Extending the life cycle of a product and the importance of personality,ideas, emotions, strategy, excellent design, and CONNECTIVITY

Evolution of products used to be long-tail: Six years from design, manufacturing, and sales.  That’s changed: radically. Product development can be done anywhere: R+D can be done anywhere. So-so design can be done in many places and that means products  evolve and get better faster ergo-shorter, tighter life cycles.

The market place demands more-expects more-and gets more. Prices fall and rise based on commodities and the changing policies of governments, the willingness of private money and institutions to invest, and policy: All those factors are variable.

This means almost anything-anything, can be commoditized: Businesses are no longer applauded just for having a well-made product and sales teams don’t just win on ‘product knowledge’ alone.

What’s left? What can’t be dragged down into the morass of commodification and what questions should you ask about yourself and your company?

1. Personality: Do you have an attractive personality- are you a magnet? Is this reflected, infused, in your brand and company? Are you able to connect people with other people? Do people call you. Do people ask youto assist them, solve problems, and get things done? Is all this integrated into your companies’ brand and image. Personality decreases the disaster of commodification. Can your personality, difuse through your organization, renown, encourage consumers to purchase your products just past the conventional widom of when the product’s life-cycle is supposed to be over? Do you believe  you can remake your personality? You can: Mirror and study attractive personalities.
2. Ideas: Do you have great out-of-the-box ideas: Are they so compelling and powerful that they drive alliances and bring people together to assist you with your dream-make that dream their own, and, in partnership make real, what is your vision? Do you have many good ideas? Do you write them down? Do you share them with others-bringing them closer to you? Can your ideas singularly improve enough peoples’ lives and businesses that what you sell, and the company you own  turn the commodification tide and extend your product’s life-cycle?
3. Emotions: Do you care? Stop for a moment: Ponder this- Do you care? Do you empathize? Are you able to emote powerfully positive energy that compells others to join with you in bold visions-are you emotionally in tune with others? Do they feel better when you are around: Energized, cheered-up, grateful for the time they spend with you? Bottom-line: Do they feel inspired. No force, no cheaper, faster, better manufacturer or company can compete with a leader who can inspire his/her team under any conditions, threats, foes, or situations. The power to inspire= the power to strike down the tidal-force of copy-catism. Inspiration is the ultimate brand and as rare as the rarest diamond.
4. Strategy: Do you drive your choices in business strategically? Do you map your business out? Goal post, do you put yourself in another man’s shoes and try to bring enough good to the table that conventional deals, contracts, and ways of doing things-which led to this recession-which led to this recession-can be undone through force of out-of-the-box ‘win-win’ strategic planning?
5. Excellent Design: And here is the shield and sword of a companies’ ability to go to war with mass-volume-hydra headed, far flung purveyors of rapidlly produced product: Exquisite design. Do you have on your team or in your universe players able to up-brand and extend the life cycle of your companies’ products with innovative, trans formative designs-over and over again?
6. CONNECTIVITY: Can you bring people together when you have very few resources and execute the goal? No man is an island-none of us are perfect. CONNECTIVITY is not “making connections”-that was pre-recession babble- CONNECTIVITY is the combination of 1-3 above: Personality, ideas, and emotions. CONNECTIVITY IS YOUR (AND YOUR COMPANIES’) WARRIOR-It can’t be beat. And maybe only one in 100,000 people have the power of CONNECTIVITY. Seek them out-and stay stuck to them like epoxy.

Forbes Legacy Ventures LLC brings true zero-emission’s vehicles to Downtown Los Angeles: The Forbes Sustainability Project

The Forbes Sustainability Project: 001 213 261 1949

Saturday, June 27, 2009

The South Park Sustainability Shop (South Park Sustainable)

It’s a process- finding the right partners (Vendor-Partners, allies, a work-force, infrastructure, licensing-dealership rights) and it’s a process that one can’t rush because FLVLLC-The South Park Development Group, through South Park Sustainable, is trying to develop a first-class, triple a, show-room highlighting zero-emission vehicles that have these three benefits: quality, affordability, and aesthetic value. Further, an alignment with our values’ paradigm.

South Park Sustainable Shop’s mission is to act as an influence agent driving our local government’s agencies and private/public organizations toward increasing the number of vehicles in their fleet that are zero-emission and motivating individuals toward using zero-emission vehicles as an alternative to cars, truck, motorcycles, and scooters without giving up quality or performance.

Vendor-Partners:

www.greenvehicles.com

Vans, trucks, cars, and motorcycles from this Palo Alto based firm: excellent quality, value priced, and honorable, straight forward leadership.

http://www.greenpacks.org/2008/06/11/a2b-bicycle-ultra-motors-light-electric-vehicle-lev/

The A2B: a high-value, fleet –ready, powerful light, electric vehicle (LEV), again value priced.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/electric-bike-review-assist-pacific-e-bike-terra-graham-hill.php

The E+ Electric Bike: Powerful (very powerful), agile, tough: fleet-ready

Allies:

It’s early days yet, but we have the frame-work of very powerful institutional support and the backing of key-stake holders (The Chamber: Chairman Jorge Corralejo, Deputy Chairman Bob Holguin). We have a growing, powerful, diverse list of allies who have trusted us over the years, and for whom we have assisted in the knowledge that all good things return in some form or fashion. We are so fortunate in having such diverse, local, and global relationships: Forbes-The South Park Development Group lives and dies on connections and relationships build in flow, with ease and through constructive, mutual benefit.

A Work Force:

Again, early days-but the core team: Jeff, Eve, Biljana, Stef, et al are incredibly loyal, dedicated, and value-aligned with its leader.

Infrastructure:

A 7500 Sq Foot Prime A+ Showroom for B2C and B2B Sales (thanks’ to an incredible land-lord: Rasmus Lee, with PRE Brokerage) and a second, 3,500 Sq ft off-site ware-house office for repairs and customization.

Our goal? To build a local- Downtown Los Angeles based zero-emission vehicle manufacturing base: nothing less than transformational change, shoring up the local tax base and making South Park L.A and Downtown L.A a major electric vehicle manufacturing hub. Innovation, social justice, and massive ingenuity-right in the heart of Los Angeles: South Park Los Angeles.

Dealership DMV Licensing/Dealer Rights:

Almost complete with the DMV.

Fortunately, expeditiously we have secured local dealership rights for which we hope to advance to so-cal distributorship rights and globally-exporting ultimately to Europe and to Asia as, through my father’s businesses and long term connections, we see fortuitous possibilities.

How far have we come? Very, very far. How far do we have to go? The road ahead is at least 15-20 years ahead: we look forward to advancing with our allies, challenging those who would wish us ill, defending the rights of the poor and underprivileged, defending the rights of the environment, building the best Los Angeles possible, and making significant revenues and profits, in order, in part, to help the helpless.

martin cavanaugh porter III

Posted by forbes legacy ventures llc- the south park development group at 5:56 PM 0 comments Labels: South Park Sustainable

out of the car, onto the bikes: the sustainable wave

the next wave-sustainablity

there are more and more cars in the u.s. than ever. a lot of people are driving their cars to do something as simple as going to the grocery store or returning a dvd. but how awesome would it be to be able to bike to those places or use your zero emissions electric bike to go to work? not only would you be doing the environment a great big favor, but you also would be saving yourself a lot of money and getting the exercise that everyone needs.

here in downtown l.a., it’s pretty easy to find parking, but majority of the time you have to pay. but if you started biking, you wouldn’t have to worry about all that. as more people start to take up biking, i can visualize bike racks on every street and bike shops opening up all around the southpark neighborhood just because of this up and coming trend.

how could we encourage more people to take up biking (besides the environmental and money factor)? i think customizable bikes will grab peoples attention. just think about walking into a bike shop, telling them exactly what you want, and then having them design it for you. everyone likes it when you can customize your own personal items… because it’s unique.

so peddle to the max.

we’ve test driven the e-road here are the results: downtown los angeles’ transport solution-zero emission, sustainable transport: driving the future now

it's about time

Down Town Los Angeles Business Blog has test driven the  e-road and here’s the bottom-line: fast, fun, and effective.

A phenomenal solution to downtown los angeles commuter congestion and best of all, eco-freindly-zero carbon emissions.

We applaud Logan Guzman, and the distributors of this new, vital, integral mode of transport: the e-road, a major step in the right direction.

full disclosure: members of the Downtown Los Angeles Business Blog are partners in the South Park Development Group and Forbes Legacy Ventures LLC, and are in the process of developing a business relationship with E-Road, for which we are thrilled.

more than just design.

i recently joined Forbes Legacy Ventures as a graphic designer. and every day i come to work, i realize how much there is to learn. it’s more than just design. it’s also business. and i now know how much business and design go hand in hand. good graphics can make good business and vice versa.

i was given this amazing opportunity to work on a variety of projects, but not only that, i also have the opportunity to work directly with the c.e.o. and because of this, i am able to learn so much more than just sitting behind a cubicle and being stuck in the farthest corner of the room. at least, that is the stereotype.

currently, i am working on Forbes Legacy Venture’s website. trying to keep it simple. clean. and to the point. letting people know what we do as a business and what we are capable of doing with graphics. because again, it’s more than just design.

korean innovation and investment- downtown la biz

flvllc.com

It’s all gotten better. from the car ads to the cars themselves-the Hyundai Genesis for example: an exceptional car at an exceptional price. Through the recession, this long tailed downturn, the Koreans have kept innovating and introducing relevant products and improving their ability to brand-to signal their innovations and the quality of their products at value prices.

It’s  further than that: they are investing in downtown-Korean Airlines is financing the most viable, important, new high-rise development in downtown l.a in the last five years-which includes the pre-recession period.

With the stronger Won, Koreans are investing, largely with cash, in lofts, condos, homes, and buildings-playing a significant, visual role in  shoring up the local downtown economy.

They are in fact, en-masse acting as a de-fact stimulus club for downtown los angeles and south park los angeles.

And they are not  going anywhere: they are buying to hold. build, and grow-that’s what Korean businesses do.

So, the question is: how do entrenched businesses and interests react to this entrepreneurial  and naturally innovative culture? Do they open their doors and arms, and bridge the gap quickly or creak along, watching change instead of becoming part of that change?

It is in the best interests of all downtown to understand and be motivated by the Korean movement to build, hold, and grow in Los Angeles and to realize  that this is only the beginning: While our culture has been spending to a great degree, their culture has been saving and now, in the midst of an international downturn, they have understood investment 101 and marketing 101: this is the right time to spend.

a game changing c.f.o-the importance of having a great mentor in your organization

c.f.o as game-changer

as c.e.o i deliberate, i engage in strategic thinking, and I develop the best strategy that should be implemented on behalf of my team, my clients, my family, and my community. most often, strategically, we are right on the money, backed by powerful tactical flanking executed by the team.

 i don’t always know how to handle everyone-i don’t always get interpersonal relationships right: i am burdened by the entirety of the enterprise-which is no excuse-i refuse excuses from others and will not accept one from myself.

but, i can become so engaged in the day’s affairs and so wrapped up in my own ego, that i can’t see the forest from the trees-and the trees are my team. trees need water and the chance to grow.

i became insensibly unable to deal with a member of the team because i could not, through my limited prism of life and business experience comprehend the true nature of that person’s character or abilities-and i gave up. my c.f.o did not. she saw what i did not: a biz developer, a hustler, a beehive worker-a passionate, unique individual whose life experiences, bound together into a quilt of embedded memory make her a valuable player to my clients, my team, and to me.

 my c.f.0, eve, worked with her and what i can see-early days-is an early spring of personal growth and business mojo. always listen in business, always look for the tipping point, which is to be found at the edges, not at the centre, at those moments when you should listen, and are not. effective=active=acting intelligently. that’s what i am beginning to see  in this person that the c.f .o is mentoring, and i am proud and grateful.

we may have a business development powerhouse on our hands in this young acolyte.

beyond commoditization of customers: from customers to members, from members to members of your tribe.

green-organic boot-strap v.c funding in south park l.a: hope RIZE

Friday, May 15, 2009

 

the hopeRIZE fund:finding and boot strap funding GREEN-ORGANIC entreprenenuers

today, brett and I will be filing the securities and exchange paperwork for the hopeRIZE fund: moving toward solution-first round financing for young, dynamic, highly innovative future GREEN ORGANIC entrepreneurs: core component attribute: the startup(s) must be HQ downtown southpark l.a. within the four block LUNA-EVO-EVO SOUTH-FLOWER STREE LOFT schema.

we look forward to working with South Park stake holders to advance this goal.

-martin cavanaugh porter III and brett h tomich.

questions? you can email: info@southparkbusinessincubator.biz 

50-for-500 club

we cannot remain locked in a disparate darkness of financial road blocks to innovation. 

the best time to innovate, invest, and grow is through a recession by supporting groundbreaking start up-entrepreneurs who often lack the ‘get in the door’ credentials to accelerate their product to market and reach the payback period to investors. 

the los angeles business war room round table must assist start-ups and on-going businesses receive a degree of credit from suppliers, obtain second rounds of financing, and have access to state-of-the art technology to leverage their innovation and bring their product or service to market. 

let us look at the present value, beta, efficiency frontier modelling through the lens: degree to which we can support an innovator succeed.

credit scores: one part of a whole- many individuals credit scores have taken a hit these last years and/or young men and women don’t have enough credit history to have an adequate score.

Let us move beyond the obvious in our collective thinking “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Einstein.

 lets also talk about: innovation scores (can product or service be brought to market or improved and be re-branded in short order with a reasonable expectation of success) and credibility scores (what is the individual’s relationship with his freinds and family like-this is a prime new way of balancing a potentially low credit score). full due-diligence adding criteria that allows for a more balanced view of the potential investment. 

 

brett and I propose the  50 for 500 club to begin to provide direct, technical,branding, ongoing strategic advice and limited financial ‘boot strap’ assistance to one potential innovative, entrepreneurial  graduate from the USC Marshall School of Business through the South Park Business Incubator (a private business incubator, a business  unit of the South Park Development Group). much more to come about the 50 for 500 club in the days ahead.

 south park biz incubator (also called la biz incubator) would provide legal, technical, office, branding and marketing assistance (unlimited email marketing campaign blasts, free, best of breed website-on line ecommerce presence, viral-SEO marketing, business planning, and assistance in 2nd and third round financing) for the life of the start-up company, taking a 10% interest.

members of the 50 for 500 club in return for each member putting up a $500.00 stake in the venture, collectively own 10% interest.

it’s a new model: double down on the angel  investor model and drive innovation and the hopes of start-up businessmen and women.

the 50 for 500 club will be on the agenda  at the first war room round table.

questions? ideas? email: btomich@southparkbusinessincubator.biz or mcporter@southparkbusinessincubator.biz