Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .
IN OUR WORLD
Just back from
I had the honor of teaching my interpersonal communications program to a group of veteran and new sales professionals. A fantastic inquisitive group that kept me on my toes.
My schedule will not slow down in the near future. Next week, I travel to
I also just picked up a few new clients that have my November and early December crankin!
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
If you live your life by the CNN’s of our media world you will be sure to think our financial future is nothing but doom and gloom. Hey, it’s alright, I understand, it’s normal in a world where you are bombarded by media driven content to believe everything on the planet is bad. Bad sells. Blood in the headlines drives sales, ask any old newspaper guy and it still applies in the age of instantaneous impact.
Despite the portent of disaster, there are still those that seem to be doing well. You all know where I’m headed, APPLE. A few facts to help make my case:
- Last quarter revenue was $7.9 billion up 27%.
- Earnings rose $1.14 billion, up from $904 million.
- They have sold 13 million iPhones, three million more than projected.
- They sold 2.6 million computers, more than any other ¼ in history.
- 11 million iPods left the warehouse, more than any non-holiday quarter.
- Their cash reserves are now $25 billion.
- They operate with virtually no debt.
Like everyone else they have concerns and project a real slow down in sales, but they are prepared. Here are a few lessons to learn from the king of innovation and product design:
- REDUCE DEBT: Duh! Large and small businesses as well as individuals should rebalance their use of capital to take extraordinary means to reduce not only existing debt but the future need to debt finance ideas and operations.
- DON”T STOP WHAT YOU DO: Times of perceived crisis cause the fear factor to make organizations and individuals grind to a stop. Keep thinking, discover what impact you CAN have and do it. Apple released their latest and greatest laptops with new innovative features.
- DRIVE ENERGY: In order to drive energy you need to believe in what you do. Though Apple is the king of secrecy and is at the mercy of somewhat authoritarian management practices, they all believe themselves to be the global leader in innovation and design. This belief drives their energy in times of crisis. Help your people believe in what they are doing. You would be shocked at how many of your staff have no idea what your organization is doing, what great ideas are on the table, what impact to the market they are having. REMIND THEM. Do what leaders do – DEFINE REALITY for them and you will capture their energy.
There you go, 3 steps, what, you were expecting 4!
ENTERTAINMENT
MOVIES: Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist: I might be a little old for this, but I have heard wonderful things.
NetFlix Fans: The Man from UNCLE – This was one of my favorite TV shows as a kid and I can’t wait to check it out again. There are rumors that Quinton Tarritino is going to do a movie version!
TV: The key for a successful new TV show is to launch it on the wings of a currently successful show. With all the new shows on the air this fall only two are thought to be successful. Fringe, on FOX follows the hugely popular House MD (my favorite show) and The Mentalist follows the popular NCIS. Both get the advantage of the momentum of the show on before they air. The weird part of this is that Fringe and The Mentalist are both on the same night (Tuesday) and the same time.
BOOKS: Tribe by Seth Godin. Any time Seth writes a book – READ IT!
MUSIC: For all my years as a Pink Floyd fan, I don’t know how I missed this song – A friend of mine played it on the guitar during a jam session and I fell in love with it – On The Turning Away
WEB SITES: Sometimes I am embarrassed to be a scientist!
SOUTH OF
I am a coffee drinker, though I can only augment my natural energy levels with one cup a day (or I would be swinging from the tallest building). I do notice more and more people at meetings partaking of the “Energy Drink”. Talk about a jolt to the system, here are three drinks and their caffeine content:
- AMP 75 mg of caffeine in 8.4 oz.
- Full Throttle Oh, yeah, 144 mg of caffeine in 16 oz.
- No Fear Stand back and prepare to leap tall buildings in a single bound – 174 NG of caffeine in 16 oz.
Next time you see someone with a can of No Fear in their hands, put a large distance between yourselves!
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that were all alone
In the dream of the proud
Pink Floyd – On The Turning Away
Drop me a note with your comments at steve@creativeventures.com
Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.
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