Tag Archives: business

June 23, 2014 · 10:42 am

Don’t Be Famous

Over the weekend I came across a video of a graduation speech given by comedian Mike Myers. The fact that I watched it at all is a tribute to the concept of social proof. I normally don’t watch graduation speeches unless they’re by someone in whom I have a great interest. While I like many of his films and his SNL work, Mr. Myers normally wouldn’t pass that test. However, it was posted by a guy whose thinking I respect and he said it was worth a few minutes.  I’m posting the video below – it is worth the almost 8 minutes and you can probably skip the first 1:30 if you’re that pressed for time – and then I have a few thoughts.

 

“Legendary” is being known for something that you do and “famous” is just being known.  Being known has become an end in itself, free from the prerequisite of achievement.  Celebrity used to mean being celebrated for something that you did; celebrity has become a devalued currency.

That is brilliant, and a fantastic business lesson for all of us.  We can spend great sums of money becoming famous – getting our brand and company names out there via earned, owned, and paid media. What happens once the customers interact with us, having found us through those channels, is what can make us legendary.   It means we need to pay as much attention to execution as we do to attraction.

Napoleon has been quoted as saying “Fame is fleeting. Obscurity is forever.”  He was advocating for the permanence of obscurity, because it endures, while fame is weak and lasts only a small amount of time.   I think Mr. Myers is getting at the same point.  We can’t build our businesses on making loud noises or the marketing equivalent of screaming “fire” in a theater.  Sure, that gets attention (fame) but we’re in an era when anyone has access to the noisemaking tools (witness the screed!).

We need to build something more substantial if we’re to remain in business for a long time.  We need to become legendary. I’m trying each day – you?

Leave a comment

Filed under Consulting, Helpful Hints

Tagged as , , , ,

June 20, 2014 · 9:11 am

Why Cook?

Foodie Friday (finally) and this week’s food screed is about cooking. I’m always surprised that many people – younger people in particular – can’t cook.

Cooking Knifes

(Photo credit: nickwheeleroz)

Oh sure, they can heat up something in the microwave and say they’ve “cooked” supper, but since food is one of life’s necessities, one would think that everyone would take the time to learn to prepare it.  There are some basic business points in my thinking as well (you knew THAT was coming…).

I can hear the naysayers among you: “Cooking takes time and I don’t have any.”  Not true.  Once you’ve learned a few basic skills, you can have really good dishes on the table in under 30 minutes.  That’s not longer than it takes to heat a frozen meal up in the oven and while the microwave might cut that time down, there is no comparison to the quality (plus you’ll generally have some leftover for the next day).

Other reasons to learn to cook:  you know what you’re eating.  I guarantee you can pronounce the names of everything you put in a dish – read a frozen food package and see if you can say the same.  The ingredients are healthier too.  Ordering in?  Besides being more expensive than doing it yourself (even factoring in the cost of your time), you have no clue how much salt or fat was used, no clue if everything was as scrupulously clean as you would make it, and no idea if the food will arrive hot (ever had a pizza arrive with a steamed crust – yuck).  Finally, cooking is fun.  OK, maybe not so much when it doesn’t go well, but for me it’s almost a form of meditation.  It takes you away from the rest of your world and forces your focus elsewhere.  So why this rant on why you should learn to cook?

Like the non-cooks, many businesses haven’t learned some of the basic skills they need, thinking they can outsource them or buy an off-the shelf solution.  In some cases it makes sense – it’s like going out to eat every so often.But take, as an example, a web business that outsources all of its coding and design.  That firm is at the mercy of the developer. They can’t “cook” for themselves.  Obviously I’m a “dine out”solution for my clients so you know I’m a fan of looking outside for some tasks.  But mission-critical skills – which will vary by business – should be acquired and available, just like cooking.

Your take?

Leave a comment

Filed under Consulting, food

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

June 9, 2014 · 10:54 am

Your Freezer Is A Rat

Let’s go to the land of creepy this morning.  A couple of things have come out over the last month which transported me there and I thought I’d invite you along for the ride.

Refridgerator with character

(Photo credit: magnetbox)

The first is a study from the folks at IDC Retail Insights and the second comes from TRUSTe.  Both deal with a topic we’ve discussed here in the screed from time to time: data and privacy.

How would you feel about your freezer ratting you out to your doctor about your nightly three scoops of ice cream?  It’s a possibility, you know.  As the “Internet Of Things” becomes a reality, the same smart appliance that lets you know the ice cream is nearly empty and which adds it to your digital shopping list can also report in the frequency and rate of the product’s depletion.  To whom?  Your doctor, your insurance company, or to anyone else that buys the data.  That makes me uncomfortable (not that I eat ice cream any more) and apparently I’m not alone:

When researchers told the survey respondents that their Web-enabled devices could collect data, the vast majority — 87% — said they were concerned about the type of personal information gathered. Almost the same proportion — 85% — said they would want to know more about data collection before using “smart” devices… Just 14% were comfortable sharing such information with ad companies, while only 19% felt okay about allowing market researchers to access the data.

That’s from the Media Post report on the TRUSTe study.  I believe that many companies entering this space are of the “ask for forgiveness” mindset instead of the “get their permission.”  That’s unfortunate and might lead to some nasty backlash, as the IDC study found:

According to the survey results, and contrary to popular belief, only a minority of consumers are openly disposed to the “give to get” exchange of private information for guidance dependent on a retailer having access to such information – 14% are privacy spenders and 15% are open guidance seekers… Shoppers split about equally into two groups, those who choose privacy over relevancy and those who prefer relevancy over privacy, 53% to 47%. But by nearly a two-to-one margin, 62% to 38%, more consumers believe that they do not have enough control over their privacy in the hands of the retailers they shop.

So while the advantages of the technology, both for consumers and for businesses, are evolving, I’m of the opinion that a strong statement about privacy needs to come from the folks who are pulling together these collection devices.  We’ve seen the FTC cite Google, Facebook, and others for gathering data without permission and consumers are even more attuned to the practice now than they were years ago.  Why not get better data in the open instead of asking our appliances to rat us out without our permission?  Thoughts?

Enhanced by Zemanta

Leave a comment

Filed under Thinking Aloud, What's Going On

Tagged as , , , ,