Explaining the beginning of the journey and how the “proptechtalk” idea was born, by highlighting the key points that we seek to address.
Welcome to #proptechtalk and thank you for joining in on the conversation. In this post I will be setting out some reasons as to why I decided to start writing about Proptech.
My interest in Proptech started years ago when I found a start-up seeking to make some changes to the Proptery industry. Being new to the business and industry I learnt a lot about the ins and outs of start-ups. I started to learn the difficult lessons that no one will tell you about and experienced the barriers that are hard to foresee when you have the arrogance of youth driving your ambition. I call this my “first motivation”. The drive to see change and trying my arm at something foreign to me.
At the same time as starting my new venture, I decided to enroll in the Flexible Executive MBA course as Henley Business School. What a ride that was with some excellent learning and practical experience. Although there was a lot I needed to learn, there was one thing for certain, that my thesis topic would be on Proptech, being my “second motivation”! The only hiccup is that a thesis must be based on a core module from the course, so writing on Proptech alone was not an option. This was slightly annoying to my original plan. So I chose Strategic Innovation as my core module. This perspective made me look at the picture in an entirely different light. As the study would show, strategic innovation is the beginning, middle and end of everything. It is the basis that forms start-ups, drives transformation and forms the basis of the trench warfare between new and traditional businesses. Having limited know-how on strategic innovation limits the ability to entrench innovation as on-going learning, rather than merely innovation projects based on luck. Not only did I get to delve into Proptech, but I was also able to find out how important strategic innovation is to Proptech and the wider property industry.
Based on these learning there are three main areas that I wish to cover, sometimes collectively or individually, which are as follows:
- Proptech – what it is and it is not, and explaining the developments from important research being conducted around the world. In this sector we will take data, summaries of research journals and articles to keep you up to date with the ins and outs of Proptech.
- Strategic Innovation – here we look at strategy and innovation together and apart, to uncover its elements and what makes organisations successful.
- Start-ups – tips and pointers for start-ups to consider before embarking on a new venture, whether directly related to Proptech or not. These tips can also be useful for traditional companies to gain a new perspective perhaps in advance of partnering up with a company, investing or changing direction.
- South Africa – although there will be a lot of talk on the global stage, the intention is always to find applicability with South Africa.
Lastly the point of these articles is to build a community where ideas can be circulated. Opposed to some extremist thinking, I believe that the best way to integrate Proptech is together with traditional business thinking, and that coming together to discuss these controversial topics would be beneficial for all. So if anyone wants to add a post, feel free to email me as indicated in the about page and I will be happy to post your views. Please keep it factual and informative, but do not be afraid to shy away from the argumentative.
How is this meant to help you? Simple! Provide you with the guidance needed to think strategically and innovatively, while keeping up with the trends in Proptech and property, and attaining practical examples facing organisations. Our aim is to make this interactive so any alternative views are most welcome! Our aim is to root the discussions in strategic innovation to make them practical and implementable.
Head on over to our #thetalk section to check out our new write-ups, including an exciting new Podcast and “The Thesis” document.
#proptechtalk 