Joe Apfelbaum

✨♏CEO, Ajax Union - B2B Marketing, AI LinkedIn™ Business Development Training // Networking, Author, Speaker, Connector, Entrepreneur, AI Expert, Single Father👭👨‍👦🧑‍🤝‍🧑

UPDATED 💥About Joe Apfelbaum: CEO, Professional Speaker, AI Automation VIBE CODER, Prompt Engineer, LinkedIn Strategist, Marketing Expert, Business Mentor, Single Father of 5. READ MORE >>>

𝕃𝕚𝕟𝕜𝕖𝕕𝕀𝕟 𝔸𝕀 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕘𝕚𝕤𝕥 | 𝔹𝟚𝔹 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 | 𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕖𝕣 

Feel free to DM me! DO NOT BE SHY! Get my book High Energy Networking on Amazon! www.highenergynetworking.com

See my featured posts on LinkedIn! If you want me notice you, LIKE and COMMENT on my content!

🍎LINKEDIN AI ASSISTANT
evyAI is a new LinkedIn AI assistant that drafts intelligent comments, personalized posts and smart DM replies all done for you so you can edit quickly and post. Try it for free at http://www.evyai.com ▶

We now added an AI RESEARCH AGENT that will search all over the web about your connections and compile key info! Ask me for a demo so I can send you info about our AGENT! 

Attend our next POSTING PARTY and training events at http://www.skool.com/evyai (Let me know you joined so I can approve your complimentary membership where you can meet 1000 engaged LinkedIn users!)

🍎AJAX UNION B2B MARKETING AGENCY
Strategy over tactics: SEO, SEM, Social Media, Email.  
Need a STRATEGY? See our blueprint ajaxunion.com/blueprint

🍎SPEAK TO JOE? 
http://www.joeapfelbaum.com/talk ▶ or scheduling@ajaxunion.com (pretty booked but I'll we can prioritize time for you) Also Whatsapp me +1 (917) 865-7631 < Introduce yourself please. 

🍎NEED A SPEAKER? (VIRTUAL TRAINING!)
Joe Apfelbaum is a professional Emcee, Keynote, Workshop & MODERATOR! 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Joe Apfelbaum is entertaining, engaging and his strategies are very insightful. Highly recommended for your business audience” - Vistage, EO, YPO

Popular Topics Joe Speaks on Regularly... 
*Using LinkedIn with AI to 10x your exposure and get clients.
*3 Things you need to do on LinkedIn to Generate Revenue in 15 Minutes a Day
*How to leverage AI in 2024 for business development + Marketing + Networking

Published Author x5, and Professional Speaker. 

http://www.JoeApfelbaum.com/Speaker ▶ Reel!

⭐️2025 GOAL: 1000 Engaged LinkedIn Users using evyAI daily. 

Want to meet sales leaders at companies with 5-999 SDR and BDR teams. 

Joe Apfelbaum is very active in the global CEO community. Joe speaks to EO, YJP, Vistage, YPO and is a member of EANYC. (Executives Association of NYC)

▶Optimized: 04/22/2025 9:23pm PST (<---- DO THIS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY FYI)

▶Send a msg lmk you ACTUALLY read THIS! 

Follow on Instagram @joeapfelbaum to see stories and get to know Joe more.

LinkedIn Strategist

Training professionals and sales teams on how to use LinkedIn effectivly with Evyrgreen Networking. Want to learn more visit www.evyrgreen.com

We have a course that teaches coaches, consultants and Entreprenuers how to go from a Lurker to an influencer in just 15 minutes a day on LinkedIn. www.evryrgreen.com/talktous <--free strategy session

Our corprate workshops educate teams of sales and marketing professionals in an engaging and educational way to generate revenue for their orginization. www.evyrgreen.com/corporateworkshop

One of the most important things that you can do is surround yourself with other people that are doing big things.

I'm meeting the most incredible people here in Orlando at the AI summit.

Learning artificial intelligence is not just a one time thing, it's changing how you think about life.

Whether I'm getting prompt ideas from other people or I'm learning about specific case. Uses you really opens up my mind to possibilities of ways that change the way we operate.

The entire labor market is going to be replaced with artificial intelligence.

We need to be thinking about the way that we can integrate technology. And robotics into our life.

This is why it's so important for me to be in this conversation. And I'm so grateful that I can spend 3 days learning from other people. Networking and building relationships.

You don't have any conferences planned. I highly recommend you take the time to go to some of these conferences to learn how these things work.

I'm doing a class tomorrow at 1 PM. Where I'm gonna be uncovering exactly how to use LinkedIn with artificial intelligence. And if you want to join, you can be my guest.

I'm looking forward to seeing you there.

This selfie with Perry Belcher is real..

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐♏CEO, evyAI -AI LinkedIn™ Trainer, Business Development Training B2B Marketing via Ajax Union // Networking Connector, Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur, AI Expert, Single Father👭👨‍👦🧑‍🤝‍🧑

I just wrote an article with insights from AI BOT Summit 2026.. If you want to read it, please take a moment and see the article below.. BTW, these people are very hungry.. Im excited that I got to meet so many new friends and connect with old friends. 

The most interesting thing is connecting with NEW people that I never met before but that KNEW ME. 

Perry said something that struck me.. He said that if you DO NOT PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE ON CAMERA in the NEXT 24 months it will COST YOU MORE than in the NEXT DECADE. 

70% of Google searches in 2026 will result in NO CLICK (Zero-click advertising)

That means it COST YOU NOTHING but people consumed the content.. Perry Belcher was mentioning Frank Kern over and over about his OJOOY product. 

I keep seeing those ADS on Facebook over and over and over and all I see is his tattoos.. lol dont ask me why just what I notice.. 

People get their answers directly from AI or search results without clicking through

He said he is Buying 1 billion video views in 2026 - "I'm buying myself 1 billion video views this year" Litterally.. That is crazy. 

Using short-form video as sorting mechanisms - Views cost him 1-3 cents per view

Building fame in the industry - "You're buying yourself fame in the industry, and you can force that"

Retargeting based on video views - "He can retarget those people now based on the fact they watch the short video"

You become the content platform (via short-form video)

Force-feed attention through paid views (dirt cheap: 1-3 cents)

Build fame and recognition in your space

Retarget the engaged audience (they've already seen you, know you, trust you)

Make human connection first (AI handles the middle and backend)

THIS IS THE KEY.. that is why I always say 80% AI, 20% human, 100% authentic and profitable. 

Would you want to join me for the AI SUMMIT in 2027?

View newsletter: AI Automation by Joe Apfelbaum

Its too late to come to AI Bot Summit this year but if you want to join me for AI Bot Summit 2027, read this article. I am currently at the AI bot sun

Open article: Insights from AI Bot Summit - AI Trends, AI Tips, AI Strategies for 2027 by Joe Apfelbaum • 10 min read

Insights from AI Bot Summit - AI Trends, AI Tips, AI Strategies for 2027

I am learning about the 100 trillion dollar opportunity right now with AI.. Very powerful stuff we are talking about.. Let me know if you want to catch the replay, its 3 days, 12 hours a day of learning and networking. 

Some notes from the first hour.. 

Video & Content Strategy:

Buy 1 billion video views at 1-3 cents per view as a sorting/targeting mechanism

Create short-form videos (60 seconds) that qualify specific audiences
Retarget people who watch 30+ seconds of your shorts

Lead with human content on the front end, use AI for everything in the middle

If using AI avatars, be transparent about it - don't try to hide it

Create 2 live videos per day for authentic human connection

Business Model & Positioning:

Position yourself as a "technology installer" - this is THE opportunity for 2026
Combine multiple AI strategies together (voice agents + video + CRM + funnels)

Create "business in a box" solutions for specific industries

Use software as lead magnets and tripwires

Target the $110 trillion labor market - help businesses replace/augment labor

Pricing & Value:

Establish premium "superhuman" pricing (Perry went from $15K to $25K/day)

Calculate your daily rate and ensure every day hits that target

Create a human premium tier for those who want 100% personal attention

Tech & Tools:

Get paid accounts for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, AND Perplexity (He didnt mention Grok, but dude, I LOVE IT.)

Learn vibe coding through Replit to build your own software

Code 70% of software using English prompts by 2026

Use AI research agents (7 mentioned for evyAI)

Marketing Approach:

Focus on AEO (AI Engine Optimization) not just SEO

Master zero-click advertising strategies

Build for experiential retail - local and handmade will become a flex

Elevate branding quality - hire premium designers for core assets

Do "stupid AI party tricks" at Chamber/networking events (Angela Norris from Ignite and the AI Bot Summit)

Main Street Opportunity:

Target mom & pop businesses being crushed by bigger competitors using AI

Position as solving automation, profitability, and ease of running business

Everyone is looking for "a good tech guy" - become that person

Deliver "AI in a Day" seminars at $20/person to 40-50 business owners

Partnership Option:

Tech Stack certified partner program launching January 19th

Area-exclusive licenses (1 per 250,000 people)

8-week AI Tech Advisor Accelerator

Split fees on work you can't handle yourself

Access to all sales materials, scripts, ads

The Big Picture:

We're heading toward a zero-labor world

Next 24 months: knowledge work replaced by AI

Following 36 months: physical work replaced by robotics

Either become an architect of this change or become a victim

Mission: Help save Main Street businesses in your community

They may be offering the LIVE STREAM.. lmk if you want accesss.. Also let me know what you want to learn. #aibotsummit

The 10-Question Framework to Find Million-Dollar App Ideas

Most entrepreneurs build apps nobody wants.

Here's why: They solve problems they think exist instead of problems they know exist.

I've built evyAI to 1,000+ users and scaled Ajax Union to Inc 500 by doing the opposite—listening first, building second.

Here's the exact interview framework I use:

Ask yourself (or your clients) these 10 questions:

1. Walk me through a typical workday. What 3-5 tasks do you do repeatedly?

2. What task makes you think "There HAS to be a better way"?

3. What software are you paying for that frustrates you?

4. If you could automate ONE thing in your business, what would it be?

5. What question do your clients ask you over and over?

6. What breaks in your business when you're away for a week?

7. Where do you waste money on labor that could be automated?

8. What would someone pay $50-500/month to NOT have to do anymore?

9. What do ALL your clients struggle with that they don't realize is a common problem?

10. Have 3+ people complained about the same thing in the last month?

How to use this:

→ Interview 10 people in your target market
→ Record their exact words when describing pain points
→ Look for patterns (3+ people saying the same thing = validated problem)
→ Focus on problems people already pay to solve

The best app ideas aren't clever—they're obvious once someone points them out.

Stop guessing. Start listening.

What's one problem you hear about constantly in your industry? 

Drop it in the comments—you might be sitting on your next business idea.

---

P.S. - This is how I identified the need for evyAI. LinkedIn users kept asking me 

"How do I personalize outreach at scale?"

100+ conversations later, I knew exactly what to build.

480 people are coming together today to learn about AI in 2026... The hunger is real.. From vibe coding sessions to AI agent training to hacks and AEO best practices...

Excited to bring back strategies to our community from the AI BOT Summit.

Ill be spending 12 hours a day networking,  learning and sharing with hundreds of people over the next three days.

Im excited about the opportunity that will follow from this.

Already talking to the GO High level team about the evyAI api intergration and building relationships 

What are you curious about related to AI?

#aibotsummit

Managing Partner, Thinking Dimensions ► LinkedIN Top Voice 2024 ►Bold Growth, M&A, Strategy, Value Creation, Sustainable EBITDA ► NED, Senior Advisor to Boards,C-Level,Family Office,Private Equity ► Techstars Lead Mentor

LinkedIn Top Voice 2024/2025

Harvard Business Review Advisory Council Member, Strategy Tools Best Partner Award 2023  for outstanding work in Corporate Strategy, Transformation, and Growth. Annual Award Winner 2019, 2020 and 2024: Business Consultancy Professional of the Year from Corporate LiveWire. Executive Education Professor of the Year Award for 2021, 2022, and 2023 at CIMBA/University of IOWA, Techstars All-Star Mentor Award for 2024.

I am a Managing Partner at Thinking Dimensions, and an N.E.D.

I work with boards, CEOs, private equity, family office, senior leaders and owners in Fortune 1000 businesses to impact future sustainable growth and profitability.

As managing partner in Thinking Dimensions- an international management consultancy renowned for its problem solving & decision making processes- I am part of a global team delivering EBITDA impacting outcomes to clients through 3 distinct offerings:
 
•	Strategy Definition and Execution
•	Digital Transformation
•	Sustainable Value Creation

Thinking Dimensions has locations and expertise with a network spanning 17 countries of which I have conducted business on 5 continents.

With 30+ years of international experience in advisory activities balanced between both multinational and family controlled enterprises, I've had the unique opportunity to assist over 250 CEO’s and Senior Business Leaders globally.
  
Issues companies are focused around include:

Digital Transformation
Succession Planning
Corporate Venture Capital
AI Governance/Integration 
Internationalization including Early Stage Markets
Value Creation through non-organic growth (M&A, platforms)
Group and corporate reorganization/organization design
Go To Market/Sales 
Business plans/Industrial plans
Develop new business models
Funding of New Market development and commercial opportunities
Executive and board alignment
Platform and Ecosystem Design
Long-Term Sustainability 
Circular Economy and the Business Decisions necessary for the future

The organizations my teams and I work with achieve speed, alignment, and practical results with a future long term view.  

In summary I am working as a trusted advisor assisting leaders with the big decisions necessary for the future. 

I continue to publish at:
 
http://www.thinkingdimensions.com/resources/blog/strategy

As a Non Executive Director, I bring an international perspective focused on new business models, innovative approaches to Strategy, and Diverse capabilities required for sustainability. 

Specialties: Strategy, M&A, PE, VC,Non-Organic Growth, Emerging Markets, Family Office

Scott Newton

Why did the 2024 Mac Mini suddenly sell out on Amazon?

It's not people replacing their desktop machines.

It rather is a new viral trend. So big now that the memes are everywhere, including here.

In one word: Clawdbot

Clawdbot?

Yes, Clawdbot is an AI Assistant that is taking the (nerdy) tech world by storm. 

What does Clawdbot do? If you listen to the early adopter "evangelists" of the bot, everything.

It is an open-source AI tool. Silicon Valley techies are all over the internet, showing off their adaptations. You run it locally on your device, the most popular way at the moment (and of the easier approaches) to set up a Mac Mini and run it as a dedicated server for Clawdbot.

The reason it has become so virally popular is it's very impressive demonstration of Agentic AI. It can autonomously take complex multi step operations and actions on your behalf. 

And because it is Open Source, you can download and install Clawdbot straight from Github.

Is it safe to use?

Well, that's where it gets a bit more scary. Clawdbot has full read/write access to your entire drive, and users are giving it access to ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, email, calendars, slack, teams....

The tech professionals, and the founder of Clawdbot are very clear: "Don't use Clawdbot without understanding the risks." 

"Clawdbot is an experiment" and as such there is no "perfectly secure" setup the founders explain. 

I certainly wouldn't encourage you to run it on any business machine in your company, unless you have an IT and Cybersecurity department who are fully aware and have built a sandbox to run this. It can easily go out of control. 

The users brave enough to let the bot be your "eyes and hands" to manage tasks 24/7 are using this Agentic AI to prepare morning briefings, write daily reports, set alerts when high priority messages arrive, read and write files, execute terminal commands, run scripts. 

The bot also controls Chrome to handle web tasks, managers calendars, "triages" email, and interacts with Notion and Todoist for example. 

It is a self learning tool, and can write its own code to create entirely new capabilities. 

Because it runs on your local hardware, it could (theoretically anyway) provide better privacy as compared to cloud-based services.

Hence why the little Mac Mini is sold out everywhere, as techies around the world begin to test out what is truly possible with Agentic AI, especially in open source. 

Fun last fact: Clawdbot are changing their name after a legal action was threatened by Anthropic (imagine why?) As of 01 February, the company will be know as Moltbot, and the cute little crustacean formerly known as "Clawd" will be know as "Molty."

One last warning. The creators of Clawdbot (soon to be Moltbot) refer to it as "Spicy," and what they mean buy that is that the agent does have the ability to "potentially destroy valuable files and leak confidential data if not properly secured."

You have been warned.

Strategy is Mastery.

Managing Partner, Thinking Dimensions ►Bold Growth,M&A, Strategy, Value Creation, Sustainable EBITDA ► NED, Senior Advisor to Boards,C-Level,Family Office,Private Equity ► Techstars Lead Mentor ► LinkedIN Top Voice 24/25

How do you show up?

What you wear, and how, communicates a LOT to those in your environment.

Where you are in terms of context is so important. 

Until recently, world famous organizations such as Lloyds would politely stop men coming in to the office without a tie. Mandatory dress code. Airlines have published detailed dress codes for employees since the inception of flying.

Why you chose to where a specific outfit and style will immediately set the tone as to how you are perceived. This is not always a positive by the way:

I famously went once (many years ago) to a corporate retreat and board meeting in the Rocky mountains with my case full of usual suits and ties. That was not my best decision to put it politely.

What are your "go to" outfits for business, and how have they changed over the years?

Until 2020, I wore a tie six days a week. I still have a collection of hundreds of my very favourite ties, yet now I am more likely to use them at most twice a week. Even now though I always pack 2 or 3 versatile beloved ties in my carry on.

Standards and expectations change.

How do you adapt to the times, and what are your favourite choices for business meetings and events? What do you find is the impact of your business attire on outcomes?

Is it time to bring back dress codes for the office?

Strategy is Mastery.

What do you think?

Palantir Technologies currently has a vending machine in its Washington, D.C., office, with nicotine pouches free for anyone 21 and older. 

Industries including Media, Finance, Big Law, and Technology have users in professional roles choosing to use Nicotine pouches for increased concentration.

As a former smoker (many decades ago now,) I can appreciate the draw: caffeine and nicotine together lead many people to note their concentration is improved for hours. I know this worked for me when the days exceeded 18 hours or more straight.

And pouches are noted to have lower negative health impacts as compared to smoking a cigarette. 

The Financial Times have noted this weekend that "Big Tobacco is turning into Big Nicotine." 

British American Tobacco (owner of pouch brand Velo) shares have risen over 90% in the past two years, and with a market cap of £92 Billion are now the 6th most valuable company in the UK.

Certainly a well designed pouch that removes unnecessary chemicals and additives can cause less harm than smoking. I support thoughtful technology that can help people to reduce harm. It wasn't that long ago that people were chain smoking in offices (especially in Media, Entertainment, and Finance for example.)

Will other companies follow in the footsteps of Palantir and Silicon Valley Tech in offering this amenity in their offices?

How well does your Strategy address changing trends and social norms?

Strategy is Mastery.

Photo credit: The Hustle

I love Minneapolis.

A great city. Beautiful area. I have had the opportunity to visit many times, both for business and leisure. A major hub for Delta airlines (used to be Northwest.)

Minneapolis is major corporate centre, with one of the highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the world. The city is known globally for innovation, health technologies, advanced manufacturing and food production.

Some of the largest multinational companies headquartered in Minneapolis include

Target (retail)
UnitedHealth Group
Best Buy
General Mills
3M

and Cargill, which is the largest private company in America.

Minneapolis also is home to “Medical Alley,” which is the number one ranked centre for healthcare medical technoogy in the world.

Currently with unemployment at just 3.7%, Minneapolis is an economic success story globally envied, even as 59% of businesses cite it is difficult to hire due to competitive conditions for labour.

Minnesota is ranked sixth in the nation for business, is home to over 1200 foreign owned companies, and has business taxes below the national average. The economic contribution of the state is $472 Billion in GDP for 2023 and growing. In the past two years the state has experienced tens of billions of dollars in new investment, including significant projects for AI Data Centres and Sustainable Aviation Fuel.

Award winning innovative industry leaders in Minneapolis include Ameriprise Financial (Fortune magazine’s most innovative company for 2026,) Gravie, Flywheel, NetSPI, Ascent Solutions, and Medtronic, as well as the others I have listed above. 

In Venture Capital, Minneapolis is ranked as a global ecosystem leader, and the tech sector contributes $28 billion to the local economy while accounting for 10% of the total workforce. The city is in the top 50 worldwide for both SaaS and Hardware/IOT.

This article is part of a series I share on Sunday of cities I have visited and conducted business in all around the world. Pictured below is me flying into the international hub at MSP, a major Delta operations centre.

My thoughts and support today are with all the kind hard working people living in Minneapolis, and their Constitutionally Protected Rights. Let us all ensure that the Constitution is respected, human rights are protected, and transparency and goverance are the cornerstone of every decision and action in the USA in the future.

How well does your Strategy address the opportunities in Minneapolis in a future that is not x+1?

Strategy is Mastery.

No alternative text description for this image

Back to the Future?

A trend which started on TikTok has taken over digital media this month. People posting photos of January 2016, with a tag of "2026 is the new 2016."

Celebrities, Entrepreneurs, Executives, Sports Heroes, and everyone in between... are all posting pictures from their digital camera rolls of 2016.

It has now spread worldwide, and while social media viral trends are often odd (remember the Ice Bucket challenge,) this one particularly so.

Why?

Because as humans we tend to look optimistically forward, and think about the future, while this trend is purely nostalgic to rewind back time by a decade.

2016 was a good year. As was 2025. And there is much to look forward to in 2026.

Yet a more interesting question than to rewind to 2016 is to think ahead to 2036.

What world will you create in 2036 which, while making you look back fondly to 2026, excites you even more about 2037, 2046, and beyond?

In your Strategy (both personal and corporate,) what key assumptions do you hold about the future, and where are your decisions and actions prioritizing and addressing your critical implications?

Because in a future that is not x+1, Strategy Is Mastery.

Photo: January 2016, speaking at a business conference, Ernie Els Winery, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

When were you last in Rome?

One of the most powerful impacts I feel in Rome is the history. You are walking through what was the headquarters of the first global empire.

History can teach us so much, and I take the opportunity to consider and study what it means in our current context and looking towards future scenarios.

I studied Latin, and still today recall translating passages related to Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, known as Caligula.

Gaius was Roman emperor from 37 to 41 CE, initially adored but later remembered for extreme cruelty, tyrannical behaviour, and eccentricity. 

In his initial reforms, Caligula destroyed previous legal records of treasonous criminals, recalled exiles to Rome, and bringing back the public spectacles (held in the Colosseo which I have taken a picture of below.)

A year into power, Caligula fell ill and began to behave very erratically: killing for pleasure, claiming divine status, and attempting to make his horse, Incitatus, a consul.

Caligula had a fondness for grandiose, costly building projects, many of which were intended to benefit or entertain but are described in Roman history sources as wasteful. The projects drove the powerful Roman empire into financial disaster, after spending vast sums of money on lavish building projects dedicated to himself. 

More disturbingly still, he took great pleasure and power in humiliating the responsible Roman senate, and replaced their legally binding power with his own absolute personal authority. In the course of 39, Caligula's increasingly tense relationship with his Senate deteriorated into outright hostility and confrontation.

History has not been kind to legacy of Caligula and summarizes his rule as: "increasingly self-indulgent, cruel, sadistic, extravagant, and sexually perverted thereafter, an insane, murderous tyrant who demanded and received worship as a living god, humiliated the Senate, and planned to make his horse a consul."

Of all the manifestations of wild and extravagant behaviour exhibited by Caligula during his brief reign, "nothing has better served to confirm the popular notion of his insanity than his apparent demand to be recognised as a god." 

Caligula sold priesthoods for his unofficial "genius cult" to the wealthiest nobles, for a per capita fee of 10 million sesterces, and made loans available to those who could not afford immediate full payment. 

Caligula is also remembered for his disastrous military invasions in CE 41, where he had to abandon an attempted invasion of Britain, and the installation of his statue in the Temple in Jerusalem. In personal life, Caligula divorced three times in his short stay on Earth. Historians also note that "the extreme stresses and strains of Imperial rule, for which Caligula was temperamentally ill-equipped, lead to considerable health complications."

In your Strategy, how effectively do you consider how past historical events coincide with future possible scenarios?

Strategy is Mastery.

You may not at first think that a story beginning with Venetian global explorer Marco Polo in 1285 connects to modern day strategy, M&A, and branding.

Yet it was in 1285 that Marco Polo first visited the port city of Xiamen in Fujian province. He was most interested in trading silk, porcelain, spices, and precious stones and metals, while he transferred knowledge about manufacturing, paper money, and gunpowder.

Fast forward seven centuries, and you had the leading performance footwear brands from Montebelluna in Italy looking for locations to scale their production to meet the global requirements of top technical brands including NIKE.

In 1991, Ding Shizhong of Fujian launched a small outsourcing factory, beginning to build shoes for Nike and Adidas. Yet anyone who has ever met Ding will note that while he remained humble and focused, the vision he shared was global. 

Ding understood early on that the brands held the power with the customer, and to become a strong player he too would need to leverage his company Anta Sports with a Go To Market approach that included well known brands. For this reason, Ding famously pledged to build "not China's Nike, but the world's Anta."

Starting in 1999, Anta sponsored table tennis champion Kong Linghui, the first step towards building a consumer recognized company. In 2009 Anta acquired the rights in China to Italian brand Fila. 

In 2025, Fila accounted for 33% of total revenues for Anta, while the Anta brand reached 44%.

My first business visit to PRC to assess the opportunities in outdoor sports and technical brands was in 2002. Already you could see that there was a buzz building. It has only increased, steadily moving towards a crescendo.

In 2019, Anta lead a €4.9 billion acquisition of Amer sports, the Finland based group of high performance technical brands including Arc'Teryx, Salomon, Wilson, Atomic, Peak Performance, Armada Skis, ENVE Composites, Louisville Slugger, EvoShield, ATEC, and Luxilon.  

Anta relisted Amer in 2024 on the NYSE, and retains 39% of the group.

In 2025, Amer acquired German outdoor brand Jack Wolfskin for $300 million.

This week, Anta made M&A headlines again, purchasing 29% of the German brand PUMA for €1.5 Billion from the Pinault family office, with Anta becoming the largest shareholder.

“Anta gained so much experience in managing production for Nike, Adidas, and Puma”  explains Yu at Kanter Worldpanel.

Anta said it expected the Puma stake to “enhance its presence and brand recognition in the global sporting goods market, thereby strengthening its overall international competitiveness.”

Just as Marco Polo transferred knowledge centuries ago, entrepreneur Ding Shizhong is learning and building a global outdoor activewear empire.

How well does your Strategy embrace new partnerships, developing and learning from your customers, and building global M&A programmes for long term value creation?

Strategy is Mastery.

Photo (author:) Arc'Teryx Store, Ningbo China

Do you want to go "behind the scenes" at Davos?

Our ever capable Strategy technology colleagues were able to monitor the camera system of the first "Bored of Peace" meeting which took place yesterday evening, and actually capture the moment when the tie breaking vote for withdrawing the invitation to Canada was resolved.

To validate the accuracy of this photo, the posting by Trump on his social media page immediately following the meeting last night: “Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time.”

How well does your Strategy track leading indicators and the weak signals that indicate changes in your global operating environments?

Strategy is Mastery. 

Fun quiz Friday: Which movie was this photo from? Year?? ;)

What happens when this happens?

As pension funds, governments, sovereign wealth funds, UHNWIs, Family Offices, insurance companies, alternative investors, and financial institutions confront a future that is not x+1, what will be the  key trigger that kicks it all off?

How close are we to crossing the red lines?

Where does your Strategy test your key Strategic assumptions for a future that is not x+1?

What weak signals are you regularly testing, and Why will you know when the data is changing in advance of monumental shifts?

In my experience, it is precisely in times of extreme volatility when a proven tested Strategy system delivers the most exceptional positive results.

Strategy is Mastery.

We all know that through every series of cycles, "Winter is Coming." 

Are you ready for it?

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Joe Apfelbaum's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreJoe Apfelbaum's LinkedIn Performance