Avondale Investments: Wind Down of Capital Purchase Program & Emergency Economic Stabilization Act - interview

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma based Avondale Investments LLC President Don Dillingham (photo left) and Senior Adviser J.D. Colbert were kind enough to answer a few questions about Avondale Investments LLC. They also discussed how the firm was selected to manage the wind down of the Capital Purchase Program and the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act and the special challenges and opportunities presented with the contract.

Thanks to Don Dillingham, and special thanks to J.D. Colbert who sent these interesting and informative answers.

Your firm was selected as one of six companies to manage the wind down of the Capital Purchase Program and the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. What were those programs designed to do?

J.D. Colbert: The EESA was an unprecedented effort on behalf of the federal government to intervene into the nation's economy with the intention of preventing an overall "economic meltdown". The EESA bill, passed in September, 2008 was a response by the Bush Administration to severe and worsening economic dislocation in the nation's economy and an attempt to avoid still worse conditions. The EESA authorized $700 billion for this overall economic stabilization effort.

The Capital Purchase Program (CPP) was one of several programs created under the EESA. Initially, under the EESA, there was the intention to use a large portion of the $700 billion to purchase "toxic assets" from the balance sheets of financial institutions. These toxic assets were generally defaulted home loan mortgages and financial assets that had gone sour. The Bush administration quickly realized that this approach would take too much time.

In the interests of expediency, the CPP was created to where Treasury could invest monies directly into the bank by purchasing stock in banks so that the bank would then have additional liquidity with the intention of the bank making additional loans using the monies.

What size and type of financial institutions and what types of assets are included in the stabilization effort?

J.D. Colbert: All sizes and types of Financial Institutions are participating in the stabilization effort through the various programs Treasury is administering under the EESA. These include commercial banks, both large and small, and other firms such as AIG, GMAC, Chrysler Holding, and General Motors Corporation.

What are your firm's role and responsibilities in that process?

J.D. Colbert: Avondale's role will include a significant role in the ongoing evaluation and monitoring of the financial condition and financial performance of the financial institutions assigned to Avondale.

J.D. Colbert (photo left)

Will you be working closely with the Treasury department regarding the valuation of the assets involved?

J.D. Colbert: Yes. Under the contract signed between Avondale and the U.S. Treasury, known as the Financial Agency Agreement (FAA), Avondale will be responsible for periodically valuing Treasury's investments in Financial Institutions.

How important is it to you and your organization to maintain transparency and accountability as your perform your new duties?

J.D. Colbert: It is VERY important to both Avondale and the U.S. Treasury to maintain the highest standards of transparency and accountability in Avondale's fulfilling the duties and responsibilities to Treasury as outlined in the FAA. The FAA itself outlines mechanisms, procedures and policies that call for the highest standards of transparency and accountability.

How was your firm selected for this role and are there other Native American firms involved in the process?

J.D. Colbert: Avondale's selection as a Financial Agent in December, 2009 represented the culmination of a 13 month evaluation and selection process conducted by Treasury.

In early November, 2008 Treasury promulgated a Request for Proposals (RFP) in which Treasury was seeking the assistance of private sector asset management firms to help managed the assets created under the EESA. Over 200 asset management firms responded to the RFP. In the end, only 9 firms were selected and Avondale is the only Native American firm.

The evaluation and selection process included responding to the RFP, transmitting to Treasury numerous documents attesting to Avondale's capabilities, face-to-face meetings, teleconferences with Treasury and Treasury's evaluation of Avondale's internal control standards and audit processes.

Do you see yourselves and your firm as positive role models for aspiring Native American entrepreneurs?

J.D. Colbert: From the very positive response of our many contacts across Indian Country, it is fair to say that Indian Country shares our joy and honor at being selected as one of only nine firms out of over 200 firms to be awarded this important contract with Treasury.

We feel that aspiring Native American entrepreneurs will be encouraged by this unprecedented selection of a Native firm by Treasury. We also recognize the great responsibility upon Avondale to deliver excellence in our performance of the duties of the contract such that we might be able to pave the way for future Treasury contracts with other Native-owned firms.

What advice would you give to a Native American person considering a career in entrepreneurship?

J.D. Colbert: We as a general matter encourage entrepreneurship in Indian Country. At an individual level we would advise a Native American person considering entrepreneurship to remember that the most "successful" businesspeople aren't necessarily the ones who have made the most money. Success lies in doing those things that make you the most happy and those things that you are passionate about. Thus, identify that which you are most passionate about and considering building a self-perpetuating business around that passion.

What is next for Don Dillingham and JD Colbert and for Avondale Investments?

J.D. Colbert: In addition to dutifully and faithfully discharging all of the responsibilities and duties under the FAA with Treasury, we believe that this contract will facilitate additional contracts with federal agencies and Indian tribal government in the asset management area as well as facilitating Avondale's involvement in community development finance opportunities.

The Global Small Business World in 2010

Our Global Small Business World 2010 trend piece is ready for viewing over at our favorite trend hub: Small Business Trends!

Read every word here:

10 Predictions, Forecasts
and Trends That Will Shape Our
Global Small Business
World in 2010

What It's Like to be No. 2 Globally

Take a good look. I bet they try harder.

'Avatar' Cracks Top 10 All-Time Domestically; No. 2 Globally

See how China consumers view the movie .

Note: Our "10 Predictions, Forecasts and Trends That Will Shape Our Global Small Business World In 2010" is scheduled to be published first over at Small Business Trends (www.smallbiztrends.com) -- hopefully today (1/12). We'll let you know when it's posted. As a refresher, here's 2009.

What Are You Doing To Ensure This Is Your Best Year Ever?

Round the world, we're looking for inspiration and tips on what you are going to do now -- and in addition to taking your business global -- to make this your best year ever.

For ideas, read, "44 Ways to Kick-Start Your New Year" published in SUCCESS Magazine.

Tell us what you have planned or what you are already doing to soar through 2010.

Note: Tuesday, (1/12), we hope to release our annual "Predictions, Forecasts and Trends That Will Shape Our Global Small Business World In 2010." Watch for it. As a refresher, here's 2009.

Photo: Shakenstir, U.K. 2009, What a year!

Alan Briskin: The Power Of Collective Wisdom - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Speaker, consultant, co-founder of The Collective Wisdom Institute, and co-author of the important and world changing book The Power of Collective Wisdom: And the Trap of Collective Folly, Alan Briskin, shares ideas from the emerging field of collective wisdom. He shares study and practice of more effective and satisfying ways of working with others. Groups contain extraordinary creative potential collectively. While collective wisdom doesn't arise through an act of will, you will learn six commitments you can adopt to increase the likelihood that it will appear. Discover as well the pitfalls of polarization and false agreement, and how they lead to collective folly.

Alan Briskin is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on Blog Talk Radio.

The show airs live on Thursday, January 14, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Speaker, consultant, co-founder of The Collective Wisdom Institute, and co-author of the important and world changing book The Power of Collective Wisdom: And the Trap of Collective Folly, Alan Briskin, shares ideas from the emerging field of collective wisdom. You will learn:

* Why the emerging field of collective wisdom is an important one

* The six stances that will help facilitate collective wisdom to arise

* How to be vigilant and watch for the pitfalls of collective folly

* How to recognize and avoid polarization and false agreement in a group

Alan Briskin, Ph.D. (photo left) is co-founder of The Collective Wisdom Institute and is a consultant, artist, and researcher. His recent book, Daily Miracles: Stories and Practices of Humanity and Excellence in Health Care, was chosen for publication by the Sigma Theta Tau International, honor society of nursing. He is a leading voice in the field of organizational development and a pioneer in the area of group learning grounded in spirit and collective wisdom.

In 1971, Alan was part of an international community in Israel, founded on the principals of the communal kibbutz. As an educator, he helped in the start up and development of a free school in Maine (1973) and was the first Director of Education for the Vermont group home that became the model program for deinstitutionalization of confined youth (1978). His interest in alternative educational settings continued for over 10 years (1995 – 2005) as the principal consultant to the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

His work with human potential and organizational learning continued as a specialist in prison reform and health care. He was the first person to research emerging theories of moral development with prison inmates and led a model program aiding inmates to bridge the chasm between cell block and useful employment. In the 1980’s he was the one of the first organizational consultants to work with senior leadership in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, western division. As a health care consultant in the mid 1990’s, he helped design programs for practicing physicians to deepen their communication skills with patients. He is a founding member of the Relationship Centered Care Network.

His book, The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace (1996), was credited with helping shape the spirit and work movement in the late 1990’s. In workshops and conference settings, he has given keynotes or facilitated dialogues on the human aspects of leadership and the role of spirit in groups. He has been invited to speak on his work throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, England, and South Africa. He has a doctorate from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA and is a Professional Associate of the Grubb Institute in London. His love of photography opened his inner eye to the beauty that enfolds us.

Alan lives in Oakland, CA with his wife and son.

My book review of The Power of Collective Wisdom: And the Trap of Collective Folly by Alan Briskin, John Ott, Sheryl Erickson, and Tom Callanan.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with speaker, consultant, co-founder of The Collective Wisdom Institute, and co-author of the important and world changing book The Power of Collective Wisdom: And the Trap of Collective Folly, Alan Briskin, as he shares ideas from the emerging field of collective wisdom. He shares study and practice of more effective and satisfying ways of working with others. Groups contain extraordinary creative potential collectively. While collective wisdom doesn't arise through an act of will, you will learn six commitments you can adopt to increase the likelihood that it will appear. Discover as well the pitfalls of polarization and false agreement, and how they lead to collective folly on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: The Power of Collective Wisdom: And the Trap of Collective Folly, Alan Briskin, John Ott, Sheryl Erickson, Tom Callanan, collective decision making, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

China: What Wall?

Interesting post by Elison Elliott for the Foreign Policy "Global Markets" Blog Network (launched February, 2009):

Don't Bet Against China

It's running in line with our predictions No. 4 and 5 here. Elison and I have been in touch via email. I hope to interview him soon on this topic at The Global Small Business Blog.

Also make note of prediction No. 4 in our report talking about China "borrowing our ideas ..." Looks like Google has a short fuse on this.
Fascinating. Another interesting piece .

The Power of Collective Wisdom by Alan Briskin, Sheryl Erickson, John Orr & Tom Callanan - Book review

The Power of Collective Wisdom

And the Trap of Collective Folly

By: Alan Briskin, John Ott, Sheryl Erickson, Tom Callanan

Published: October 2009

Format: Paperback, 239pp

ISBN-13: 9781576754450

ISBN-10: 1576754456
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

"Collective wisdom reflects a similar capacity to learn together and evolve toward something greater and wiser than what we can do as individuals alone", write educators, founders of the Collective Wisdom Institute, and group process facilitators Alan Briskin, John Ott, Sheryl Erickson and Tom Callanan in their important and world changing book The Power of Collective Wisdom: And the Trap of Collective Folly. The authors share a convincing and timely discussion of the need and desire for moving beyond individuality to a more collective mode of thinking, where wisdom can emerge spontaneously, creating effective solutions to the pressing problems and concerns of today and tomorrow.

Alan Briskin, John Ott, Sheryl Erickson and Tom Callanan describe, through stories and examples of the necessity for people to work together to imagine and develop ideas and possibilities larger than themselves. The authors believe firmly that the old problem solving solutions, and the divisive nature of much modern thinking, are no longer effective and are even counter-productive in process and outcome. For the authors, change is not entirely at the macro level, but works even more effectively when collective wisdom applied at the individual level. Small groups of people working together, thinking of ideas and workable lasting solutions, are the basis for collective wisdom to appear and spread to others. The authors recognize that collective wisdom cannot be willed into existence, but will arise when the right climate of cooperation, understanding, and mutual respect are in place.

Alan Briskin (photo left), John Ott, Sheryl Erickson and Tom Callanan understand the dangers of collective thinking as well. The authors warn against what they term collective folly. When groups of people get together, with the desire to solve problems, there is always the risk of polarization and of forced agreement. Both situations work against collective wisdom bu imposing group think and even the horrors of a mob mentality. Recent history and current events provide many all too familiar examples of the forces of collective folly in action. The authors show the reader how to be alert to the group dynamics that can lead away from collective wisdom and down the treacherous road toward collective folly. By knowing the warning signs, the dangers of collective folly can be avoided, and the groundwork for the spontaneous appearance of collective wisdom, can be put into place.

For me, the power of the book is how Alan Briskin, John Ott, Sheryl Erickson and Tom Callanan describe the empowering and world changing aspects of collective wisdom through both theory and real world example. The book and its ideas are research based, on actual academic and practical study, making the concept relevant and a realistic process and goal to achieve. For the authors, human nature does not tend toward atomization and isolation, but toward collective understanding and problem solving as a group. The open and honest admission, that collective wisdom cannot be willed into existence, is important for understanding the concept and its value. If an attempt is made to force collective wisdom, that thinking process will lead instead to the pitfalls of collective folly. Through the critical six commitments presented by the authors, the likelihood that collective wisdom will appear are greatly enhanced.

I highly recommend the must read book The Power of Collective Wisdom: And the Trap of Collective Folly by Alan Briskin, John Ott, Sheryl Erickson and Tom Callanan, to anyone seeking a better way to discover and make real and lasting decisions that benefit everyone, and not just the few. Instead of personal agendas, polarization, and false agreement, learn the extraordinary ability of groups to tap into extraordinary human potential.

Read the essential guide to finding the strength of co-creation The Power of Collective Wisdom: And the Trap of Collective Folly by Alan Briskin, John Ott, Sheryl Erickson and Tom Callanan, and find insight through cooperation, instead of polarization.

Tags: The Power of Collective Wisdom: And the Trap of Collective Folly, Alan Briskin, John Ott, Sheryl Erickson, Tom Callanan, collective decision making, business book reviews.

Global Product Domination?

We talked about how China is on the fast track to economic domination here in Point No. 4 of our "10 Predictions That Will Shape Our Global Small Business World in 2010" report, but what about global domination for the "Snuggie" brand exported from the U.S.A. yet produced in China?

Read more here. After reading the article you might ask, "What is a Snuggie (pictured)?" Even I wondered. I think it's this.

What's your global domination campaign in 2010?

Lisa Johnson Mandell - Career Comeback - Author interview

Award winning author, journalist, and film critic Lisa Johnson Mandell, in her image transformational and results oriented book Career Comeback: Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want, was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about landing the job of your dreams. Lisa shares her experiences and her ideas on personal makeovers, wardrobe updates, internet and technical savvy, and Botoxing a tired resume.

Instead of losing out on jobs to younger applicants, Lisa Johnson Mandell shows you how to beat the new rules of the employment game. Instead of being passed over, become the ideal candidate for that wonderful new career.

Thanks to Lisa Johnson Mandell for these great answers.

What was the background to writing this book
Career Comeback: Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want?

Lisa Johnson Mandell: In my late 40's with more than 25 years of experience, I was having a tough time going from freelance to full time. I was sending out hundreds of resumes and getting zero response. I took a look at what I was doing and decided I need a career makeover, which ended up being so successful I was featured in the Wall St. Journal and other major news outlets. I got more job offers than I could handle! I decided that if I could do it, anyone could do it, and wrote a book about how anyone can successfully apply what I learned.

Is ageism an important issue in today's hiring process, and if so, how does it affect women?

Lisa Johnson Mandell: Ageism is tough today for both women and men. Many companies today are inclined to hire younger employees, whom they perceive to be less expensive and more tech savvy. I actually think it's a little easier for women to appear fresh, hip and ageless, however, than it is for men. Wardrobe and cosmetic tweaks are more available and accepted for women. Either gender, however, can exude timeless energy that will help them overcome ageism.

While experience is often valued by employers, very often younger people get hired because they are often seen as more up to date. How can an older job applicant bridge the age gap and combine experience with youthful savvy? By exuding the above-mentioned timeless energy, emphasizing flexibility and willingness to learn, and walking into any situation with a full deck of tech-savvy cards, which includes a personal blog, an affinity for and familiarity with social networking, and a mastery of Internet skills. They are a must in almost any work environment these days.

Should a woman consider redoing her wardrobe to remove certain items, and what items are especially good add, or are bad to keep?

Lisa Johnson Mandell: Yes! I advise any woman to invite a 20-something friend or relative into her closet and help her weed out anything that makes her look frumpy and dated, such as themed sweaters; plain, boxy, solid colored dark suits; heavy, flesh-colored panty hose; anything with over-sized shoulder pads; loud prints; too many ruffles, bows or ribbons; "mom" jeans or elastic-waisted slacks; "sensible" shoes and the like. Every working wardrobe should include at least one crisp, white blouse, a black turtle neck, a pencil skirt, nice fitting dress slacks, an attractive blazer or sweater, an up-to-date pair of dark (dressy) jeans, a good pair of black pants and several colorful shirts or blouses. Those are the basics. More skirts, dresses, jackets, etc. can be added from there.

Lisa Johnson Mandell (photo left)

Should a woman consider a personal makeover to project a different image, and what should that image be?

Lisa Johnson Mandell: Everyone, of any age, can benefit from an update, and it can be as simple as going to the makeup counter of a local department store and having them show you how to use the latest season's colors. Cosmetic surgery is by no means necessary for everyone, but why not walk into the best hairstylist in your area and ask what he/she would suggest for a fresher look? The image you want to project is one of ageless energy and competence.

How important is it for a woman to be up do date on the latest technology and the internet?

Lisa Johnson Mandell: It is essential! Even the most basic jobs will probably require you to communicate over some electronic device, and if you can't do that, you'll be far behind all the other candidates.

Should a woman consider starting a blog and becoming familiar with social media including Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn?

Lisa Johnson Mandell: Definitely. I can't stress this enough. They are essential in personally branding you to stand out from the competition, and to show employers that you are up on all the latest resources available.

In the book you mention Botox for a resume. What do you mean by that?

Lisa Johnson Mandell: Botoxing the resume means erasing the age-lines. The year you graduated school, for example, is not important -- the specific school and your major or field of studies is important. It also involves deleting any obsolete skills with software or professional equipment that is no longer used. And if you had jobs more than 15 years ago that have no relevance to the current job you're applying for, delete mention of those jobs as well. Employers are not as interested in when you did what, but they ARE interested in exactly what you've done that pertains to their particular position.

What is the first step a woman should take toward competing in today's tighter job marketplace?

Lisa Johnson Mandell: She needs to become Internet savvy. This is an invaluable tool for networking, job searching, researching, updating and learning new skills and trends.

What is next for Lisa Johnson Mandell?

Lisa Johnson Mandell: I'm currently blogging for AOL's Dime Crunch, and am looking at helping more people find jobs they love via television, radio and new media.

*************

My book review of Career Comeback: Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want by Lisa Johnson Mandell.

Tags: Career Comeback: Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want, Lisa Johnson Mandell, career and image management for women, business author nterviews.

Career Comeback by Lisa Johnson Mandell - Book review

Career Comeback

Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want

By: Lisa Johnson Mandell

Published: January 7, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
ISBN: 9780446549653
Publisher: Springboard Press/Hachette

"Nowadays, there are fewer jobs, and the competition for them is more fierce than ever. We certainly don't need the added burden of ageist images and prejudices to hold us back", writes award winning author, journalist, and film critic Lisa Johnson Mandell, in her image transformational and results oriented book Career Comeback: Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want. The author helps job seeking and career stalled women wage an all out assault on ageism, by turning back the clock on age, appearance, wardrobe, resumes, and employment skills.

Lisa Johnson Mandell understands the problems facing women in today's youth oriented labor market. She experienced the effects of employers' preferences for younger men and women in her own career. She discovered, much to her surprise and shock, that her experience was not considered an advantage, but was in fact detrimental to her employment prospects. As a result, she took positive steps toward removing the age related portions of her resume, got a more modern hairstyle, modernized her wardrobe, and improved her technical expertise. It worked. She met the challenge of younger job seekers, through a combination of updated appearance, a strong emphasis on current technical savvy, and a revamped resume, and won the job of her dreams. She shares successfully, her secrets of getting the ideal job with her readers, in a practical and accessible style.

Lisa Johnson Mandell (photo left) recognizes the critical importance of being computer literate, and with at ease using social media and blogs. She recommends having a strong web presence to show off internet skills, while showing her readers how to utilize all aspects of the world wide web effectively. The author provides powerful insights into building a personal brand that carries over seamlessly from the internet to face to face networking to a successful job interview. Instead of having experience working against the job seeker, Lisa Johnson Mandell shows just how to add new skills to already existing ones to create an effective and unstoppable synergy. Through a recreating of oneself to fit the new rules of the employment game, the author gives the new career aspirant an edge over younger and less experienced people.

For me, the power of the book is how Lisa Johnson Mandell helps the older job applicant refresh their appearance, employment skills, and resume in new and exciting ways. The author shares practical and in the trenches job skills, ranging from becoming familiar with current social trends, to establishing an advanced internet and social networking presence. At the same time, the author shares the secrets of Hollywood's leading stylists on hair, makeup, and clothing that will transform any woman into an employment star. With these new advantages in place, Lisa Johnson Mandell guides the applicant through creating an updated resume, which she describes as resume Botox, that freshens up experience while downplaying age and outdated terms and technology. When the woman lands the job of her dreams, the book also includes an important section on negotiating the salary she deserves for the added value she brings to the job.

I highly recommend the indispensable career seeking guide for women Career Comeback: Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want by Lisa Johnson Mandell, to anyone who feels the oppressive force of ageism pushing them off to the career sidelines. This book provides the necessary tools, skills, and inspiration to create the ultimate makeover of yourself, your experience, and your technological skills to land that dream job.

Read the essential life and career reinvention book Career Comeback: Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want by Lisa Johnson Mandell, and turn the new rules of getting a great job upside down. This book will freshen up your image, reboot your resume, help you interview like a true superstar, and move your life into that wonderful new story book career.

Tags: Career Comeback: Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want, Lisa Johnson Mandell, career and image management for women, business book reviews.

Global IT Spending Will Increase in 2010

Forrester Research says the global technology industry will see an 8.1 percent increase in IT spending in 2010, with software and computer hardware leading the charge, and IT consulting services following.

IT spending is expected to grow 6.6 percent in 2010 to $568 billion, according to Forrester's latest research report. Global tech spending, which dropped 8.9 percent in 2009, will rise to more than $1.6 trillion in 2010.

TechTip2U Powered by: Verio

Take the Export Plunge

Here's a perspective on why some firms hesitate to export. It certainly comes across far more difficult than it has to be. But there are some interesting lessons, tips and resources that can be found if you dig deep within the article, especially if you run a business in Ohio, U.S.A.

International Business
Some Firms Hesitate to Take Export Plunge

Veracity by Laura Bynum - Book review

Veracity

By: Laura Bynum

Published: January 2010
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
ISBN-10: 1439123349
ISBN-13: 9781439123348
Publisher: Pocket Books

At age six, in the year 2012, Harper Adams was removed from her family, under the guise of protecting her from what was termed a global pandemic. As she grew, her psychic powers developed until she became what the government called a Sentient. Uneasy with her role as a Monitor of people's words and thoughts, she sought escape. To do so, she had her daughter Veracity placed in a new home. Free from concerns about her daughter's safety, Harper Adams makes the fateful decision to become free in word, thought, and action. Author Laura Bynum creates a frightening, yet eerily plausible distopian world, in her haunting and powerful debut novel Veracity.

Laura Bynum describes an America gone very wrong. Using the usual excuses of safety and security, the new totalitarian regime destroys the Constitution and Bill of Rights in their entirety. For what the government calls their own protection, people are implanted forcibly with a slate that monitors their speech, and punishes them for speaking forbidden Red List words. Laura Bynum understands that words are the basis for thought and ideas. Without the words to express concepts like democracy, freedom and liberty, those ideas will cease to exist. The book serves as a warning to anyone who accepts the twisting of word meanings and the silencing of dissent. When the words are gone, their meanings and ideas vanish along with them. For Laura Bynum, enforced silence is the ultimate slavery.

Laura Bynum (photo left) combines the warnings of George Orwell, expressed in his classic novel 1984 with the destruction and banning of books described in Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451. Those chilling novels echo through the pages of Laura Bynum's work. As with those classic works, freedom from tyranny depends upon the courageous actions of a few dedicated people. Once the choice is made to accept death over slavery, the protagonist Harper Adams is able to act for herself, her daughter, and for society as a whole. She utilizes her gifts as a Sentient against the control of the state and its powerful technology. The author presents the view that the human spirit and its deep need to be free are more powerful than any government, technology, or their enforcers.

Through a very chillingly realistic plot, and characters who are both complex and stereotypical, Laura Bynum creates a terrifying world that is all to easy to imagine. Drawing on current events, some disturbing trends, and the very human characteristic of fear, the author presents a believable scenario of how freedom can vanish. Through fear, media manipulation, and the silencing of any opposition or freedom of speech, a totalitarian government can arise to replace representative democracy. For Harper Adams, the choice between serving that tyranny or fighting for freedom is difficult, but necessary. When she makes the choice to be free and to oppose the government, the desire is to create a better world for her daughter.

I highly recommend the important and cautionary novel Veracity by Laura Bynum, to anyone who values freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and liberty in general. The author demonstrates clearly how the illusion of security is purchased at the cost of that freedom, and in the end, there is neither freedom nor security. The novel describes how the trade off of freedom for promised safety is always a losing one, that only continues until liberty is destroyed entirely.

Read the chilling distopian novel Veracity by Laura Bynum, and learn how the courage to defend, and fight for freedom, is always preferable to the alternative of tyranny.

Tags: Veracity, Laura Bynum, freedom and tyranny, fiction book reviews.

B-A-M! by Barry Moltz & Mary Jane Grinstead - Book review

B-A-M!

Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World

By: Barry Moltz, Mary Jane Grinstead

Published: September 29, 2009

Format: Paperback, 236 pages

ISBN-10: 1449007945

ISBN-13: 978-1449007942
Publisher: AuthorHouse

"In this increasingly transparent world where so many products and services are viewed by consumers as commodities, providing exceptional customer service becomes the only sustainable competitive advantage for creating customer loyalty", write small business and customer service experts Barry Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead in their very practical customer service myth breaking book B-A-M!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World. The authors turn conventional wisdom about customers and customer service upside down, as they describe how the internet and the modern self service economy have created more empowered customers willing to utilize their many available purchasing options.

Barry Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead dispel many of the twenty most widely believed myths about customer service. The authors describe how these beliefs are not only false, but are perpetuated as fact by both the business and its customers. This belief system is based more on faith than on empirical data, as most people inside and outside of the business are unable to define what constitutes customer service. Indeed, the authors remove the entire concept of bad customer service from the discussion, and describe it more accurately as bad treatment of customers. By recognizing that bad treatment is in no way part of customer service, Mary Jane Grinstead and Barry Moltz are able to move beyond mythology and prescribe some real world solutions.

Barry Moltz (photo left) and Mary Jane Grinstead not only destroy the myths of customer service, they also put an end to the many excuses used to defend bad treatment or lack of any sort of customer service policy. The authors point out how bad treatment is rationalized rather than dealt with by creating a customer service manifesto. Along with recommending a workable customer service approach, the authors stress turning customer service into part of the company DNA. Instead of thinking about customer service, and often finding excuses for bad customer treatment, customer service should become as natural as breathing for the company, its employees, and its customers.

For me, the power of the book is how Mary Jane Grinstead and Barry Moltz combine theory of what is and is not good customer service, with practical, hands on techniques for turning customer service into core company culture. Along with busting the shop worn myths about customer service, the authors provide sound reasons as to why customer service often fails or falls short of expectations. They show the business person how to create an actionable customer service manifesto, and then to measure the results quantitatively. The book also contains a valuable appendix that forms a summary of the book's most important points, turning the book into a handy reusable reference source.

I highly recommend the customer service transformational book B-A-M!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World by Barry Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead, to anyone who is serious about understanding why customer service fails in a self service world, and wants to do something to change their own company approach to customer service. This book is a solid primer, and an advanced power tool, for turning customer service into an organizational mandate for success.

Read the indispensable book B-A-M!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World by Barry Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead, and rid yourself and your entire organization of the damaging myths that hurt both your company and your customers. Reading this book will provide your company with the ideas and skills necessary to treat your customers well, and to develop a powerful competitive edge over your competition.

Tags: B-A-M!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World, Barry Moltz, Mary Jane Grinstead, customer service myths, business book reviews.

Practice a Little Spontaneous Innovation

Maybe some of these ideas will help spur you on to more spontaneous innovation day-to-day within your global small business.

My latest post for American Express OPEN Forum:

2010: The Year of Spontaneous InNoVaTiOn

You like it? Hit the Tweet button at the top. You really, really like, hit the thumbs up button at the bottom of page.

Posted by: Laurel J. Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog

Hearts to Haiti

The media coverage is extraordinary on the powerful earthquake (measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale) that struck near Port Au Prince, Haiti on January 12. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who is suffering right now in Haiti.

To offer your own help with a donation of any size, go here for guidance (straight from the United States Whitehouse Blog):

The President has been receiving updates on the urgent situation in Haiti late into last night and throughout the day, and top members of his team have been convening to formulate the government response.
You can also help immediately by donating to the Red Cross to assist the relief effort. Contribute online to the Red Cross, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting "HAITI" to "90999." Find more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information.

Families of Americans living in Haiti are encouraged to contact the State Department at 888-407-4747.

Haiti Earthquake Relief (video)
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

Facts on Haiti (including update on the earthquake)
Embassy of Haiti in Washington D.C.
Embassy of the United States Port Au Prince Haiti

Barry Moltz: B-A-M! Bust A Myth: Delivering Customer Service - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Small business and customer service expert, and co-author of the very practical customer service myth breaking book B-A-M!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World, Barry Moltz shares why it's critical to deliver customer service in this self-service world. He also describes just how to do it. Learn how to bust commonly held myths about customer service and why they are money losers for business. Discover how to assess the value of a customer and when to fire money losing ones. At the same time, find out how to make customer service an integral part of your company's DNA and corporate culture.

Barry Moltz is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, January 19, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Small business and customer service expert, and co-author of the very practical customer service myth breaking book B-A-M!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World, Barry Moltz shares why it's critical to deliver customer service in this self-service world. He also describes just how to do it. You will learn:

* The most prevalent and damaging customer service myths

* Why customer service is promised but not always delivered

* How to measure the bottom line value of customer service

* How to deliver top quality customer service in a self service world

Barry Moltz (photo left) has founded and run small businesses with a great deal of success and failure for more than 15 years.

After successfully selling his last operating business, Barry has branched out into a number of entrepreneurship-related activities. He founded an angel investor group, an angel fund, and is a former advisory member of the board of the Angel Capital Education Foundation.

His first book,You Need to Be A Little Crazy: The Truth about Starting and Growing Your Business describes the ups and downs and emotional trials of running a business. It is in its fifth reprint and has been translated into Chinese, Russian, Korean and Thai. His second book, Bounce!: Failure, Resiliency, and Confidence to Achieve Your Next Great Success, shows what it takes to comeback and develop true business confidence. It has been translated into Korean and German. His third book, B-A-M!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World shows how customer service is the new marketing.

Barry is a nationally recognized expert on entrepreneurship who has given hundreds of presentations to audiences ranging from 20 to 20,000. He was appointed by the Illinois Governor in 2005 to serve as Chairman of the board of the Institute for Entrepreneurship Education (IIEE). As a member of the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, he also has taught entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He has appeared on many TV and radio programs such as The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch and The Tavis Smiley Show.

Barry Moltz is also the host of Business Insanity on BlogTalkRadio.

My book review of B-A-M!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World by Barry Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead.

My book review of Bounce!: Failure, Resiliency, and Confidence to Achieve Your Next Great Success by Barry Moltz.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with small business and customer service expert, and co-author of the very practical customer service myth breaking book B-A-M!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World, Barry Moltz as he shares why it's critical to deliver customer service in this self-service world. He also describes just how to do it. Learn how to bust commonly held myths about customer service and why they are money losers for business. Discover how to assess the value of a customer and when to fire money losing ones. At the same time, find out how to make customer service an integral part of your company's DNA and culture on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: B-A-M!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World, Barry Moltz, Mary Jane Grinstead, customer service myths, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

Sramana Mitra: Entrepreneurship Education System - Interview

Silicon Valley technology entrepreneur and strategy consultant, and author of the valuable and highly practical guides in the Entrepreneur Journey series that include Entrepreneur Journeys (Vol. 1), Bootstrapping: Weapon Of Mass Reconstruction (Vol. 2), and Positioning: How To Test, Validate, and Bring Your Idea To Market (Vol. 3), Sramana Mitra, was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions on her exciting new entrepreneurial project.

Sramana Mitra shares her vision for an entrepreneurial explosion, and its critical importance to the economy of today and that of tomorrow. She described her vision, as well as offering some practical ideas that you can do to help make this entrepreneurial resolution a successful reality.

Thanks to Sramana Mitra for her insightful and informative responses.

You made a very special New Year's Resolution. What was that resolution?

Sramana Mitra: Through the Entrepreneur Journeys project, I have come to conclude that the most vulnerable phase in an entrepreneur's life is the pre $1 million revenue stage. This is where numerous ventures fail. Once the $1 million revenue milestone is crossed, entrepreneurs find it easier to find additional customers, manage working capital, and access funding, whether it is credit or equity. Beyond that, depending on how large the market opportunity is, they can scale to their potential, with or without external investment.

Some will scale up to $10 million a year, some will scale to $50 million. And a small percentage of these venture may even scale to a billion dollars. Most importantly, however, the base of a million small ventures needs to be robust and sustainable. So, the synthesis of my mission is to build a scalable entrepreneurship education system that can support a trillion dollars of sustainable global GDP and 10 million jobs.

Why is that resolution so important in 2010?

Sramana Mitra: In America, we have 30 million people out of jobs. They need a turnaround strategy, and mine is entrepreneurship. Around the world, entrepreneurial energy is bubbling, as great nations like India, China, Brazil, Indonesia are starting to find their strides. This decade-from 2010-2020-will be a very special time for development economics, and my contribution to that will be through this resolution.

One of the points you make in your Entrepreneur Journeys series is how vulnerable a company is during the pre $1 million revenue stage. Why is a business so vulnerable to failure at that time?

Sramana Mitra: Because the business is not yet validated. The entrepreneurs do not know whether customers would really want what they have to offer, or if they do, they don't know what price they can get. It's an unstable, highly experimental phase which most entrepreneurs never get beyond.

My goal is to teach Silicon Valley best practices to a global community of entrepreneurs so that they avoid the common mistakes, and significantly improve their chances of success. Normally, only one in ten or twenty entrepreneurs succeed. The rest fail. Imagine how powerful an economic impact it would be if we could alter the mortality rate and make 10 out of 10 ventures succeed? That's where I am going with this.

Sramana Mitra (photo left)

How do you propose to reach one million entrepreneurs to reach that $1 million revenue stage?

Sramana Mitra: By getting them to adopt best practices, helping them avoid common mistakes. Mistakes in financing strategy, mistakes in positioning, mistakes in go to market strategy. People often think being an entrepreneur is about raising money asap. Wrong. Being a successful entrepreneur is about crafting a business that can have customers, revenues, and profits. My goal is to teach them the mechanics of this "crafting". I do this using the Entrepreneur Journeys book series where I have captured the tribal knowledge and wisdom of proven entrepreneurs who have freely and generously shared their learnings. I want entrepreneurs to learn the craft and become master craftsmen themselves.

How can your key concepts of bootstrapping, crisp positioning, and laser sharp focus help entrepreneurs achieve the $1 million dollar revenue level?

Sramana Mitra: Take the example of Greg Gianforte, CEO of RightNow, whose story I have told in the Bootstrapping, Weapon Of Mass Reconstruction book. Greg did not write a line of code until he called a hundred potential customers and asked whether they found his concept compelling. Not until he had a clear sense of what the customer pain point was, did he start building a product. This is an example of the kind of things savvy bootstrappers do.

Naive entrepreneurs build an entire product before speaking with a single customer or prospect. And this kind of early validation leads to your positioning. You figure out the value proposition of your product, and then gradually build out a full positioning and go to market strategy based on methodology I have discussed in the Positioning: How To Test Validate and Bring Your Idea To Market book. The books are all full of these nuggets, and I am thrilled that many entrepreneurs around the world are using them to develop themselves. It's the kind of common sense wisdom that I wish I had access to when I started out.

You are proposing a major entrepreneur education program. What does that program involve?

Sramana Mitra: For the moment, I am piloting an online roundtable program where entrepreneurs pitch me their ideas and I give them feedback. I have coached over 75 entrepreneurs in this mode already, and the program is very well received. It runs like an online reality show, where five entrepreneurs pitch and interact with me, while another 1000 can listen and learn. I am offering these as a free weekly program. And through this, I am learning firsthand what the entrepreneurs need, and will layer in additional educational and other kinds of offerings over time.

What resources have you already put into place to achieve your very ambitious goals?

Sramana Mitra: My blog, Sramana Mitra on Strategy, has freely accessible interviews with some 150 successful entrepreneurs in various domains. The Entrepreneur Journeys book series, including Entrepreneur Journeys (Vol. 1), Bootstrapping: Weapon Of Mass Reconstruction (Vol. 2), and Positioning: How To Test, Validate, and Bring Your Idea To Market (Vol. 3), conveys key concepts through the stories of dozens of successful entrepreneurs.

Vision India 2020, coming in February is a very interesting new book. Set in the year 2020, the book looks back on the building of 45 entrepreneurial ventures in India from start-up to $1 billion enterprise, all while pointing to the many business opportunities I see in India today. The Roundtables. I am working on a social media outreach right now.

You organize and run a very successful series of entrepreneur roundtables. How can an entrepreneur participate in these roundtable discussions?

Sramana Mitra: You can find more details and register here.

How can people get rid of the fear of becoming an entrepreneur and take that critical first step on the journey?

Sramana Mitra: By developing a personal philosophy. I have addressed this in the epilogue of my Bootstrapping book. I am a very big believer in philosophy. It is the cornerstone of a successful life, and not just a successful professional career.

How can other entrepreneurs and business people help you help other entrepreneurs succeed?

Sramana Mitra: There are a number of ways. I am working with many such people in various geographies who are helping me build relationships with entrepreneurship development organizations around the world-communities, universities, alumni networks-places where entrepreneurs normally go to find help and support. I am always in need of more hands to make this movement spread far and wide. I am always eager to collaborate with leaders who can take the movement further, adding to it their own creativity and enthusiasm. I plan to play the role of a facilitator, but this, I hope will become a global movement. What I am doing is to create a framework and a methodology that entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship development groups all over the world can use to become successful.

What is next for Sramana Mitra?

Sramana Mitra: LOL. Next? Execution. Execution. Execution.

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My book review of Entrepreneur Journeys: Bootstrapping, Weapon Of Mass Reconstruction by Sramana Mitra.

My book review of Entrepreneur Journeys Volume 3 - Positioning: How To Test, Validate, And Bring Your Idea To Market by Sramana Mitra.

Tags: Entrepreneur Journeys, Sramana Mitra, entrepreneurship, venture capitalists, Entrepreneurship Education System , business interviews.

Message to China: Stop Carving Up Cyberspace with Boundaries

My fellow readers, I am sure you have been following every last little detail concerning the China-based hacker attack on Google and as many as 34 other companies, including Adobe Systems Inc., Juniper Networks and Yahoo. As a result of the cyber attack and the fact that the China government continues to force Google to neuter searches, Google has threatened to pull out of China.

This is a very critical juncture in the history of international business but it's not the first time a company has walked away from China. Levi Strauss & Co., 17 years ago did too, and returned. Funny thing, Levi's brand is currently made in China and they just opened their 501st retail store in Beijing last November. What happened in between? Take a look at this.

But this predicament is different -- far more public thanks to the Internet (go Google!) -- and will most likely bring foreign-policy implications. It will be interesting to see what happens when Google shuts off the valve in China on censoring search results and how fast China's government blocks or shuts down Google.cn, if at all.

In the course of determining what really happened, we will unveil more evidence of weird things going on.

Needless to say I admire and respect Google's bold move here (tough place to be but I always like to see people/companies take a public stand, exhibit backbone and show a strong sense of world good) and it's in line with this fine commentary, appropriately entitled, "Google Gets on the Right Side of History," written by Rebecca MacKinnon, a fellow with the Open Society Institute.

My feeling is you can't be part pregnant; and when you are Google, you most certainly can't be part-search engine in China.

We'll keep you posted.

How a Foreign Company Can Gain a Bit More Presence in the American Market

Japan's largest cosmetic company, Shiseido, is set to acquire the American make-up company Bare Escentuals Inc. (products pictured) for $1.7 billion, marking the largest acquisition in its 83-year history.

It goes to show you the price companies are willing to pay to boost and capture a market.

To expand your reach, what's your global acquisition target in 2010?