Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .
IN OUR WORLD
Yes, I realize that last week’s post did not make it onto the web site. I’m not sure what went wrong. I was in St. Simons Island, off the coast of Georgia and internet coverage was spotty at best. It showed that it posted but when I started to receive emails asking what had happened I realized something went haywire. I appreciate all the readers that send email regarding the missing blog, but getting back to everyone is getting more challenging as the readership grows.
So, last week I was in Chicago for a series of Repeatable Successful Acts launches for 5 offices of a client then a quick stop home to repack and off to Jacksonville, FL where Laura and I took an hour drive to St. Simons Island where I lead a strategic retreat for a new client based around the idea that if you want to know what your clients think of your service and growth ideas, simple invite the CEO’s of your largest clients, treat them to a little island life and golf then sit them down and ask them! The results were unbelievable and my client now has solid direction on both growth and service strategy.
This week had me finishing two BIG Dallas based client projects (both new to the Creative Ventures family) and now finds me in San Francisco where I am presenting a new long term strategy based on the RSA platform to one of my oldest and favorite clients.
Next week off to Newport Beach where I will introduce my 2011 strategic program – THE OPPORTUNITY OF MEETINGS – The power of connected actions.
HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE
AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
THE LAW OF PERSONAL CONTROL – Hold close the understanding of what YOU CAN DO.
This is another of the 21 Creative Ventures Laws. I am continuing to introduce these operating principles that are impacting a variety of projects I am working on.
When faced with an escalating amount of business that hits your plate and the ever expanding impact that outside forces have on your livelihood you often develop a mindset that there’s some type of conspiracy going on. Well, I hate to break it to you, but it’s just the nature of our times. This conspiracy theory often stops us cold in our tracks in moving forward with our ideas, plans and strategies. Here is how the LAW OF PERSONAL CONTROL works:
Let’s say you are in the financial services business. You and your clients are constantly impacted by the macro economic issues of the day. Unemployment, a volatile market, the lack of business credit, the housing collapse and so a myriad issues can make everyone in your business sphere think you are doing a poor job, thusly giving you the business blues.
Now stop for just a second and apply the LAW OF PERSONAL CONTROL – By critically thinking about these macro issues you immediately discover you have NO control over any of these issues. Sure, you need to understand their impact, but control, forget it. Now, start to focus on those things you do control and push strategic energy in their direction.
Here are a couple of examples:
SKILL SETS: No matter what happens you always control how good you are at what you do. When in doubt of strategic direction, shift to building your core skill sets. Study more, work on your communication and thinking skills, and invest in YOU.
THE CLIENT EXPERIENCE: You are always the architect, builder and deliverer of the client experience. This is the classic area of separation in a commoditized world. Build unique, impactful and elegant client experiences.
These are in the arena of your PERSONAL CONTROL.
Pretty good law.
ENTERTAINMENT
MOVIES: Hanna – Time for a little action.
NetFlix Fans: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Nothing beats the consistent quality of this movie franchise.
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TV: Justified: Wednesday night on FX – possibly the best written show on TV.
BOOK: Gideon’s Sword – Preston/Child: A brand new hero from this writing team. As you can tell, I am spending all my time on planes and in hotels so the reading is taking a big fiction turn.
MUSIC: In honor of the release of a brand new Paul Simon CD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqAJTCk6yHc
WEB SITES: Mixed up on the lyrics to a song? Laura once asked me why Bruce Springsteen sang a song called the “Muffin Man?” I said, “Babe, it’s The Nothing Man.”
SOUTH OF NORMAL
From my friends at Springwise
Innovations such as 3D printing are driving a growing trend towards homemade products. The fact remains, however, that it still takes high-end equipment to create and test many designs, and that’s where TechShop comes in. With a chain of equipment-filled workshops available on a membership basis, the company lets consumers turn their designs from dream into reality.
Offering three locations in California and North Carolina and more opening soon in Portland, Detroit and Brooklyn, TechShop is like the invention-focused equivalent of a fitness club. In exchange for a monthly fee, members get access to “tools and equipment, instruction and a community of creative and supportive people,” in the site’s own words. Members who need to punch a hole in sheet metal, for example, can turn to TechShop’s large rotary punch; those needing to spot weld an enclosure need only head for the spot welder in the welding room. Most of the company’s climate-controlled facilities feature a 15,000+ square foot floor plan with a workshop space filled with large work tables, 115 volt outlets and compressed air at each work table, computer workstations and software, wifi, a creative brainstorming lounge, classrooms, and a retail store offering convenience materials and consumables. Storage and private workshops are also available, as are 3D printing, personal prototyping, and a wide range of classes to train users on each piece of equipment as they need it. Individual memberships at TechShop are priced at USD 125 per month, with student, corporate and single-visit pricing available as well.
Mark Hatch, CEO of TechShop, explains: “Our mission at TechShop is to engage, encourage and empower everyone — from hobbyists to inventors, entrepreneurs, artists and students — by providing sophisticated machines and tools in 15,000-square-foot workshops for our members. We lower the barrier to creativity by making tools that are usually only found in large companies available to everyone.”
Beyond the four further TechShop locations in the works, it also aims to expand across the United States and around the world. One to partner with or emulate in your neck of the MIY woods? (Related: Rental cellphones let developers test their mobile apps[www.springwise.com/telecom_mobile/wavefront/] — An open-source 3D printer for the masses[www.springwise.com/style_design/makerbot/] — Commercial kitchen for rent by the hour[www.springwise.com/food_beverage/phillykitchenshare/].)
Website: www.techshop.ws
Contact: info@techshop.ws
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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