Come on in, the water is warm! – Thoughts on Getting Started From a Twitter Convert

After much thought and deliberation, we at In Good Company finally took the plunge and joined the twitter revolution. There is much to say about all the uses of twitter, from the ridiculous to the informative, or the entertaining to the noble. (For what I think is a thoughtful summation on Twitter as a vehicle for both absurd and important see Daniel Lyons recent article Don’t Tweet On Me.)

Being a fairly private person and a “light” facebook user, I initially had some fundamental opposition to the idea of broadcasting disconnected thoughts to probably disinterested parties or “followers”. It seemed like untimely blurts. Perhaps I was just jaded by reading one too many stupid status updates on facebook (I agree with Elizabeth Bernstein’s apparently provocative post on facebook’s impact on friendships). Not to mention the angst of having to recruit followers…“would I have any?”! (It is a few days in and I currently (only?) have 40, though admittedly some seem to be along the ilk of my “good” Nigerian friends with lots of rich uncles itching to give away money).

However, as I have become more comfortable with the idea and as our business and member communications have evolved, Twitter went from something clearly beyond my comprehension to actual solution to two needs that I had.

Specifically…

1. Sometimes I come across something cool or actually do have something short to share, and it doesn’t actually warrant an entire blog post.

2. Also, for the members that work at our space, sometimes we have space reminders (ex. Closing early tonight) or want to share something location bound (ex. Waffle truck is outside NOW).

So we set up 2 accounts. @ingoodcmpny is aligned with this blog and seeks to connect and share with cool information on small business, innovation, and the new work economy. @igcmembersny is for IGC member only and is a brilliant and easy way to share this specific news with a target audience.

I also began to be intrigued with the idea of getting real time information about people and businesses that I find interesting, want to be in the know about, and literally ‘follow’.

This may seem totally obvious to twitter vets and evangelists, but I was actually quite wary of inviting a lot of new information in to an already crowded stream of content and data. For me at least, I had to get to a place where I was already comfortably digesting the other medium that I care about (blogs, magazines, online news content) before I could make space for this new and potentially frenetic medium.

Anyhow I am far from tweet mastery and have a WHOLE lot to learn, but for now, I am satisfied just to get my feet wet and explore around.

Unleashing the Inventor in You: Sites That Want to Help You Make Your Idea a Reality

A few weeks ago lots of members at IGC were buzzing about Quirky after it was covered in a NYTimes piece. Aside from how interesting the business model was, we were all excited by the fact that Quirky helps to ensure that really cool and useful ideas can get to market regardless of the “inventor’s” manufacturing experience or business savvy – because in Quirky’s model they handle all the manufacturing and distribution details after a “crowd” helps them select which product to make.

Quirky joins the company of a few other businesses on the hunt for regular people with innovative ideas.

Some of you may be familiar with a PBS-produced show called Everyday Edisons that documents the idea-to-shelf process of 12 ideas a season. (I was told about it by the show’s graphic designer Juan Miguel Marin.) A natural extension of this initiative was Edison Nation, which seeks to match specific company needs with the best idea or innovation. Those registered on the site can submit ideas to specific company requests – sort of like the RFP process.

I also recently read about Ponoko in the most recent issue of Inc Magazine, not online yet but shown here (and well worth the read when you can find it – great article). Ponoko takes models like Cafepress and Zazzle one step further by actually allowing you to design and produce your own product (versus imprint an existing t-shirt with a cool slogan). Positioned as “the world’s easiest making system”, Ponoko will give you the resources that you need to get your idea produced.

While Ponoko seems to bridge the gap between the “customization” and “invention” spaces, it still points to an uptick in efforts enabling anyone and everyone to make their ideas a reality.

There are now so many businesses with this capability that there is a need for aggregation– namely Milk or Sugar, a directory for “all things customized” (found on Springwise).

With all these resources available it seems as though many of our “wouldn’t it be cool if…”questions can be answered.

99% is a 100% Relevant and Needed Rx for Entrepreneurs!

Last night I went to a really cool workshop offered by Behance’s 99% initiative.

Behance, whose mission it is to organize the creative world, has developed tons of tools to help creatives get organized and get things done. One of their more recent initiatives is 99%, which is based on the premise that ideas are only 1% of the equation and that the real work is the other 99%. (adapted from Thomas Edison's famous expression that genius is 1% inpiration and 99% perspiration)

Currently 99% lives in the form of a website and a conference and the principles will also be echoed in a forthcoming book.

As an entrepreneur, I am a BIG FAN of the 99% insight and an admirer of the work that Scott Belsky and Jocelyn Glei have done to gather and organize some of the best practices related to, as they call it, Making Ideas Happen.

While they already enjoy quite a following in the creative and design world, the message and content is 100% relevant to entrepreneurs.

Which makes a lot of sense, right? There is so much overlap between the creative & entrepreneurial worlds.

* Our process is often similar –formulating, translating, executing, and evolving ideas

* Our mission is often common – make change in the minds of consumers, create a new experience, solve an existing problem, fundamentally alter the marketplace

* So naturally, many of our idols and icons are the same: Steve Jobs, the folks at Threadless, Chris Anderson of Wired, Google, & Behance, of course!

In addition to enlisting other smart people and writers to comment on the 99% principle, Scott and Jocelyn have interviewed tons of these smart and successful creative minds about how they consistently Make Ideas Happen and have synthesized their findings into some universal ‘getting stuff done’ best practices.

Two things I really love are best practices (admitted junkie) and learning about REAL suggestions/experiences from GREAT examples. So, naturally, I lapped it right up.

But I also was intrigued and encouraged by how much the content and takeaways hit on the two of the primary pain points that we often talk about at IGC and with IGC members, which are needing help with *sifting* and bolding.

*sifting* is about better filtering all the incoming information and stimuli you are subject to in order to connect with what is relevant and informative. Otherwise it is so easy to get overwhelmed.

bolding is about highlighting the 3 critical areas of focus out of all the priorities and projects you have so you can actually make progress. Otherwise it is often hard to know ‘where to start’ or ‘what is most important’ or perhaps more essentially ‘what matters most’.

Anyway, I am very excited about 99% as a valuable ‘venture-saving’ resource for In Good Company Members and entrepreneurs everywhere.

Thanks, Jocelyn & Scott!

(ps, photo above features Behance's idea paint which transforms an entire wall into a white board - we are totally getting this at IGC!)

FEAST Your Eyes On This Conference!

Amy and I are looking forward to attending The Feast next Thursday (10/1) put on by All Day Buffet.

The speaker line up is refreshing and the "format" sounds like a lot of fun. We are ready for a new experience that is different from the regular conference hum-drum.

So, who else is going? We'd love to be in good company there!

Tory Burch Takes a Stand: Foundation Will Fund Micro-Finance Loans for US Women

We were really excited to learn from the ladies (Patricia Sellers and Jessica Shambora) at Fortune Postcards that Tory Burch has created a foundation whose goal it is to provide economic opportunities to women and their families in the United States.

To start, Burch has partnered with ACCION to provide micro-finance loans to small women-owned US-based businesses.

Burch explains here quest to find the right way to help mothers and women on the Postcards blog. She investigated several international efforts before deciding to target her contributions to US recipients.

We are excited about this first initiative and hope to learn more about other foundation undertakings as well as the recipient businesses!

Start Me Up! Fabulous Upstarts! Panel with Donna Fenn and Fellow Gen Y Entrepreneurs

Last night we hosted a panel with Donna Fenn and a few of the fabulous Upstarts! that she featured in her just released book-

Upstarts! How GenY Entrepreneurs Are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit From Their Success

We were so pleased to be joined by:

Tina Wells of Buzz Marketing Group

Justin Brown of FGX

Jordan Goldman of Unigo

All of the panelists were incredibly articulate and thoughtful in sharing their insights about starting a company, growing a company, and leading a company in this economy.

I mean, they were damn impressive. Their stories were compelling and their visions for the future were energizing. I can’t wait to see what’s next for each of these ventures.

Some great things that I took away from the discussion –

* That sometimes key markets and revenue streams crop up in a surprising way. Or in other words, often what you originally set out to do ends up unearthing other very valuable opportunities.

* That it is really important to solicit feedback and get input from as many sources as possible.

* That quick iteration and your company’s ability to respond and evolve are key factors for success.

* That while this market has kept folks vigilant and on their toes it has also opened up a lot of possibility and opportunity that wouldn’t otherwise exist for both new and experienced entrepreneurs.

* That LUNCH is a critically important fund raising tool! Seriously, Jordan Goldman has one of the most endearing fundraising stories I have heard.

As a reminder profits from the book sales last night are being donated to Girls Write Now, an organization that is committed to mentoring the next generation of women writers. In Good Company is always excited to partner with fabulous organizations doing really exciting and meaningful work.

If you were at the panel, I’d love to hear what you learned last night!

Malia Mills: Helping Women to Loathe Swimsuit Shopping Less by Loving Their Differences!

Last week I wrote about two businesses (Ignighter and Bottlerocket) that employ creative solutions to help customers overcome a common fear obstacle.

Another excellent example is Malia Mills, NYC-based clothing design company best known for making swimwear with “superior fit and fashion to inspire women to feel fabulous about their individual beauty”. Malia and Carol Mills began making swimsuits in 1992, far before other companies were seeking to accommodate and flatter a diversity of body types with their designs.

There’s not much that induces more fear and discomfort for women then the prospect of swimsuit shopping. But Malia Mills works to transform what is typically an experience filled with insecurities and self-criticism into one that is about celebration and acceptance. Using real women as models and their signature “Love Thy Differences” campaign are just two ways that Malia Mills demonstrates their commitment not only to enhancing the shopping experience but also to “changing the way that you look at yourself”.

These components are complemented by an amazing team of store employees and well-trained fit experts who stop at nothing to deliver tremendous customer service and all together transform the experience of shopping for a bathing suit.

How can these three examples help you think about transforming your customer's experience by innovating your offering, customer service, mission, and message?

'Who Would Be On Your Board?' - A grounding and inspiring exercise led by Ann Mehl

This week at In Good Company's book club, participant and session facilitator, Ann Mehl, got us all talking about who would be on our imaginary personal board of directors. It led to a really interesting conversation and dialog about each of us, our companies, who we admired, and who we use as good guide posts.

While Ann uses this activity with all sorts of clients, it struck me as a particularly good activity for entrepreneurs, independents, and solo workers. We make a lot (sometimes too many) decisions on our own and have to weigh a lot of data and information when doing so. Some of these particularly tough decisions are great times to mentally consult with the board!

So I asked Ann if she wouldn't mind sharing the activity with the larger community through the blog!

Looking forward to seeing who you think "has got it going on" (as Ann says)...Ill share mine in the comments!

- Adelaide


From Ann:
************
When my clients are at a crossroads with a decision that they need to make, I often walk through an exercise with them I call the “Virtual Board.” I do this by asking, “If you could hand select a personal board of directors, who would be on it?”

The goal of the imaginary board of directors is to provide new perspectives to aid in problem solving. In his book, Thinkertoys, Michael Michalko describes a fantasy board as “a list of powerhouse business leaders and innovators who will assist you in overcoming your challenges.” Imagine having at your disposal the experience, wisdom, and know-how of whomever you admire most, living or dead. These “board members” can spur you into action in some aspect of your life where you‘ve been feeling stuck.

How is this useful? Well, the advice of the board might replace old voices of resistance or fear that tell you what you cannot do or why you cannot change. In a circumstance where you are not sure what to do next, you can ask, what would Mother Theresa do? Or, how would Thomas Edison solve this problem? What would Mark Twain say?

I sometimes encourage my clients to get photographs of their “board” and pin them up to remind them of the talent at their disposal. Research your heroes. Read everything about your chosen board members that you can get your hands on. Pay particular attention to the creative techniques they employed to solve problems.

Who is on my board of directors? That’s easy!

- Yvon Chouinard: World-class mountaineer, diehard surfer, obsessive fly fisher and founder and owner of Patagonia. He doesn’t play by the traditional rules of corporate convention. I am inspired by his integrity and confidence.

- Sheryl Crow: Her personal resilience and love for her craft are inspiring. She is the consummate artist who isn’t afraid to take risks. Sheryl has been quoted as saying that she is attracted to people who know their own brilliance. I dig that.

- Anne Lamott: The acclaimed writer, teacher and public speaker (check out her brilliant book “Bird by Bird”), I admire her authenticity, humility and sense of humor. She always reminds me to remain transparent and to not take myself too seriously.

- Kip Tiernan: Best known for founding Rosie’s Place, a homeless women’s shelter, she has been at the center of the fight for economic and social justice for nearly three decades. She represents the gift of service and reminds me to maintain a healthy perspective.

- Anna Quindlen: An author with the gift of expression. She is clear and eloquent. She is devoted to both her career and her family. She brings warmth and heart to my imaginary board. 


- Grete Waitz: She helped to promote marathon and long-distance running for women. Grete reminds me to be a good “animal”. She represents power and ambition.

Interestingly, the qualities of the individuals whom you choose to be on your board, also give you important clues about the attributes that you most want to express yourself. Everything that you love about your hero is in you already- you just have to let it shine.

So who are the movers and shakers you admire most?

Let‘s inspire each other and have some fun with this! Who is on your board? (Fill in the comment box below.)

Ann Mehl, Certified Life & Career Coach

My, what a gorgeous binder you have! Homage to beautiful and functional products for home offices and mobile workers

Many of us at In Good Company are captured by the back to school feeling of the fall. And for us this season is a time when we unofficially celebrate office products. Being a pen/paper/stationary aficionado myself, I polled a few IGC members on their favorite products for home offices and mobile workers.
Here are their beautiful and functional suggestions:

Erica Ecker of The Spacialist recommends:

The Rhodia Staple Bound Graph Pad as a great "fleeting-thought catcher". Small, easy to carry and made with perforated sheets – perfect when you are on the go.

&

Chalk Board Wall Decals (– genius!). They are easy to install and uninstall. Use them for a project, as a message board, or make them part of your home office décor.

Annie Lansing of Ann Lansing Design suggests the Dozi Paper Clip Holder from the MOMA store. A cute porcupine to keep you company when working from home.

Emily Wolper of E. Wolper, Inc. suggests the gorgeous leather Il Bisonte “A1” clutch, which only gets better with age (she has had hers since college!). The perfect size to carry little things you may need to take from meeting to meeting – pens, pencils, small stapler, highlighter, tape - you name it!
A helpful way to take your “office” on the road.

Jessica Silverstein of Attorney’s Counsel suggests See Jane Work for one-stop Binder shopping. A plethora of binders (some pictured above) and binder accoutrements makes it easy to both stay organized and brighten the office. (who knew you could apply your own label pockets to any binder you choose!)

(PS – A SPECIAL FALL SALE at See Jane Work allows you to get 25% off thru Sept 23rd – enter SEPTSALE at checkout!). Visit

What are your favorite products?

Get Your Head on Straight: A List of What REALLY Matters for Startups by Paul Graham

(image courtesy of www.techiteasy.org)

I found another great entrepreneur/start up “words of wisdom” article a couple weeks ago that I have been carrying with me since and sharing with colleagues and In Good Company members left and right.

Startups in 13 Sentences by Paul Graham

Why do I like this article so much? Because it helps you focus on what is important.

We have talked with a lot of members this week who feel:

1. overwhelmed by the amount of information out there and want help SIFTING through all that data/advice/information

2. everything is a priority and everything is 'important' and want help BOLDING the truly critical items on the list

This article does that at the business principle level (which is what is what really matters anyhow). Rather than parse it out here, I think it is important to read as is.

The pieces that stuck with me the most –

* Co-founders are to startups as location is to real estate

* The real work is not coming up with a great idea and getting to market but rather it is evolving and improving that idea once you really get to play in the marketplace (so for all those ‘planners’ and ‘to-do listers’ listen up: - it is NOT about figuring it all out ahead of time! Get going already.)

* It is all about the users (or in our case – members!); they are what matters most. True true.

* Focus of giving “surprisingly good” customer service. I have more thought on this that will follow in a later post.

* Lessons about NOT getting demoralized or giving up

We are going to start including this in the IGC new member packet along with the Fred Wilson article that we wrote about a couple weeks ago.

thanks, Gentlemen.