Continue reading »]]> Having been asked numerous times these last few months about how one puts oneself in the running for a TEDxPeachtree speaker slot, I thought I would share how we secured 2011 speaker Ekaterina Walter, global social media strategist for Intel who had been featured in Forbes.com.

Ekaterina and I first met two years ago at a pretty dull marketing conference for commercial printers in Chicago. I was a little intimated at the time. Having had the benefit of getting to know her through Twitter and at conferences, I now realize that she has an uncanny chameleon-like ability to morph from corporate suit stiff to cow-girl laid-back casual.

It was destiny that I ran into Ekaterina again at SXSW 2011. We bumped into each other at the Samsung Blogger’s Lounge and I was among her sea of groupies chatting her up. But I had a slightly different agenda from most of the others.  I was curating speakers for the 2011 TEDxPeachtree conference and was chatting up all sorts of random but interesting strangers in an attempt to uncover individuals with “ideas worth spreading,” the mission of all TEDx conferences. I remember asking her if she would consider submitting a self-nomination to speak at the conference and was truly surprised at how genuinely excited she was at the idea.

(From l) Jacqui Chew and Ekaterina Walter in the Samsung Bloggers' Lounge

I had underestimated the power and allure of giving a TEDx talk and it was most certainly on her bucket list.

We talked several times after SXSW and neither she nor I were sure what her topic would be but I was certain I didn’t want her talk to be about  social media. Too commercial. And whatever topic she submitted had to fit into the 2011 theme: breakthrough.  Then the idea struck and stuck.

Ekaterina would submit her self-nomination to talk about her breakthrough immigrant experience. All nominations are submitted online evaluated and voted upon by the five-member planning team.  Speaker champions (in this instance, it was me) were not allowed to vote. Sure enough, her nomination was unanimously accepted.

See for yourself if you thought we made the right decision.

Ekaterina’s 15-minute talk on November 4^th 2011 was heartfelt, moving and inspirational. For fellow immigrants like myself, it was a sweet articulation of the constant tension we feel with one foot in this country and the other in our birth country.  For Americans, it was a reminder of just how amazing this country still is despite its woes and that the American Dream is alive and thriving.

Hers was the second talk of the day. It followed a well-received, light-hearted talk by a world renowned expert on primate behavior (this talk was recently promoted on TED.com and received 280,000 views in less than five days!). Ekaterina later told me she was so nervous, she was nauseous.

But she nailed it. Six minutes into her talk, the tears appeared. A few drops at first and then surely, I saw streams rolling down faces. Quite a few in the audience were dabbing their eyes by the end of her talk. Even the guys in venture capital. And that made me smile.

Key takeaways for prospective speakers:

1. Formulate your hypothesis and if you’re not familiar with TEDTalks, review a few on TED.com to get a sense of the types of ideas that are TED-worthy.

2. Review your hypothesis for any sort of commercial slant. We generally do not select nominees who are touting their book or the work that their company is doing.The one exception would be an invention.

3. If you can’t share a video link of yourself giving a speech, consider recording a short 2 minute segment explaining your hypothesis. It is the only indication we have of your proficiency in public speaking.

Additional speaker guidelines can be found here and you can submit your nomination here. Good luck!

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Continue reading »]]> This post originally appeared in the TEDxPeachtree blog on March 7th. As the co-organizer of the three year old annual event, I had written it for the TEDxPeachtree community and I am now posting a slightly revised version of it here as a way to frame my experience at SXSW 2012 which I will share in an upcoming post.

After seven days of getting all five senses stimulated and some would say over-stimulated, I now know that to call TED a mere conference is a gross understatement. While the most public manifestation of TED is its now famous 18 minute talks, TED isn’t just about these talks. Instead, it is  a multi-sensory experience designed to break down mental walls and open minds to the possibilities that can be spurred by human, and in some cases, robot ingenuity.

Conspiracy theorists might argue that the hosting of more than 30 talks and performances over four days AND the two days of programming for TEDx organizers at TEDActive AND the nightly ‘activities’ complete with generous libations is TED’s form of sleep deprivation — the better to condition the mind to pliability. And they might be right. But this attendee says: Bring it on!

The experience was refreshing, cathartic, transcendent.

The TED experience causes us to re-examine our position on important issues. At moments, the carefully curated  program evoke in us a sense of child-like wonder. With “Full Spectrum” as its 2012 theme, the TED team took special care with to bombard our senses. These images are just a sliver of myTED moments this year.

The Long Beach Convention Center transformed for TED 2012

Creative Seating Options

A pulsing viewing pod in the Creative Lounge at TED 2012

One of four bean bag 'pods' in the main viewing area at TEDActive in Palm Springs

Casual Networking Environment

Picnic Lunch at TEDActive

Eco-sensible furniture in the TEDActive Creative Lounge

Healthful Foods and Snacks to Nourish the Body

Parfait Station: fresh berries, dark chocolate disks and almonds

Watching the simulcast in Palm Springs with 600 other TEDsters was like hanging out with 600 like-minded, highly motivated individuals who were NOT alike but who all care about our collective future and who all wanted and had the wherewithal to make things happen in their respective tribes. While not everyone agreed on every issue or idea raised in the talks, every person felt ‘safe’ within the TED experience to share his/her views, debate his/her position and still be able to share in, say, a chocolate and whiskey tasting thereafter! Some of the most discussed talks that are now available for viewing are:

1. Susan Cain’s powerful case on the power of introversion.
2. Bryan Stevenson on the social injustice facing America’s black youth. (>$1 M was raised by TEDsters 24 hours after the talk was given!)

My personal favorites that aren’t yet available online are:

1. Al Vernacchio on how age-appropriate sexuality education can be framed in terms of eating pizza instead of playing baseball.
2. Book designer extraordinaire Chip Kidd (he designed the iconic T-Rex used in the Jurassic Park movie posters) and his entertaining treatise on the beauty of books, the paper kind.
3. Sherry Turkle on how technology can prevent us from making deep human connections.
4. MIT professor Donald Sadoway on inventing a liquid metal battery.
5. Poet Laureate Billy Collins sets his artfully simple poems to clever animation to create masterpieces that even the most literary adverse among us can love.

But as mentioned previously, TED is not just about the 18 minute talks. It’s about creating an irresistible platform that attracts deep thinkers and proactive doers. The TEDx movement is an extension of that. Through thousands of TEDx events (there are an average of three TEDx events held each day!) each community creates their own unique environment that ignites possibilities among its members. And that is exactly what TEDxPeachtree 2012 will strive for on November 2.

What is your transcendent idea worth sharing and does it have a place at TEDxPeachtree?

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Continue reading »]]> This one applies to tech entrepreneurs and the budding professional service provider. In both instances, prospects that you are in a sales cycle with are generally evaluating expertise, ability to deliver the solution promised, financial viability and therefore ability to service their account once the sale is made. Price is definitely a factor but in most instances, it is not the defining factor. The common thread running through the evaluation criteria is credibility and image is part of creating that sense of credibility, especially for vendors that are young in their company stage.

Cash flow is King, Image is Queen. How to Look Queenly without the Ransom.

1. Unless you are a realtor, driving a $100,000 European import does not endear you to your prospects or investors. Sure you can write it off, but doing so violates Rule #1 in entrepreneurship aka ‘Cash flow is King.’
2. Sublease. See this post.  
3. Dress the part.

• Entrepreneurs: it may be a little distracting for your prospect or potential investor to meet you for the very first time in your full startup glory – faded shorts/jeans, slippers, slightly stained, creased t-shirt/shirt and optional hoody. Chinos or khaki pants paired with an ironed buttoned down shirt are a safe choice and allow the attention to be on your concept/application and  not your personal hygiene.
• Professional service providers: Leave the designer labeled apparel for a special occasion. Wearing an outfit featuring multiple designer brands give the impression that you are an ostentatious consumer, are insecure about your fashion sense or just plain crass. Showing up in an assemble that is well-cut and well-fitted sends a better message.

What am I missing? Leave your tips below.

Image by archer10 on Flickr

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Continue reading »]]> These last 18 months besides running iFusion Marketing, I’ve been privy to an executive’s bumpy professional journey that had recently found a good ending. As with most things in life, it is from the journey and how we travel it that defines us and from which we derive life’s most important lessons. I will be sharing some of these lessons, which have broad applicability to entrepreneurs and managers, over the next few posts.

Cash Flow is King But What if Image is Queen?

In any entrepreneurial endeavor, cash flow reigns supreme. Wait as long as you can to commit to office space, hardware purchases, etc. This may seem like a no brainer for tech entrepreneurs but isn’t as commonplace as one would think in other industries.

This rule of thumb is particularly difficult to adhere to in the professional services industry where cultivating an ‘image’ is so important and there is nothing that creates a positive first impression as the right business address. The real estate malaise is the entrepreneur’s best bargaining chip. Excellent Class A space can be gotten in a sublease at an extremely affordable rate. The folks at Pardot and Brown Bag Marketing have done well in this area.  Both companies were able to move into office spaces that were vacated prematurely by companies that had either shut down or were acquired.

Under no circumstances should you commit to more space than you need, even if you have prospects in the pipeline that could warrant the addition of more staff. I may lean more conservative in my financial practices but in this leasor’s market, there is no good reason to pay for more office space than needed unless the contract has been signed and I would argue when the deposit check has cleared.

I am sure there are other tips around office space and cash flow. Add yours below.

Image by Gaynoir on Flickr 

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