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Elena Pelc is the founder and CEO of 2 Proud Pups, a maker of all-natural dog care products. Sales are good, but revenues have plateaued at about $1 million annually. Plus she's pregnant with her first child. She must decide whether to sell the company--which would give her more time with her family and help her start-up grow--or hire a new CEO and continue to exert some control over its future. With commentary from Candace Leak, the founder and CEO of Loanables.com, and Todd Olson, a cofounder and the CEO of Pendo.

Founded by entrepreneurs from Taiwan, Spain and China, Energo Labs is a Shanghai-based international start-up that brings blockchain technology to the energy sector to enable energy producers, such as buildings equipped with solar PV panels, to buy and sell energy to neighbors or other energy consumers. The founders of this young firm found initial support from various parties, including foundations and government agencies, based on phenomenon positioned the firm for an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) in mid-2107, the timing of which turned out to be nearly optimal. Their offering was successful, finding buyers for their funding target in less than a day. When the young firm realised that barriers to entry in Asian energy trading markets were much higher than expected, they were forced to consider alternatives, such as monetizing their core blockchain technology. However, the prospect of abandoning their sustainability-focused mission did not sit well with many of the young staff that would be needed to move Energo to the next level.The potential for their value proposition to address structural imbalances in access to electrical power in Southeast Asia.

Innovation is a key source of organizational growth and profitability. Many organizations at the front end of innovation struggle to engender an innovation approach that is effective and lasting. This article presents a framework that defines the interdependency of innovation and strategy, and then outlines the role of top management to continuously renew the positioning of the firm. Based on a synthesis of prior research-including the Dynamic Capabilities View, Innovation Orientation, and Disruptive Innovation Theory-and our own experience working with organizations, we present an operational strategy shift framework, which allows practitioners to increase, refine, and transform their firm's capability to innovate (CTI) toward achieving their strategic objectives. This framework provides guidance that leaders can use to integrate innovation into their strategic process.

Terrell Manufacturing (Terrell) was a small-scale producer of manifolds in Cleveland, Ohio. In late 2015, one of its clients decided to outsource the manifolds it had been producing in-house and approached Terrell with a proposal: Terrell could buy its equipment and produce the manifolds for the client. Terrell needed to quote a production rate based on the hourly cost of operating the equipment to make the client's manifolds. The rate needed to include the total cost of production, which involved processes in addition to those that were carried out on the purchased equipment. Terrell also needed to propose a payment plan for the machine.

Under the visionary leadership of Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Nintendo) of Japan had transformed from a small founder-controlled business to a global and professionalized firm. Yamauchi’s death in 2013 had the potential to affect Nintendo’s corporate financial policy. Following his passing, Yamauchi’s family was left with a huge inheritance—but also an exorbitant inheritance tax bill. The family sought advice from Nintendo on how to deal with the matter. How could Nintendo solve this financial trouble in a way that balanced the interests of both the family and Nintendo’s management?

Realizing the missing link between traditional veterinary services and modern-day technology, Dicky Lau created a solution of his own-a telemedicine platform for pets. He founded VetNX in 2016 in Hong Kong after working in his family's pet food business for six years. As with many other early-stage companies, the two-year-old venture had gone through a few changes in its business model and seemed to have found the right niche to tackle the large potential market in China. The company had expanded rapidly in terms of geographic coverage and product offerings, and was at the stage of final testing on when it would be ready for commercial launch imminently. Dicky was also concerned about the future of his venture: the competitive landscape of the pet industry, the regulatory environment in the e-commerce sector in China, the efforts involved to secure venture funding, and above all, the kind of operating model he would use in his company.

iSpace, a start-up hub that focused on women in technology, was founded in 2013 in Ghana's capital, Accra, and provided space, technology, and funding to 62 entrepreneurs. In May 2017, the co-founder wanted to expand the business to maximize social impact by empowering a greater number of entrepreneurs who lacked technical skills, emotional support, and access to funding. iSpace had four strategies to choose from to meet its goal: create new programs to attract more entrepreneurs in Accra, establish a presence on university campuses, expand into other regions or countries, and collaborate with government programs. In addition, the company needed a plan to address the financial and human resources constraints it would face in executing an expansion strategy.

iSpace, a start-up hub that focused on women in technology, was founded in 2013 in Ghana’s capital, Accra, and provided space, technology, and funding to 62 entrepreneurs. In May 2017, the co-founder wanted to expand the business to maximize social impact by empowering a greater number of entrepreneurs who lacked technical skills, emotional support, and access to funding. iSpace had four strategies to choose from to meet its goal: create new programs to attract more entrepreneurs in Accra, establish a presence on university campuses, expand into other regions or countries, and collaborate with government programs. In addition, the company needed a plan to address the financial and human resources constraints it would face in executing an expansion strategy.

In 2007, the owner and director of marketing and research and development at Jaga was preparing for a meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the future of the Belgian company’s Uchronia project (an online community and playground for creativity and product development). Over the previous 15 years, Jaga had transformed from a production-based radiator company to a highly innovative organization with a focus on the premium market. The owner, who had succeeded his father as chief executive officer during the 1990s, had managed this transformation. As an anthropologist with a unique view of the world, he saw the economy, innovation, and management as integral parts of his vision. Jaga had developed three major innovation projects in recent years. The first two were inexpensive projects and focused on direct benefits for the company. The third, the Uchronia project, was a larger and a more expensive project initiated at the Burning Man festival in 2006 that gained worldwide media attention. However, the Uchronia online community that resulted from the project had not grown as expected, leaving its founder to have to make a decision about the project’s future.

Jaga suffered negative economic effects from the 2008 financial crisis. As the crisis persisted in 2011, management planned to substantially reduce the number of employees, but the founder instead chose to fire half of the management team and reorganize the company. Although this decision was considered counterintuitive, it was perfectly aligned with the philosophy of this creative company.

In June 2016, Sumayyah Sayed, a resident of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, decided to donate food to those who needed it through a sharing fridge for the full month of Ramadan. When she noted the extent of the need for more help, she turned to social media. What followed demonstrated the power of social media campaigns and the collective management of supply chains and perhaps initiated a new entrepreneurial venture. Within one month, the Facebook Inc. group Sayed had created to support her Ramadan Sharing Fridges initiative had 22,000 members, 165 donating fridges had been set up, and the story was creating waves in international media. What kind of entrepreneurial style was this? Was it sustainable? Was it an alternative model that could be adopted by others who aspired to set up business ventures, or was it a fluke?

Care Unlimited was a start-up in Kolkata, India, engaged in providing support and services to elderly customers whose children lived far away. The venture, four years old, had garnered a clientele who strongly believed in supporting the well-being of their elderly parents. The start-up endeavoured to change the experience of old age by supporting its customers in various chores, and by meaningfully engaging them in the various activities they enjoyed. By April 2018, the set-up had captured a share of the early market in Kolkata; however, the concept that the needs of elderly people extended beyond a need for emergency services had yet to gain wide-scale acceptance. Should the founder consider adding emergency services? Or should he continue to focus on driving home the point that elderly people needed far more than emergency services? Was there a need to explore alternative ways of earning revenue and diversifying his business?

Headquartered in Gurgaon, India, Vaidam Health Private Limited (Vaidam) was an online medical-value-travel (MVT) facilitator that had been hosting overseas patients travelling to India for medical treatment since its inception in January 2016. It had partnered with over 100 world-class health care facilities across the major cities in the country. Given the improved attractiveness of the MVT services, the founders of Vaidam realized that they would face tough competition in their attempt to further leverage this massive unaddressed business opportunity. Although they had successfully bootstrapped and come this far, they now had a tougher challenge to face in May 2018: as an MVT facilitator, how could Vaidam continuously offer value to medical travellers so that they would continue to choose Vaidam to plan their treatment and travel to India?

Brown Bag Films produced programming for Disney, Amazon, BBC, and Nickelodeon, reaching an audience of more than 100 million pre-school children around the world. This case examines the development of Brown Bag Films, which began in 1994 as a partnership between two art school students in Ireland who had a passion for making animated children's films-but no business plan, and only a few thousand pounds of borrowed funds. Early successes like an Oscar nomination meant name recognition, but the company had a decidedly non-linear track before it became known for producing popular animated series. The company pivoted a number of times, yet still saw itself as a start-up, a technology venture that was also a creative venture, at the cutting edge of 3D animation. Topics discussed include strategic thinking, mission alignment, management training, and corporate culture.

Brown Bag Films produced programming for Disney, Amazon, BBC, and Nickelodeon, reaching an audience of more than 100 million pre-school children around the world. This case examines the development of Brown Bag Films, which began in 1994 as a partnership between two art school students in Ireland who had a passion for making animated children's films-but no business plan, and only a few thousand pounds of borrowed funds. Early successes like an Oscar nomination meant name recognition, but the company had a decidedly non-linear track before it became known for producing popular animated series. The company pivoted a number of times, yet still saw itself as a start-up, a technology venture that was also a creative venture, at the cutting edge of 3D animation. Topics discussed include strategic thinking, mission alignment, management training, and corporate culture.

Brown Bag Films produced programming for Disney, Amazon, BBC, and Nickelodeon, reaching an audience of more than 100 million pre-school children around the world. This case examines the development of Brown Bag Films, which began in 1994 as a partnership between two art school students in Ireland who had a passion for making animated children's films-but no business plan, and only a few thousand pounds of borrowed funds. Early successes like an Oscar nomination meant name recognition, but the company had a decidedly non-linear track before it became known for producing popular animated series. The company pivoted a number of times, yet still saw itself as a start-up, a technology venture that was also a creative venture, at the cutting edge of 3D animation. Topics discussed include strategic thinking, mission alignment, management training, and corporate culture.

Economist and entrepreneur Magnus Resch was on a mission to make the art market more transparent. To that end, in 2014, he began building the Magnus app, which catalogued the price and transaction history of millions of works of art. Users could download the app, take a photo of any flat artwork, and the app would display that piece's price along with other pertinent information. Resch believed that such radical transparency would grow the small, rather insular, network of serious art collectors. By May 2018, the app had garnered strong user engagement, with over 10,000 new downloads per month. But Resch was not yet generating revenue from the Magnus app, which was free for users to download. The case explores Resch's options for monetizing the app, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each option.

TEKCOM Corporation (TEKCOM) was one of the largest exporters of film-faced plywood (FFP) in Vietnam. The company experienced double-digit growth in its FFP trading business from 2005 to 2011. In 2012, TEKCOM ventured into FFP manufacturing. However, after building strong brand equity in both local and foreign markets as a mid-range FFP producer, TEKCOM faced a major constraint to its growth ambition. Veneer, a key raw material for making FFP, was in short supply in Vietnam. Sourcing veneer from overseas suppliers was expensive. Furthermore, the domestic FFP market was becoming increasingly competitive. An escalation in the company’s orders backlog, due to a severe shortage in veneer, led TEKCOM’s chief executive officer to review his company’s business model and strategy to sustain growth. In June 2017, TEKCOM was considering various options to address the supply shortage and the prospect of market expansion with new products. However, there were major risks associated with all available options.

This case study focuses on a professional services firm ("Performance Improvement Consulting") and its sales calls on Hi-R-Me, a potential client. The case is supplemented by videos showing the initial contact call, a follow-up discovery call, and a face-to-face meeting. Then, students view alternative ways of making each call. The materials are intended to build skills and awareness relevant to personal selling and, in particular, to the role and importance of "up-front contracts" in structuring productive sales calls.