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We have come to Part 4 of the Sun Tzu series, and so far it’s getting more and more interesting with many examples of how to improve on business operations and how to apply strategic thinking. James is articulate and has good insights on all sorts of businesses; and he also engages “consultants” in the form of experienced entrepreneurs who are knowledgeable about a particular industry to give their expert views and opinions. This all adds up to a holistic appraisal of the business, and he is able to deliver his “verdict” on how to improve. My lingering grouse is that totally no numbers are presented at all throughout the episodes thus far, and this is one aspect which can be improved on.
Episode 4 goes back to Singapore again, and shows an entrepreneur called Kavita Thulasidas (an Indian lady) who designs a specialized line of clothing. She has a retail shop somewhere near Selegie area and her shop is called Asian Woman. The designs are a fusion of Western and Indian styles and in her own words, are supposed to reflect contemporary designs catered to a higher-end clientele. Unfortunately, James’ first observation is that the location of the shop is poor, in that it is located in a run-down building where there is only one other retailer present. In true Sun Tzu style, he mentions that Terrain (“Di” in Chinese) is one of the important aspects of a battlefield, and one must position oneself in a good location to be able to capture maximum consumer traffic and give good visibility to the business frontage.
As James steps into the shop, he is pleasantly surprised by the rich and elegant designs of the clothing, many of which have been hand-sewn with beads and sequins. Kavita then shows James a room upstairs where many of the gowns and dresses are further altered and “made-to-measure”. It appears that many of the garments are customized and James is forced to rethink the business model, as he previously thought that the shop attracts walk-in customers. When he speaks to one of the customers, who is an Indian lady buying a gown for her wedding to be held in Scotland, he realizes that Kavita attracts a dedicated customer base who seek her out for her special expertise in designing beautiful gowns, meaning she serves a niche segment of the market. Read more...[caption id="attachment_2152" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Photo by goincase"][/caption]
We have come to Part 4 of the Sun Tzu series, and so far it’s getting more and more interesting with many examples of how to improve on business operations and how to apply strategic thinking. James is articulate and has good insights on all sorts of businesses; and he also engages “consultants” in the form of experienced entrepreneurs who are knowledgeable about a particular industry to give their expert views and opinions. This all adds up to a holistic appraisal of the business, and he is able to deliver his “verdict” on how to improve. My lingering grouse is that totally no numbers are presented at all throughout the episodes thus far, and this is one aspect which can be improved on.
Episode 4 goes back to Singapore again, and shows an entrepreneur called Kavita Thulasidas (an Indian lady) who designs a specialized line of clothing. She has a retail shop somewhere near Selegie area and her shop is called Asian Woman. The designs are a fusion of Western and Indian styles and in her own words, are supposed to reflect contemporary designs catered to a higher-end clientele. Unfortunately, James’ first observation is that the location of the shop is poor, in that it is located in a run-down building where there is only one other retailer present. In true Sun Tzu style, he mentions that Terrain (“Di” in Chinese) is one of the important aspects of a battlefield, and one must position oneself in a good location to be able to capture maximum consumer traffic and give good visibility to the business frontage.
As James steps into the shop, he is pleasantly surprised by the rich and elegant designs of the clothing, many of which have been hand-sewn with beads and sequins. Kavita then shows James a room upstairs where many of the gowns and dresses are further altered and “made-to-measure”. It appears that many of the garments are customized and James is forced to rethink the business model, as he previously thought that the shop attracts walk-in customers. When he speaks to one of the customers, who is an Indian lady buying a gown for her wedding to be held in Scotland, he realizes that Kavita attracts a dedicated customer base who seek her out for her special expertise in designing beautiful gowns, meaning she serves a niche segment of the market. Read more...
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We have come to Part 4 of the Sun Tzu series, and so far it’s getting more and more interesting with many examples of how to improve on business operations and how to apply strategic thinking. James is articulate and has good insights on all sorts of businesses; and he also engages “consultants” in the form of experienced entrepreneurs who are knowledgeable about a particular industry to give their expert views and opinions. This all adds up to a holistic appraisal of the business, and he is able to deliver his “verdict” on how to improve. My lingering grouse is that totally no numbers are presented at all throughout the episodes thus far, and this is one aspect which can be improved on.
Episode 4 goes back to Singapore again, and shows an entrepreneur called Kavita Thulasidas (an Indian lady) who designs a specialized line of clothing. She has a retail shop somewhere near Selegie area and her shop is called Asian Woman. The designs are a fusion of Western and Indian styles and in her own words, are supposed to reflect contemporary designs catered to a higher-end clientele. Unfortunately, James’ first observation is that the location of the shop is poor, in that it is located in a run-down building where there is only one other retailer present. In true Sun Tzu style, he mentions that Terrain (“Di” in Chinese) is one of the important aspects of a battlefield, and one must position oneself in a good location to be able to capture maximum consumer traffic and give good visibility to the business frontage.
As James steps into the shop, he is pleasantly surprised by the rich and elegant designs of the clothing, many of which have been hand-sewn with beads and sequins. Kavita then shows James a room upstairs where many of the gowns and dresses are further altered and “made-to-measure”. It appears that many of the garments are customized and James is forced to rethink the business model, as he previously thought that the shop attracts walk-in customers. When he speaks to one of the customers, who is an Indian lady buying a gown for her wedding to be held in Scotland, he realizes that Kavita attracts a dedicated customer base who seek her out for her special expertise in designing beautiful gowns, meaning she serves a niche segment of the market. Read more...
