Do you want to make a difference?  Do want to contribute to society, provide more value to your business/occupation, to your community, to the society as a whole?

I suggest paying attention to the metaphor of the ant. 

The Army Ant

It is amazing that one of the smallest of God’s creature can become one of His Greatest teachers.  The lessons the ant teaches us can be summarized this way:

A – Attitude of Initiative

Ants don’t need a commander to tell them to get started.

N – Nature of Integrity

Ants work faithfully and need no outside accountability to keep them doing right.

T – Thirst for Industry

Ants work hard and will replace their anthill when it gets ruined.

S – Source of Insight

Ants store provisions in the summer. 

If we consider and learn from the ways and the life of the ant, we can grow wiser.
Summarized by John Maxwell from Proverbs 6:6-8

As a “value-added” blogger I like to create articles about two things. 

1.  Some of the things people are going through everyday in their everyday lives (including myself)

2.  And educating business owners and investors on how to create more successful ventures 

But, every time I write a blog post, a number of people always comment that the old world is still important, that the world doesn’t change as fast as we really think it does, or that you should probably do both.

So the Title is When to Get In, Get Out and say No Thank you….and that pertains mainly to when you are deciding if a demographic or even if a possible business opportunity or plan is in front of you, and you don’t know what the chances are of it being successful are.

Obviously, the world isn’t black or white. Nor can we change something from one day to another. What is more important, people are generally not at ‘the same stage.‘   All of us marketers need to know there are 4 Stages of People that are looking at what you have to offer:

We have

1.  Early Adopters

2.  Early Followers

3.  Late Followers

4.  Laggards   (way behind the curve…)

I either do, plan to do, or try to do everything I write about myself and experiences of people I know or things I have gone through.  I do not always succeed and have not always succeeded but I have learned that I have to change my plans due to lack of resources at times.  And, I spend much time advocating and lobbying my views, because you cannot do anything if the people around you don’t share your vision.

The question is what should you do? Not theoretical speaking, but in a business situation?

The Real World Strategy – in 4 layers

In the real world, there are generally four things you need to do to be successful. Plan and prepare for the future, work in the present, support what you did yesterday, and ignore(or eliminate) out-of-date ideas.  But, to explain how that works, we need to take a step back and first discuss how this is about people and where the real value is.

Moore’s idea diffusion curve

The graph below is Geoffrey A. Moore’s idea diffusion curve (as many of you are undoubtedly already familiar with). It illustrates how a product (physical or virtual) goes through a population. The x-axis is how it populates over time, and the y-axis is the amount of people at each stage.

Take a simple example like email:

• 1970s: Email was used exclusively by innovators.
• 1980s: Email was embraced by the early adopters.
• 1990s: Email started to be used by the early majority
• 2000s: Email was now also used by the late majority
• 2010s: …people is beginning to turn to other channels, and only the laggards remain.

This looks pretty simple. What you need to do, in a real world situation, is to create something (a product / service) that appeals to the majority of your market.

The world of a small business isn’t as simple as creating a website, networking with people and poof, your up and running.  You cannot design a product/service from one day to another. It takes time to invent something new, and it takes time to get people on board.  On top of that we now have so many choices, that we no longer care for products that tries to reach the general masses of people (mediocrity).

You need to show your audience that you are a leader. That you can help them move forward. That your product/service is “the” choice to make, because you understand the market.

Seth Godin illustrated this brilliantly in his book “The Purple Cow” with the graph below. The real value comes not from where people are, but from the step before it. It is the innovators who drive the early adopters, and it is the early adopters who drive the majority.

If you want to create a product, then you need to focus your energy on the early adopters. They will help you reach the majority of your market, mostly via social channels.

The value curve also illustrates where you should focus your energy and resources. If you want to be successful, then most of your time must be spent on ‘the next thing,‘ and the rest should be maintained and automated to the best of your abilities.

Please note: The people element is very important. “the next thing” is not just about creating new products/services, it is more so about what you want people to do next and what is their next reaction.  Case in point: Most people think of customer support as something that follows your product.  But, customer support should be looked at proactively, and help form “the next thing.”

Get In, Get Out

We can now use Moore’s idea curve to form a business plan in four different layers. What you should plan, do, support and ignore – as illustrated in the graph below.

You should actively try to realize your future plans, test out new ideas, and create something for your early adopters to play around with. While doing that you should spend even more time making sure that your early adopters and early majority are having a great time with your new products/services.

You should also support the products you did ‘yesterday,’ even if they are no longer an active part of your strategy. Answer people’s questions, provide tips and gently push them towards your new ideas.

Saying No Thank You

Finally, you need to free up your resources, by saying no to things that no longer makes sense to use and be a part of. This is extremely important, and one thing that most business owners fail at horribly.  You also need to say no to old ideas far earlier than what you might think.  There is no value in laggards, so you need to say no to them before you reach that point.

Case in point: Apple destroys old product lines when they are peaking (and introduces new products to replace them). They spend no time supporting laggards, instead they focus all their time on where the real value is.

I often see this alot lately with direct sales and network marketers, knocking on my door asking me to join their group when their product or services is a complete Laggard.

Laggards can change into something else, change their name, reduce their price but still be a Laggard. 

The point of it all is:  I want to thank Seth Godin for hitting me in the face with this well-known marketing knowledge a couple years ago in that I clearly understand what may be a complete waste of my time.

Decorations are peaking out of every nook and cranny.

Festive times with your ole grandpa and granny.

Cinnamon and spices in the air.

Christmas trees and lights brighten the sky.
Family and friends gather with gifts under trees.
Sharing, caring and laughter are near.

Decorations are nice but fade with the time and sometimes I have to reflect and ask

Great short video on understanding your power. 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest is fear is that we are powerful beyond measure!

Being focus on a goal is one thing.  Understanding your true power is another!  Thanks @CurtMaly for this reminder!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Wow.  How fast does Social Media change?  It changes everyday and I work on keeping up but honestly it isn’t my “job” to do so nor do I focus on providing social media marketing advice or consulting.

Therefore, knowing everything about everything is completely impossible. 

I want and encourage all social media enthusiasts, real estate investors, brokers, consultants and friends to understand what is happening with Facebook.  You will want to check this out!  (Even if you still think that Facebook isn’t something that can be a “life-changer” for you or your business.

Thanks to @CShanes of the 24/7 Entrepreneur for putting together this great post!

Click below to see and hear the goods!

http://the247entrepreneur.com/news/the-social-network/

Many of us Nebraskans hate to see it go.  The rivalry with the Kansas teams just a state below us (to the south that is) and that is nothing short to compare with games of the past with rival Kansas State. 

Check it out from years past:

1998- (1)Kansas St 40, (11)Nebraska 30 – “The Facemask”

A game that couldn’t be remembered more oppositely amongst the two teams’ fan bases. K State fans remember this game as the crowning moment of their most successful season of all time. Husker fans remember this game by a single motion, taking a closed fist, fingers toward your face, and dragging it slowly from your forehead to your chin.   (or in other words… OUCH)  This game sparked the beginning of the rivalry. And the end of Eric Crouch’s neck.

Key Stat- Kansas St. had 6 fumbles in the game and lost 4 of them, turning the ball over 5 times total, however the Wildcats outgained the Huskers 512-351 in total yards.

2000- (11)Kansas St 29, (5)Nebraska 28 - ”2 Minute Blizzard”

Sometimes a higher force steps in and decides who is going to win a football game and fate just has to be accepted. This game was played in a somewhat rainy conditions throughout most of the night, before temperatures dropped and an outright blizzard took over the field, soon after the Wildcats scored the go-ahead touchdown. For a team that already struggled throwing the ball, the Huskers stood little chance in driving for the game winning score in the snow.

Key Stat- Quincy Morgan caught 7 passes for 199 yards, and two touchdowns, from quarterback Jonathan Beasley.

2002- (11)Kansas St 49, Nebraska 13 - ”Oh Lordy”

The beginning of the end for the Husker Dynasty that reigned supreme in the Big 12, which coincided with the beginning of the Jammal Lord era. Watching the highlights of this game was enough to make me throw up in my mouth a tiny bit. It was their worse loss in 34 years. And they had those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad red stripes down the sides of their uniforms. Anyone who thinks Solich was unjustly fired should take a look at this season’s results. Or Mr Lord’s play. Enough said… moving on…

Key Stat: Kansas St. outgained Nebraska 415-97 in rushing yards.

2004- Kansas St 45, Nebraska 21 – “Bleh, Maybe This was a Bad Idea”

Who could forget this memorable quarterback matchup between Joe Dailey and Allen Webb? Hopefully both fan bases. The Wildcats went 4-7 this year while the Huskers topped that with a 5-6 record. Need more be said about this game?

Key Stat: Darren Sproles attended local high school, Olathe North.

2006- (20)Nebraska 21, Kansas St 3 – “Needed Revenge?”

Whew, finally. Was starting to have doubts about making this list. The Huskers broke a streak of four straight losses in Manhattan in this snoozefest, where all highlights have been trashed and burned. The Huskers won the Big 12 North that year while the Wildcats were stuck with Ron Prince and Josh Freeman. Wait, one of them turned out successful?

Key Stat: Nebraska scored on a fake field goal (which is always fun).

2008- Nebraska 56, Kansas St 28 – “Heluuuuu Bo Pelini!” The Huskers marched up and down the field, led by (the poor man’s Rich Gannon) Joey Ganz, to the tune of 610 yards. It was Bo Pelini’s first year and the last year of Ron Prince. This was the game that cemented Josh Freeman as a bust as a Wildcat (he was outperformed by Carson Coffman after getting benched) in my mind, and am still shocked, SHOCKED, to see him finding success in the NFL. Oh well, at least he never beat Nebraska.

Key Stat: This was the game that the Husker defense regained their historic “Blackshirt” jerseys in practice, never to look back. In hindsight, this will go down as a monumental game, seeing as how dominant the defense has become since then.

Both teams are coming into this game undefeated and are working towards leading the Big 12 North this year.  Should be an interesting game and I glad I get to tune in from the “Big Sky”.

Source: seattletimes.nwnewssource.com

Homebuyers today can potentially save several times more money in interest costs than buyers who took out a mortgage in early April and claimed an $8,000 homebuyer tax credit. Yet buyers, who rushed to meet the April 30 deadline for the federal tax credits, appear much less eager to borrow at the lowest interest rates in 60 years.

Mortgage applications for home purchases are 42 percent below the pace seen in April, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Home resales dropped 27.2 percent in July from June, according to a report Tuesday from the National Association of Realtors. Someone taking out a $240,000 mortgage today at a 4.42 percent interest rate could save $33,287 in interest costs over the life of a 30-year loan. That’s four times the $8,000 credit used by a first-time homebuyer who financed at 5.21 percent in early April.

So why aren’t more people buying now? Timing offers one explanation. Buyers earlier this year, not knowing rates would drop, took the best deal available to them at the time. That soaked up future demand, which more optimistic forecasts hold should return as lower rates persuade buyers to get off the fence. Because few people stay in a home or keep a mortgage for 30 years, the time needed for monthly mortgage savings to match the $8,000 credit is another consideration, said Cameron Findlay, chief economist of LendingTree.com. On a $240,000 mortgage, a buyer would need to stay put for almost six years for monthly mortgage-payment savings to match the upfront credit. Studies in behavioral finance support the idea that people will go for a payout upfront versus a payout spread over a long period that is worth more. Uncertainty leads to stagnation Given the choice between a 10 percent pay raise when inflation is 12 percent or a 4 percent raise when inflation is 2 percent, respondents almost always go for the bigger raise, even though it means they will lose ground, said Greg Salsbury, an executive vice president with Jackson National Life Distributors in Denver.

Rather than seizing opportunities, many people also tend to freeze up when there is too much uncertainty. “Unemployment, the deficit and the overall economy are impacting people’s decisions disproportionately,” Salsbury said. “There are a lot of things in play.” Some mortgage brokers and bankers argue against complicated explanations about why buyers are missing in action. “The majority of my borrowers used the $8,000 tax credit toward the down payment, and the seller paid closing costs,” said Marilyn McConnell, a mortgage adviser with Cherry Creek Mortgage. Lower interest rates don’t help those buyers who can’t come up with the needed down payment or who are trapped in a home they can’t sell without taking a loss. Deflationary expectations Selling at a loss is psychologically hard, even if you realize the lower payment on the next property will make up for it over time, said Denver resident Shanti Klemm. “We’d love to buy a new home, but we have to sell first. It’s a Catch-22,” said Klemm, who estimates her family will lose $25,000 by selling its condo. Another more worrisome explanation is that consumers expect further declines in interest rates or home prices. A survey from real-estate website Zillow.com found that a third of homeowners thought home values in their area had more room to fall. If prices are headed lower, the rational thing to do is to wait for the better bargain. But deflationary expectations, like inflationary ones, become self-reinforcing. During the housing boom, people bought homes because they worried that prices would rise the longer they waited. Flip that around, and people may now be waiting to buy because they expect prices to go lower.

This article is sourced to Aldo Svaldi via The Denver Post asvaldi@denverpost.com

A contractor and a building inspector have been indicted on homicide charges in connection with shoddy ventilation work that led to the 2008 carbon-monoxide poisoning of a Denver family at an Aspen-area vacation home.

Marlin Brown, owner of Roaring Fork Plumbing & Heating, and now- retired City of Aspen building inspector Erik Peltonen were each indicted on four felony charges of criminally negligent homicide. The two, as well as Brian Pawl, a Pitkin County building inspector, also face misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment. The indictments were announced Sunday.

The charges follow a Pitkin County grand jury investigation into the deaths of the four-member Lofgren family, who had won a Thanksgiving 2008 stay at the house.

Assistant Deputy District Attorney Arnold Mordkin said Brown installed the boiler and venting system at the $8.95 million home on Popcorn Lane, east of Aspen. Peltonen, a city employee working for Pitkin County, inspected the home.

Pitkin County sheriff’s investigators concluded that dislodged venting pipes for the boiler that handled hot water and the driveway-snowmelt system flooded the home with “extreme levels” of carbon monoxide as the family slept.

According to police reports, 8 feet of exhaust pipe was unattached between the boiler and the vent outlet. Deputy Brad Gibson wrote in a report that it did not appear the PVC exhaust pipe had ever been glued together.

Gibson also reported that several experts who investigated the scene did not find any carbon-monoxide detectors, even though a 2005 inspection report mandated the installation of the alarms.

One boiler specialist, Mark Passamaneck, told investigators he thought the installer of the leaking boiler was “reckless” and the installation “was not done to a reasonable community standard,” Gibson wrote.

Gibson also toured the home with Brown, who worked on the home sporadically from 2004 to 2005. Brown told Gibson he could not remember if he used glue to seal the joints of boiler exhaust pipes.

Still, Pitkin County Sheriff Bob Braudis in January 2009 said the evidence did not support negligent homicide charges. He forwarded his investigation to Mordkin, who asked a judge to empanel a grand jury, which convened in July 2009. A week shy of a year later, the 12-member grand jury made its decision.

Brown and Peltonen were arrested and released on $11,000 bond. Pawl was released on a summons to appear. The three will make their next court appearance Aug. 16.

“This took a long time,” Mordkin said. “This is a very serious situation, and you don’t want to rush and you don’t want to make mistakes.”

Denver investment banker Parker Lofgren, 39, his wife, Caroline, 42, and their children, 10-year-old Owen and 8-year-old Sophie, were found dead by friends in the home’s master bedroom the day after Thanksgiving 2008.

Picture Source: ABC News - http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6376209&page=2

The Lofgrens had won a stay at the house as part of a fundraiser at Denver’s St. Anne’s Episcopal School. The house was owned by Jonathan and Carla Thomas, whose children also went to St. Anne’s.

The home’s master bedroom was above a utility closet that housed the leaking boiler. The children, who had apparently awakened in the middle of the night, were found on the floor of the bedroom. Both parents were in bed, with Owen near his father and Sophie near her mother.

Relatives of the Lofgren family said they were grateful for the indictments.

“We feel their deaths were absolutely preventable and we are not surprised with this outcome,” said Hildy Feuerbach, Caroline’s older sister. “I think the negligence there was just shocking. . . . It’s a tragedy that could have been averted if the people involved had done their jobs with reasonable care.”

Mordkin said the home, which was for sale for $8.95 million, had been approved for residency by county inspectors in 2005 or 2006, roughly a year after it was built.

At some point, the building-inspection process broke down, Mordkin said.

“That is our contention,” he said. “Once the house is inspected, it is not the building inspector’s job to make sure somebody does not do something stupid. That would be very unfair.”

Messages left for Brown at his Glenwood Springs shop were not returned. A woman answering the phone at Peltonen’s Basalt home said he, on advice from his lawyer, could not comment. Pawl could not be reached.

Pitkin County Commissioner Michael Owsley said Pawl and Peltonen, the latter of whom he has known for more than 40 years, are “some of the most outstanding employees we have.”

“These guys are dedicated public servants who woke up every day thinking about public safety,” Owsley said. “I’m sure they are devastated and their families are devastated. The Lofgren tragedy was bad enough, and this, as far as I’m concerned, makes this an even greater tragedy.”

Pitkin County attorney John Ely said he needs direction from the county commissioners on how to proceed in terms of defending the county’s employees.

“This is something totally outside the box,” said Ely, noting a lack of legal precedent or protocol.

The Lofgren deaths, as well as the January 2009 carbon-monoxide poisoning death of University of Denver student Lauren Johnson, prompted Colorado lawmakers in March 2009 to pass a law requiring carbon-monoxide detectors in most homes. The odorless gas kills as many as 500 Americans a year, primarily from poorly maintained furnaces and gas stoves, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Lofgren family, in a statement, said the criminal charges and pending civil action “will send a clear message to contractors, and building inspectors and even manufacturers of heating equipment to ensure that such senseless carbon-monoxide deaths are prevented in the future.”

It just goes to show that whether it is a old run-down 2 bd – 1ba home that you have a rental or a multi-million dollar home in Aspen, you can never be too safe.  Especially with the deadly carbon monoxide issue!

This Post was archived directly from the Denver Post – To contact the author please see attached:

Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374 or jblevins@denverpost.com

Foursquare, launched in 2009, is a hot mobile social media platform self-described as a “friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things.” 

So far Foursquare has been very successful with

• Individual users
• Media outlets, such as The New York Times and The History Channel
• B2C (Business to Consumer) companies, like Starbucks and McDonald’s

But B2B companies have yet to embrace Foursquare. Many see it as having limited utility and aren’t quite sure how to leverage it, so they don’t see it as a viable business application.

So are there ways B2B companies can use Foursquare to reach new customers or promote their brand? Let’s get creative and look at some of the ways B2B companies can follow the lead of other Foursquare adopters to market their products or services.

Using Foursquare to Promote Events and Tradeshows

Early adopters have already been using Foursquare successfully to promote events and tradeshows. Back in January, Intel partnered with Foursquare during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and offered unique badges and freebies for check-ins. Foursquare hasn’t introduced the event function on mobile applications yet, but B2B companies can follow simple steps to implement it.

• Start by creating a new profile for your event.
• Then, add the venue and event description.
• Use the “Tip” function to broadcast event updates, incentives, and nearby meetings and venues to event participants.
• Encourage check-ins, engage participants and reward them.

Also, don’t forget to flag the venue as closed after the event is over.

Integration with Other Social Media Platforms

B2B companies can also effectively integrate Foursquare with other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, to synergize marketing efforts and enhance end-user experience. By linking Foursquare to Facebook and Twitter, check-ins can be shared across platforms. B2B companies can host social gatherings, such as lectures and meet-ups, where savvy social media users will check in at the event venue on Foursquare, send out real-time event updates on Twitter, and share event photos on Facebook, which may even prompt their friends and followers to also become supporters of the company. These marketing efforts will all help with building brand awareness and generating leads.

Targeting Search Engine Results

Bing Maps has integrated Foursquare data for users to view quick venue tips and mayorships. Google and other search engines are sure to be developing their own location-based features too. Foursquare mapping and commenting features really benefit B2C companies, especially retailers with storefronts.  B2B companies can also benefit by adding company locations and listing company events, venues, trainings, seminars, etc. on Foursquare.

Location-based platforms are changing the overall search picture. Search engines will likely integrate real-time location-based data into search results, as they’ve done with universal search elements and real-time social updates. Companies with more check-ins and tips from engaged fans will rank higher in the blended search results. It’s very possible companies will be able to leverage Foursquare to boost their SEO efforts through brand engagement signals, much like what has happened with Facebook and Twitter.

Tracking Sales Team Performance 

Another way B2B companies can use Foursquare is as a sales management tool. B2B companies can use the mobile networking platform to track sales and sales performance metrics and to offer incentives to its sales staff. For example, the sales person who works hardest and collects the most check-ins could earn a reward. What’s more, the sales team could possibly identify potential leads and grab personal data about the leads by tracking their check-in behaviors on Foursquare.

However, this brings up proprietary data issues. Sales people probably don’t want competitors to know where they have been and who they’ve had sales calls with. The solution would be to launch a private version of Foursquare with custom applications. With a custom version, B2B companies can set restrictions and allow only current employees into the account. Check-in updates from the sales team would be shared internally and could even be available to only the management team. And management could send out real-time lead information to the sales force.

The customer service team could benefit in the same way. This would work like emailing or text-messaging, but with location features, which would be easier for two-way communication. To be more advanced, employees can view the updates and tips through a corporate email account with a simple connection. And every company and employee can have several Foursquare accounts for public, private and other use. In the future, a person’s online and mobile accounts will all be connected, but with advanced features to address privacy concerns.

Enhancing Corporate Culture and Community

B2B companies can use Foursquare to build community within the organization. Through checking in the corporate location, both management and employees will achieve stronger internal relations. Whoever checks in the most will become the mayor, and everybody has an equal opportunity to obtain the mayorship, not only the CEO. The mayorship can also be stolen by another employee. In the game-like process to grab mayorship, employees will gain a better bond, build morale and better internal relationships.

Employees might also check in together at a restaurant after work, or at the airport on a business trip. Internally, they win badges of swarm (50+ people are also checked in here) and jetsetter (5 airport check-ins). With a better sense of company unity, they can show clients and fans that they’re part of a great team with a strong corporate culture.

Partnering with Foursquare

Inspired by Twitter, Foursquare has opened its API to developers. There’s a potential for B2B companies, specifically software companies, to adopt a Foursquare component into their products through the API. Foursquarefox, a third-party Firefox plugin, enables you to check in and locate friends from your browser.

How do you see Foursquare as valuable business tool?  Look forward to hearing your thoughts…