How did you come up with the idea ?

I was part of a senior executive program within a large corporate where I held a senior management position. One rung under the top level. Our challenge, as part of the program, was to develop a real business opportunity that we had to pitch to the executive committee for their endorsement. The opportunity had to involve a merger, acquisition or joint venture.

The task sent a large majority of the elite program members into a tail spin. I saw it is an opportunity to explore where value opportunities were laying dormant within the organisation.

To get my creative juices flowing I performed a value chain analysis of the business. The business is quite complex so it was a reasonable task to get the analysis to a level where I could start to identify the opportunities.

I identified three opportunities within the business.  I described them in very simple terms to help trigger further thought processes.

I then explored each opportunity with an open creative mind. When hitting an obstacle or a stale patch I descried the obstacle and post noted it on my desk to consider other ways to look at the idea. After addressing the obstacles that I could, I culled the list down to the most compelling, interesting and potentially valuable idea that seemed most achievable.

Then started the research to see if some of the technical obstacles which remained could be overcome. After completing the research I learned that the key remaining obstacles I was wrestling with would actually make the opportunity even more compelling.

I will blog about the pitch to Executive Management in my next blog.

My Credentials

I have a solid business background and more specifically have good experience in the two key areas that are most relevant to the business opportunity.

1. 7 years experience in the industry where the idea is targeted towards
2. eBusiness experience - consulted to companies during the .com boom and recently started an Internet business which is progressing well.

I also have an IT degree and an Executive MBA as formal qualifications.

More importantly, my ability to innovate and put my thoughts into a realistic business context is my strongest asset.  In fact I have at least three other eBusiness ideas that have great potential that I plan to launch sometime in the not too distant future.

The business opportunity I want to pitch to Sir Richard Branson relies on more seed capital than I can afford and also needs to partner with a business in the industry that it is targeting.

I will continue to reveal more about the opportunity and my progress each day in this blog. Please feel free to comment, ask questions and spread the word by:

• linking to my blog
• following me on Twitter and tweeting using the hash tag #pitch2branson
• spreading the word
• suggesting any media contacts with whom I can get some exposure.

Why do you think Branson will be interested in the opportunity?

There is probably a few key reasons why I am confident Branson will be interested.

1. It will add a capability to one of his larger companies that will give it a distinct competitive advantage in an area that is critical for success in the industry where it competes. The capability will not be easy to imitate if launched well and in good time.
2. The capability to be developed (through acquisition or organically) is an Internet business, which combined with his current business, gives him a unique opportunity to gain market share in one of the most lucrative online markets around.
3. Richard Branson showed his interest in the Internet when he was asked by the Barefoot Investor

If you were at the start of your career again – with no capital or connections – what business would you go into today to make your fortune?

Branson responded

That’s an easy one – it would definitely be some kind of web-based business

(source Hanging Out With Sir Richard Branson   30 July 2010)

How much capital will it take to get the idea off the ground ?

There are a number of options to get to market. Simply stated we can acquire the requisite capabilities or develop them organically. Seed capital necessary for organic growth approximates $5-$10 Million USD. Acquisitions require case-by-case analysis and there are several stellar candidates in the market.

A third option is to enter into a join venture where there is an agreement with a partner to provide certain capabilities for a revenue share agreement. However this limits the investors ability to participate in a significant amount of upside associated with the opportunity.

If acquisition is favoured, there are several targets whose assets and capabilities would contribute significantly to the value proposition, which combined together, will significantly increase value to all stakeholders.

It really is a unique opportunity.

Why did the large corporate let your idea slip through the cracks?

The business opportunity certainly looked like it was going to be taken up by the company I worked for at the time. In a presentation to the Executive Committee comments received included ....

• "...this is something that we have to look into"
• "this casts a whole new perspective on [our product]"
• "..this has the potential to take our competitive advantage to a whole new level" 

An external consultant who reviewed the work also commented

• " This has the potential to own the customer's experience in a way that no other competitor will be able to match over time"

With so much support, why did it stand still for nearly three years with no plans to pick it up?

 To put some context around the situation, the technology that the company needed to make the idea fly was delayed for two years. Also the industry is strongly impacted by the economic environment and began to close down or halt any unnecessary capital expenditure.

So why hasn't the company revisited the opportunity now that Australia's economy, and the global economy (to a degree), are starting to move ahead?

I am not entirely sure as I don't work there anymore. In my experience as a top level advisor in the company and to other companies of similar size, innovative ideas struggle to get momentum in large corporations unless their is a credible precedent.

Too often I have experienced discussions about an idea only to see it shelved because the answer to

"...and what other company has done this successfully" could not be answered.

Obviously each opportunity needs to be assessed on its risk-reward proposition and its fit with the strategic objectives of the organisation. However, amongst the ideas that got squashed and trampled on there were many that had a significant upside for relatively low investment.


The problem in these instances is that there is a hidden expense that is added which represents the will of Management to venture into uncharted waters.

A bit more information about the business opportunity

As time goes on I will disclose more information about the idea.

If you are thinking that I am just another crazy entrepreneur who has dreamed about an opportunity without a realistic perspective of the industry, and appreciation for it's potential to fly, well you might be right. But here are a few credentials to suggest it might get closer to flying than staying on the ground.

I have 7 years experience in the industry where the opportunity exists. At the time that I birthed the business opportunity, I was a senior executive in an advisory capacity with one of the largest players in the market and the C' suite bought into it. It then got shelved as the company went into austerity mode in the face of the global financial crisis. Subsequently the company has indicated that the opportunity is not in their plans.

The idea utilises emerging technology to develop a capability that has the potential to significantly increase revenue per customer in a market where this metric is a critical factor for success.

Another favourable part of the opportunity is that it has a significant first mover advantage which will make it difficult for competitors in the industry to become fast followers.

Once established, it opens a wide range of other opportunities to own the customer experience from start to finish.

I will continue to blog about the opportunity and progress made towards getting 5 minutes with Richard Branson and beyond.

Feel free to Tweet or post comments as you see fit and spread the word.

Starting the ball rolling....

Just kicked off the blog and the Twitter page.  Will work on the Facebook page shortly.  Fingers are crossed.  Here we go!!!