bwagy, the blog of Ben Young

When there isn’t a step forward.  A noticeable difference.

If you can just help people move forward, even if it’s just to help start the ball rolling, they’ll love you for it.

Instead of focusing on what you’re achieving, focus on how you can help others to achieve your goals.

It’s often the disconnect that happens around boardroom tables, focusing on intrinsically what can be done to hit numbers rather than looking at what you can take to the market to help them and in turn achieve your objectives.

..

Reading this sparked me to write this post: One Click: Jeff Bezos and the rise of Amazon.com

is in seeing that something is a far surer bet than the world thinks.

It’s not that they take unfathomable risks, it’s that their unique perspective helps them understand the real risks involved.

..

Via a great couch conversation with Malcolm Gladwell conducted by Toronto Public Library.

A nice little assumption during the creative process:

Your first idea isn’t the best one.

It’s the most obvious one.

You need to dig deeper into the problem instead of rushing off on that tangent.  Go further, question why it will work, why it won’t.

The first idea can be the best just realise the weakness of it, it is likely what most other people will arrive at provided with the same information.  And you don’t really want to arrive at the same exact destination as everyone.

Uniting people around a central cause.

Getting that co-ordinated effort towards a goal in turn creating value through combining & bringing people together.

Individually little value, together massive value.

This actually is a job, you just have to create the ideas that pull them together.

Mess happens.

When you do something for the first time something will go wrong at some point.

Don’t stress about it.

You can deal with it, as it pops up.  Otherwise you can spin your wheels before you’re even off the starting line.

Over time you learn to identify the structural problems that turn up over and over again with change.  But you won’t if you don’t start.

Is it a born or learned behaviour?

Often the argument with entrepreneurial traits.

Same with that ‘sales flair’.

The thing that this argument misses, is that if you’ve had a go with entrepreneurship at age 5, you’ve had 20 years of that thinking by the time you’re 25.  When someone else is starting.  That’s a lot of learning.

That’s almost your first 10,000 hours.

Google anything with the Top Ten before it chances are you’ll find a list.

I even had an idea several years ago to build a site just all around top 10 lists.  Pretty sure someone has done it since.

It’s when we get stuck in comparing us against others that often pull us from our strategy.  That’s why political parties end up so middle of the road, they keep comparing rather than sticking to their plans.  It’s why brands start to compromise from their values rather than holding fast.

You could stack yourself up against that or just stick to what’s important to you.

That would be a great way to start the year.  Not to strive to beat your neighbour but to strive to what matters.

This is the final post for 2011.

Posts have been a bit sporadic of recent, due to an ever increasing timetable, things are back in balance now though.  So we should scream into 2012.

Few things to celebrate with Young & Shand, 290 proposals written in the last year, 250% revenue growth, 1 prototype product, 2 in development.  Couldn’t be more stoked with progress!

How’s your year been?

Time to take some time off, reflect, read some good books, figure a plan of attack for the new year.  Wherever you are – enjoy the festive season.

Look forward to tackling 2012.

Two years ago running a user generated initiative was hard work.  A lot of work for little entries.

Now it’s 10 times easier, getting feedback, pictures, participation.

People feel more confident creating & sharing their personal content.

It’s now a habit, it’s that easy.

If you’ve given it a go in the past but didn’t work, time to rethink.

People speak of Steve Jobs & his reality distortion field.

If you’re in the business of change, it is your job to make it easy.

Break it up, provide the path, make it super easy for people to take the first step & get started.

Ultimately they may go off the path but it’s easy to readjust and get them back on it.

If you can do that, synthesise big ideas, make it easy to understand, get started & take part. You’ll be massively effective.

Paying for the attention of the exact same people over and over.

It’s a habit that marketers have fallen into.  Yes we should use the opportunities available to get our message out there.

But do we really need to keep paying exorbitant sums of money to talk to the same exact people? Probably not.

Simply ask for permission.  Permission to talk to them again.

It doesn’t necessarily mean we stop doing the former, it’s just we are missing out on massive value from the latter, the exact people that want to hear from us, that care about us.

It’s about spreading consumption.

• 2 for 1.
• Happy Hour.
• Early bird.

All mechanisms to flatten the consumption curve, that is pull it up where it lacks.

They’re not only for restaurants & parking either.  You could look at:

• Cheaper rate for longer timeframes.
• Discount for cash upfront.
• Get 2 for 1 if you bring someone who hasn’t been before.
• Cashback if you refer the next customer.

What could you do to change that?

Has it actually?

No really?

If it hasn’t, your initial decision probably still holds true.

If you’re having difficulty getting to a place of understanding step back and look at your assumptions.

Sometimes you need to put more effort into explaining your conclusions & assumptions before you get to your idea.

They’re the platform that you’re idea stands on, if people don’t understand them (or are even aware of them) they won’t get it.  Or see the value.

That is knowing a thing or two about a subject matter.

Sometimes your domain expertise is being a specialist in five different generalist areas (as I’ve talked about here).

But don’t confuse that with expertise in a vertical.

People like Richard Branson are the rare exception however they partner with people that have domain expertise.

If you don’t have it, make sure your partner does.