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When a doe-eyed entrepreneur comes to see me for advice, I tell them 4 things:
  • You will NOT be your own boss
  • You will be stretched to your financial, emotional, psychological, physical and sometimes spiritual limits
  • You will most likely fail
  • You will attain levels of personal satisfaction you have never dreamed of
If they're still standing, we go into their idea and business model. It's so important for me for future entrepreneurs to understand the difficulties that lie ahead. I didn't know them 13 years ago and I wished I did. I most probably would have taken the same decisions, but I would have been less naive about it all.


This video, from GetOnTheRollercoaster.com, amazingly describes what I've been through... 3 times.


 
The New Geek 03/08/2010
 
I have never hidden the fact that I am a geek, a dork or a nerd. I embrace that side of myself quite happily. I subscribe to and demonstrate most stereotypes associated with these 'special' people without issue. The geeks, the dorks and the nerds are my people. 

I also teach to (and see business plans from) a bunch of nerds who want to become internet billionaires: 'This is the next Facebook, Google, Twitter' has become all to frequent. As a side effect to this, the 'social-media-anything-is-possible' craze has somewhat redefined the geek persona and lowered the barrier to entry into Geekdom.

That is why this new video from the Pantless Knights is so accurate, well written and à propos.

Geekdom, enjoy. This is the new us.
 
 
My friend Reg Athwal, a world reknown expert on Human Resources, posted this story which I think demonstrates the power of perspective. It's something that struck me in the last year that I needed, and something I think all entrepreneurs who get sucked into their businesses need more of.

One day, a very rich man decided to teach his son about life, and took him on a trip to a very poor village and they spent a couple of days with a very poor family. When they returned home, the father asked his son:
 
- Did you like our trip?- Yes dad. - Did you see how these people live?
- Yes dad. - Tell me then, what did you learn from this trip? The son replied:
- I saw that we've got 2 dogs, they've got 4. We have a pool in the middle of the garden, they have a huge lake. We've got imported lamps for the patio, they have the stars. We live on a small lot, they live on a big farm surrounded by meadows. We have maids to serve us, they help each other with everything. We buy our food, they grow it. We have a wall surrounding our house to protect us, they have friends to rely on. 

The father was speechless.

And the son added:- Thank you for showing me how much we still lack daddy!!
 
 
From TED comes this video about leadership and it's brilliant parallel with conducting an orchestra. From the youtube description 'An orchestra conductor faces the ultimate leadership challenge: creating perfect harmony without saying a word. In this charming talk, Itay Talgam demonstrates the unique styles of six great 20th-century conductors, illustrating crucial lessons for all leaders.'

It runs the gamut of leadership styles and how they all can be seen in conducting orchestras. The video also makes us question our own leadership style:
- Does leading necessarily require control ?
- Do we tell our own stories or help others tell their story ? Can others develop their skill under our leadership or can they just apply it ?
- Is there a purpose in our leadership or is it a technique we are applying ?
- Can we create the processes and the structure to allow others feel and be free to express themselves ?


... And what I believe is the most important question : 


Are we having fun ?
 
 
When Guy Laliberté, founder of the Cirque Du Soleil, met with the remaining Beatles to pitch the concept of 'Love' - a show that would integrate their songs in a most creative format - he used only three words. After years of trying to get his idea through, now sitting in front of them, he had the chance of the lifetime to convince them. The normal reaction would have been to elaborate fantastic concepts to wow The Beatles. But he just used three words that were powerful enough to move them:

Let's have fun.

The Fun Theory is a web site that tries to get ordinary people change habits by making the alternative habit a fun one. Here is an example of getting people to use the stairs instead of the escalator.

Fun. It's the unique value proposition.
 
 
This video beautifully describes the reason why I believe Entrepreneurship to be one of the greatest career vocations one can aspire to. Quite simply: they can change the world.
 
 

Every once in a while, I come across a video that makes me say: 'wow, that's so true' and 'where were you all my life?'.

This is one of those.

I've been on the receiving side of these discussions for years when I had an agency and an IT service company. One of the hardest things I had to learn as an entrepreneur was not to renegotiate in these situations. Since I'm a 'nice guy' who believes the best in people and that a handshake is more binding than a contract, well, I got chewed the wool off my back more than once.

But I sleep better at night believing the best and not always supposing the worst. I've just become 'cautiously optimistic'.

This video flies in the face of the notion that 'the client is always right'. He's not... but he does need to be educated sometimes.

 
 

Whether one is an entrepreneur or an employee, whether we need to satisfy our boss, our client, our supplier, our employee or our spouse, managing expectations is the single most important key. Countless expensive systems and processes are developed to ensure that we define the promise, we accomplish the promise and we demonstrate the return on the promise.

It's all about expectations.

Two days ago, someone walked on stage at a talent show across the pond. The expectations and the assumed promise could not have been lower. And yet...


A model for all of us who manage expectations of any kind. Let's shatter them like Susan Boyle did.

 
 

Quite a change for me. After 11 years of starting, building and selling businesses in technology, I decided to join an existing corporation. I am now an 'intrapreneur'.

Wikipedia says : An Intrapreneur is the person who focuses on innovation and creativity and who transforms a dream or an idea into a profitable venture, by operating within the organizational environment. Thus, Intrapreneurs are Inside entrepreneurs who follow the goal of the organization.

So what would push a hardened entrepreneur to switch gears ? From my own experience, I can talk about a combination of variables.

Time with family
As en entrepreneur, the family is usually the stakeholder that is the least satisfied in the entrepreneur's ecosystem. In order to keep my clients, my suppliers, my employees and my investors satisfied, it often demanded super-human patience and understanding from the ones I love. Funny how the first people in your heart are sometimes the last in your calendar.

My wife works with Child Protective Services and the job isn't an easy one. I often say that I get to meet and work with the cream of society, while her clientèle are child abusers and neglecters... the bottom of the barrel in my mind. And soon our third boy is going to see the light of day and it was a bit of a wake-up call for me. Are we both going to keep living fast lives where I am preoccupied by demanding clients and she is preoccupied with emergency abuse situations ? I certainly don't want to reflect back on my life and say I should have spent more time with them.

Focus
An entrepreneur has to learn to juggle multiple hats and perform tasks that are often outside their unique ability. Focusing on this unique ability is a luxury that most can't afford, especially in the beginning phases of startup life. In my current role, I can focus on one expertise : digital strategies. I help internal and external clients optimize their content and digital reach.

Learning
One of the reasons I joined a corporation was that I was seeking new experiences and new learning opportunities. I've done the entrepreneur thing for 11 years, and while I still have lots to learn, I felt I have sufficiently experienced it... for now. This certainly does not preclude the fact that I will return to my own business in the future.

Colleagues
I was a consultant for the company a couple of months before joining them, so I got to appreciate the team there. They are believers in the mission, they are experts in their field and they are genuinely nice people.

Challenge and openness for change
Finally, the organization has demonstrated a huge appetite for change in the media industry. They are Canada's biggest paper publisher and their understanding of future growth potentials in the digital world is refreshing and motivating.

The people and the challenges were the most important factor in my decision process.

Now, I'm addicted to startups, so to help my weaning process, I still
- mentor and coach Montreal tech start-ups
- teach engineers at the Bachelor's and Master's level how to start and sustain their businesses
- participate actively in the Montreal tech startup community

Oh, and I will still keep blogging on entrepreneurship and strategies in this space...

 
 

I don't often appreciate reductionist formulas where people say ' Do this and you're life will be better '. Life is so much more intricate and complicated.

However, I fell on this little formulaic reminder of corporate structure and priorities and thought it worth putting on the sticky side of my mind :

3 P = 2 P

Products + Processes + People = Profits and Phun (ok, I cheated on the last P, but it works)

Products : The right widget or service to fill the right need with the right message in the right market at the right time.

Processes : The right way of doing things to optimize revenues and expenses.

People : The right ready, willing and able people.

Equals

Profits : Not just financial, but also personal growth.

Phun : The most important part of the equation. If you're not having fun, STOP, go back to the left part of the equation and figure out what's wrong... then fix it.