I Cant Afford A Business or Technology Coach

August 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Have you ever wanted someone to talk to about your business who doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Typical business coaches cost upwards of 1250.00 an hour! That is over $20.00 a minute.

I have spent my whole life coaching usually from inside of fortune 500 companies. I have been paid loads of money to say yes, no, and maybe. Granted my yes, no, and maybes have saved the clients that I work with millions of dollars. Even with this success I have felt empty inside. I felt like it is hard to get any sense of accomplishment and results. You may help one group make a good decision that makes money, while another group in another part of an organization makes a bad decision that wipes out all of your hard work. That is why I do so much small business coaching on the side. I am able to work with the owner, listen to what is going on and provide feedback while not worrying about someone else messing up our hard work.

So what does this mean to you?

Well after much thought and consideration I have decided to do something my wife may think is crazy and offer 77 1 Hour Sessions with me for $97.00 each. If interested email me at mark@one80group.com

Why would I do this?

Well I love meeting new people and like everyone else in the world have to get paid for something. I really wish things were more like Star Trek and we could just do what we want without worrying about money. I want to help people more now than ever. I want to help people who can’t afford an 8,000 dollar a month retainer. I want to help people that need someone to listen and just be there for them and provide a new perspective. I love small business owners because their business has a greater impact on their life and family.

What is your background?

Well my background is technology and business management?

Core competencies include:

•IT Management
•IT Implementation
•Technology Integration
•Intranet-Extranet Strategies
•Business Process Mapping
•Technology-Business Alignment
•Electronic Commerce Strategy
•Application Design
•Reporting
•Procurement & Contract Management
•Technology Architecture
•Enterprise Communication
•Collaboration Strategies
•Concept Validation
•Monitoring Strategies

•Business and marketing concept validation
•Research and development of strategies, visual designs, and functional analysis of new product offerings for clients
•Business research on cutting-edge technologies and how they apply to client specific goals
•Big picture analysis of client market and techniques for market penetration
•Project implementation
•Backend website facilitation and interface strategies
•Search Engine Optimization
•Corporate Blog Development
•Technology product sourcing for internal and external clients
•Technology Partnerships and Acquisitions
•Business Vision and Concepts
•Custom Application Development and Enhancements
•Business Books, E-books, Kindle Book Design, and Implementation Strategies

Do people only talk to you about their business?

No… They usually talk to me about their life and how it relates to their business. I have always been a coach. I was a personal trainer and teacher in conjunction with technology most of my life.

Do you work with specific types of Small Business?

No…But I do get a lot of technology business owners and individuals being impacted by technology decisions because of my technology background?

Are you crazy?

Yes… probably. But I would rather help someone be successful who appreciates it.

What results have you had as a business professional?

•Determined dependencies which hampered implementation. Increased application development team results by 1,500 percent. This resulted in increased customer satisfaction, and significant company cost savings.
•Managed four portals, over 100 custom developed PHP and .net forms and applications for the lines of business, including retail, utilities, database marketing, transaction processing, and call center operations. Forms and applications save the company over $1 million each year in reduced labor, hard costs, and vendor expense.
•Saved an estimated $200,000 annually by initiating a parallel application implementation process and communication structure that saved many hundreds of hours.
•Built Corporate Vendor Due Diligence System using internal resources saving the company over $250,000 in vendor spends while meeting OCC audit requirements.
•Built Internal Automated Reporting System for Utility Services IVR group using existing software and contracts saving the Line of Business over $375,000 in proposed new software alone.
•Developed Streaming Video System using a combination of internal systems, labor, and custom application development saving the Corporate Marketing group over $200,000 in possible vendor costs.
•Developed Process for Internal Audit to have Enterprise Associates sign Corporate Information Security Policy which allowed corporation to meet legal audit requirements while lowering the labor costs of processing by over $100,000.
•Sourced and Negotiated patch management system for Corporate E-commerce Servers and was able to save over $80,000 on the contracts and $90,000 anally on associate labor due to automation.
•Sourced and develop e-commerce monitoring system that saved the Company over $300,000 a year in software and labor costs, allowed the company to have true SLA’s for the first time, and decreased the outage times for our customers.
•Sourced, and implemented load testing software for e-commerce applications that allowed for $100,000 dollars save in software costs.
•Effectively managed employee/employer communication while company went through 27 reorganizations.
•Researched and developed new Portal Strategy using existing software contracts that allowed for a $225,000 annual save on Corporate Intranet.

•Built and implemented reporting systems for every phase of implementation to keep all department groups apprised of scheduling status via Intranet. The simple reporting layouts allowed for a 50% reduction time in project implementations and increased customer satisfaction through resource reallocations based on delivery slippage.
•Reviewed existing SDLC guidelines and developed and maintained new documentation relating to projects, issue logs, graphic estimate sheets, required field selections, business requirements, training forms, sign-off forms, change request forms, and any new documentation necessary to achieve the desired result. Resulted in removing the complicated SDLC methodology and replacing it with a combination of the RAD and JAD model which had better alignment with our Retail client needs. Changes were reflected in many praises and recognitions from our clients for being easy to work with and for making the process transparent to non-technical executives.
•Developed database for implementation tracking and product modification requests which helped identify for the first time error rates in applications and trends on new product releases.
•Implemented web analytics for tracking customer traffic patterns and abandon rates which allowed customers to make informed decisions on the marketing messages. The result of our analytics work was higher web customer sales rate through customer incentive offers at normal abandon points.
•Developed automated reporting system for web analytics using existing hardware and software systems saving the company over $100,000 dollars on proposed new vendor software.
•Sourced and Implemented Corporate e-commerce Monitoring System that allowed the Corporation to offer true SLA’s on e-commerce applications while decreasing down time.

•Sourced all products for sale and did relevant product testing
•Negotiated product price points and product volumes
•Hardware Price Performance Analysis
•Customer relationship management and training

•Supervised and trained technical support staff
•Developed call-center tracking systems and problem analysis procedures
•Handled research and approval of all computer equipment and software acquisitions
•Analyzed existing resources and utilization: hardware, software, and personnel
•Responsible for the total operation of the Customer Service Center, which included customer satisfaction, cash accountability, and inventory control

How were you educated?

EDUCATION

•Bachelor of Science in Business and Exercise Physiology - Dallas Baptist University
•Graduated Cum Laude with 3.693 GPA (while working full-time)
•Texas Women’s University Graduate School

Posted by Mark F | Filed Under An Executive with Heart

Most of My FaceBook Friends Are Women

August 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Well I guess I am busted in a way, lol. The other day someone was reading our BLOG article about our clients being mostly baby boomers and decided to do some research on who we really are. According to them their research led to a Dallas Morning News article about our business as a success story. That then led them to our original business site the one80group. Not to be happy with their results they decided to search for us on some sites like linked-In and FaceBook. After a while the individual came across my profile on face book that I setup some time ago. After browsing around my profile for a while they came to a question that they were very curious about.

Why are almost all of your friends and clients women?

To the average person it my look real simple. Here I am a "Married" nice guy with all these wonderful and beautiful women as friends. Conclusion, "hey he likes women," just like all the other men on the planet that fall for hooters and well pretty much anything aimed at men that includes women. Well, hate to disappoint our little researcher, but my friends are mostly women on FaceBook because I love working with open successful women. I am a type of entrepreneur that loves to be collaborative and supportive of each others dreams. I have found from my experience that women on the Internet work better together and believe in a common good. Most of the successful guys I know only want themselves to make more money, not everyone in the group. One of our clients the other day made a joke at the National Association of Women Business Owners event we were speaking at "here’s Mark surrounded by all these women again." I was like yep… I wouldn’t have it any other way. I would rather change the world than change my golf clubs. Here is my top reasons for having mostly women as my friends and clients.

Care about me as a person
Want to make a difference
Ask about my son
Have a sense of humor
If they disagree you can still be friends
Are good at relating to people
Dress as nice as I do, shirt and tie at work even when business casual. No Jacket though
Collaborative
Believe everyone can be successful
Appreciate my knowledge
Know what they like and don’t like
Will buy you a massage
Send nice cards to you
Checks come in pretty envelopes
Ask questions
Will tell you if you smell good
Like nice cars with style like me. I drive a JAG.
They are pretty
They smell nice
Don’t ask how much I bench
Talk about their dreams
Talk about mistakes and success in life
Write nice emails
Appreciate beauty
Like dessert, even if they shouldn’t

Now remember that our clients are not 20 something. So, no need to send me an email saying "I know lots of women and they aren’t anything like this." With age and experience comes wisdom.

Posted by Mark F | Filed Under An Executive with Heart, Feature Marketing Article, Full Marketing BLOG

Top 5 Reasons We Work Mainly With Baby Boomers

July 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Baby Boomers have done a lot of wonderful things over the years and some could argue not so wonderful things. Because of this great divergence between what Boomers have done and not done, we get lots of questions dealing with why most of our clients are Boomers. Especially since we are Gen-X (the ones that created this new uncertain technological scary world for them.). Well to put it simply, I believe we understand each other better. Now maybe it is because my wife and I were raised like adults, primarily by our Mothers or maybe we are reincarnated old people or something. Either way we have a connection with the view they currently hold of the world and how they fit into it. We feel a sense of knowing that comes with age and experience of what does and doesn’t matter in business and life. To keep up my tradition of top 5 lists I have the top 5 reasons why we love our Boomers.

Top 5 Reasons We Work Mainly With Baby Boomers

Clarity of Vision - The Baby Boomers have reached a point in their life where there is more time behind them than in front. This causes them to become impatient for change and get a sense of urgency around their work. Whether they are looking to sell a business, grow a business before they retire, or create a life they wanted all along, you need clarity of vision to make the right choices. For us clarity of visions is a great thing because it moves the coaching process along much faster than groups of people who think they have forever to do something.
Willingness to Let Go - Baby Boomers are also at a point where they have placed a value on their life, their persona, and intellectual property. They have decided at what point something is worth it or not. They are not afraid to make a stand on values. I worked with one client on a partnership agreement for their business where we were able to hold strong and get what was fair. We were able to do this because my boomer client was like, "Hey, for that price, I would rather throw my life’s work in the trash!" It is hard for a potential buyer to low ball you when you are willing to throw it away just to prove a point. Especially if it is an asset they really want. This is the complete opposite of what I see with many younger people in business. They will take whatever they can get, and come from a place of weakness. Not a good place to be when you are trying to get your business a fair deal.
Open to any and all answers - Baby Boomers are open to all kinds of guidance and open to change their mind. I feel more open than ever in talking with our Baby Boomer clients no matter what it is about. I find that we do not have to edit ourselves, pull out silly charts, outdated data, and so on. We can have instincts, hunches, and intuition drive how we are feeling, and the decisions we make. Decisions that are right more often than not. I have had clients tell me information they received from a healer, a psychic, you name it. All I can say is when you are open with your clients and they are open with you about where their ideas are coming from, you would be amazed how much faster you reach a goal.
They Pay On Time - This may sound like a silly one to have on my list but it is actually one of the most important when you run a small business. Our Baby Boomer clients happily pay on time when they are invoiced. The do not question our value, our work, or our intentions. This makes you work harder than ever to help them achieve their dreams. I have had other groups slow pay and even never pay. Even when a Boomer client has gone out of business because of illness or something we would 99% of the time receive a nice note with a check apologizing for the slow pay and thanking us for helping them on their journey.
Family - This last point is the most important. All of our Baby Boomer clients care about us as people. They care about our lives, our son, our health and our success. They care just as much about us as a vendor as we do them as a client. Many of our clients have been with us from the very beginning for this very reason. They are our family and our friends.

If you have any questions, stories of work with Boomers, or know someone that could use a company like ours feel free to email us.

Posted by Mark F | Filed Under An Executive with Heart, Feature Marketing Article, Full Marketing BLOG

What If Products Were Licensed Like Software

July 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment

To poke fun at how absurd the End User Licensing Agreements (EULA) are becoming on software and how silly they make us look as a society, I have decided to start a list of products I have at my home and show how you would be able to use them if they had the same type of agreements.

Kitchen Table - The kitchen table you purchased may be used only in the kitchen by the parties that purchased the table. Other parties eating at the table that did not purchase the table are in violation of the Table User Agreement. The table may not be modified in any way including:

being moved to another room besides the kitchen
used for other purposes besides eating, like a homework desk, or craft area
modified or enhanced by adding addition features like a table cloth, place settings, or floral arrangements.
being transferred or sold to a third party
painting is a direct violation of the TUA and is punishable by 10,000 dollar fine and 10 years in prison
Adding no scuff pads to the feet of the table
using chairs from another manufacture that were not part of the original set

Hair Brush - The Name Brand Hair Brush that you purchased is protected by a Hair Brush Users Agreement. This Agreement provides for the following uses and limitations:

The hair brush may only be used on the hair type marked on the handle in bold text. You may not use a straight brush on curly hair and vise versa.
You may not use the hair brush with any other products, or add-on unless packaged with the original unit. This includes unlicensed hair dryers, styling products, and scissors.
The hair brush may only be used until the user license expires. You may not use the brush beyond this point unless you have an updated license or one of our gold products that carry a lifetime activation code.
Hair brushes include licensing for one individual and one hair type, if you have additional family members, or clients that will use the product contact 867-5309 (JENNY I GOT YOUR NUMBER)to inquire about an enterprise Hair Brush Agreement.

Jaguar - Congratulations on your new purchase of a Jaguar luxury vehicle. Please note that your new car is covered by a NSG (National Snob Agreement) with the following provisions

Your new car carries a minimum income agreement that requires you to have a minimal yearly income of 500,000 dollars. If at anytime you fall below this income level you will be required to pay a penalty of 1,000 dollars a day until your income reaches the minimal level.
You car may only run super unleaded gasoline from an authorized Jaguar retail center. You may not use any unauthorized third party fuel or fueling stations. This is a direct violation of this agreement.
You may only use an authorized Jaguar shop to have your car serviced, and repaired.
you may only use tires and rims from an authorized Jaguar dealer.
Only the authorized purchaser is allowed to drive the car and or ride in the car. Any additional passengers will require you to buy an upgrade module that comes in 4 user packs. The seatbelts will not function for the additional seats in your car without the upgrade.
You may not sell, or transfer the vehicle to a third party.

I would love for folks to send me some of their ideas. I was just sitting here going oh my gosh I can’t believe what we allow to go on in this industry. Well I hope that I have taken a little time out of your day to make you laugh and think a little next time you purchase your next software product.

Posted by Mark F | Filed Under An Executive with Heart, Feature Marketing Article, Full Marketing BLOG

Apple sues clone maker Psystar - The Top 5 Marketing Mistakes They are Making

July 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Well unless you are a techie that is under a rock or for what ever reason don’t read the news, Apple is suing Psystar a maker of Apple clone computers. Now before we get into a EULA debate or how great Apple is I would like to talk a little about the marketing and business opportunities that Apple always leaves on the table. Since people like tops 5 lists etc. here you go.

The TOP 5 Business and Marketing mistakes Apple is making with Psystar

Short Sited - Again apple is failing to see the big picture and staying with the island unto it self motto. The main reason that Apple is always in trouble down the road is because they go it alone in their business and also in their vendor relationships. This is one reason they needed the cash infusion that Bill Gates gave them many years back. Yes it was to help Microsoft’s antitrust issue as well. I grew up with Macs in school but later switched to PC computers. Why? because I had many choices of computers to pick and I could EVEN BUILD IT MYSELF! If you really have a better product in your OS then flood the world with it. Open up your hands and set it free, for a fee of course. Imagine if 98% of the world had a choice to run OSX on their current system like they do Linux. HELLO

Tarnishing their Image - Yes it is happening. Even forums that I read who contain MAC lovers are starting to compare Apple to Microsoft. Starting to say it is time to open up your systems. I even saw an episode of Kathy Griffin Life on the D List where her new boyfriend Steve Wozniak unlocked her IPHONE. The canary in the coal mine is the new generation really does not like to be trapped in a box. I would hate to be seen as the outdated over bearing parent of the products they buy. They may decide to just leave home one day if they see something better.

Leaving Money on the Table - I have been in business for a long time and call companies for my clients looking for mutually beneficial relationships. Here is an opportunity for Apple to have a ready made product that is most likely being sold to people who wouldn’t buy an Apple because of the price. What I would do in this situation is praise them for their work and help spreading a superior product to the market place. I would then work out a way for them license making the product for end users. That way you get your cut and most importantly the consumer gets what they want, YOUR SUPERIOR PRODUCT.

Innovation is so yesterday? - I am old enough to know details about how the computer industry started moving into a new era. I would hope that Steve remembers this as well. In stead of blocking innovation, go back to your roots. If you are seen in the market place as a cooperative innovator you will move ahead of the competition by leaps and bounds. I applaud your new store for the iphone. It is a move in the right direction. I also think it is funny how many of the IDEAS that Apple came up with came from Xerox including their GUI operating system. Go watch a show on PBS called Triumph of The Nerds or read the transcripts especially show 3 to see parts of the truth. Bring your business hat and pay attention.

Be careful what you wish for? - The worst thing that could happen is you get what you want and are seen as destroying a small business. This is also short sited because I could see lots of people wanting to help PSYSTAR if you did win on their appeal based on The first sale doctrine. Because I believe that many people believe they should be able to do what they want after they buy a product. People who have money to spend on more of your products. I couldn’t imaging someone saying you can only use your kitchen table in your house, as a kitchen table, not as a desk, you cannot modify the table like cut its legs and make it a coffee table, and you damn sure can’t sell it to your neighbor or give it to goodwill. Come ON!

Feel free to share your thoughts on some of my quick ideas.

Posted by Mark F | Filed Under An Executive with Heart, Feature Marketing Article, Full Marketing BLOG

I Care About My Employees

July 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Well today is the day I start sharing my short thoughts on business and the world.

I have always had a heart as an executive business owner and believe if you use your heart you will get more out of your employees than you ever thought possible. I am sad to hear all the news around me about early gen-x and late boomers getting bumped out of the market place because like their parents they have started to be too expensive (at least that is what the corporations would have you believe). Their jobs have been outsourced overseas and in-sourced to cheaper foreign labor. The main issue I have with this new trend, is it is an issue of our own making.

The generation before for some reason woke up and decided that being part of a team, using respect, and heart were not what was needed to get more out of workers. It was numbers, charts, time management, and performance management. Well, I am here to say,"that trend drove the heart out of the US worker." No wonder in technology I have seen corporations take 10 times more people to do simple work. Mainly because no one asks questions, listens, or cares about the people around them. I am here to say from my own experience I have managed teams with my heart and as a team my group was able to do 10-20 times more projects in less time with higher customer satisfaction and didn’t even need fancy project plans, managers, analyst, and reports.

It was simple, my team was treated like adults and with heart. We helped each other and treated our clients the same way! So the next time you are trying to figure out how to get more performance out of your group, get out of your spreadsheet, have flexible work environments, kick out the performance management only people (no people skills), and become a real executive and speak to your employees with your heart. Let them know that you value the work they do and how it matters. Listen to them when you need performance help because they are the ones that do the job everyday. And for gosh sakes take joy when they get married or have children. Let them off if they have a loss in their life, whether they have PTO left or not. If you do this I believe that you will no longer need to let go the most experienced people in your organization to save money.

Work is what you do not who you are, but you can be who you are in your work.

Mark - The Kind Hearted Executive

If you would like career advice or just need someone to talk to you can reach the Kind Hearted Executive at mark@one80group.com

Posted by Mark F | Filed Under An Executive with Heart, Full Marketing BLOG

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