There are three new services profiled on the website www.onetree.ie :

• A  BusinessTracking Platform for larger Companies and Utilities  : “Forcelink” is a service which provides a remote monitoring and management platform and which is one of the best Mobile Workforce Management  cloud services I have seen so far. It goes far beyond simple tracking of location and actively manages a remote field staff.

It’s always easier to slide than it is to climb
Both options can give you a great buzz. I recall many fun hours from the rush down the waterslides in Florida. The climb up was a drag.

Like most golfers that I know…. I’m not good at the game but I find it fascinating in the way that it mirrors life in general. A few observations will illustrate : One of the most common problems for golfers is the "Head Up" : Not keeping your eye on the ball through the shot. One might think this is simply a matter of staying focused but in my experience it is more usually a problem caused by trying to  anticipate the result i.e. When you try to see where the ball is gone before you have finished the shot.

People ask me where I came up with the name Onetree ? I explain that in the Savanna a single tree may be an oasis : a resting place for the shepherd; a shelter from the searing heat of the African sun; a vantage point for the leopard hunter ; and a key navigational aid ( based on the position of the weaver birds nests which always hang on the western side).  Onetree serves  a multitude of purposes

The Telecoms Industry conferences have not changed much in 20 years : Innovation and change is still the buzzword of almost every conference today. We have been talking about rapid rates of change and innovative transformation for as long as I can remember. Is this a contradiction ? It can perhaps be explained by drawing an analogy from the world of nuclear physics : The established Operators are like the nucleus of the atom. They carry the greatest weight but move relatively slowly.

If you have an innovative service that needs a launch platform you need an innovative adopter to make it happen. Innovators are leaders and are ahead of the pack. By definition the majority of Service Providers , including established Operators, are part of the Pack. Generally they imitate the innovators,often with a lot of noise, ….when it is safe to do so. Genuine Innovators can therefore be hard to find. They are as likely to be found off the beaten track. A Small to medium sized Operator in an emerging market , such as Africa, is a good place to start.

Consider this: You’re a start-up looking for 200k in funding; you have little cash resources ; and you are trying to build or complete your service prototype in order to win your first customers. Your only asset is your idea. Times are tough  so you are prepared to concede up to 25% or 30% for the seed funding of 200k.