GastaTech Notes

Innovation + Optimization + Capital = Sustainable Growth


This formula for success is certainly not new. It has been preached and practiced by business experts and industry leaders for decades. Why then, do companies fall short or struggle?
Perhaps they do not understand that the formula, by definition, has to have all the elements known and quantified for the equation to work. It is not sufficient to work on one variable and hope the others fall in line. They are all part of a complex and interconnected puzzle.

The real reason the formula fails is that most companies do not clearly understand the magnitude and implications of these variables and therefore fall short in implementing them. To clarify the variables let’s ask the following questions and see how your business stacks up?

Innovation: Does leadership encourage questioning of current methods and support exploring potentially better ways of doings things? Do they foster innovation and consider it a competitive advantage? Does the workforce have “think time” or are they too consumed with executing the current processes? “Innovate or die” is a maxim that is vital, but often is just a plaque on a wall somewhere. We believe that a company must develop and implement active, measurable innovation and creativity processes that involve the entire organization for the company to thrive and be relevant.

Optimization: Do you know how much it costs to process a purchase order? Do you really know how much it costs to produce and distribute a product? Do you actively practice lean and six sigma methodologies? Are the communication chain and technology systems functioning in a smooth and seamless manner? Our experience shows that, in most companies, many processes are suboptimal at best and there are areas where minimal intervention can result in sizable benefits.

Capital: Do management and the workforce understand basic economics? What financial parameters does the company set for each member of its workforce? Has the company optimized AR, AP and current debt obligations? What cash or debt is needed to grow the company? Where can it be gotten and at what cost? Does the company have succession and exit plans in place? We know this area is often the least understood and companies often operate literally by the ‘seat of their pants’.

We believe that for a company to maximize its potential and be consistently relevant in a global economy it must actively manage all three areas simultaneously. Each of these three aspects must be clearly understood, measured and become an integral part of all strategic business plans and daily operations decisions.


Indy Patel
Chief Economist,Criterion LLC
Managing Principal,Criterion Capital LLC

Gasta Marketing News: Mobile advertsing

Some 98% of marketers say online marketing is crucial to business success through the economic downturn, according to research by Efficient Frontier.
The survey of over 300 UK, French and German marketers found 73% expect to see the headcount of digital marketing teams increase through 2009, and 87% of those surveyed predict digital marketing will grow at the same rate in 2009 as it did in 2008.
UK marketers ranked SEM higher than both its French and German counterparts, some 78.5% of UK respondents rated SEM as a 'top three' priority in marketing campaigns.
David White, general manager of Efficient Frontier Europe, said, "We're continuing to see enormous growth from our UK, French and German offices. It's pleasing to see these survey results reflecting a positive story during this current economic environment."
Mobile Ads
Coca-Cola and Xbox are among brands set to increase their mobile ad investment, as new research shows mobile marketing budgets will grow by 150% over the next five years despite the economic downturn. An O2 survey by Vanson Bourne of 100 marketing and IT directors from the financial services, manufacturing and retail sectors found that 60% favoured mobile marketing due to its targeted nature. Some 85% said mobile marketing campaigns generate a higher response than traditional methods....

GASTA WEB 2.0

We will soon be launching our next generation web.20 multimedia search, this version is almost complete and has simple push button administration areas that control search feeds, adverts, links, and keywords, all linked by our InstantLinks, InstantAds, and SearchMatch products. Gasta disseminates information and like an electronic amoeba spreads the information across networks, when a search is made on Gasta the search keyword is collected and collated for popularity, the most popular keywords are then added to the list of Gasta directories; this is all carried out in quantum nanoseconds (on the fly). Web marketers and SME’s then have the opportunity to create an IntantLink ™ to that directory. Users can also bookmark videos, images, webpage’s, and view their search history.

This is a new innovation in web directories and dynamic linking, and part of the new exciting Gasta interface. Gasta’s new interface is designed to give the maximum use of directories but at the same time make easier to use the search tool. Having morphed from an old school directory like Yahoo, Gasta has now harnessed the minimalist elements of Google and tied these to the directory listing by popular keywords. This is very new and very creative design for the launch of Gasta web2.0 with the additional tools of predictive search assists, playlists, and transparent search history we give the user more power to search faster, and more precisely.

Please feel free to have a look around http://www.mysearchmachine.com

And let us know what you think, we would like the opportunity to discuss future strategies partners and individuals.

Gasta the amoebic replicant

Gasta the amoebic replicant

Growing faster and replicating itself across the universe how big can Gasta get?

Gasta disseminates information and like an electronic amoeba spreads the information across networks, when a search is made on Gasta the search keyword is collected and collated for popularity, the most popular keywords are then added to the list of Gasta directories; this is all carried out in quantum nanoseconds (on the fly). Web marketers and SME’s then have the opportunity to create an IntantLink ™ to that directory. This is a new innovation in web directories and dynamic linking, and part of the new exciting gasta interface. When designing a new interface a range of disciplines must be used to create the best experience for the interface user, Gasta.com's new interface is designed to give the maximum use of directories but at the same time make easier to use the search tool. Having morphed from an old school directory like Yahoo, Gasta has now harnessed the minimalist elements of Google and tied these to the directory listing by popular keywords. This is very new and very creative design for the launch of Gasta web2.0 with the additional tools of predictive search assists, playlists, and transparent search history we give the user more power to search faster, and more precisely.