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The difference between today problems and tomorrow problems and why Indiana Jones had the right idea
When I was a kid I loved Indiana Jones. In the Last Crusade there is a scene where he enters a chamber which is booby-trapped with a series of deadly obstacles and I often think of it when I’m in meetings and discussing start-up ideas. The first obstacle is a series of long, sharp blades Continue reading
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Marketing Automation and Selling to Scientists
Recent talk I gave at the The Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing. How we use Marketing Automation to help sell our equipment to scientists. Continue reading
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A Sales and Marketing ‘Traveller File’
At Owlstone we manufacture complex instrumentation, with lots of parts, and lots of people involved at each step in the process. We have a file of information called a ‘manufacturing traveller’ that starts empty and at the end of the manufacturing line, is full of documentation and test results. At each step in the build Continue reading
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Quick and Dirty Data Appending
With internet based marketing you generally don’t want to ask for too much information on a webform. One common practice is to take the minimum amount of information on the form and use a ‘data appending’ service e.g. Jigsaw, InsideView or LinkedIn to build out the details for a new lead e.g address and company Continue reading
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Pragmatic Problem Solving
There are many ways to come at a problem ranging from thorough analysis through to use of simple heuristics and rules of thumb. I always like it when people can get to an answer by looking at it slightly differently. I came across this one in Baeyer’s book, Information. Samuel Morse, of Morse code fame, Continue reading
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Monty Hall -Again
If you ever want to get people of a mathematical bent shouting at each other you should try to get them to agree the solution to the Month Hall problem. “Suppose you’re on a game show, and you’re given the choice of three doors: Behind one door is a car; behind the others, goats. You Continue reading
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Matching Initials
Download the Excel Spreadsheet A while ago we noticed that our company has a surprising number of people with matching initials – whenever we were writing meeting minutes we would have to use an initial for the person’s middle name to distinguish them. Out of 18 people (as it was then) there we four pairs Continue reading
About Me
An entrepreneurial engineer driven by patient impact. C0-founder and CEO of Owlstone Medical with a company mission to save 100k lives. I also try to support engineers and scientists and their start-up ideas.
Recent Posts
- Kelly Criterion – behavioral edge vs analytical and information edge in investing
- The Wheel of Fortune: Boethius runs a Start-up
- Talk at the Royal Academy of Engineering Awardee Excellence Community Launch
- The difference between today problems and tomorrow problems and why Indiana Jones had the right idea
- Marketing Automation and Selling to Scientists
Billy Boyle Blog 