Archive for April, 2006

I found a cool little five minute exercise that lets me synchronize my Ipod with Outlook 2003 on my PC. This is very handy when I’m out walking and I need to make a phone call or look at my calendar. If you have Outlook 2003 and Itunes 6 on your PC you are already to go. Here are the steps.

 1. For Calendar Data: Open the Edit menu in iTunes and choose Preferences. In the Preferences dialog box, click the Calendars tab. Next, select the Synchronize Calendars From Microsoft Outlook checkbox and click OK to confirm your synchronization choices. Your calendar data is now available for syncing with your iPod.

2. For Outlook Contacts: Open the Edit menu in iTunes and select Preferences. Select the iPod tab and the Contacts tab, and then choose Outlook or Outlook Express from the Synchronize Contracts From drop-down menu. Next, choose whether you want to synchronize all of your Outlook contacts or only those contacts from selected groups or distribution lists. Click OK to confirm your choices for synchronizing contacts.

If you have an older version of Outlook, check out this article from PCToday for helpful hints. In a short five minute session, My iPod just became a lot more useful.

I downloaded the audio book “The Big Moo” the other day. The book is a compilation of marketing and business authors answering one simple question…

What does it really take to make your organization remarkable?

I decided to listen to this amazing and quick paced tome while walking thru the old town business district of Fallbrook, California. Fallbrook is an unique little town in Northern San Diego County with a history dating back into the 1800’s. The Old Town section is an eclectic mix of old and new with an amazing variety of different businesses. As I started walking it started raining so much of my journey was completed in my car.

As I started listening to Seth Godin read the compilations of the 33 authors in Big Moo, different points would come up and I would stop the iPod and make notes. This is an incredible little book and a remarkable little town… a great mix. As I walked the following ideas came up.

1. Remarkable doesn’t always mean right now.
Fallbrook is in transition. There is definitely a mix of old and new with distinct historical themes throughout. Much of the town was built in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. Each decade is apparent by the architecture and business names. Some of the remarkable businesses in town are old shops made new. Wonderful colors and fonts adorn the front of the shops with unique business plans. Here was a vacuum shop done up in a Victorian motif. The bright purple color made the business stand out from the crowd and the fonts and sayings drew customers in.

What I came away with is being remarkable doesn’t always mean “right now”. As this town was a great example of taking something old and ordinary and transforming it into something extra-ordinary. Remarkable here was Victorian, purple and bold.

2. The secret is bringing a great idea from another market or industry to your market or your industry.
My walk thru town was at lunchtime on a Friday. I was intrigued by the crowds at the center of town. There were hundreds of people out on a weekday. This was so different from my experience in Old Town Temecula just 10 miles away that was empty during the week. What was the draw? As I got closer I noticed a sign that said “Farmers Market,” 10-2 on Fridays.

This was great with a lively and fun atmosphere. Vendors had umbrellas setup on the sidewalks with a mix of fresh produce, art work, and unique clothing all for sale in a large patio setting. The restaurants in the area were doing a booming business. All of the businesses were flooded with people. I came away with the idea of Collaboration. Taking the great ideas and marketing plan of one type of business and meld it into a workable attraction for all local entrepreneurs. In this case there was incredible synergy on a weekday afternoon.

3. Sometimes you find remarkable innovations in the places you least expect
At one end of the main street thru Old Town Fallbrook was a small roadside cafe. From the outside it looked somewhat inviting with a rustic sign and a old western look. Inside it was a restaurant and history museum with memorabilia from decades of Fallbrook life tacked on the walls and ceilings of the place. The innovation of the place was the authenticity of the experience. It felt like you were transported back to the 1940’s with great service, wonderful food, and authentic memorabilia.

So many new businesses have a retro feel but you find that everything inside is a modern copy of an original item. Not so with the Wayside Cafe… all original just like it was in the post war era of this little boomtown.

4. What’s in the trash that needs to see the light of day, needs to be run by a customer or tried out on a playground?
As I entered town I found a small periodical called the “Fallbrook Sourcebook” on a bench that was a great resource for this whole community. It tells the story of the town and gives many insights to the businesses located there. This book needs to be prominently displayed for visitors as they enter town. This would really help since it tells an authentic and timely story of this wonderful town called Fallbrook.

Fallbrook is a town that prides its self in the Arts. Many art galleries line the street and the weekday business can be brisk. This is different that other old towns such as Temecula that have many antique stores which tend to be busy on the weekends. If you make down to San Diego in the future, be sure to put Fallbrook on your list of places to visit.

Be sure to pick up the Big Moo. This is a fascinating book and one that will give you many marketing insights into many types of businesses old and new.

Welcome everyone! Some short notes today about various items. I would like to say “Thank You” to all of the blogs that have spread the word so far about MBA on the Run. Brad over at Achieve-It ran a post as well as Phil “Shak” Gerbyshak over at Make it Great. The Master of Curiosity, Dwayne Melancon and Brendon Connelly of Slacker Manager have been very supportive and have given me a lot of great feedback. Please be sure to bookmark these sites.

The website Personal MBA has launched a web chat feature entitled “Personal MBA Live” using online Campfire software. The cost for the service is $4.95/month. Looks like a great tool for online collaboration.

I received an advance copy of Career Intensity, a new book from David Lorenzo, the other day. This is an amazing work and a great resource for business people as well as entrepreneurs. In Career Intensity, Lorenzo advocates workplace warriors and management mavericks taking the reins of their careers and moving into value-creating positions as intrepreneurs and entrepreneurs.

To do this, Lorenzo says that individuals need to commit to what he terms a cycle of continuous improvement. “The cycle begins with the process of discovery and learning, continues on to applying what you’ve learned to your career, and then concludes with you marketing yourself to the world in a way that communicates your ability to generate value. The trick is not to do this once, but to do it in a perpetual cycle,” Lorenzo says.

I found that David has great insight into career building and entrepreneurship. He talks about the power of creative walks. He writes…

I am particularly inspired by long walks. I carry a pen and a pad of paper with me everywhere. As I walk, I write down the ideas that pop into my head. I don’t spend time trying to focus my thoughts. I let them flow naturally. It is amazing how many great ideas were born as I walked along the streets of New York City.

I concur with David about carrying a notebook. I carry a “Hipster PDA” with me on my MBA on the Run adventures and I find it helpful to jot notes as I listen to each audio book. You can order a pre-release of Career Intensity from David’s website. The book is due to be published in May.

As a visitor to this site you may find yourself interested in starting your own business. Fellow blogger Steve Pavlina has some great resources to help the new entrepreneur develop a successful business. Entitled “10 Stupid Mistakes Made by the Newly Self-Employed”, Steve outlines some of his experiences developing his personal productivity website.

Steve states…

It takes significant effort to build a successful business, but it’s also a tremendous growth experience.  I know many people who have quit their jobs to run their own businesses.  Many of them didn’t do as well as they’d hoped, but I don’t know any that regretted taking the plunge.  There’s simply no substitute for holding the reins of your own destiny.

Check out the great resources on Steve’s site.

And finally I ran across this great marketing message from Kim Klaver’s Blog

One day, there was a blind man sitting on the steps of a building
with a hat by his feet and a sign that read:

The new sign read: “Today is Spring and I cannot see it.”

Learning what to say changes everything.

Amen… 

Welcome everyone to MBA on the Run. The concept of this site is to listen to business related audio books on an iPod or other MP3 player while walking or jogging through various business districts. The idea is to immerse the listener into the business concepts that are being presented in the program on a first hand basis. Major Business Assets on the Run

Sounds like a crazy idea doesn’t it.

The concept started last year when I realized that I needed to look into the degree completion process for my current job. I have two years of college and several technology certifications. After calling around and looking into different programs I realized that I would be looking at over $50,000 and 4 to 5 years of study to receive a masters degree in business.

When I was searching around I ran into a manifesto over at changethis.com entitled the Personal MBA, by Josh Kaufmann. His thesis is that you can get the equivilent education that a traditional MBA offers by reading 42 business related books. He setup a website at personalmba.com that offers a book list and online collaboration. After doing a little research this actually sounded like a workable solution. I figure that it will probably take two years to go through the books and about a $1000 in books and supplies. A far cry from the $50,000 of the traditional program. The program has become so popular that it was picked up by Business Week in an online article.

The bottom line: You get the education but not the piece of paper (degree) that may be critical. After looking at the list of books and the probable time commitment, I considered doing this. I asked myself the question… How will this fit into my personal goals and can it be somehow worked into my current schedule? When will I be able to read 42 books? I thought to myself… I’m already time strapped and a commitment this big may not fit.

Just then my e-mail popped up and there was a special offer from Audible.com for audio books.

The light went on…

Do this program with Audio books on my Ipod…

Another light went on…

Do this program while I’m already doing something else…

Another light went on… it was getting brighter..

Do this program while walking or exercising… something I’m already doing 30 minutes a day.

A crazy flashing light went on…

Walk or run in different business areas for greater continuity

Neon lights popped up…

Interview local business owners about the subject material when done listening

A bright white spot light came on…

Blog about the results. Create an online thesis…

An MBA on the Run!

That is what this site is all about.

Over the next two years I’ll cover many of the major business books and give you insight about the experience. With each book completion I’ll interview a local business owner about the subject. A real world analysis. I’ll post the results in an easy to use article format including the following.

• Book description and weblink
• Technical items (author, book length, etc)
• Where I experienced the book (location, time, etc)
• My feedback on the material
• My feedback on the learning experience
• Three major takeaway points
• An interview with a related business person including podcast or written interview.
• Your feedback on the book.

I hope to post two reviews per month with postings at least once a week.

The first four books that will be covered are…

Some of my adventures so far…

Stories in Old Town

On Writing Well

Back to the Future

All proceeds from book and technology sales as well as ad revenue over the next two years will go to help build a youth center and computer lab. Please consider helping out our future entrepreneurs and career seekers by buying books and equipment through links on this site.

Over the last two weeks I have been enjoying some new audio books as part of the MBA on the Run program. It has been interesting to listen on my Ipod to the best in the business talk about marketing, advertising, and financial concepts while walking through local business districts. Earlier this week I walked through Old Town Temecula at lunch while listening to Seth Godin’s new book, “All Marketers Are Liars”.

The concept of Seth’s book is that businesses need to tell compelling stories to be successful in the new millennium. No longer are facts and figures enough… businesses must tell authentic stories to their customers. This was profound. Almost all of the shops and businesses in Old Town are unique. Each one should be telling a unique story… but they were not. All I saw were facts and figures strewn out around the landscape.

Many signs said “antiques and collectibles” while others said candy and others said hamburgers. As I was walking I found myself hungry and thirsty. I wanted something different to eat. After all I was in old town and there was no fast food joints to compel me to come in. All I saw were “facts” such as hamburgers, sodas, Mexican food etc. No one was telling me a story. No one was compelling me to come in and have lunch.

If a sign had said “delicious” hamburgers or “hand rolled” tortillas or even “worlds best” pastrami I would have been in there in a minute. There was no story… no reason to even come in. I walked past a Mexican Restaurant that I know has the best Carne Asada in Riverside county.. the only sign outside was one stating it was a cantina. Why don’t they tell everyone driving by that they have “melt in your mouth” carne asada, “warm fresh” tortillas and a “signature” salsa?

I continued walking down the one mile Old Town Strip looking for anybody to compel me to come in. Someone to offer me something that I couldn’t get at McDonalds or Burger King. I reached the other end of town, crossed the street and headed back the other direction. Seth’s words were playing in my ears and I became increasingly aware why most of the businesses were empty on a weekday. This town didn’t have a compelling story… It really didn’t have much of a story at all. It was just different… and different wasn’t necessarily enough to get my business.

Seth’s book really came alive as I continued to walk. The marketing ideas of most of these businesses were as old as the adobe on the buildings. Just like Joe Friday… Just the facts ma’m. I continued to walk and I soon reached the other end of town. I had seen some interesting adjectives in front of business names such as “mad” or “sweet” but nothing as far as the food or drink.

As crazy as it may sound I ended up eating lunch at the new Starbuck’s at the end of town. Many people have told me a compelling story about Starbuck’s sandwiches and I just had to try one. This new Starbucks is in a historic building but their marketing is legendary. Starbucks had a huge crowd and I found it somewhat sad that nobody else in this unique business district was telling much of a story. At least for a visitor walking through town.