sopkos

Gut Check

If you have had a gut check moment in recent memory Seth Godin's post about intuition vs. analysis will be interesting to you.  In it he reminds us of the simple Devil's advocate role that so many of us play in reviewing new ideas.  Never have I seen this negative spin used so harshly as in the Marketing process.  Getting out of the office and running away to Belgium was the best move I made in my on-the-job marketing training program in the Global 1000. 

Get outside the office and into customer's offices and suddenly a lot of ideas that sounded too outside the box at home, are well within the wrapper in the greater world. It was so easy after spending weeks looking at customer segmentation graphics to think I knew what they wanted to buy.  I didn't know squat.

Data, especially expensive consultant provided data, on a large group of customers is always backward looking.  A lagging indicator will almost always discourage innovation, who would launch a horseless carriage venture when buggy whip sales have been looking like a hockey stick lately?  But don't trust me, after all I have stock in flying cars. 

I wish I knew where my brain gets it's ideas from.  Really, I have no idea what is going on between my ears.  It's like a line from the song "Soul Meets Body"  by Death Cab for Cutie

Cause in my head there’s a greyhound station
Where I send my thoughts to far off destinations
So they may have a chance of finding a place
where they’re far more suited than here

Deepack Chopra suggests that new ideas are received by the brain, but come from our minds which are outside of our current space-time coordinates.  Terry Pratchett writes about ideas zipping randomly around the universe like neutrinos wrecking havoc when they collide with a brain.  These two should get together, my gut says they have something. But don't trust me, after all I studied astrophysics, yoga, judo, and the Tao, lived in the UK, and love to read tongue in cheek fantasy, why wouldn't I like Chopra and Pratchett?

The old phrase, "Put yourself in the other person's shoes", should be tattooed on the feet of anyone calling themselves a marketing guru.  The bit everyone forgets is to go find those shoes, not just sit in a cozy cubicle and read reports about shoe trends, average shoe sales, and shoe demographics. 

Go look for the shoes, here in Austin, look for the presence of shoes.

Do a sole check then trust your gut.

Technorati Joinup

Technorati Profile

Do What You Can... (#6)

...with what you have, where you are.  (Theodore Roosevelt)

Stuck in a corporate gig, unable to make that big entrepreneurial jump until your stock option strike price is less than the current trading value?  This post is part of a series on things you can do every day to get ready for the big leap.

#6)  Start Learning

Every successful business has someone who is willing to do the research, become an expert, and provide the intellectual horsepower.  A Maven (as defined in our good friend Bijoy Goswami's book Human Fabric) is that researcher, the knower-of-secrets, the person who takes the time to become an expert in relevant, useful areas.

My team and I had the opportunity to meet a world-class Maven the other day.  This gentleman started two businesses that are household names, is probably one of the most knowledgeable men on the planet in a few fields, and yet has the charisma and charm to spare an afternoon for a band of merry entrepreneurs.

I am fortunate to be in business with (and married to) a Maven, and most of our team exhibits maven-ish characteristics.  This is a good thing, as I've learned the hard way from working in huge businesses that did not value knowledge or intellectualism.

Now, I differentiate Mavens from academics, because while a Maven focuses on relevant and useful knowledge, many academics are interested in pure knowledge, regardless of applicability.  Both contribute to society, but attempting to launch a new business (or run an existing one) with a pure academic can be a huge challenge, particularly when experienced practitioners attempt to contribute to the efforts.

My background includes negotiating with Nobel laureates, so I've been sneered at by world-class intellects.  Oddly, never the laureates, the disdain for practical knowledge often came from the coterie of people following the great man (or woman.)  Academics face a tough political environment, publish-or-perish mentality, and pervasive mistrust of the for-profit entrepreneur mentality.

Back to startups, a true Maven lives to share his or her knowledge, exulting when it is used as opposed to collecting it for its own sake.  Every business needs (at least) one, mixed with Bijoy's other types, Evangelist and Relater.

When sticking around a job in preparation for the leap into entrepreneurship, it is important that you learn early on whether you are (or can team with) a Maven.  I'm an Evangelist (hence my title at CBand of Chief Evangelical Officer) and came up against my own maven deficiencies a couple of years ago.

You see, in my previous job, I was almost always the "smartest guy in the room."  Often to my detriment, because my vocabulary and diverse background convinced people that I was far smarter than I actually am.  This fact, coupled with my evangelical zeal and ability to persuade caused me to raise "group think" to a fine art...

I'm kidding, a little.

Until I met true Mavens, I would dig into the books only until I'd built enough of a case to ignite my passion.  This is critical for startups, but it must be balanced by a Maven's encyclopedic knowledge, or the business will founder on rocks hidden just beneath the surface...

So while you sit at your comfy cubicle in that enormous company, figure out what you need to know to make a go of your enterprise. 

Years ago, in his book What Color is Your Parachute?, Richard Bolles introduced me to the A + B = C principle.  I'm not sure it is in the latest edition, but here is what I remember:

C is what you need to know or do in order to be successful.  A is what you know (or can do), B is what you don't.  Your success is predicated entirely on your ability to:

• Define B
• Hire, Beg or Learn B
• React When Encountering Items in B You Didn't Predict

In your current job, you have an opportunity to define, network or learn B before you are under the gun.  Take a class, talk to people who are doing what you want to do - if they are honest, they will have stories of the thing they wish they'd known before they started...

So, while you are "stuck" - if you are a Maven, start learning.  If you aren't a Maven, start learning, but realize you need to network with people who know stuff you need to know, start helping them now.

Do What You Can... (#7)

...with what you have, where you are. (Theodore Roosevelt)

We are continuing our countdown of what people in "regular" employment can do to get ready for entrepreneurship (well, besides hoarding canned food).  On completion, this series will be formatted in a beautiful PDF, and available for sale via Creative Bandwidth.

#7)  Face The Fear, Early

Roaring '90s business literature is full of paragons who were absolutely fearless.  Called out the CEO in front of thousands of people, bravely challenged authority at every turn, 'spoke truth to power', gambled everything on their guts and received praise, plaudits and promotions as a result.

OK, sure.  The folks I knew who took this approach had a nickname at both Fortune 500 companies I worked for - Roadkill.

Most folks learn very early on that keeping your head down, making your boss look good and staying out of the limelight is the safest path to a quiet life.  Unremarkable, perhaps.  Depressing?  Oh my, yes. 

People who break from this pack are often smart, naive, absolutely convinced of their right-ness, and scoff at the notion they are grabbing the limelight for their own political gain. 

R-i-i-i-i-ght.

Show me a corporate VP who got where they are by this method, and I will show you a trail of broken, exhausted subordinates, sneering peers and skeptical superiors.

So, what does all this have to do with entrepreneurship?  Well, I'm sorry to say that successful entrepreneurs poke their head high over the ramparts, we do grab/hog/dominate the limelight, and we are absolutely convinced of our own right-ness.

Entrepreneurs who don't do this are roadkill.

Now, how is that possible?  Short answer: Behavior inside a company (or any human organization that must cooperate to survive) is different from behavior on the outside.  The keep-your-head-down, follow-the-rules behavior that allowed you to get along in the big company (or get A's in school) will wreck your chances for success on the outside.

You can't be a jerk, but you must come out of your shell.  Way out.

True story, my first adult business venture (I started a couple as a kid, but let's focus) failed because I was too intimidated by authority, position and stature to pick up the phone and call someone.  Well, we also failed because our #4 expense was wine, but that is really another story (see tip #5).

In our current venture, I am repeatedly cold-calling people I would never have had the guts to call ten years ago.  So, how did I make the change?

1. I took a hard look at my resume, and focused on the things I have to offer that are unique and special.
2. I went thought Dale Carnegie training, and learned how to overcome the fear of failure.
3. I succeeded, wildly, in my regular job, and therefore had an opportunity to confront my fear of success.
4. I failed, wildly, because I poked my head above the ramparts inside a big company and got it blown clean off by a few disgruntled subordinates and peers.  Even more than Carnegie, actually dealing with failure is the best way to learn how to fail!
5. After failing, in the same company, I changed my circumstances, and again became a roaring success.  This proved that I had success in me, if I could just clear the fear, envy and negativity out of the way and pursue it.
6. I had a kid.  (Well, OK, my wife helped.)  Suddenly, the fear of looking foolish evaporated.  I, an overweight, mostly bald middle-aged guy have changed my son's messy diaper at a water park in front of gorgeous, scantily clad college girls half my age.  I've never looked more foolish, or been more happy.  For some reason, the chance of looking foolish in front of the CxO of BigBigBig, Inc did not seem as big a deal anymore.
7. I put it on the line.  While my identity is secure (husband & dad), my income is not.  Nothing breaks down fear like needing to break it down to pay the mortgage.  Last time, we were living on my wife's income, and I had the luxury of avoiding things I didn't want to do.  This time, we are both committed.
8. I chose the right partner.  My business partner is my wife, Karen.  She is the bravest person I know, and buoys my courage when I want to go hide under a rock.  Don't get me wrong, she isn't the exhorting type.  I picked the right partner in that I want her to think well of me so much that I am willing to do scary things to make it happen.
9. I challenge myself.  Asking, "Which person am I scared of e-mailing today?"  Then, if I have a valid reason, writing and sending the email before the sun sets, today.  Hint, at the moment, this person is Professor David Gelernter, a hero of mine and author of "Mirror Worlds" - the reason I changed my major from political science to computer science.  I will email him, as soon as I have something to offer him - really, I will.
10. And that points to the biggest breakthrough.  I focus on what I can offer rather than what I need.  What they can do for me is obvious, money, support and recognition.  If I keep in mind what I can do for them (and there is always something) the conversation becomes a breeze.

Do What You Can... (#8)

...with what you have, where you are. (Teddy Roosevelt)

So, you are stuck in your job, and can't make that big entrepreneurial move until next year.  This series contains advice from 20 years of mixing entrepreneurship and employment.

#8)  Take Side Trips

Instead of stagnating and "watching the calendar" - expand your next business trip to include a research junket for your future venture.  The bit that benefits you, you pay for - do not sidetrip on your current employer's dime, very uncool.

Local ventures doing what you want to do (retail, restaurant, construction, consulting, design, etc) won't talk to you if they think you will be a competitor.  By visiting successful businesses 1,000 miles away, you can ask questions and get honest answers.

This is also key for entrepreneurs that want to be national (or global).  People in a different place, with a different perspective, may give you feedback that creates the 'silver bullet' making your idea a global hit.  They might also tell you, "Oh, yes, the national phone company offers that as a free service."

Next benefit of sidetripping?  Lifestyle test.  People in the Fortune 500 often forget how "small business" lives.  Staying at a La Quinta (or Comfort Inn, or with your brother-in-law) instead of the Hilton, dining at Whataburger instead of Morton's, might be a good test of how committed you really are.

Finally, taking side trips lets you try out your material on the road.  No matter how big your home-city is, word gets around.  Trying out your pitch, getting advice and making mistakes on the road is infinitely preferable to fouling your own nest. 

Adding a side trip onto your current job's travel requirement makes waiting more bearable (at least you are making progress) while building real skills and knowledge at a discounted rate...

How Karen Got Her Groove Back

I saw an interesting article on the WSJ <subscription required> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115232189685201413.html?mod=todays_us_page_one

On how venture capital is looking for ways to connect with the new 20's something entrepreneurs.

I had to chuckle, I thought I was the only new 40 something trying to catch up with the times by attending Bootstrap events and becoming a blogger.  While the guy in the interview felt that setting up a myspace site was just creepy, I enjoy my Neopet gaming. I looked at the site while doing "market research" for our new venture, Creative Bandwidth Games www.cbandgames.com

Now I am hooked.  Just goes to show that what makes a site sticky for the younger set can work just as well for the "don't ask, don't tell my age" gang.

I am having a blast meeting young idea people for lattes at coffee shops, sharing organic chicken salad sandwiches at Whole Foods, and in general living the life I missed out on while studying way too hard in college. These young punks lack the "attitude" that I had at their age, they just want to take a fun idea and make a lot of money with it.  Sounds like a great philosophy in general.  What they lack in Board Room presence they make up for with enthusiasm, creativity and a fearless attitude towards the future. They seem to appreciate my boardroom "There I was..." stories and technical background.  Who else would enjoy a conversation that runs from the details of Einstein's early work to the latest in MacBook features.

In the same way I am enjoying meeting entrepreneurs with roots in Malaysia and India. It's wild to be talking about how to handle wage inflation, brain drain, training, and leadership development in growing startups.  I am definitely seeing a bit of leapfrog in terms of knowledge management, creativity and strategies for growing leaders among these so called "new" economies.

One of my advisors was very concerned that by talking with companies whose workforce and profits are focused overseas, I would be giving them tools to beat "Us".   Personally I believe in free trade, if we want to sell overseas, we need to buy overseas. In many ways we have been buying brainpower for decades, slowing the growth of small entrepreneurial firms in other countries. They are taking the threat seriously and working hard to make home more attractive to their creative self starters. Of note is Lenovo's focus on micro business in China, which points out the importance of knowing where the growth will be and getting ready for it.

I have loved international business, and in many ways it has served me well. Both Alcatel and EDS spent a lot of money sending me back and forth across Europe.  My dream deal is to have a Norwegian sales team, a Swiss logistics group, a British marketing team, a Belgian CRM firm, analytics in India, inbound customer support in Malaysia, a US R&D core, Canadian prototyping and Taiwanese manufacturing.  I don't care what we make as long as it is high tech and very cool. 

Oh yeah, and we make a lot of money.

Do What You Can... (#9)

...with what you have, where you are.

Are you in the ideation phase of entrepreneurship?  You have a great idea, the passion to leave "safe" employment and start your own business.  What you don't have is the cash, family support or courage, yet.

So what do you do while waiting for lightning to strike?  We are counting down 10 ideas I've used over the last 20 years.  When we've got them all, I will combine them in a classy PDF for sale on www.CBandGames.com

#9)  Surf Politics In A New Way

Most of the companies I've worked for viewed politics as the job of Directors and VPs.  We spent 80%+ of our time defending our fiefdoms, those of our management chain, and our critical customers.  Much was said about the idiots in our midst, the particularly deft move by a peer or opponent, and the relentless rise of an unscrupulous ne'er-do-well.

Oh, and we also spent a huge amount of time bemoaning how political everything had become ;-)

You can't escape politics, but if you know you are leaving (in 6 months, 9 months, a year?) to start your own business, you can treat them in a very different way.

There is the absurdist approach, best exemplified by Peter in the 1999 comedy Office Space, become the weird, square-peg-in-a-round-hole you've always dreamed of becoming.

This approach is otherwise known as "burning bridges".  Fun while you are doing it, but not the best use of your remaining time.

I suggest figuring out who in your current company is a likely customer of the venture you want to start. Once you've tracked them down, invite them to lunch, do them political favors, become an ally, suck-up shamelessly, etc.  The instant you are out the door, your political chips scatter to the four winds anyway.  If you spend them wisely during your last weeks or months with the company, they can come back from the great beyond to help you weeks, or years, after you leave.

Now, suppose you work for Amalgamated Widgets, and they need nothing from your new venture.  Well, what about AW's customers?  Do they need what you will be offering?  If so, it might be time for a lateral move to a more customer-contact oriented position, and start networking away.

Do What You Can... (#10)

...with what you have, where you are. (Theodore Roosevelt)

I mentor a couple of folks who have "safe" jobs, great ideas, and are trying to figure out how to jump into business for themselves.

Their frustration is that they feel trapped by their current job, unable to start doing the things that will lead to success when they jump...

After 20 years of moving back & forth between entrepreneurship and employment, I wanted to share a few thoughts on how you can follow Roosevelt's advice.  We will count them down from #10 to #1 over the next few days, and the resulting PDF will be for sale on www.CBandGames.com.

#10)  Take the High-risk Assignment That Supports Your Mission

There are tons of business gurus who extol the virtues of the high-risk assignment: turning around a sinking business, taking over a dead-end team, launching a new product in a risk-averse company.

Even so, most corporate types avoid high-risk assignments, because the consequences of failure can derail the most carefully orchestrated career strategy.  It is all well and good to say, "Take big risks" from a stage or a book, but in the trenches, those risks usually outweigh the real rewards.

That said, this is only true if your goal is to stay inside the corporate environment.  But if your ultimate goal is different, then the real reward (your advancement towards entrepreneurship) can outweigh the risk.

Examples

Risk: Turning Around A Sinking Business
Reward: Gaining knowledge, networks and credibility to use in your next venture.  The business may fail, but if you fail brilliantly, despite phenomenal efforts, and build solid staff, peer and customer loyalty in the process - you just duplicated the "success stories" of many CEOs from the dot-com boom ;-)

Risk: Taking Over a Dead-end Team
Reward: Learning how to manage this type of personality, gaming your span-of-control for future credibility with investors, even building a list of good but disaffected people who will jump to your new venture!  If you've never led a large team, this is trial-by-fire, but having a span of control over 20-30 can be key for that "C-level" position in a start-up venture.

Risk: Launching a New Product in a Risk-Averse Company
Reward:  Developing a reputation as a risk-taker, someone who can make the best out of a tough situation, and capitalize on opportunities as they become available.  The fact that you were willing to try can open doors with wealthy "Angel" investors, who made their money when your current company was young and risk-embracing.  They may see you as one of them, and join you in starting something to recapture those good old days.

In 2004, I had a career setback.  I'd been fantasizing about returning to entrepreneurship for a couple of years, and it seemed like the right time. Coincidentally, I'd just read Who Moved My Cheese and jumped at the opportunity to start something totally new.

With the help of an understanding Director, I left negotiations, moving to the high-risk position doing business development for off-shoring and outsourcing.  This turned into a major career opportunity, and paved the way for the consulting practice my wife and I run today.

Most folks told me I was crazy, but now they look back and wonder how I got so "lucky".

Doing what I could, with what I had, where I was...

(image courtesy of the White House web site, biography of TR)

STS-121 or SUV Discovery

In my humble opinion you just can't have enough blogging about real space travelers. Today's spectacular launch reminds me that the astronauts have a lot in common with us, the fun of driving pickup truck that seats 7, the hassles of commuting, and what to do with everyone while stuck for three hours in a planned hold. At least on them the straps and safety gear needed to get the astronauts through the point of "maximum dynamic pressure" look useful. The stuff I have to use to secure my two year old looks like overkill for the same 8 mile commute. They can get that far in 1 minute 9 seconds while it can take me anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes and that is on the interstate - whatever toll tag they get, I want it.  By the time NASA's passengers have been in the car for 45 minutes they are just like my kid, throwing things around in the back seat, and taking off their shoes. They just get to do it in microgravity, scooter gets to do it in a 100 degree parking lot.

So I was thinking, if they were me and I was them, what would Operation kid drop off sound like....

In looking at their bios, I totally agree with NASA's choice of seating arrangements.  They put the 46 year old from California with 3 kids in charge, Lindsey is used to being on point when you have a full car, and a 3 hour traffic tie up just to get on the interstate, this guy is ready to handle aggravation. It is not his job to drive, they have left that to a natural, it's his job to decide who rides, who walks, and who should have gone before we left the pad.

I like pilot Kelly's minimalist coiffure, I go for a Mom-tail myself when I know I will be under this kind of driving stress. Kelly is 42, has two kids and is used to driving in NJ, this will be just another busy Monday after a massive snowstorm during January on the turnpike, I can just hear it now - "construction on the main road, no problem kids - we are off road".  I would love to hear the sotto voice conversation when some idiot in a Delta IV cuts the former Merchant Marine off just after the onramp, I bet we use a lot of the same short sharp words.

In the middle row, we have the generally more reliable kid and Grampa. Nowak to handle the robotics that keeps the DVD running during the long tailbacks, and Fossum the eldest and hopefully the best communicator of the group.  Fossum like me, didn't start off in Texas but got here just as soon as he could.  As CAPCOM  or Grampa it's his job to speak for the group, figure out everyone's order at the drive-through, sort out which DVD to watch, and put a stop to any turf battles.  Nowak is a great candidate for remote entertainment manager, being from Vermont, where they have a lot of experience changing disks on bumpy roads, and her Navy background should make her the least likely to get car sick reading the liner notes on the CD's to the three in the back. Opps, sorry I mentioned the car sickness bit, seems the Space Adaptation Syndrome reared it's ugly head on this one. I highly reccomend peppermint sticks for the tummy and baking soda for the cleanup.

So who gets to sit in the back, the foreign kids, and the one like me that liked to sit over the engine in our old VW Bus.  I am guessing that would be Wilson, as the youngest she gets the rumble seat, as the propulsion expert and the only one to have worked for a Shuttle contractor, I know she can find the jack, and make sense of the owner's manual. 

The foreign kids don't get a lot of say in seating, they have to be polite and say, "thanks for the ride Mrs. Sopko" and try to have some fun driving Nowak and Fossum nuts with the drink orders and feeding Nowak's hair into the vent fans. Actually Sellers  (who looks a lot like my brother in law) is probably pretty cool with the middle seat in the back, a veteran of 20 EVA's he will be happy just to be on the inside instead of riding the running boards, besides on the return trip he can stretch his legs out onto Reiter's seat.  Reiter from Germany is staying overnight when we get to the space station. He and I share an appreciation for Cologne (the town not the scent), and British beer (lager, porter, and stout).  My one trip to Koln (Cologne) included a three hour traffic jam, I wonder if Reiter was training for this trip.

NASA just like the rest of us, has to make arrangements to keep everyone happy, coming back I see that Fossum is letting Wilson have his window seat,  awe what a guy especially considering that he's an Aggie and Wilson is a Longhorn.  They better not get into any arguments, they don't want to make Lindsey have to come back there.

Godspeed

Source Material Courtesy of http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts121/121_crew.html

and

Introduction To Space by Damon, Copyright 1989, Orbit Book Company.

Bank Robbery! - lifehack.org

Link: Bank Robbery! - lifehack.org.

Great post on Lifehack about where we fritter away our time.  One of the commenters talks about where our time is "stolen" - as a big proponent of stolen time (more on that later) I'd prefer to say that these are places where we choose to spend our time.

The challenge with the Internet is that it feels so productive.  We look up and boom, an hour of irreplaceable time is gone.  I like his thoughts, here are couple of tricks I use to stay on track:

1)  Play a music list that matches the amount of time you are willing to spend, when the music is over, go do something else (work, socialize, live...)

2)  Ditch the political sites, or set aside an hour a week to read them.  Even though I am intensely opinionated, I don't talk or write about politics - (a) it is a time sink, (b) these days we are very unlikely to change anyone's viewpoint with more words, and (c) there are so many real, rewarding, productive things to get done, who has time for what a bunch of people in Washington should be doing...

3)  Get TiVo.  If you must TV (and yes, sometimes I must) then don't waste X minutes per hour watching people tell you that you should be thinner, faster or richer.