Creativity Matters – The Decline of US Creativity

From an interview with Kyung Hee Kim Decrease in Elaboration after 1984: Elaboration scores (ability to develop and elaborate upon ideas and detailed and reflective thinking and motivation to be creative) decreased more than other subscales of the TTCT. Elaboration scores decreased by 19.41% from 1984 to 1990, by 24.62% from 1984 to 1998, and… Continue reading Creativity Matters – The Decline of US Creativity

Being On Top, Safety and the King Of the Hill Conundrum

Did you play king of the hill when you were a kid? Of course you did. You remember what happened once you got to the top right? Everyone’s mission became to knock you off. Two kids who wouldn’t help each other out of a burning building would suddenly join forces to knock you off that… Continue reading Being On Top, Safety and the King Of the Hill Conundrum

Living in Public – Facebook, Privacy and Frictionless Distribution

You already live in public. You always have. All that has changed is how easy it is to distribute the evidence. We used to take for granted that the stupid things we did (we’ve all done them) would only live in the connections we had with friends and family. The photos were printed on paper… Continue reading Living in Public – Facebook, Privacy and Frictionless Distribution

SB 1070 – It’s Like I Tell My Kids: Decisions Have Consequences

Right off the bat, let’s all agree that something needs to be done to address two distinct issues. First, the violent drug wars in Mexico and their effect on the boarder region. Second, the influx of peaceful, hard working Mexican citizens who have entered this country illegally to find work and support their families. SB… Continue reading SB 1070 – It’s Like I Tell My Kids: Decisions Have Consequences

Are You Solving Your Customer’s Problem – Or Just Selling What You’ve Got?

I don’t care what kind of business you are running – I don’t care if you have 1 employee (you) or 50,000 – there is one question that matters more than any other. Are you solving your customer’s problem – or just selling them what you’ve got? Solving a customer’s problem is hard. And it… Continue reading Are You Solving Your Customer’s Problem – Or Just Selling What You’ve Got?

Hard Work Only Matters If You Are Working On The Right Things

One of the myths I hear every day about startups (and even corporate jobs) is that the key to success is outworking everyone else. If you competitor is in the office working away at 6 am – you better get your ass in the office at 5. We talk about hard work as if it… Continue reading Hard Work Only Matters If You Are Working On The Right Things

Sizing Up Your Business

Last night I spoke at the Gilbert FastTrac GrowthVenture meeting. It was a pleasure to see so many founders and entrepreneurs in a room sharing knowledge, insights and experiences. I’m willing to bet any one of them could have stood up and shared their thoughts with all of us and we would have learned as much (or probably more)… Continue reading Sizing Up Your Business

Confessions of a Social Media Douchebag

It is funny… because it is true. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQq2FXKigLc&w=425&h=350] To be clear, I don’t think the specific words you use make you a douchebag… it is using them to be obtuse and appear smarter than everyone else in an effort to take client’s money while delivering no tangible result that makes you a douchebag.

We’re Just Not That Into You: 5 Reasons Creating Content Isn’t A Social Media Strategy

Ask anyone about Social Media – what they are doing and what their strategy is and you will get a dissertation on all the places they have to create content. Twitter, Blog, Facebook Fan Pages, Newsletters, Yelp… Give me a break. Creating tons of content isn’t a social media strategy. It is just blasting your… Continue reading We’re Just Not That Into You: 5 Reasons Creating Content Isn’t A Social Media Strategy