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I returned yesterday from a meeting of some thirty plus entrepreneurs from all over the world - we had a stimulating discussion about technology and how tools in “The Cloud” will change our business.  As I listened to the list of technologies many of these entrepreneurs are using, I couldn’t help but envision a world of entrepreneurial CEOs flying their businesses “in the cloud” with no control tower.

Any experienced pilot knows that the best flight is not in the clouds but above them.  Imagine a bunch of aircraft (like businesses), soaring through the sky, constantly in the clouds without ever breaking through to get a clear view. Have you ever been in a plane when it breaks above the clouds to see an endless expanse of blue sky and sunshine? That’s what CEOs must do to be truly successful -  get above the clouds to soar above and beyond the competition.

Instead, I feel like I’m watching as entrepreneurs fly around, using solution after solution trying everything to see if it works for their businesses... The process looks to me like airplanes flying without any navigation equipment. The whole business world seems to be up there, but almost nobody knows how to fly...  Worse yet, some have a "few hours" into technology and are calling themselves expert pilots - and many CEO's are hopping on board!

In order to break out of the clouds you need to organize your "Business Brain" and carefully plan what you actually need to do to get your business data in order (rather than jumping from cloud platform to cloud platform!) The Connected Market Coach™ always starts with the bottom line data on your business – we take the lessons that have allowed your company to be successful from your processes and data, what you actually have done (your best practices) - before taking your business above the technology "cloud" into the Connected Market Space.

Why is this the only way to fly? Ask yourself this: would I jump in an airplane willingly, knowing that the guy in the pilot’s seat had only the most basic idea of flying? Would I try to fly the plane myself even if I didn’t know how? Most wouldn’t risk their lives with an inexperienced pilot.  So why risk the life of your business?

Your customer data and how that relates to your business processes is like the cockpit of your organization.  Once you know what to look for, how to relate to the indicators and how to plan for takeoff, it’s not much to turn on the throttle and head down the runway.   However, if you don’t take the proper steps and understand what “instruments” of technology you need to fly  and how all of these work together to make your business soar, you’ll end up in a downward flat spin, crashing just like an inexperienced pilot.

The advent of cloud based computing is going to push the pace of business faster than ever before, but relying entirely on cloud computing is a very different way to manage data, security and the processes that keep your business running. You'll need to get onboard with an experienced pilot and start to fly right, to get your own business wings.

So – how can you tell your pilot know what he’s doing? First, how many hours does the pilot have in technology applications for business?  In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talks about the 10,000 Hour Rule: to be an expert at anything, you must put in at least 10,000 hours of practice. (Rather like how pilots need to certify by how many hours they’ve flown...)

So, if you’re going to send your business up into the cloud (which you’ll have to do eventually, as that’s the direction technology is heading) you’ll need a pilot to take you there that has a minimum of 10,000 hours of experience in implementing cloud based business technology.

I did a personal calculation of how many hours I’ve spent during my career in the development of The Connected Market Space, 1to1Real™ and now to release the Connected Market Coach™ program.  Here is my score card:

This summer I was invited to sail on the aircraft carrier, the USS Eisenhower.  After seeing 61 Super Hornet fighter jets deployed from the deck of the carrier - breaking through the sound barrier just off the deck,  it’s pretty clear that the right technology and the right pilot has a lot of power and can soar well above the crowed “clouds” with pinpoint accuracy to hit his target.  This is what every entrepreneur needs to do as we rocket forth out of the economic war we’ve all had to face.  We became enterpreneurs to "escape the surly bonds of earth ..." to experience the freedom of creating something that we envisioned.

When I reflect on how we, as enterpeneurs, have faced and begun to recover our business jet streams - how, once again we will soar with our business on the wings of this new technology frontier, with every company we bring into the Connected Market Space cloud, I can't help but recall, and relate to this poem from the American pilot who flew for the Canadian Air Force in World War II (this poem is even more meaninful to me as I, as an American, am becoming a dual citizen next week in Canada):

If you want to go to the cloud with your technology, you’ll need a pilot – visit the Connected Market Coach™ and we’ll help your business soar.

Tim Vasko

Founder & Inventor 1to1Real™ Entrepreneurial Technologies & the Connected Market Coach™

Image: John Gay