Measuring growth and strategy for Anthrotronix under Corinna Lathan

anthrotronix.com

If you were Corinna Lathan, how would you measure growth in your business? Why would these measures be important?

The measures of growth that I would use are: cost of goods sold, sales, and capital funding. The costs of goods sold will measure changes in the design and production process. The lower the cost of goods sold, the greater the amount of revenue retained as earnings, which can fund future growth. Sales will be a measure of demand, the greater the demand the more attractive the company will appear to potential investors. Capital funding is a measure of the willingness of investors to lend money and expertise to Anthrotronix.

Do you think slow, cautious growth would be a good strategy in the industry Anthrotronix is in? Explain fully.

I agree that slow cautious growth would be a wise choice. There are two possible ways for Anthrotronix to grow; one possibility is to focus on the R&D skills of the company and sell rights to their product designs to toy manufacturers and the other is to create their own means of production. Both of these methods of growth will take time to develop. If they choose to be an R&D firm, they will need to select their partners and negotiate agreements. If they decide to manufacture on their own, they will need to acquire the management skills to run a production factory. Corinna Lathan's unique knowledge base, combined with patent protection, will be difficult to replicate; providing a sustainable competitive advantage, which will protect Anthrotronix from competitors while the company grows.

3. Anthrotronix is housed in a business incubator. Research the topic of business incubators and write a report summarizing your findings.

A business incubator is a place for entrepreneurs to nurture and grow their business ideas. According to National Business Incubator Association that 87% of their incubator graduates remain in business at least three years after completing the program (http://www.nbia.org/for_entrepreneurs/). Also on their website that provide five reasons to join a business incubation program

The cream of the crop -- Incubation programs accept only the best and most viable companies, so joining an incubator shows potential investors that your company has potential.

Targeted services -- Incubation programs specialize in start-up and emerging companies, with services designed especially for young companies' particular needs.

Intensive, ongoing assistance -- Whether your company resides in an incubation facility or takes advantage of an outreach program, you will receive one-on-one attention from business experts, day in and day out.

Links to capital and service providers -- Most incubation programs help their clients access debt and equity funding, as well as link them with service providers like lawyers and accountants who specialize in small business needs.

Specialized facilities -- Many incubators focus on particular types of companies, such as life science, technology, food or creative industries. These incubators have the facilities and equipment -- and expertise -- your company needs.

Corinna has chosen a well-known incubator Mtech, which is affiliated with the University of Maryland. Mtech's mission is to educate the next generation of technology entrepreneurs; create successful technology ventures; and connect Maryland companies with university resources to help them succeed. They offer programs, courses, workshops and competitions to help aspiring entrepreneurs learn how to bring their ideas and products to the world (http://www.mtech.umd.edu).