critical assumption

3 Things to know about creating Frictionless Transactions

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 15:22:00 +0000

I can't tell you how many articles I've read about how the world of business is changing; or why your "old school" ways of selling are just not working anymore; or if you're not working the social channels into your marketing, success will be elusive at best.

All of those articles are right, the world is changing (I prefer to say evolving), your customers and clients are changing, there is absolutely no way to deny any the facts. BUT, the basic concepts don't change - and they haven't changed for centuries ...

Business is based upon transactions
Those transactions happen between the provider and consumer
Both sides of the transaction will attempt to maximize "value"
That "value" is realized through transactions

At it's core, your business, my business, the guy's business across the world is based upon the simple concept of exchanging value between the provider and the consumer. Even in the case of a consumer receiving something "free" there is an exchange of value. Google is a perfect example, they provide a "free" service or set of services in exchange to (1) collect data and (2) show you advertising. And to the paid advertiser, they provide a service that (1) delivers a huge worldwide audience and (2) that audience can be targeted based upon "what they do".

So if business is based upon transactions, what is a frictionless transaction?

A business transaction can be thought of as having motion - so if you look at Newton's Laws of Motion he states three principles about the forces involved...

1. An object either remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by an external force
2. the net force on an object is equal to the rate of change of its linear momentum
3. All forces exist in pairs and the two forces are equal and opposite

So what does this really mean in the world of business? The following three things have to take into consideration to create a Frictionless Transaction...

1. A business transaction does not happen without applying a little force

I tend to think of most consumers to the be in the state of "rest" except for the most basic of needs (think Maslow's Hierarchy). So, Newton's first law states that "an object will remain at rest until acted upon by an external force", and that external force is you.

In our increasingly digital world, that external force can come from any direction - it could be a tweet, a web search, an online ad, a recommendation from a friend or someone with influence - but those are just the online versions. There are physical world versions, instore displays, printed coupons in a direct mail piece, a discussion over coffee with a friend, a tradeshow, a billboard, a TV or radio ad or even a "cold call" from a salesperson.

Is it the full responsibility of the provider to create the force necessary to get the consumer moving.

2. Once moving, transactions have their own speed,

Once we get consumer moving, there are two things we need to ensure (1) they continue to move in "our" direction and (2) we don't do anything on our part to slow it down.

Have you heard the expression "it's like herding kittens"? Well, the consumers in your pipeline are exactly like that - they don't want to be "sold" but they do have to be convinced. In the process of being convinced to purchase from you, they will begin to move away from "you" as the provider and start looking at the "category" as the solution. This is where lead nurturing comes in - you can either help or hinder the purchasing process.

This is where having a deep understanding the purchasing journey comes into play. But with all things "experience" you have to be willing to fail to ultimately have success. Regardless of the what you call this process, it comes down to three factors (1) try something (2) measure success/failure and (3) adjust, revise and repeat. This means you will spend money and money resources trying new and different things, measuring them against expectations and trying again. I'm not going to go into all the ways that experimentation can happen - there are a hundreds of articles about that - the key is continually learning and improving. And once you have done it enough times, you will being to see what works and what doesn't for your product or service - at the point you have success, and you understand the purchasing journey - you can start to replicate it.

Is it the full responsibility of the provider to understand the customer's purchasing journey, and make it as easy as possible.

3. All transactions have resistance points, it's up to you understand them

Expanding upon the previous point of understanding the purchasing journey, you will uncover several points of resistance. I would like to say they are "constant", but they aren't. The third law of motion states that all force exists in pairs, and they are of equal. In the world of sales, these resistance points were called "objections" and to master sales, you had to overcome these objections. As we move more to consumer-directed or consumer-supported sales process (happening outside any human interaction), overcoming the resistance of the consumer can be much harder - mostly because no one is there is actually "ask" for the sale, then hear the objection to purchasing "right now".

So along with the purchasing journey, you have to understand these resistance point - and many times, you need to understand (and group) purchasers so you can virtually ask for the sale, get feedback and then adjust to their needs. All while attempting to speed the transaction, rather than slow it down.

A perfect example of this point is Progressive Insurance and the quoting process for car insurance. Car insurance is price sensitive service, it's complicated, has lots of variables and every car insurance company has their pricing scheme. And everyone wants to "feel" like they are getting a good price, even for something they "required by law" to purchase. Progressive new this was a resistance point and slowed down the purchasing decision - they realized two things (1) price shopping was going to happen and (2) if someone purchased from them, and later found out they could have gotten a better price, they would ultimately lose that customer. Why not circumvent that process and show my price and the estimated price of my competitors? It's a brilliant move, they understood the transaction resistance point, and then mitigated it.

It's up to you to understand the transaction resistance points, then find ways to eliminate them

Is it possible to have a true Frictionless Transaction?

I believe the only way to eliminate ALL friction within business transactions would be to eliminate people from the process. I do believe it is possible to understand the consumers of our products and service - and that means understand who they are, how to help them along the purchasing path, how to keep them focused on purchasing from us (or eliminate them), and ultimately, how to evolve them from a "transaction" into a long term customer.

What are you thoughts? Do you have any good or bad examples? How do you do it for your company? I'm interested in hearing what you have to say. And if you liked this article, do not hesitate to Like It and Share It.

I love new ideas for businesses, products or services. Email me at amckinnis@gmail.com and let's talk about making yours a reality.

PICK ME! Turning challenges into triumphs

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 16:44:00 +0000

Pick Me!

"My back is pressed against the cold block wall and I’m dying from a quiet desperation building inside me, as boy after boy is selected for one of four teams. I grew up with these boys, they’ve known me since kindergarten, there is no hiding from the truth – I’m small, slow and weak – and in gym class, those do not equate to success. I plead with my eyes, imploring one of my four classmates to PICK ME! as their eyes move past me, with no compassion. I don’t want to be one of the last ones picked, it’s humiliating, but as the numbers dwindle, it becomes an inevitable possibility.”

We learn at an early age that no matter how many times our parents (teachers or other persons of authority) step in, we can not be protected from bad things happening. And for the majority of us, those bad things are not of a physical variety, but of the psychological.

Growing up, there was no denying I was small, but without the accompanying and balancing effect of being “quick and fast” – I couldn't win a foot race to save my life. And in the example above, even those people we know are more driven to win, than they are to be compassionate – so, I got used to being one of the last people picked for teams. It hurt, but I also understood – if given the chance to pick the team (which everyone did get the opportunity) – I did the same thing, you pick the fastest, the strongest, the biggest – you picked to win.

That was sports for me until my junior year in high school, when I finally grew, got more coordinated, go stronger, go faster. All those years of busting my ass and failing, now paid dividends. I was used to working harder than more “natural athletes”, I was used to hard times, I was used to losing – so when I got the chance to win, my experience had given me an edge they didn't have.

Disappointment & Triumphs Observation #1 : Experience Teaches

In many cases, having things given to you is a curse, not a blessing. Knowing what you want and struggling to get it, pays the biggest dividends.

Date Me!

"My gut was so wrenched, I thought I was going to throw-up. How could such a simple thing as making a phone call, cause so many conflicting emotions. All I had to do was dial the number, ask for her (what if her Dad answered), and then ask her for a date – simple really. It’s not like she was a stranger. We went to school together, we had known each other for years, we had talked on several occasions, so why was this phone call so hard?As I dialed the number, everything slowed down, everything seemed in slow motion. As the ringing was came through, I wondered how many rings, how long should I let this go on – and then, without warning, she answered – and I was completely speechless. As I stumbled and mumbled, trying to get to the all important question “would you like to go to homecoming with me?” ... she said “did Steve tell you, I’m going to go to homecoming with him …”. I still don’t know exactly what was said after that, because it didn’t matter anymore.”

Dating may be the worst (and best) experience in your life. No matter how prepared you are to enter the dating world (although most of us aren’t) with information provided by your parents, your friends, any and all confidants you have – no one can truly prepare you for your own personal journey into dating and falling in love. No one can prepare you in the emotional assault you will undergo; the hours of preparation; the days of despair; the exhilarating moments where time is suspended. We all travel our own road – others are better equipped to help than I am – I’m still navigating through the highs and lows.

Disappointment & Triumphs Observation #2 : Challenges Strengthen

As my girlfriend quoted to me the other day “so far, my record for making it through bad days is 100%”. Life is a series of ups and down (sometimes very extreme), once you recognize that, you are then free to choose which events define you, and which don’t.

Hire Me!

"Arnie, can you come to my office”. Depending on the situation, that is not exactly a phrase most of us want to hear. Once seated, my boss said, “I’ve got to let you go.” And my heart sank, my stomach churned and I really couldn’t believe what I was hearing. More was said, but the punchline had already been delivered. I left her office, packed my desk up, and drove home.”

It was my first job out of college. I got hired to do something I hated, but spent the first few months worming my way into what I really wanted to do. I couldn’t believe that I was actually going to do “marketing” instead of some quasi-marketing role that really was selling – just not called selling. And I busted my ass; I did what I was told, while also making suggestions; I attacked deadlines; I took initiative; we did new things, in new ways, producing results … literally, I loved that job and the people I worked with. I was young, and having fun. Until that day when I was called into my boss’s office and told I didn’t work there anymore.

It wasn’t performance related (two weeks prior, I was given high praise on my performance evaluation, a raise and a bonus); it wasn’t my attitude or personality (my boss said she enjoyed working with me); it wasn’t the business (the business was growing and expanding); it wasn’t my job (we had already mapped out the next phase of “what we are going to do”).

So why did I get fired? It was in-fighting between executives within the company – as simple as that. Someone had to prove they held the biggest hammer in the game, and I was the nail that got hit.

Disappointment & Triumphs Observation #3 : Perseverance Wins

You can do everything right in your job (life) and still get fired (have bad things happen). Sometimes, things just happen and it has nothing to do with you. Your only choice is to pick yourself up and get moving to the next thing – whatever that is in your life.

Whatever happens, you matter

There is never a good time to be forced to “put yourself out there” – it sucks to not be picked in gym class, not get the date with that special someone or to be told you “don’t work here anymore”. Life is full of disappointments, but it is also full of triumphs. They are the inevitable cycles, creating who we are and providing us with our own personal color, depth and stories.

I wrote this article for three reasons: (1) Because no matter how much I know, I can always learn more; (2) Because your story is just as personal as mine, filled with many of the same highs and lows; and (3) Because with every disappointment, I know there is a triumph.

Vinyl making a comeback ... maybe there's a business opportunity in there

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 18:07:00 +0000

This is glimpse into my mind, so I'm just warning you - it can get messy.

I got an email from Statistica about how the vinyl record is making a comeback, showing significant growth after a radical decline that bottomed out in 2006. The chart below is shows the total market revenue from 1997 to 2013, and by all indications, 2014 should follow the growth chart and top out between $250M to $300M. But actually, that's just an assumption on my part.

You will find more statistics at Statista

OK, so I see this chart and I start thinking about market opportunties and here you go ...

I begin thinking of my 19 year old son, and how he loves vinyl, but he's into music - both playing and listening to - maybe he's not the only one
I start thinking about selling vinyl - there's a record store in the "hip" part of town. Looks very run down, but the last time I was in there, they had several people there.
Then I start thinking about how it must be expensive to bear the cost of inventory (because you have to thousands of vinyl albums for the varied music tastes that come in there)
And this place sells "used" turn-tables
And there is a bar a few doors down from them

OK, now we are really cooking with the internal brainstorming session within my head - no one else is involved - just me ...

I just read that book about Collaborative Commons, and how our society is actually moving more collaboration rather than competition
And how do Farmer's Markets work anyway - how could you apply that business model to a record store
and wouldn't it be interesting if you could share expense (and potentially some revenue) that way also sharing the risk - also it would be a great way to get people involved ... go beyond the traditional Buyer/Seller relationship
So what would that look like ...

Now we get to the meat of the situation ...

What if you had a physical location
With multiple "businesses" inside
That supported the whole "ecosystem" of the vinyl buying experience
That would include not only the vinyl, but also the equipment to enjoy it at home
Some would have money to blow (upscale audiophile) and some wouldn't (used and trade market)
And lots of the new bands are putting together vinyl, how about having live music - think more like the MTV Unplugged rather than full blown concert
And what if you did that in conjunction with a local bar or radio show - maybe someone that blogs or podcasts
In addition, how about they do their "set" (you record it) as a preview of a live show later in the day ... or what if you sold coffee, wine or beer in the store
Oh and when I lived in Boulder, KBCO used to produce their own acoustic music in their "Studio B" and once a year, they would put out a limited edition album supporting some non profit
The market would be broad, but really, those like my son (Millennials) would be the primary target
What if you could extent the personal feel of the physical store online and create a community, not just locally, but also anywhere in the world
Sell online, but also create a community of all those people out there that just love music and the reproduction of music
Create both an online and offline experience ... bringing together social, videos, selling stuff, sampling music, sharing ideas, and generally discussing the topic

So, that's how my mind works. And how I have ideas that I will never pursue, but think they are pretty interesting. So, in this case, I'm throwing it out there - if you actually end up doing this - email me and let me know. And all that happened in about 15/20 minutes.

Think what I could do with your idea - why not email me and let's chat about it.

Above the cloud ... from compute to function

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:09:00 +0000

In the last decade, nothing has changed the face of IT as much as cloud computing. I remember in 2006 writing an internal research paper on the subject, not really knowing where it was headed, other than it was going to be "big" and change how we viewed the world of "computing and infrastructure" and specifically, IT services.

Fast forward 8 years, we still talk about "cloud" and it's still a buzzword used to describe the computing model, but it has moved from being a means to utilize a raw material (compute and storage), to become a behemoth that actually does something valuable for both individuals and companies (big and small).

The problem with cloud as a compute platform...

Simply put, cloud compute takes a fairly technical product (or service) and scales it. That's not the classic definition, but I like simple. Cloud Computing took what most organizations could only dream of (i.e. large scale infrastructure and application deployments), and democratized it. Now even the smallest application developer could scale their application to support millions of users, or small companies could scale their own computing way beyond their "capital" budget with a press of a button.

That one thing - scaling - has broken down barriers of entry for millions of companies (and people) around the world. Add to that, the ability to overlay Open Source software (often at not cost) - and that boom you hear are all the people that just accelerated their business past the sound barrier - literally soaring above the clouds. Taking a capital (or high variable) cost with all its associated operational costs, to mere pennies.

BUT...compute is a raw material and even with all the various management tools available, it was still in the hands of smart technical professionals. They could do magic with it, they could optimize it, they were faster at scaling up and down - but it still required specialized knowledge. And, most people don’t have the inclination or the motivation to learn how to manage a cloud compute environment, they just want to do something with it.

Enter the functional cloud...

The key thing to remember about Cloud Computing, as with all raw materials, there will be really smart people taking them and creating something not seen before. Cloud Compute and Storage is no different - even in the first phases of the cloud phenomenon, some people saw possibilities, where others just saw something that was interesting. Those early visionaries were actually just being pragmatic - if they could utilize Amazon Web Services (AWS) instead of privately owned (or even virtually owned) servers/storage to deploy their really cool web (or mobile) app at a fraction of the cost - well, why not - it would save a ton of money that didn't really add a ton of value, and that money could be deployed someplace else (think enhancements, marketing, sales, partnership, etc.). Initially, it was all about dollars and cents.

Not anymore. Very few start-ups would even consider launching on anything other than a cloud platform. The barrier has been broken down so completely, the mere suggestion of an (old school) alternative would get you kicked of the room and immediately humiliated via every social media platform known to man.

But what Cloud Compute is to technology, functional applications are becoming to functional areas within a business. You don't have to look very far to see every size of company moving beyond the raw cloud and into the next level. Once again, it's a matter of economics (at least to begin with) ... why "manage and operate" a bunch of applications or code, with its associated update and release cycles, when you could just "access" a pre-built and ready-to-use world of business function specific applications.

One of the easiest ones to comprehend is Sales Force Automation and the 300-pound-gorilla that is Salesforce.com. They have taken what was a complex, multi-tiered management problem and provided a true functional solution. Even in the beginning - just taking away the expense of servers, storage and licensing was almost enough for most large companies to consider it - because none of those things added value - what you really want is the outcome (automating my sales force) – so why not just spend money getting what you want, instead of money on the things you don’t.

But the true value of Salesforce.com came as an after-effect of their decision to support a wider developer network. Taking cues from both commercial and open source communities, Salesforce.com created an ecosystem that turned the mere platform into fertile ground for thousands of "tools" and "integration" partnerships. They used the power of the platform, to scale exponentially - once again, without the associated "capital" costs. Not a new concept in the world of applications, what has changed is the ability to scale quickly (seemingly overnight), and topple giants that only a few years previously had seemed invincible.

Why build a spaceship, when you can just rent one

Every business function is ripe for a Salesforce.com revolution - there isn't one area of your business that doesn't have some Cloud-based, As A Service alternative (HR, Marketing, Logistics, Payroll, Accounting, Market Research, Product Development). Oh, there are lots of reasons why some have taken off and others are just idling at the starting gate, but I hazard a guess, most start-ups are utilizing as much of these functional components as possible - moving money from the non-value-added column to the value-added column in the process.

It used to be that "scale" was only available to those lucky enough with access to deep pockets. No more. Scale is available to anyone - regardless of your education, nationality, language, background, and almost any other "criteria" used in the past. Literally, anyone can scale to reach and support a global audience. We have taken what once was only available to a single digit percentage of the population, and thrown it out there for almost anyone. At the point where any business can purchase world-class technology to support a business function, it no longer is about "access", it become about "use".

Build vs Buy

We are quickly approaching a time when that question won't even be asked for most consumers of "cloud based computing" services. I don't have a clue how the electrical grid works - but I do know how to turn on a light switch. The same will be true within the majority of businesses across the world - they may not know how the underlying technology (or even the application) works - but they will know how to turn it on and make it work for them.

Creating a mosaic instead of a pile of bricks

When we use more and more functional (technology) tools, the key will be integration. The worst thing you can do is to isolate that function from every other function in your business. Sales force automation has much more value when its integrated within the full fabric of your company - there is value in just having it automated - but it is so much more valuable when integrated into your marketing, product sales, distribution, customer service, accounting, logistics, etc. The masters of the Cloud Computing world are those professionals able to navigate between and among the functional areas, multiplying the value across all functions. The value of everything increases as we "connect" and integrate.

As this brave new world of technology surpasses the old, giving rise to a new breed of "global" businesses, we will look to integration "technologists" and experts to architect our unique bundle of services, while supporting and adding value to our businesses and organizations.

Photo Credit: Ewan Roberts / Standing over the clouds / via Flickr

Missing out on life ... the dark side of fear

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:06:00 +0000

Not to get too dark, but I've had a hard time getting out of my own way lately. I'm intelligent, I've had success in business, I have made money that puts me in the top 20% in US and top 2% in the world. Yet, I still run my life as if there is something to fear.

I've thought about that recently, getting laid off sucks. Getting laid off when you are over 50 really sucks. Getting laid off when what you've done most of your life (marketing IT services) is in chaos is just down right scary as hell.

And now, about 4 months distance from my "job" and looking back at it - there is so little to fear when you look back - you wonder why you spent time doing. But then again, when you look forward ... well, that's a completely different perspective and one that all of sudden, creates anxiety and the fears pop up all over the place ... all the ones that you try to keep buried under a veneer of smiles when asked "how's it going? how you doing?".

I do a great job of managing fear in the past - but fail miserably with the future aspect.

My goal going forward is to start looking at the future, with the same eyes as the past. Looking fondly at the experiences yet experienced; the places yet visited; the people yet to meet; and that all things will work out, usually to my benefit.

How about you?

IT Service Integration ... the mortar between the bricks

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 17:02:00 +0000

Published on LinkedIn and featured on the Pulse Technology Channel 9/4/2012

By 2020, it won't be about managing technology, it will about managing services

Within the world of IT - whether you are a provider or a consumer - by 2020 it will be about managing and integrating IT services. I always like to walk through a very simplistic example when talking about Service Integration - and something we all know and understand as a vital business service, managed by IT - Email.

Today, we take Email for granted - for most users, it just works - we get email on our computers, on our phones, on our tablets - we get notified in the office, or out on the road (and yes, even on vacation). In many cases, we are savvy users and have both our personal and professional email coming into various platforms, we filter, sort and file. In business, it has become the primary communications tool.

Here's the deal - from a user perspective, email is easy. Once setup, it works and is just there. For IT, email can be a complicated network of hardware, software, network, addresses, routing, security, filtering, storage, archiving. And if you are multi-region or multi-national, there are issues with compliance and regulations. For IT, the simple is hard.

Enter the external service provider (hosted, managed, cloud - based email services) - once again, from a user perspective, I just purchase the service, do my bit of setup, manage my reports and administration screens, and here we go, communicating with the world. Service Providers have the all the primary tools an IT group has, and more. I say that from a perspective that these service providers are for-profit businesses and need to manage quality of contracts, service, service level agreements, financial arrangements, customer services, along with the underlying technology.

To make the hard look easy, for the Service Provider (whether internal IT or external) requires integrating, not only technology, but services from multiple "sub-providers". The IT Services called Email is actually built upon dozens of services - it's like building a brick wall - each brink represents a technology, process, or service needing to be stacked in the proper place to ensure the wall has the strength required.

And we (IT professionals) move away from consuming technology (equipment and software) and begin consuming services - it is imperative to integrate those services, ensuring (1) the work together and (2) they can be managed. Service Integration is about bringing these functional IT services together and solving the business problem, not adding to it.

In the case of email, instead of placing our own servers and software in an owned data center, we now look at a third party to provide it as a service. But email only works if you have network access, now we include network access providers to the mix. And of course we all know the security risks associated with email, we add spam and filtering; Oh, and don't forget about regulatory and legal issues regarding record retention, backup and archive is critical. The list of "services" grows, including management of the end user community, and the associated access to a growing number of devices, many of which are not even owned by the company. Email has grown from a simple communication tool to an IT integration problem with dozens of services, service providers and processes - to deliver a "simple" IT service called Email.

Service Integration doesn't happen, it's planned.

Moving from owned technology, to services provided by third parties, is happening today at an ever increasing pace - in organizations of all sizes. And for some, the purchasing (or budget to purchase) has moved from the IT organization to the functional business - so who owns the integration of services? Who ultimately is responsible to ensure these services work within the larger picture of "technology" for the organization. The CFO wants his accounting systems to work, be able to produce the required analytics and reports; the CMO want so understand the marketing spend, the ROI, to report on the effectiveness of their activities; the VP Sales wants to manage the flow of information, help his sales organization close more deals, pushing the top line as high as possible; the CIO wants to manage IT, to innovate within corporate risk guidelines, pushing the envelope, but not becoming the next headline in the Wall Street Journal; the CEO walks the razor's edge of producing results without overheating the engine.

Each of these leaders has their agenda, each has requirements for technology to support it, but who is looking at how merge these agendas, integrate these services and manage them now and into the future? It won't happen by itself, it has to be planned and all these leaders will be involved, and the CIO needs to lead the charge.

Because, in less than 10 years, it will be about managing and integrating services, not technology.

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About the Author:

Arnie McKinnis has built his career as the "go to" guy for new ideas and innovation. He has spent his entire career taking "Playdough" and making real products and services out of it. He loves the process of melding often disparate "trends and ideas" and creating something completely different. He enjoys the chaotic nature of technology - the ever expanding and changing landscape.

If you like this article, please check out these articles featured on the Leadership and Management Pulse channel:

**Author's Note** Any issues with any or all content used in this post, should be directed to the author.

16 must read business classics

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 23:14:00 +0000

I read an article recently about the best business books, and they were all recent publications. Nothing wrong with that, although some of the best books on the subject were written years ago.

The following books, written at least 10 years ago, the oldest written in 1926, have stood the test of time. They have been read my millions of people and are still among some of the current best selling books in the world. They range from academic to practical. They use a variety of styles. But each is worthy of a place within all our bookshelves and should be read by anyone serious about business – regardless of your age. If you've read them in the past, maybe it’s time to blow the dust off and read them again.

Richest Man in Babylon	George Samuel Clason	1926
How To Win Friends and Influence People	Dale Carnegie	1936
Think and Grow Rich	Napoleon Hill	1937
The Practice of Management	Peter F Drucker	1955
The Greatest Salesman in the World	Og Mandino	1968
See You At The Top	Zig Zigler	1975
How to Read a Financial Report	John A Tracey	1980
Competitive Strategy	Michael E Porter	1980
Getting to YES	Roger Fisher, William Ury	1981
The Fifth Discipline	Peter Senge	1990
Lean Thinking	Jame P Womack, Daniel T Jones	1993
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing	Al Ries, Jack Trout	1994
The 80/20 Principle: The Secret of Achieving More with Less	Richard Koch	1998
Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got	Jay Abraham	2000
Getting Things Done	David Allen	2001
Good to Great	James C Collins	2001

There are hundreds more, many by some of the same business and thoughts leaders above, but many, many more from authors you may not be familiar. We live in a wonderful time, we can learn from so many sources - both past and present - and many of those resources are just a click away.

So you're over 50, get over it

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 23:46:00 +0000

Full disclosure, I just had a birthday and turned 53. So, when I say “get over it” I’m talking to myself as well. I’ve read several articles on LinkedIn and other places about being 50+ and the workplace. Whether it’s about getting a job, a promotion, shifting careers, going to work for a startup – doesn’t matter, there has been lots of press and lots of activity around the subject.

Now, I believe there is age discrimination, it happens on a daily basis, there is no denying the fact. But facts are just that, facts. They mean nothing until you decide to take those facts and do something about them. We don’t need more armchair quarterbacks, we need people with experience, willing to lead. So, with that said, here are some things those of us over 50 need to remember:

You were never as good as you remember

Fill in the blank with what you believe of yourself. I could be your looks, your personality, your ability to manage, to complete a task, to manage a team, etc. You were never as good at as you think you were. It’s human nature to believe we were better at something in the past, especially when someone is saying “you can’t do that anymore”. I was never as good looking as I remember, never as brilliant, never as clever as I remember. I have a very high opinion of myself – we all should, because you don’t who will – but the “good old days” were not all good. And the final shot over the bow, if you live in the past, you won’t look to the future. No matter how good you were, you can be better tomorrow.

Most people will dismiss you

But guess what, they dismissed you in your 20s, 30s, 40s and now in your 50s. So what? The majority of people will dismiss you for a thousand reasons. Your age is only one. People dismiss because I’m a man, I’m white, I’m older, I’m a father, I’m a marketing guy, I work(ed) for a huge corporation, I didn’t go to the right school, I don’t live in the right area of town, I don’t wear the right clothes, I wore boots and jeans, ad nausem. Well, those are all facts of my life. I can’t change one of them. If you live your life waiting for everyone else in the world to approve of you, well, it may take a while. It’s not worth worrying about all the people that will dismiss you, it’s much more important to continue looking for those people that won’t. They are out there – there is a perfect job, group, friend, organization that wants YOU. Our job is to find them.

Lose the entitlement

We are not “owed” anything in life. Just because I have 30 years of work experience doesn’t give me a pass to on the next job. Our experience means nothing unless we can translate that into what it means to that next job, that next position, that next employer. Own your experience and be proud of it, but don’t expect it be the thing that catapults you to the head of the line. Entitlement is a disease, don’t allow it to infect your life. Expect the hard road, challenges, and setbacks. If you have learned anything from your 50+ years on this earth, it will be disappointment and heartbreak. Don’t turn those into something dark, push through them and use them as stepping stones to create the next success in your life. You aren’t owed anything, but you can own what you know and your experiences – they have value for someone, just keep searching for them.

“ifs and buts were candy and nuts …”

I’m a big believer in the impossible. I have seen it over and over again in my life. What was science fiction a couple decade ago, is science fact today. The world we live in today, is both beautiful and terrifying – we can communicate instantly with people around the world, but we are afraid to let our kids (or possibly grandkids) play in the front yard. Our goal as the 50+ crowd is to be willing to change, to move the ball down the field, to become better every day. Our value is in our experiences AND how we can use it to enhance our companies and our careers. Tell your stories and share with the world what you know – but also be willing to be the student, to learn, to grown, to climb to new heights.

Quit looking at your past with rose colored glasses and embrace TODAY with the vibrancy of your 20 year old self, the drive of your 30 year old self, the confidence of your 40 year old self and the calm of your 50 year old self. They are all you, integrate them and see what happens.

I say “Get over it” and let’s show the world what we are really made of – let’s be the next surprise in this age of surprises.

I'm probably going to post this to LinkedIn, but you never know, I may just keep it here for those Easter Egg hunters that find it.

Great Idea | Creative Commons Photo Sharing

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Sun, 10 Aug 2014 16:33:00 +0000

I just ran across a great site and thought I'd share. It's called Photo Pin and it provides photos for use on the internet through the creative commons license.

Love it or hate it, there are people copying images, graphics and words on a daily basis. There is nothing you can do about that - it's going to happen, so if you publish, you just have to decide to site back and let it happen. Getting worked up about is not work the stress in your life. You are much better off deciding to site back, let it happen, and if someone else is wildly successful with your "stuff", then find a lawyer and sue them. It happens all the time in our crazy, cut and past world.

But, since we have Creative Commons, why one not use it? Why not go ahead and give other talented individuals some exposure and credit for what they do. I'm not a graphic artist or a photographer. But, those things make a blog posting more interesting - and catch the eye. So, I go out on the internet and grab a photo or graphic and use it. I try to attribute, but get rushed, or forget where it come from, etc.

This site allows you to search for images via keywords. And then use the CC to attribute ownership of the image. Easy, and I like easy.

So check it out, it may become your new best friend with blog posting. [example below]

photo credit: alongfortheride.♥ via photopin cc

5 keys to being a successful product marketing professional

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 20:08:00 +0000

When you say you're a Product Marketing professional, do people ask you what that is? Or possibly confuse it with Product Management? How about those people that don't understand where the lines between the traditional marketing function, sales and creative/promotions begin or end.

I've been in this game for years, have seen it from multiple angles and there are five distinct activities a Product Marketing professional much master to become successful. Now my background is primarily in IT Services (managed services, outsourcing services, consulting, advisory, etc.), so when I'm saying "product", I'm really talking about services - regardless, the five activities are the same for any product or service - high tech or low tech - it's merely the nuances of the particular "thing" being marketed.

Key Activity 1: Market Analysis

If you don't know your target, then anywhere you shot will hit the mark. The first key activity is Market Analysis - and it's more than just doing a quick internet search or making a bunch of assumptions. It is a systematic process of determining where to spend a limited budget (even big budgets have limits) to do two things: (1) expand your market, revenue and client base and (2) deepen your existing client relationships.

As a Product Marketing professional, it's your job to understand the market - past, present and future. Domain knowledge is helps, but more important is having the mindset of a treasure hunter, looking for opportunities to solve problems.

Get this one right, and your job is much easier with the other activities.

Key Activity 2: Service Strategy

Through your Market Analysis, you've discovered market areas matching your service criteria. Moving that analysis to the next phase, requires understanding how these opportunities can propel your organization towards it's goals. Translating a big number such as the total value of the market to what is available to your company, taking that available market and matching it to your company's financial goals, understanding if you can credibly enter the market or if your sales teams can be trained and motivated, are all part of the overall strategy of the service.

Key Activity 3: Service Planning

Service planning is where the "rubber meets the road". As a Product Marketing professional, you know the market, the competition, how those match to your specific company and now it is time to start planning the service for release to the market. Working hand-in-hand with Product Management, you start putting together what features, functions and capabilities are included. Working with sales, you determine the best positioning and what value will resonate with clients. Other key areas of involvement come from engineering, delivery and operations. Service Planning is that key activity where managing relationships and working with cross-functional teams will be the driving force of success or failure.

Key Activity 4: Marketing Programs

As marketing professionals, this is where most of us shine. Taking something from an idea to market, seeing it mature into a real product, is exciting. Now it's time to talk about it; using a variety of tactics, from traditional "push" advertising to engagement and social media. We match our messages to our audience, we tell the story of the service, we begin the process of gaining trust with those mostly likely to purchase. One of the areas which gets overlooked by many companies, especially in the service industry, is "testing, testing, testing". At the point of introduction, although we believe we have designed the right "plan" - it is merely an assumption until we release it. Once released, the Product Marketing professional has to be willing to follow the path of least resistance, and change course as required. I believe we only have ownership of the end goal, the path is dictated by too many forces to control, flexibility is the watchword as we manage our services.

Key Activity 5: Sales Readiness

In my background, the route to market was through a sales force - the problem is, a sales force only gets excited after the first "win" - it gets easier with each successive win. They have limited time to sell, are compensated for closed sales and want their lives to be as easy as possible. Our jobs as Product Marketing professionals eliminate as much "friction" in the transaction as possible - make it to engage clients and close the sale. To do that, we also have to ensure our clients understand the service, the benefits and how to purchase. If there are no sales, you don't have a real product - it's still just an idea.

There you have it, the five keys of to being a successful Product Marketing professional. You may love one or two, but you've got to master all of them to be successful.

In future articles I'll explore each one in more depth.

McDonalds vs the 9 Year Old | I blame the mom

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Thu, 30 May 2013 23:31:00 +0000

First of all, I thought you had to be stock holder to speak at a shareholder's meeting and I also didn't think that minor actually "owned" anything in that same way that someone over the age of 18 can "own" something. So my first problem with this whole mess is ... Why was she speaking in the first place?

I'm going to assume that it was all setup, and guess who had to start the ball rolling - YEP, the mom. I can't believe McDonalds started calling shareholders and asking if they had minor children that wanted to ask CEO Don Thompson a question. And if the Investor Relations people at MickyDs are worth their salary, if they did, they should have vetted what was going to be asked. So, I'm assuming the mom had it all set up.

Next, even if my child (unprompted) asked for my help, I would probably have said no. Hell, a 9 year old can't even have a Facebook account (per their user agreement) - so why would I want to subject my small child to both the financial media, social media, other adults in the audience, and of course the back-stabbing elite of corporate America? Once again, I blame the mom. She was naive in the most naive way - she thought the question, if asked by 9 year old, would be met with something other the full force of a Fortune 500 Global business that earns billions of dollars and rakes in profits for the same shareholders in the audience. Hell, these companies scheme and conspire to squash adults - what did you think would happen to your child?

Last, unless you are prepared for the worst of people, don't expect the best of people. We live in a world where I can say anything, do anything, be anything, or do nothing - and still be "celebrity" of the moment. Social media has given everyone the ability to shout out their opinion from their virtual soap box, while remaining anonymous. They won't say it to your face, but give them a computer, keyboard, and internet access and get ready for the body blows. I'm sorry both the CEO and this 9 year old have become punching bags (or heroes) for people around the world. But once again, I blame the mom for starting this whole thing.

She needs to step up and take responsibility - the buck stops with here.

Springwise | Ideas for your business brain

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:25:00 +0000

Airline commissions books that can be completed in flight time
	Australia’s Qantas airline has created a range of new fiction titles for its customers, selected to correspond with flight times. READ MORE...

In Israel, QR code application form only scannable by students with high IQs
	Only students with the right quiz answers are able to correctly fill out a QR code to apply for a place on the Kidum 700 course.READ MORE...

Data analytics app provides detailed hyper-local information
	BlockAvenue is bringing more data to the hyper-local level, offering statistics about specific blocks in the US. READ MORE...

Springwise Access is our professional service for businesses — a personalized research tool that provides instant access to our exclusive database of over 4,000 innovative ideas and startups.Learn more...

Glowing polar bear energy sensor, book and app educates kids about global warming
	The Bobo energy display, storybook and app for kids illustrates the connection between home energy consumption and the wellbeing of polar bears. READ MORE...

Where Are They Now? SOLARKIOSK
	We caught up with SOLARKIOSK to find out how they’re coping with the task of bringing renewable energy – and business development opportunities – to rural Africa. READ MORE...

Subscription service offers a taste of a different city’s culture each month
	Try The World offers boxes of products sourced from a different corner of the world each month. READ MORE...

App notifies recruiters when criteria-matching jobseekers are nearby
	JobProx is a smartphone app that connects recruiters and employers with job seekers when they happen to be in the same vicinity. READ MORE...

Concept store enables customers to make and share their own digital ‘look book’
	The Karl Lagerfeld Store in Amsterdam is enabling online sharing of new looks straight from the changing room. READ MORE...

Bespoke alternative prosthetics boost amputees’ self esteem and style
	The Alternative Limb Project is helping a stylish audience boost their self esteem, with its fashionable, unconventional prosthetics.READ MORE...

Spokeless wheels bring full suspension to foldable bikes
	Loopwheels is a spokeless wheel design from UK-based Jelly Products that aims to offer a more comfortable ride. READ MORE...

Science experiments for curious kids by subscription
	genius.box hopes to get children completing projects related to STEM subjects through regular delivered packages. READ MORE...

Search tool offers medical information personalized to each user
	Medivizor helps patients find medical information that is relevant to them by tailoring results to each user. READ MORE...

Pinterest-style site integrates social sharing, digital identification and online shopping
	myStorey is a new platform that enables users to create their own Pinterest-style boards, with photo-tagging capabilities to let others know where they bought the items. READ MORE...

Online concert venue grants access to sold out shows
	EVNTLIVE is an online concert venue that enables users watch a customizable live feed of shows with friends. READ MORE...

Platform helps clients track contractor billing in real time
	Viewabill enables clients to monitor their contractors’ work hours and expenditure in real time, helping them to keep bills under control. READ MORE...

Browser rewards users for surfing the web
	Perk is a browser that enables users to earn points when they shop, search and share online. READ MORE...

You can also check out our daily posts, subscribe to our RSS feed or follow us on Twitter,Facebook or Tumblr.

This just about sums up what we really know...

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:16:00 +0000

I found this quote and thought it really sums up what we think we know, or what we believe we know, or even those things we know we know nothing about but feel free to have an opinion. It has clarified my thinking for today, because I know he's speaking the truth!!

My Opinion...Abercrombie has the right to make "skinny" clothes

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:27:00 +0000

OK - I'm getting ready to jump on the band wagon about Abercrombie and their right to both make statements and clothes that fit only skinny people - because it's called a FREE MARKET for a reason. Here's the first one...

Reason #1 - All businesses should be focused on their customer - and many of the best businesses will limit their customers (oh the world of niche businesses and markets). In the case of A&F, they have decided to limit their customer base to a specific range of sizes - and guess what, there are other retailers that do the same thing (but of course they are marketed as BIG & TALL or PLUS sizes) which is just good business.

Reason #2 - All businesses should know who their customers are, and create products and services that fill that need. A&F caters to a very specific set of customers, with a very specific set of products. Does that mean people not specifically targeted don't want their products? No, but that has nothing to do with A&F.

Reason #3 - Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if it's not popular or "politically correct" - including the CEO of A&F. I've read what Mike Jeffries said IN A 2006 SALON interview and personally, who cares. He has every right to say what he wants - and for his company to position their clothes how they want and to attract the customers they want. Once again, it's a free market, he is free to say and sell what he wants and everyone else is free to buy (or not buy) what they want.

Personally, I believe the US is fat and unhealthy - in fact, I was fat an unhealthy for the majority of my adult life - I decided to change that about a year ago and started exercising and eating better. Can I do better, sure - but my opinion still stands. All you have to do is go any mall or Walmart in the US and just become aware of the people around you - and I guarantee you will witness how fat and unhealthy the country has become. What Mike Jeffries said, pissed some people off - and they took offense to it and even called him a bully. Well, I don't believe you can say he is a bully just by what he said - and anyone that took offense should look at themselves in mirror and if they are fat, do something about it and if their kids are fat, they should help their kids do something about. Humans are not meant to be fat - it's not a natural state of being - Mike Jeffries just said some words, those hearing them should just get over it.

End rant.

What he said - from this Huffington Post article...

“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he says. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either.”

Difference of Opinion...Nothing has changed

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:36:00 +0000

I just received an email from the American Marketing Association, advertising an upcoming podcast with the tittle "What’s changed in product development and marketing since 1980? Everything" -- that got me thinking (btw, I'll add the link to the AMA website and webcast below, just incase you're interested).

Has EVERYTHING changed in marketing? Or have things just evolved over time? My belief is that things evolved - naturally. It's not always a smooth curve or path, but it is a progression. And most of that change has been brought about by technology - both in how our customer's use it and how we use it for Marketing.

But first of all, let me explain that to me - MARKETING - is much more than just communicating, advertising, and fancy design work; it's bigger than awards for those that produce those things; it's so much larger than Super Bowl ads. At it's core, Marketing is a professional discipline that drives revenue, top line stuff. It is the high octane, jet fuel that speeds the business engine down the road. I don't care if it's the smallest business to the global megacorp - Marketing is there to drive sales and revenue up. There are things we could talk about in the area of cost reduction - but in my mind, marketing is not about the bottom line, it is about the top line - end of story.

And how do you drive the top line? You create products and services people want to buy, you build them in such a way they fit what the way a customer wants to pull money out of their pockets to pay for them and create a "promise" to that customer - that that money will be justified by the "experience" they get from your product or service. Plain and simple - Marketing supports the buying decision. Now, if you have crappy products or service - the promise of the product or service better be that of a "it's not the best, but it will do" - and if you have superior products or services, the message better be about that, and the price should reflect it.

That hasn't changed. People want to buy products and service - it is up to Marketing to let them know about how "your" product or service fits within their perceived idea of that category of products or services. Now what has changed is how we "tell" our stories. How we extract information. How we use that information to build the top line. But the basic premise of marketing has not changed - it's our job to know the who, what, when, how, and where - then apply it to the product, price, place and promotion. The tools we use are both old school and new school - they are applied with an artistic flare and scientific precision - when done right, we support the sales efforts to create friction-less transactions with our customers, matching their "expectations" of what they will receive.

Marketing hasn't changed - times and tools changed. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

Links:
AMA
Podcast/webcast - What’s changed in product development and marketing since 1980? Everything.

Initial Success is not THE PLAN

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:14:00 +0000

I read an article on one of my new favorite blogs called "The Rational Male" called "The Plan" and it hit me because in many instances, our PLAN is more about creating initial success (and wins) rather than full blown success or seeing something all the way through to the end.

In the post, Rollo writes about "dating" - and how just getting the girl to accept a date is not THE PLAN and that if you believe you are successful at this point, then you haven't really thought through everything yet. But how many times do we "think" our first few wins means we are successful.

Now for me, the article is interesting because it makes a few points about how we trick our minds into believing that any small win/victory is the same as successfully executing THE PLAN. Hey, I'm all for celebrating wins, but that doesn't mean the game (or plan in this case) of over. Keep you head about you, keep winning, taking action, looking forward - but don't loose sight of the ultimate goal.

Getting the date (in this case) is a step, but it's not the full plan. Understand your full plan, then you can determine when you win and when to celebrate.

It's been forever...

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:52:00 +0000

It's been a while since I decided to write a blog post - lots of stuff that has happened in my personal live over the past few years - but really, that's just an excuse - because everybody has problems and situations that come up that "keep them away" from things.

I was thinking the other day about "failures" - and if you've lived more that a few years, you have them. But my thinking was..."is it failure, or just a learning experience?"...and that's what I'd like to write about, how those failures can be learning experiences.

Think about the worst failure in your life - in mine, it was the time when I held onto a startup business venture for too long, ran out of money while being the sole support for my wife and kids, and it was a very bad time. I don't think I really fully recovered from it - I still have those feelings of "how could I do that", "what kind of husband and father are you", etc. and so on. That was the worst, and I carried it with me (and still carry it with me) to this day.

Now, I can't change history. I can't go back in time. And I can get back all those years from that moment to this one. BUT, I could have decided to view it as something other than a failure. I learned a bunch in my time - both professionally and personally. I did things I've never done before. I push some beyond some limits in myself, faced some fears. There was lots to take out of that time.

So, here's my assumption - that the quicker you get beyond thinking of it as a "failure" and get to thinking of it as a "lesson" / learning experience - because that's where the you turn your experiences, success, failure or inbetween, into the stepping stones to your future.

Fail fast, learn quick, move onto the next.

Appetite for New Business Ideas? | Well, here's Springwise

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:09:00 +0000

Your weekly fix of entrepreneurial inspiration (View this message in a browser)

Hi Arnie,

Here is your weekly dose of new business ideas:

Follow Springwise:

Fingerprint recognition allows automatic Facebook updates for hotel guests
	The Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel will soon feature technology that recognizes guests' fingerprints and automatically updates their Facebook profiles. READ MORE...

In the Netherlands, bike paths heated during winter months
	A test project in the Netherlands seeks to use the energy generated by the sun to heat bicycle paths during the winter.READ MORE...

World's first low-water, low-energy vertical farm opens in Singapore
	Singapore's Sky Greens vertical farm is a compact solution to low-impact food production. READ MORE...

The art of conversation – communication as an essential skill
	Some of our featured founders tell us why communication is key to running a successful startup. READ MORE...

Jewelry made from landmines by conflict-afflicted citizens
	Saught is a social business that helps Cambodians to create jewelry products out of the scrap metal left behind by landmines.READ MORE...

Platform offers second-hand fashion direct from others' closets
	Material Wrld enables users to share photos of the clothes and accessories they own and easily sell them to those who like them.READ MORE...

Wise Words with Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez
	Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, the brain behind Hop, a suitcase that can move independently gives us an insight into his inventive world. READ MORE...

Platform fills empty cinema seats through customer discounts
	DealFlicks offers film lovers lower prices for filling seats otherwise left unused. READ MORE...

Themed party packages delivered to the door
	Postbox Party offers themed packages that aim to include everything hosts may need for a picnic, or other events and parties. READ MORE...

Shopping app connects users with similar body types
	BeauCoo is a mobile app that connects users with similar body types and delivers a personalized feed of item, brand and store recommendations. READ MORE...

Luxury travel curated by cultural tastemakers
	Valet aims to appeal to the discerning traveler by offering a premium service including handpicked suggestions from city insiders. READ MORE...

International relocation made easier through new platform
	MOVE Guides is a UK-based site that aims to make the move from one country to another as simple as possible. READ MORE...

A new platform for crowdfunding tech innovation
	FundaGeek is a platform enabling those proposing technical innovation and research projects to get the backing they need to make them happen. READ MORE...

App enables mobile drinks ordering at recommended cocktail bars
	Coaster allows customers to order drinks on their smartphones, cocktail bars in San Francisco, acting as a curated recommendation service in the process. READ MORE...

iPad platform aims to replace the receptionist
	Reception Messenger hopes to deliver self-service administration, offering a way for office guests to check themselves in. READ MORE...

Self-medication for foot problems made possible through modular orthotics
	OrthoticMe offers modular parts to help people with foot problems to create their own solutions. READ MORE...

Smartphone notifications for any data desired
	Hero Button provides smartphone owners with notifications about any data they wish. READ MORE...

Our next issue will arrive in your inbox on 21 November.

You can also check out our daily posts, subscribe to our RSS feed or follow us on Twitter,Facebook or Tumblr.

Springwise Weekly | This week's most exciting new business ideas

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:18:00 +0000

Great stuff this week - check them all out!!

Hi,

Here is this week's Wise Words interview and, of course, your weekly dose of new business ideas:

Follow Springwise:

Mini satellite can create visible Morse code across the night sky
	The FITSAT-1, developed by researchers at the Fukuoka Institute of Technology in Japan, houses LEDs that can create a Morse code message that can be seen from earth. READ MORE...

Platform provides tools for young people to set up a business
	Bizinate helps bright young things to start selling their products and services online, with the option for parental input. READ MORE...

Trackable suitcase automatically follows its owner
	The hop! suitcase from Ideactionary is Bluetooth-enabled and can follow its owner around as well as being traceable when lost. READ MORE...

Airline offers trip abroad for voters who disagree with the presidential election outcome
	JetBlue's Election Protection 2012 campaign promises to fly voters out of the US if their candidate of choice does not win the presidency in November. READ MORE...

Open-source e-bike uses smartphone as on-board computer
	Urban mobility startup Velo is hoping to make an open-source computer-aided e-bike available to road users in the form of the Velo-1. READ MORE...

Toy and story kit aims to encourage girls to develop an interest in engineering
	GoldieBlox is a startup using building blocks and story books to engage girls with the practice of constructing spaces and objects. READ MORE...

Wise Words with Kris Hewitt
	We chat to the founder of coffee subscription service eightpointnine, which allows users to customize their own blends, about their first year of business. READ MORE...

In the Netherlands, hotel aims to offer complete holiday experience in one building
	Hotel Droog in the Netherlands now aims to provide the entire holiday experience in one building. READ MORE...

Urban farm and market encourages consumers to be involved in the growing process
	The Farmery aims to enable consumers to see how their food is grown as well as take part in the farming process themselves. READ MORE...

In San Francisco, site delivers high quality restaurant food to the door
	Caviar delivers meals from eateries which are highly rated on customer review site Yelp. READ MORE...

Taxi creates music based on the environment it is travelling through
	The Make The City Sound Better project has equipped a London black cab with the technology to create music for the passenger based on the locations they are passing through. READ MORE...

Clothing fabric recycled from landfill trash
	Vapor Apparel is launching its ECO Spin fabric which is made of recycled materials that are taken from landfill. READ MORE...

A gamified approach to finding real-world applications for scientific innovations
	UK-based Marblar aims to connect scientists and the entrepreneurial crowds to help brainstorm real-world applications for promising scientific research. READ MORE...

Soccer ball makes cash for charities when it is played with
	The Ludo ball monitors how often it is used and racks up points – transferable into donations – to enable players to give to charity. READ MORE...

Garden mirror tracks the sun to provide light where it's most needed
	The Wikoda Sunflower is the first domestic heliostat that helps owners reflect light in their garden towards the spots that need it most. READ MORE...

In Europe, project aims to add missing person info to 'Not found' pages
	The NotFound scheme is hoping to turn the web's 404 pages into a platform for alerting internet users to the continent's missing kids. READ MORE...

Our next issue will arrive in your inbox on 17 October.

You can also check out our daily posts, subscribe to our RSS feed or follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr.

Warm regards,

Chris Kreinczes
Managing Director
chrisk@springwise.com

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Life | if you're a ?, then ?

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 17:08:00 +0000

I saw that statement in reference to the following...

"If you are a writer, then write"

And I thought it just about summed up the dilemma most people have. Either they don't really know who they are, or they deny who they are - therefore, they aren't doing the things that would truly make them happy. You're thing could be anything - writing, acting, giving, painting, talking, teaching - and if you are not actively doing that thing, then you are not actively living your happiest life.

Think about it for just a second...what is the one that you have always done, that makes you happy? It's probably a big word - like "giving" or "teaching". That means to live your happiest life, you would have to "give" or "teach" - and to make the most money you can make, you'd have to do those things also. Now, teach is a big word, with lots of possibilities - you could be in the "teaching" profession like a school teacher or college professor, or you could teach something - through unconventional means - one-on-one or group settings. It could be any industry - all of them require some level of learning and teaching. You could help manage a training organization or do teaching seminars - there are hundreds or even thousands of possible combinations. But "teaching" is at the core.

So you need to think through those things, find that one big word that describes who you are and what you love to do, then investigate how to integrate that more into your life. Our goal should be to live our happiest life and not settle for what is handed to us.

Springwise Weekly | This week's most exciting new business ideas

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 13:12:00 +0000

Look at these great ideas - where does it take your mind, how can you be more innovative!!

Here is your usual dose of new business ideas from around the world, as well as our Springwise top ten, which this times focuses on the best innovations from Toursim and Travel over the last 12 months:

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World Future Trends Summit, taking place October 15-17 in Conrad Miami, is where world visionaries gather to uncover the biggest trends that stand to have the greatest impact on the future of business. Be prepared for the deepest form of provocation through the application of foresight, in real time. Click here to find out more and save 20% with code FT12SPRINGWISE!

Top 10 ideas from Tourism and Travel over the last 12 months
	We've picked out our top ten Tourism & Travel articles from the last 12 months on Springwise, designed to provide entrepreneurs with plenty of fresh inspiration for the future. READ MORE…

Portable bottle can make beer on the go
	Pat's Backcountry Beverages has developed the Carbonator Bottle, which can be used with beer concentrate to enable ramblers to enjoy a drink in the open air. READ MORE…

Face paint for soldiers can protect against burns
	A team at the University of Southern Mississippi has created a heat-proof face paint, which will help soldiers avoid burns during explosions. READ MORE…

Free app lets parents create iPad games for their young kids
	TinyTap is a free app for the iPad that lets parents and kids turn their shared experiences into personal and educational games. READ MORE...

Platform alerts shoppers to discounts on items they want
	hukkster notifies its users when an item drops below a certain price online, enabling all consumers to make the most of discount periods. READ MORE...

In New York, roving van offers paternity tests on the spot
	Health Street's "Who's Your Daddy?" service gives parents and children the chance to find out where their blood ties really lie. READ MORE...

Sensors monitor hydroponic plants, offer feedback to gardeners
	The Bitponics sensor and data service is now making the process of keeping a hydroponic garden easier by monitoring plant conditions. READ MORE...

Virgin America offers voter registration at 35,000 feet
	Virgin America is offering passengers the chance to register for their presidential election vote during their flights. READ MORE…

From Japan, a device that helps disabled kids to move independently
	Researchers at the Polytechnic University in Tokyo have developed the Magic Carpet, a machine that enables young children with walking problems to experience moving around and become used to the wheelchairs they will eventually need to use. READ MORE...

In Canada, project offers food discounts for tiffin box users
	The Tiffin Project is hoping to reduce the number of disposable containers used by the takeaway industry as well as support local farmers in Vancouver. READ MORE...

Non-invasive anaemia sensor delivers results to any smartphone
	The HemoGlobe screening device, developed at the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, is a sensor that can detect anaemia in patients and display the results on a smartphone, without the use of needles. READ MORE...

Spectators at re-enactment village get wifi access from donkeys
	Kfar Kedem in Israel is offering connectivity from the animals featured in the park, through its Wi Fi Donkeys service. READ MORE...

To find a new web designer, ad agency targets those pirating Adobe Creative Suite
	Ogilvy Brussels has targeted designers trying to get the latest version of Adobe Creative Suite through less-than-legal means in their new recruitment drive. READ MORE...

Ping-pong paddles given a designer touch
	A designer line of ping-pong paddles that has just reached its target amount on Kickstarter is intended to improve the sports' image. READ MORE...

Eco art doubles as a working beehive
	The Elevator B sculpture in Buffalo, New York, also provides a home for bees and aims to be part of an educational scheme to teach people about the importance of the ecosystem. READ MORE...

Gift-giving site hand-picks items tailored to the recipient
	Gift Owl is a UK venture that asks gift recipients to fill out a questionnaire outlining their taste and then finds suitable gifts accordingly. READ MORE...

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Warm regards,

Chris Kreinczes
Managing Director
chrisk@springwise.com

I'm going to write a book...

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 01:06:00 +0000

I decided that it's time to write a story about the #1 export of America - Entrepreneurship. In my opinion, the US has supported the world economy more through the way we export our ideas and business models, than by anything else. The world of high tech, telecommunications, bio-medicine, automobiles - are just a few of the areas we have created industries and embraced technologies to create new businesses, models, processes, and ideas.

But this story needs to be about the people that really drive the economy - those visionaries that drive new ideas, sometimes through sheer will and determiniation. Their belief in themselves and others is an inspiration to our country and our world. And their stories are rarely front page news - but the should be.

So, I'm going to write a book to tell their story and to help inspire other people - young and old - to get out there and take a chance. Express themselves through their ideas, through their creativity, through their belief in a better life for themselves, their families and their communities.

If you are a person that has started a business - regardless of financial success or failure - I want to talk to you. Leave a comment below or go to my LinkIn page (my email is there) and email me your contact information. We need to talk - because I want to hear your story.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for living your "Critical Assumption" daily!!

Trust | what is it about our economy?

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:44:00 +0000

I've been thinking about this for a while, but why isn't our economy "seeming" to get better - why is consumer confidence so low - yet, the stock market it up and interest rates are very low - so why?

My belief is it comes down to trust. We have daily reminders about how tough things are out there and how much things cost. All you have to do is drive down the street - wherever you go, there is a constant reminder - the price of gas. It goes up (and down) on a daily basis. And those times when you think "that was 10 cents cheaper yesterday, why did it go up?" - it reminds you that the last time you filled up it cost a bunch of money. So, now it will cost more. And if that's not enough, just go the grocery store. It amazes me everytime how much food has gone up, and it's still going up.

So, we see these things, it's evidence of our reality, the life we live today. And then if you hear one of our politicians talk, or the talking heads on the news channels, you wonder if they are living in the same world you live in. Do they struggle with the price of gas, of groceries? Why is their priority to "battle" rather than "solve" issues. Why are we having this debate - get something done for us today, so our lives get back on track. Pain is a today issue - and it appears there are few people that want to help with that pain.

And then, the companies we work for - most of in constant "resource balancing" initiatives. Meaning, you might be the resource they decide to rebalance - which only makes the price of gas and groceries (and all your other bills) seem higher and a burden.

Where's the trust, where's the faith? I suggest a grassroots movement to restore the faith. We can't rely on our politicians, the news casters, the pundits, the corporate executives to GIVE us faith, we have to just believe times will get better. Start to trust that in ourselves more, and those around us, the ones that really create the economy. We vote everyday with our dollars - with our purchases. Have trust and faith that we will overcome - it starts with us, individually. That's when things get better and not before.

Stories | what makes ideas come alive

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:18:00 +0000

I was talking with a man that has a big idea yesterday. He wants to change how we used social media - and to make it "work" it better for those business and organizations that can't afford to hire experts. I applaud his idea - but I told him he needed to start creating the "story" about how his idea will do what he "thinks" it can do.

Stories aren't about creating false impressions, they aren't about "marketing" or advertising - they are about people. And at the end of the day, it all comes down to people - what they do, what they think, how they feel.

We've all heard the saying "sell the sizzle, not the steak" - but I believe it has to go deeper than that - it has to go to the essence of "why you steak in the first place". What's the story there - can you help the "reader" see themselves in that story.

If you have a deep desire to change something, and a way to change it - then think through the story of how that can happen. Create a feeling, create the mood, create the motivation for some to say "Yea, I want that, I can see myself doing that (or buying that, whatever)". Create the story behind all the people involved - in the big idea I mentioned, there are multiple people that would benefit - they all have a story, write it for them

Stories are more important than you think - start thinking about the story-line you want to create and then start writing it.

Entrepreneurship | the backbone of our economy

noreply@blogger.com (amckinnis) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 01:15:00 +0000

One thing that is bugging me, and I'm going to be a bit more active on my blog than I have recently, because I believe this subject is important - is that right now, we aren't supporting Entrepreneurship enough in this country.

Startup, small business, new ideas - those are what will drive the economy, not support the an old, possibly outdated economic model. Small businesses, as a group, provide much needed support to any community - in fact, small towns that have a "corporation" presence, are usually worse off than those that have a strong, diverse small business community. The schools are better, the parks are better, the overall community has a completely different feel. You may or may see the affects in a large city, but you can see it in a small town.

I believe the billions spent to support the BIG financial institutions was money poorly invested by our government. The same companies that almost cratered us, are the ones that got billions - doesn't seem right. Those same billions could have put money right back into a thousands of small business, and incubated thousands of new idea - and created new jobs.

That's what I believe and that's what I'm going to start writing about. Entrepreneurship.