September 2012
2 posts
4 tags
Without user adoption, your great idea remains...
My first column for Smarter Business Ideas was published yesterday:
“So often I hear about great Aussie start-ups that promise to change the way people X, Y or Z… if only they can get enough users to make the magic happen.”
Read the full article here and leave a comment to start the discussion!
What Rachel did next: Wherever you go, there you... →
I have often played this out as an imaginary scenario in my head, wondering if I really would be any different if I lived anywhere else in the world. But Rachel has pretty convincingly demonstrated that, nope, it would still be me.. ah well.
whatracheldidnext:
I had hoped that New York would make me different, and at first it seemed to. But it turns out that Manhattan Rachel (TM) was really...
August 2012
2 posts
Quantum Time: Go fetch and stop working like a... →
quantumstartups:
I just got back from vacation in NYC last week and it was the longest I went without turning on my laptop, or replying to email in years. Sure, I came back to a ton of emails, and it’s taken about a week to catch up. But I had a few days to think about bigger picture stuff (cofounders, startups,…
4 tags
Korea's Emerging Sharing Economy: My recent trip... →
I was recently invited to speak at Chosun Biz Smart Cloud Show on the topic of the growing Collaborative Consumption economy - here are some thoughts on my visit!
May 2012
5 posts
The sharing revolution | The Courier-Mail →
Making news in the home town! Collaborative Consumption in Courier Mail’s Sunday Mail magazine
2 tags
Thoughts on Seth Godin's 'Tribes' #personalmba
Over the last few years I have toyed with the idea of doing, and not doing, an MBA. In one of my ‘not doing’ phases last year, I bought a book called ‘The Personal MBA’ by Josh Kaufman. At the time I probably made the mistake of trying to read it like a novel, chapter by chapter, and only got a quarter of the way in before getting distracted, and leaving behind a lot of the...
this is me: I do things quietly. →
Nice thoughts from my boy on the evolution of a coworking space (and perhaps proof that some of my nagging is useful…?).
Home/work is a great place to work, not least because of Josh’s energy and the people he drew to it as foundational members - I for one am broken from the spell of ‘working’ from ‘home’ - and this place is starting to feel more cosy than my...
April 2012
4 posts
Yoga/life parallels
Last night I went to yoga for the first time in a while. I needed it in more ways than one, but primarily to remember there are many different parts of my life that need value and priority placed on them. Over the last few months I have kind of forgotten this.
The last few days have not been good. I am feeling a lot of things right now. And last night in going to yoga I was reminded of why I do...
Focus on building 10x teams, not on hiring 10x... →
So much great insight to be gleaned from this post on building great teams based on a balance of the most important qualities, rather than extreme talent in any given area.
The team diagram showing strengths from 1 to 10 across Technical Ability, Charisma, Work Ethic, Honesty/Sincerity, Grit/Determination, Hustle Ability and Teaching Ability is a fantastic litmus test for a well-performing team,...
Quantum Time: On Time and Money. →
One of the great conundrums of life…what is worth more, and can you really decide on one or the other?
quantumstartups:
I’m not some enlightened philosopher or ‘visionary thought-leader’. I’m just a guy who likes to think about things, simply. I think a lot about why people work. Mostly about why I work. But it’s my job, I’m a Recruiter. I waste a lot of time on Twitter, something I...
Starting the day as a producer
A little while ago I read an article about starting the day as a ‘producer’, not a ‘consumer’. The argument was that we often wake up and shift into default consumption mode, whether that is watching the news, reading our emails or other information sites, and before we know it we have set the pattern for our entire day as one of reactionary thinking and back-foot activity...
March 2012
38 posts
Santa Monica seems so far away #b03
Just over 3 weeks ago, we spent our last day in LA before heading to Austin for SXSW. That afternoon we rode from Venice Beach to Santa Monica Pier and back again, along the amazing pathway that snakes along the beach the whole way. Santa Monica was a wintry ghost town when we were there, a shadow of its Summery-tourist-haven self, but there was something special about this relative fairground...
7am #b03
I wrote this on my iPad Tuesday morning, but didn’t get to post to Tumblr…cheating with the back-date.
This morning I was one of those people on the subway. Traveling uptown from Brooklyn on a very chilly Spring morning at 7am. Sitting sandwiched between people wearing down jackets akin to sleeping bags for their warmth and comfort, me in a Marc’s jacket from Australia that was...
Feel the fear...and have a drink with friends #b03
Late last night, after a quiet night in alone, I started having a mini fear attack about things that are going on for me right now, and feeling a little out of my depth, or beyond my capability. Josh said to me this afternoon, you don’t not run a race because you think you’re going to lose, but I realized that is probably the pervasive belief I have carried with me for most of my life....
Plus Projects: Defining Plus Projects →
plusprojects:
Plus Projects is the name I’ve chosen as the ‘handle’ for what I’m up to these days. I’m always curious to know what people are thinking when they choose a company or initiative name, so here are a few thoughts and reasons behind this one. plus /pləs/ With the addition of. pro·ject…
I missed a day #b03
It finally happened. A day passed by in March where despite my best intentions, I could not blog. My habit of doing it just before I go to bed came back to bite me when I got home too late. And I just needed to sleep.
But I’m back on it. Despite this being a nice little challenge between friends, I have come to look forward to the little brain dump each day that lets me go to bed with a...
Plane time. #b03
Planes are great for thinking - staring out over what becomes fairly nondescript cloudscape at altitude, it’s easy to relive past or manifest positive future scenarios, with the invincibility that comes with being higher up in the universe permitting you to believe that everything is possible.
Planes are great for listening to music, giving the imagination a rest and tapping into a...
San Francisco highlights #b03
Well past midnight, a bag to pack and a plane to catch in less than 12 hours… is it really ever possible to do it any other way?
Our visit to SF has come to an end all to quickly again, as we get ready to head to NYC tomorrow morning on a carrier that no one has ever heard of before…at least they probably won’t have in-flight wireless. It has been a fantastic trip and I am just...
last night.
joshcapelin:
I met Jonathan Harris.
I also met Zach Klein.
These are two people whose execution + ethos I’ve admired for different lengths of time and for different reasons.
I like San Francisco.
And I got to thank my beautiful girl for being responsible.
Running with it #b03
There is something so powerful about the feeling that you have in moments of pure clarity, where anything seems possible and you feel like you know the right way forward. These periods of time can be momentary; they can also last for weeks as you shuttle from one experience to the next.
Right now I like to say I’m in a phase known as ‘running with it’ - a condition that can...
The Words That Are Killing Your Productivity |... →
I think its amazing that very few people would know the definition of a gerund, yet these kinds of words actively feature in our vocabulary.
Whenever I am in America I am even more acutely aware of the verbosity with which I write emails compared to the brevity of an American colleague’s. They get to the point, they don’t mince words, they don’t worry about hurting...
Project Trust: Announcing Project Trust #b03... →
Proud to announce something I have been working on for the past few months, alongside an amazing group of people. Look forward to sharing updates as things progress!
projecttrust:
Over the past couple of years, society has undergone a massive cultural and economic shift – one focused on a reinvention in not just what but how we consume. We call this shift Collaborative Consumption. Marketplaces...
Want to Be the Next Airbnb? Solve These Two... →
A fantastic summary article from Triple Pundit on the ‘Airbnb of Anything’ panel that I participated in at SXSW - some great thoughts! Read the article here: http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/03/start-next-airbnb-solve-problems/
“Instead of saying “I don’t have time” try saying “it’s not a priority,” and see...”
– Great quote via swiss-miss! (via skillshare)
New friends/old friends/true friends #b03
Sometimes you have to step back and marvel at the connections and opportunities enabled by social media.
Tonight we had the pleasure of catching up with a friend from Australia who happens to be in San Francisco at the same time as us. It was an awesome night full of conversations about new ideas, mutual friends and future possibilities. But what was really amazing was the fact that we’ve...
Seeking the solution #b03
I’m often struck by the way we often go through life for long periods of time embarking down a particular route, yet perhaps with a growing sense that it might not be the right thing to do, but no apparent clues as to what the alternative might be.
It also surprises me the way it can take a single experience, or a change in scenery, to unlock the floodgates of all the strategic creative...
Blogging...from the air #b03
I’m not sure there’s much more than I can say right now to surpass my title. Yes I know that planes in the States have had wifi on their domestic routes for a while now, but it’s the first time I’ve actually decided to log on. And it’s still damn amazing.
I’m kind of anti working on planes because I think that with the crazy effect these super shuttles have on...
Synchronicity - like Chuck Norris... #b03
…don’t look for it, it will find you.
I know this is the usual wisdom associated with synchronicity of interactions, but one of the biggest myths surrounding SXSW is that this energy/opportunity/kismet abounds, and that at any given moment you might meet your co-founder/investor/next employer.
While I do not doubt that the odds are much higher, and there must be hundreds of these...
Expanding our intelligence without limits #b03
Today I was fortunate enough to hear legendary Ray Kurzweil speak about a topic which is also the subject of this post.
For many decades, Kurzweil has been focused on ‘accelerating intelligence’ both in technology and biology and famously Talks about a time of singularity - when machine and human merge (a very simplistic explanation for a complex topic!). While I don’t know...
What's the return on your investment? #b03
To be honest, it’s 2am over here and I really need to get to bed but I can’t bear to think that today is the first day in March that I won’t have posted a blog. So I’m going to do it anyway, despite the hour and despite having a few margaritas under my belt from the Shareable dinner with some amazing Collaborative Consumption founders.
Today - Day 3 of SXSW - my thoughts...
SXSW fail... you can't do everything #b03
I know that it’s the single most popular piece of advice given to SXSW first-timers - be agile, don’t go to everything you RSVP for (in fact RSVP for everything and make your choice later), you can’t see everything you want to see.
Regardless, the start of my second day at SXSW was a bit of an epic fail, as I procrastinated so long about which session i wanted to go to first...
Day 1 - #sxsw Rethinking Civilisation with Don...
“The future is not something to be predicted, it’s something to be achieved”. - Don Tapscott, SXSW Interactive Day 1
With ballet shoes drunk with rain puddles within half an hour of getting into the city, I was slightly concerned about my ability to get through my first day ever at South By South West. With freezing feet and an umbrella of debatable quality (but oh so pretty) I...
Birthday/annual review #b03
I turned 28 two weekends ago. It was a nice day; full of good company, special treats and general taking it easy. I have always loved having a birthday, and make sure that as many people know about it as possible! Not because I want birthday wishes or presents, but because each year on my birthday I celebrate another year of life and I want to share my happiness about that fact with others.
This...
Texas, y'all #b03
Tonight Josh and I got smoked chicken burgers with bbq sauce from a boat/trailer/food truck in the car park outside an Austin dive bar called Crow Bar. We took these burgers, wrapped in foil, into the bar and ordered two cans of Lone Star at $3 a pop. We pulled up a chair each, ate our dinner and listened to a live rockabilly band called Charlie Hurtin and the Hecklers.
Welcome to ‘Merica...
The system is broken #b03 →
An interesting article in today’s Wall St Journal looking at the history of our financial systems, and particularly the way debt has been managed throughout human history. What is clear, and what we have been observing through the Collaborative Consumption movement over the last few years is that our current way of working is perhaps worse than the way we used to operate even in more recent...
Skillshare Tech Semester Comes to San Francisco
skillshare:
San Francisco/Bay Area: We have a rocking Tech & Collaborative Consumption Semestercoming your way - and couldn’t be more excited. Check out the amazing classes we’ve got lined up for you this March at Citizen Space & Hub Soma!
Investing in the Collaborative Consumption Space
with David Lee, Managing Member of SV Angel
Guiding Principles of P2P
Are you an...
Going LaLa #b03
Today we took a ride on the freeway. Josh and I successfully drove from Venice to Downtown LA. Without a crash, without a fight, without a wrong turn. It was rather exhilarating.
Stepping outside the quaint little world of Venice Beach today I started to get a sense of the many sides that make up LA. Sure, every city has a characterisation that isn’t always accurate, but my understanding of...
APOLIS.
joshcapelin:
Thanks to my buddy Stefan, One of the more interesting business + fashion models I’ve come across is Apolis.
With a slogan like Global Citizen, you know you’re going to be looking at something that weaves the concepts of travel with culture, but these guys have gone a step, or three further.
I stayed in their LA store today for a good hour, slowly absorbing and figuring out why...
Giving the Ladies Some Love #b03 #ladylove
I’m sitting here fighting off jetlag after powering through my whole first day here in LA, knowing that I want to post a blog before I finally give in to the heavy lids, but not sure my brain has much left in it to come up with my own inspiration for a post topic. Lo and behold when I check my email one last time I see my inspiration sitting there in my inbox.
My dear friend Em has written...
Why I love airports. #b03
Sure there are a lot of things to hate about airports - queues, ridiculous food prices, long waits - but for some reason all my life I have found them exciting.
We’re sitting in the departure area at Sydney International as we wait to leave for our big adventure Stateside, and (earlier stresses aside) I am like a kid in a candy store. So many gates leading to so many places. So many people...
People are awesome.
I’m sitting here in our office space on Oxford St, entertained by the ambient sounds of the Sydney Mardi Gras, and reviewing video submissions for a funding competition specifically focused on UK Collaborative Consumption initiatives.
Frankly, as my title suggests, I am inspired. Fairly regularly, I think about my job and am just bowled over. Not for all the cool things I get to do (which...
