My female friend tells me it is her anthem along with “If I were a boy,” “Irreplaceable” and bunch of other songs with catchy Choruses, but words that doesn’t make a lot of sense especially when they come from somebody who wears underwear in both her videos and concerts, and from somebody who wouldn’t miss an opportunity to shake her “bootylicious” body every opportunity she gets.

I think these song all suck for the same reasons: 1) There is generalization about all the men, you know women cheat too and stuff! 2)They all talk about the same thing – JUST GET OVER IT ALREADY  3)They come from a person that uses her body, her famous husband and Dad who pushed her to be famous to sell records.

Now let’s just go over lyrics and see what pisses me off so much:

Single Ladies

“Decided to take a Dip,” “I am up on him,” “Just cried my tears for three good years”

So they way I see it: she was dating with a guy for three years, cried through all of them and then to feel better she decided to go and have a sex with a random guy. Yeah this makes total sense! Maybe instead of crying three years you could have communicated what you needed instead waiting for a guy? Or maybe because you just went to a club and had a sex with a random guy who happened to notice you is the main reason – I DIDN’T WANT TO PUT A RING ON IT!

Irreplaceable

“I could have another you in a minute. As a matter of a fact he will be here in a minute, baby”

Again I have to ask what a hell were you doing with this guy, if you could have a tons like him in a minute? How did you choose him? Did you do a random draw? Or chose the one who lives closer to you? Then I figured that another guy is already coming over, so again I guess the best solution is to have a sex with a new guy – sounds perfectly healthy solution to me, and a song that should be anthem to all the women.

If I were a boy

“I would turn off my phone Tell Everyone it is broken,” ” You are just boy and you don’t understand how it feels to love a girl”

Turn off your phone, really? This is a best thing you could come up with if you were a boy? How about going to the army and protecting women, or being a firefighter? “Turn off your phone” why I never knew it is allowed since I am a boy, mine is always on – I got screwed nobody told me I can turn it off. Oh wait I heard it somewhere, or yeah this is another of Beyonce’s songs with Lady Gaga “honey I cannot answer” - I figured two things Beyonce has a thing for telephones and that she finally realized that turning off the phone is not determined by gender.

Then those next lyrics, because I am a boy I don’t understand how to love a girl? How does it make sense, who understands it then? Another girl? Your mother? I think as a boy I would have a first had knowledge of what is like to love a girl, it is not that easy especially when I am dealing with a promiscuous type who alternates between wanting to marry me to not picking up my phone.

Bottom line:

I hate discrimination against women just like any other modern guy, but girls – Beyonce’s songs are not what you want to be represented by, if you want a real woman’s anthem find something that doesn’t talk about being stuck in a relationship without doing anything, random sex and of course turning off your cellphone – that is just silly.

Phew, I got it out of my system now! Comments? Haters? Lovers?

So why do I get frustrated and scared sometimes?

No matter where you are geographically it is hard to disappear

Sometimes I need time for myself and change of scenery. Back in a day a person could go to another province and start a new life. However, these days, with tools like Skype, SMS, Facebook, Email – I feel like I never left. Which means even if I am located overseas I still get to see for example pictures of my ex with some guy. Long lost relatives that I don’t want to talk can call me on Skype whenever they want, unless I block them. Old classmates can write and ask some money to borrow.

Everything you do online is recorded, so you are accountable

Anything you do online is recorded somewhere and you have to keep thinking what if? What if my ISP gets hacked and all my visited pages become public? What if I drink too much beer and post something bad on Twitter (my Mom follows me). When digital face recognition becomes a norm it will be easy to recognize me, as I tagged more than 300 photos of me on Facebook. What if all student party pictures get posted online and anyone who Google’s my name will be able to see them?

Stalker’s Paradise

I like playing FourSquare and use other applications that need my GPS location. I have a feeling that Google Buzz mobile will be more popular than anything else before. I am always pretty careful in terms of where I check–in and try not to reveal too much information.  I try not only not to reveal where I am all the times, but also not to reveal the patterns. However, a lot of people don’t think about it. I mean I have couple of people as my FourSquare friends that I never saw in my life.

If someone will add my blog, somehow will slip into my Facebook account and follows me on Twitter they will know a hell a lot about my life. Something like that back in a day could have never been possible. The only thing here that adds me some confidence are my aikido and muya thai classes.

Addiction/Dependence

I consider internet to be an addiction, when it is gone I am going crazy and have withdrawal symptoms. However, after couple of days I sober up and understand that the life without online exists. I am also so dependent on internet and its tools. I honestly don’t know how I would manage a team without basecamp or other project management system.  I can’t live without calendar sync with my Iphone and my tricked out GMail. I am so dependent on these tools that if I had to give them up, I think I would go out of business.

Said all of that I totally understand that I shouldn’t blame or be scared of Internet. At the end of the day everything is my own choice. I choose what to do online, how to conduct myself and what to share. It is up to me to use a different phone or leave one at home when I go out drinking. I can delete my Facebook profile if I wanted, maybe should just do it – oh well, no I can’t just not right now

So here are my thoughts. I think the most valuable part of this post is that we make the choice, so we need to be responsible.

The key factor that contributed to our success was a personal approach to our clients with vested interest in their success. We also built strategies based on classical business and marketing strategy. We believe that technology is just a tool and human nature stays the same. I believe that adherence to this philosophy in North American market will help us to build the agency and create a market share for us. In addition we managed to develop strong relationship with some of the best designers, programmers and marketers in the world.

That is why effective today this will be my personal blog and romanz.ca will become our company’s corporate website where all the employees will contribute to the blog. We are crowdsourcing the design of it and already performed multiple usability studies, now it is all about the user experience design and creating a design that will represent us. The tentative deadline for launching a full functional website is March 1st. However, the marketing work already started and we already have a couple of Canadian clients.

I am so exited for the future!

P.S. You can continue following me on Twitter @romanZ and once we get the editorial staff set-up there will be a new company Twitter channel as well.

Back then

Dress: suit and tie everyday

Waking up: 6:30am

Conversations: bitching about the job, sales budgets, production errors and nasty clients

Now

Dress: sneakers all the time

Waking up: 8:30am-10:00am depending on how later I working the night before

Conversations: strategy, motivating people, mountain biking,arts

Anyway these are my top 10 ways on how to unplug from corporate grinding machine.

It’s Monday and you are already tired. The weekend felt like it was just a time to catch up on your projects. You’ve started to get really close to your co-workers; I mean you  know their entire wardrobe and what coffee they drink.   Newsflash: You work too much and you are stressed!  Now you have heard it all and tried to combat it: exercising, having a hobby, or even volunteering. Too hard, right?

Here are the 10 things that I use to shut down the corporate grinder, just because they are easy for me:

Buy a pair of Converse: If your job is anything like mine that means you spend too much time making sure you have an ironed shirt, fresh tie and clean pair of elegant shoes for tomorrow. You spend most of your life in these “professional clothes” and even have a change in your car for corporate events in the evening. Wearing rock star sneakers is just so anti-corporate that no matter what, wearing them will put smile on your face. Every time I wear mine I get more compliments than the number of compliments I get for my most expensive and stylish work shoes.

Buy a video console: Don’t have time to play games? Trust me, if you take just 30 minutes to completely waste on beating that next level — you will totally shut off the voices in your head. I mean the voices about sales deadlines. Treat it as a therapeutic and needed chore! Bonus: Play Guitar Hero or Rock Band while wearing the Converse you just bought. I like to play “School’s Out for Summer” and have a total rock star experience.

Visit Wonderland, Six Flags, Wisconsin Dells ,etc.: Is the inability to read your Blackberry while on the rides preventing you from visiting an amusement park? Choose one Sunday and take it actually OFF by going to the amusement park. Trust me there is nothing better than a really scary ride to make you feel like a hero and fill your body with endorphins. Last summer I tried “A Point of No Return” ride on Noah’s Arc at Wisconsin Dells — it was so scary that when I came back to work on Monday not only could I handle all the craziness of a marketing business with a smile, but I was also completely fearless (for a couple of days).

Read Fiction: I, and  most of my friends, don’t read anything if the text is not displayed on iPhones or Blackberries. When it comes to reading something on real paper it is usually the most boring case study, statistics or information for the next course. I know that time is limited and the last thing you want to do at the end of the day is read something. However, try this: allocate 30 minutes, create a really cool environment to read (backyard, cozy blanket, and fresh brewed tea – something along these lines) and choose a very interesting fiction book. The change of atmosphere will help you tune out any thoughts about how hard tomorrow will be.

Watch live stand-up comedy: I always wondered why would people pay and go for the live stand-up comedy. It’s not like you going to get a better quality sound or a better view of the comedian’s face when you sit in the audience. However, I have figured out what changes is the atmosphere and the energy. You put yourself in a great mood when you watch a live comedy. Also, if the comedian is any good, you will feel the physical vibe while you are in the audience. Needless to say being in a great mood and laughing is the best treatment for your sanity at work.

Prank someone: Have a good friend? Prank him or her. Be creative and clever though. There is nothing better in this world than the misery of your closest friend. The experience will allow you to get in touch with your creative side, try yourself as an actor and you WILL laugh really hard.

Have lunch at a nearby College or University – I don’t mean it in a freaky way, but going to college will remind you about how you were a couple (or many) years ago when the reality of the corporate job hadn’t hit you. When you are surrounded by bunch of young people with bright ideas and a positive outlook on life it empowers you and it’s a nice change from being surrounded by closed minded “professionals” who “know the real life.” I actually went with my friend, who is still a student, for lunch this week and everyone thought I was a new professor. Bonus: Prank someone in college by pretending to be a professor.

Have a party at your place: Hopefully, if you work for ridiculously long hours, are appreciated by your clients more than your boss, and wake up in the middle of the night thinking about how you are going to meet the deliverables, you are at least earning enough money to get yourself a decent place. When was the last time you had party at your place? I found out that with time, crazy parties (because they are too much work afterward) become going out for dinner at a nice restaurant or going for the grand opening of a trendy, new club. Instead try having a party at your place and invite friends from back in college and high school. Don’t invite people from work – c’mon you already spend TOO much time with those guys.

Listen to the music: We usually listen to music while multi-tasking (going to the gym or driving). Did you ever try to just listen to the music? Try downloading classic music or maybe Enigma or Secret Garden or whatever fits your taste, find yourself a comfortable spot (cozy blanket, comfortable love-seat, yoga mat, etc.) and for 30 minutes just listen to the music. Free your mind, don’t think about anything, put your brain to sleep and arouse your inner senses. Bonus: Soak in a warm bathtub while listening to the music for 30 minutes before going to bed.

Organize Photos: And I don’t mean put them on a Facebook. Look through your old photos, organize them, and actually print the good ones. If you are adventurous enough try making a custom frame and put them on the wall. Diving back into the memories will totally turn your attention to your inner self and making a frame will give you a sense of ownership and pride from decorating your own place.

The bottom line is remind yourself how to have fun and let loose.

]]> http://romanz.org/10-easy-ways-to-turn-off-your-job.html/feed 0 http://romanz.org/10-easy-ways-to-turn-off-your-job.html#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=10-easy-ways-to-turn-off-your-job http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/romanz/DJzg/~3/7zKLfEhlyDk/venture-capital-pros-cons-alternatives.html http://romanz.org/venture-capital-pros-cons-alternatives.html#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:00:12 +0000 Roman http://romanz.org/?p=444 This post is inspired by different conversations I have had over the past couple of weeks; I wanted to discuss my personal opinion on getting Venture Capital (VC). In short I think getting a VC, at least in the initial stage of the business is, not only unnecessary but can even be counterproductive due to the loss of focus on developing the idea and overspending. My suggestion is to spend the first 6-12 months on generating even a small revenue and proving that your idea is viable. Learn how things work, what money is spent on, and what is needed to take your love creation to the next level.  It will be easier to receive VC after this period and you will actually know where the money will go.

Pros:

Cons:

Alternatives

• SR&ED credit: Research credit that is applicable to most of the tech startups. A corporation can receive up to 35% of first $2 million expenditures in Canada
• OIDMTC: Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit up to 40% of eligible Ontario labour expenditures and eligible marketing and distribution expenses.
• SBIP: Small Business Internship Program. Government of Canada reimburses 75 percent of intern salary up to a total of $10,000 per intern.
• NRC-IRAP: Provides non-repayable contributions to Canadian SMEs interested in growing by using technology to commercialize services, products and processes in Canadian and international markets.
• NRC-YES: Youth Employment Strategy. Internship Program with Innovative Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Collaborative Research Internships Program provide firms with support to hire post-secondary graduates.  Up to $15,000 from 6-12 months.

Wired Wednesdays TO

Last month was the first time I visited Wired Wednesdays Toronto (@wiredwedto). The key presentation was by Regan Fletcherfrom Yoono and consisted of three very interesting demos. It was a great event to visit both for networking and for motivational lessons from people with experience. As a side note—I found that guys from BackType have the best presentation skills.

I thought the presentation by Regan Fletcher, a serial entrepreneur on his fifth startup, was rich with insights one can only get from the experience of building companies from the ground up. He obviously has a very good sense of humor along with business acumen. Here are some key points that I took with me after the event:>

Learn How to Use a Shotgun

The benefit of a shotgun is instantaneous, extreme power. Obviously Regan meant this metaphorically. What it means is that if you want to hang with the big dogs you have to act like one. One of the examples he gave is getting VC funding. When you come to the meeting with a VC don’t get scared thinking that you are just a little company and they are some big company. You have to feel that you are giving them a favor by letting invest in your amazing product. I think this is what he meant; the last phrase from the analogy was “Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.”

I pretty much agree with this thought and think that if you don’t know to use a shotgun just yet: fake it ‘til you make it. I don’t advocate misrepresenting your business, what I am suggesting is if you want your company to be something (the top creative agency for example), then start portraying that exact image from day one.

2) Know the business you are getting onto

Regan mentioned that he constantly sees people who want to make better existing ideas and “easily” make money, while not really knowing the insides of the business. Regan mentioned that he usually never hears from those guys again.

I can say that when I started running Toronto4couples I had been reading blogs for awhile and knew how to run a successful newspaper. That’s why I thought that I was ready to take on a brand new web project, but the reality is…I wasn’t. I wish a year ago I was where I am right now in terms of my experience, my team—I ran into many pitfalls that completely screwed up my business plan. At the same time I wouldn’t be able to learn about all of those details if I hadn’t been running this business for the past year. Therefore, it is the best to get involved with something you know the best, but when you do approach unknown opportunities expect a learning curve, pitfalls, and DO NOT expect that you will be able to easily improve what other smart people have been working on day and night.

3) Embrace A..holes

You are going to run into some—that is a fact. Sometimes they can be so big, that you can’t possibly fight them. Use them to learn how to deal with challenges and LEARN from them. I always say that I learned what not do from my bad bosses just as much as I learned from the good ones. Same goes for challenges, embrace them, if what you were doing was challenge free then everybody would do it.

4) Fight with a shotgun for the A round of financing.

Regan says two things in this one: it is pretty much guaranteed that you are going to run out of cash faster than your business plan says and that it is easier to receive round A of funding then round B. That is why if you decided to receive financing don’t settle and fight as much as you can for that first round of financing. Appropriate cash flow is a lifeline of any start-up and determines your ability to have an ample amount of time to develop the product and start making money off it.

5) When everything else fails there is always porn.

This was meant as a joking way to finish the conversation, but Regan was half serious—porn companies adopt and push the development of new technologies. So there is always a possibility of selling your technology to a company like and to move on to the next creation of passion.

I think all of these are great lessons from someone who has been there and done that. Have some lessons of your own, share them in comments!

P.S. The next Wired Wednesday is on August 12 @ London Taphouse.

I registered for Twitter over a year ago, but didn’t use it too much. Simply because none of the people I knew were on Twitter and I didn’t find a lot of use for it. I used search.twitter.com to identify trends and such, but I didn’t tweet as much myself. With the installation of TweetDeck and TwitterBerry (now trying to use TweetCaster) I started to get involved with a Twitter a bit more.

I instantly learned what Twitter spam is: you type a certain keyword and you get bunch of followers who are either: bots, porn people or social media experts. My favourite kind is “social media experts” they usually follow like 10,000 people and 8,000 or 9,000 will follow them back.

Now comes the question—do you block those accounts which are obviously spam or do you let them follow you? I mean, you will look cool if you have more followers, right? Wrong, due to the simple fact that it is easy to see who is following you. So if you claim to be a marketing expert and have, say, 1000 followers and then your clients click on who follows you and sees names like Kelly4568 or Mandy124 what kind of expert are you?  Of course, if you have hundreds of thousands of followers it is hard to monitor new adds, but the majority of people don’t fall in that category.

This reflects very poorly on your brand and also, from a practical point of view, you can’t really use your twitter account to deliver message to the masses. You think those bots care about your new blog post? The internet is just a medium, marketing principles stay the same: to be an expert in “Social” you have to actually be social. Social means developing conversations and, in a marketing context, helping people satisfy their needs.

So fellow Tweeps who don’t block those accounts, why aren’t you? Agree? Or think I am full of it? Let me know.

@romanz

P.S. Definitely not a social media expert.

P.P.S. But I have couple of good ones working for me.

This video is very good video as it search engines are always developing to combat spammer and help users to find the most relevant information. This video is more an hour long, but I watched it all and here are some highlights if you don’t have time to watch.

Highlights:

• If you have fancy navigation (in flash) make sure that your page is accessible in many ways. Static htmls are the easiest for search engine to crawl
• Alt text on the images is very important. This also correlates with Whiteboard Friday video @ seomoz.org
• Do your keyword research in AdWords you might rank high for a certain word, but there might be a very popular search term in your industry that you are completely missing out on
• Don’t use too much bolding, people can’t read it very well and crawlers might think it is a spam
• Make sure your thumbnails lead to bigger pictures. Google tries to index bigger pictures as this is what users are searching for
• Basic, but make sure your loading time is appropriate. Especially if you want people to access your website from cell phones
• ALWAYS backup your website. Everybody gets hacked, timely back-ups will allow you to quickly restore your website.
• My favourite: best $20 you can spend is by taking a random person, tying your hands behind your back and ask them to use your website
• Before buying a website make sure you check its history. Some urls were owned by spammers, burned to the ground and then put up for sale

Overall great video. It is almost like going for class session on SEO.