Blog Archives

April 2004

Make Rules, Break Rules

Lomography is a picture site based on a camera called the LOMO. What we like here, though, is their list of The 10 Golden Rules. Granted, most of them apply to someone taking photographs, but if you let go of that constraint, you can see how these rules might apply to anyone who's trying to do something cool, wild, beautiful ... innovative.

1. Take your camera wherever you go.
2. Use it any time—day and night.
3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it.
4. Try the shot from the hip.
5. Approach the objects of your lomographic desire as close as possible.
6. Don't think. (William Firebrace)
7. Be fast.
8. You don't have to know beforehand what you captured on film.
9. Afterwards either.
10. Don't worry about any rules.

Thanks to Joi Ito's blog for the link.

Erik Hansen posted this on 04/28/2004.
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Women-Owned Businesses

An article in today's New York Times reports on a study funded by Wells Fargo that shows women-owned businesses growing at twice the rate of all privately owned businesses. And it appears that the greatest growth has occurred in the construction industry.

Erik Hansen posted this on 04/28/2004.
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A Good Friend Asks, "Where are all the woman VCs?"

Our friend Halley Suitt writes about the lack of women at a venture capital get-together at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, MA. She reports from her day job site, Worthwhile magazine blog.

Erik Hansen posted this on 04/28/2004.
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Tom Talks in Edinburgh

Insecurity ... now more than ever. No matter where you are in an organization, your job is at risk. What to do? Be known for your projects and manage your own personal brand. The Scotsman reports.

Erik Hansen posted this on 04/24/2004.
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Outsourcing Redux ... Redux

Daniel Altman at Business 2.0 weighs in on the outsourcing debate; education figures prominently.

Erik Hansen posted this on 04/23/2004.
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Tweaking Tom

Our friend Heath Row at Fast Company riffs on a Tom article on projects from a past issue, then lays out six components of the perfect project team.

Erik Hansen posted this on 04/21/2004.
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WSJ on Leadership

Carol Hymowitz writes about the obvious in today's issue of the Wall Street Journal. (subscription required):

Good governance depends primarily on leaders who put integrity and the interest of their companies ahead of their self-interests. These executives are willing to grapple with difficult decisions that may involve personal sacrifice.

Geoff Thatcher posted this on 04/20/2004.
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Tom's Observation

"Commit! Engage! Try! Fail! Get up! Try again! Fail again! Try again! But never, ever stop moving on! Progress for humanity is engendered by those who join and savor the fray by giving one hundred percent of themselves to their dreams! Not by those timid souls who remain glued to the sidelines, stifled by tradition, and fearful of losing face or giving offense to the incumbent authorities." Read more ... Cathy Mosca posted this on 04/20/2004.
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Education in the Gulf

The Gulf Daily News reports on Tom's recent speech in Bahrain to business leaders at the Gulf International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Gulf Hotel. "Education and only education can contribute to [your] overall development." You can download Tom's PowerPoint slides from the event here. Cathy Mosca posted this on 04/20/2004.
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Humungous Gap

Book Cover In her book Marketing to Women, Marti Barletta presents a compelling business case on the buying power of women. She told us last year that she wrote the book because there is "a humungous marketing opportunity that no one, except Tom, has written about. There was a gap."

Geoff Thatcher posted this on 04/20/2004.
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Cool Friend: Silverstein

"In order for consumers to adopt a new product, they need to know the basis for interest. They need to have a reason to believe. The narrative, and the story, and the history are critical to explaining to the consumer why they should become emotionally involved, emotionally connected with this product. It is a requirement for a new luxury company to be able to describe how did we happen to get where we are, and how did we happen to get to create what you want." Read the interview here. Michael Silverstein is coauthor with Neil Fiske of Trading Up: The New American Luxury. Cathy Mosca posted this on 04/19/2004.
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