27... and loving it

Well, well, well. I was fortunate enough to attend the Jo’burg 27 dinner last night, and it was quite an evening. And the quality of the company was eye-opening, to say the least.

Although it started off being a 27 dinner by candlelight, personally I think this just added to the atmosphere and provided a great time of getting to know each other beforehand, which I thoroughly enjoyed. And while there were [unfortunately] some casualties due to the darkness, it seemed that everyone who stayed on was rewarded.

As an aside, looking around, I couldn’t help getting the feeling that no insurance company in their right mind would ever insure an evening/event like that [think along the lines of corporates that demand that their top executives never fly on the same plane – the risk is too high of losing too much] – so, virtual 27, here we come [just kidding Mike – its much more fun meeting people face-to-face].

Speaking of meeting people face-to-face, it’s good to be able to put faces and personalities to the names at long last. The highlight for me was finally meeting my favourite ideas magician. Bev made the long trip from George with Stii, who was present for the Afrigator re-union [see Nic’s great pic here, which Justin has also picked up].

What really fascinated me throughout the evening was watching some people who had never met each other, but who had often interacted online, picking up on the relationships as if they had known each other for ages. Says something about the value of Brand You [and the new way of building it], doesn't it?


As for the evening’s content, Afrigator’s big reveal was the main drawcard, so to speak. I’m not the most qualified person to comment on the features and changes here, so suffice it to say that my interest is stirred by the fact that I think this team has yet to find the most valuable applications of what they’ve developed here.

And that’s the real stunning part in all of this to me personally… the immense potential [of everyone there]! Hold on to your hats, fellas, its going to be an awesome ride.

Do you do Brand You?

How important is building your own brand?

Whether its as an entrepreneur, an employee, a mother or whatever you happen to be, does this really matter?

My guess is that for those three characters above, many people [including myself] would probably easily rank personal branding in descending importance - from highest for an entrepreneur to lowest for a mother. But lately I'm not too sure that's exactly right.

After all, as an employee, don't you only get paid what you think you're worth? And doesn't a brand define value? So, by implication, the better I can build my self-brand as an employee, surely that means it will result in better pay and promotion opportunities.

And as a mother, if your kids have no respect for you as a mother [ie the brand that you portray], what chance do you have of teaching and guiding them well, and bringing them up as healthy, well-adjusted individuals?

Therefore, I think its equally important to all. The scary thing is that your personal 'brand value' is not only relevant to people within your sphere of influence, but to the world - it's how the world perceives you. Full stop.

Respected magazines such as BusinessWeek and FastCompany have expounded on the virtues of self-branding for individuals, and even Anja Merret has chatted to her generation about it too. For those looking for a bit more practical guidance on this topic, Tom Peters wrote this interesting "Brand You Survival Kit".

It's actually been interesting watching the rise of the [my name].com generation - going way back to the feud over Madonna.com right up to where we sit now at every_tom_dick_and_sally.com. But it's working. People are seeing [and creating] value through this process. So why am I so resistant to it?

Well, to me it would seem that my personal brand could be the most important thing in my daily life. And that's DANGEROUS... because that statement means that its all about me. And despite how much the little voice inside my head might want that to be true, its really not.

So I would have to say that what I take out is this - I will have to embrace [rather than just succumb to] the idea of Brand You [Brand Me]. And while doing so, I will have to be verrrrrrrry careful not to get caught up in it, because that's a slippery slope most likely leading to the exact opposite result of that intended.

Anyone with me on this?

The beauty of collaboration

We've all heard of 'collaboration', the current buzzword for teamwork, and a word which stirs visions [in my mind, at least] of exciting partnerships and collective brainpower which unleashes countless volumes of great ideas... and more importantly significant action [through accountability]. You can read more about my thoughts on 'collaborative business model engineering', which explains a bit of where I believe this, combined with free sharing of information, can lead to.

Well, I've always been a big believer in team - that there's more power in you and me, than there is just in me.

But it's only recently that I've realised how incredibly important it is to 'see' mind-to-mind with someone. You can be surrounded by interesting people with a variety of skills all day and yet never be truly challenged within yourself. Don't get me wrong, I think there is GREAT value in all the people that I am surrounded by, and its always invigorating to learn from family, friends and colleagues. But when you can find someone like-minded who shares similar perspectives... it's absolutely awesome to be stretching the limits of my own imagination [in a good way] due to the positive influence of such a person, rather than being stretched [in a bad way] by people with little regard for my abilities, weaknesses and with very little regard for my own well-being or aspirations at all.

The thing is, as wonderful as collaboration is, if you don't find the right people to collaborate with, you'll probably just end up highly frustrated, more confused and certainly doubtful of any ability you [and they] may have to really impact on society in any meaningful way.

For me, conversations I've had over the past few weeks have brought new insight, challenged existing preconceptions and - on the whole, taken me to a new level of thinking. And amongst the madness of day-to-day living, where lifting your sights to see bigger things is difficult at best, its so refreshing.

Sure, most of the challenging thoughts and ideas are inherently long-term, but that to me is the best part - because long-term benefits are almost always much more valuable than short-term ones.

So I'm looking forward to more mind-bending conversations, perhaps a collaboration that can rock the status-quo a bit... and who knows what we could build from there! The possibilities are just stunning!

To the idea magician who has challenged me in this way - THANK YOU! And see ya later, innovator!

Since the real players won't help, how do we put the fun back in funding?

Looking at the response to this latest post on funding, it seems this matter is close to many people's hearts. But while it generated a little bit of textbook debate, the main issue was left largely untouched.

Yes, I do REALLY wish that those guys would step up to the plate and go for a home run [better to swing and miss than never to swing at all]. But that was not the point of my previous post - if it was only to rag the guys who are equipped but are not really bothered, that would be unhelpful. Okay, I admit that was a part of the reason, but not all of it - the main agenda was really to generate some real interesting ideas on how it can be done.

Unfortunately nobody was willing to provide even the slightest hint of a solution as to how we can spur on SA's young rising stars and turn immense upside-potential into real exponential growth. [One late comment was a welcome relief - thanks Grant for your contribution regarding business incubators].

With that in mind, I would like to get the ball rolling here, because leaving people hanging with an unanswerable question is entirely pointless. So here's a starting point.

Most of the people seeking funding have heard the same questions over and over again - such as "Revenue model?", "Sustainability?", "Other funding?" and "Global appeal?". All good questions in their own right, and sometimes the answers are not pretty. But the truth is, more often than not there are definite ways to make something work [admittedly, if you can find the right pieces] - but the funders-in-waiting are often not willing to put in the effort to make it work [sadly they are blind to the real value] and the entrepreneurs simply don't know what pieces to look for.

Can we not get creative with solutions to this? Bridge this divide? When looking for answers to crazy situations, sometimes we need to get crazy too.

And I'm willing to bet that there are solutions that everyone in SA can implement in some way or other. Let me share some of my thoughts quickly here [with their potential implementors]

Campus kings [Government]

Within the university environment, create a research lab where guys are employed to innovate as they research and learn [is it really just coincidence that both Yahoo and Google were birthed in the hallowed halls of Stanford?]

Innovation hubs [Property owners and business people]

Develop multi-purpose communes [ie a place to work and live, equipment, food and basic living amenities included] where all the talented people live, work and build things together. Not living the high life, and not suitable for those that are married, but provides an electric environment where substantial innovation could take place.

Free-to-grow time [Corporates and larger businesses]

'Force' candidate employees to utilise a portion of their paid-for time to develop new ideas that have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of their work [3M implemented their '15% time' very successfully, and Google took it a step further with their '20% time', ie 1 day a week] - and then help them to push winning ideas. What would you do if you had one full day a week to pursue your most outrageous ideas?

Expert advice [Professional service firms]

Dedicate time for a team [doesn't need to be hundreds of people, can be one to start off with] to assist entrepreneurs in developing their businesses, providing free advice on legal matters, support in establishing businesses [registering with all the correct bodies, etc], and most vitally - serious feedback on business models and helping in the development of these. [Yes, various organisations provide mentoring programmes, but feedback I've received is that they don't work like intended - we need 'experts' that entrepreneurs are comfortable to approach to handle specifically the matters they struggle with]

Future fund [Younger generation along with entrepreneurs]

Start a fund where you build a network of young crazy people willing to put in a bit of money [whatever they can or want to - rather than spending it on McDonalds, movies or a GTI] - and make it absolutely plain in the prospectus about the risk : "This investment is HIGH risk. There is very, very little chance that you will ever see any of your money again, and the possibility of becoming a millionaire is slim, to say the least. BUT if this works, you'll be part of something special that will make the world look at SA and gasp. Welcome to the Fund of the Future". [Heck, I'd probably even go for that]

Living fund/honorary seats [Older generation along with entrepreneurs]

Many of today's boomers are sitting in the pound seats, and have much to offer a young up-and-coming company [great article]. After a 'lifetime' of hard work and very little enjoyment, I believe there are some boomers out there who would be willing to pay to be part of a young vibrant company that's doing exciting things and having fun in the process. Set up a company and let them 'buy' a position in this company - CIO [Chief Innovation Observer] or CTO [Chief Tea and coffee Organiser] or whatever - and allow them to find fun and enjoyment in every day they live [I can almost guarantee they will LOVE it]. Have you ever really listened to Sheryl Crow's "All I wanna do [is have some fun]"? Perhaps you can find Billy and give him somewhere better to hang out than the bar - where he would be more than willing to pay for the privelege of being surrounded by young guns [and help fund the ideas at the same time].

Again, these are just ideas to illustrate that we need not be bound by shackles of traditional solutions. Some have been done in some way before elsewhere, some are just strange. But they're ideas - and my intention here is to stimulate some creative solutions. Just because venture funding is traditionally done in specific ways doesn't mean it always has to be done that way.

I realise that these ideas [and many others] are more "big picture" and you may not see it as an immediate solution to your problem. Can I say, all you entrepreneurs with great ideas, there's more than one way to enamour a funding partner, and there are definite practical ways to make your plans and ideas speak, no, SHOUT to these people [in more traditional ways - but still with a business/creative element] - so think about how best you can do that [I'll try touch on this in a bit more detail sometime soon].

So please, if you have ideas or experience with some interesting ways of doing this - put them out there. Lets talk about it, throw it around, beat it to death if we must... and get it to work!

To the non-believers - that's your choice, but remember that those who expect nothing will never be disappointed.

To the believers - open your eyes and lift your head to the horizon - the answers are out there. Allow your creativity to flow and be part of the solution.

Calling all the real players in SA - put your money where your mouth is!

Forgive my departure from the norm here, but ENOUGH IS ENOUGH... SOMEONE HAS TO SAY SOMETHING!

I don't like writing this - it pains me to do so, but I'm sick and tired of our very own "successful entrepreneurs" doing precious little to share even a tiny bit of their success to spur others here on to the same [and higher] levels.

The topic is always a touchy one - funding for new businesses [here's a ThoughtLeader article that had lots of people up in arms]. Although this happens in all industries, in this context, I'm referring specifically to new tech and web development opportunities where SA has some amazing talent just waiting to be unleashed on the world, but instead these guys and girls sit trapped in a 9 to 5 job with no room to breathe, let alone move, and their awesome ideas sometimes never see light of day or get given a chance to grow to their full potential

We often ask "How can it be that young creative entrepreneurs struggle to find funding?" Okay, so we can't expect government to help [too much else to do]. Or banks [too much risk]. Or private equity players [too much effort]. Or seemingly even venture capitalists [exactly what is their problem?]

So I thought that if we could count on anyone, it would be guys who have already walked that road. It incensed me recently, no... UTTERLY OUTRAGED me to hear that even these guys have turned their backs - thinking rather of their own wallets and 'safer' opportunities. They are perfectly positioned to help [experience, contacts, cash, understanding] but just couldn't be bothered to make a difference! Even going so far as to put down the country for its lack of progress and "global" opportunities!? Excuse me? Then get off your backside, put your money where your mouth is and do something about it!!! Yes - you know who you are guys. Don't stuff around blogging about facebook and other useless trash or building mediocre businesses that have about as much potential to change the world as the Teletubbies have of restoring peace to Zimbabwe.

Think of magnesium: an amazing catalyst when placed in water - and the hydrogen it creates, seemingly out of nowhere. Guys, if you want to be a catalyst - DON'T sit around waiting for the perfect glass of water - just jump in the water you've been given, with the tools you have - and help make some magic happen.

COME ON!

Put the fun back in funding!

I think the reason why VC's shy away is because to them, its all about the tangible cash returns. And our local "success stories" I'm talking to here have somehow managed to pick up the same terrible thought-pattern [this is what kills innovation and vision]. Can I say this - big picture view for anyone even remotely interested in making a difference - while its all about the money, its actually got nothing to do with the money!!!

So what if it takes a few hundred thousand or even a million bucks to pour into a small innovative company with some amazing minds - and just let them run with the horses for a year, why not do it? Just think what could happen if it works! And even if its a write-off in financial terms - so what? That's not a lot of money to you, is it? No. But imagine the learnings, the publicity, the contacts... what would the rest of the world say about you, your company, our country, and our deep desire for success at all cost? This could change the nation!

If you don't know any people like this to invest in [and I know you do] then please contact me and I'll give you a few good starting points.

You have all the tools and resources... you've already overcome the fear of failure in getting where you are. Why not dare to defy comfort and convenience! Step out and take a chance! What are you really afraid of losing?

There are some things more important than just money, aren't there?

If this post has offended you... GOOD! At least that means I'm starting to get through to you. I've written this with good cause, and I know there are many others out there who feel the same way [and who can't write this for various reasons]. So before you think I'm just mouthing off, sit back and think about it for just a moment, and then try tell me I'm wrong.

Don't take it too seriously, its just business after all...

How do you talk to your clients?

Probably not like Flickr does:



I love that line... makes me smile everytime I log in [even though there's an outside chance it might not be true].

And I get the funny feeling that if many other businesses out there who want my custom didn't take themselves so damn seriously, I'd enjoy them just as much.

Note to self:

• business is serious.


• but BUSINESS SHOULD ALSO BE FUN!!!

Just look at this beautifully written piece from Mindvalley. [That is, hands down, the best job application page I have ever read. The guy/girl who wrote that deserves a Nobel prize, or at least some other similar award which tells the world - this is how you're supposed to attract top talent - and retain it!]

Now that's one excellent way to make business fun!

Any other ideas?

Getting back to basics - our 2 most important resources

Big picture view here, so bear with me...

Its quite generally accepted that there are two very important resources we have to manage to create a 'successful' [however you define that] business:

1. Time; and
2. Money

Most people understand the concepts of money management and time management. Funny thing is, we tend to approach these totally differently.

I'd just like to suggest that maybe, as different as they are, there is one big similarity we need to consider:

Just quickly on money, it comes down to whether you are spending the money or investing it... [the tree and the fruit... I'll get into this at some stage too as its a wonderful thing to think about] - where spending money is short-term in nature and while it is often necessary, unnecessary spending is not the best use of it. Similarly, investing is for the long-term and with money invested, although you don't see the benefits now, they come along later.

So, I propose that we look at our time in the same way. We each only have 24 hours a day, and we have to use it wisely.

Right,

• 'Spending' time - there are things we need to do daily to keep going, which are not necessarily valuable in the long run but are important.


• 'Investing' time - we have time to use each day to build for the future - we may not see any 'value' for it today, but using the time this way can change our future.

The main question I want to ask is - Are you just spending your time on daily matters, or are you consciously investing some of your time in the future too. If you neglect the second one, you will survive on a day-to-day basis, but things will never seem to get better.

When investing time - choose wisely in whom, in what and where you invest! Like with money, poor investments will not mean anything. But good investments can bring more than you ever dreamed!

So if I can leave you with a thought [call it daily practice for the big game of business], its this - next time you're out and come across a lonely face over the counter at Woolworths, how can you really 'INVEST TIME IN THAT PERSON' rather than just 'spending time paying for your groceries' - both of them take about 3 minutes, but each can have incredibly different results.

And I know there are at least two earth-shatterers in-the-making out there who realise the importance of how time is invested - here are two mind-shifting posts to have a look at:

• Time to rethink what I'm doing here
• The value of time

The 3D approach to improving your focus

Why is focus such an elusive little thing in today's world?

I've been seriously challenged in terms of focus - and thinking through some thoughts on this from a truly awesome friend of mine recently brought me to the following realisation:

In terms of cause and effect, focus is not a 'cause' as I always mistakenly thought, but rather an 'effect'. A symptom, if you will, that requires a good foundation in place to build on.

Picture a pyramid - 3 corners at the base leading up to 'Focus' on top...

1st corner - Discernment
The ability to take in all that the world throws at you and to wisely discern which things are important [as opposed to urgent] and merit your attention.

2nd corner - Decision
Having sifted through the muck and picking out those things which are truly important, being able to make a conscious decision that these are the things you will devote your attention to.

3rd corner - Discipline
Having the clarity in your heart and mind to stick to your decision, ignoring the costly distractions that fly our way all the time.

Without these three corners at the bottom of the pyramid, Focus cannot exist at the pinnacle. So, seems to me that if I can put these 3 things in place, clear focus will naturally follow.

Visionaries will change the world. But who cares whether you have big vision or not if you can't focus clearly on anything?

... and following on from those wise words, it should also ask this simple question

"Ask yourself this question….if you lost your title, position and power tomorrow, would others still support you and want to work with you" - Donna Karlin

[Read post about this on The Practice of Leadership]



Well?

Don't know about you, but for me that's a big one. Hugely challenging! And all part of the process I think.

Every single business presentation in the world should start with these wise words

...because everyone in business needs to hear it!

[The original post here]

... and we need to hear it
over and over and over,
because it is easily forgotten.

So business leaders - take this to heart. And then teach it to your people. If you need clarification or someone with purpose to drive it in - please contact Beverley.