Open up your mind and say, ahh...

The world’s most successful entrepreneurs play hard, but they work even harder. That much was made clear after the dust settled on f.ounders, an event that has quickly become one of technology’s premiere conferences.

There aren’t many events where you meet two heads of state, eat dinner with Bono, and party with 150 of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. But that’s exactly what happened at the f.ounders conference in Dublin, Ireland last week. The conference brought together the founders of Skype, YouTube, Netflix, Rovio, GroupMe, StumbleUpon, 4chan and more for four days of intensive networking, extravagant dinners and Irish hospitality — you couldn’t walk five steps without somebody offering you a Guinness.

Launched last year by Irish entrepreneur Paddy Cosgrave, f.ounders gets unusually high marks from its attendees. “It’s certainly the best conference I remember attending,” declared Atlas Venture Partner Fred Destin. “It was a conference that lived up to, and even exceeded, the hype,” said Ben Rooney, the Wall Street Journal Europe‘s technology editor.

With help from the Irish government, f.ounders treated guests like rock stars. On the first night, the attendees participated in a bar crawl with Bono, ate dinner in Trinity College’s famous library (it was the inspiration for the library in the new Star Wars movies), and were surprised with a full orchestra for the after-dinner entertainment. The next day, the Prime Minister of Ireland Enda Kenny addressed the conference just before the attendees were bussed to a reception with the outgoing President of Ireland Mary McAleese.

Meeting the founders was McAleese’s last act as President. It demonstrates the importance of the event to Ireland, which is looking to attract entrepreneurs to help it rebuild a downtrodden economy.

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Learning from the World’s Greatest Entrepreneurs

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When you stick 150 of the smartest and most ambitious people in the world together, you don’t get the typical conversation. I remember being asked to breakfast on the first day of the conference by Best Buy CTO and Geek Squad founder Robert Stephens. Our discussion dug deep into some of the issues facing startups and local businesses. Why isn’t Groupon Now taking off? Why hasn’t OpenTable expanded its platform beyond restaurants? How do you help small businesses better manage their excess inventory?

It was only the first of many in-depth conversations. One night at dinner our table had a heated debate on whether Europe could produce its own Google in the next decade, while I spoke with another founder about the evolution of technology journalism. Founders were making deals with a handful of VCs attending the conference, and large groups of attendees would stumble from the club into the hotel at 3 AM. At f.ounders, 4 AM was an early night — some stayed up until 8 AM drinking Jameson’s and making new connections, then showed up looking fresh for their panels just three hours later.

I learned that intensity is a trait shared by all great entrepreneurs. And not just intensity for their businesses, but for everything they do. It’s the same intensity that drove Steve Jobs to commit to a fruitarian diet — and to turn Apple into a world-class company

Second, I learned that Europe is brimming with entrepreneurial talent. The continent may not have the money or startup community that has turned Silicon Valley into the world’s technology hub, but it is catching up fast. Israel, London, Dublin and Berlin especially are building the foundations for a new breed of European entrepreneur — one more willing to take the risks necessary to build billion-dollar businesses. Israel has been churning out high-profile startups such as Waze and Shaker. London is wooing entrepreneurs with friendlier business laws and a budding startup community called “Silicon Roundabout.” Berlin boasts one of Europe’s strongest economies.

Finally, I learned that kindness and empathy are fundamental to entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs may be brutally honest, but fostering relationships with partners and building enduring communities requires empathy, self-sacrifice and a willingness to help others without expecting anything in return.

The Social Analyst is a column by Mashable Editor-at-Large Ben Parr, where he digs into social media trends and how they are affecting companies in the space.

The majority of college students today use smartphones — although three-quarters don’t foot their own bills. Not surprisingly, this has changed the classroom dynamic. Some 88% text during class; 40% use their phones for last-minute test prep; and a quarter take their devices out during each class.

This infographic, created by HackCollege, delves into the intricacies of how college students in the U.S. use their mobile devices. The leading two operating systems are Android and Apple’s iOS, holding an almost equal market share of 43% and 42% respectively.

And the tidbit we pull out in honor of Halloween: 25% of college students who are smartphone owners have used their devices in mischievous ways.

How have cellphone behaviors changed since you were in school? Do you think mobile has redefined the college experience? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Created by: HackCollege

Part 9 in a series introducing my new book, The End of Business as Usual…this series serves as the book’s prequel.

Digital Darwinism is the evolution of consumer behavior when society and technology evolve faster than the ability to adapt. At the intersection of relevance and obsolescence is the ability to recognize opportunities for change based on shifting consumer behavior and the subtle coalescence between emerging and disruptive technology. Businesses must realize that change is taking place today with or without them. And, to what extent varies from company to company. But without an understanding of how technology and society are evolving and how decisions are influenced and made, businesses are either left to make decisions in the dark or change simply for the sake of change. We all know how difficult, if not nearly impossible, it is to change. We also realize that once we do begin the inevitable process of transformation, the distance between where we are and where we need to be is not expeditious in any sense. In the era of digital Darwinism, the journey toward evolution and revolution is in fact, the destination. It is perpetual.

Many of you know me as someone who has championed social media over the years, going back well before the days of the original Social Media Manifesto. This is a time I must implore you to think different. See, social media is not the catalyst for change, but merely one of its agents. While Facebook and Twitter are often the recipients of accolades for their roles in fueling revolutions, we must remember that they are the networks that facilitate an uprising. However, it is repression, angst, injustice, vision, aspiration and hope that serve as the true stimulus for insurrection and progress. Technology plays a part in transformation and it is up to you to learn how social, mobile, real-time, and all other emerging trends are affecting your industries and markets.

In the world of business, customers are using new technology to share experiences. And, those experiences are either to your benefit or detriment. As Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Chairman of HDNet, shared, “To be successful in business, you need to see what others don’t.” To that I would also add, “and do what others will not or can’t.”

Through a Telescope, We Bring the World Closer – Through a Microscope, We See What Was Previously Invisible

I used to say, “in brevity, there’s clarity.” While I still believe this to be true, I also see that there’s a delicate balance necessary in understanding what is hype or trending and what is truly disruptive. Therefore we must look forward and at the same time, look closer at what’s taking place right now to analyze true impact. Separating fact from fiction or hype from disruption is now part of our job as our consumers are driving these results based on what they adopt, how they communicate, and how they influence and are influenced in decision making cycles.

To help, IBM reached out to over 1,700 Chief Marketing Officers, spanning 19 industries and 64 countries as part of its annual CMO study. The goal was to learn how consumer behavior and technology are changing business focus, forecasts and decisions. The results are both illuminating and helpful.

So, what’s keeping everyone up at night?

As you can see, big data, social media, the myriad of available consumer channels and devices make up the top three trends leading to corporate insomnia. But beyond those trends, the entire list is fascinating and worthy of study…

1. Data explosion – 71%
2. Social media – 68%
3. Growth of channel and device choices – 65%
4. Shifting consumer demographics – 63%
5. Financial constraints – 59%
6. Decreasing brand loyalty – 57%
7. Growth market opportunities – 56%
8. ROI accountability – 56%
9. Customer collaboration and influence – 56%
10. Privacy considerations – 55%
11. Global outsourcing – 54%
12. Regulatory considerations – 50%
13. Corporate transparency – 47%

If we break out the expected level of complexity and preparedness to handle what lies ahead in terms of emerging vs. disruptive technology, we surface what IBM refers to as the complexity gap…

The new IBM CMO study also reinforces my research and experiences with leading enterprises. Businesses do indeed seek to get closer to customers. To that end, CMO’s believe that there are three key areas for improvement:

1. Deliver value to empowered customers

2. Foster lasting connections

3. Capture value and measure results.

Addressing each of these items unlocks the true essence of the trends that are disrupting businesses today…customers are becoming increasing connected and as a result, they are empowered, influential, and increasingly elusive.

“Customers today have more control and influence with the brand than ever. We need to make sure it’s give and take—a two-sided conversation, with both parties having responsibilities in the interaction.”
- Ann Glover, Chief Marketing Officer, ING Insurance U.S.

Market research has over the years, helped to guide executive decisions. Nowadays however, market research is simply studying the equivalent of a mass audience without surfacing the nuances that define the audience with an audience of audiences. The study found that 75% of CMOs use customer analytics to mine data, but only 42% study customer reviews and only 26% track blogs. What CMO’s are largely missing of course is context and the ability to foster empathetic strategies and supporting protocol.

As we can clearly see, CMO’s are missing the ability to extract and introduce a truly human touch, focusing on markets rather than individuals.

If you take a look at the graph above, it these traditional metrics that drive increasingly ineffective decisions at a time when those very decisions are starting to also work against the company. Customer analytics is at least in the fourth spot, but as you can see, it isn’t until we get down to the 50% mark that personal data factors into strategic decisions. As you’ll notice, the either disregard or underestimation of blogs, even today, edges supply-chain performance data by a mere 1%.

Customer Engagement is not the Same as Conversations

Remember, at the top of the list of priorities of CEOs is getting closer to customers. Yet, looking at this information, it’s clear that the customer and the idea of the true picture of customers are contrasting.  To truly engage, businesses must not only understand customers, but also act. It really is a play on the old saying, actions speak louder than words. But here, actions speak as loud as words and therefore, anything social, requires social action.

When I was writing the new book, I sought out a working definition of the work engagement. It was both unbelievable and also understandable that the results were varied and confusing. I proposed a working definition in the manuscript that explained engagement as the act of a consumer and an organization or brand interacting within the consumer’s network of relevance. Engagement, and here’s the important part, is then measured by the takeaway value, sentiment, and resulting actions following the interaction.

With this definition is mind, we zero in on the discrepancy between how businesses view the customer and how they measure “engagement.”

According to the IBM CMO study, CMOs reveal that data is focused on managing the customer transaction and not the relationship. This is not engagement. And, this is why I believe that any discussion about sCRM is premature at best. As the following data demonstrates, companies are still placing greater emphasis on the “M” and not the “R” or relationship.

“We have to get scientific about the customer experience.”
- Nick Barton, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Greater China, InterContinental Hotel Group

This is the end of business as usual and rather than merely focus on the transaction, businesses must focus on creating a meaningful and shareable customer experience first.  In the above chart, we can see that awareness/education, interest/desire, use/enjoy, and bond/advocate make the list. And, the direct beneficiary of those initiatives is the customer.

Engagement is not just about communication. It’s about creating experiences that mean something, something that’s positive and worth sharing. And, that’s what’s possible today. In fact, if we look beyond transactions and measure results as they define and drive experiences, we can expand our toolbox to include what I refer to as the A.R.T. of disruptive media. How can we best use our customers networks or services of relevance to inspire or spark actions, reactions and transactions. How can we shape experiences and outcomes?

IBM found that at the top of the list of course, is the now infamous quest for what seems like seeking the holy grail without a map, ROI. But there’s hope as customer experience is second on the list. Truly, with the customer experience defined from beginning to end, the other metrics fall into place.

As we said early, actions speak as loudly as words and as CMOs focus their priorities for shifts toward disruptive technology, the customer is at the front and center of corporate transformation.

CMOs have their work cut out for them of course, but at least their hearts and minds seem to be in the right place as we look at 2012 and 2013. Everything comes down to customer relationships and experiences and that’s what will separate today’s CMO strategies from tomorrow’s success stories. To that end, at the top of the list is enhancing customer loyalty and advocacy. Following is designing experiences for tablets and mobile devices. Third, CMOs will use social media as a key engagement (hopefully as defined earlier) channel. Now we’re talking!

“In a corporate setting, instilling an entrepreneurial attitude in our own people is the most important challenge. After all, our people are our best marketing tool.”Vivienne Tan, Executive Vice President, Philippine Airlines

#Winning

While this post serves as part of a prequel to The End of Business as Usual, I’m starting to see that this series could really serve as its own book. Perhaps it’s a bridge with Engage representing the side of strategy and execution. Either way, I could keep writing and we must draw this chapter to an end. But, before I do, I’d like to take a moment to share a key finding deep within the IBM report.

IBM found that CMOs that use customer data to improve customer experiences are actually outperforming those businesses that do not invest additional effort in fostering customer relationships.  This is the chart that should bring it home for you. This IS what you’re fighting for. This is data to savor as it demonstrates the end of business as usual and the beginning of a new era of relevance. You are the change agent and your organization, your team, your peers, need you now more than ever.

Lead the way!

Today, we woke up to the discomfiting news that there are now 7 billion people inhabiting planet Earth. Seems like just yesterday there were only six billion. It’s an important milestone for the world and one big enough that, like most other major events and activities, has its own app: National Geographic Society 7 Billion.

The iPad app is simply called “7 Billion“, which is a number big enough to get anyone’s attention. According to the free app, which is downloadable right now from Apple’s App Store, it would take you 200 years to count to 7 billion out loud. In other words, you’ll never finish. Still, these are the kinds of tantalizing tidbits you’ll find throughout this information rich app. It’s part of National Geographic‘s year-long series on the world’s new population number. National Geographic will deliver new features to the app throughout the year (Cities are the Solution is coming in December).

Inside the app, which ran fairly smoothly on my iPad 1 (but could use clearer navigation–I had a bit of trouble getting out of the opening video), you’ll find over a dozen features and numerous charts, infographics and photos and videos on everything from how income and the average number of children impacts per-country population growth, to what the 7 billion people means for our food and resource supplies. Here’s just some of what I learned from the app:

• In 2045 there will be 9 billion people
• Every second 5 people are born
• Every second 2 people die (you can see the problem)
• We’re all living longer: the average Life span is now 69 years old
• By 2050, 70% of us will be living in urban areas
• We have enough space for all these people: 7 billion people could fit shoulder-to-shoulder in the City of Los Angeles
• In 1975 there were three mega-cities (cities with 10 million or more people)
• Today there are 21 mega-cities

It’s been a good year at Parker Brothers Choppers, the folks who made a replica of the Tron Light Cycle and a grown-up version of the Green Machine. They’ve got a reality TV show premiering on the SyFy Network in April, and both the Light Cycle and Green Machine made it into the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog.

Now, just in time for Christmas, they’re taking orders for an all-new, all-electric bike. Like the Tron Light Cycle, Parker Brothers’ latest creation is another nod to designer Daniel Simon, the former VW designer and futurist who also penned the Light Cycles for Tron: Legacy.

This time, it’s Simon’s Detonator concept that’s been put in three dimensions. It’s got a 30-inch front wheel and dual 96 volt electric motors in the hub of the 27 inch rear wheel. The e-bike is powered by lithium-ion batteries, and charges in an hour when plugged into a 110 volt outlet. Parker Brothers estimates the bike has a 80-100 mile range when fully charged, and it’s been bench tested to a 120 mph top speed.

“It is not the easiest bike to ride, but at 11.5 feet long it’s still rideable and fast as well,” said Jeff Halverson, operations manager at Parker Brothers.”

Well, it’s rideable if you’ve got the cash. The Detonator is on sale to customers in the US, Europe and Saudi Arabia for the cool sum of $100,000.

Photo: Karen Parker, Parker Brothers Choppers

Most advice about job seeking is oriented around big companies. The notion of a standard resume, of mass mailings, of dealing with the HR department–even the idea of interviews–is all built around the Fortune 500.

Alas, the Fortune 500 has been responsible for a net loss in jobs over the last twenty years. All the growth (and your best chance to get hired) is from companies you’ve probably never heard of. And when the hirer is also the owner, the rules are very different.

1. Learn to sell. Everyone has sold something, some time, even if it’s just selling your mom on the need for a nap when you were three years old. A lot of people have decided that they don’t want to sell, can’t sell, won’t sell, but those same people need to understand that they’re probably not going to get a job doing anything but selling.

Small businesses always need people who can sell, because selling pays for itself. It’s not an expense, it’s a profit center.

2. Learn to write. Writing is a form of selling, one step removed. There’s more writing in business today than ever before, and if you can become a persuasive copywriter, you’re practically a salesperson, and even better, your work scales.

3. Learn to produce extraordinary video and multimedia. This is just like writing, but for people who don’t like to read. Even better, be sure to mix this skill with significant tech skills. Yes, you can learn to code. The fact that you don’t feel like it is one reason it’s a scarce skill.

Now that you’ve mastered these skills (all of which take time and guts but no money), understand the next thing about small businesses–they aren’t hiring to fill a slot. Unlike a big company with an org chart and pay levels, the very small business is an organism, not a grid. The owner is far more likely to bring in a freelancer or someone working on spec than she is to go run a classified help wanted ad.

And many small businesses are extremely bad at taking initiative that feels like risk. They’d rather fill orders than take a chance and go out prospecting for a person who represents a risk. And that’s your opportunity.

When you show up and offer to go prospecting on spec, offer to contribute a website or a sales letter or some sales calls–with no money on the table–many small business people will take you up on it, particularly if they are cash-strapped, profit-oriented and know you by reputation. (Please don’t overlook that last one).

Hint: don’t merely show up and expect a yes. It’s something you earn over time…

The rest is easy. Once you demonstrate that you contribute far more than you cost, now it’s merely a matter of figuring out a payment schedule.

This is probably far more uncertainty and personal branding than most job seekers are comfortable with. Which is precisely why it works.

Visitors to the Hall of Curiosity website will find a mini-model of a T-Rex with an Altoids box for a head, a tarot card called the “Knight of Altoids” and a variety of other strange creations featuring Altoids boxes.

At first blush, the website appears to be a well-designed site for historical absurdities. In reality, the Hall of Curiosity comes from EnergyBBDO, the ad agency behind Altoids. Each item in the hall is meant to illustrate a fake-historical moment in Altoids history (such as the Altoids T-Rex). Most of the artworks are being auctioned on eBay with proceeds benefiting Americans for the Arts, a charity that supports arts education.

If it sounds like a strange way to market a mint, well, you’d be right. The idea for the Hall came from Andrei Chahine and Ryan Stotts, two Altoids creative leads at EnergyBBDO. The two made most of the artwork and what they couldn’t do, such as create a functioning solar system model, they commissioned outside artists to create. “We made 89% of it,” says Chahine. “We commissioned a couple artists, like the one who made the Russian dolls — she was a media buyer who’s actually a really kick-ass artist.”

The Hall of Curiosity has a home-spun, cobbled-together spirit that makes it different from traditional marketing campaigns. Indeed, most of the artwork was done for fun without Altoids even knowing. “We had all of these tins sitting around our office,” Stotts says, “and the mind wanders.”

That tongue-in-cheek nature is inimical to the Altoids brand. Each tin carries a silly fact and a “Curiosity,” or crafty how-to, like turning the Altoids wax paper into a dunce hat for your hamster. The ironic, vintage feel is very much in style. “That was something we talked about,” Chahine says. “There is this kind of resurgence of this old-timey-ness, ornate wallpapers and wooden frames.”

“Little shops will have this apothecary vibe,” Stotts chimes in. “I think Altoids fits very well with this sort of curious craftsmanship.” People have bee using Altoids tins for crafts for some time, Chahine says. A Google search turns up guitar amps or survival kits made from discarded wrapper and boxes. Placing the items for sale on eBay was a way of proving that a Altoids hood ornament was a real thing someone made as opposed to some snazzy Photoshop work.

Some of the items are going for curiously high amounts. Bids start at a dollar, but some have shot up to $71 (the Altoids Orrery), $50 (the Altoids tarot cards) or $29 (the Altoids hood ornament). Bidding ends November 5.

The team says more curiosities will be added to the hall every week — some from the in-house crew, some from commissioned artists such as a “strange sort of ski-scene” from Minimian, a studio specializing in tiny dioramas.

“I think the site feels really genuine and people appreciate that,” Stott says. “Originally we just wanted it to look like some dude just making these things who was an Altoids fan.”

If that was the goal, then (ridiculous) mission: accomplished.

Is the Hall of Curiosity a hit or a miss? Do any of the items look worthy of purchase? Check out some of the images below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.