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Turns Out Einstein Was Rigth After All

Posted by: tim in Untagged  on Dec 16, 2011

Einstein

“We can not solve the significant problems we face today, at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them”

 

Albert Einstein

I was just thinking today about the new discovery that there is something that travels faster  than the speed of light – the Nutrino, now confirmed by a second study conducted in Italy

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Why am I sitting here at 4:30am on a Sunday morning? 

Posted by: tim in social media, Bizabacus on Nov 13, 2011

Can’t sleep?  Why?  What gets me up and out of bed? 

Ideas I want to capture that came to me after a bit of rest.    I write them (long hand) down in my Moleskine – doing drawings. 

There is something still about the feel of paper that helps me think better – I love a good pen (Mount Blanc).  The ideas seem to flow a bit more rich when  I use paper and pen.  It’s peaceful to have a light shine down on the page in the morning rather than shine at me from a screen while I sit in my study to capture an insight that emerged from the unknown scribe that visits in my dreams.  

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What is Business Social ?

Posted by: admin in Bizabacus on Oct 27, 2011

A shopping mall, Wall Street, Bay Street, The Chicago Merc: the financial hub in any city.  Broadway (the theater district), Rue de Bouche, Little Italy, Chinatown, Restaurant Row, The Garment District, 5th Avenue, Rive Gauche, Rodeo Drive, Soho, Madison Avenue.

Names of places so familiar we instantly get an image in our minds eye, what they stand for when we hear one of these places by name.   We know where they are – where to go when are visiting a city.  These are the collective business voice, the “brand” of a type of activity business does.  It’s where to go, where to be, where to see and be seen.  These are places about what happens and where it happens – the “buzz”.

We go there to find out the best restaurant, fashion trend, hot show for an evening out.  When we travel we might go sightseeing as traders bounce about  a floor, or stroll down.  It’s the movement around a sector of a city where things happen.  Like constellations, its where the stars align and add up to become a business hub.

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Rest in peace, Steve Jobs

Posted by: tim in steve jobs, reflection on Oct 6, 2011

Rest in peace, Steve Jobs

When a person, like Steve Job's must leave this world the only light that can be found for those of us left is cast in the genius and inspiration his life inspired.

I write of the personal inspiration Steve Jobs has given in my life and the life of our organization. At one time, Apple too, was a small technology firm, with an idea and dreams. In the success of technology, like Apple and Steve, lives are forever changed in ways that we might never imagine. With the impact of genius, like Steve carved into the lives of so many, with a masterful hand he shaped a global culture.

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Do You Smoke or Work Out?

Posted by: tim in process flows, process flow chains, habits, advice on May 19, 2011

bad habitsPutting my seven year old daughter to bed last night, I tucked the covers under her little chin.  She is such a precious little person.  As I leaned down to kiss her and whisper good night in her ear I saw her do what kids do. “I caught you,” I said and we had a good laugh as she pulled her little finger out of her nose!

It starts there doesn’t it?  Habits that we learn.  What is acceptable, what is minor, what is major.  Somewhere between starting kindergarten and turning 10 we start forming the habits that will be with us for our whole lives.

By the time we’re adults, we’ve formed routines for everything, whatever they might be: coffee (my favourite 5am routine), alcohol, tobacco, working out, meditating, brushing our teeth or even checking our email… we are naturally creatures of habit and our routines become the paths of our lives.   The more the habit affects our health, our time, our personal or professional life, the higher the stakes and the more serious the outcomes are for us and the people around us.

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On the small matter of Privacy, Security and Data.

Posted by: cmaeon in technology, security, privacy, data, apple on Apr 27, 2011

The last couple of weeks have been rough for the internet. Three very high profile events have brought the issues of privacy and security into sharp relief, and left a lot of people questioning the ability of the internet to protect their valuable data and information.

First, Apple users discovered that any device running iOS 4 had been logging their every movement, right down to the second, and taking a record of it.  The big issue? Anyone could access that. Users were confused, spooked and distrustful of the data logging.

Then the Amazon cloud went down, taking hundreds of web services with it for an entire day – Hootsuite, Foursquare and Reddit being the most well known (and loudly complained about.) People were concerned about the ability of the internet to recover from interruptions.

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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

Posted by: admin in reflection, funny stories, Christmas on Dec 15, 2010

5233234979_03f14616deNote: This blog post was written by Kathleen, CMAEON’s resident blog editrix and all around comic relief. The advice inside is not to be followed under any circumstances.

Ah…. Christmas. A time to spend time with your loved ones, and remind them of how much their friendship and support means to you. With presents.

Coming right out and saying it now – Christmas shopping sucks. Whether you’re getting everything wrapped by November 1st, or scrambling at the last minute on Christmas Eve, there is much humming and hawing to do as part of the gift selection process, most of it pointless.

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How Every Marathon Runner Wins the Race

Posted by: tim in strategy, sports, reflection, new york on Nov 25, 2010

I was recently in New York during the famous NYC Marathon. The city was packed with runners from all over the world.  What struck me was that many of them didn't look like they could walk to the end of the block, much less run a marathon!  Yet, there they were, ready for a grueling 26 mile race.

In the elevator of my hotel, I overheard two runners talking after the race.  There was a sense of relief and euphoria in the lobby of our hotel; so much so that I was energized as a mere casual observer of all of these people.  The conversation was about the second place women’s finisher, a woman who came in just 40 seconds behind the winner.  Consider how tiny a 40 second lead is after a 26 mile race.  Wherever they finished personally, these two runners were ecstatic. They were just happy to have finished the race. One runner who was a bit rotund, and didn't look at all like a marathon runner said to the other sleek gentleman, "I kept thinking after the 10 mile mark about my friend who told me 'pain is temporary, losing is forever".

This situation is such a far cry from 30 years ago when Katherine Switzer snuck into the Boston Marathon in 1967 registered as K. Switzer.  During the race, an official tried to pull her from the pack as women weren't allowed to run marathons, they were thought too fragile!  Whoever made that rule had clearly never met my wife (or my four daughters, two sisters, Margaret Thatcher, Hillary Clinton or [fill in the blank yourself]).  Times were different then, but what hasn’t changed is people - women (and sometimes men) are determined. If someone wants something badly enough they can do it – they can push through 26 miles, or gain a mere 40 seconds to win a race.

Business today is a lot like running. Entrepreneurs are pushing harder than ever to succeed, and there are more people than ever going it alone.  It doesn’t take an MBA or a fat bank account to start a business -most are started with nothing but pure determination.

However, unlike running, where the situation is the same for everyone, much of today's technology was designed for existing operating companies, not ones just starting out.  I received an email the other day from a friend that said, "well I tried Salesforce CRM, it was disappointing and hard to use, not even as good as Goldmine.  I'm going to try Sugar CRM." This friend is just like the thousands of would be runners who never made it to the NYC marathon.   They run and run, imagining that they could run a marathon, but never commit fully to the effort it takes to be a real participant.   When running a race or a business, choosing a goal and seeing it clearly, finishing something and sticking with it - that is what makes up a real participant, an entrepreneur and a winner.

The one thing about every runner in the NYC Marathon whether they were 40 seconds away from first place, stuck in the middle of the pack, or just happy they finished, is that they all had a gold medal performance that day. Everyone had done their personal best and shown up.   Everyone had achieved something that differentiated them from the rest of the world of runners - a dream to run in one of the biggest, toughest competitions in the world.

When I think about entrepreneurs, business owners, small and medium sized businesses and talk to our customers and users, I see the same type of determination those runners have.  They don't just run down the same old roads, they connect to a cause that they have chosen - and run toward that with a passion.  Every one of the companies in the Connected Market Space is unique and a driving force.  They are overcoming the limitations of disconnected ideas and technology, and connecting with their market.  Some will be at the front of the pack, some will be the pack, some will be happy to have completed the race.  All are unique because they do their personal best and their customers love them and connect to them for that reason.  No matter what size their business is - they are connected.

My friend is one of the millions looking for a CRM solution that will never work for his business.  He will struggle, not understanding that he doesn't need a sales force – he just needs to get connected to his core business - his core mission and dream.  Those two runners made it across the finish line because they understood something that many people never get - it's about the steps, the pace and the commitment to train.  Success isn’t about the fancy running clothes, watching videos or going to clinics about running technique… Each and every one of those participants did one thing the same: they ran, they put in the endless effort and they had a goal.  That makes them different and unique from most of the rest of the world, and runners in the world.

In business, what you do differently and what you’re willing to commit to drives your success.  It's not about dressing up in new features (like new running garb) as the software firms would have you buy.  It's about getting into the market, with social networks, with connections; it's about getting on the road and running.

Think of the Connected Market Space in your home town, your market of customers.  It’s like the road you run down to train for whatever you goal is, be it just good health or a marathon in the future.  We built 1to1Real so you can run down that road with confidence and with us behind you as support.  1to1Real works like your personal trainer; we help you so you can become the best in your Connected Market.  If you have a goal in mind, and you’re running toward it, on the right path, with the right commitment you will succeed.

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Tim's Top 10 Tech Frustrations That Drive Business Owners Crazy

Posted by: tim in connected market space, business on Nov 25, 2010

Tim's Top 10 Tech Frustrations That Drive Business Owners Crazy - My list of "frustrations" that I've heard most during the last decade (plus) from business owners about technology!


  1. It costs me money, how will it make me money?
  2. What does social networking do for me?
  3. How does SEO work for me - is it important?
  4. It takes too much time to learn!
  5. It takes too much time to put in my data!
  6. My In-box is always full!!
  7. What are techies talking about - LINUX, SQL, CRM,ERP,ASP,IM,SMS,3G,IP,HTML,CSV -  It's like foreign language I'm being asked to pay for!
  8. What is Open Source really? Should I care?
  9. Apple vs. Microsoft - does it matter?
  10. When will it be done??!
Most of the time I've spent has been in dealing with these pressing questions from non-technical entrepreneurs and CEOs.  While business owners recognize the possibilities and need for technology today for their businesses, at some point, they just get frustrated with technology, and rightly so.  It's complicated, it often takes more time and expense than was ever expected and trying to use it can be daunting.

During a ten year hiatus from being a university professor, I've pulled together teams of developers, web designers and engineers - from whom I've learned a bit about what they knew, and a LOT about what they don't know.  Each of these Top 10 Tech Frustrations, all of which I've had myself have pushed me closer to find an answer, and to fund a "real" platform for entrepreneurs and business owners.  Entrepreneurs want to use technology to run their business, not only because it's smart, because it's the only way to survive and thrive as a business today.  So, after eight versions and lots of my own frustrations and expense, the 1to1Real platform and related families of cloud based solutions like 1to1Pharmacy, 1to1MD and 1to1IPM (Investment Portfolio Management) was born.

There are two types of entrepreneurs and business owners when it comes to technology.  First, there are those who want to run their business and use technology to become more profitable, more productive, get more customers and keep those they already have.  Secondly, are the people who get starry eyed about the possibility of technology and start down the "in-house, I can and will develop it myself, so I can sell it to the world" type.   The first type is realistic and they will eventually succeed.  The second, the “would-be technology developers" type usually spends tens of thousands (although I've seen a few spend well into the millions) and almost always fail.  Once again, "why?" seems an appropriate question.

Each of these Top 10 Frustrations is actually a complex software development, real world challenge that comes along with inventing software.  To some of these frustrations there are scientific answers and to others, only trial and error will give you the answer you need for your business.

For small and medium sized businesses the cost of failure is high, and likelihood that a home grown solution will yield success is low. It usually looks like this when we've gone in to a company: A pharmacy/ investment manager/ real estate company (choose a core business) finds a "programmer" who can build a database (the truth is anyone can build a database today).  The ideas flow, the system is laid out; the dream has begun.  The problem is tools like relational databases, web sites and code can look and function fine; but only to a point.  When the system gets a lot of users, data, needs for more functions, the code that was typically generated through these tools becomes what the software industry calls "spaghetti" - it gets all tangled up.  Why? Because there is a lot of it, all trying to do pieces and parts of something and then the programmer (business) asks it to do another thing. I've seen this happen time and again, because when it comes down to it, the business developing the solution is not a software engineering firm.

It has taken us a decade to invent, make errors, make changes and to find out how to avoid this technology tangle at any level of load.  When you see success in technology you give it a name:  Microsoft Outlook, Windows, Apple iPod/iTunes/iPhone, Google, Facebook...  When you consider the billions of transactions and processes each has to handle, you appreciate the sophistication.

So how can a pharmacy build a set of transactions that will integrate within a 1.5 trillion dollar health care system, in-house?  They can't, but I've seen them try! We worked on the Alberta Health Care system, at the time a $350 million project in the province.  We had a small role to come in and help "make it work" - because after $350mm spent, there was an 85% failure rate. We devised a solution that was called "elegant" by the lead engineers.  Why were we able to see the solution when they weren't?  We've never had big budgets to work with! We work with small businesses who had limited budgets and even more limited time, so we've learned to get from point A to Z as fast and as efficiently as possible.

All of these hold-ups and technology frustrations that cost money, time and drive business owners crazy are going to keep getting worse because technology and its use is getting more complex, not less.

So, for the businesses that want to use technology to be more efficient, and more profitable, we offer the Connected Market Coach program in conjunction with our 1to1Real solutions to get them from A to Z faster and more efficiently. The Connected Market Coach is a solution for entrepreneurs and business owners who love their business and want to do more of what they do best.  For those who wish to face their challenges by "figuring it out" and building it in-house, I wish you well.  It is a long road.  From Harvard to Wharton to MIT, studies show a 70% - 90% failure rate - "the road ahead" has already been paved with tough lessons learned.

Our Connected Market Coach program is by qualification only for one simple reason: priority of your business objectives is the most important success factor.  If you'd like to visit us and discuss your goals and how you can use The Connected Market Space to automate, connect and transform your business - visit us at the Connected Market Coach and complete the application.

Here's to overcoming frustrations and the shortest path to connections for success.

Tim

 

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20 Blog Post Suggestions for Busy Writers

Posted by: cmaeon in myblog, business on Nov 17, 2010

Full disclaimer: This blog post has been prepared in advance, as the CMAEON blog mistress is off this week to do a wacky internet charity fundraiser. Oh those crazy Gen Y kids.

Every internet expert will agree that blogging according to a set schedule is very important. But sometimes the idea well runs a little dry. Not that this is the case today. Oh no, not at all. (*ahem*) But this is an important topic! Lots of people write blogs, and that means they need a lot of blog post topics to keep them inspired and writing. So, to help you in this regard, we’ve done a round-up of our favorite suggestions for blog post topics.

12 Great Ideas from SEO Optimize:
  1. List 30 or more online resources for business people in your industry
  2. Make a list of the top 10 blogs in your niche
  3. Collect the best blog postings in your niche and compile a best of-list
  4. Link a topic from everyday life back to your business “10 Ways SEO is like Base-Jumping”
  5. Analyze the current climate in your industry and explain the ramifications
  6. Identify leaders in your area and ask them to guest post on your blog or write for their blog instead
  7. Compare the new vs the old ways of doing your business
  8. Write an allegory about your idol doing your business like “The Bruce Lee Method of Business Blogging”
  9. Use humor to lighten up a boring topic “I Can Haz Pay Per Cat? The Lolcats Way of PPC”
  10. Check in your stats which post is the most popular one and write a follow up
  11. Make a donation to a good cause and blog about it
  12. Check Reddit, StumbleUpon or Technorati to find out what’s most popular right now and find a new angle to it
4 Great Ideas from weblogs.about.com
  1. Ask questions of your readers or customers, then post the answers on your blog
  2. Highlight your office and employees to let others know what goes on in your business
  3. Try making a video blog post – upload a fun video of events/customers/the production process
  4. Type up a list of the the best tips & tricks for your product/industry
4 More Awesome Ideas from SmashingShare
  1. Describe a common problem in your industry, and how your product can solve it
  2. Write up a short case study talking about a success story for someone who used your product/services
  3. Write a review of a book relevant to your industry
  4. Tell people about some life lessons you learned and how they relate to business

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