Misc
Here It Is – New Years Eve 2010!
I have to admit, the past year had it’s challenges but I was surrounded by amazing people here in my community, and I can’t praise those enough on Twitter. Many of you know I’m a huge Twitter fan, mostly because that’s where I have had the most success in my business, and on a personal note. There isn’t anything really special to say about that, it happens to be the Social Network I leveraged. I could have used others but they just didn’t seem to fit my need for speed : )
Now I’m not one for making New Years Resolutions, you might find that odd coming from a Futurist but, I don’t actually predict the future. If I did, I would be in a different line of work. Alot is going to happen in 2011, the mobile movement is about to explode and cause business to shift yet once again. As I mention in my blog post I wrote back on May 28th, 2010, three things to watch for in 2013, is going to happen much sooner than indicators were showing when I wrote that bitty.
Social Media was on fire in 2008 and is still going to lead the way for the mobile marketplace in 2011, but it’s going to be a growing up phase for many businesses, specially the small business. I’ve said it before, I see dead businesses. The problem isn’t the technology, or the fact we as consumers are buying more and more online, the problem, is how we think! Most business owners think they know what to do in this new marketplace, and some do, but 90% don’t. If they did, there wouldn’t be as many dead businesses on the horizon. Start paying attention to Gen C, ask them what they think and what they want, you will be surprised.
Why will they die? They don’t understand what really has to happen in this Paradigm Shift. There are over a dozen shifts taking place and they are grossly misunderstood by the business community at large.I’m not going to go into details in this blog post but I will in next few weeks, today, I want to celebrate the year that passed and the year that is about to begin.
Social Media is not a Mouse Trap, it’s not meeting strangers, it’s not putting a band aid on a broken business – it’s a complete business reset!
I hope great things happen for you, I’m certain they will if you work smart and stay true to your passion. You will need people around you to help keep you on track, be humble enough to let others help you achieve your goals and dreams. If you do, everyone wins.
I look forward to sharing with you in 2011, and some of you I may get the privilege of working with you, regardless, Happy New Year! Please don’t drink and drive, and make sure you get home safe so you can reach your 2011 goals.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Merry Christmas From The Greaves Household
It’s Christmas Eve and we are about to enter into a time of Blessing and Family, not everyone has this luxury. We can however, adopt those less fortunate and make this time of year a time warmth & love. I charge you to Bless someone this Christmas, someone you don’t know.
This year is somewhat sombre for me, I have struggled more this year than ever with missing my Father, he left us Dec 11th, 1998, Cancer took what life had left. Christmas was his favorite time of year, he would go overboard with decorating the house, and he made sure we had at least 5 or 6 presents for each of three kids. My Father always made sure those around him felt encouraged and watched over, he always helped someone, and he always made sure Christmas was special for everyone.
You’ve read it here many times, and if you’ve heard me speak, you know my war cry:
How Many People Are Better Off Because You Lived?
I pray this message finds you well and that 2010 will be a great year for you & your family.
So, from the Greaves Household, Merry Christmas & may 2011 Be The Best Year Yet!
Owen Before & After
OK, I am posting here for you to point and laugh and even leave sarcastic comments, my before & after pictures of my feable attempt to participate in growing facial hair over the month of November.
Owen on November 30th:
And here I am on Dec 1st, clean shaven, with a much happier wife I might add.
So what do you think, which one do you like best, the hairy faced Owen, or the clean shaven, kinder more gentler looking Owen?
If you are wondering why the Before & After photo’s look like they are backwards, they’re not : )
Please Vote:
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It's Time To Start Thinking About Setting Goals for 2011
Last year on Dec 6th, 2010 I did a blog post on my goals for 2010, I also challenged you to do the same. Here are my goals from 2010:
My Plans for 2010:
* Increase Public Speaking Engagements – on The New Technology, I.T. Strategies / Planning
* To educate and teach 100 businesses develop an I.T. Strategic Plan. (roughly 8 new businesses per month)
* Develop a video series on developing I.T. Strategic Plans. ( The I.T. Strategic Planning Series)
* Continue working on my next eBook, The New Technology Pt 2. (hope to complete by end of 2010)
* Write more often on my Blog. (daily if possible)
* Get more subscribers on my Blog.
* And of course, increase revenues ( I have to put that on here)
Now goals are important, they hopefully kept you moving in the right direction of your overall business plan. So how did you do? Better yet how did I do? For the sake of transparency, I’ll will list the results of this year.
1.) Increase Public Speaking Engagements – I have averaged 1 per month in 2010, that’s up from two in 2009.
2.) Educate and teach 100 businesses to develop an I.T Strategic Plan – well, I have educated & taught 150 businesses, but more on the Open & Free Business Model than I.T. Strategic Planning. I’ll take it either way.
3.) Develop a video series on developing I.T. Strategic Plans – I started and stopped, I have a face for Radio and I just wasn’t happy with how things were going. maybe I’ll try something different like Slide Shows or Podcasts, maybe Slide Shows with Audio….hmmm. Or, Webinars…what you think?
4.) Continue working on my next Book – I have been working on two books, Part 2 of The New Technology & a new book on The Future of Business – The Open & Free Business Model. This is a work in progress.
5.) Write more often on my Blog – I have increased posting here but not at the level I should me thinks.
6.) Get more subscribers on my Blog – they are up over last year but only marginally – maybe another 30 – I guess I’m not interesting enough.
7.) Increase Revenues – I am very happy to report that I surpassed the previous years revenues by the end of January, so 2010 has been a good year so far. Still not sure what that number is, will know better in Jan 2011. Keep in mind, in 2009 I only made $4,600, that was due to losing 6 months to health issues, that prevented me from working at anything close to full capacity. Also, in 2010 I changed my Business Model – yep, The Open & Free Business Model – and it works!
So, there ya have it. What about you and your goals, how did you do, did you actually set some? If not, how about trying it this year, set some easy & hard goals for 2011, but be realistic too, otherwise you’ll give up.
I’m currently assessing my goals for 2011, you can never have enough positive challenges in front of you. So I challenge you again this year, set some goals and share them, sharing them puts them out there and in front of the world, that way you have accountability.
Good luck and I would love to hear about your goals.
When The Light Comes On
There have been many times when I went to a conference, sat in a workshop, or just talked with one of the speakers, and then walked away talking to myself, mumbling and processing. Everytime, and I mean everytime, I ask myself why I can’t see somethings but others do. You know, when you have that Uh Huh moment, the moment you get excited because you just saw or heard that thing, that thing you were missing or waiting to someday get so you could finish that whatever.
I do a fair bit of public speaking, workshops and think-tank sessions, and I always get a charge out of watching someones light go on. That moment of epiphany, the eyes get big, the smile and then SHAZZAM the light goes on. What a treat, it’s the high of highs for me, I love it when you get to play role in someones great idea or pain of figuring something out. It happens almost everytime I speak, I show them the future and then help them figure out how to adopt it. The creative juices always flow from something they didn’t know or just saw, the pen starts scratching on the pad an then the million question come at me like a Gatling gun. Fun stuff I must say.
Today was one of those days, I punched out the information in my workshop and it was as if someone pulled the blinders off and they could see once again. I love seeing people light up, they are always grateful after I share with them. Being surrounded with great people makes it even more special.
Do you turn lights on in people, are you helpful and giving of yourself, are you sharing in such a way that people want to hear more, get more, an then share what they learn from you. If you’re asking me, that’s the social currency, when others talk about you in a positive way, that you helped them solve a problem or just simply brightened their day. It’s called getting Attention.
I challenge you to give yourself away and turn the lights on in people. You will be blessed and rewarded ten fold.