Solaring the Hollywood Sign

In one of my previous posts I mentioned that standing out from the crowd will no longer suffice. In order for your brand to grab attention, move to the head of the pack and to solidify itself with staying power, it means doing something not just good, but something remarkable and radically different.

My friend Mike Bonifer (who we interviewed in February of last year) is doing something remarkable and radically different. He's spear-heading the 'Solar the Sign' project out of Los Angeles.

From my perspective this is an awesome example of Convergence, where you look at how to merge business, culture and technology in a way that affects, impacts or transforms the world.

In a Huffington Post article Mike says this:

'Solaring The Sign' struck me as such a beautiful, artful, symbolically powerful idea -- what I call in my line of work a 'productive game' -- that I could not quit thinking about it. Why not follow this dream? After all, isn't that what the Hollywood Sign represents? Dreams? What more worthwhile dream these days than solar energy? And what better place for solar paneling than on one of the most recognized icons in the world?

He continues later in the article:

For one thing, we learned that this is going to be a political game of quid pro quo. And I'm not just talking about our little 'Solar The Sign' project, I'm talking about the game that will move Big Oil and the Status Quo offstage and get Solar and Wind and other Green Energies in the spotlight that is their due.

The group has attracted interested from all over the country and from around the world. If you are interested in knowing more about this project you can check out their Facebook page here. 

I'm definitely pushing for its success.  This would be one cool and impacting statement!

16 rules to live by

Just this past weekend I was randomly flipping through the channels on my TV when I came across a news show that was talking with Bob Parsons (CEO and founder of GoDaddy). As a customer of theirs (my domain names are hosted by them and my email is run by them as well) I have continuously been impressed with their customer service. Very helpful, friendly and knowledgeable - everytime I call. So when I happened across this interview, I immediately sat down to watch.

By the end of the 15 minute segment I fell in love with being an entrepreneur all over again. Folks, Bob rocks! One of the things that got me hooked was when he talked about his 16 rules of life. When the interview was over I immediately went and googled it and came across his blog post on the idea (a great read - take a few minutes and check it out).

After reading his 16 rules I definitely had to share. Enjoy!

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think. There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide. Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems. You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time; we're here for a good time."

The value in being. . .

sav⋅vy

- verb

1. to know, understand

- noun

2. Also, sav⋅vi⋅ness. practical understanding; shrewdness or intelligence; common sense

–adjective

3. shrewdly informed; experienced and well-informed; canny.

As we continue our march into the 21st century marketplace, change is the word that you cannot ignore. It is everywhere. Whether it is the newspaper, automobile, or music industry change is happening. You can embrace it or ignore it. The choice is up to you. Many companies and inviduals will not embrace change and will eventually become obsolete. Just ask Circuit City, GM, or The Rocky Mountain News.

Now in these dynamic times with a market that is becoming increasingly complex to navigate, having business smarts and being savvy is ever more crucial. This means taking smart advice, having sound judgement and making informed decisions (so this means paying very little attention to the hype machine).

For example: social media. Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Flikr etc. (they are being hyped as the greatest things since sliced bread). Are they changing the face of business and culture: yes. Are they changing the way people communicate: yes. Are they proving to be extremely valuable in the market:yes.  But let's not position social media as the end all be all.

Case-in-point: an article by Robert Scoble in the May issue of Fast Company is titled "Brand New Day - Reputations are created and destroyed online in the speed of 140 characters. Seven tools to earn you a thumbs up." Reputations created and destroyed with 140 characters?? Hmmm. . .really?

Let's quickly take a closer look at Twitter. A report by Harvard Business Publishing states that the top 10% of prolific Twitter users accounted for over 90% of tweets.  As of this past March Twitter had 8 million users.  So with 10% doing over 90% the major tweets that's only 800,000 serious users. Is that a large enough number of users to start ringing the alarm on and saying 140 characters can create and destroy reputations? Further more the same Harvard report said that 75% of its users have tweeted 4 times or less. Ever.

Ok, let's just look at the 8 million registered on Twitter. In comparison Facebook has 160 million users - that's 20 times the size of Twitter.  Twitter has a ways to go. 

Understanding how to perceive the market is invaluable. Being savvy (knowing how to use and leverage resources in the market) will save you time and money. Knowing what to pay attention to, how to pay attention to it and for what reason will position you as a smart and stategic thinker, leading you to short and long term successes. Now in my opinion, that's something to tweet about. ;-)

Empathy

Just over a month ago I attended the phenomenal 99% conference in New York. My good friend Chad, who is the Senior Vice President of Social Innovation at Weber Shandwick, one of the largest public relations and communication companies in the world (and he is just 34 years old), offered me his couch to crash on while I was there.  He's an awesome guy.  In addition to being a flat out cool cat he's very, very smart and loves talking about leading edge ideas, what's next, how to use these ideas to do good in the world, etc.  So I always, always love the opportunity to hang out and chat with him.

So on one of the nights, while hangin' at his downtown Brooklyn apartment, we were in one of our 'sessions' about where the world was going and why.  He mentioned that earlier in the week he was in a meeting with Bill Drayton (the founder of Ashoka - probably the most successful Social Entrepreneurship organizations in the world). In this meeting Chad tells me that Bill  states that the skill/expertise of the future  (across all industries) will be the ability to be empathic. Now in my head, seeing him in the world of social entrepreneurship, that makes sense.  Now my question was what does that have to do with the private sector world of profit margins, revenue streams, marketing strategies,  and sales?

Fast forward to May 31, 2009. 

Just this past Sunday morning I had the phenomenal opportunity to attend a team sales meeting of one of the most innovative companies in the world. They were discussing successes over the past quarter and where the team (and the company) were headed in the next year.  In order to grow and continue to administer the type of service that had positioned them as a leading company in the world they needed to re-focus on their sales strategy and really make it much more effective. Now with anyone who has done sales or has been in a position where they must "close a deal" you know how difficult it is to ask for people to 'hand over' their money to you. This was one of the key issues during the meeting. One of the seasoned team members then chimed in with a very insightful response.  He said when asking for the sale, it's not about selling at any cost, (that's the job of car salesmen - last century's marketing/sales approach) it's about empathy and stepping out of your world and stepping into your customer's. They are there because they want/need what you are offering.  It's up to you to see the world from their eye's and position your product or service as  something of value to them, from their perspective.

At this point you are not 'taking' your customer's/client's money - you are empathizing with them (because you feel and understand their pain) and saying "I will provide you with a solution to your problems."

Now Bill Drayton's comment on empathy makes complete sense to me now. I get it.

The iPhone canvas, digital paint strokes

When an artist is hired for a project to create a painting what does that mean? Well typically, it means that someone (an artist/painter) uses some type of medium such as acrylic, oils, or watercolor on materials such as canvas, vellum, or paper to create their work of art. Well easily, as recently as last year, that's pretty much what it meant.

Welcome (again) to the world of convergence where the intersection of business, culture and technology are birthing new ideas and concepts and where the traditional relationship between products, services and consumer is drastically changing.

Brushes, an iPhone app created by Steven Sprang, was used by Jorge Colombo to paint the 42nd street scene (below) that will be featured on the June 1st cover of the New Yorker.

Mr Colombo and Mr Sprang are both benefiting from being creative and innovative thinkers. Mr. Colombo is making a new drawing each week for the New Yorker website and the buzz around the magazine cover that Mr. Colombo's new gig has stirred up, has boosted sales up to 40x for Mr. Sprang's app. 

What's so interesting is that prior to August of last year (when the app hit the market) an opportunity like this for Mr. Colombo didn't even exist. This is what happens when you merge art, technology and business in new and interesting ways.

See the creation of the artpiece in action.