by Paul Mobley on September 25, 2009
I describe my company as a newmedia real estate company. We are BOTH a tech company and a real estate company. It is easy for me to classify my business like this because we spend a majority of our time on the tech side trying to reinvent the real estate business. Yet, I believe that more and more businesses should, rather MUST, consider themselves as a tech company if they are going to remain relevant in the next 50 years.
When you view yourself as a tech company then you make the investments in systems, processes, and R&D to stay ahead of the curve. You create the trends instead of trying to follow them. You’re excited by innovation not frustrated by distractions that you don’t understand.
Last week, I was having a conversation with the CEO of a SoCal printing company that has been in business for the last 30 years. They are very successful and have 40 full-time employees. They actually benefit from old-tech with computers, printing systems, and the latest desktop publishing software. In our conversation I encouraged him to think of their business as a tech business.
For many in the printing industry tech is both good and bad. They love the improvements in their production process but hate having business go the way of the internet (i.e. websites and blogs instead of brochures and newsletters). Their whole industry has a choice, they can either become tech companies with advanced printing capabilities or they can lose to those people in the industry who do.
Everyone will agree that printing is now a commodity. So it’s not the printing that gives a company it’s competitive advantage. It’s not branding either. It’s tech. It’s the intellectual property that makes one company different than everyone else. It’s no longer to be ok to just be a good printer. That’s expected. Now you need to be a good innovator AND a good printer.
This way of thinking should extend to everyone and every type of organization. Any type of business, non-profit, governmental agency, or individual should add tech to their title. They should obtain the creative thinking skills and invest both time and money in these areas. I want to see the local bureaucrat embrace technology and find ways to innovate and add value to the community. I want to see the non-profits investing in R&D to permanently solve problems instead of just trying to clean up the mess after they happen. I want to see individuals saying they have these tech skills that they are applying every type of thing that they do.
Tech is no longer reserved for Silicon Valley. Tech companies should exist in all industries, in all cities, in all aspects of life. You don’t need to change industries to become a tech company. In fact, if you change your business to be the most tech savvy business in your industry you’ll be setting a new standard, inventing a new way of doing things, and creating a new set of expectations from the customer.
by Paul Mobley on September 16, 2009
CitySourced was selected as one of the top three concepts at TechCrunch50 2009. While they didn’t receive the top prize (a check for $50,000) they did make a big splash at an event with lots of noteworthy tech innovators. Both the judges and the press loved the concept (including CNET). Keep your eye out for CitySourced to show up in the iPhone App store soon.
Check out the presentation on UStream
Jason Kiesel & Kurt Daradics (center) - Photo by Chanaye Thomas
by Paul Mobley on September 15, 2009
CitySourced was introduced today as one of the finalists at TechCrunch50. CitySourced is a realtime mobile civic engagement tool. CitySourced provides:
- a free, simple, and intuitive tool empowering citizens to identify civil issues (potholes, graffiti, trash, snow removal, etc) and report them to city hall for quick resolution;
- an opportunity for government to use technology to save money and be more accountable to those they govern; and
- a positive, collaborative platform for real action.
The platform is called CitySourced, as it empowers ordinary citizens to crowdsourse solutions for common civil issues. CitySourced is powered by FreeomSpeaks, the leader in interactive civic engagement.
It’s cool to see new products like this coming on the scene. I wouldn’t expect to see this level of innovation coming out of city hall so it’s cool to see it being done by civic entrepreneurs (civic is the new green). The question is, are the civic leaders savvy enough to implement this type of system or will they be resistant to change?
by Paul Mobley on September 14, 2009
Publishers Weekly, the leading magazine on the American book business, predicted another big hit this fall from the makers of American Farmer. The new offering by Welcome Books is Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town. This oversized hardcover by photographer Douglas Gayeton is a tribute to rural Italian life and charming local characters whose livelihoods and shared culture center on the growing, preparing, eating, and everyday pleasures of food.
Lynn Andriani, the columnist for Publishers Weekly, reported today that the slow food book has already gone back for a second printing bringing the total to 25,000 copies (which is impressive since the book won’t be released until next month). Lynn issued a “sleeper alert” encouraging the publishing world to sit up and take notice.
Welcome Book’s publisher Lena Tabori has continued the a tradition of complex, fascinating books with human truths at their heart. Books that tell the truth, speak with integrity and come from passion. American Farmer by photographer Paul Mobley was a perfect example of of this type of passion and you can expect Slow to keep the tradition alive.
by Paul Mobley on September 8, 2009
Social media, outsourcing, and other new tactics have been described within the real estate industry as proof of a major change in the business. People talk about them as the magic bullets for an industry that is in crisis.
Most people will agree that the real estate industry in 2009 is in crisis. However, I don’t believe that it is because of short-sales, foreclosures, or the mess in the financial industry. It is my thesis that the real estate industry is in a crisis of identity. Realtors don’t know what role they are supposed to play in this new world so they search for answers to explain why things are not working like they did ten years ago.
A recent study by the California Association of Realtors said that people are using the internet to research properties for 8-12 weeks BEFORE they contacted a Realtor. This new behavior lends itself to some of the methods used in social media and outsourcing but it doesn’t answer the question of why.
I believe that Realtors are no longer the gatekeepers of information and that we can either fight against this shift or adapt to it and benefit from it. To adapt to a changing industry, Realtors will be expected to become local leaders and aggregators of useful information. A greater percentage of the work will fall into these two areas with the individual transactions becoming a much smaller aspect of the business.
by Paul Mobley on September 1, 2009
by Paul Mobley on August 27, 2009
Now that we live in a flat world (see: The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
) you’ll start to see more organizations (entrepreneurial, non-profit, government, etc) that no longer act like “small businesses” but rather “quasi-small businesses”. They use the leverage, manpower, and distribution systems of large multinational organizations and media channels to accomplish their goals.
They may have some attributes that resemble a small business like a corporate office with “4 dogs and 12 employees”. They will have some, but not all of the features of, what we traditionally know as a small business.
Small business is traditionally defined as 500 direct employees or less. Yet, with collaboration between people utilizing various legal entities to protect their assets (including intellectual property) it is becoming the norm to have small business silos that operate cooperatively without engaging in a corporate merger or acquisition. Leaders are moving with ease between multiple organizations utilizing the power of their worldwide networks to accomplish their tasks without the need to obtain a passport or work visa.
It no longer requires a corporate structure, a board of directors, or a shareholders meeting to get things accomplished in this flat world. Yet when they are used it is not a surprise to find out that the board of directors meeting was actually just a foursome on the golf course or a conference call between people who have never met in person.
Quasi-Small Businesses, business mashups, and the hiring of the “majors” is occurring every day. It is being done by smaller and smaller organizations as the barriers to entry are getting less and less. The power brokers are the ones who represent talent and creativity. It’s the innovators, the out-of-the-box thinkers who will be successful in this new world. These are the people who don’t observe and design in the same breath; who don’t accept “business as usual”; who think big and get other people excited about their visions.
Find people like that and become like them. You no longer need to work for the large multinational to accomplish your career goals. Let the large multinationals work for you!
by Paul Mobley on August 24, 2009
Tomorrow, August 25, 2009, Matt Brouwers’ new record Where’s Our Revolution
will be released by Universal / Indie Extreme. Since I’ve been friends with Matt for over a decade I’ll acknowledge my bias and leave the review to some else.
When I first listened to the record about nine months ago I was really impressed. I knew that it was really well produced and then I found out why… it was produced by Grammy award-winning producer, Michael Omartian. There were at least three radio singles that I noticed including: Please Say, Beautiful Now, and Sometimes. Have you heard them on the radio yet? Sometimes is the official single but Beautiful Now has also started to make movement on the charts.
At this point, you’re wondering why does the title of this article pit Matt Brouwer vs. Coldplay? The reason is that a recent AC Music Research study did just that. The test looked at 30 singles by different artists including Matt Brouwer, Pink, Coldplay, Shakira, and Green Day. The research looks at objective test data that’s both demographic (appropriate age range) and psychographic (targeted to those adults prefer to listen to adult contemporary radio).
Out of thirty singles, including Sometimes by Matt Brouwer, only two were recommended to be added to the radio station playlists. The two were Matt’s single Sometimes and Pink’s single Please Don’t Leave Me. This means that Matt’s song BEAT Life in Technicolor by Coldplay and a bunch of other proposed singles.
(Source: The Adult Contemporary Music Research Letter dated August 3, 2009, Vol. 26. No. 11)
If you haven’t heard the single yet you can buy Sometimes (Radio Edit) today on iTunes for $0.99. Or even better, call your local A/C radio station and ask them to play the song!
Tomorrow you can buy the full-length album at your favorite place to buy music. If they don’t have it yet don’t leave until you ask the manager to order it. Mention that you heard the single and you would have purchased it from them if it was available. Tell the manager that you don’t want to special order it but that they should carry it in-stock. Then you too will know what it feels like to be one of the first to know about a record that is likely to go Platinum.
by Paul Mobley on August 21, 2009
Jeff Monfils (a Realtor® from North Carolina) said to me yesterday…
“Success is not reached through making more money or advancing your career or even by public recognition, but rather whether or not OTHERS benefit from what your hands have done.”
Well said.
by Paul Mobley on August 19, 2009
It is clear to me that the next big trend is to use the internet as a way to leverage community and re-establish accountability. It’s both a beautiful and scary time because the traditional definitions of community have changed. The problem is that most people online are involved only in quasi-community and they seldom build real relationships with the people in their lives.
We are more accessible due to technology but often less real. Living on he west coast I have found myself falling into this trap. I’ve been focused on what is important to me and sometimes forget to stop and have a conversation with someone without an agenda. Willing to listen. Open to new ideas. Able to change. Engaged in the moment.
In a world where people have been taught not to trust each other… where it’s just as easy to create a fake world that is built on lies so you can take and never give back… you can obtain a distinctive brand and corporate good will from talking the hard road. By admitting when you’re wrong or when you don’t know enough. By saying, I’m sorry and actually meaning it.
We forget that corporations and movements are made up of people. In a world where employees are doing the wrong thing in the name of ‘corporate policies’ it is important to ask, why? If you were held personally responsible for your actions would you still act in the same way?
It used to be much harder to obtain limited-liability protection. Today, it just requires filing a few forms, paying some fees, and maybe using an attorney. Maybe that should change. Maybe we should revoke corporate charters if they don’t act in the public good. Maybe we shouldn’t bail out corporations who took big risks, but because they are so large, have no accountability.
When people used to look their customers in the face, and knew their names, it was much harder to take advantage of them. If you did, they would tell their friends in the community and your available customer base would decrease. We should do that again.Technology can be used as a tool to make our world more transparent, and therefore, a better place to live.
I am blessed to work along side a few of the many people who are helping to redevelop community. People like:
- Kurt Daradics at FreedomSpeaks.com :: Their goal is to facilitate transparency in our government by empowering the community to hold elected officials accountable for their actions.
- Paul Mobley (NYC) of American Farmer :: By documenting the hard working Americans who keep our country feed and reconnecting urban society with powerful images and stories of real people.
- Dane Sanders of Fast Track Photographer :: Who is leading a group of photographers, not by showing them the latest tricks with the camera, but rather by helping them identify their true potential as people with resources such as the pDNA.
All three of these people have one thing in common. When they identified a way that they could make a positive impact, then they cast aside the fear, and took action. None of these stories was accomplished by them alone. If they had not been supported along the way and encouraged to continue you would never know their story. They found great people to partner with and created excitement about their vision, not themselves.
I’m taking action in community redevelopment. Are you?
by Paul Mobley on August 17, 2009
by Paul Mobley on August 17, 2009
Thanks to everyone who took the time to check out the Pinkberry challenge and provide feedback online and off. There were a lot of professionals who were unable to participate due to their production schedules (which I understand). However, I think that some others were scared to show how they do their magic (which is a little short-sighted).
Danny Kern provided me with the most detailed description of his process and the best resulting image. He is a photographer from the San Francisco Bay Area and is very knowledgeable about post production work. Check out his comment on the original post to see how he went about getting the best out of the raw image. P.S. Don’t forget to call him when you need professional photography in the Bay Area. Not only is he a very talented photographer… but he is also a really nice guy. Thanks Danny!
PROCESSED BY DANNY KERN
UNTOUCHED CANON G10 IMAGE
by Paul Mobley on August 15, 2009
two things happened on the same night.
(1) tried takeout from a sushi place near our house
(2) vomited four hours after dinner
do these two things have a cause and effect relationship? maybe not, but unfortunately the sushi place doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt.
by Paul Mobley on August 12, 2009
This week we took our son to his first mountain experience. We chose to go up to the Idyllwild Inn where my old friends Josh & Emily White are the hosts. In a world of cookie cutter hotel experiences the Idyllwild Inn is a refreshing change.
There is something special about a business that has been family-owned and operated for generations. Josh & Emily are the 4th generation at this Idyllwild, CA landmark. It is very clear that the rustic mountain experience is important to them. You can tell it by the way that they keep all of the rooms extremely clean, the constant improvement projects, their community involvement, and the way that they interact with guests and staff… that this is a place that is unique.
While most other businesses search to find their “story”. They have more stories than they have time to tell. It is no surprise that they book out for Christmas a year in advance. That people plan annual vacations for a week at a time for “their” cabin. (These too are booked far in advance and they plan their year around their trip not the other way around).
Idyllwild is a secret in Southern California for one reason: It’s not on the way to anything. You have to go there intentionally. Most Californians are too lazy for that! I’m sad that it took me years to get back myself and experience the Idyllwild Inn (the last time I was in Idyllwild was for a backpacking class in college).
I’m glad that we made the journey up to Idyllwild for my son’s first mountain experience. Hopefully it will become a tradition and he’ll take his kids there too.
by Paul Mobley on August 11, 2009
At various times I have used the wrong strategy. (Honestly, it has happened more than I care to admit). I had no one to blame as it was a strategy that I came up with all on my own.
Stop trying to be clever and original. Instead look for the best strategy for accomplishing your goal and copy it. Except in the cases where this is a violation of intellectual property rights it is the best way to quickly identify the right strategy for right now. Build in feedback mechanisms to identify trends. Then watch for the unexpected success or unexpected failure. That is the market saying the strategy is right or wrong!
Basically: Follow the leader and listen.
by Paul Mobley on August 9, 2009
Derek Sivers, the head of CD Baby, said, “It’s so funny when I hear people being so protective of ideas. (People who want me to sign an nda to tell me the simplest idea). To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.”
The book Getting Real gives a wonderful description of the value of an idea. Unless you execute on that idea the value of your idea is basically worthless!
Just like real estate, the way a property is developed determines it’s value, and those that can see the highest-and-best use usually win.
Value, and thereby profit, comes from the multiplier effect between the IDEAS and ACTION. Basically, if you’re not taking action then your idea is worthless!
by Paul Mobley on August 7, 2009
The little that I know about photography is that you’re goal is to capture good light in a way that tells a great story.
As mentioned in the previous post I purchased a Canon G10. This camera has got me excited again about photography because it’s basically a professional’s point-an-shoot. David Studarus recommended that I buy it and I’ve liked it so much that I also bought a second one as a gift.
Here is the problem… Now that I have great high-resolution images I don’t know what to do with them in post (i.e. photoshop, lightroom, etc) to make them look their best. Without the ‘processing’ step I’m missing out on the best representation of the story.
Here is the challenge to all you pros… The raw image of Pinkberry at The District in Tustin, CA is here. Download it and show me how you would make it look and give me a brief description of what you did in your workflow. You have my permission to post your results on your own blogs, websites, or forums but I just ask that you link back to this original post and tell me when it’s been done. If you have photoshop actions or something that you sell go ahead and mention that too.
This is your opportunity to expose an entirely different audience to portion of your workflow. Hopefully you’ll all get some additional work or sales out of it but at a minimum you’ll be teaching someone who is interested and willing to learn.
Next weekend, August 15-16, 2009, I’ll chose my favorite version and post the results here at paulmobley.com
Thanks in advance… and have fun.
Photo: © 2009 Paul Mobley, MBA in Orange County, California
by Paul Mobley on August 5, 2009
This post is dedicated to [b]ecker and all of the other great photographers who always out play me in Texas Hold’em. The short list also includes: Jessica Claire, Mike Colon, Dane Sanders, and many more.
Paul Mobley had the cover image and a feature article in Rangefinder Magazine in July 2009. How do you like them apples?
You thought I was just a business guy, right? Amazing what you can do with the new Canon G10
. I’m going to steal all your booked gigs for 2010 by under-cutting your price!
You don’t believe me do you. You’re right I don’t have the cover image but my namesake in New York City does. We were talking about the accomplishment and I was trying to get something that I could use to brag about him. Yet, the only thing that he wanted to talk about was his subject. I think it’s great when you guys focus on the people in front of the camera instead of behind. In my opinion, that is often one thing that is common between all of you… but doesn’t get talked about much in the books, blogs, or seminars.
Paul Mobley from New York, NY told me, “The guy is a Texas farmer who just turned 100. He works everyday. One of the most delightful subjects on my American Farmer journey. His name is Catarino Romero, from Mineral Texas. He’s been married 80 years!”
Paul was nice enough to send over an extra image of Catarino and his wife. (A paulmobley dot com exclusive).
For all of the professional photographers and the amateurs like me it’s a good reminder that what is important is the people in our lives. Even if we only meet them for a few minutes they have a story to tell and it is the photographers responsibility, no mandate, to tell it with respect.
by Paul Mobley on August 4, 2009
David Studarus and I went out a week ago Friday to get some images for the Live Near The Beach and Live Near Work brands. The light wasn’t very good that day but we did happen upon the US Open of Surfing with some really nice waves. Then we went back down PCH and up Newport Blvd to Irvine. Before the day ended David met my son Jude. This was a fun day of work!
by Paul Mobley on August 3, 2009
What if you were given the opportunity to have lunch with Seth Godin or Donald Trump but you could only pick one. Who would you dine with? Would the choice change if you were paid $5,000 to sit down with Donald but it would cost you $5,000 with Seth?
If given that choice I would chose Seth gladly paying the $5,000.
Why would I make that illogical choice when I could have been PAID $5,000 to have lunch with Donald Trump? Because it’s not about them it’s about me.
I would chose Seth Godin because he has had a bigger impact on me and my business. In my opinion, he is also more humble and approachable. I believe that I can become like Seth but it would be very hard to replicate the same business playbook as Donald Trump. I can start a website that makes money by connecting people. I can’t, and don’t want to, build a 50 story skyscraper in the OC and call it Mobley Tower. I think that best way to make your first billion today is different than when Trump did it. Maybe that belief comes from the fact that I’ve done experiments with Seth’s teachings but I don’t have a lab that would work for doing trial and error in major real estate development projects (once again all about me). I can have a feature page on Squidoo but becoming the next “The Apprentice” isn’t high on my priority list.
Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a bash Trump and praise Godin post. They have written two of my favorite books (All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World
& Trump: The Art of the Deal
). The both are successful entrepreneurs and I’d like to meet them both in person some day. I’ve learned a lot from both of them and I will continue to in the future. The same decision might be different for you and that’s o.k. because when it’s your choice it’s all about you.
by Paul Mobley on August 1, 2009
I’m in the process of setting up an internship program with the Crowell School of Business. This is the same school that I did my undergrad and MBA. It turns out that one of the people who is point-of-contact was my old ‘Intro To Marketing’ professor. I got a D in his class and when I started my MBA I was on academic probation due to that one grade.
Honestly, I really enjoyed his class. Les Harmon is a great teacher. His classes were engaging and I don’t think I missed a single lecture. His presence at the school caused more people to chose marketing as their emphasis than any other field. (I still chose management).
If the class was so great, why did I get a D? I arrogantly thought that if I knew the material then that would be enough. I even went so far as to sit down in his office and say, “I can summarize the entire course in one sentence.” After listening to what I had to say he said something like, “You’re right but I still have to give you a D because you didn’t complete enough of the daily assignments.”
While it doesn’t show up on the transcript… that was one of the best lessons I learned in college. You can’t just know what to do… you have to actually do the hard work on a daily basis. I think that is the problem with a lot of really talented creative people who are not successful. They think that their talents will be enough so they don’t bother to do the daily things that would make someone even less skilled a success.
This was actually a wonderful reminder to me as I start the next phase of my startup company. All the plans in the world are not going to work unless we do the daily tasks that are necessary for success and let honesty and hard work be our constant companions.
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