CEO Bloggers' Club

Community Broadband

What are people seeing with regards to Community Broadband initiatives? Vermont has some very interesting things going on, but I sometimes wonder about how the speed of technology will impact some of these community initiatves.

Blogs and Journalism: overview of the situation in France

This week I've been invited by Don Dunnington, President of the IAOC, to animate a discussion on the IAOC blog about "Blogging Europe", each day will be a different topic and 4/5 countries will react and give their point of view. Why not share this here with you in the same time, knowing that you can go on the IAOC blog also if you want.

Below is the first overview I've been providing on the Day 1 topic's: Blogs and journalism.

The first media to enter the blogosphere have been national dailies like Libération and Le Monde.

Innovate!Europe Reminder

We're just a few days away from the first edition of Innovate!Europe that will take place on June 13-15 in the great city of Zaragoza, Spain. Produced by the Guidewire Group, this conference will try and set the agenda for a new European technology “innovation ecosystem” that supports pan-European entrepreneurship more efficiently. A mix of panels and company presentations, the program put together by Chris Shipley should lead to interesting debates.

A number of journalists and bloggers, coming from the US and Europe, have been invited to "cover" the event, and contribute to the proceedings of the conference: a "European innovation" white paper, aggregating personal contributions, interviews and session summaries.

Readers of this blog interested in attending can find a 60% discount code here.

The CRM Sales Cycle

I have worked with a number of different Customer Relationship Management Software packages as both a manager, staff member, president, sales executive, Support engineer and passionate technologist. Certainly they each have slightly different features, but the niche is really about Business Process.

It would be interesting to hear your own opinions and experiences (horror stories accepted as well as successes) about CRM in general as I work more and more with the SMB niche and MS CRM. In general my core goal is to work with the IT Infrastructure specialists to avoid many of the misconceptions and billion dollar failed roll outs which have happened in Enterprise. 

Being the Bridge

I often take the role of "bridge" and end up introducing business person A to business person B. This win/win introduction then creates business for person A and B that would not have occurred had I not first introduced them and second had a system in place for understanding person A and Person B's businesses. This understanding allows me to make contacts that produce results.

I am curious as to ideas for compensation for being the bridge or if thinking compensation makes no sense. I have one system in place that offers a subscription model and this allows me to be an extra set of eyes and ears over a set period of time, but what about those one time opportunities.

Would love some thoughts on how others are dealing with this.

Monopoly friendly: be free

Google, Skype, Firefox, Kazaa and others have introduced a new way of selling technology: giving it away.

The competition may try to make a better product at a lower price, but if the lowest price is free… Don’t wait!  Do it before a competitor adopts this strategy.

This business model is subversive and is totally destabilizing the system.  It’s making a big impression on consumers who can research, read the news, make phones calls, and listen to music for free (1).

Monopoly friendly: Google king of the world?

The Internet is an observation deck for the theory of free trade.
It’s a near-perfect example: on the Internet, exchanges take place without obstacles, and competition is constant.

This natural selection breeds champions.  In economics, we call these monopolies.

I believe that we can be optimistic because we’re in a system of free choice.  In the end, consumers vote for “moral” leaders (1): the system is self-regulating.

To illustrate this, I would like to use Google as an example of a “friendly monopoly.” (2)

What is behind Google’s success?

Monopoly friendly: Be open

Google and I enjoy an “open relationship.”
It’s a near-perfect love story that’s been going on for years.
He is enriched by my presence. Since he’s afraid that I’ll leave him for somebody younger, he must always find new ways of seducing me. But everyone knows I’m happy because I come back to see him every day.

Microsoft is a part of the “older generation.”
I signed a marriage contract with things in fine print. The divorce was complicated, and his lawyers weren’t amusing. I know now he was only after my money, but I didn’t realize it until too late.

The case is similar for young people and technology: they’re in open relationships and, thanks to blogging and other tools, they can tell each other everything.

Long live “open” monopolies?

Monopoly friendly (1/X)

Today, technology and the Internet favor more than ever the rapid emergence of new monopolies.  Google and eBay are the best examples.

I think that certain monopolies are both a necessary and natural part of the economic evolution. We must stop them from turning into predators.

Let’s begin with an example of a monopoly that is posing problems and talk about Microsoft.

Let’s recognize that technological innovation today owes a lot to Microsoft.  Bill Gates’ initial vision of “having a computer on every desk and in every home” was a good one.
Undeniably, the standardization of the operating system favored progress, just as Henry Ford favored the development of the automobile industry.

This “positive” monopoly has become over time a “hostile” monopoly.
The empire has become a sort of economic dictatorship, and its means for self-preservation have not always been legal.

The capitalist system today encourages the natural emergence of monopolies:
Shareholders are conservative by nature.  It’s not the innovation of Microsoft that interests them; it’s Microsoft’s monopoly status.  Shareholders don’t like surprises. 

Though some companies like Enron, Parmalat and Carlyle went too far, destroying monopolies or the stock market is not the right response.  That would be throwing the baby out with the bath water.  Both monopolies and the stock market are natural products of a kind of evolution, and we should strive to preserve them for the sake the economic ecosystem.

How can we encourage the growth of friendly monopolies?

Is China on Your Horizon?

There has been a multitude of articles popping up in the worldwide business press recently about China. So, out of curiousity, I thought I'd ask: Is China on your agenda? Are you already doing business there? Do you have plans to? Are you thinking about it at all?

Unfortunately, I don't think people in China can read TypePad-based blogs, but I'd love to hear some opinions from Chinese business leaders on the economic growth of their country and the avid/fearful eyeing of its market by business leaders from other nations...

Why CEOs fail

Some time ago I found an interresting book about the 11 reasons why a CEO fails. I didn't buy it (yet), but I got a glimpse about those 11 reasons. Here they are :

Arrogance— you think that you're right, and everyone else is wrong.
Melodrama— you need to be the center of attention.
Volatility— you're subject to mood swings.
Excessive Caution— you're afraid to make decisions.
Habitual Distrust— you focus on the negatives.
Aloofness — you're disengaged and disconnected.
Mischievousness— you believe that rules are made to be broken.
Eccentricity— you try to be different just for the sake of it.
Passive Resistance— what you say is not what you really believe.
Perfectionism— you get the little things right and the big things wrong.
Eagerness to Please— you try to win

I think there's a good point to think about ourselves, and for sure we could find a couple more! Personnaly, I would add :

"Cloudheadness : you think too much about the 5 years vision and forget about the fire you're sitting on".

What are your thoughts about that ?

Doing business differently ?

I think that the startup spirit is still alive.
The new economy wasn't just a dream.

I have the feeling that new leaders (and CEO) are doing business differently : they are more open to the world and more concerned by society.

Do you feel that you're doing business differently ?

VCs on the board

A comment from Laurent from the below post made me wonder on the following: how do you lose part of your freedom if you have VCs on your board? Of course I can imagine that there may be some certain situations, but IMO they rather represent exceptions. If one is going to look for fresh outside equity one will certainly have a business plan that should provide the grounds for the future business strategy and its execution. And this business plan will be commonly agreed upon with the newly added shareholder representative.

From my experience the VCs (should) play a dual role which is more important than just being a simple board member - advisor and door opener. I always prefer to partner with experienced people who understand my business fundamentals, share my vision and from whom I could leverage their experience. Moreover, they supposedly have a solid network my business can rely on when in need. I think that those two attributes are necessary ingredients besides the money they put in when investing in my company.

What do you think?

How Do You Decide What to Blog?

As CEO of your company, your words have great power to influence your key audiences: customers, partners, employees, investors, press, and so on. How do you choose what you blog? Do you have specific guidelines that you follow (e.g., what remains confidential?) or do you just use common sense? Do you seek advice from your lawyer? Your PR person?

As for me, I follow whatever NDAs I have signed for my clients, and, generally, I don't discuss my client work in too much detail until something is made public. I have been known to rant against journalists and analysts when I am frustrated, but I try to make my arguments logical, even when I am angry. I don't badmouth people. If I make a mistake, I admit it, and if someone convinces me my argument is wrong I usually will acknowledge that as well. I use my own common sense as to what I post, and if I feel that something might be controversial, I do talk to my business partner about it.

I hope you will share what you do in the comments so that others can learn from this discussion.