RAYMOND RESEARCH, LLC
KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA

My name is Kent Bjorklund and I founded Raymond Research, LLC in 2000. As the name infers, we are a business research organization with a focus on organization, market and product intelligence. From this foundation flows subsequent expertise and benefits for our clients: Identification of product and market trends It is natural to gravitate toward a product or service as the focus rather than a business model when incubating a new business. We also tend to name these things accordingly because we are attracted to the tangible and finite. Yet, from a user perspective it is not about the product or the service but rather the experience or feelings created by them. Here is where most companies miss their opportunity. It follows that you get what you focus on. If you focus on a product, you get an improved product. However, if you focus on a business model, you improve the odds of disrupting the market and gaining an advantage over the competition. It is intrinsic that a business has both, however the business model need to drive the product or service and not the other way around. It stands to reason that an ordinary business model will yield ordinary results. In today’s competitive environment it should be increasingly apparent that products are fairly easily imitated. It is the business model that hopefully creates a unique play. Apple machines has long been regarded by many as superior to most PC technologies. Yet for years Apple held less than 10% of the market share. Why? Because Apple was perceived as high priced, niche products primarily positioned for the creative types rather than the masses. What change this? Broader market acceptance. What triggered this? The Apple iPod. At least, so it would seem. What really catapulted Apple to the market dominance that it is enjoying today was not the iPod technology. There were other equally good technologies and products at the time. Rather, the catalyst proved to be the new distribution platform now known as iTunes. From the iPod we see a series of product extension by Apple. The iPhone evolved from the iPod by adding cellular capabilities to existing technology and software. The iPad became an extension of the iPhone. Now, Apple is about to introduce the Apple television set which is really a much larger version of the iPad. The point is that the Apple revolution was not primarily fueled by products though great products most certainly played a role in the rate of adoption. Apple products are easy to use to get to the desired content. To create a sustainable network effect you have to make adoption as frictionless as possible. What ties all of the apple products together is the distribution model and the platform it created. In other words, the business model disrupted the market and opened up a new “blue ocean” of opportunity thereby leaving the competitors to chase the first mover. Once Apple gained sufficient momentum through the network effect that it created, it became nearly impossible for imitators to displace or replace the platform. Welcome to Raymond Research, LLC. Before founding this firm, I spent many years in various industries and capacities ranging from front line to senior management. At every level I have witnessed the desire for excellence, but seldom have I seen it manifested. This is the catalyst that drives our research and coaching activities.