My goal for this site is to help people become inspiring leaders and to achieve amazing things.
Earlier this week I talked about how focusing on just a few things boosts your chances for success. The same idea applies to website design and user interface (UI). What you have on the page matters, but what you don’t have on the page matters even more.
“I like to counsel that the best teams are often defined by what they choose not to do.”
- Mark Suster, Entrepreneur & Venture Capitalist
Sitting in a cafe on Friday morning I was approached by an earnest young man. He had seen me at an event speaking about focus. He wanted to know if I still believed that focus was a necessary component of success.
Hey peeps — I’m organizing a social hour for Saigon-based Tweeters and Bloggers.
When: Tuesday 15 May, 6-8pm
Where: Cloud9 Bar, next to Gloria Jeans on Ho Con Rua roundabout (at Pham Ngoc Thach & Tran Cao Van, Dist 1)
Join us!
Help me get an idea of how many people are coming by clicking here.
Chi with one of her marketing creations.
Have you or someone on your team ever made a painful mistake?
You know, the kind of mistake that makes you cringe with embarrassment? That makes you feel like you got punched in the stomach?
Those are the best.
Painful mistakes are always fantastic learning opportunities. Never let one go to waste. And never punish someone for making a mistake the first time. Always focus on the learning.
My old team made a video for me as a going-away present. I think their objective was to bring a tear to my eye at my going-away party.
They succeeded spectacularly.
It was the best present ever.
Bryan Pelz
“Dog fooding is what everyone should do before they unleash their app to the public, use it, eat your own dog food. It’s the product that you’re creating.”
Bryan Pelz, Founder and CEO, Klamr.to
Last week I visited Bryan Pelz in the hip Saigon office of Klamr.to, his new mobile app startup.
It’s been three weeks since I’ve started my new adventure.
I’ve been investigating some business ideas. And I’ve been enjoying a little downtime.
One new learning has emerged very quickly — the biggest challenge to making things happen is yourself.
I just left a good, respectable, well-paying job.
And I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do next (although I do know I will stay in Vietnam to start my business).
I’ve been brainstorming ideas. Especially attractive are online business models. I’ve discussed a few of those ideas with several people.
For each of my ideas at least one person told me “That will never work.”
It reminded me of something I read somewhere.
“No matter what your idea is there will be people telling you it won’t work. Ignore them. Create your own reality.”
Pretty good advice.
This looks just like the table I sat at in July 1998.
I just left my job as CEO of VietnamWorks.
After six years making VietnamWorks into the largest, most successful and most profitable jobs website in Vietnam I decided it was time for something new.
Why? Because of an epiphany I had in 1998.
Me and cô Cúc before she fired me.
My Vietnamese teacher fired me.
I was late to our thrice weekly appointment one time too many. Angry that she was waiting 20 minutes and I still hadn’t shown up, cô Cúc stormed out of the office. I ran downstairs but just missed her. “She looked mad!” said Phuong, the receptionist. Uh oh.
I tried calling. No answer.
