Business Lessons from sucessful entrepreneurs and business leaders: LunchLearning.com

Reading time: 3 - 4 minutes

Video Time: 35 minutes 25 seconds

Marissa Mayer (@MarissaMayer on Twitter) is the Vice President of Search Product and User Experience at Google. She has become a much recognized face of Google, often seen in interviews and speeches discussing Google’s current goals and achievements. In this speech given at Google Press Day in Paris, Mayer goes into detail about Google’s past, present, and future goals as a company.

Mayer begins the lecture with a quick introduction to the components of the search experience, which are specifically: comprehensiveness, relevance, speed, and user experience. Mayer stresses how Google has focused on each component to fine tune the overall search experience. When she describes the early days of Google, she marvels at how much Google and the internet have grown. When search first began, people were ready to sort through many websites to find the information they needed, but Google put its focus on relevance, aiming to place the best results first. This made Google extremely popular, just through people spreading the word, without any real advertisements.

Mayer explains how as information has increased rapidly on the web, it has become even more necessary to use search, and things like relevance and ranking become extremely important. She talks about how much information seeking has changed since search and the internet were introduced. At one point, we would have gone to the library, or asked other people when information was needed. Now, Google can answer a question in under a second. And despite using a lot of new features and capabilities, Google has remained clean and simple. Mayer describes many of these current capabilities in detail, for example things like spell correction, alternate queries, and sitelinks, all help make search more efficient and effective.

So, what will the future look like at Google? Google is working on answering questions even faster, according to Mayer, their goal is the speed of light. Of course, there are also numerous new features that Google is trying out. Developments in cross-language search which uses translation to search multiple languages, or universal search which offers up multiple types of links like images and videos that are all the most relevant to your search. One very interesting new capability is personalization, which takes a person’s search history and uses it to make search more relevant to the individual. The last ten minutes of the video includes a question and answer portion, which focuses on Google’s new developments.

It’s incredibly exciting to see what Google is coming up with to broaden and sharpen our search experience! So, enjoy this intriguing video about the future of search, and of course, Happy Learning!

Reading time: 3 - 4 minutes

Total Video Time: 39 minutes 29 seconds

Escape is a fantasy that the vast majority of people share. Virtual worlds have, to a limited extent, allowed that dream to come true. frog design’s Chief Creative Officer, Mark Rolston, speaks on the future of technology with the blurring of reality and virtual environments. Even today, we’re already feeling the effects of an increased virtual presence, but augmented reality is yet to come.

Rolston’s talk at eComm, the Emerging Communications Conference, centers on the rapidly increasing value of the individual’s “second life”. A term largely inspired by the virtual world Second Life, its grown to encompass the virtual persona that every person online develops. While, today, the worlds are fairly distinct, the lines are being crossed.

Shrinking devices with increased capabilities are allowing individuals to experience both worlds simultaneously in ways that could hardly be imagined even several years ago. Phones can create public records of our daily lives that can be played back at will, forming a communal memory. But even more than just an abstract layer above our real lives, Rolston shows how they can be incorporated into a part of our daily lives.

In one vivid example, on the border of what is possible today, he shows an individual with a portable computer, projector, camera, and various minor sensors taking photographs with a movement of his hand and receiving book reviews simply by studying its cover. All of this, he is careful to note, is well within the boundaries of what can be done today.

Individuals, as well as companies, are free to leave their mark in these meta-worlds that cross boundaries. People like to leave their mark and, if Google Maps is any indication, people will tag places with ideas or comments wherever they go. However, this is a world that is still in its infancy and whether or not it becomes a turning point
depends on how readily people will accept and utilize its capabilities.

Think of the past, envision the future!

Reading time: 2 - 4 minutes

Video Time: 19 minutes 30 seconds

Well this is it for me, its been great sharing with you this week. I want to end my series with a look towards the FUTURE. In today’s video Jane McGonigal (@avantgame on Twitter), and a researcher at the Institute for the Future, talks about how the social aspects of online gaming can be transposed onto the real world. She believes that the social networks in online games which allow players to effectively communicate to one another will eventually become the foundation for how we will use technology in the future. As an example Jane’s social game World Without Oil shows how people can effectively create multiple solutions to a large problem in a short period of time. Her game also demonstrates how people can use new technology to creatively solve problems when given the right means to achieve a goal.

New technology helps create better products and helps small businesses advertise in inexpensive ways. Technology like Google, Facebook and Twitter give entrepreneurs the resources to target specific consumers and streamline marketing. What might sound silly now, like making the real world mirror video games, might be as normal as checking an e-mail in the future. Technology and business go hand and hand and the partnership between these two economic giants help drive change. I picked this video to remind you that technology is your friend so play nice. I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Learning and Game On!

Reading time: 4 - 6 minutes

Total Video Time: 28 minutes 20 seconds

Today I want to switch things up a bit and present a person who used savvy business skills to turn her dream into a reality. That person is Felicia Day and If you’ve ever played an online RPG or if you know which color kryptonite makes Superman go crazy then you probably already know who I’m talking about. If you you’re asking, “What do rocket propelled grenades have to do with video games?” or “There’s more than one color of kryptonite?” that’s OK, let me explain my point. Felicia has done a fantastic job of marketing her popular web series The Guild to a niche group of…well, for a lack of a better term, nerds. The Guild is a show about six online gamers who must band together online and offline to help keep each other out of trouble. Whether she knows it or not, Felicia used smart business sense to create a show that caters to the needs of her niche. Here are just a few ways Felicia turned her zeal for online games into a successful business venture.

1. Passion - This is the most important part of making a business successful. As you watch as she explains the origins of The Guild, it’s easy to see that Felicia truly loves her craft.
2. Customer Service (the fans) - Felicia knows who her fan base is and knows what they want. In the video she describes how using a web series format was perfect for reaching her target audience. Even the interview at BlizzCon, a huge gaming convention, shows that she knows which events are important for circulating information to her fans.
3. Realistic - She works within her budget and doesn’t try to spread her self too thin when it comes to costs. In the interview, she discusses how she filmed in her house to minimize the overhead.
4. Growth - Felicia has a successful show on her hands and she knows that if she wants to grow her brand she needs to expand her footprint. Her cross platform content like The Guild comic book and The Guild music video insures that her brand will stay fresh and appealing to her current fans and attract new ones.

For those of you not familiar with how the gaming industry works some of the video’s content might be hard to understand. Don’t focus so much on the specifics, but focus on the big ideas; like the energy and drive it took to create a show from scratch or how Felicia answers every question with enthusiasm indicating her love for the subject matter. I hope this video will inspire new entrepreneurs and perhaps invigorate old ones to follow their passions.

Happy learning and Game On!

Reading time: 4 - 7 minutes

Total Video Time: 33 minutes 38 seconds

Today I want to talk about Rock Band Network (RBN) and how bands can use this amazing new tool to market themselves. However, before you can understand RBN you need to know about Rock Band the game. Whether you’ve heard about them or not music games like Rock Band have become a huge phenomena in the gaming industry. Rock Band allows you live out your childhood fantasy of becoming a rock star without those pesky addictions that have ruined the lives of so many of rock’s icons.

Here’s how the game works, you are given a set of peripherals in the shape of guitars, drums and microphones. Each peripheral, except for the mic, has colored buttons. You can grab up to three friends and pick a song from Rock Band’s music library and start playing. As you play the game you will notice colored bars scrolling down the screen at the same speed as the beat. Your job is to press the corresponding colored buttons on your peripheral at the same time the colored bars pop up on the screen and voilà, you have just learned the basics of Rock Band.

Rock Band comes complete with a large selection of songs already on the game, but you have the option of downloading more songs to expand your music library. You can choose to play songs from legendary bands like The Beatles, Metallica, and Iron Maiden or choose from more current bands like Fall Out Boy, Weezer, and Bon Savants…wait, who was that last one? This is where RBN steps in and lets indie bands like Bon Savants convert their music into tracks that can played on Rock Band. This is a huge, like I said in my previous post the video game audience is large and expanding. This is a great opportunity for indie bands to present their music to people who otherwise would not know they existed.

Bon Savants is one of the first bands to take the jump into this new form of music distribution, but I hardly doubt they will be the last. In their video blog they explain how RBN works as well as the difficulties they faced while converting their tracks into sound files for the game. Unfortunately, Bon Savants has not finished making their Rock Band tracks so their video blog is incomplete. To finish the lesson, I supplemented Caleb Epps’ presentation and tutorial about RBN. Most of Caleb’s first video reiterates what Bon Savants talked about except Caleb presents RBN from the developers perspective. If you’re impatient like I am you can skip to 3:37 of Caleb’s first video and pick up where Bon Savants left off. Caleb rounds out the tutorial by explaining how to polish the finished tracks and market the the music on RBN.

If you’re like me and are interested in learning more about Bon Savants check out their website here at http://bonsavants.com.

Hope you enjoy the learning and Game On!

Reading time: 3 - 4 minutes

Video Time: 58 minutes 21 seconds

What I really enjoy about politics, when it works, is that it’s a lot like a small business in that it’s essentially about people seeking solutions for a variety of issues at hand every single day. At least that’s the case when our political leaders are actually “working” and not politicking, which, of course lends itself to a whole different group of challenging skill sets including public speaking and persuasion. . .again, skills critical skills for any business leader.

So, in the spirit of learning, and with politics aside, let’s take a quick look at former Prime Minister of Britain, Tony Blair. As with every feature on LunchLearning.com, Mr. Blair’s, we find offers up many opportunities for continued learning. His communication and presentation skills are, without question, top-notch, and his ability to move a mass of people (both in favor and in opposition) behind a goal is almost legendary. And yet even in light of these talents he has also suffered great setbacks, and what some would consider a lengthy fall from grace. Whether you agree or disagree with his policies, his effect on government or the current status of the general populace’s admiration for him, there is no doubt Tony Blair has achieved a level of success worth looking into.

In this discussion with representatives from Yale University, Mr. Blair addresses questions on his policies, his path to office, and the challenges of the world today. There are TONS of lessons for business in this talk. Listen and enjoy.

Things to look out for in this talk with Tony Blair:

1. How to position your argument in a way that makes sense even to someone who might disagree with you.
2. Notice his awareness of both his panelist colleagues as well as his seating audience.
3. Notice how he pauses before addressing serious questions. . .planned or not. . .this is a very powerful way to demonstrate reflection when answering a question. This is one of Blair’s strengths as as speaker and it’s possessed also by other great speakers like Reagan, Churchill, Obama and yes, Clinton.
4. Every business owner and leader has to make tough strategic decisions. Mr. Blair’s response to the difficulty posed in not being able to please everyone is worth watching beginning at: 22:10 through 28:37.
5. Keep in mind the tendency these days of political leaders to leverage their exposure for passions of which they can pursue free of *some* political encumbrances. Rather than sitting on our laurels when we’re done with business. . .ask “what’s next?” And keep going!
6. And, of course, his sheer diplomacy in addressing the last question of the conversation: Who’s better? The Rolling Stones or The Beatles. Brilliant.

Reading time: 2 - 4 minutes

Video Time: 41 minutes 52 seconds

I’m actually embarrassed that until yesterday, I had never heard of the amazing woman known as “Granny D.” And, perhaps unless you’re from the glorious state of New Hampshire, maybe you’ve never heard of Granny D (aka Doris Haddock) either. Well, boy howdy, we’re going to change that for you today.

Doris Haddock is (today) a 99 year-old woman. Yet, a mere five years ago in 2004, Granny D ran for the vacant Democratic senatorial seat in New Hampshire against, then incumbent, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) in the 2004 election. And, while Granny D didn’t win the election, she did debate Senator Gregg, and did manage to earn her right to claim 34% of the vote for her efforts. Incredible.

This story first came to me only last night actually, after watching “Run Granny Run,” an HBO film that I happened to catch on Hulu.com. To say the account of Mrs. Haddock’s run for Senate as a 94 year old is inspiring, goes without mention, but I believe I failed to mention that at age 89, Granny D also walked from California to New Hampshire over a two year period in support of campaign finance reform. She was 89!

If this story doesn’t make you wonder about the possibilities of your own potential in life, I’m not sure what else could help. Seriously…89 years old and walking across the country? 94 years old and debating a somewhat entrenched, and experienced Senator and pulling in 34% of voters. Wow.

Run Granny Run, indeed. Granny is nearing her 100th birthday. . .we wish her well, and even more vigor with the addition of each new digit to her age.

Read more about Doris “Granny D” Haddock’s in Wikipedia bio

Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes

Video Time: 55 minutes 45 seconds

Larry North. Big guy. Big heart. Big entrepreneur. Larry is the founder of Larry North fitness centers, a company he began in 1989 after developing a love of fitness and health. . .a lifestyle he developed to a degree, at least, to counteract the childhood challenges of growing up as his website puts it: “the son of a professional gambler and compulsive dieter.”

Larry’s subsequent belief that “the more a person is denied something, the farther they will go to get it,” was spun into something more positive, and when paired with a desire to help others, Larry channeled that energy into the development of Larry North Fitness.

There are parts of this presentation to the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Association that are difficult to hear because he uses an old highlight from 60 Minutes, but the story is strong regardless and a big part of why Larry’s journey is relevant for many entrepreneurs without the unfortunate circumstances of Larry’s history.

It’s a lesson about courage, achievement, drive, forgiveness and maintaining a passion for others. Well worth your time on today’s LunchLearning.com

Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes

Video Time: (first video)7 minutes and 49 seconds (second video) 28 minutes and 49 seconds

What an awesome way to kick off the week. . .with Ellie Drake. With Iran in the news a lot these days, Ellie Drake helps to put a face to sea of people we see in the news. I really enjoyed Ellie’s motivational talk and subsequent interview which delves a bit more into her background. Her message is strong, and the typical underdog story we all love. From Iran to America with no English, to earning a PhD and running her own successful company, Ellie Drake is the stuff dreams are made of. . .listen to today’s talk and go out and seize YOUR day today!

Reading time: 2 - 3 minutes

Video Time: 1 hour 11 minutes 48 seconds
***This one is a wee bit longer than our traditional sessions, but he’s got a Q&A at the end. And, heck, it’s Friday anyway, right?!

Garr Reynolds (@prezentationzen on Twitter) runs the hugely popular Presentation Zen website which aims to teach all of us how to give more meaningful and “fun to watch” presentations. We’re often *reading* Garr’s advice on presentation. . .this lecture will give you a great feel on exactly how he puts his own advice into motion. Listen carefully to HOW Garr speaks as he gives his talk. . .what he focuses on and, in particular how he rolls with his commentary. At times it can feel a bit quick, I think, but that’s precisely the momentum he’s trying to build. Also pay attention to his use of visual stimuli, and frequent questioning to engage the audience.

A nice treat over lunch, just as these Google folks enjoyed it as well!

From Garr’s bio: “Garr Reynolds is currently Associate Professor of Management at Kansai Gaidai University where he teaches Marketing, Global Marketing and Multimedia Presentation Design. Garr is active in the Japanese community and can often be found presenting on subjects concerning design, branding, and effective corporate communications.

Garr is the former Manager of Worldwide User Group Relations at Apple Computer, Inc. in Silicon Valley. With Apple, Garr worked with user groups (brand communities) in the U.S. and Japan and traveled extensively delivering presentations, software demos, and keynote addresses to the firm’s most loyal customers.”