today!

Renowned inventor and visionary Buckminster Fuller wrote in his 1982 book ‘Critical Path’ about the pace of growth and how new knowledge, which had doubled every century until 1900, is now estimated to double every 18 months. His theory is called “the knowledge-doubling curve”. Some experts are now saying that global knowledge is doubling every 12 months and reports estimate that medical knowledge is doubling even faster every 73 days.

Not so long ago, leadership meant one man holding all power and knowledge and telling everyone what to do. This authoritarian leadership model where the leader has control over all decisions belongs to a bygone era.

In today’s digital world where knowledge is amplified exponentially and everyone has access to all information, authoritarian leaders are unsuccessful in business. It’s just impossible for one man to keep up with every change disrupting the market or the industry. Leaders need the support of their teams. Businesses, where the individual contribution of every employee is welcomed and nurtured, are successful and prepared to adapt to the future.

The following leadership models are more attuned to the world of today and more successful in the business environment.

Leadership model #1 SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Motto: “My job is to meet your needs”

Leaders practising the servant leadership model believe that successful leadership is when leaders strive to serve employees and help them grow, rather than assume power and take control.

Pros of the Servant Leadership style:

• High employee engagement and motivation;
• The servant-leader puts people first;
• The servant-first leader strives to help people grow and make a lasting positive impact on society;
• The leader has good listening skills and a high level of empathy;
• The servant-leader is emotionally intelligent;
• The team members learn to support each other and develop a serving work culture.

Cons of the Servant Leadership style:

• This style of leadership may focus more on individuals and less on the actual goals of the organization;
• It takes time and it doesn’t work with every organization;
• Not appropriate in situations when making fast decisions is vital.

Leadership model #2 TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Motto: “Improvement cannot happen without transformation”

Transformational leaders encourage and inspire employees to innovate and develop new ways to grow and improve the path to a company’s future success.

Pros of the Transformational Leadership style:

• Transformational companies stand the test of time because they are constantly embracing change instead of rejecting it.
• It fosters creativity and innovation by producing innovative solutions through collaboration.
• Builds and maintains employee motivation and satisfaction.
• Effective in facilitating organizational change.

Cons of the Transformational Leadership style:

• Doesn’t work with new and chaotic groups or organizations, those that perform mechanized tasks, and in emergencies or situations that require quick decision-making or prompt problem-solving;
• When cultural context exists, it can limit the application and effectiveness of this leadership style;
• Not every employee is willing to take on more responsibility and autonomy over their tasks.

Leadership Model #3 COACHING LEADERSHIP

Motto: “I support your growth”

Coaching leaders take on the role of a coach to their employees investing their time and energy into developing individual team members.

Pros of the Coaching Leadership style:

• The coaching leadership style produces a positive workplace environment;
• Employees know what is expected of them;
• It increases the skill set available to the individual employee;
• The coaching leadership style can create competitive advantages;
• It makes it easier for a company to endure a time of change;
• Coaching leaders turn their employees’ weaknesses into strengths and offer performance feedback that motivates them.

Cons of the Coaching Leadership style:

• In the first stage, the coaching leadership style is time-consuming;
• Doesn’t work if the employees, for whatever reason, are resistant to learning or changing their ways;
• This style doesn’t yield positive results if the leader lacks the expertise to help the employee along.

Leadership model #4 VISIONARY LEADERSHIP

Motto: “Embrace my vision of a better world”

Visionary leaders articulate a vision for the future stating clear goals, outlining a strategic plan for achieving those goals and equipping and empowering each member to take action on the plan at the organizational, team and individual levels.

Pros of the Visionary Leadership style:

• Visionary leaders have the innate ability to inspire and motivate people to pursue a long-term vision.
• The team led by a visionary leader entrusts them with their capabilities and respects their judgment.
• Suitable when the company lacks big-picture thinking and overall vision.
• Team members feel empowered and heard; they have complete autonomy over their tasks.

Cons of the Visionary Leadership style:

• Failure to communicate the vision and get everyone on the same page often results in an organizational breakdown.
• Focussing on the long-term vision may impact the short-term goals and the day-to-day operation of the company.
• Fixation of the leader’s vision could result in other potentially good ideas being tossed aside.
• The visionary leader needs a team who will pull him back down to earth when the vision is not realistic.

5 business strategy frameworks for business growth

Business Strategy Framework #1 ANSOFF MATRIX ANALYSIS

The Ansoff Matrix is a business strategy framework and a planning tool that provides managers with a template to devise strategies for future growth.

There are 4 growth strategies within the Ansoff Matrix:

1. Market penetration strategy = in which the company seeks to improve business performance either; by increasing the volume of sales to its present customers or by finding new customers for present products;
2. Market development strategy = in which the company sells its existing products to new markets;
3. Product development strategy = in which the company develops new products for the same market;
4. Diversification strategy = in which the company develops new products in a new market.

What growth strategies does Apple use?

Learn from our Ansoff Matris analysis of Apple.

Business Strategy Framework #2 BCG GROWTH-SHARE MATRIX

The BCG Growth-Share Matrix helps companies analyze their business units (i.e. their product lines) or any other cash-generating entities by their degree of profitability.

This business strategy framework provides the company with a four-quadrant chart where products are ranked on the basis of their relative market shares and growth rates:

“cash cows”,

“dogs”,

“question marks” and

“stars”.

Cash cows are products in low-growth areas for which the company has a high market share.

Products with a low market share in areas with slow growth are dogs.

Question marks are the products with a low market share in a high growth rate market.

Stars are products with a high market share in a high growth rate market.

To show how you can use the matrix for your business, read our analysis of e-commerce leader Amazon, specifically four of its products: Amazon AWS, Amazon Video, Amazon Live and Amazon Echo with Alexa.

Business Strategy Framework #3 PORTER DIAMOND MODEL

The Porter Diamond Model is a business framework that describes a nation’s competitive advantage in the international market.

It also refers to innovation and why certain companies based in certain nations are capable of consistent innovation.

The 4 attributes of the Porter’s Diamond Model:

Factor Conditions = defines the nation’s position in factors of production, such as labour, land, natural resources, capital or infrastructure, necessary to compete in a given industry.

Demand Conditions = refers to the nature of home-market demand for the industry’s product or service.

Related and Supporting Industries = reveals the presence or absence in the nation of supplier industries and other related industries that are internationally competitive.

Firm Strategy, Structure, and Rivalry = highlights the conditions in the nation governing how companies are created, organized, and managed, as well as the nature of domestic rivalry.

Curious to see Porter’s Diamond Model applied to two leading brands?

Read Porter’s Diamond Model Analysis – Louis Vuitton and BMW.

Business Strategy Framework #4 PESTEL

PESTEL business analysis is a framework for helping entrepreneurs and business people to understand the impact of macro-environmental factors on their businesses.

The PESTEL acronym stands for 6 factors: POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, TECHNOLOGICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, and LEGAL.

Political factor = helps you appraise the degree to which a government intervenes in the economy or a certain industry.

Economic factor = examines the economic growth, exchange rates, interest rates, unemployment rates, the state of the country’s infrastructure, and taxes.

Social factor = analyzes the profile and behaviour patterns of your customers.

Technological factor = lists the technologies impacting your industry and whether they are or not favourable.

Environmental factor = takes into account any negative impact your company operations have on the environment and prompts your company to reduce the carbon footprint, reduce waste and pollution, and preserve the environment.

Legal factor = looks into the laws and regulations of your industry.

Not sure how to apply the framework to your business?

Read A Pestel Analysis of Nike.

Business Strategy Framework #5 PORTER’S 5 FORCES

Porter’s 5 Forces framework is a valuable business tool that helps entrepreneurs shape their strategy to drive profitability.

Porter’s 5 forces are:

1. Existing rivals = Evaluate the existing rivals by looking at the number of competitors, their size and power, the industry growth rate and product differentiation.

2. Buyers = The buyers are powerful and can influence the industry if they make purchases in large volumes. Are they price-sensitive? Do they have many alternatives to buy from?

3. Suppliers = Factors in determining supplier power: number of suppliers and concentration, switching costs, availability of substitutes, uniqueness of product, whether or not the industry is an important customer of the supplier and its availability to cut out the middleman.

4. Substitutes = Substitutes are alternative products that fulfil the same need by different means. In the airline industry, the substitutes are trains and cars.

5. New rivals = Is it easy for new rivals to enter the industry? If the entry barrier is low, which means requirements to enter the industry are affordable or readily accessible, then there are increasing chances of new entrants in great numbers. In this case, the threat is high.

Attend the BUSINESS STRATEGY MASTERCLASS, on October 27, and learn strategic business moves from Costas Markides, Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at London Business School.

6 power words to supercharge your business pitch

The goal of your business pitch is to make an impact on the investors. Read on to discover 6 power words you can use to convince your investors and earn their trust.

What is the business pitch?

The business pitch is a short presentation of the business plan given by the founder to potential investors with the goal of persuading them to invest. 

How long should a business pitch last?

Your business pitch should last between 10 to 20 minutes. Any presentation longer than 20 minutes is likely to go into unnecessary details which don’t support the goal. If your business pitch has convinced the investors to invest in your business, there will be plenty of time to delve into the operational and financial details of your business. The sole objective of the business pitch is to explain your business in a few simple but impactful words so that anyone can understand.

What questions are investors likely to ask in a business pitch?

Know your business inside out and master the numbers: costs, number of estimated customers, suppliers, how long it will take to get the product on the market, KPIs, ROI, scale rate and so on. 

Here is a short list of questions that the investors could ask you:

1. What are your key financial figures?
2. What is your projected cash flow?
3. What differentiates your product from current products in the market?
4. What’s the longevity of your brand/product?
5. How did you come to the valuation you’ve put on your company?

Here are 6 power words that will supercharge your business pitch:

Power word 1. Accomplish

When you mention “accomplish” you make the customer connect with something they aspire for and you create the frame for how you can help them achieve their goals.

Power word 2. Achievable

When something is achievable, it’s possible. When it’s possible, it gets the person closer to their vision and it opens their curiosity to learn more.

Power word 3. Excellence

Excellence means high standards and it promises quality when it comes to business expectations.

Power word 4. Improved

Using “improved” in your pitches communicates that you are open to innovation and up-to-date with your expertise and services.

Power word 5. Meaningful

When you want your work to be impactful, you strive to make it meaningful. The metrics you use to measure it may vary, but the overall effect should be game-changing for your target audience.

Power word 6. Rewarding

When you use “rewarding” in your pitch, you reinforce the return on investment that your audience is accessing once they onboard for your solution. Moreover, rewarding, as a word is also associated with a pleasant mood that you experience when you achieve something.

Attend the BUSINESS STRATEGY MASTERCLASS, on October 27, and learn how to develop a unique strategy in today’s volatile and uncertain world from Costas Markides, Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at London Business School.

Limited seats available. Get your tickets today!

8 quotes from past BRAND MINDS Speakers

Quote from past BRAND MINDS speaker Gary Vaynerchuk:

”My experience with BRAND MINDS was A plus!” –

Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO VaynerMedia, Entrepreneur & Investor – BRAND MINDS 2017, 2020, 2022

Gary is an entrepreneur at heart – he builds businesses. The founder of a digital empire – Gary is also the CEO of VaynerMedia, a full-service advertising agency servicing Fortune 1000 clients from 4 offices spread across the globe: New York, Los Angeles, London and Singapore.

Quote from past BRAND MINDS speaker Dan Ariely

“BRAND MINDS has been a very wonderful experience!”

Dan Ariely, Renowned Behavioural Economics Expert – BRAND MINDS 2022

Selected in the Top 50 Most Influential Thinkers, an elite international ranking featuring individuals with “the ability to move markets or shape ideas and policies”, Dan Ariely is one of the most influential authorities in behavioural economics in the world.

Quote from past BRAND MINDS speaker Seth Godin

”Some of the biggest marketing and thinking minds are at BRAND MINDS, talking about the future!”

Seth Godin, World-Famous Business Expert – BRAND MINDS 2018

Seth Godin is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, and speaker. In addition to launching one of the most popular blogs in the world, he has written 20 best-selling books, including The Dip, Linchpin, Purple Cow, Tribes, and What To Do When It’s Your Turn (And It’s Always Your Turn).

Quote from past BRAND MINDS speaker Mark Manson

“BRAND MINDS has been fantastic! It’s been professional from beginning to end.”

Mark Manson, Bestselling Author & Entrepreneur – BRAND MINDS 2020, 2022

Mark Manson is a 3x New York Times bestselling author. His books have sold over 14 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than 65 languages and hit bestseller lists in sixteen different countries. Will, his 2021 book which he wrote in collaboration with Hollywood star Will Smith about his life story, became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. Oprah Winfrey said, “It’s the best memoir I’ve ever read.” The book won Mark the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Achievement. His first book The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck was the most-read non-fiction book worldwide in 2017, according to Amazon Charts.

Quote from past BRAND MINDS speaker Grant Cardone

”If you get a chance to come to this event, stop with the crazy! Get on the front row!”

Grant Cardone, World-Famous Sales Expert – BRAND MINDS 2019

Grant Cardone has 35 years of selling experience, owns & operates 7 privately held companies that do almost $100 million in annual sales. He was named one of the top 10 CEOs to follow on social media and is an international social media influencer with over 15,000,000 followers, fans and connections.

Quote from past BRAND MINDS speaker Guy Kawasaki

”BRAND MINDS is a very cool conference, great technology, a lovely audience and lots of good speakers!”

Guy Kawasaki, Brand Expert & Bestselling Author – BRAND MINDS 2019

Guy Kawasaki is the world’s first Chief Evangelist. Apple has one of the strongest brand community relationships in the world thanks to Guy and his innovative work. His honesty and transparency about Apple facilitated a lifelong relationship between the brand and its customers who became evangelists themselves. He is the bestselling author of 15 books among which the most popular are ‘Wise Guy’, ‘The Art of the Start 2.0’, ‘The Art of Social Media’, and ‘Enchantment’.

Quote from past BRAND MINDS speaker Jonah Berger

“BRAND MINDS is an amazing event! It’s rare to see a set of a line-up of speakers that’s this powerful.”

Jonah Berger, Viral Marketing Expert – BRAND MINDS 2022

He was named one of the top 30 leaders in business by the American Management Association and one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company magazine. Jonah Berger is a Marketing Professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of 3 international bestsellers: Contagious, Invisible influence and The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone’s Mind.

Quote from past BRAND MINDS speaker Yuval Noah Harari

”I am grateful to BRAND MINDS for providing such a prominent stage!”

Yuval Noah Harari, Bestselling Author & World Famous Historian – BRAND MINDS 2019

Prof. Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the bestselling author of the best-sellers Sapiens, Homo Deus and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. ‘Sapiens’ was in the top 3 of The New York Times Best Seller list for 96 consecutive weeks. His books have sold over 40 million copies in 65 languages and were recommended by Barack Obama and Bill Gates.

10 fast-converting words to use in your digital marketing strategy

These 10 fast-converting words are powerful and will help you get one step ahead of your competition.

Use them in your blog or email headlines, social media posts, YouTube and TikTok videos to grab your audience’s attention and stop them from scrolling down.

1. SAVE

Tell your audience how your product or service helps them by saving time, energy or money. Show them how they can spend their time or money on what is important to them (more time for family or hobbies, more money for travel, etc).

2. YOU/YOUR

What does your audience care the most about? Their dreams, their goals, their family, their lives – themselves. Imagine you have a cup of coffee with your prospect and he/she is sitting across the table. Talk to them in the second person (‘you’, ‘your’) like you would in a real-life situation. Make your message about the customer, not your brand.

3. INSTANT/NOW

Why wait when you can have your cake and eat it too? In a world where successful businesses are built around instant or almost instant gratification (ex: Amazon’s same-day delivery), tell your audience how fast your product solves their problem. Solutions that are quick are more appealing. 

4. TIPS/GUIDES/HOW-TO/TUTORIALS

Content that teaches your audience how to do something important to them (write a pitch, plan a high-level meeting, network with decision-makers and so on) is highly valuable. Create educational content and use one of these power words to raise your conversion rates and position your brand as the authority in your industry.

5. NEW/FRESH/INTRODUCING/UPDATED/FIRST

Your audience is hungry for the latest updates on the topics of their interest whether it’s how to sail the big seas or how to expand into a new market. The world is moving fast and what worked three years ago might not work next year. Build a relationship based on trust by helping your audience achieve their goals with valuable relevant and up-to-date information. It’s also worth noting that your audience will feel special when they are the first you share important information with.

6. BENEFITS/INVESTMENT

Talking about costs at the wrong time is a surefire way to make your audience grow cold with your brand which is the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve. Warm your audience by helping them see what’s in it for them, what benefits your product brings to them and how it will make their lives easier. Present your product as an investment and show them the ROI of their investment.

7. PREMIUM

Premium products are for VIP customers. Let your audience know your brand provides them with a high-end high-quality product. Show them how important and valuable they are to your company.

8. EXCLUSIVE

Every customer wants to feel special so build a community where your brand can share unique features, perks and benefits designed especially for your audience. It will help your brand stay top of mind and build a strong relationship.

9. EASY

No one wants to put in too much effort. The frictionless product or service wins the customer. If your product takes 3 clicks to order and your competitor’s, 10, your customer will choose your product. Tell your audience how easy it is to use your product and see your conversion number skyrocket.

10. IMAGINE

Human beings are highly attached to stories, and these tend to stick in people’s minds more effectively than a straight sales message. Invite your audience to an imagination exercise and help them envision how your product would change their lives for the better.

12 business tactics & lessons to grow your company

Learn 12 business tactics from BRAND MINDS’ global business thinkers and speakers, to grow your company and upgrade your business strategy.

Renée Mauborgne on the business strategy aspects Facebook, Uber and Amazon failed to implement correctly while creating a blue ocean market:

Blair Singer on the various types of salespersons and why they are successful:

Duncan Wardle on why developing a creative culture is paramount in business:

Disruptive technologies for the future of business with Anne-Marie Imafidon:

Neil Patel on how to use Instagram to get more customers:

How to effectively take action with Blair Singer:

Lynda Gratton on how employers create a work environment in this new world of employment that inspires creativity and productivity:

Nassim Nicholas Taleb on why you should study risk-taking, not risk-management:

Nassim Nicholas Taleb on what it means to have skin in the game:

Neil Patel on the biggest shifts in marketing:

Renée Mauborgne on why you should stop looking at the competition and letting them drive your strategies:

Duncan Wardle on the biggest barrier to innovation:

14 talks about top performance & business growth

Are you looking for insights on top performance & business growth?

Here are 14 talks featuring the BRAND MINDS 2023 speakers sharing their insights on habits, the new way of working, technology, marketing, sales, creativity and more.

14 talks about top performance & business growth

Building & changing habits with James Clear of “Atomic Habits”

YouTube Ads: Why is it not working and what to do with Neil Patel

New Ways of Working with Lynda Gratton

What’s Your Blue Ocean Strategy? Make Your Competition Irrelevant with Author Renée Mauborgne 

3 reasons why your lookalike audience isn’t converting with Neil Patel

Creating new, empowering habits with James Clear

5 tips to think like a millionaire with Blair Singer

Keeping your PR creative, imaginative, curious and intuitive with Disney’s Duncan Wardle

Nassim Nicholas Taleb on Skin in the Game

Women in Engineering Day with Anne-Marie Imafidon

Move Beyond Competing with Renée Mauborgne

How to build awesome habits with James Clear

How to price correctly with Neil Patel

Why you should redesign your HR strategy with Lynda Gratton

16 questions HR managers should ask in a Stay Interview

The Stay Interview is a powerful tool HR managers should use to increase engagement and retention of the top talent in the company.

If you are an HR manager looking to stop or limit Quiet Quitting in the company, Stay Interviews are the place to start.

What is the Stay Interview?

The Stay Interview is the opposite of the Exit Interview. While in the Exit Interview, the HR manager asks questions to uncover why the employee is leaving, in Stay Interviews, the HR manager asks the employee questions to determine their level of satisfaction with the company and their job role.

What is the purpose of the Stay Interview?

The purpose of the Stay Interview is to raise employee retention rates. During the interview, employees are invited to talk about what they like the most about their job roles as well as their least favourite part, whether or not they feel seen by management if their career goals are met and what should the company do to improve their performance.

The Stay Interview is an opportunity for HR managers to assess the employee’s current level of engagement and what the company can do to maintain or increase it.

What do you do after the Stay Interview?

After the Stay Interviews are completed, HR managers forward their conclusions to top management and make recommendations about the aspects that should be improved or changed.

Stay Interviews show that the employer takes accountability for the factors they control and are a way to build trust with employees.

If there are no follow-ups from top management, the employer breaks the employees’ trust with employees concluding that Stay Interviews are just a waste of time and the company doesn’t care about them.

What is asked in the Stay Interview?

The Stay Interview is a casual discussion between the HR manager and the employee. Here are 16 questions HR managers should ask in a Stay Interview:

1. Do you know what is expected of you?
2. Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right?
3. Do you feel your talents are being used well?
4. What talents, interests or skills do you have that we haven’t made the most of?
5. In the last 7 days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work? Or feedback to improve your performance?
6. Do you feel that your input is valued by leadership and that giving feedback is encouraged?
7. Does your supervisor seem to care about you as a person?
8. Is your supervisor actively invested in your professional growth?
9. Has your supervisor talked to you about the next step in your career plan?
10. In the last six months, has your supervisor talked to you about your progress?
11. Does the mission or purpose of our organization make you feel your job is important?
12. What do you enjoy most about working at the company and your role?
13. What is the least favourite part of your job and why?
14. Have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow this last year?
15. Do you feel that the company encourages work-life balance?
16. What would make you leave the company?

Are you looking to get new strategies to grow your employee retention and engagement?

Here are 4 key takeaways from Future of Work Strategy Expert @ London Business School Lynda Gratton:

20 great business books to scale your business

Here are the 20 great business books you should read this year to scale your business fast:

1. Blue Ocean Strategy: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
2. Blue Ocean Shift: Beyond Competing – Proven Steps to Inspire Confidence and Seize New Growth
3. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
4. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
5. Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life
6. Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
7. Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
8. The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms
9. Hustle: The Power to Charge Your Life with Money, Meaning, and Momentum
10. She’s in CTRL
11. The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity
12. Redesigning Work: How to Transform Your Organisation and Make Hybrid Work for Everyone
13. The Shift: The Future of Work is already here
14. The New Long Life: A Framework for Flourishing in a Changing World
15. Glow: How you can radiate energy, innovation and success
16. The Key: How Corporations Succeed by Solving the World’s Toughest Problems
17. The Exceptional Manager: Making the Difference
18. Hot Spots: Why some companies buzz with energy and innovation – and others don’t
19. Sales Dogs: You Don’t Have to be an Attack Dog to Explode Your Income
20. Little Voice Mastery: How to Win the War Between Your Ears in 30 Seconds or Less and Have an Extraordinary Life

These books are bestsellers written by global business thinkers speaking at BRAND MINDS 2023.

Blue Ocean Strategy: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, by Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne

Recognized as one of the most iconic and impactful strategy books ever written, Blue Ocean Strategy argues that cutthroat competition results in nothing but a bloody red ocean of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool.

Based on a study of 150 strategic moves, spanning more than 100 years across 30 industries, the authors, Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne show that lasting success comes not from battling competitors but from creating “blue oceans” — untapped new market spaces ripe for growth.

Embraced by organizations and industries worldwide, Blue Ocean Strategy is a global phenomenon that has sold over 4 million copies, is published in a record-breaking 47 languages and is a bestseller across five continents. First published in 2005, it was updated and expanded with fresh content in 2015.

Blue Ocean Strategy will teach you:

1. What is distinctive about Blue Ocean Strategy as a theory;
2. How is Blue Ocean Strategy different from a classic differentiation strategy or a low-cost strategy;
3. How to reconstruct market boundaries;
4. Why you need to focus on the big picture;
5. How to reach beyond existing demand;
6. How to overcome organizational hurdles;
7. How to build execution into strategy.

Blue Ocean Shift: Beyond Competing – Proven Steps to Inspire Confidence and Seize New Growth by Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne

‘Blue Ocean Shift’ is the indispensable and much-anticipated follow-up to ’Blue Ocean Strategy’. It is the New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller. The definitive guide to shift you, your team, and your organization to new heights of confidence, market creation, and growth.

‘Blue Ocean Shift’ will teach you: 

1. Why  focusing on competing misses huge growth opportunities;
2. How  to expand your thinking on strategy beyond competing;
3. Why thinking creative destruction and disruption as sources of innovation is limiting;
4. How  you can grow through nondisruptive creation;
5. How  anyone in any organization can move from red to blue oceans with BLUE OCEAN SHIFT’s systematic five-step process—not just entrepreneurs;
6. Why people’s confidence is essential to create and execute your growth strategy and how to build it;
7. Why you should not build your growth strategy based on existing environmental and industry conditions and how you can shape them in your favour for growth.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

“Atomic Habits is a powerful book that has changed the way I think about how I live and lead.” 

Brené Brown, author of six #1 New York Times bestsellers

This breakthrough book from James Clear is the most comprehensive guide on how to change your habits and get 1% better every day. 

Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits—whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, and achieve success that lasts.

‘Atomic Habits’ will teach you how to:

1. Build a system for getting 1% better every day;
2. Break your bad habits and stick to good ones;
3. Avoid the common mistakes most people make when changing habits;
4. Overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;
5. Develop a stronger identity and believe in yourself;
6. Make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);
7. Design your environment to make success easier;
8. Make tiny, easy changes that deliver big results;
9. Get back on track when you get off course;
10. And most importantly, how to put these ideas into practice in real life.

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

“The Black Swan changed my view of how the world works.”

Daniel Kahneman, Nobel laureate

‘The Black Swan’ is a New York Times bestseller and one of the twelve most influential books since World War II as per Sunday Times. 

Elegant, startling, and universal in its applications, The Black Swan will change the way you look at the world. Taleb is a vastly entertaining writer, with wit, irreverence, and unusual stories to tell. He has a polymathic command of subjects ranging from cognitive science to business to probability theory. The Black Swan is a landmark book—itself a black swan.

‘The Black Swan’ will teach you:

1. What is a Black Swan event;
2. How to recognize Black Swan events;
3. How to adapt your business to the changes Black Swan events bring;
4. How to approach opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don’t understand.

Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

A New York Times bestseller, ‘Skin in the Game’ is Taleb’s most provocative and practical book yet. Citing examples ranging from Hammurabi to Seneca, Antaeus the Giant to Donald Trump, Nassim Nicholas Taleb shows how the willingness to accept one’s own risks is an essential attribute of heroes, saints, and flourishing people in all walks of life.

In his book, Taleb challenges long-held beliefs about the values of those who spearhead military interventions, make financial investments, and propagate religious faiths.

‘Skin in the Game’ will teach you how to:

1. Understand the world from a new vantage point;
2. Succeed in your business, contribute to a fair and just society, detect nonsense;
3. Influence others.

Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

‘Fooled by Randomness’ is a Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year and was named by Fortune One of the Smartest Books of All Time.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb–veteran trader and renowned risk expert – has written a modern classic that turns on its head what we believe about luck and skill. Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill–the world of trading–and written in an entertaining narrative style, ’Fooled by Randomness’ provides captivating insight into one of the least understood factors in all our lives. 

‘Fooled by Randomness’ will teach you how to:

1. Deal with luck in life and business;
2. Approach luck and skill the right way;
3. Leverage the power of luck;
4. Understand the major intellectual issues related to the underestimation of the influence of happenstance on our lives.

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

‘Antifragile’ is the #1 Bestseller in Phenomenological Philosophy on Amazon.

Just as human bones get stronger when subjected to stress and tension, and rumours or riots intensify when someone tries to repress them, many things in life benefit from stress, disorder, volatility, and turmoil. 

‘Antifragile’ will teach you how to:

1. Thrive in an uncertain world, in business and life;
2. Identify the category of things that not only gain from chaos but need it in order to survive and flourish.

The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

‘The Bed of Procrustes’ is a collection of aphorisms and meditations where Nassim Taleb expresses his major ideas in ways you least expect.

The Bed of Procrustes takes its title from Greek mythology: the story of a man who made his visitors fit his bed to perfection by either stretching them or cutting their limbs. It represents Taleb’s view of modern civilization’s hubristic side effects—modifying humans to satisfy technology, blaming reality for not fitting economic models, inventing diseases to sell drugs, defining intelligence as what can be tested in a classroom, and convincing people that employment is not slavery.

‘The Bed of Procrustes’ will teach you:

1. Surprising truths by exposing self-delusions you have been living with but never recognized;
2. How to test your business decisions by looking at them through a fresh new lens and see if they still stand.

Hustle: The Power to Charge Your Life with Money, Meaning, and Momentum by Neil Patel, Patrick Vlaskovits, and Jonas Koffler

‘Hustle’ is a New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and IndieBound bestseller that Fortune says is a must-read for any entrepreneur.

The book is a dynamic, game-changing guide to finding success and fearlessly outsmarting the system.

The authors reveal their groundbreaking three-part framework of Heart, Head, and Habits. 

‘Hustle’ will teach you:

1. Why you must own your dreams, not rent dreams from others;
2. Ways to create your own luck and “POP”;
3. How to betray yourself to stay true to yourself—and develop your potential;
4. The four major career hustles and the path that’s best for you.

She’s in CTRL by Anne-Marie Imafidon

Recently our eyes have been opened to the dangerous fact that our technology is built by a series of big decisions made by a small number of people, mainly men. It means our technology is derived from the gender, nationality and beliefs of a section of society whose lived experience may not chime with our own. The tech world might feel beyond reach, particularly if you’re a woman.

But in ‘She’s In CTRL’, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, a dynamic advocate for women in STEM, insists that technology is not the preserve of the elite. It is in our homes and in our hands. Rather than feeling powerless to make changes to the way tech works and fails, she argues that it’s time to get into the room where the decisions are made. Or, better still, create their own tech rooms.

This powerful book about women, tech and daring to dream takes inspiration from Dr Imafidon’s own experience and from the stories of other pioneers and innovators who have, against the odds, transformed technology. 

‘She’s in CTRL’ will teach you:

1. That technology is not an unchangeable and unquestionable force;
2. How to use technology to future-proof your business;
3. How to play a part in ensuring a future that is evenly distributed.

Redesigning Work: How to Transform Your Organisation and Make Hybrid Work for Everyone by Lynda Gratton

Whether you’re working in a small team or running a multinational, this is the time to make lasting changes and equip your business for the future.

‘Redesigning Work’ is the definitive book on how to transform your organisation and make hybrid working work for you.

Based on thirty years of research into the technological, demographic, cultural and societal trends that are shaping work, and building on what we learned through our experiences of the global pandemic,

‘Redesigning Work’ will teach you:

1. Lynda Gratton’s innovative four-step framework for redesigning work;
2. How to understand the challenges your business is facing;
3. To reimagine creative, new approaches and processes;
4. How to model and test these within your organisation;
5. How to act and create based on contemporary, data-led feedback;
6. How to help your team embrace change, increase productivity and thrive in our new, more flexible working world.

The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity by Lynda Gratton

‘What happens when many people live to 100’? Although technology has been much studied, the impact of demography on working lives is little understood.

Whilst life expectancy has increased for decades, society continues to structure lives in the same way as in the past; we learn, we work, we retire. It is clear that many current practices are ill-equipped to cope with a 100-year life and that individuals, companies and governments all have a role to play in ensuring we structure our lives differently so we can make the most of a longer life.

‘The 100-Year Life’ has created a global conversation about longevity. It has been translated into many languages, won prizes, became one of the best-selling books in Japan and has even been made into a manga.

‘The 100-Year Life’ will teach you:

1. The challenges and the intelligent choices you must make to turn greater life expectancy into a gift and not a curse;
2. How to adapt by focusing on intangible as well as tangible assets (includes a diagnostic profile).

The Shift: The Future of Work is already here by Lynda Gratton

By 2010 it was clear to Lynda Gratton that the world was facing a revolution in work. She could see a substantial schism between the past and the present in the way we work.

Much of the insights in this book came from the Future of Work Research Consortium, which brings companies from around the world together to imagine the future.

The book has been translated into multiple languages, won prizes and became a bestseller in Japan. Lynda Gratton uses it as a set text for her elective at London Business School, ‘The Future of Work’.

‘The Shift’ will teach you:

1. What is the impact of a low-carbon economy on the way we work;
2. How technology and globalisation work together with demographic and societal changes to transform work.

The New Long Life: A Framework for Flourishing in a Changing World by Lynda Gratton

Human progress has risen to great heights, but at the same time it has prompted anxiety about where we’re heading. Are our jobs under threat? If people live to 100, will they ever really stop working? And how will this change the way we love, manage and learn from others?

‘The New Long Life’ will teach you:

1. How longevity impacts your business;
2. How to make the most of smart new technologies;
3. What is Lynda Gratton’s ‘human ingenuity’ concept and what it means for the business environment;
4. How to navigate a new life by learning, transitioning, and making deep connections.

Glow: How you can radiate energy, innovation and success by Lynda Gratton

You know them at first sight: teammates or colleagues, direct reports or bosses who radiate enthusiasm, positive energy, and inspiration. Even in difficult circumstances they glow with an attitude that inspires others, fosters a great working experience for everyone, and creates empowering relationships.

‘Glow’ will teach you:

1. Three principles that people who glow live by;
2. Three actions for putting each principle into practice based on years of original research.

The Key: How Corporations Succeed by Solving the World’s Toughest Problems by Lynda Gratton

What would happen if corporations actively anchored themselves in their communities and supply chains? What if they leverage their unique capabilities to address complex global challenges such as climate change and youth unemployment?

When intelligence and wisdom are amplified, emotional vitality is enhanced and social connections are harnessed.

‘The Key’ will teach you how to:

1. Scale and mobilise your business with unique innovative strategies;
2. Grow your business by committing to solving global problems;
3. Create alliance-building capabilities for your business;
4. Bring resilience to a fragile world starting with what happens inside a corporation.

The Exceptional Manager: Making the Difference by Lynda Gratton

Many businesses face the choice of either competing on the ‘low road’ of cost or the ‘high road’ of innovation and value. 

This ground-breaking book is essential reading for policymakers, analysts, academics, and managers to be who want to make a different future.

‘The Exceptional Manager’ will teach you:

1. How to grow your business by applying the combined insight of some of the best minds in management;
2. The right way to assess the challenges your business faces with the help of a clear and crisp analysis;
3. A range of ideas on how to develop the competencies, practices and values that can make a difference in your business.

Hot Spots: Why some companies buzz with energy and innovation – and others don’t by Lynda Gratton

‘Hot Spots’ is one of Lynda Gratton’s most influential books developing one of her research findings which highlights the importance of cooperation to innovation. This topic, particularly boundary-spanning networks, is central to her views about creativity in corporations and she has used them right up to her present thoughts about hybrid work.

This book was the result of a research programme about cooperation, leveraging the companies in Lynda Gratton’s research consortium ‘The Leading Edge’ and with support from the Singapore government.

‘Hot Spots’ will teach you how to:

1. Encourage your own organisational Hot Spots by focusing on cooperation, networks and the role of purpose;
2. Build creativity in your organisation.

SalesDogs: You Don’t Have to be an Attack Dog to Explode Your Income by Blair Singer

The number one skill for any entrepreneur or business owner is the ability to sell. Why? Because sales = income. Yet, many fail financially not because they do not have great ideas or even good work ethic, but typically because they don’t know how to, refuse to, are afraid to, or don’t think it is important to know how to sell. 

‘SalesDogs’ will teach you:

1. How to overcome the fears, the myths and the obstacles to selling your products, services or yourself;
2. A simple, time-proven process of selling that will generate great income for your business;
3. The five most important selling skills to master;
4. How to overcome any objection;
5. How to manage a territory.

Little Voice Mastery: How to Win the War Between Your Ears in 30 Seconds or Less and Have an Extraordinary Life by Blair Singer

“Little Voice” is the chatter in the six inches between your ears that turns you into a hero one minute and a dunce the next. The 21 proven techniques presented here will reprogram the “Little Voice” in your brain in 30 seconds. 

‘Little Voice Mastery’ will teach you how to:

1. Build strategies and techniques to maintain power in any pressure situation;
2. Stop debilitating chatter in your brain so you can attract what you want;
3. Uncover and realize lifelong dreams;
4. Break through self-sabotaging habits;
5. Build powerful, lasting confidence;
6. Resurrect the hero inside of you.