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How to Become a Social Media Superhero

Posted by: tim in social media, process flows, conversation marketing, challenge on Jul 6, 2011

superhero“We cannot solve the significant problems we face today at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them…” Albert Einstein

When I was a kid I couldn’t stop reading comic books.  I loved superhero adventures.  When DC and Marvel comics came to life and started appearing in theaters with advanced storylines and special effects I was once again captivated.   Certain to thrill, I anxiously made my way to the theater.   The one that stuck with me the most, with similarities to the emergence of Social Media in business and life, was Iron Man.

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How to be a Renaissance Man (or Woman) in Technology, Business & Life

Posted by: tim in challenge, business on Mar 30, 2011

il_duomo_florence_italyEveryone has an ideal in their mind of the kind of person they want to be. While we’re all very different people, I bet the following adjectives probably rank high on your list: Charming, witty, intelligent, multifaceted, highly skilled, successful, learned… I could go on.

What I think everyone aspires to is be a Renaissance Man (or Woman) – Skilled at a multiplicity of pursuits, master of oneself and the world. As you know the original Renaissance Men were artists, scientists and engineers.   Take Leonardo da Vinci - an artist, engineer and business man pretty good at raising capital and support for his pursuits.

Leonardo, like those other geniuses we know about, were voracious and stubborn. Like many of the most successful entrepreneurs we know of today, they were ahead of their time - often treated with skepticism. It’s not an easy path being a trail blazer.

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Have You Found Your Personal Best for 2011?

Posted by: tim in strategy, reflection, challenge, 2011 Business Boot Camp on Feb 24, 2011

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The "boot camp" of starting a new year for your business, was, of course, a metaphor. We spend much of our lives working "at" our business and jobs, instead of being engaged "with" the meaning and purpose of the activity we undertake.  This is true, especially so, when the nourishment of business, cash flows, new sales, ongoing productivity and loyal customers seem to be waning.

So with our boot camp, the emphasis wasn’t so much on what you were going to physically accomplish, but the new awareness you would gain. What we really wanted you to do was sit back and think about your business – realizing with the right amount of determination and a good plan, you could transform it.

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The Top 10 Things That Drive Business Owners Crazy about Technology

Posted by: tim in technology, strategy, challenge, business on Oct 6, 2010

wasting moneyLast week I was at a meeting with a group of entrepreneurs from all over the world.  These folks are some of the best of the best in the world at their businesses – across industries and continents.  When my turn came to talk about The Connected Market Space and our recent launch of 1to1Real as a “solution for the SMB [Small to Medium Sized Business] Technology Tangle” they all listened with increasing enthusiasm and interest.

After a few minutes, one of the leaders said, “why don’t you just talk about the top 10 things that business owners hate about technology?  If you can solve that, you’re done!”

Great idea!  So I rapidly scribbled down what I’ve spent the last decade trying to solve by building 1to1Real and the Connected Market Space. Once I decided to write them down, I thought it would be a great idea to write about each one in my blog. So, here you go – a series I’m going to write about each of what I find to be some of the most frustrating problems with technology.

Starting with #10:
“Technology is costing me a ton of money!  If I get quotes, they are high.  If I employ someone, I have to pay them a ton and don’t have a clue what they are doing!  How will technology ever make me money?”

The reality is that the technology industry was built on costing a lot of money.  Hordes of software engineers, consultants and development companies have spent decades perfecting the model of getting paid for writing code.  They charge a lot for their work and for good reason - it’s hard to do and time consuming.

As a business owner, and a tech CEO, I have troubled over this.  The reality is technology is highly valuable ONLY when it is properly developed and deployed.   So, I asked myself “how can we solve the technology risk problem, the time problem and the related cost problem for small to medium sized businesses?”   After all, these aren’t governments or major corporations.  These are businesses that provide a product or service to a market, they do it well and by their own successes they grow – which causes inefficiencies.  Businesses like this don’t have unlimited time to focus on technology, or unlimited resources they can acquire by raising taxes or the price of a widely distributed product a few dollars.

So, let’s turn the question into an answer:How can I use technology to make money - without hiring a bunch of technology people where I don’t know what they do, or asking for a bunch of quotes that I don’t know that are fair – without spending a ton of money?

When approached like this, the answer becomes obvious.  Focus on your core business and find a way to get that to extend in 30 days or less. Clue number one: if it takes more than 30 days to get your core business out the door, you’re headed for a trap!

If you’re in a business that is not technology based, don’t get into the technology business by hiring or funding a huge undertaking! Doing that is costly, time consuming and worst of all, it takes your attention away from your core business. People in the technology business are technology experts.  We don’t know your business, but we do know ours.  So let us take the risk that applies to our business – technology, and provide the value to you. After all, if I’m going to buy a car, I’m not going to start my own production line.  I’m going to find the vehicle brand I trust and I’m going to buy, and I’m going use it to drive from point A to point B.

Too many business owners try to become technology companies in house, and end up with a disappointing result.  The people who succeed in business seek out professionals to do what they can’t, so they can focus on what they can do – provide their product or service to their market. After a decade in the business I can say with certainty, the businesses who elect to find the right solution and the right professionals, who have worked with us and ask us to help do what they can’t, win every time.

The businesses who try cobble together a bunch of technology pieces like CRM and email marketing are spending money trying to create a solution outside their area of expertise. Or, worse, they’ve created a home grown monster – complete with a home built team that must be employed  24/7 just to keep going.  Money that could be driving a market and profits for the business owner is instead being wasted on something that doesn’t actually improve the core business.

Tim’s Tip #10: The moral of the story is solve technology frustration #10 by putting your money where your business model is – STOP accepting the technology risk at home.

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Bike Ride Fever

Posted by: cmaeon in cool, CMAEON, challenge, bike on Aug 4, 2010

Bike Ride Fever
Our CEO Tim is getting some time off this week – the CMAEON staff have taken over!
Most people know about Ride Your Bike to Work week. Typically it falls in May, and it’s a great way to get some exercise and to commute to work without building up an unhealthy amount of road rage.  CMAEON has a lot of avid bike riders on staff, and we’re looking to commute.  Many people never make the switch from driving to riding, so we’d like to give you a little encouragement.
Here are 4 reasons we think you should try riding your bike to work:
Exercise – riding a bike isn’t strenuous, but it’s certainly better for you than driving. If you live 10 km away, you can probably ride to work in around 30 minutes, and when you add up your commute, that’s an extra hour a day of exercise. Your doctor would be thrilled.
Money – barring running out to buy a brand new commuter bike, you probably only need to have your own bicycle tuned up before hitting the road. The cost of a tune up and a flat tire repair kit are far less than gas and maintenance on a car.
The Environment – riding a bike is the most environmentally friendly way to commute – if you’re looking to reduce your footprint a bit, cutting out your 5 day a week commute would be a huge start.
Speed – as a bit of a test, the CMAEON tweeter drove to work one day, and rode her bike the next. By the time red lights, parking and general road delays were factored in; driving the 10km to work took exactly the same amount of time as riding it. The bonus was that riding a bike along a tree lined urban trail is a LOT more relaxing than getting stuck behind three red lights in a row.
Don’t believe it? British motoring show Top Gear did a challenge – what was the fastest way to get across the busiest parts of London – bike, public transit, car or boat (up the Thames)?  The Bike was fastest by a good margin over the boat (yes, the boat), with public transit third and car a distant fourth.
So, now that we’ve pitched the benefits, we’d like to offer you a challenge. Try biking to work for the next couple of days. See how you like it. Victoria is one of the nicest places in Canada to ride a bike –so take advantage of it. Let us know how your commute went in the comments.
Just before you start, remember to wear a helmet, take a water bottle, have your bike tuned up, plan your route and most importantly, enjoy the scenery.
bike rideOur CEO Tim is getting some time off this week – the CMAEON staff have taken over!

Most people know about Ride Your Bike to Work week. Typically it falls in May, and it’s a great way to get some exercise and to commute to work without building up an unhealthy amount of road rage.  CMAEON has a lot of avid bike riders on staff, and we’re looking to commute.  Many people never make the switch from driving to riding, so we’d like to give you a little encouragement.

Here are 4 reasons we think you should try riding your bike to work:

Exercise – riding a bike isn’t strenuous, but it’s certainly better for you than driving. If you live 10 km away, you can probably ride to work in around 30 minutes, and when you add up your commute, that’s an extra hour a day of exercise. Your doctor would be thrilled.

Money – barring running out to buy a brand new commuter bike, you probably only need to have your own bicycle tuned up before hitting the road. The cost of a tune up and a flat tire repair kit are far less than gas and maintenance on a car.

The Environment – riding a bike is the most environmentally friendly way to commute – if you’re looking to reduce your footprint a bit, cutting out your 5 day a week commute would be a huge start.

Speed – as a bit of a test, the CMAEON tweeter drove to work one day, and rode her bike the next. By the time red lights, parking and general road delays were factored in; driving the 10km to work took exactly the same amount of time as riding it. The bonus was that riding a bike along a tree lined urban trail is a LOT more relaxing than getting stuck behind three red lights in a row.

Don’t believe it? British motoring show Top Gear did a challenge – what was the fastest way to get across the busiest parts of London – bike, public transit, car or boat (up the Thames)?  The Bike was fastest by a good margin over the boat (yes, the boat), with public transit third and car a distant fourth.

So, now that we’ve pitched the benefits, we’d like to offer you a challenge. Try biking to work for the next couple of days. See how you like it. Victoria is one of the nicest places in Canada to ride a bike –so take advantage of it. Let us know how your commute went in the comments.

Just before you start, remember to wear a helmet, take a water bottle, have your bike tuned up, plan your route and most importantly, enjoy the scenery.

Photo: Amsterdamize, Flickr

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