“Rule #32 – Enjoy the Little Things” ~ Zombieland

Shamelessly reposted from a blog post by Pam Capistrano, our CEO, and my lovely wife!  Zombies – yes!

This morning while driving I was reminded that it’s the little things in life that we need to appreciate.  My son had to point out that this is also Rule #32 in Zombieland, so it must be important!

Our daily lives seem to become more high stress and demand more and more each day.  As an entrepreneur in a state that is considered the 8th largest economy in the world, I feel the pressure of success daily.  It is during these times that I need to remind myself to stop and appreciate the little things.

Below is a list of some little things that may make me smile.

• Sunrises and Sunsets
•  Puppy Breath
• The smell of popcorn when you enter the movie theatre
• The small cry of a newborn
• Someone saying thank you after you go out of your way to be nice
• Vacation with great friends
• A warm breeze on a summer afternoon
• The unexpected hoot of an owl while sitting on the porch swing
• A loving, respectful spouse
• Teenagers (I know weird, but imagine someone who has lost their child, I’m sure they’d love to be dealing with a teenager rather than their grief)
• Spring flowers
• Summer fruit

I could go on and on.  There are so many little things to be thankful for that we should stop and appreciate.  I hope that this post has helped you stop and take a minute to think of some of the things that make you smile.    I’d love to hear some of your favorite little things in life!

Scott Capistrano

www.statusnotquo.com

Business Valuation – in the Shark Tank

My blog topic for today is a bit on the lighter side.  Ever seen the program on ABC named “Shark Tank”?  While it’s obviously an entertainment show, there are some incredibly interesting strategic and management aspects to the show.

In case you haven’t heard of the Show, here’s the quick synopsis from the Show’s web site:

The Sharks are back to continue their search to invest in the best products and businesses that America has to offer. The critically acclaimed Shark Tank gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true, and possibly make a business deal that will make them a millionaire. Season Three continues to make TV history, with the Sharks offering over $6.2 million of their own money in investment deals to bankroll a creative array of innovative entrepreneurs.

The “Sharks” consist of people like Marc Cuban, owner and chairman of HDNet and owner of the Dallas Mavericks (among many other companies); Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, and Robert Herjavec.

As a small business owner, I’m always extremely curious as to other business owner’s ideas, perceptions of value, and their plans to grow – and this show gives each of the entrepreneurs a crash course on what they’ve gotten right, and where they’re completely clueless.

If you’ve got the time and inclination, I would recommend checking it out – Fridays on ABC at 8pm.  Like most things, some episodes are great, while others are annoying – but you’ll definitely come away with new ideas, new motivations, and new strategies.

Scott Capistrano

Status Not Quo

www.statusnotquo.com

Never get comfortable

Over last weekend, I briefly thought to myself “it sure would be nice if things settled down at SNQ – even briefly and we had a normal day”.

So what precipitated this thought?  Well, it seems to me that since day one of the formation of Status Not Quo, every day has been dynamic, challenging, and mildly stressful due to constant change.  Granted, most of our challenges have been positive (i.e. either fall under “opportunity” or “character building” lol). 

 However, as I reflect today (I’m writing this on a Monday), I admonish myself to “Never get comfortable”.  I constantly challenge other business owners and our clients to continuously reinvent themselves, or stagnate and get left behind.  While this is always our focus, it is hectic.

 The entire year of 2011 at SNQ has been crazy busy due to a move – consolidating and moving to a corporate office.  We went from completely virtual and decentralized, to a mix of the two with stronger centralization. 

 However, not one week after I sat down at the new office, we were faced with the potential of an incredible opportunity to move into two new areas of software development by absorbing/merging with another firm.  This will expand us into a multi-office company, and very possibly into needing an international presence in South America.  Talk about Distributed to Centralized and back to Distributed (insert rising stress meter here)!

 My point is to be thankful for change, and embrace that uncertainty.  Granted, many times it stems from a negative challenge – but we must still view those challenges as opportunities to change, leverage, reinvent, and grow.  The day things start getting boring around here is when I will really start to stress.  Take a well deserved break this weekend, but when you return on Monday, challenge yourself and get outside of your comfort zone.

 Scott Capistrano

Status Not Quo

http://www.statusnotquo.com

New VIA Website!

The new VIA Website was prominently featured on the front page of the Business section in the Signal!  Check it out.

http://www.the-signal.com/section/24/article/38995/

Scott Capistrano, President of Status Not Quo and Kathy Norris, CEO of VIA. Photo courtesy of The Signal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scott Capistrano

Status Not Quo

http://www.statusnotquo.com

How do we increase Revenue?

Most business owners and CEOs go to sleep these days with one thought weighing very heavily on their minds:

How do we increase Revenue?

As if this isn’t always a difficult question even in the best of times, in our “recovering” economy this is an even more challenging and elusive issue. Among a few other books, I’m currently working my way through “Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants” by Jay Conrad Levison and Michael W. McLaughlin. Following are two powerful thoughts from the book on both “New” client acquisition as well as “Existing” client growth.

Here is something to think about the next time you approach a New client opportunity:

• “I don’t know who you are.
• I don’t know your company.
• I don’t know your company’s product.
• I don’t know what your company stands for.
• I don’t know your company’s customers.
• I don’t know your company’s record.
• I don’t know your company’s reputation.
• Now – what was it you wanted to sell me?”

If these thoughts might be running through your prospect’s mind, then you have some work to do.

And a perspective for Existing clients:

“Your marketing program may get you an audience and your analytical and selling skills may land the project. But delivering consistently stunning results is the only way to keep clients coming back for more and praising you to others.”

In other words, never be content doing the same job for a client whose business you’ve already won. In other words – don’t accept the status quo!

Scott Capistrano

President

Status Not Quo

http://www.statusnotquo.com/

scapistrano@statusnotquo.com

Execution is everything

Well, perhaps not everything, but the execution of a plan cannot be understated.  Planning and preparation are clearly very important, but too often people stop there.  My high school basketball coach said something very basic that has stuck with me through my entire career (not in basketball unfortunately lol) – “Complete the play …”.  His point was it didn’t matter how well the play was designed, how much passing you did, or how good you looked to the crowd – if you didn’t put the ball in the hoop at the end, it meant nothing.

Lisa Anderson, President of LMA Consulting Group, Inc. had a few things to say about this in a recent article found here: http://bit.ly/clAE0I

The article is named “Leadership to Accelerate Bottom Line Results” – in point #3, she discussed “Value execution”.  Here’s the part I loved: “Valuing execution has to be incorporated into the performance management system as well. Do not reward solely effort. Reward those who are willing to challenge the status quo.” … “Reward those who are willing to go the extra step to ensure success when they don’t know anyone is looking. “

This is something I try to continually stress within our company, Status Not Quo – be Objective Driven – at the end of the day, did you get the job “Done”?  Strive to be a Virtuoso at executing – in all things, and don’t settle for less.

Scott Capistrano, MBA, CPA

President
Status Not Quo

Not Your Ordinary Consulting Firm

Ph 888.767.0767
Fx 661.367.5311
www.statusnotquo.com | blog.statusnotquo.com

Executive Presentations

Came across these points from Lisa Anderson – she runs LMA Consulting Group (http://www.lma-consultinggroup.com/).  These are very applicable for high level presentations, and good points to keep the message simple:

1.    Focus on bottom line results – what else is there to say?  This is vital.

2.    Keep the presentation at the high level – it is tempting to get down into the details and methodology.  Don’t.  Once the concept is approved, focus on detailed plans.

3.    Use process visuals (graphs) – as the saying goes, “pictures are worth a thousand words”. 

4.    Focus on the pragmatic – I’m thrilled to say that pragmatic is coming back into style (as it is right up my alley).  Is it reasonable?  Attainable?  Can it be achieved within a reasonable amount of time?

5.    Present a complete picture in terms of resources, support needed, priorities etc. – keep it to the key points but it is critical to include all relevant data so that the Executives have the big picture.

Scott Capistrano, MBA, CPA 

President

Status Not Quo

Not Your Ordinary Consulting Firm

Ph 888.767.0767
Fx 661.367.5311
http://www.statusnotquo.com/ | blog.statusnotquo.com

Simple five step plan for just about everyone and everything

I love strategies for business and life that are incredibly simple – those are the ones that withstand the test of time.  I recently read this from Seth Godin’s blog (here):

1. Go, make something happen.

2. Do work you’re proud of.

3. Treat people with respect.

4. Make big promises and keep them.

5. Ship it out the door.

When in doubt, see #1.

Seriously – there are some incredible basic concepts here, but they are all nuggets of wisdom.  I challenge everyone for the next week, to stop for 60 seconds in the beginning of your day, and plan your day taking these into account.  Hopefully it will be as inspirational to you as it was for me.

Scott Capistrano, MBA, CPA 

President

Status Not Quo

Not Your Ordinary Consulting Firm

Ph 888.767.0767
Fx 661.367.5311
http://www.statusnotquo.com/ | blog.statusnotquo.com

It’s not the same thing …

Activity driven versus Objective driven.  Same concept?  Difference in semantics?  This is a concept that I feel is a key issue in the “focus” in many consultants – and really in many business professionals in general.

I frequently find that most people work very hard.  Obviously there are many exceptions to this.  However, many people do work long hours, try very hard, and have their heart in the right place.  Sometimes just working hard is enough to succeed.  However, many times these people find themselves being frustrated by their lack of success – whether they feel they are the cause or not.  “I’ve been working so hard on this project.  I worked on this for 16 hours yesterday …”

This is where the phrase “learn to work smarter” comes into play.  In today’s competitive world, hard work unfortunately won’t always guarantee success.  Simply putting in a large number of hours does not excuse not completing your objectives.  We need to work smarter. 

I feel the first step in this transformation is to be Objective driven.  It’s actually a very simple concept – define your success based on the agreed upon objectives – not based on how hard your trying.  It still surprises me how often people do not take the time to be absolutely clear on the objectives of your task – and then remain focused on them.  Another common saying – “if you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know when you’ve arrived”.  Plus you probably won’t even get there.

 The importance of “Focus” cannot be understated.  Staying focused on the deliverables – i.e. the agreed upon Objectives, is critical to success – it’s also upon what we are usually evaluated.  If you just work hard and don’t reach your objectives, you’ll be viewed as “someone who works very hard, but ultimately does not get the job done.”  Ouch.

Scott Capistrano

VIA Board Member