Prepare to be Civilized

Re-introducing Derek Riedle

Sometimes you come up with an idea that is so timely that you feel you must seize your opportunity. Derek Riedle had one of these eureka moments recently, but did not sit by and wait for someone else to grab the opportunity. Derek is the head of Revolution Strategy and also the co-producer (along with our own Greg Hemmings) of Hemmings House’s new series, “The Real Houses of…” However, Derek’s new idea had him so excited that he went from concept to launch in a half of a year.

Derek saw a disconnect between the way that cannabis culture was being expressed in popular media and the true face of the people that partake. The stereotype of the lazy, slacker pot smoker doesn’t reflect on millions of successful, motivated people that use cannabis recreationally. While there has been content developed for the cannabis community, Derek saw a void for the millions of upscale, high income, educated and profession smokers. So, starting last week Derek and his team launched Civilized, which provides content for the elevated cannabis culture. The online publication doesn’t just discuss cannabis however; there are articles about travel, business, entrepreneurialism, science and technology as well because the elevated cannabis culture doesn’t define themselves by what they smoke.

Check out this week’s bonus episode to find out how you to can become Civilized.

In this episode

• Derek tells us about his steps into the digital publication world.
• We here how civilized leverages both Derek’s home base of Los Angeles and his hometown of Saint John, New Brunswick.
• We here how Derek’s knack of spotting trends led him to launching Civilized.
• Derek tells us about a unique, and early opportunity to talk with singer Melissa Etheridge about her new brand of cannabis infused wines.
• Derek tells us about his success with finding start-up investment and how you still have the opportunity to get in at the ground floor.
• We also learn about the amazing team of content creators and advisors that Derek was able to gather.
• Dave is inspired by Derek’s capability to see an opportunity and seize it.
• He also appreciates Derek’s choice to find opportunities around the world but to include his hometown in the execution.
• Greg notes that Derek has proven that things like this can be done and quickly.

Links

- Civilized Website

- Civilized on Facebook

- Civilized on Twitter

- Revolution Strategy

- The Real Houses of... Website

A Vision for Social Entrepreneurship

Re-introducing Marcel LeBrun

Last episode was so nice, we got Marcel twice. Marcel LeBrun is back to discuss his feelings on company missions or visions and social entrepreneurship.   The former CEO of Radian 6 has a passion for the topic of poverty, but not just poverty of material things. Marcel tells us how what he is currently working on is recharging his entrepreneurial batteries and makes many great points on how to get your company’s people invested in a vision for the better.

In this episode

• We hear about some of Marcel’s current passions including a camp for children and his 12 Neighbors Campaign.
• Marcel expands on his notion of how businesses were created to serve others.
• We here how the mission or cause a company serves has become almost more important than the money it can make from Marcel’s point-of-view.
• Marcel points out some attributes of great leaders.
• He discusses how “doubling sales” is a great goal for a company, but not a mission.
• Marcel also emphasizes how employees want to join a cause, not just a job and how any good company mission should connect a vision with action and execution.
• Marcel tells us about the facets of poverty that he didn’t understand until recently and how it has blown his mind.
• Greg is inspired by Marcel’s passion and the care he has taken with the community and notes how it is the entrepreneur’s responsibility to be careful with our success and strive for a positive impact on the community.
• Dave notes that we don’t have to wait until we are in a “position to help”. Maybe it is time to act now even in little ways.
• Greg is reminded of the late Wayne Dwyer saying that you don’t wait for the things you want in life to happen. Start living the life you want to live.

Links

- Part One of Marcel on Boiling Point

Growing as a CEO

Introducing Marcel Lebrun

Is a CEO born or made? Marcel LeBrun believes the former and he should know because he was given the opportunity to grow into the position. Marcel is a native New Brunswicker and a graduate of the University of New Brunswick’s computer engineering department. After school, Marcel took a job at New Brunswick’s telecom company, NBTel. What he didn’t know at the time was that NBTel would prove to be an incubator for a number of exemplary entrepreneurs. 

NBTel had a philosophy that inspired innovation. Being a phone company that only owned about 3 per cent of the Canadian market, the company had a choice of working within an economy of scale or an economy of innovation. They took the innovation path in order to stay relevant. NBTel also had a culture whereby they took chances by promoting people that had all of the capability but perhaps not the experience. Marcel was one of these people without the experience, but had all the capability in the world to succeed. When Marcel was 28 years-old he was in the right meeting at the right time and he was given the opportunity to become CEO of Imagic TV, which made software for telecom companies. Marcel learned his position by doing it and eventually was given the opportunity to become CEO for Radian 6, one of Canada’s leading tech acquisitions.

Check out this week’s episode for lots of great nuggets of wisdom from a CEO that learned by doing.

In this episode

• Marcel talks about the self-described entrepreneur, and when is it appropriate to consider yourself one.
• He goes on to talk about how he became an entrepreneur accidentally.
• Marcel tells us how his experience at Imagic TV allowed him to take an opportunity to help revolutionize the marketing world with Radian 6.
• He tells us how NBTel provided a culture that acted like an incubator for future entrepreneurs.
• There is a discussion of seasoned entrepreneurs vs. green horns and whether a great entrepreneur is born or made.
• Marcel explains how a new entrepreneur should, “expect trouble”.
• We talk about how a business is a social organism and that it’s main purpose is to benefit the community.
• Marcel talk about the importance of making contentment a choice.
• He tells us that the important question for every entrepreneur is to ask themselves, “Why am I doing this and for what purpose?”
• Dave is inspired by Marcel’s notion of thinking beyond you as an entrepreneur.
• Greg enjoys the concept of not defining the what, but the what for?

Links

- Boiling Point with David Alston

Facilitating Forward From Failure

Introducing Wayne Jagoe

Wayne Jagoe is an ideas man.  In fact, in every email his signature signs off with yours in ideation.  Unique ideas are a facet of every entrepreneur’s life and business, but so is self-awareness.

Wayne has experienced a lot in his entrepreneurial life.  He grew up with the restaurant industry, had a cooking show on CBC, had the first online dining guide in 1997, and started an ad agency using business databases.  However, when his ad agency failed, he was heartbroken.  After much self-reflection, Wayne discovered that he was a much better at being creative and coming up with ideas than executing on them.  This awareness of what he was good at and what he wasn’t was just what Wayne needed to shed the shackles of embarrassment from failure to come out the other side.  Through his tough times, Wayne has been able to emerge stronger and now is the owner of Belton Labs where he develops ideas that he can sell to businesses for them to implement and he also conducts sessions and workshops on creative thinking and problem solving.

Check out this week’s episode of Boiling Point to learn how to emerge from troubling times, or to consider new strategies for solving some of your business’s current problems.

In this episode

• Wayne gives us a brief history of his background.
• He tells us about how his business failing really did a number on him.
• Wayne tells us how he found his way out of his slump to come out even better.
• Greg mentions how celebrating failure and learning from it isn’t that easy for entrepreneurs to swallow.
• Wayne tells us about a process for brainstorming and about LEGO serious play.
• We hear about Wayne’s “Unlocking the Genius Within” sessions and workshops.
• Dave notes that a great idea is wonderful, but no so much when it cannot be implemented.
• Greg notes that his creative juices seem to be at their peak when he is using his “kid brain” and lets himself play.
• We hear about how jam sessions at Hemmings House have helped to release tension and let solutions percolate.
• Dave mentions the same effect when he comes back from playing hockey.
• Dave is inspired by Wayne’s ability to captivate a group of people while in conversation.
• Greg points out that we need to remember what Bob Marley said, “Every little thing is going to be alright.”

Links

- Wayne's website

- Belton Labs

- Wayne's Facebook

- Wayne's Linked In

- Wayne's Twitter

Screening you Screen Time

Introducing Ross Laird

Technology can be great for work and relaxation.  However, sometimes our screens can become a form of addiction that takes us out from being present in the moment.  This is exacerbated by the fact that now our screens are everywhere; they are at home, work, and even our wrists and pockets.  This allows us the chance to slide into addictive personality traits, and even more so for the youngest amongst us.

Ross Laird is a writer, consultant, teacher, and creative artists that often consult on addiction.  Like many others in the addiction field, Ross experienced the effects and loss from addiction amongst his family members.  People in his circumstance will often take two paths; they either join their family members in their addictive traits or they try and heal the addiction.  Ross took the second path.

This week’s episode will discuss some of the pitfalls of technology and what can be done to avoid our screens becoming enslaving.

In this episode

• Greg explains how he met Ross during to a talk for around 40 technically engaged entrepreneurs.
• Ross discusses the differences between healthy technology use and addictive use.
• Ross explains how the addiction to technology and addictions in general is a strategy for emotional management.
• We hear of strategies to curb adolescents’ technology use.
• Ross explains how technology negatively affects our regulation development and what the devastating results can be.
• Ross suggests finding real world equivalents to the exciting or risky behavior often experienced in the online gaming world.
• Greg reflects on a time when kids played outdoors and how this has changed with the emergence of “pretend fear”.
• Dave is encouraged by Ross’s stand on encouraging moderation.

Links

- Ross's Website

- Ross on Twitter

- Ross on Linked In

- Wallace McCain Institute