Author: whatifconcepts

Empowering those that inspire so they can excel at the work that matters.

What is Your Real Story

Real stories are authentic, mind blowing, perplexing, rough, silent, obscene, sudden, painful, long, joyful, and unique.  We have our elevator story, the synopsis of ours life that is worthy of a couple floors.  What is the story we would tell nightly dinner guests during a trans-Atlantic cruise?  A story so momentous that it requires breaks.  Where plot lines simply fall off into recessed depths (or do they rise out of sight) and yet we continue, undeterred.  People want to hear these stories.  The ones without editors or a communication departments.  One hundred and forty characters may grab a headline but it is hard to change my life without telling the rest of the story.

Predicting the Future

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/89394659″>Watch as 1000 years of European borders change (timelapse map)</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user7792440″>Nick Mironenko</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Country’s borders are not static and the influence of many cultures shape our current map.  If we cannot readily predict the future of nation states then what makes us certain we can write a plan that has such clarity and certainty?  State your future potential and then take steps to move towards the destination but prepared to adapt and retrace your steps if necessary.  Who knows how the landscape will present itself tomorrow but your presence provides the meaning.  Select adventures that are worthy of your time and expertise.

Context

BCNI found this pamphlet laying on some steps in Rome, Italy.  It had no value for my day of adventures in Rome and it was being stepped on as discarded trash.  Sometimes what we have to offer lacks its maximum potential when the location does not match the content.  Being handed a pamphlet on making a bequest to an art gallery when you are seeking just a map creates disconnect.  Getting the same document when you are planning your estate would increase its value dramatically.  Amazing content is half of the journey.  Placing it at the right trail head makes it remarkable.

Ideas that are stuck

IMG_5837I was running in Rome along the Fiume Tevere (the river dividing the city) and spied a rapid in the river’s channel.  Looking closer the wave was recirculating logs, enough plastic balls to start an amusement park, and a few assorted urban items.  The trapped pieces would be driven down underwater by the force of the rapid and then pop back-up downstream only to be drawn upstream by the hydrological force.  The cycle repeated relentlessly.

How many ideas containing little value within our enterprises circulate too often?  Discussions that find their way onto each agenda or become repeated off-topic discussion at meetings?  As long as the forces remains constant the recirculation continues.  Only if the river reaches flood stage, reduces it flow, or the channel is altered will the hydrological forces change.  Mixing up the pace and location of our deliberations leads to  new ideas.  Otherwise a static tempo ensures a continuation of the same.

The Power of Demonstration

ImageOn a recent trip to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, my son and I stumbled across an app entitled, “Touch Van Gogh.”  It was an easy to use tablet application that demonstrates the impact time and light on Van Gogh’s most famous paintings.  Iconic images we see in our mind’s eye are many shades from their parental color DNA at the time of inception.  Blues were purples, yellows were heavier, stars shown differently, and even the brown of the floor had richer hues.  Sliding the bar across the images, the before and after transformation of aging on each painting was remarkable.  The experience was such a vivid and palpable reminder of the power of demonstration.  The app oriented us to the images that were directly in front of us and provided a paradigm shift.  No words or explanations were needed.  The results were evident and I was hooked on the story and the impact of the museum’s curating and restoration consideration.  The power of a hands-on experience manifested itself by letting me join the narrative..

Remarkable Day Two Moments at Pioneer Nation

IMG_5660

Rena Tom

  • New American dream- start you own business, be your own boss, wear many hats.
  • Do you have ‘gumption’- possessing common sense and initiative.
  • Have a clear goal- numbers are typically not your goal.
  • Get in sync with your customers- are you able to communicate with them effectively?
  • Just because you can does not mean you should.
  • Think big and talk small- you are interacting with other humans.  Sometimes elevating the mundane is all that is required.
  • Edge Effect- areas of overlap provide the greatest concentration of diversity.  Where is your overlap?

Brian Clark

  • Consider a blank slate approach when approaching an opportunity- nothing to unlearn.
  • Content Marketing provides an opportunity to make an offer.
  • The person who generates business gets to write the rules.
  • Money is fuel for your journey to manifest your vision.
  • The only way to scale is with people and a vision.
  • Current business partners can come from the audience you have cultivated.
  • It is essential to continue talking to people throughout the evolution of the your journey.

Andy Hayes

  • Craft your ideal customer profile including specifics such as demographic information and classified advertisement level detail.
  • What is the story your customers can tell each other about your enterprise?
  • Seek points of intersection with ideas that matter.
  • Where did your customer start?  What are their way points?  What is their destination?
  • What is your killer headline?  What is the problem you are addressing and the solution to the problem?
  • Are you providing education or entertainment.  They are valued differently.
  • Hustle- you must leave the building and share your story to generate connections.

Kari Chapan

  • We have to do everything for the first time at some point, so act.
  • What is the biggest risk you need to take?
  • Not trusting=not believing vs Avoidance=knowing what to do but not committing to the action.
  • We still buy cookbooks even though they contain recipes to dishes we know how to make.  Duplication is not failure or a reason to avoid taking action.
  • What is your finish line?  Do you have clarity about where you are trying to go?
  • Do not fear success.  We are often the greatest force holding ourselves back.
  • What stories do we tell ourselves which creates our own headwinds?
  • Define success and then quit things that hold you back.

Willo O’Brien

  • Manage creative sustainability for yourself and your team.
  • Where do I need support?  Critical question to ask.  Fancyhands.com
  • What is your source of compassionate anger (ideas you love so much they make you angry)?
  • Optimize your process- willolovesyou.com/pioneers for a comprehensive list of specific software and application resources
  • Clear the decks by asking for support.
  • Lean into learning edges.  Where can you reset expectations? Where can you let go?  Where are you compassionate?

 

* I missed Brian Clark’s closing keynote to make my flight (flight delay= could have stayed an listened)

Pioneer Nation 2014- Day One

IMG_5658Chris Guillebeau and team curate the best conferences I attend each year (Pioneer Nation and World Domination Summit).  Memorable speakers, unexpected welcoming events (concert and picnic at the Portland Zoo after-hours), and unique name badges and goodies are hallmarks of these conferences.  Chris promises an event with impact and he delivers many surprises.  Here are a few moments from day one that resonated with my journey to empower those that inspire.

Chris Brogan

  • You are depriving the universe by waiting for permission.  Permission has already been granted for you to act.
  • Technology is just an ingredient in your enterprise.
  • Mindset of a business owner: 1. Envision goals big and small 2. Commit 3. Act and be willing to fail 4. Communicate- share everything constantly 5. Connect- do not tell people you are valuable, let them experience the value 5. Serve- being of service to others is a hallmark of success.

Nathan Barry

  • People become experts because they take time to teach, you do not need to be an expert to teach.
  • Offering multiple tiers of pricing generates greater revenue.  In Nathan’s experience the highest percentage of revenue comes from the deluxe package but the greatest number of people purchase the basic level.
  • Great stories matter.  People find an entry point with your story before investing in your products.
  • Be willing to re-launch if your initial attempt failed.  Customers do not always remember a failed initial offering.
  • People who sign-up to join your community with their email address are essentially offering a payment of their time and attention.
  • Questions to consider: 1. Who is your target market? 2. What is their painful problem? 3. Are you a member of their tribe? 4. What can you teach the tribe?

Jen Adrion and Omar Noory

  • Say ‘yes’ whenever possible.  Figure out the details after you have committed.
  • Make things, Share things, Make profit.
  • Connect with people outside your community to avoid the echo chamber.
  • Collaboration is critical for expansion and scale.

Jonathan Mead

  • Traits of a successful launch: 1. Courageous 2. Observant 3. Curious 4. Tenacious.
  • The 5 launch commandments:
    • Must build excitement and suspense
    • Must know where you are going and demonstrate it to others
    • Must tell a story that other people want to be a part of
    • Provide quick wins and demonstrate your skills
    • Must make a compelling offer and create stakes
  • Build buzz by working with affiliates, help them promote on your behalf, and collaborate with partners.
  • Launchanythingkit.com

Shenee Howard

  • Do the things you know how to do first.
  • If you do not enjoy the project then kill it or you will resent/regret it later.
  • Talk to 100 people who you intend on serving.  The input provided from these interviews provides tremendous insights.
  • Create things that you want to see.

Laura Roeder

  • There is a huge market of people who are looking to be a part-time/hourly part of a meaningful project.
  • Add time to your 24-hour clock by hiring other people to lend you some of their time.
  • When considering how to scale determine the profitability of the team.
  • Business leaders will spend money to learn but resist to spending on action- fear of movement.
  • Use launches and promotions as an opportunity to build a cash balance to fund initiatives.
  • Have a vision for what is next.

 

 

Power of Previews

Cyclosportives are organized group bicycle rides over a set course.  Although not a true race, many of these events are timed and certificates are awarded for those who reach specific time goals.  Some are small and reasonable in distance while others are grand in number of participants, distance, and varied terrain.  I rode the Nove Colli in Italy last summer which included 14,000 riders who rode up to 205 kilometers.  Getting across the start line took over one-hour and  I never rode alone during nearly seven-hours.  In response to the large interest for these events, companies send out a rider and a video crew to pre-ride the route months in advance and then sell DVD’s to participants who wish to see every detail of the route.  Potential participants can ride their stationary bikes in the winter months while watching the preview of the course play out on a screen in front of them.  I am struck by how dominant our visual senses are when we encounter new terrain.  Riders have free access to course maps, elevation profiles, testimonials, reviews from other riders who participated in previous versions of the event, but the videos are the second most valuable pre-race information piece short of a personal reconnaissance of the course.  This niche market speaks to the value of visual platforms supported by YouTube, Instagram or Pinterest.

How do we manage the visual clues first-timers to our enterprise encounter?  Do we help them feel confident and competent?  Is there a visual to orient them and provide a favorable launch pad for interactions?  Well developed and intentional visual clues can immediately establish trust and a connection.