Learning How to Walk as a Baby: Everything You Need to Know for Start-ups, Job Searches, and Getting Back Into Shape.

My daughter’s birthday just arrived and, as I always like to do around that time of year, I pulled out our old VHS tapes to watch the her as a baby. I find it fun to see how far she has come—a subtle reminder of how fast they grow up. This year was a particularly stark contrast for me. I had just finished a Father’s Day weekend of soccer in Brunswick Maine watching her play in 4 tournament games. She floated up and down that field with speed and agility; Always a play maker, many times a scorer. I thought how far she had come in just a year, let alone from the first steps captured on the video.

In those first very difficult and struggling attempts to find the balance to stand and learn to walk I could have never imagined the athlete she had become. It was a process that had to unfold at its own rate.

I found myself in a presentation with an entrepreneur a just a few days ago. He was outlining the entire vision of his company ten years out. I listened hoping that he might be the first person to be able to successfully do it. There were huge gaps of inconsistency, assumptions, and unknowns. As we talked more, it was obvious that he was struggling with defining, confidently, the entire thing.

I stopped him. I shared with him the analogy that I had discovered when building my third company. “I like your premise and the direction of your company. You don’t have to build the entire castle on day one”, I said, “If you can build a turret, or a turret and a wall and prove that it works as intended, then you can start to build out the other features of a full castle down the road.”

I realized that it paralleled my daughter’s baby steps. She didn’t need to be able to run up and down the soccer field passing a soccer ball at 11 months old—she just needed to learn to take steps and learn from each one.

The entrepreneur got the concept and seemed relieved not to have it all solved within his elevator pitch.

The other aspect that I gleaned from the video was the slow but steady repeated attempts my daughter made to ultimately be able to walk across the room without falling down. Instinctively she realized she just needed to keep at it; Not one or two bursts, but slow and steady progress towards her end goal.

It reminded me of my new approach to getting in shape. So many times in the past I started out

with a great 5 mile run only to then have over extended myself and end any hope of getting up to do it again the next day. It was easy to procrastinate and find excuses not to get out the door; “Don’t have 45 minutes, too cold, too warm, too cloudy, too sunny, wrong color shoes…”. This year, I took the new approach to run for just 15 minutes. I always have 15 minutes. It gets me out the door to run more consistently and stops the “I can’t do it right now” excuse hurdle. Once out there, I inevitably stay out longer. It is about the consistency of just doing it, day after day.

Finally, a good friend of mine has been looking for work for awhile, I shared with him my “baby

steps, turret and consistency” approaches to life. “You don’t have to find the exact full time job that meets every one of your criteria on the first day. It is a hard economy out there, if you need to, just start the process with baby steps—it could be volunteering, taking a cube in a shared-office, or just being at a cross-roads somewhere where there is activity. Just don’t sit waiting to be able to run down the field without first learning to walk.

For entrepreneurs, job seekers, and other wanna-get-in-shape people like me, the desired end result will come—even with falls, bruises, cuts and everything else your subconscious remembers—and doesn’t want to remember-- from when you were 11 months old and learning to walk.

The Return to Writing

A slightly longer sabbatical from writing than I first imagined. Another writing project seemed to absorb much of my writing energy. It feels refreshing to post again! The next posting, as you will see, provided excellent motivation to get back here!

Solving Problems From the Inside Out

In one form or another I seem to have spent most of my life helping to solve problems. It probably is what led me to be something of an entrepreneur and help start 3 companies. Even in the management of them, I was fanatical about understanding how we were perceived by our customers. It is only from that

view that we can improve and truly provide a service or product that is desired. I brought this same perspective when I served on my local school board for 6 years. I can tell you that this concept is not always embraced, partially I think because it is easier to have the attitude that we can tell customers what they will want and think it will work. That used to work for GM and other US automobile manufacturers, until companies like Honda and Toyota came along in the 1970’s and provided cars that customers wanted. They listened and chose to create solutions to the “problems” or the needs and wants of the customer.

My personal passion for Kenya, Africa and the developing nations is well known. In those gaps of time on long plane rides or car rides I have often struggled with thinking about ways in which real change can occur. I saw first hand the long term failure of well intentioned donor monies either being sucked up by bureaucracies with only a trickle ending up where it was intended, or sitting idle after the initial burst because of lack of cultural integration or understanding of the project. No parts for repairs, no education of locals to sustain the project, or a ‘solution’ that was oversized in its solution to a smaller problem.

I even went so far to outline a concept of creating a holistic, or life-cycle, measurement of the impacts from the success of international aid and projects. The thought being that success today can lead to only really pushing the problems a few decades ahead, unless steps are taken to address understand the impact and plan accordingly. CIAMP.org emerged and helped start to frame my thinking about this.

It was within this framework that I stumbled upon an innovative organization in Cambridge (MA) called Root Capital. “Root Capital is a nonprofit social investment fund that is pioneering finance for grassroots businesses in rural areas of developing countries”. They fill the niche in between microfinance and commercial lending. This “gap” is a critical area for further assist companies to grow to their potential.

I was impressed with the focus and success. I asked what other organizations I should talk to. At the top of the list was Acumen Fund in New York City.

I was instantly absorbed by the information on the website AcumenFund.org. Within the first 10 minutes

on the site I ordered the book, The Blue Sweater. The rest of the site is so well thought out and designed that it pulled me into its world and made me feel good about registering and becoming part of their community.

The book arrived in two days thanks to Amazon.com. Its author, and founder of Acumen Fund, Jacqueline Novogratz, wrote with such wonderful prose that in an instant, doors of my memory opened with a rush. Experiences, nuances, places, people, and images from my times living in Kenya were front and center. It was as if I was walking in her shoes. At the core of the story is a powerful message of investing in local people and companies with what she calls “patient capital” and the desire for solving problems from the inside out.

It starts with listening and ends with providing not just the means to achieve success but also setting the expectation of social and financial responsibility by each of the entrepreneurs. Giveaways are not the concept—empowerment and the empowerment of women, in many investments, to grow businesses is the foundation.

Novogratz wrote, “I’ve learned that many of the answers to poverty lie in the space between the market and charity and that what is needed most of all is moral leadership willing to build solutions from the perspectives of poor people themselves rather than imposing grand theories and plans upon them…”. Acumen provides funding to each company in the range of $300,000 to $2.5 million in debt and/or equity with the expectation of an exit in 5-7 years. A familiar Venture Capital model.

I had the same feeling one gets when putting on a pair of shoes that are in an instant a comfortable and an instinctual fit. I couldn't--I can't-- get enough of what Acumen is doing to utilize investment as a central tool to rid poverty--with dignity, engagement, and choice. I wanted to meet with someone at Acumen to see and understand for myself if the energy, intellect, and compassion I read about was embedded into the organization and team. It seemed too good to be true!

Thanks to the business networking site, Linked-In, I discovered that a close friend was friends with one of the senior Acumen management team members. The introduction started on the Friday before Memorial Day at 3pm, and by 6:00pm I was on the calendar to be in New York on Tuesday to meet with Acumen’s head of Innovation. That in itself told me all that I needed to know about the passion and professionalism of the group.

A dynamic meeting with Acumen’s Innovation Manager only exacerbated what I now call the “Acumen Adrenaline Rush”; Thinking about using existing infrastructure and distribution networks to succeed. Hearing the success stories and resulting momentum each one creates; Understanding the plans to recreate the business model in other countries. The drive back home was filled with thinking of ways in which to get involved and utilize my entrepreneurial experience and passion for Kenya and the developing world.

I had discovered an organization that shared my internal belief of making things better by focusing on what the customers need from their perspective—from the inside out. I had read the words of not only a visionary leader in Jacqueline Novogratz, but spoken with an equally talented supporting team. I had found something that worked for me, from the inside out.

I committed to myself to start by sharing the story of the Acumen Fund through my blog, in person, and to encourage reading The Blue Sweater, whether as a book club reading (they have a frame work to assist) or just a great read for an inspiring, innovative story as part of your summertime reading list while at the beach, on a lake, or in the mountains.

To take even a small peak at the power of solving problems from the inside—I hope you too experience the adrenaline rush!

Arrogance of Power Can Damage, if Not Kill, a Brand

Within the political arenas there is carnage on the left and the right from the arrogance of power. We have grown accustomed to witnessing imploding Governors and Senators with different sex scandals all in the belief that they would not be caught. President Bush’s claim to have “earned political capital” after only razor-thin election victory or Nancy Pelosi/Harry Reid believing that the most recent Presidential election gave them the power to do what they want without engaging the other party’s ideas. Even the cleanest of “brands” in Tiger Woods fell victim to the arrogance of power. Yet the same mistakes are repeated overtime—

In the corporate world we have history of arrogance too. But in this continued worsening news story of Toyota there is unfolding an unexpected arrogance. Toyota is to quality what Volvo is to safety. Years and years of hard work helped build Toyota to be recognized as the “quality” leader—which led to its overtaking General Motors as the largest car company in the world.

Then the recent recall—I mean recalls—one right after another. Consumers are generally forgiving if someone takes immediate responsibility, makes it right, and apologizes. Mistakes can happen.

But as this story rolls out it gets worse and worse. Known issues that were not revealed. Slow response to taking responsibility by Toyota. Delayed issuing of recalls—now totaling over 8.5 million in the US alone. Evidence of an intentional plan to not provide recalls. Hiring of former National Transportation Safety Board employees who in essence lobbied their former colleges to consider some of the facts as less important then they were.

What was Toyota thinking? Here in the middle of the worst economy—arguably even worse for the automobile industry—they start to get a big head?

This has REAL impact. Last week a survey by Kelly Blue Book showed 27 percent of the auto consumers considering buying a Toyota prior to the recall now said they are looking at other brands instead. OUCH! It now is also impacting the used-car market where shoppers are shying away from anything “Toyota”

Going forward, this will be a test of Toyota’s ability to handle the crisis—and whether it can re-shine a now tarnished brand. There are examples of companies that did it right (think Tylenol scare—which wasn’t even their fault) or those that did it poorly (think Exxon Valdez).

Beware the arrogance of power. Trust is a hard thing reestablish.

Scott Brown: What Companies Can Learn From His Meteoric Rise

DISCLOSURES: I waited at least a few weeks before blogging about Scott Brown and his successful Senate run in Massachusetts so as not to get lost in the crowd. Second, I am hoping that the mere fact of having the words “Scott Brown” in this blog will send the traffic through the roof. Finally, Scott Brown is a part-time resident in my New Hampshire seaside town—not that I would have ever been able to pick him out on the beach before now—but we all have to try to lay claim to fame somehow. Oh, and I am a bit of a political junkie.


Rarely—if ever—has an election of one person to the United States Senate had such a profound impact on the psyche and the bearing of this country-- the impacts of which are seemingly well known to those Americans following this historic event.

I do applaud Scott Brown. I love the underdog regardless of political party (when you are down 30 points you are probably more than an underdog)—and the efforts it takes to overcome that perception.

But there are lessons that every company can and should take out of this election of a Republican Senator in a highly Democratic populated state. Here are three:


1. Don’t just sit on the sidelines- Listen to your customers

The Democratic candidate, Martha Coakley, appeared to take the strategy of “playing it safe” by staying on the sidelines for months without interacting with her “customers” or listening to what they want. It reminds be a bit the American automobile manufacturers in the 1970’s—they were going to tell Americans what car Americans wanted to buy. Whoops! Enter the unheard of Japanese car companies, Toyota, Honda, Datsun (Now Nissan)—they, like Scott Brown, listened and produced a product people wanted to buy. They have not really lost market share ever since.

Remember, Customers don’t just buy you for what you did. They want to know what you will do for them.

2. Image matters—and so does relevant substance

Martha Coakley has her tough Attorney General image. Scott Brown the hard working “regular guy” who as we all know, “drives a pick-up truck” image. But usually “image” alone does not carry the day—it just gives a good head start (although if you have a bad image it could derail you pretty early on). Coakely’s “substance” while known (follow the Democratic playbook)—wasn’t in tune to the customers. Brown’s substance “I just want to go to DC and start solving problems” meant something to people.

Steve Jobs—also in the news recently for the iPad (there is a buzz word again that will lift the traffic on this blog!)—is a master of both image (think uber-design of the iPhone) across all hardware AND substance (think of the creation of “Apps- yeah, there is an App for that!). How did Palm—who basically created the personal handheld market decades ago—become a mere asterisk? The image was okay—although it never advanced more than the original design—but the substance was relatively limited for customers beyond a calendar and address book.

3. Winning Customers: Hard work, consistently

Attaining customers is hard work. Keeping them shouldn’t be hard if you are doing things well, communicating well, listening well. Customers want to be impressed, cared for, and basically appreciated. There is always a “Scott Brown” in the wings willing to be there to reap the rewards of unsatisfied customers. This is good news if you are an entrepreneur. This should be a wake-up call if you are an established company.

Customers are earned step-by-step, with thoughtful interactions over time. Scott Brown went door-to-door listening and communicating his message. He worked to earn the vote from each and every customer/voter—and as a 30 point underdog, did not assume he could win any other way.

All companies should design a strategy as if they were 30 points down—that would help them make sure they were doing everything they could to win.

Pausing to Appreciate The Nirvana Zone

Every year for the past five years a group of ten couples got together, it was one of those magical events where we all could be who we are and relax, joke, tell stories, dance, cook, toast each other and, well, just have fun. It was a nirvana of place and people. This year that event didn’t happen with the same group of people. Personal dynamics, changes in life, new friends all entered the equation. There was sadness that manifested itself for some—but in the end it was, for me, about the sadness of change. We all know it is inevitable-but when things are so good it just makes it that much harder when it is not the same any more.

It made me think back to all the times of my life that I was in the Nirvana Zone—company successes, camps, sports teams, summer events, family reunions, summiting a peak, places in Africa... While I know I tried to realize at that moment how special it was—it usually wasn’t until it disappeared or changed that I gained full appreciation.

Red Sox…Patriots. We have had some great Nirvana Zones with those two teams over the past few years. And then poof— now the highs are gone.

A recent news story on the island of Lamu off the coast of Kenya hit home. This island with streets (really alleys) 6 feet wide, one car on the island, rich culture, white sand beaches and not a care in the world is now targeted to be a major shipping port and oil refinery with all the trappings of the 21st Century. Truly a paradise lost (see NY Times story about that here ).

The reality is that we can not assume anything will last forever.

So while I may not put this under a New Year’s Resolution, I am going to make more of a concerted effort to pause, breath in, capture visually, emotionally, and spiritually those moments in 2010 that are in the Nirvana Zone knowing that they do not last forever. Even if I get 30 more seconds of joy as a result—I will have that to hold on to when the magic fades.

Of Santa and Practical Inventions

Maybe it is just because this past weekend I had to unscrew several drain pipes in the bathroom to unclog the drains and reach down into dark places with my fingers and a use a coat hanger to get even more...Maybe it’s that I almost got sick looking at the dark yuck I pulled out.

But I just saw this—what seems to me—“why did it take so long to invent” drain pipe from PermaFLOW (it is their “Never-clog drain”). Their claim is “The PermaFLOW's patented design ensures that you won't need to open your drain, call the plumber, use harsh chemicals, get out your plunger, or wrestle with your snake the next time you have a clog--just turn the external knob on the PermaFLOW's integrated, drain-clearing wiper to clear out blockage”. Now that is a BIG promise.

Now I’m thinking about the Christmas dinner including the uneaten brussel sprouts and heavy mashed potatoes in the sink. Is it too late to get this on Santa’s list?

Maybe the real thing I want from Santa is the 3am “eureka moments” to think of great solutions to basic problems like this!

Happy Holidays and Best wishes for 2010 to all of you Big Bad Rhino Blog Readers (and thank you for reading and commenting!)

Boy, come to think of it, there aren’t too many people sad to see 2009 in the rearview mirror!


To see the drain in action check out the VIDEO