It's Been A Long Time

It's been a long time since my last blog; one year to the date. Wow. Who would have thought. I wonder if people think, "well, she's not serious about her blog or she'd be blogging." Or perhaps, there might be the person wondering "what's going on?"

Yes, life does bring challenges and for me, the challenge was re-grouping. Now there's going to be people out there thinking, "It took you a whole year to re-group! Really?" I've come to realize and be aware of the people I call "heckler" and then there's the people I call "pay-it-forward." While I've been re-grouping the strategy for Messy Face®, I've also been doing a lot of networking, connecting with other inventor-idea/business people, some business people, and making some mistakes while learning a heck of a lot. I've also discovered a new sense of determination with Messy Face® similar to lighting the fire and passion again.

My gift to readers of my blog is what I call the "If I Knew Then What I Know Now." It's my Top 10 items of yeah, I wish I would have known that...how much it would have helped me out. Here's my outline and if anyone is interested in connecting to discuss these Top 10 items in deeper context - you can contact me on www.messyfacedesigns.com or at www.twitter/messyface; I'll be posting a blog each month expanding on the Top 10 items...beginning with the first!

If I Knew Then What I Know Now ~Making the Most with Messy Face®

Business Strategies: Entrepreneurial vs. Traditional
Yes, there's a difference. What's the difference and why does it matter? Well, with a traditional business strategy, the strategy is very linear, logical, and pretty much text book. The entrepreneurial strategy is the vision of the founder/owner, and in the case of inventor's - the inventor's vision and this person's involvement is the spine of the company. This strategy is non-linear, web-like, evolving, changing - sometimes rapidly (and this drives the traditionals crazy), and dynamic; it gives life and energy to the company. People wear multiple hats and it's definitely not about the protocol - it's about the journey.

A book I highly recommend is Blue Ocean Strategy written by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. And no, I'm not getting an endorsement; I've read a lot of books during my many years in academia and find Blue Ocean to be one of the best. Reasons why I like Kim and Mauborgne's book - first, it's very easy to read. The book flows effortlessly from one example to another. Second, the information is practical. Any business can apply the Blue Ocean concepts to their corporate strategy. Third, the authors are very direct in identifying consequences for the corporate world if choosing to not embark on a Blue Ocean.

When reading Blue Ocean, I remembered an idea I had as an undergraduate student; it was a change strategy for KMart. I lived in the metro Detroit and used to drive by the KMart corportate headquarters...and I never gave them my strategy idea and often wonder if my idea could have been KMart's Blue Ocean. Another lesson for inventor's - if you fear it, do it! You'll only regret not doing it...that comes later!

During the next months I'll be covering these topics; all within the Top 10. Until then, keep moving forward!

Business Strategy & Strategic Planning
Captain Obvious vs. The Magic Question
The Chocolate Chip Cookie
Building a Right Team
Networking & Pay-it-Forward People
Marketing: Advertising, Websites, & Social Media
The Long (and sometimes lonely) Winding Road
Resourcefulness, Persistence, Passion
Intention, Awareness, Purpose

© 2011 Messy Face Designs, Inc.