Sunday, October 26, 2014

To be or not to be - classy


Classy Lesson One


Dear Friends (who are interested in creativity, innovation, and tech): I recently began researching about this new venture, Magic Leap, a novel human and visual computing tech venture (start-up), that is headquartered in Dania Beach, FL. They raised their A round of $50M in Feb this year. Just this week, they raised a B round of over $500M, in less than 8 months!  They are attracting some of the smartest tech and creative talent on the planet.  Their site is very interesting in that they don’t really say much, but articulate their story of how they are in stealth mode and want to change the world of machine learning and visual computing. Inspirational...

You have to scroll down on their web pages to read through the text.  Also make sure you see the neat animation with the elephant. You might have to click on the elephant when you see that part of the image to see the moving image.

I thought it was a neat concept and a different kind of website design, both creative and innovative.  http://www.magicleap.com/#/home


Mukesh Patel, CEO


The above was an email that I received from one of MY friends - a serial entrepreneur, a founding principal of a private equity firm, attorney, business advisor, angel investor, and mentor.


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Classy Lesson Two


Hi Tom,

I'm working hard to find more practical ways for us to work together to take your business to where you want it to go. To do that well I need to understand how I can best help you. Please complete this short survey. Your answers are for my eyes only and will help me to create the thing you really want.

Thanks for being here.

Best,


Bernadette


The above is from Bernadette Jiwa, who I met via www.SethGodin.com


“I’m Bernadette Jiwa, I lead organisational change around marketing and I'm here to help you tap into the essence of your idea, to uncover your unique ability and tell the story of how that translates to value for people in a marketplace. I want to show you how to make something people love so that you don't have to work so hard to make people love your thing. Whether you make chocolate bars, or sell consulting services, are a tech startup, a non-profit or incumbent global brand—you've got a brand story to tell. My job is to work with you and your company to unlock the value in your story and translate that into marketing people love. I'll help you to understand the difference you create and show you how to shine a light on that so that your brand becomes more meaningful to the people you serve.”


*****



A Class Act - or Class Dismissed?


Classy people do classy things. They give, they share, they recommended. They have their own adventures, they have their own successes and failures, but they always bring something back to share with the tribe. Seth Godin sends out a daily blog that is essentially free - sharing his amazing brain and valuable insights with the world. Mukesh Patel was compelled to share with his network of friends www.MagicLeap.com which indeed seems to be well on their way to being remarkable and disruptive. As for Bernadette Jiwa, she just seems to exist on this planet to help you to thrive and succeed in business. Explore her website, and tell me how you FEEL about Bernadette.


I don’t know if they can teach this in business school - how to be classy. But at least they should point it out when it rings your doorbell, or arrives in your inbox.




To be or not to be classy, that is the question. I don’t know the exact definition of classy, but I know it when I see it. 

And I think your customers will know it when they see it, too.




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