At an orientation introducing job seekers to new business opportunities, we had a chance to view Steve Job's 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford University. Steve had lots of good things to say in his video.
We were then introduced to a new Real Estate Investment College founded by Jim and Mary Piccolo and Bob Snyder. These three people also founded an online university in Arizona now named Piccolo International University. They recruited Laura Palmer Noone out of retirement to be the CEO of Piccolo International University. Both the Real Estate Investment College and Piccolo International University are involved with a new approach to practical education.
The Real Estate Investment College offers classes in practical real estate investment skills and actually helps students build their Real Estate portfolios as they complete the classes. Rather than preparing graduating students for jobs, graduating students are practicing Real Estate investors when they graduate--and they earn their tuition while engaged in the practical applications of what they are learning while they are students. The program even has lists of properties and other Real Estate services available to students if they choose to make use of them. There is also a business education component built-into the learning program.
The thrust of this orientation is that there is a world of opportunity for people to build six-figure incomes in the world of real estate investing. The key to success (a valid theme in many areas) is that knowledge can be converted to income.
While they didn't use the term "JOB=Just-over-broke" that I've heard many times before, they are realistic--actually showing sales forms and commission statements indicating income over a 24-month period.
The tuition for this "Real Estate Investment College" is high--though I haven't checked the details. It does offer tuition assistance in the form of actual pay-off of tuition as well as cash-in-the-pocket for students completing Real Estate transactions while taking college courses (50% of profit goes to instructor, 25% to student, and 25% to student tuition).
One fundamental area I need to explore if I am considering getting involved in this world is to answer the question, how much of this new world is built on a solid foundation and how much is subject to immediate change--for example in regulations regarding bank loans, mortgages, home-owner line of credit, etc.?
There are trends at work in our new economic marketplace and there is a group of investors introducing these ideas in this geographical area. While they are certainly making money and engaged in worthwhile ventures--to include "Pay It Forward" charity work--there's more to think about.
There is some controversy about this approach, though the integrity of the people involved and the institutions overall seem to shine through the controversy.
People who are working with what they have learned from the program say that there is significant work involved and that it is not "something for nothing." Nor is it a multi-level marketing program.
My original question remains, while this approach to Real Estate investing is outside the box of traditional "jobs," it still relies on the worlds of financing Real Estate--a larger or different box. Taking education courses to know current trends and best practices in Real Estate investing will prepare someone to work successfully in this different box--unless and until the rules change. Then, if the education courses can keep up with the evolution in the rules, it can still be worthwhile, though not the same as it is now.
I'm still learning and am open to explore ideas that can help me have a quality lifestyle. I've tried many approaches so far and have lots more to learn.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Creative Imagination--Inspirational Examples--Innovation
Creative imagination can push pre-existing boundaries to thought and action. Inspirational models can inspire us to move beyond these limits. Michaelangelo's statue of David represented an entirely new way of depicting the human form and ushered in an entirely new way of rendering art.
Michaelangelo understood the marble he was working with. People using creative imagination to create something new need to understand the medium in which they are creating. Our economy is evolving and there are opportunities for those with creative imaginations to create something entirely new from the medium available.
One challenge is to find positive models to serve as inspiration in the way David inspires other sculptors and artists.
Michaelangelo understood the marble he was working with. People using creative imagination to create something new need to understand the medium in which they are creating. Our economy is evolving and there are opportunities for those with creative imaginations to create something entirely new from the medium available.
One challenge is to find positive models to serve as inspiration in the way David inspires other sculptors and artists.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Christopher Columbus--Consulting and the Emerging Technology-Economy of the New World
Columbus Day, 2009--October 12, 2009--Christopher Columbus was a consultant for his times--and, perhaps, a model for today. A short history--from my memory, so it is in part a fable--In that time (1490's), Italy had a "lock" on the overland trade routes to Asia--silks, spices, exotic goods of all sorts funnelled through Venice, Italy. Many of the neighboring countries were frequently at war with each other and had lots of expenses and no money to pay for them, having taxed their inhabitants enormously. Christopher Columbus, from Genoa, Italy, was working as a map maker in Portugal where navigators of sailing vessels were trained. Christopher Columbus became convinced that he could find a "short cut" to the "Indies" (the name for the islands where exotic spices such as pepper came from). (Remember, in those days before referigeration, spices could cover the taste of bad meat--a real problem for the dining table.) He needed a sponsor and, after much sacrifice, got the Queen of Spain to sponsor his expedition. In dreaming-up his short cut he (along with most other explorers of his time) didn't know about an entire continent that lay in his way before he could sail around the world to Asia and "the Indies."
To make a long story short, Christopher Columbus didn't know where he was going, got someone to pay his way in advance, didn't know where he was when he arrived--or where he had been, though he could find his way home. Instead of pepper, he brought chilies. Instead of the Indies, he found the West Indies. Instead of a short-cut to riches, he found (and claimed) some islands and, eventually, an entire continent on behalf of Spain.
He lived in a time of emerging economies--everyone needed new sources of money and finding a new continent became lucritive for all of the European countries around Spain--except for Italy. The technology was also up and coming--newer magnetic compasses, newer ideas for sailing. Finding countries who didn't have the kind of armament and weaponry that the Europeans commanded in the late 1400's.
Today we are in an emerging economy, exploring new technologies, looking for sponsors, and we have consultants who can provide advice--though we may not know where we are going or where we've been when we get there. It sounds asthough Christopher Columbus may be a good role model for consultants of our times as well.
To make a long story short, Christopher Columbus didn't know where he was going, got someone to pay his way in advance, didn't know where he was when he arrived--or where he had been, though he could find his way home. Instead of pepper, he brought chilies. Instead of the Indies, he found the West Indies. Instead of a short-cut to riches, he found (and claimed) some islands and, eventually, an entire continent on behalf of Spain.
He lived in a time of emerging economies--everyone needed new sources of money and finding a new continent became lucritive for all of the European countries around Spain--except for Italy. The technology was also up and coming--newer magnetic compasses, newer ideas for sailing. Finding countries who didn't have the kind of armament and weaponry that the Europeans commanded in the late 1400's.
Today we are in an emerging economy, exploring new technologies, looking for sponsors, and we have consultants who can provide advice--though we may not know where we are going or where we've been when we get there. It sounds asthough Christopher Columbus may be a good role model for consultants of our times as well.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
"Business as Usual"--Sustainability, Emerging Economy, Death Spirals, and Change
Chief Executives (CEOs, COOs, CFOs, etc.--all members of the "C-suite") and Business Owners in today's emerging economy are all facing significant challenges to "business as usual." Business does not operate "as usual." Many businesses have a core series of processes that generate most of their income. Between the drying-up of sources of income (bank loans) and demand (no disposable income to make "normal purchases"), the volume of business has decreased significantly. For those who still enjoy a positive cash flow, the flow may have moved from US$16 million to US$6 million in a year. If the organization is geared for the volumes of US$16 million, significant workforce reductions and other restructuring will be required for the organization to remain viable when generating US$6 million.
Depending on how the businesses are organized, structured, and run, some may continue to operate on their own inertia for some time in the emerging economy until their forward progress comes to a stop (inertia). In earlier posts the book, Who Moved My Cheese, by Spencer Johnson, was introduced in terms of explaining how we are often reluctant to stay aware of changes and to make the change to do something different. When the economy has changed to the point that the way a business is organized and run is no longer sustainable, it may enter a death spiral and become extinct (like the dinosaurs).
Sustainability, in terms of the new economy, may also need to focus on the details of the organization. Is the organization's mission and are its processes sustainable in terms of planetary needs? Buckminster Fuller, in 1971, wrote Spaceship Earth (mentioned in a previous post). In this book, the author notes that the Earth is like a spaceship moving through space. We need to pay attention to our renewable resources and, as a planet, to take care of our planet. We cannot continue to pollute the air, water, and land. In the Constitution of the United States of America, we say, in part, that we want to ". . . secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity." We need to leave a planet that our posterity can prosper in.
While the "green movement" may be an extreme example of this idea, each of us can focus on making minor changes in our daily lives to make our lives and our planet healthier rather than destroying it.
What is the reality an organization faces? Rather than trying to take how a business is organized and structured at the moment, what if there were a "4th of July Revolution (as in 1776)? What does the economy present in terms of business today and how would a business best be organized to meet the requirements of the emerging economy, ignoring present organizational structures, people, and processes? This may give an idea of "what we need to change to." Once that activity is completed, we need to look at how we are currently organized and structured to find out "what we need to change from." After that, we need a plan to make the transition. Many occupants of the C-Suite are not ready to face the need for change. The consequences of not facing these needs are enormous--and we are just beginning to feel the impact. While we have high unemployment in this country, a more challenging problem is that the jobs that are being created will not be the same as those being given up.
Each of us needs to begin to think about the emerging economic reality and what we need to prepare for to be sustainable in the new economy. Not only do people in the C-Suite need to face the need for change. Each of us needs to face this need and to find some assistance to help us prepare for the changes we need to take.
Depending on how the businesses are organized, structured, and run, some may continue to operate on their own inertia for some time in the emerging economy until their forward progress comes to a stop (inertia). In earlier posts the book, Who Moved My Cheese, by Spencer Johnson, was introduced in terms of explaining how we are often reluctant to stay aware of changes and to make the change to do something different. When the economy has changed to the point that the way a business is organized and run is no longer sustainable, it may enter a death spiral and become extinct (like the dinosaurs).
Sustainability, in terms of the new economy, may also need to focus on the details of the organization. Is the organization's mission and are its processes sustainable in terms of planetary needs? Buckminster Fuller, in 1971, wrote Spaceship Earth (mentioned in a previous post). In this book, the author notes that the Earth is like a spaceship moving through space. We need to pay attention to our renewable resources and, as a planet, to take care of our planet. We cannot continue to pollute the air, water, and land. In the Constitution of the United States of America, we say, in part, that we want to ". . . secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity." We need to leave a planet that our posterity can prosper in.
While the "green movement" may be an extreme example of this idea, each of us can focus on making minor changes in our daily lives to make our lives and our planet healthier rather than destroying it.
What is the reality an organization faces? Rather than trying to take how a business is organized and structured at the moment, what if there were a "4th of July Revolution (as in 1776)? What does the economy present in terms of business today and how would a business best be organized to meet the requirements of the emerging economy, ignoring present organizational structures, people, and processes? This may give an idea of "what we need to change to." Once that activity is completed, we need to look at how we are currently organized and structured to find out "what we need to change from." After that, we need a plan to make the transition. Many occupants of the C-Suite are not ready to face the need for change. The consequences of not facing these needs are enormous--and we are just beginning to feel the impact. While we have high unemployment in this country, a more challenging problem is that the jobs that are being created will not be the same as those being given up.
Each of us needs to begin to think about the emerging economic reality and what we need to prepare for to be sustainable in the new economy. Not only do people in the C-Suite need to face the need for change. Each of us needs to face this need and to find some assistance to help us prepare for the changes we need to take.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Creating Roadblocks to Sucess with Processes and Technology
Research has indicated that people becoming adults in the 21st century will change careers at least 12 times and jobs even more frequently. In today's job markets, many organizations, Internet job boards, and headhunters rely on Internet-based search engines to scan resumes, sort through information, and prescreen job candidates from thousands of applicants. Many of these organizations are creating roadblocks to success by the way they require job seekers to enter data into the systems they use for prescreening candidates.
The University of Chicago's job profile process is looking for the last four jobs held--regardless of whether or not those jobs relate to the job posting they are trying to fill. Many of the larger firms require a chronological resume and, potentially, a list of all previous employers to fill job openings using the technology adopted by the organization.
These same electronic screening software programs are not designed to make sense of functional resumes. The University of Chicago and other organizations will have a hard time filling open positions when they trust the information generated by their own data collection systems. These organizations place an over-reliance on outdated data collection and sorting systems that do not provide relevant information to decision-makers trying to fill these open positions. Frequently positions remain open for months.
The University of Chicago's job profile process is looking for the last four jobs held--regardless of whether or not those jobs relate to the job posting they are trying to fill. Many of the larger firms require a chronological resume and, potentially, a list of all previous employers to fill job openings using the technology adopted by the organization.
These same electronic screening software programs are not designed to make sense of functional resumes. The University of Chicago and other organizations will have a hard time filling open positions when they trust the information generated by their own data collection systems. These organizations place an over-reliance on outdated data collection and sorting systems that do not provide relevant information to decision-makers trying to fill these open positions. Frequently positions remain open for months.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Capitalism: A Love Story by Michael Moore--Good reminders of another perspective on today's economy
I just viewed Michael Moore's newest release, Capitalism: A Love Story. It provided some documented insight into today's economy and the conflict between "haves" and "have nots" in the United States of America. Buckminster Fuller, in his 1971 book, Spaceship Earth, tracked the history of this planet in terms of a continuous series of conflicts between "haves" and "have nots." In every instance in the history of this planet, after the "have nots" got sick and tired of being "have nots," they rose up and displaced the "haves."
From the perspective of this movie, many of the current "haves" are ignoring the possibility that their comfort zones are built on "sand." The film also gave me a fresh perspective on some business opportunities I have come across recently. I mentioned some of my concerns and values in previous posts.
One of the benefits of viewing this film is to reaffirm my values and priorities for where I place my energies. Thank you, Michael, for giving me an experience to tie my personal experiences to and to come up with renewed insights and priorities for action.
From the perspective of this movie, many of the current "haves" are ignoring the possibility that their comfort zones are built on "sand." The film also gave me a fresh perspective on some business opportunities I have come across recently. I mentioned some of my concerns and values in previous posts.
One of the benefits of viewing this film is to reaffirm my values and priorities for where I place my energies. Thank you, Michael, for giving me an experience to tie my personal experiences to and to come up with renewed insights and priorities for action.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
"Yellow Blinking Lights"--Leveraging Experience-Guided Intuition--Gestalt
Malcolm Gladwell, in his book, Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking, is talking about a process tied to the concept of gestalt--in essence, with the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. The concept of holistic thinking connects with this idea.
In practice, after we have learned from our experiences over time, we can make intuitive connections when we observe something in the world that are tied to our learning in ways we may no longer be conscious of. We know something without being able to explain the details of why we know what we know.
As I am exploring potential business opportunities, I can frequently intuit whether or not the opportunity is a valid one for me. Sometimes they sound very good and I have a "yellow blinking light" flashing a warning in my brain--there is something "off" with this opportunity. Sometimes I check it out anyway, though always with a lot of watchfulness. Most of the time I soon find the flaw that my intuition had picked-up on from very few (and important) clues.
What this means for me is that I need to pay close attention to my "blinking lights." I try not to "run" yellow lights in traffic--that can lead to lots of accidents and, with the new photo-sensor-pictures on many traffic lights--tickets or other negative consequences. The same holds true with "running" a "yellow blinking light" concerning job opportunities.
I believe that all of us have the potential for this intuitive response to our environment. We may build our confidence and skill by paying more attention as we move forward in our lives.
In practice, after we have learned from our experiences over time, we can make intuitive connections when we observe something in the world that are tied to our learning in ways we may no longer be conscious of. We know something without being able to explain the details of why we know what we know.
As I am exploring potential business opportunities, I can frequently intuit whether or not the opportunity is a valid one for me. Sometimes they sound very good and I have a "yellow blinking light" flashing a warning in my brain--there is something "off" with this opportunity. Sometimes I check it out anyway, though always with a lot of watchfulness. Most of the time I soon find the flaw that my intuition had picked-up on from very few (and important) clues.
What this means for me is that I need to pay close attention to my "blinking lights." I try not to "run" yellow lights in traffic--that can lead to lots of accidents and, with the new photo-sensor-pictures on many traffic lights--tickets or other negative consequences. The same holds true with "running" a "yellow blinking light" concerning job opportunities.
I believe that all of us have the potential for this intuitive response to our environment. We may build our confidence and skill by paying more attention as we move forward in our lives.
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