Inspiring and thought provoking words from New Zealander & HyperFactory CEO Derek Handley about being an entrepreneur, thinking beyond yourself, and changing the world. Looking at the balance of your life in 5 year increments to do great things is both humbling and motivational. Twenty mintues but worth the time so please watch it.
Derek Handley from World Class New Zealand on Vimeo.
I was (mostly) off line for the past week while visiting my Dad and brother in Franklin, TN (just south of Nashville where I grew up). I did not totally unplug as I kept an eye on personal email and the news feed that comes to me via my varied updates from those who I follow on Twitter. However, I did stop on-line engagement and focused on my family, people around me, and real experiences.
I took several long runs through historic downtown Franklin, ate a bit of BBQ, had a great startup brainstorming breakfast at Noshville with friend Darren Crawford, cooked, laughed, and even played a suprisingly good round of golf with my Dad and brother (last round was 3 years ago).
I was originally going to title this post "Offline and in the Real World" but I think that is too harsh. We can (and must) balance the deluge of information, ease of access via mobile devices, and what appear to be pressing needs to engage on-line with off-line and real life engagement and interactions.
I have created a vast network of people that I am truly grateful to have through various on-line connections but I find it increasingly diluted based on its size. The race to accumulate friends, fans, followers, and influence that I have been part of over the past few years seems a bit ridiculous when you spend time with extremely successful business owners who simply make their customers their priority and run their businesses with integrity.
These on-line and off-line worlds are not incompatible and can definitely benefit each other. I firmly believe that successfully integrating the two can lead to a more successful business and more personal impact on the world.
So, please take a moment to look around (not at your phone), get together in person for coffee or a beer with a friend, and remember that technology can enable your pursuits in amazing and innovative ways but is no substitute for real life.
This is a follow up to my Sales = Support post about how the delivery and consumption of web-based products is changing the way we need to think about aligning around the end-user.
Like many of my blog posts, this was inspired by a conversation (an email exchange in this case) about whether to focus on adding features or focus on the user experience given limited resources.
I had been meaning to write this for some time so decided to post here what I shared with a friend:
Do one thing and make it really simple (to start). There are always features to add and complexity to consider but people use products and unless they have to use it (do x to get paid/keep your job, etc.) they choose to use products based on value delivered.
I definitely believe that product = experience in an on-demand world. You want people to find, try, use and love your thing with limited to no involvement on your part. This makes it all about experience. You get involved when they have a question or observation: sales = support. The product = experience blog post is coming soon:)
That said, if you are not quite to the point where the one thing you are doing really well doesn't solve someone's problem yet, then focus on that.
Consider a product like Dropbox. They get a lot of buzz but one of the things that stands out to me is not their fame but how dead simple the product is to use and works itself into my existing knowledge. I didn't have to learn how to use it, it works like a file finder/manager – looks the same, even integrated into that view.
They are not the first (or last) company to do cloud-based file backup but they made it work for me with limited brain cycles to learn it. Most people are not curious enough to figure it out so the focus has to be on quick time to value.
Bottom line – it's all about the "cat strat."
This is an entertaining commentary on our on-line lives and worth a watch. Thanks Andy Sernovitz for sharing it!
This is a great two minute video from Will Smith. I run and agree with his point about conquering the little voice and read as much as I can (but not enough). Take two minutes and watch this (thanks Dan Martell for sharing it).
An extremely worthwhile 10 minute video about living your life for you. What small things will you do tonight or tomorrow to enrich your life for you?
Best quote "don't wait until retirement to have a life."
Great thinking here from Nigel Marsh.
You will encounter them during your career.
Some are inherently evil.
Some are created by their circumstances (not victims of..there is a difference).
Some are inadvertently or at least not consciously so (they are selfish vs. selfless).
I have encountered all three types…
Just promise me that if you ever work with a guy like Daniel Snyder you'll contact me so I can help you find a new job. Read this article and you'll see what I'm talking about and why he is suing the City Paper in Washington, DC for their clever and telling piece on him.
I use to work with a guy who taught karate in his spare time.
He explained that the approach to the business was to have an introductory class that was low cost (the offer) then identify students and parents who would be easy targets for private lessons (the upsell). After finding a worthy target, he would explain the potential that could be unleashed with some one-on-one coaching (the pitch). Essentially preying on the "you want the best for your child" desire (the emotional hook).
This is wrong on so many levels and is completely devoid of ethics but is a worthy example of how you can be hustled without knowing it. Think the best, until you are given a reason to think otherwise but please don't be a sucker.
Who is selling you "karate lessons?"
Note: I have nothing against karate, karate instructors, or any business as long as it is a legitimate business with ethical business practices.
I saw this movie many years ago and for some reason thought about it the other day. The "humor" is dark so be warned, but A Shock to the System starring Michael Caine ranks up there (for me) with the great flicks about office politics and power. Again, this is no Office Space, but as the clip below illustrates, it is highly entertaining. This was the only clip I found on YouTube…
A bit slammed today so posting late on Friday. Thought I would share some of the Google searches used to find this blog over the last couple months. I am set up on Google’s analytics and it gives some pretty good information so thought I would share some of the things people used to find me. A few interesting ones here:
Venture Vice 