Archive for October 2010
Naked Boxer Briefs
Summer Dhillon and Model
The title says it all doesn’t it? Well, believe it or not, that is the name of a brand new product and company here in my community. I attended the coming out party for this group of amazing entrepreneurs last nite, and I had a blast watching men in Naked Boxer Briefs. I didn’t get the chance to ask Joel Primus (CEO & Founder) where and how the name came about, but I discovered the answer to that question on their Blog. I highly recommend you visit their site and witness a great company in the making.
Let’s face it, when you get invited to an event like this, you know it’s going to be fun. The location for this gala event was at the prestigious Ronald Allan Clothiers store in Abbotsford, the store alone is worth the visit, let alone men in naked boxer briefs. I should also mention that the Ronald Allan Clothiers store has been a fixture in this community since 1953, they are well known for quality fashions, commitment & service, it’s what they do. They have also been recognized with Sales and Service awards including Chamber of Commerce Retailer of the Year. So you know you are well looked after at Ronald Allan Clothiers.
The wine & not cheese event had it’s dignitaries present, here’s a picture of me with Abbotsford Mayor Goerge Peary and Dean Sutton of Sutton Industries International Ltd. I tip my hat to Mayor George Peary, he is a great supporter of his community, he doesn’t just give lip service, he shows up!
Owen, George & Dean
And no, we did not model the Naked Boxer Briefs, we were there to support Joel Primus & Ross Brown, along with the rest of their team, in launching Naked Boxer Brief in Abbotsford at Ronald Allan Clothiers. Here is a picture of Ross, myself & Joel:
Joel, Owen, Ross
Now Joel Primus is the CEO / Founder of Naked Boxer Brief, and every CEO has his right hand man, in this case, it’s Ross Brown. Ross is accomplished and well known in the Abbotsford area, he serves as Chairman of the Board, and is the Managing Partner of Altitude Consulting and Altitude Search Marketing, just to name a few. (You can read more about the team on their site)
If you are asking the question, what are Naked Boxer Briefs? They are just that, men’s under garments, you’ll have to make a trip to Ronald Allan Fashions in Abbotsford and try a pair on, I guarantee you’ll like the product.
The table with all the food was well attended, and you’ll never guess who I found guarding the table. The lovely and vivacious Chrissy Lambert of Fraser Valley Pulse. Chrissy is a featured writer with Fraser Valley Pulse, she covers Health, Beauty and you guessed it Fashion. She is all decked out with me by her side : )
Chrissy Lambert & Owen
As you can see, much is happening in our community, entrepreneurs are making they’re mark, and they are doing it in Naked Boxer Briefs! It was an honor to be invited to this moment in history, I wish Joel & his team well, and you will be hearing more about them here, so stay tuned to Owen Greaves.com for future Naked Boxer Brief events, you won’t want to miss them.
The pictures at the event and for this blog post were taken by the Social Media UNGURU Rick Rake, be sure to follow him on Twitter!
The Vancouver Social Media Professionals Nov MeetUp
I thought I would post a little something on this event, I’ll be speaking and sharing on the Future of Business Online, The Open & Free Business Model. This event requires you contact the event organizer to attend, as of this writing there are only 4 spots left, so if your even a little bit curious, contact Glenn Hilton right now! He is on Twitter as well: @glennhilton
These fine professionals gather on the 1st Tuesday of every month where they bring in a speaker and then (my favorite part) a long Q & A session. They also do a neat thing called a Lightening Round, this is where you can pitch new things you’re learning, questions and challenges you might be facing, you could present new tools or technologies that make your job more efficient. You need to be a part of this group if you’re serious about your business, a fine group of people.
Groups that meet regularly should be helping each member improve, help increase business, learn, and support one another. How many times have you joined a group only to find out it was a bitching session and nothing of real value came out of it. Well, I can tell you this group is NOT one of those groups. In my opinion, these professionals like to solve problems, help one another, lift one another up, and just for fun, they love to eat!
The Vancouver Social Media Group is meeting at the Water Street Cafe in Gastown (Vancouver), so that speaks for itself don’t you think, a classy group already me thinks. They ask you to come prepared to order something, so get ready for a fun evening. The MeetUp will start at 7PM and run till 9PM, unless I go long : )
Again, there are only 4 spots left, if you wish to be with true professionals, then contact Glenn Hilton before you do anything else. Who is Glenn? Glenn owns ImageX Media, an award winning Drupal web design, development & consulting firm. Glenn oversees HR, creative direction and Social media Marketing.
Visit they’re website at: http://imagexmedia.com
See you there!
One Of The TOP Open & Free Business Model Examples
Just a few comments on what I believe to be a great example, if not one of the top Open & Free Business Model Examples. Skype has been around for some time, and I’m certain most of you use it, but next to Google they have shown us one of the best ways to give something away and generate revenue. Granted, not all of us has the resources or the know how to build a program like Skype or a systems like Google, but we all have an idea, a product or a service.
The Open & Free Business Model provides us a model to give something away and charge for a Freemium Service. Skype gives you the software for free, they even let you make Skype-to-Skype video calls or voice calls for free as well. There are conditions of course but it’s still free. Once you install the software, you can make these calls free to others who have an account with Skype, the account setup is also free.
In order to take advantage of the premium services, you will have to part with a couple of bux, nut only a couple. I subscribed to Skype for a low $2.95 per month, this allows me to call anywhere in North America anytime and for as long as I want. I can dial directly to Cell Phones and Land lines all for $2.95 per month! Your subscription rate will vary based on the package you decide to purchase. Oh, they also let you pay with PayPal too : ) (another FREE Service)
You have three options available to you when you download Skype:
1.) FREE
– Skype-to-Skype calling
– Video calls
– Instant Messaging
– Screen Sharing
2.) Pay as You Go Calling
– This rate starts at 2.3¢ a minute
– Call phones and mobiles
– SMS
– Skype To Go Number**
– Call Forwarding
3.) Monthly Subscription
– This Rate starts at 1.2¢ a minute
– Lowest calling rates
– Choose unlimited calling***
– Best rates with 3 or 12 month subscription
The above features list were taken from the Skype Website. They also have a product called Skype Manager, it lets you centrally manage Skype in your business. Allowing you to make accounts, allocate Skype Credit, assign features and monitor usage.
There is much more to learn about Skype, so the first thing you should do before you even install the software, read all the about the features, the different ways to purchase based on your needs, just like any other purchase you make right? For example, new in Skype 5.0, you can have up to 9 contacts in a Group Video Call…that may be a very important feature for you.
I asked on Twitter, what is your favorite feature in Skype, other than it’s free. Here’s a couple of responses:
@jameswanless of Vancouver, British Columbia said:
Text, vid and voice at same time, auto-saving of transcripts for reference, ability to phone landlines …
@Billy_Delaney of Akron, Ohio said, and jesting of course:
Typing information to someone on a conf’ call about what is being said, and the said person cannot see it :)))
I am a very happy subscriber, and this tool is one of my top valued items in my tool kit. It should be yours too.
Oh, and don’t SPAM me, but you can hit me up Skype to!
The Future Of Business Online Workshop
COME EXPLORE THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS ONLINE!
The Open & Free Business Model means looking at the world of business as it will be, not as it is.
How you can give away content and generate revenue, join me as I walk you through the basic principles of an Open & Free Business Model for your business. I’ll Show you what it might look like for you and your business.
We will look at three main topics:
TRENDS
We’ll look at trends and what’s happening around the world, and how these trends will impact your business online & off. Today there are 2.0 Billion people on the Internet, in the next 3 – 5 years that number will be 5 Billion. How will you get their attention?
THE OPEN & FREE BUSINESS MODEL
This is not a skill set, it’s a paradigm shift and this shift is painful, I’ll layout why and what this model might look like for your business, I’ll also show examples of how businesses are using this model.
BREAKOUT SESSION
By the time we get to this section, you’ll already have some new creative ideas, and ways to increase revenue. We’ll work through how you can build & implement your ideas with your staff.
When the workshop is over you will have a much better view of what’s coming, a framework to help you adapt, plus you will have a simple step by step approach for implementing new revenue streams.
This workshop has been reworked, it’s new & improved, it’s 4 hours (Noon to 4PM) of compelling information that will give you a whole new perspective on your business.
Workshop Friday Noon – 4PM / Oct 29th, 2010 – Price $99
Location Yet To Be Determined.
Book now and reserve your seat!
For more details and to book your seat, just send an e-mail to: workshop@owengreaves.com
I look forward to working with you,
Owen Greaves
The Equation Of Excellence
Ranked as the “greatest business book of all time” in a 2002 poll by Britain’s Bloomsbury Publishing, this best-selling business book has long been a must-have for the boardroom, business school, and bedside table. In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies (with Robert H. Waterman, Jr.), 1982
The book was primarily about three things, Listen to your customers. Take care of your people, and don’t let your values slip or slacken.
Tom Peters has searched the world over for businesses in Search of Excellence, he latest book The Little BIG Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE, 2010 continues the family of books on Excellence.
So why do I mention these books? Just this past week I had a brief online conversation after I posted a question on Twitter & FaceBook. It was a simple question meant to make you think about what Excellence looks like to you, and how do we measure it. So I’ll pose the question to you:
Is your Pursuit Quantity or Quality? – Or should it be Excellence?
Now the question seemed confusing but, two interesting comments / statements came back to me. One was a question that confirmed the confusion, having said that, it was an interesting thought.
How does pursuing quality differ from pursuing excellence?
My response even surprised me, and it got me to thinking:
Quality & Excellence are not the same thing. Quality is part of an equation that determines Excellence.
Another friend of mine kept it simple, but was it really?
My pursuit is to simply do my best at all times.
I possed another question.
There is the problem, how is your best measured, how do you know it’s your best?
The conversation continued for some time and again kept it simple:
Well, it’s measured in that moment of ‘doing’. I consciously know if I’m doing my best at any given time. Sometimes, we’re tired, and sometimes we’re completely energized – our best varies on where we are. I think we all know when we’re doing our best – like an internal barometer.
Still not happy with the answer, I drilled deeper not letting my friend off the hook:
Based on that statement, you only seem to know when you’re doing best by how you feel. Emotions are not always the best way to measure where one is at.
You must have some indicators that you monitor that keep you on track, that keep you focused, that ensure some sense of quality. Pursuing Excellence is a complicated set of habits that equal Excellence, but only you can set the standard of those habits, you are setting the bar for you business. If you don’t, someone else will judge you or your business on bad information / Excellence.
Two things struck me, there probably should be more than two, but….one, everyone seems to have a different view on how Excellence is measured. And two, I have come to the conclusion that there is this equation that takes you to a value called Excellence. This equation is something each business owner must look long and hard at, it doesn’t even have to be a business, anything in life that you measure and wish to have some level of Excellence. You or the business owner, has to set the bar, and those who experience you, your brand, and or your business will decide if it was Excellence. So there is alot to consider in the equation.
Is or has how we value Excellence changed because of technology, systems and more efficient ways of obtaining the almighty level of Excellence? Is Excellence easier to obtain because of technology, or ways of automating simple tasks?
Will the future of Excellence morph, will the definition of the word be changed because of how we measure Excellence? In my small understanding, Excellence would be a series of habits or action items done exceptionally well, how many habits makeup this equation, or do we go by how we feel? (not recommended)
The question is yours now, what does the equation of Excellence look like in your opinion?