The other day while traveling to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV I was reading a book by Spencer Johnson called “Who Moved My Cheese?” The book was a quick read with simple messages:
- Change Happens
- Anticipate Change
- Monitor Change
- Adapt to Change Quickly
- Change
- Enjoy Change!
- Be Ready to Change Quickly and Enjoy It Again & Again
As I toured the show and drank in the latest advances in technology from Smart Phones (iPhones, Motorola’s Droid, Rim Technologies Blackberry), Networking Systems (Cisco, Qualcomm) and on-line Software (GoToMeeting, Web Ex, EFax), I began to reflect upon our the book I had just read and our ever changing world. With advances happening on a daily basis, I began to wonder if today’s marketing firms would fully embrace and adapt to the newest technologies available to them. Will today’s clients open their mind to non-traditional brick and mortar agencies to access an infinite pool of talent? Are top-talented executives ready to be truly home-based and results-oriented?
When I launched Barrel O’Monkeyz (BoM), I looked around and saw that some of the best people that I had worked with over the years were out of work because of the bad economy and I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to create a company utilizing this incredible talent that could benefit companies of all needs and sizes. Most of all, I wanted to create an atmosphere where we could do great work and have fun doing it.
With that being said, I went about creating BoM with what I like to call a “No Borders” approach. BoM’s “No Borders” approach is centered around one goal and that is to not be limited by the traditional office structure, the 9-5 timeframe, or the costs of overhead. Team members can be located around the world, in different time zones for work around the clock – all while maintaining a low cost structure.
As I hit the ground running, I must say, “I am scared!” As a confident and successful entrepreneur, anticipating, adapting and driving change makes me nervous. My internal gremlin constantly pops-up and asks “What if” questions on a daily basis. As I try to corral my inner demons, I work to lay out my goals and my desire for change. I begin to layout the tools to allow others to communicate. My challenge becomes will the others follow and/or do my goals need to change.
I would like to offer special thanks to Mike Barr for being my personal tech guru, Lisa McKendall for being Miss Kenya Communication and helping me develop the BoM message and to Bill Dawson for bringing his valued input (Cough! Soap Box) to each engagement.
Warm Regards,
Paul June
