Made in Ireland and based in Cork, Human+Kind skincare has recently launched a welcome addition to its line of all natural skincare products, a fabulous all natural multipurpose body oil which is easily absorbed and highly beneficial for the skin. I’ve been using it for the past few days and it really is a gem of a product, particularly coming out of these winter months when skin has been moisture deprived.

It’s a great next step for Human+Kind on its upward trajectory and is an indicator of how quickly this company has grown since we helped launch the brand in Dubai in May 2011. Demand for the all natural range is increasing at pace and Human+Kind is now distributed across Europe, Asia and the middle East with many new and innovative products in the pipeline for 2012/2013.

It’s very welcome news for the team here at ThinkTank who combined research and strategy with powerful branding to effectively create, communicate and deliver the Human+Kind brand into the marketplace on behalf of the brand owners, the all Dutch team of Rene Van Willigen and Jeroen Proos.

Very early on ThinkTank recognised the unique value in the idea behind the product – multipurpose skincare that is 100% natural. While multipurpose products in skincare are not news, 100% natural multipurpose products with high levels of incredibly effective and proven active  ingredients are very new to the marketplace and this is where Human+Kind spotted a gap.

It was up to ThinkTank to evaluate the opportunity through rigorous research and then use the insights generated from the research to inform strategy development (market positioning, market segmentation & targeting, customer value proposition) and the development of the Human+kind brand which is a key tool for the owners to communicate the value inherent in the products to the marketplace.

It’s a great time to be an all natural skincare brand as natural and organic skincare is on an incredible upward growth curve with more and more consumers becoming highly chemical aware and demanding of their product choices so that they can minimise any potentially negative impact on their health while maximising performance and wellness benefits. In addition, women are increasingly looking to skincare products that deliver maximum performance benefits but in half the time and half the perceived number of products required for their daily skincare regime.

Global players like P+G and L’Oréal are solving these specific skincare problems with the recent smash hit launches of their multipurpose BB (Blemish Balm) creams which cut down considerably the number of products a woman needs in her arsenal, however, Human+Kind goes one better in that it solves an important problem for consumers in a way that the skincare giants are not – it tackles the chemical issue by being 100% natural and reduces the need for multiple products while delivering extremely powerful antiageing benefits and therapeutic benefits over time.

Jeroen Proos, the co-founder of Human+Kind has commented that “Evaluating the opportunity, or “sanity testing” it through research has to be the first port of call for any entrepreneur or start-up, then, once you are comfortable that there is a market, determining where and how to position the product in that market relative to the competition in order to own a territory for your brand and differentiate, how to use the brand both on and offline as a key tool to create brand awareness, relevance, preference and ultimately purchase are the key steps that any brand that has aspirations to become a player on a global stage in a crowded marketplace has to undertake in order to be successful.”

Finally, the packaging that ThinkTank developed for Human+Kind has already won recognition, Human+Kind has recently featured on RTE’s highly popular Nationwide programme and on TV3’s Expose, winning plaudits from influential bloggers like Kirstie McDermott of Beaut.ie and a legion of influential beauty bloggers in the Netherlands. Looks like Human+Kind is only at the start of a very exciting and rewarding  journey.

Demanding inclusion in the boys’ club is a long and arduous path. Nowadays, smart women are building their own instead……

Get your sunglasses, grab your beach towel and imagine the following scene of children playing in the sand:

Seven boys, ages five to eight, are engineering an intricate series of dams and rivers by the water’s edge. They even build a small hot tub and are enjoying their time in this mini spa when along come the girls – first one, then two. As the third attempts to find a seat in the tub, two boys protest. “No girls allowed.” The girls argue but eventually move along. Minutes later the mothers arrive and demand equal rights for the girls. The boys protest, but the mothers stand guard as the girls are begrudgingly allowed in the tub.

Clearly everyone is having less fun. As soon as the guards leave, the chanting begins anew, “No girls allowed.” The scene repeats several times. Eventually, the mothers become distracted and the girls grow tired of trying. Then one lone girl starts to dig a short distance from the boys. She is far enough to maintain respect for the rule of separation but close enough for the engineers and construction workers to see her. Other girls join in. They build elaborate scenes creatively using beach flora, fauna and debris to make bridges, houses, trees and people.

A curious boy inches his digging project closer to the girls’ scene. Within minutes he connects his trench to their landscape. Other boys take note and edge closer. They build connecting roads as well. Soon the groups’ combined engineering and creative talents result in a complex and ingenious landscape filled with people, cars, pets, trenches, dams and a bigger coed hot tub!

This thought provoking story of boys and girls at play on a summer’s day is an excerpt from an article written by Dr. Anne Perschel which features in the Huffington Post. Anne is the founder and president of Boston based Germane Consulting and is a highly respected leadership and organizational psychologist.

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Let’s say you’re at a networking event and someone steps in the elevator with you, notices your nametag, and asks, “So what do you guys do?” Quick–what’s your answer? You’ve got just 30 seconds before the doors open so you’d better think fast.

In many ways an Elevator Pitch is shorthand for what your brand stands for. It’s your one-shot opportunity to be different and present yourself in a compelling and memorable way. For most business owners, getting to the crux of what you really do is the hardest, yet potentially most rewarding, one-minute conversation you could ever have.

So what is an Elevator Pitch?

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Many SME’s recognise the importance of mapping out a future strategic direction for their business and acknowledge the need to become more structured in their approach, however, very often, business owners just don’t know how to start or where to begin. Without a clearly mapped out destination point for a business, its form becomes too malleable, shaped by the vagaries of an eternally changing environment, leaving the business a hostage to fortune. A business owner could learn a few lessons from Sarah Connor, the heroine of the Terminator franchise. A warrior, who challenges accepted wisdom, carves out a new path and in so doing rewrites the future. ThinkTank channels this wisdom as we highlight;

1. What is Strategic Planning Exactly?
2. How can businesses benefit from Strategic Planning?
3. How should a business prepare for the Strategic Planning Process?
4. Once the Planning team is selected, how does Strategic Planning work?

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“Out there in some garage is an entrepreneur who’s forging a bullet with your company’s name on it,” Gary Hamel, a leading business strategy writer and consultant, has written. “You’ve got one option now — to shoot first. You’ve got to out-innovate the innovators.”

Unfortunately most organizations have an in built defence mechanism against new ideas. People don’t like change so immediately find reasons why ideas should not be considered. The problem is that if you don’t start anticipating the future you could be run over by it.

Many SME’s would acknowledge that they need to become more innovative but just don’t know how to start or where to begin. ThinkTank sat down to map out 4 practical ways SME’s  can generate ideas, capture insights and successfully implement a game changing innovation strategy.

1. Make innovation a priority

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You don’t go on holiday without finding out about your destination.

You don’t accept a new job without checking the stability of the employer.

You don’t invest in a new car without checking it’s right for your needs.

You don’t develop your business without trying to discover your market size, value, potential and competitiveness… do you?

An essential element of any business strategy should be early stage secondary market research.

In order to analyse your market and make decisions on growing and developing your business, you must understand the business context you’re operating in:

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In tough times we need ideas more than ever before. New ideas are the rocket fuel that can propel growth, ignite economic opportunities and improve our quality of life.

INSEAD’s Global Innovation Index 2009-2010, currently ranks Ireland as the 19^th most innovative country in the world. Ireland Inc is basing its recovery on forging a new smart economy built around innovation. Crowd-sourced competitions like Your Country Your Call have recently been launched to encourage citizens to generate new ideas and proposals that could transform Ireland by creating new jobs, new opportunities and a new way of thinking.

The IDA (Industrial Development Authority) have also invested €2m launching a global campaign with the positioning ‘Ireland – Innovation comes naturally’. It is designed to attract greater direct foreign investment and stimulate economic growth. To highlight this focus, the ‘I’ word has even found its way into our political lexicon. Minister Batt O’Keeffe is now fondly known as the Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Innovation.

So what can we do locally to become more of an Innovation Nation? As part of a new series, we’ll take a closer look at innovation and how we can apply it to our businesses and our lives.

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Running a business without marketing is like winking at a pretty girl in the dark – you know what you’re doing but nobody else does. Marketing is the lifeblood of any business and the engine that drives demand, turnover and cash flow.

Marketing is not about boring your customers to death. When you have a personality and a story that is all your own, you can create marketing that’s a tough act to follow.  Why is it then that marketing is a bit of a hit and miss affair for so many businesses? Team ThinkTank sat down to map out  the 5 reasons why companies get it wrong when it comes to marketing right.

1. It’s not planned. Read the rest of this entry »

New opportunities or good-paying jobs won’t come from bailouts like NAMA. They come from start-ups. And where do start-ups come from? They come from smart, creative, inspired people who are willing to take risks and not handouts.

So if you’re considering starting your own business – or looking for ways to expand an existing one – here are three time-tested strategies you can implement to fast track growth and gain a competitive edge.

1. Discover an untapped niche that’s ‘hot’

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