Interview Insights: Startup Approach in Traditional Corporations
In the realm of professional audio, Bose Professional is making waves with its renewed focus and commitment to delivering innovative solutions and new products. This shift in strategy, initiated under the leadership of John Maier, who joined the company as CEO in May 2023, follows the separation of Bose Professional from its parent company.
Maier, a seasoned veteran from Transom Capital Group, emphasizes the importance of clarity and voice intelligibility in sound systems, highlighting directivity and placement as key factors. This focus is evident in Bose Professional's latest offering, the EdgeMax series of loudspeakers, which now includes a low-profile version called EdgeMax LP. This sleek, 60% thinner iteration of the EM series offers powerful, directional sound, making it an attractive choice for a wide range of applications.
Bose Professional's strategy also includes a hybrid sales model in the United States, combining direct teams and third-party partners. This approach aims to provide customers with a more comprehensive and accessible sales network.
To further support customers, Bose Professional has introduced Experience Centers. These spaces allow customers to see and hear solutions, make informed decisions, and move faster with their clients. As of 2024, 10 new offices and Experience Centers have been opened in various cities.
The separation of Bose Professional has also allowed the company to make decisions about its own systems, software applications, and processes. This newfound independence has given Bose Professional the freedom to act like a startup while being at scale, a strategy that is expected to yield significant benefits in the future.
One such system is ControlSpace, a versatile solution designed to work seamlessly with various components such as loudspeakers, amplifiers, controllers, and design and operations software. ControlSpace has been used in thousands of installations around the world, enhancing the audio performance in restaurants, retail spaces, hospitality venues, auditoriums, houses of worship, and conferencing rooms.
As Bose Professional moves forward, it is aiming to become more of an "outside-in" organization, focusing on market trends and customer needs. This approach, coupled with a diverse range of primary markets including hospitality, restaurants, retail, worship, outdoor and indoor public performance, workplace, and education, positions Bose Professional for continued success in the professional audio industry.
For 2025, Bose Professional has ambitious plans, including the opening of new offices and Experience Centers in Paris, Dubai, and a new Bose Professional Global Headquarters in Hopkinton, MA. As the company continues to grow and innovate, we can expect bigger projects and exciting developments from Bose Professional in the years to come.
Bose Professional, now an independently operated entity, is set to expand its footprint with new offices and Experience Centers in Paris, Dubai, and a global headquarters in Hopkinton, MA by 2025. The company's focus on innovating gadgets like the EdgeMax series of loudspeakers, and smart-home devices, aligns with the trend-driven approach of entrepreneurship. To fund these developments, Bose Professional is leveraging its finance strategy, which includes a hybrid sales model and investments in systems like ControlSpace, a versatile solution that enhances audio performance in various business settings. This technology, used in thousands of installations worldwide, demonstrates Bose Professional's commitment to providing advanced audio solutions for diverse markets, including hospitality, retail, worship, and education.
