Russ: Good morning. This is the BusinessMakers Show heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com. This is Episode 251 of that show that champions and features entrepreneurs.
John: And those are the people who take the risks and have the stamina and actually make these companies the backbone of the U.S. economy.
Russ: Absolutely. Okay and before we get into today's lineup I wanted to share with you about a cool, very cool tool we use here at the BusinessMakers Show, to really make progress and communicate with each other, and it's PDQ Meetings. It's a multi-user, online meeting platform that is just so cool. I like to refer to it as a multi user Skype system, and we get our whole staff on and we can look at each other for real face to face communications. I'd urge you to go check it out at PDQMeetings.net. First up for the Aflac BusinessMakers Flashback, we are not really going to flashback this morning, I am going to be in the present tense and visit with Paul Frison, the executive vice-president of the Houston Technology Center. And Paul will be telling us about the upcoming Houston Technology Center's 2010 celebration of entrepreneurs. Definatly the entrepreneurship gala of the year in this city. And then for our featured guest segment, another major league marketeer, the guy who played a key role in the Charlie Chaplin themed major ad campaign for the launch of the IBM PC back in the '80's. Who then played a lead role in changing the name of another company from PCs Limited to Dell Computer, and who is now the co-founder and CEO of nFusion, Mr. John Ellett. But first... That's right, it's time for The BusinessMakers School of Business and we're not talking about your business as usual school at all here.
John: No. We've transcended that topic years ago.
Russ: That's right. All right and we kick off the School of Business each Saturday morning with the quote of the day.
John: The quote of the day.
Russ: Yeah and this one's a bit controversial. I think you'll be fine with it but it's by George Will. "There is a name for the political doctrine that rejoices in scarcity of everything except government. The name is environmentalism."
John: There you go. Except government.
Russ: Yeah.
John: That's right.
Russ: All right, and that brings us to This Week in Business History. What happened in this last week in March, first week in April in business history, John?
John: Well in 1860, talk about a item that is hard to life without.
Russ: Yeah.
John: It's a corkscrew.
Russ: Wow.
John: It was patented by M.L. Bym of New York, New York.
Russ: Yeah, in 1860? My goodness.
John: You know, why wouldn't it have been invented earlier than that?
Russ: Yeah. I know.
John: I mean it's just a round piece of metal.
Russ: Yeah, there you go. All right.
John: All right. This is kind of a painful topic -
Russ: Yeah.
John: - to talk about. This week in business history, in 1842, ether was used as an anesthetic for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long.
Russ: Wow.
John: Now think about that.
Russ: Yeah. Well, ether's not that cool of an anesthesia - but it was probably really cool back then. [Laughter]
John: I know it makes ya - well yeah, I mean anything's better than biting the bullet.
Russ: Right. Right.
John: And just imagine. I mean everybody says, "Gee, too bad we can't go back to the good old days,"
Russ: Yeah.
John: When life was simpler. Well, when life is simple, this is one the things you don't have -
Russ: Yeah.
John: - and that is an anesthetic that - the problem with ether, that kinda made you sick.
Russ: Yeah it did.
John: Yeah, but this week in business history in 1867 the United States buys Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars. Two cents an acre.
Russ: Wow. Yeah.
John: And everybody was very critical. Lot of the general population was critical and called it Seward's Folly.
Russ: Yeah.
John: Seward was a government employee who -
Russ: Who engineered the -
John: Engineer - I think he's Secretary of State.
Russ: Yeah, yeah.
John: He's in the cabinet. This week in business history in 1889 the 300-meter high Eiffel Tower officially opens. It was built to commemorate the French Revolution.
Russ: Wow. Have you ever been up on the Eiffel Tower?
John: I've never been to Paris.
Russ: Well then, you couldn't be there, then.
John: Okay. This week in business history in 1922 Stalin is appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party, that was a stepping stone for him consolidating power and becoming dictator of the Soviet Union in a short period of time.
Russ: Okay. Wow.
John: I mean Adolf Hitler did the same thing. He got himself elected as Vice Chancellor.
Russ: Right. Right.
John: And then when the Chancellor died, he took over.
Russ: Yeah, took over.
John: Okay this week in business history in 1940 Barney Frank was born.
Russ: He's 70 years old, man. Wow.
John: Is he 70 years old?
Russ: Wow, yeah, now he is.
John: Okay, I think that deserves a birthday tune.
Russ: I agree.
John: And let's bring in Marilyn Monroe.
Russ: All right.
John: [Sings] Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, Mr. Crooked Politician. Happy birthday to you.
Russ: I'm sure our audience is floored by that performance.
John: Okay. Thank you, thank you, Marilyn.
Russ: Wow.
John: Nice to have you here.
Russ: Wow.
John: All right. This week in business history in 1945 Eric Clapton is born in Ripley, England. I didn't know he was English. I thought he was a American.
[Music: "Bell Bottom Blues"]
Russ: No, no. So he's -
John: Singer, guitarist and -
Russ: Sheesh.
John: - I mean that guy has had a lengthy career.
Russ: Oh yes, he's -
John: His voice has held up.
Russ: Oh yeah. He is now 65 years old. Eric Clapton.
John: Well, wow. This week in business history in 1948 the birthday of Albert Gore, Jr. was born in Washington, D.C.
Russ: Wow, so now he's 62.
John: That's right. It's - he's born the same year I was born. Yeah.
Russ: Yeah, wow.
John: Okay. This week in business history in 1968 LBJ announces he will not seek reelection.
Russ: Wow. And that was - that was -
John: And that was a big surprise.
Russ: Yeah it was a - I mean like the - even the press didn't know and his staff didn't know.
John: No it wasn't - see when a president gives a speech there's usually a text of the speech that's handed out to the press.
Russ: Right, right.
John: So they know pretty much what he's gonna talk about.
Russ: Right.
John: And he threw that in unannounced.
Russ: Wow.
John: And the reason why he did is the Vietnam war was going bad, he was falling in the polls, Bobby Kennedy and Gene McCarthy were -
Russ: Right.
John: - looks like they were gonna, either one of them coulda taken the nomination, so -
Russ: And his health wasn't real good, either.
John: Yeah he had a heart - he had a heart condition and -
Russ: Yeah, yeah.
John: So that's the way it goes.
Russ: Yeah.
John: Okay. This week in April Fool's day history, John Lennon and Yoko Ono issue a press release saying they were gonna have dual sex-change operations.
Russ: [Laughter] That's a great April Fool's Day joke. They shoulda done it, though.
John: Oh yeah. It's no wonder the Beatles broke up. I mean, John Lennon said some pretty stupid things but I think Yoko Ono was - it's like giving a extra drink to an alcoholic, you know, she just made him more weird.
Russ: Yeah, [Laughter] yeah.
John: And - geeze.
Russ: I agree.
John: Okay, this week in business history in 1970 the same year that April Fool's joke, the AMC Gremlin is introduced.
Russ: [Laughter] But that wasn't an April Fool's joke.
John: Talk about April - talk about April - it was introduced on April 1, 1970.
Russ: Yeah. Unique looking vehicle.
John: Well, very unique, yeah. A little too unique for its own good.
Russ: That's right.
John: Okay, this week in business history 1973 marks the launch of Lexis-Nexis, a computerized legal research service which blossomed into a search engine.
Russ: Yeah.
John: A very reputable renown.
Russ: Right, right. And still doing well, you know -
John: Right.
Russ: - despite the fact that you can go out and do your own research these days.
John: Yeah but they, they do a much better job of - for journalists and -
Russ: Right.
John: -very - it's a professional search -
Russ: Lawyers, yeah, yeah.
John: -engine where Google is all over the place.
Russ: Right.
John: Okay. This week in business history in 1976 Steve Wozniak and Steven Jobs found Apple Computer.
Russ: Oh, so it's the company's 34 years old this week.
John: Yeah and they were smart to bring Steven Jobs back in after he was forced out of the company.
Russ: Boy. No kidding.
John: This week in business history in 1977 Fleetwood Mac's album "Rumors" album goes to No. 1, stays there for 31 weeks.
[Music: "The Chain"]
Russ: Yeah, well, you know, that album, Malcolm Gladwell likes to talk about how people said, "Oh man, they just exploded onto the successful stage of pop music and he goes on to make the point that they had been together in one form or another as a band for like 24 years -
John: Right.
Russ: - and he worries that society these days would not allow a pop band to stick around that long before they really hit the jackpot, so -
John: Right.
Russ: - there you go.
John: And this week in history in 1981 President Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinkley, III. this was in front of the Connecticut Avenue Hilton.
Russ: Right, right.
John: Okay, I drove by that hotel about ten minutes before he was shot.
Russ: Wow, really?
John: Yeah.
Russ: Wow.
John: I was making sales calls for The Washingtonian Magazine.
Russ: Wow!
John: So, yeah.
Russ: What a day.
John: Yeah, could - I get ten minutes earlier, I'd have been there.
Russ: Probably arrested.
John: Heard, heard the shot.
Russ: [Laughter] yeah, right.
John: This week in business history in 1987 IBM introduces the PS2 and OS 2.
Russ: Well yeah and there were a lotta people that thought this was their departure from Bill Gates. Actually, I attended the national announcement down in Miami, Florida and Bill Gates was there, just as an observer, like the rest of us and it was real interesting touring the kind of trade fair thing afterwards and him looking -
John: So Bill Gates was kinda like a regular guy?
Russ: Yeah, yeah.
John: Just walking around like everybody else.
Russ: I think he was just barely a billionaire then, but you know, he was still interested and asking questions and they were treating him like a regular guy.
John: A regular guy. Now look at him.
Russ: Yeah.
John: Okay and finally, this week in business history in 2004 Google introduces its Gmail product to the public. The launch is met with skepticism on account of the launch date.
Russ: 'Cause it was an April Fool's thing -
John: April Fool's Day.
Russ: - people thought, and it was not an April Fool's joke. It's been very successful in venturing their company beyond search.
John: Right.
Russ: All right. And that wraps up this morning's history lesson.
John: All right.
Russ: All right and that brings us to the Jargon Challenge Round.
John: Yes.
Russ: This is our vocabulary lesson.
John: I failed miserably last week.
Russ: Well you did. That was the -
John: I did but over time, I'd say over the past three or more months, I've done pretty good.
Russ: Yeah you have. You've done well. Yeah, last week was Kodak courage.
John: Yeah, and I kept thinking about Kodiak bear or something.
Russ: Yes you did.
John: I - so I didn't know what to say.
Russ: Yes, yes, all right. The way this works is I go select a word.
John: Yeah, or make it up.
Russ: Yeah.
John: Yeah.
Russ: And I say the word.
John: Uh huh.
Russ: And John tries to guess the meaning.
John: Yes, right.
Russ: This morning's word's a noun, a two-word noun.
John: All right.
Russ: Digital dieting.
John: Digital dieting.
Russ: Right.
John: Hmm. Okay, digital, of course we're talking about the computer world.
Russ: Yeah.
John: Dieting is means when you decide to downsize your -
Russ: Now let me stop you - I'm gonna, I'm gonna go ahead and give you a hint, here.
John: All right.
Russ: It's somewhat related to last week's word. Kodak courage.
John: Uh huh.
Russ: Digital dieting.
John: Ah! Okay.
Russ: So?
John: It's when you have the courage to go digital. I don't know.
Russ: Well the connection was the digital word in this morning's jargon word is referring to digital photography.
John: Oh!
Russ: So digital dieting -
John: Yeah.
Russ: Will that get ya there?
John: No.
Russ: [Laughter] All right. It's the photographer's euphemism for the digital retouching techniques used to make subjects look younger and thinner.
John: Oh, right. Right, yeah.
Russ: Okay, digital dieting.
John: It's like Photoshopping.
Russ: Exactly.
John: Yeah.
Russ: Which is kind of interesting. I know a real good photographer who takes a lot of pictures for fun of people and then gives them back and he'll touch them up and invariably he will say how interesting it is that they don't really notice that he touched it up. All that they do notice is that, "Boy, that's a real good photo of me," you know?
John: Uh huh.
Russ: And it's funny that people don't notice that their flaws and reductions -
John: So if a guy - so he took a photo of somebody like, had a big mole -
Russ: Yeah.
John: - with a couple hairs coming out of it, he would erase all that.
Russ: It's close to that.
John: Although that is considered a badge of honor among certain Polish people.
Russ: Well that's right, that's right. I don't think a big one would work but he does a lot of little ones and cleans up, you know, a little acne and a few blemishes here and there and does a little lift here and there.
John: Huge gashes in your forehead.
Russ: [Laughter] Yeah and he does a lift here and there and they go, "Oh!"
John: And if you've just been attacked by somebody with a meat cleaver on your way to get your photo taken, he would take that -
Russ: Yeah, yeah.
John: - you know, big crevice out of your forehead.
Russ: And people don't seem to notice that, they go, "Oh, golly, you're a good photographer. You're the only person that ever captured what I really look like."
John: All right.
Russ: There you go. All right and before we wrap up this morning's School of Business, it's time for the very popular PKF Texas Entrepreneur's Playbook. So let's welcome Mr. Greg Price. A one and a two and a -
Russ and John: A one and a two and a -
Greg: This is Greg Price with PKF Texas' Entrepreneur's Playbook.
I've talked before about the importance of engaging your young professionals or YPs. One way to do this is to encourage their strategic participation in YP groups.
From industry organizations to Chambers of Commerce, there are a plethora of YP organizations to choose from. Guiding your YPs to the groups that will benefit their career as well as your company is key.
Which groups make the most sense for your company's goals and growth strategy? What groups are your more senior team members a part of and is there a YP group associated?
The Greater Houston Partnership recently created the Houston Young Professionals Endeavor, or as they call themselves, HYPE. The mission of HYPE is to enhance the next generation of Houston's business leaders by providing professional and personal development opportunities to the YPs in the Greater Houston region.
Groups like HYPE, Young Professionals in Energy or the World Trade Soiree Jet-Set can assist your YPs in building their centers of influence early in their careers. By strategically positioning your YPs in organizations that are important to your business, it's a win for you and your team.
To read and comment on the PKF Texas' Entrepreneur's Playbook, visit my blog, fromgregshead.com. And be sure to check out the new mobile ready website at PREVIOUS NEXT
