Astro Solutions

building a mini-tennis court

2010-11-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

just as i thought, yet another rambling blog entry, this time determined to write about my favorite sport of tennis, and the business of starting a child on the courts, via a now sanctioned USTA-approved mini-tennis court, as the place that i am living at is currently custom built for such an enterprise, if and when i have kids, and stay there, it will be perfect for the discipline of teaching a youngster the drills of sustaining a successful tennis career long in to their adult years by not burning them out early but getting them up-to-speed on how to properly learn the game, and so i embark on this endeavor with a lot of altruistic experience, as i was a round-about now dad-to-be i hope yet not quite there, with much in the way of altogether perfect preparation with how to hold a racquet, how to strike an open-stance forehand, a newly built serve, that works finally, and a currently sub-approach backhand, that gets the job done on better than normal service returns, so it is and so it shall be....

i started playing tennis in 5th grade with some classmates, some of which i still know today, but i was the only one to pursue tennis as my primary overt sport, and went on to play three years of #1 singles at Catholic central, in Grand Rapids, and won a partial scholarship to Aquinas where i played #3 and 4 singles and #1 and 2 doubles, i won city conference title my junior year in high school, and won my flight at both singles and doubles all four years in college for the conference we were in, which was not terribly rigorous, but was a good marker to be all conference every year that i played tennis except my freshman year of high school and college, even though robbed both of those times (:)), which is to say that i practiced a lot in my formative years, which is what my kids will be doing, if i am so lucky as to have children and be a tennis parent, now if you know anything about tennis, you know what tennis parents are like: demanding, ridiculous, rude, and offensive, like Mike Agassi, but you cant argue with the results, unless of course you want to have a good relationship with your child, judging from Andre's autobiography overtly speaking of his strained relationship with his father primarily due to the forced tennis that was had in his very young life, when he was taught to hit thousands of tennis balls every day, imagine it....

i do, and will probably copy Mike's regiment, just wont be such a prick to my kids, but if they are on the floor of Meijer's throwing a tantrum, it wont be a spanking it will be 200 balls in the backyard as disciplinary tactic, at least thats what i got so far, how does anyone either willingly or not until you are ready become a parent, its mind-boggling the responsibility, and so the only thing i can think of to be a good parent is to teach them the mental fortitude that helped me via a sport putting the pressure on them early to think their way out of circumstances, rather than hit, reason through logic, and not through force how to get the best result, like should i serve-and-volley on break point, or should i play it safe, should i go-for-broke on forehand returns, or should i chip and charge, maybe i could be more aggressive when down as opposed to playing not to lose, or something like that, all factors when playing a match, especially with regard to singles, but doubles as well, how to play against an opponent or with a teammate, all are in play in tennis, so i will try and build a tennis court in my backyard, and under some restraint build a ball machine like what Mr. Agassi has been documented to have built for his children, and maybe just maybe they will learn life's lessons through the best sport that i have ever been exposed to, and that is hard-court and clay court tennis....

the definitive Google Glassfish analysis

2010-10-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

i have been advocating over the issue of Glassfish, for Google to become a thriving web company, needs to get in the enterprise space with something more than AppEngine, and the best place to do for Java what Google has done for mobile Android, is on Enterprise Java, settle with Oracle, start paying them a royalty, which is standard practice, and get the assets of the acquired Sun middleware quotient in-house, so that Google can use the ESB, IDE, App Server, and MySQL to build out a yearly release of software that can be utilized within businesses, that want to stay away from united Microsoft strategy, right before they release .Net for real, Java is still the best hedge and it is enough to keep Microsoft at bay, and Google at its nearly zenith of power, is well positioned to take on the monopolist on the terms that were set by iPlanet and BEA some ten years ago, around cross-functional, portable apps and components, along with JBoss and Spring Source, to take on Microsoft round them up, and defeat Redmond once and for all, it is time to do this, and only Google has the resources possible to invest in a strategy to gut out Microsoft, and hound them until the ultimate demise of the trans-product category behemoth, putting them in to a place that they have never been: non-standard for enterprise investment, only Google knows how to do this now, not even Oracle, itself can take down Microsoft is there anywhere left for Java developers to turn than to trust Google to invest in real middleware, the type for servers, so that they can have a marketplace for their talents, and continue to innovate around enterprise java, it is time for Google to come up with a plan and until they do, they will have to go to great lengths to fight off Bing, as Microsoft continues to make tons of money off of its enterprise Windows, time t take them out, while you can....

Glassfish intrigues, it is at home right now in a company that does not need it, and presumably does not even want it, and would be glad to get some value for their software acquisition of Sun, and only Google can help, and by putting the Glassfish projects directly on Google Code, there will be that much more repeat traffic coming back for more Google developer technologies, until Google does this, they are just a bit player in the enterprise, yet they should not be, they should be pouring resources in to new markets, and stop over-the long-term paralysis by focusing on search, time to move on, and go after new sources of revenue, and defeat Microsoft everywhere, they are reeling, it just is going to take until investment in middleware is more than just about the cloud, which is a bit market, in itself, it is time to get in to the enterprise software market for real, and invest where no one else has the guts to invest and immediately take-on Microsoft before they get too much of a lead, via Biz Talk and Great Plains, get going on just one piece of the puzzle via Glassfish, and watch as the rest of the pieces fall in to place, Google Code is custom built for the annual yet always ongoing release of major software, that businesses want, it is time to take on Microsoft where they are the most vulnerable, where Java has reigned since day one, and go in to the application server software battle, right now....

Android momentum will stall, unless Google engages with Oracle around Java, never has their interests more closely aligned, and the fight over mobile Java is a secondary still to enterprise java, for everyone other than Microsoft, so why fight among family, which is what is going on with the lawsuit around Android, but it can change, and both companies definitely need to reach out to each other, and stop giving Microsoft breathing room to stay alive, i know of a developer who lives Microsoft, but is starting to waver since the company is so far behind in nearly everything it does, except for professional developers, this is where they remain strong, and as long as the two biggest Java proponents ravage each other in the court of public opinion nothing is going to go differently, change is needed, Glassfish is in need, Google has the money, Oracle has the assets, just make a swap, and let developers who have spent their entire careers routinely defending Java, stay within the fold, nothing would be more damaging than some spilled-over lawsuit, that has no time-table for completion, that would be a remarkable failure by Google, with enough cash to pay-up, and enough home-built intensity to pull-off the Glassfish initiative, it is time....

Long ago, i worked on the predecessor to to Glassfish at Sun, gone are the dreamy-eyed theories of Sun being a software company, but Google is one, and they could easily become an terrific enterprise vendor, rather than dominating, they would just split their time between paid search ads, mobile, and enterprise, rather than defending, they could go on the offensive, and take down Microsoft, once and for all, enough money has been spent on Windows products, and only Glassfish honestly gives them the base to build from, they could not start for less than what it will cost to settle Android, and get Glassfish, alas, the momentum seems behind a fight between the two venerable Java vendors, never before has their interests been so at a cross-roads to prove that they can withstand their grown-up status as Java's leaders, like Sun was, and never before has their ability to influence the marketplace been so inter-twined than it is now, stop the lawsuit, pay-up, get glassfish, and start on businesses, with the full support of consumer markets going strong, Google should do this a.s.a.p., only an investment in Glassfish brings Google to the table as serious investors in java, it is once the lawsuit settled, a full-blown kick-start to the Microsoft rumble over years, it will take, but it can be leveled, once the last vestiges of animosity between current Java players, becomes Java partners, just get it done....

Google Certified AdWords Professional

2010-08-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

I am going to take the exam tomorrow morning, after taking an adderall to get my day going, after some cups of coffee, a little toke on the 420, and review my study Goggle Doc., and seeing that I have already paid to complete step 1 of the AdWords Professional certification process, i will be ready to begin the relatively straight-forward process of being a Google expert, based on their definition of knowing AdWords, i think i am ready....

I managed Gemma Redux's AdWords account for about nine months, and played with most of the little features that comprise a successful on-line advertising campaign, including keyword selection and optimization, market targeting, web-site targeting, running reports, continuing to tweak the verbiage in the ads that run, and basically watching the CPC closely, along with all the innuendos of being a fashion industry observer, to come up with the right plan that did not yield us very many conversions from click-throughs, but was a good start for the company's on-line marketing spend, i think i am ready to become certified to do it for other companies, as well, and in order to do that I need to pass the Google 2-part exam on search advertising, starting tomorrow....

My study guide is based on notes I took from the Google on-line Learning site, and I would be willing to share it with anyone, in the same position, looking to become a Google AdWords Professional, but you got to help me with my business, of learning and implementing all things Google, all the time, it is what i have decided is my career path, until i get Google Glassfish off-the-ground, which may take some time, but will go through....in the meantime, i write, and blog, and contribute, and follow, and support gemmaredux.com, and stay aware of on-line trends, so that if an organization, ever does want to out-source its Google investment, i could be ready to help, and possibly get paid for it, because once you become a professional of Google AdWords, you are placed in a database, run by Google, of all the people who have passed the qualifications of the exams, and vendors or companies can choose from that database all the options they want, from cost, to location, to offerings, it is no wonder Google is controlling the web play of so many organizations....

It is really quite straight-forward to understand AdWords, and it is a solid return of investment in advertising through the networks of web-sites that Google both administers, and supports, through the AdSense program, basically you just sign-up to get paid by Google whenever someone clicks on an ad on your site, and the company that put the ad up, just pays a nominal amount to have their ad displayed and clicked on, it is genius for any individual to get involved in the process, especially if you have some spare money to feature a cause or a personal initiative through on-line ads, you manage the AdWords dashboard, and learn a new feature of on-line promotion, that can earn you money in the long-term....

i have bought in to the system, and intend a comprehensive marketing plan as a way to generate business for on-line clients, that must include AdWords, it is the best and most successful ROI tool on the web, and should be a priority for any type of organization trying to drive customer views or purchases, i can't think of a single entity that could not benefit from Google's systems of AdWords and AdSense, which is why i am investing time and money in a fool-proof plan to be more available to take on web marketing responsibilities, wherever that may be....

google and twitter

2010-07-11T00:42:00.000-07:00

As counter-weights to Facebook, they are natural allies and should join force via a Google all-stock acquisition to give Twitter the pseudo-IPO it deserves for its incredible success at transforming social media. No other current site offers as much promise beyond the frozen walls of Facebook than does Twitter, and Google needs to capitalize on the amount of time people are spending on it, and offer a comprehensive new ad plan, for the tweeting nation and beyond.

Google succeeds the more people stay on-line, and Buzz is not going to cut it, as Twitter has shown that anyone can get in on the conversation, and create their own presence beyond the limitations of friending and random life updates; instead Twitter offers real conversation with more people, and more links means more information being searched and posted, and the Internet grows. All of the successful web entrepreneurs are preferring Twitter to Facebook for outreach.

Twitter would fit nicely in a major roll-out of new social networking focus at Google, to get more Android users staying on their phones, and keep the pace of Android adoption sky-high while users keep up-to-date regularly with their followers and the thought leaders that permeate Twitter. Google is a natural sell to Twitter, as their culture and web-site would remain the same, while gaining the unmatched expertise of web revenue models, which Google has perfected.

It is time to get these two giants of web personal use together, and shun any other attempt to lock-in the Twitter model to something stagnant, as they have shown how to innovate with everything but search and ads. Their lists idea was great, their coverage of the major events is unparalleled, the linking system is without compare, and Twitter keeps people engaged, and wanting more from their web experience, just what Google wants from all Chrome users, and those to come.

The mobile experience of staying up-to-date on everything without having to check in at a terminal for more specific Twitter functionality would be lessened by a Google-Twitter alliance, and the users would flock to an Android application that was co-sponsored by the duo. Twitter is on the cusp of something so big, it could engulf even what Google has to offer, which is relevant, ongoing, continuous, and personalized information, at the click of a refresh of new tweets.

I would have no need to live outside the Google cloud, if Twitter were part of it, I do everything through Google: blog, email, business, and all future developments of my career, through AdWords and Analytics. It only makes sense to capture me and the millions of Twitter users for life, by integrating social media in to the equation. I am sure there is a proposal on the desks of Google executives already, and the price would be high, but well worth it. Even $10 billion is reasonable.

This would up-the-stakes with closed communities, as the web would be permanently free for use, and it would expand at a greater rate, as more of Google's user base utilize the built-in Twitter functionality to do their promotions. In addition to regular Google ads, Twitter ads would be specialized, at a time when more qualified data is key to on-line ads going a step forward. Google would offer single sign-on, and relevant R&D to up the innovation standard, and integrate everything.

No company could match Google, with Twitter in hand, and Twitter would get to cash out their growth and success, to a company guaranteed to keep them free, as the model has worked successfully already, why not have a slam-dunk acquisition, that will only build-out the Google platform for web usage. It makes sense, almost any dollar you throw out, but it could be done reasonably, so it should be done. Google and Twitter, the two most valuable open properties on the web together is the next step.

google glassfish

2010-06-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

I have created a site for the project page of my proposed Google Glassfish initiative:

http://sites.google.com/site/douglasdooleyglassfish/

What am i trying to accomplish with this proposal? Just trying to be the first to announce Google's enterprise Java needs, and build a community around it. I have written about the idea extensively on JavaWorld, and had some varying degrees of positive feedback from Java developers, reading around the world. The basics are that Google is a Java company, with Android based on Harmony's Java SE, and Guice borrowing extensively from Java, but, to date, the only investment that the company has made in Java EE is with the non-standard Spring platform through AppEngine.

Google Glassfish would formally introduce Google in to enterprise accounts, while keeping their relationship with Guice, in tact, and expanding their available applications applicable to corporate accounts. There would be little need to make money off of Glassfish, as is the case with all of the other middleware vendors, who charge customers exorbitant amounts to run in production. Google is the one company that could dedicate resources to middleware without the need to charge for it. It would be a resource for the hundreds of thousands of enterprise Java developers and administrators around the world. It could grow to support the cloud, through specialized clustering and sign-in.

By building an application server program, Google would counter Microsoft's last remaining product advantage in .Net. It would be a bet that Java can still command the attention of corporate IT, as .Net matures through Windows Server, BizTalk, and Visual Studio, let alone any move on Great Plains. The bottom-line, though, is that Google would immediately have a project that would command the attention of a new group of developers who have invested in enterprise Java, and would have a platform to build-on, that would be available for cloud developments in the Intranet, something that Google has not done beyond its Search Appliance product.

Right now, everything is about Android and Chrome OS, but the Glassfish app server would provide another Internet OS product-line, that would be tailor-made for back-end business accounts, with a lot of developers coming over to learn Guice on Glassfish. Google needs to have Java succeed, even if they don't care about cross-platform portability in its purest sense, they need the millions of developers who have chosen open standards over Microsoft, a place to continue to learn and develop to, for their enterprise applications. Simply saying Guice and Spring on AppEngine is not sufficient. What if a Google sales rep. goes in to an enterprise account to sell AdWords over Bing, and that customer has a policy of not putting some of their applications on the public cloud, they need an intranet cloud product, and that is what Glassfish would provide.

There is lots of money to be made in making enterprise Java actually work, something that IBM and Oracle have not done, and even JBoss is not capable of doing on its own. Google would not have to charge for their efforts, but could, in time, make a solid business unit out of Glassfish, especially as it relates to enterprise developers. I don't need to be compensated for this idea, beyond just being a part of it, I will not claim to be the originator of the idea, it is surely something that other people have thought of, but have not written about it. So, if you would like to be part of the initial project to port Glassfish to Google, contact me, through my personal web-site:

http://sites.google.com/site/douglasdooley/web-profiles

Its going to happen, I don't know how, but it is too much of a good thing to not go through, eventually. Hopefully, I am around to be a part of it.

finding a job

2010-06-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

I figured out the formula for getting a new job, especially when semi-unemployed: just work as if you don't want the job, and it will be more credible to a potential employer, as they see over-enthusiasm as temporary, as once you get in to a new job, the gloss wears off, and it becomes more mundane, and you can't keep the same energy, as you put in to getting the job, so they are looking for more realistic candidates. That's why Google will not hire me until they need me, they are not going to give a job to a candidate who knows more about the company, than the recruiters do, until there is an initiative where my expertise is a core requirement, for the fiscal year planning, and until that time, for all my vigor at understanding the Google business model, they will not hire me, until needed.

I have a phone interview with a company in Grand Rapids, which is a good start, though not sure what they are looking for, it seems like I am qualified. It would be good to get some regular work, but what do I do if something more specific to my career goals, comes around, do I stay in a position that isn't perfect, or do I accept a different position. This is something people around the world, contend with all the time, especially as the economy begins to pick-up: should I stay or should I go. I mean if I were fortunate enough to get a full-time job, would I really be able to say no to Google, if they accepted my Glassfish proposal? Don't worry, I am fully invested in the job search, and just clear my head with Google stuff, for the time being, so I will be effective in whatever position I am able to get.

The what if, just nags at me, though.

I have articles around the web, through my blogs and writing relationships with on-line publications, that would raise flags in HR, such as hiphop and Google. My writing for the Rapidian projects a sense of artistic, but not corporate, and that is not even mentioning what is about to come out on Grand Rapids Social Diary. The JavaWorld articles are all about Google, and my interest in the Glassfish eco-system, competitors, and the overall IT market, so would I be satisfied in a silo? Some companies do not put you in to silos, like Steelcase and Herman Miller, but do other, non-office environment corporations, also allow workers to be most effective, like I was able to do at Sun? I am not sure, and that would be the negotiation, if I were to be lucky enough to get offered a position, to ask are you sure you want me, can I think outside-the-box, to help this company grow?

I will need answers to these questions, before I can promise to be the best employee.

I know it sounds mis-guided, in this economy, you take whatever you can, but I contend, that in the interests of maintaining good relationships, across a tight-knit business sector in Grand Rapids, you have to do the right job, to do the best job. As I was advised on a writing position, that I wanted some weeks back, it wouldn't be the kind of writing, that would sustain me. So, I am still only part-time employed, with lots of material coming out, for different publication purposes, but it all makes sense to me. I am putting myself in a position to accept the best career possible, as the next thing I do, I want to do for some time. I want it to be right.

So, that is my job update, I know the attitude that will get me the job, I know the job that I want, and the types of job that I would not be good for, but I don't know the job that I could get, and stick with for the long-haul. I could use some input, on what you have found in your careers, that works, to sustain you, so feel free to leave a comment, about your own work, and I will keep you updated on my pursuits.

atomic oject and google

2010-06-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

atomic object and google

Coming off the successes with the iPhone app for Priority Health and the Blue Medora initative, Atomic Object (AO) needs to double-down and be the first vendor in the area preparing for Google Fiber, by investing in a division constituting Google developers. This would include developing for Wave, Buzz, and Android, as well as tying in the Apps API to build an application for the Apps Marketplace, that allows businesses to download specific functionality. I don't know what that functionality should be, that would have to be taken in to consideration based upon market factors, that only AO is seeing in their accounts, and build from there. Make it an add-on feature to future deals, and offer to help clients get on Google Apps, and build the expertise in-house to be able to expand when Google Fiber comes to Grand Rapids. Its a calculated risk.

Google is quite simply running circles around the iPhone with Android's open marketplace, that is not encumbered by rules and regulations that seem to be punitive to developers, even if it still commands the majority of the smart phone market. Android is on the way to replacing iPhone for popularity, as the HTC phones have shown. Chrome OS will hit Windows squarely, as it will be a free alternative, which will drive down hardware costs, and still offer the web features that make Google the most valued property on the Internet, where all of AO's emphasis should be, with the Google division. There might be some business down the road for embedded work in televisions, and the like, but first got to get up-to-speed on Chrome OS, as well as Android. Wave and Buzz are nice things to look in to, as well, as businesses need lower cost solutions, that only Google is delivering, at the moment.

Build in expertise, next, with Guice and WebToolKit, and even Go or AJAX, to be in the cloud for Google development, this could be an out-branch of the Blue Medora division, or company, whatever it turns out to be, but build for the Google Cloud, through App Engine, and allow easy to use tools for customers to move to the cloud, and watch as they hire AO to do cloud management, at a monthly rate, so there is subscription, steady revenue. The Google division would pay for itself.

For more information on how Google would help Grand Rapids development shops, see this page:

http://sites.google.com/site/douglasdooley/web-profiles/google-business/my-analysis-of-all-things-google

thank you for reading....

application to Atomic Object

2010-06-14T04:59:00.000-07:00

I started at Sun Microsystems in the fall of 1999. Back then, AOL had just purchased Netscape, and was partnering with Sun to create the Sun-Netscape Alliance, that later became iPlanet. I was the first product marketing manager hired for the Java Application Server division of the Alliance. I held that position for a little over four years, launching three successive versions of the Sun Application Server, in that time.

In 2002, after being beaten by IBM and BEA in the marketplace, in a game of high-cost, standards-based technology, we shifted the competitive front by introducing the Sun ONE Application Server 7, that was free to both download, and to use in production. This was a first, in the industry, even though there were some open source alternatives. Sun gave me the responsibility to launch the product-line, that included an entry-level product, and a secondary offering with enterprise features, such as load balancing and clustering.

I worked across the various Sun groups who were touched in some way by Java, which was nearly every division, to launch a coordinated effort. This included a download system which captured developer data, and in turn, provided the developers with resources they could use to get up-to-speed on the new product, and utilize it in building their enterprise Java applications. At any given moment in the winter of 2001 through the fall of 2002, there were more than one hundred outstanding deliverables, from whitepapers to product documentation. I wrote or edited nearly all of the materials that were used in the launch.

On September 28, 2002, Sun went live with the release of the free product-line, that attracted over 100,000 downloads in its first six months of use. I continued to engage with the developer community by giving presentations around the world, in places like China, Houston, London, and nearly everywhere in between. I attended conferences and seminars around the world to promote the new product-line, and I gave dozens of presentations to Sun's corporate clients about the functionality of the new software.

I left California in the summer of 2003, and ended my career at Sun in December of that year. The hallmarks of a free application server had wide ripple effects on the industry, namely the rise of open source products, like JBoss, and later Sun's own Glassfish. Now, that I am removed from Silicon Valley, I have freedom to write what I see are the challenges facing some of the vendors, and have maintained a blog on the inter-workings of enterprise systems for five years, called Views on the Industry.

I have also been a contributing writer on JavaWorld, an on-line publication that reaches Java developers throughout the world. Recently, following the acquisition of Sun by Oracle, I have advocated for Oracle to spin-off the Glassfish application server to Google, in exchange for Google's version of Linux, that is a closely held secret. You can read about it on the links in my resume to JavaWorld, or my blog.

I continue to be heavily engaged in the software world, through my work on Google AdWords for a small company in Manhattan, and I work with an open source identity management company, called openIAM.com, that operates out of New York. I regularly follow news on the industry, and though I am not a coder, myself, I am proficient in speaking the language of software. I am a marketer by trade, but have successfully managed product launches, like at Sun, and have a solid understanding of the Google business model.

I feel I would be a credible and valued employee of Atomic Object, in different capacities. I would be happy to speak further about my experiences upon request. Thank you for your time.

applying to Google

2010-05-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

I am in the middle of a job search, and have somewhat come to the conclusion that the only place of employment I could do, outside of working with clients as an independent contractor with Astro Solutions, is to work for Google, as I am committed to seeing their vision of the web, take hold. I have been in contact with one of the managers at the Ann Arbor office, who has advised me that he relies on hiring from the California recruiters, that review the on-line applications for employment through the google.com/jobs process, and so if ever a Google recruiter reads this post, here is my cover letter, with a link to my resume:

http://docs.google.com/View?id=df3cskrr_241dqt8wtfv

I don't know what it is going to take to get somewhere in the process, as my most legitimate qualification is to work, and possibly lead, Google's efforts in to the middleware sector of enterprise software, as I have detailed in my other blog, Views on the Industry. But until someone notices the Glassfish for hardware spec's swap that would ease the burden of both Google and Oracle, I continue to apply for on-line sales and customer service jobs, just so I could stay in Michigan, and be based out of the AdWords Ann Arbor office. I would like to stay in Grand Rapids, and manage the AdWords accounts of all the businesses in this city, and help Google prepare for the roll-out of Google Fiber, but my true passion is just getting someone to acknowledge that .Net is a threat to Google and Oracle, and they could use my idea of a swap to help kill Microsoft off, once-and-for-all....

I use Google Docs to do my collaboration, Google Sites for designing my web-site, Google Wave for project management, Google AdWords to push my job search, and Blogger, Mail, Picasa, Code, Chrome, and soon to get Android. I am more committed to Google's future than probably a lot of the current employees, but would greatly appreciate the opportunity to get an inside look at how the most effective web company operates.

I challenge any Google employee out there, who may stumble on my blog, or one of my writings, and see my links on Google, if you search me, and tell me I am not qualified to work for the leading on-line corporation on the planet, and the ideas i have will take Google to the next level, as an enterprise vendor, which is their next logical step, after building Android and Chrome OS. The Glassfish proposal as detailed by several entries, if you look down on the link I have above to my enterprise systems blog, would effectively solidify Java as the standard for development, and even though Google continues to customize and optimize, they are born out of the work to create a better developer experience than the lock-in that Microsoft and Apple espouse. It would cement Google's portfolio, and would counter all of .Net, in one single move, it would rally developers to Google Code, a major area of development for the company.

I truly believe that after once believing I truly belonged at Sun Microsystems, that i truly belong at Google, and when i set my mind to getting something, like what i have finally determined, after seven years of wandering, that Google is the only place for me, and helping achieve the long-stated goal of making the web perfect, and yet still improving. That has been my calling ever since I got to work with the incredible talent at Netscape, in the waning days of the original Internet superstar, and realized that unless you are building web-facing products, you are not really participating in the future of business. Everything, absolutely everything, is going to the web, living on-line will be ubiquitous to every facet of life, and the most user-friendly, dominant likelihood scenario, is that it will be Google in all facets of the on-line experience. I could not work for any company, that did not have that as its core objective, and until I start my own company, with those same principles, it will be only one mantra, and that is to work for Google....

Gemma's AdWords campaign

2010-04-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

I figured i would break in to some detail the way we use the Google advertising program to attract new shoppers to gemmaredux.com, as we spend a certain amount each day on three different campaigns, that buy access to our ads for certain keywords, and give you the general public some insight in to how a campaign may benefit your organization....

We started off with some initial traction on search engines, as Gemma has been featured on the television show, Gossip Girl, as one of Blake Lively's go-to accessory designers for her jewelry needs on the show, so we knew some people were seeing Blake wear Gemma on the show and were searching after the show for something like 'sabrina jewelry' or 'blake lively jewelry', so we immediately put up our AdWords account, and bought those keywords, so that when the searches did happen, our small text ad, with a link to the Gemma homepage would show up near the top of the search results, in the advertisers section....this yielded us hits every day, but they weren't always hits from Google's search engine, they were more hits from the content providers who have signed up through Google's AdSense program to display Google ads, and so we wanted to get even more hits from the search engine from keywords that people were searching for, and not just viewing related ads on various fashion blogs, more on that later....

We expanded to include a bigger campaign that went after keywords that the general public might be using to find jewelry across the web that they may have an interest in purchasing, and so our second campaign took some of our daily spend on the Gossip Girl campaign, and seamlessly diverted funds each day to new keywords that we thought might relate to our business, and what people would be looking for....some of those keywords that have been up are 'fashion necklaces' and 'chain jewelry' and even 'spring jewelry', and waited to see what happened....what we got was better click-through rates on search terms, as people by the thousands were looking for Fashion Necklaces, and a couple dozen times per day, were clicking on Gemma's ad to find out more about what we offer....this has yielded increased awareness for the Gemma brand and has led directly to sales that we can track through the Conversions feature of Google Analytics....

i am routinely updating this campaign, as it is our largest spend per day, and getting better keyword traction is the key to Google being effective for you, as they will spend your money based on their wide base of advertising sites, where your ads can show up in addition to search results....i systematically went through and looked at the Content Network partners of Google who have signed up through AdSense to have ads on their sites and blogs, and looked at the best click-throughs, and I dialed up the cost per click we were willing to pay for these popular sites for Gemma's ads, so that we would have higher placement on these sites....this results in better coverage, and higher quality visitors, and more effective spend for our advertising dollars....

The third and final campaign we have now, is beginning to be dialed down, as it was a guerrilla campaign that we set-up to launch a new line of necklaces in the fall....for this we bought keywords that reflected the versatile nature of the magnet necklace, and we were fortunate that Jessica Alba had been wearing it casually around LA and NYC, so we bought 'jessica alba necklace' and 'omne', which was the name of our new necklace, and set-up the campaign ad text to reflect the general positioning of the piece, and set Google loose to find us new customers....i track all of the traffic through Analytics, and get to see an e-commerce report every day to see who, how many, and from where customers are coming from, in terms of search terms, other referring web-sites, and partners that are sending traffic our way, including Gemma's corporate blog....

In March, we had a sample sale which means normal prices are knocked down to valued customers, who are on the Gemma e-mail list, and get to buy current or recently dis-continued products at a significantly reduced rate, and we were able to track where those customers are coming from....my next project is to get a coupon as part of our advertising campaign, so i can track how much new traffic and conversions are coming through on which keywords....i monitor all of this in a simple dashboard that i access from any browser and sign-in with my Google credentials, and get to update on the fly, so if something like a keyword or an ad just is not performing well enough, i can tweak it, and it will automatically reflect the changes on the go, so that we do not have a long time lag for Google to register our advertising preferences, it begins immediately the changes and allows us to spend our ad dollars wisely....

Google has perfected the advertising platform, it has a wealth of content providers including my other blogs, and hundreds of thousands of similar sites across the web, to place ads when search just is not enough, and any organization could set-up their own AdWords account, and have real-time data analysis on how well their marketing spend is performing....Gemma has attracted over 2,000 new visitors for less than $2,000, and considering our price point, we only need a small fraction to buy, or come back and buy, which will be able to begin tracking as soon as a new Google feature gets out of beta, to make our ad spend effective and worthwhile....i monitor the campaigns on a nearly daily basis to get trends and buying habits for jewelry shoppers, and i am able to register changes immediately without any oversight from Google, it is all completely automated and it works ideally for a smallish operation like Gemma, that is not going to necessarily have the budget to get in the fashion magazines, yet....at present, we do all of our marketing on-line and through placements with celebs which we link back to our advertising program....

i highly suggest that any organization that is looking to get better data on where their marketing spend is covering, should try out AdWords, it gives a regular viewpoint in to visitors, where they are coming from, trends that set apart what you are trying to do with what is really happening, and you can constantly adjust to create better performing advertising operations....it has generated new business for Gemma Redux, and it could be as effective for your small business or organization, if you have someone within your org. that can dedicate themselves to monitoring the process....i could help if needed, but it is pretty straight-forward, and once you begin to play with it, it becomes intuitive, so get out there and spend your advertising dollars more wisely with greater accuracy to target audiences, it will help your organization understand how to do things on-line even better than current plans, and it only costs as much as you are willing to allocate....Google AdWords is an invaluable platform for the web marketing needs of large businesses, and it should be equally useful for small businesses on a budget that cannot exceed a certain amount, regardless of the scale of the web....it should be part of all of your marketing discussions....

why GRR 4 Google....

2010-03-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

As i have mentioned in previous posts, Google makes its money off the tiny text ads, that permeat the worldwide web, and though some shudder at the mere mention of on-line ads, i have also spelled out why this is an advantageous business model for lots of people and organizations other than Google, itself...i don't know if i buy in to the whole "don't be evil" mantra that the company extols as its business motto, but i do like how they invest in lots of areas that make working online easier and more expansive, and i do like how they provide a necessary counter-weight to Microsoft...this is significant for so many reasons, even though the largest employer and biggest influencer in the area, Alticor (i think they still have not switched back to Amway) has invested heavily in Microsoft technologies, but its an issue, and will be an evaluation criterea for Google when they ultimately make their decision on which community or more they invest in to build Google Fiber....

Google Fiber, as has been detailed by many involved in the recruitment process from the Grand Rapids end, would benefit existing businesses and the health care industry, as well as film making, and the communication arts with fast downloads of anything available on the Internet, or even within Intranets, and as some have pointed out, it would bolster the start-up market in this area, and government officials seem to be signed on to help in any way possible to bring Google Fiber to this area, so all the necessary support is in place....the question remains: why would Google invest millions in Grand Rapids, a mid-sized metropolis with a stagnate employer base? tough question, and is ultimately the only thing worth considering at this point, beyond what continues to evolve on-line and in gatherings to generate as much grass-roots support as possible to draw the attention of Google's decision makers....

Google has an AdWords operation in Ann Arbor, that was a significant win for the state, just some two years ago, in attracting the search and on-line ad giant to invest in Michigan, so there is some precedent, and Grand Rapids is by magnitudes more developed than AA, so I would guess that if Google intends to re-up their investment in MI, it will be in GRR...but there are other communities longing for the built-in advantages that come from a Google Fiber investment, so why Grand Rapids?....the arts require a lot of bandwidth, and this area has shown an ability to adapt to market trends in the arts, even as spending is curtailed in the school budgets for extra-curricular public school programs, with the best example being ArtPrize, but extending to Kendall, the GRAM, WMCAT, and the under-ground scene, so Google Fiber would greatly enhance what has been started....

In addition, there are several tens of thousands of graduates from the local high schools, colleges, and universities annually that are looking at the real prospect of little job growth in this area, so perhaps the thing to do would be entrepreneurially, and start their own business, if they enjoy the quality-of-life here, and want to stay in the Grand Rapids region past graduation....start-ups are the only way forward for the American economy, in general, and for this area, it is critical that more be done to cultivate businesses that create jobs through innovation, which is right up Google's alley, and their heritage of a start-up gone big...the plethora of Google services, including Wave, Buzz, Apps, AdSense, Code, Labs, openSocial, Android, Chrome, and others would be a natural starting point for any self-serving local start-up to investigate how they could extend these products and build features and/or services that take advantage of what Google has started in nearly all on-line categories...the bottom-line is this: Grand Rapids needs software companies worse than any community in the country, and what better way to start a company than on the backs of the most well established on-line company there is, in Google, so start-ups from the local graduates are a likely outcome of Google Fiber....

Beyond that, there is a well established community of not-so-recent graduates that are extending their own on-line profiles through social media and on-line exposure, whether that be promoters, performers, or free lance business types, and that community is well represented in the push to get Google Fiber here, so more impactful implementations of Google's services would be a natural outgrowth of Google Fiber for Grand Rapids, and it would become a testbed for all the new Google products that the company hopes will extend their dominance on-line with ads....i am already trying to get a grassroots program together to start an open source software business using exclusively Google products, namely Code and AdWords, but also Blogger and Docs to facilitate a distributed development team that would bring a popular open source application to the Google world of open source development...more of this would happen, more use of Buzz in this community would happen, more businesses in the area would implement Wave as a project management tool, and more companies would begin to use Google to host everything they do on-line....

so, while other communities push for Google Fiber, Grand Rapids is positioned to actually help Google achieve their goals of Internet dominance, and that is not such a bad outcome, all things considered, with arts, medical, higher education, and government all behind the push to bring Fiber to GRR...the only thing lacking is a start-up community, that generates innovation for larger businesses, and that is the one thing that will need to be demonstrated to Google, why Grand Rapids is the right choice for such a large investment...at present, it is lacking but if someone in the state can step-up and say that software investment will be a priority for the region, and the Internet is worthy of funding throughout all levels of capital, including state money through the MEDC, banks and angel investors, venture capitalists and business-to-business investments, it is time for this area to grow-up and invest in the growth areas that are generating new businesses around the globe...this, more than anything else, will get Google's attention and make Grand Rapids a destination for Google Fiber....

google adsense

2010-03-08T05:25:00.000-08:00

Google makes a lot of money off of clicks through to ads, that permeate the web, at Gemma Redux, we buy keywords where we want placement of a small blurb of information on the business to be displayed, so that potential shoppers want to find out more information about the offerings that are pertinent to the business, such as 'fashion necklaces', or 'chain jewelry', and we get charged for the clicks that come through....but we also get relevant placement in searches for similar keyword or other-wise searches.....the majority of these come through blogs, and there are over 100,000,000 blogs in the blogosphere so there is a lot of coverage for different topics of interest, as it pertains to the fashion industry....

The way that ads show up are systematically delivered by Google via a complex, and unknown formula for placement of relevant topics, and the reason why this happens is due to Google's AdSense program....for example, on Blogger, which i am writing on right now, there is a feature to "monetize" your blog, which means that you allow Google to place ads on your blog, and if someone clicks through based on your blog, you get paid....now, my blogs do not have a reach to ensure i can make a living yet out of the number of click-throughs that i get, or rather the advertisers get off of my blog, but i had over 300 unique visitors to my software blog in the month of February, so if the ads are relevant, and people click through, say to 'java jobs' and it takes them to a job board with Java listings, then i will get paid more....in essence, Blogger is Google's most important asset, as it gives them a platform to serve up ads that are outside of the search engine, and when we pay for clicks as part of Gemma Redux, we are paying for clicks that come from Blogger accounts that have signed-up to monetize their blogs....

In the fashion industry, there are countless blogs as there are countless companies in the fashion industry, everything from purveyors of products, to recommenders, to clearing-house intelligence and news sites, and all of them, if they are worth their value, have a blog, to disseminate information about their business offerings or just to keep readers up-to-date on what they are doing, and Gemma's ads appear on these blogs, as relevant placements for our products, or at least our ads....it is true that the only thing that Google has truly mastered on the web is the advertising program, all of the other services are built on the cash cow of serving up ads alongside searches and in content placements, like that for blogs with ads on them....the more blogs, the more sites that opt-in to monetize their posts and content, the more money Google makes by sheer nature of volume, so the larger the Internet grows, the richer Google gets, as more and more sites opt-in....even though there is some backlash to ads in Gmail, it is really just a thing to ignore by most users, unless you are looking for something in particular, and then Google's ad program is really just a service to supplement a search for similar materials....

As i have mentioned in previous posts, all of this is monitored within Google Analytics which is a program to allow a detailed look at the type of traffic that is coming in to your web-site, whether that be a blog or a corporate home page or anything in between, and as AdWords is the program for advertisers to establish campaigns to acquire placement in keyword searches, so does Google's AdSense allow content owners to make some of the money that Google is making off of each click, thereby incentivizing content owners to monetize their investment in time to make web-sites more usable, by placing ads on their content....i initially resisted, out of consideration for my readers, as i mentioned there is some backlash to ads polluting the general look-and-feel of a site, but with a blog, it only makes sense, as readers are there to learn more information about a particular topic, and ads do get very relevant in their placement, so it can be considered a web service that Google is providing to serve up these ads....in time, ads will get so relevant that they will be another feature of a web-site, to take visitors to additional links that will allow even more granular levels of information about a particular topic....

This is the reason why AdSense might be Google's truly great innovation, by allowing content owners to get involved in the revenue generation machine of the search engine giant, turned ad company, so that it pays to create more content, and more ads are placed, and more revenue is shared, and the whole system builds on itself, establishing more reasons for people to browse the web, and learn more, and giving advertisers more incentive to build marketing campaigns around ads on the web, thereby facilitating a cycle that will only grow more powerful and useful with time, as the Google ad machine learns more data, and creates more relevance for ad placement, and giving back to content owners, that revenue that is received from advertisers....all of the other Google services are built on the cycle of content creation, and blogs are the natural out-growth of this strategy....so, if you are looking to generate traffic for your blog, it might pay to be an AdWords buyer, as well as an AdSense seller, to pay for click-throughs, and receive money in return when users click through off your blog....that is what i am doing right now, and the fine-tuned analytics of web traffic only heightens the satisfaction that value is being created through ads on the Internet....

It may seem somewhat counter-intuitive to respect the ads that you see on web-sites, but they are really there to deliver additional information on a topic that is relevant to you as you search, and getting involved now with the Google AdWords and AdSense programs only intensifies web marketing campaigns to the point that it is beneficial to get involved in driving traffic around the web, according to Google's formula for ad placement....i find it very useful, and you will as well, once you take part in the only game in town for true web coverage of users from your targeted market segment, and that is in taking part in Google's ad programs, today....

google fiber

2010-02-24T11:02:00.000-08:00

For those not quite up to speed on the new initiative from Google, the search and advertising giant and dominant player of Internet services is offering a special fiber optic network that would connect a selected community with 1G speeds, approximately 100 times faster than normal Internet access, and in some cases up to 1000 times faster, depending on the rate of connection. The basic premise is that Grand Rapids is vying to become the test-bed for this new fiber optic network, and a lot of support has been rallied to bolster the chances of this area receiving a high-speed grant from Google.

The implications would be enormous, considering what this community is offering and what Google has built to date. For one, Google offers many services outside of their normal search engine, in the way of email, documents, and their own Labs community where new projects are born. Grand Rapids has a wealth of health care initiatives that would greatly benefit from high-speed access considering the large size of the files that the medical community regularly deals with, and exchanges. Beyond that, the larger young professional community is heavily engaged in the practice of social media to project momentum for events and ideas that are just coming to fruition, with the ArtPrize competition being a natural example of what can be done with social networking.

Google has as yet an untapped reserve of resources that are not being used in the Grand Rapids area to a large degree, including Google Buzz, Wave, and Code. All three, if implemented through the colleges and up through the heavy Internet using community of young professionals, would be natural success stories for Google in promoting their mission to get everyone more on-line, and therefore, more heavy users of their wide-scaling and heavily automated advertising platform. Google makes over $25 billion per year on advertising revenue, and as a personal and corporate user of advertising programs at Google, I can attest that they are first rate and offer real value to the users. Google would be well served to look very closely at the community that they select to see where their high-speed access point would service a radical implementation of receiving support from the diaspora of former, current, and future Grand Rapids residents.

I personally could envision a community working on Google Labs projects that go beyond just health care initiatives. The local young professionals who currently are on-line round-the-clock will be heavy users of Google's services, that are beyond the natural high-use case scenarios, such as email or documents or spreadsheets. Google needs to build services that get more traction in social networking and this is where Grand Rapids' tight community of leaders and followers among projects, would benefit their test cases of where and how to invest. This is a critical time for the Google cadre of services to expand beyond early adopter status, and enter the mainstream and Grand Rapids and the surrounding community is diverse enough to demonstrate how this could best be accomplished. It is time for Google Fiber to take its place in the pantheon of options for Internet users in this community, and time for Grand Rapids to stand-up to take a leadership role on expanding the wealth of opportunities that come from expanded Internet access.

It is a perfect fit.....

google analytics

2010-01-19T05:43:00.000-08:00

In addition to tracking the click-throughs off of google's adwords advertising campaigns, you can also use web-site software for tracking visitors and doing some pretty granular analysis with Google Analytics....this breaks down all sorts of data for who is visiting the site, from where, the number of unique hits to your web-site, the average time spent on your web-site, and on and on.....but, for me the real value is in the e-commerce report which is a central location to learn about conversions.....

As i said, in a previous entry on the introduction of Google AdWords to the Gemma Redux marketing campaigns, you can also track how many of the clicks that are coming through your web-site, with ad clicks and unique visitors, are actually making an acquisition, and for us that is shopping for jewelry, and so the conversion process is vital to understanding where additional resources should be added in to our marketing camapaigns....conversion and cost per acquisition are two data points that all marketing people are going to have to understand in order to justify to management the dollar spend on campaigns....

With 70%+ of the worldwide search market, Google allows a wide-base to look in to data and it seems to have perfected the management of your ad campaigns, while Google Analytics gathers all the data from the web, and breaks it down to management details that can be used in conversations and meetings to determine future growth projections....business schools should be teaching this process, and not some metric of break-even, but real projected growth, in raw and tangible numbers of visitors to your web-site, and how those visitors are 'behaving' on your site.....

When you have done the legwork to make yourself attractive via a good web-site, such as with a solid brand reputation, a good on-line shopping experience, or even in just making your music available on your site, you can project targeted growth from different sectors of the web population, and having analytics running in the background, takes out a lot of the guess work of where projected web traffic is going to come from, and plan accordingly....

I understand the major barrier is funds to re-do a web site, but once you have fulfilled your annual plan as to how your site is going to behave for users, why not implement Google Analytics, and start tracking what visitors are doing?....the conversion process is vital to getting better traction with potential customers, and this is all automated in the background, while allowing you to focus on your core business offerings....Google is a little big, but navigating throughout your personal account is very straight-forward....

beginning this process through planning will go a long ways to satisfying metrics on your marketing campaigns and give you useful data on where to plan your future efforts....

my work with Gemma

2010-01-11T14:05:00.000-08:00

I recently completed an intra-familial arrangement to be the Director of Customer Service for Gemma Redux, the jewelry company from younger sister, Rachel Dooley, who was recently featured in GR Magazine, check it out if you are out at Schuler's, and did not get a chance to see her goddess necklaces as an entry at Art Prize this past year....

We are doing multiple sales per day of medium-priced jewelry with high-end design, as it relates to the overall costs and designs of the fashion industry, outside of diamonds....this keeps me busy with e-mails on sales orders, styles, and general customer support questions, which i typically have to consult with the CEO about, but she gets back to me, and i am learning, which is automating her processes, and leaving her more time to do design and additional ventures, like what was started with Domestic Holding....

This is my first foray into fashion, having done enterprise software and office furniture in my primary other engagements in my career, so its cool to follow the countless blogs on the industry, and get to give my girlfriend shiny pieces at employee discount prices, and working with my younger sister is real, she is doing what she loves, AFAI can tell, and building a viable business with lots of press, celebrities, and customers providing positive feedback....

As i stated in my most recent blog entry on this blog, we are also working with Google's AdWords program to drive traffic through selected keywords, and pushing them in the direction of specific releases of her jewelry, and we have only scratched the surface at on-line marketing, as Rachel does a lot on Facebook and Twitter as well as running Articulare, the blog from Gemma Redux....

If you did get to see the Art prize entry of the Goddess necklaces, and have a wealthy relative who owes you one, they will most likely be for sale through Domestic Holding sometime, as i am still learning about the business model, it seems that members of Domestic need to buy a monthly release once every three months in order to keep their status as a valued member and from there it will build, so Gemma Redux is the ongoing concern, while Rachel puts a lot of time in with her BFF, Carolyn, to get Domestic up and running...

I am happy to be a part of Gemma, and encourage you to check out the Omne's that are reasonably priced and can be worn in many versatile ways, or feel free to suggest to me how you select jewelry, so that we can learn more, and tailor our on-line campaigns to attract more click-throughs on keywords that mean something to you as you look around the web, at least through Google's frame-of-reference.....

it has me thinking about how other companies, artists, and communities can utilize the power of social networking and on-line ads to drive interest, and deliver valuable information to a potentially enormous user-base....we are thinking about doing some Facebook ads, that would direct the click-through to Gemma Redux's Facebook fan page, as Rachel does a lot of promotional materials and updates through that page, so, for instance, you would have known the code for free shipping this holiday shopping season, if you were a fan on Facebook...lots more to do there....

as i look around at all sorts of opportunities, it makes me want to learn as much as i can, while delivering the best customer service to Gemma's customer-base, and applying the techniques to other clients, which is the basic premise of why i started Astro Solutions, 4 years ago, as i love marketing, it differentiates products and services and other offerings from the overwhelming mass of data that we are able to access through smartphones and computer browsers....

companies need to get better at finding the mix that optimizes the experience for would-be customers, and i am learning from my younger sis on this, so if you want some more information, check out the provided links, and hit me up for a conversation on what is working for us, and how that could be translated in to a successful campaign for your organization....i am busy and under contract with Gemma Redux to do the best work for them, but i am always open to conversations on how to best approach the web for promotional purposes....

some are doing a good job at it, some are bombarding without much content, and some are sitting on the sidelines wondering what to do first, or what is their on-line identity, which is a good question....perhaps, trial-and-error will be the way to go, but there are best practices coming out, and i encourage you to get some expertise in-house, either through existing employee knowledgebase or hired consultants....its too important as business goes to the web....

thats the next evolution of e-commerce, communication and directional promotions that build communities around your brand and offerings....

working with Google Ads

2009-12-31T08:34:00.000-08:00

This is no-brainer territory, picture a targeted on-line campaign that allows you to say what you want to say to millions of potential customers, and only pay when they agree to engage with you by clicking on your link, so your ad with Google on all of their search, news, blog, etc...properties they own or have relationships with for advertising goes to hundreds of thousands of people per day, and you only pay for those that click-through....it allows a real-time, daily usage metric guide, with your selected keywords showing which are the most effective in drawing traffic to your site....

let me paint the picture by way of example, as i have been working with Gemma Redux on their own Google AdWords campaign for the past several months....

We started by investigating the process of payment with Google, and basically what you do is start off with a daily budget of say $10/day, and give Google your credit card number for your account records...now be aware Google is huge, and they have the web properties to spend your money, so be ready to spend, but i am going to tell you why this process works so well...after selecting your daily budget, you are taken in to your web control panel that runs in a browser, to select the keywords where you want your ad to show up when people search on keywords or similar topics...Google takes your keywords and lays out the plan for your campaign, complete with a metrics dashboard to show you how many are clicking and under which keywords are working the best....

You can also set up reports to be emailed to you weekly or even daily, if you like to track progress, or just log-in, and get the wealth of data that Google compiles on your campaign, but basically what you are seeing is the kind of traffic coming to your site, so your next logical question may be, what about behavior, what are those click-through people doing on my site...well, Google also provides code to be embedded in to your selected web-page to begin tracking if those click-throughs are leading to customers...essentially, you could embed the generated code that Google has for their advertising partners in your main shopping cart page, and Google will track from impression-to click through-to purchase all of the new customers you are getting from your ads....

I find this to be very welcome to my efforts to help run an on-line business, as it gives me data on everything that is going on-line with my ad campaign, and Google is regularly updating their ideas about what keywords might work in addition to the keywords you initially selected, and you can update your keyword mix and budget on-the-fly, with our updates showing up no later than one day later...all of this is going on in the background, and all you have to do is manage your own web-site to reflect what types of customers you are attracting to your site through the ad campaign, and Google keeps working on refining the process to get better quality clicks on to your site....

Now, Google is huge as we all know, but they have really implemented a near-perfect on-line experience at the micro/small-business level, so that you only pay for click-throughs, and get to look in to what those potential customers are doing on your site....you just need to get it up and running, and work on your end to create the environment for customers to engage with you on your offerings, whether that be on-line shopping, becoming a fan on Facebook, signing up for a newsletter, or anything you want to point those click-throughs to, and then continue to refine the process based on what you are seeing at the customer-by-customer level....

I could envision a company like Steelcase beginning their own Google Ads campaign to do a multitude of things from pushing selected keyword clicks to dealers, get them opted-in to marketing campaigns, and even buy products directly by "buying" the keywords that work best, like 'ergonomic chairs', or 'system furniture', and push them to the appropriate customer channel that all big companies like Steelcase have in place...Google just gets your site traffic to provide a brand-new batch of potential users of your corporate services, including buying products....

I highly recommend in the new year more companies investigate their advertising budgets and think about the scale of on-line marketing, and how Google has made it targeted as if you were to sit-down and brainstorm best-use-case scenarios, its already available and within your budget whether thats paying approximately $.20/click of up to $2.00/click or more for more quality targeting, and all within a budget your company sets up front...its an ideal way to reach millions of potentially new users of your site, and hundreds of new customers...

we do it at Gemma Redux, and it works great, and we continue to believe that driving more awareness of the offerings of Gemma Redux results in word-of-mouth and later shopping...but we also closely measure the clicks-to-conversion process to make sure we are doing the right things on-line to maximize our budget, with multiple campaigns going on simultaneously...its simple, economical, and effective, with lots of data to review and modify to reflect best practices...this year try Google Ads for your web-site, and see the impact it has on your business, from buying to awareness, there truly is no better way to spend your precious marketing dollars....

i give my approval, and you will too....

GRR not-for-profits

2008-12-25T09:45:00.001-08:00

11/30/8

6:12 a.m.

Overview of the Not-for-profit world

i work for a not-for-profit, based on the East-side of the state, but that is fine by me, i support the mission, enjoy the kids, and hope to stick with it for some time...beyond that, i am a relative newbie to the not-for-profit world, but this experience in my job, and also in seeing friends, family members, colleagues, and acquaintances get new jobs in the not-for-profit world in 2008, i can say that my impression is that something is changing in the economy: we are finally starting to value social services at the same level as other types of business, it is no longer relevant to discard social work as just 'charity' work...

The institutional challenge of taking care of a growing list of issues has been widely regarded to be a government-first problem throughout the country, but if there is one thing that distinguishes GRR from the rest of the country, it has been the overwhelming corporate support of not-for-profits in the area to help expand beyond the services that the government is prepared to handle...we have heard the reasons, and the cynics claim it is the supposed conservatism of this area, with its accompanying mistrust of all things publicly funded, and you get to the point where there are literally ideological battles over the supposed charity of Amway providing funds to Kids Food Basket (KFB), for example...

its crazy, for two reasons: for one, the absolute imperative that there be private-sector experiments like KFB that are allowed to grow in to regional programs without government oversight is the most basic reason why this community will lead the country on inventing ways to deal with and survive in the coming economic winter...second, whether you hate their religion, politics, or personalities, or even if you think they run an illegal operation, the fact is that Amway (refuse to call them Alticor, they are always Amway to me, why run from it?...) has demonstrated they are entrepreneurs par excellence, and that is exactly what is needed throughout the not-for-profit sector...we need innovation, positive margin return, and evangelism of success, just like Amway has always done...

there are other leaders who have been there for decades, such as Steelcase, Meijer, and Secchia, more recently...i continue to support Steelcase (even though it is time to replace Hackett with a woman), and Meijer and Secchia makes sure that they get a lot of press, but if there is one organization that has potentially been more effective than Amway, it is the Frey Foundation, simply because they are so well-organized with professionals making funding decisions, with little oversight from the children/trustees...if you have an idea of how to literally change the whole nature of the not-for-profit sector in GRR, there is no way it happens without the Frey Foundation behind you, in some form...

which ultimately begs the question: can a not-for-profit be considered a start-up?...i have one answer for that: the stock market is dead, no one is going public, the only reason for starting a business for at least 5 years will be to employ talented people, and to generate positive margins to re-invest in the operations...both of these qualifications apply to not-for-profits, so, yes, a not-for-profit can be a start-up...it is time to re-think the entire nature of the economy; it is time to put women and children as the primary cause of all investment; it is time to change the metrics of business, and f*cking flat-out ignore Wall Street...if you are not private yet, as a business, it is time to seriously consider the options to do that...

but, for the not-for-profit sector, being totally and completely open about the business metrics is essential to engender trust and clarity of operations, as every not-for-profit needs support...this means heavily investing in financial documents to-be-published to the public web-site of every not-for-profit in the area...as a potential advisor, investor, or trustee, i have absolutely zero time for any not-for-profit that thinks they are entitled to some private company privilege to keep the books closed: this is a public issue, and it requires all of the public's resources and attention to save the MI economy, i dont care what not-for-profit school taught you, it is time for the not-for-profit sector to replace Wall St., as the primary source of information on what is actually going on in the market...this is non-negotiable...

beyond that, i have confidence in the health systems, in the higher education institutions, and the ability to adapt to the coming economic collapse, but there is no excuse for the shameful effort around the K-12 public schools, it is the one obvious blight on this community, and there are no longer any excuses...i know where i work, that is ground zero, because you can blame parents, or whatever you do to help you justify the ignoring of thousands of kids in this community, but it needs to stop...the DeVos' tried with school choice, and were derided, why?...start trying things, and stop playing politics, we have no time for that...i swear that if you continue to ignore the kids who dont have the option to go to East, Forrest Hills, and Catholic Secondary Schools, i will personally lead the revolution, and systematically overthrow whatever it is that you stand for...

i might do that anyway, but i am giving you the option to at least expunge your conscience, first, after so many failed years, the time for change has come, and its name is not the President-elect, it starts in the city of Grand Rapids and works out...anyone in the way, will be eliminated, cast aside, and forever barred from participating in those kids' lives as they grow to take over this region...

it is your choice...

12/1/8

9:15 p.m.

new years resolution

2008-12-25T07:38:00.000-08:00

obvsly, i need help...i agree with you, i have been on the internet for more than a decade, and there are not too many people out there, raising the issues in all 3 blogs i have done, like i have done: u r right, i get waves of anxiety about what would be the impact if someone actually started to pay attention to what i am saying, because, it is over-the-top...truth be told, i don't really believe in the concept of addiction, the whole premise that the 12-step program is based on, that some humans are different than other humans, in that they are physically compelled to do something that their mind knows is bad for them: i really have a hard-time subscribing to that logic...the brain rules the universe, and the cost-benefit that gets someone to smoke crack, gamble, or write blogs is not some issue that can be 'cured' through a professional organization, let alone a religious one...

so, i dont know what to do about this feeling that builds in me, that i think about an issue so much that i get to the point where the only way i can get through the day, is if i am allowed to write about it...and, though i fully support therapy, therapists, and the professional attitude toward reform, but it doesnt work with me...the only way i get to make changes or beat down a bad decision is to always be aware, stay focused, and continue to be open to learning...everything else is social conformity programming, and only the individual, themself, can ultimately make the change, so i know this so-called addiction to sit here on the Google Cloud and reveal my deepest opinions and beliefs is a problem that only i can address, and so with that as a lead-in, i need to identify my solution, if it does not already exist:

internet blogging support forum, where bloggers can go to blog, about their problem with blogging...

(thx, J, it is even funnier to write it out after talking about it)....

i can only attest to my own experiences, and dont know if this is a problem that anyone else is dealing with, and i got to believe there are others who get that feeling of quasi-regret from posting some random comment on someone's Facebook photo, i know i have been there, and like a Calvin grad. told me earlier this summer: "i just didnt know you were such a Facebook amateur..."

i was, because i guess there are protocols, standards, and appropriate behaviors that are allowed on-line, and then the rest are to be highly suspect with respect to straying out-of-line...i really dont know what the best way to approach this on-line support group for people who spend too much time on-line, but i would welcome any comments, suggestions, or any ideas on how to help the thousands of people who every day worry about whether the wall post last nite was really such a good idea...

it is the only thing i know to be accurate about my on-line relationship: Google is the most important non-human in my life, right now...and Facebook is the most dangerous...thats why i kind of prefer the blogosphere to social networking, though i love the pure magic of being able to connect with 500 people you know in one push of the button, its just that i need some space to explain why, for instance, i am a fan of the L Word television show on Showtime, and why i need to write a blog about it soon, as soon as i properly address the concept introduced in this entry: am i over-exposed?...

only time will tell, i mean i know i am not directly impacting the dialog of some of the issues that i raise, at least as far as i know, but the beauty of the Google Cloud is that it may just live forever, maybe some day they will pull together a compendium of blog posts to use as an example of one of the predicting factors in identifying the very dawn of the revolution, and hopefully, what i have said will be included, because though i am engaged in a shoot-the-moon strategy, its really the only way i know how to play...

the b.l. is this: ultimately, there is no way to argue that writing on-line is worse than the other so-called addictions that destroy relationships...ultimately, the only people i am going to hurt with my addiction is potentially myself, and hopefully, the people and ideas that i target for defeat in my blog posts...subscribe to hard drugs, and drag everyone down with you, but if you write a blog, the people who once loved you can always just stop reading...

i may not stop, but i wanted all my readers to understand why i am at it, and it is probably going to continue in lots of different ways...i hope to reveal my plans for the new year soon, but i thought i would entertain you so you dont have to watch the Lions with your family, and can instead get my perspective on an issue that actually matters: on-line personas...

Fountain Street Church

2008-12-03T03:41:00.000-08:00

I came to Fountain Street after nearly 30 years of being tied to Grand Rapids, and not knowing what really a non-denominational church is, and perhaps still don't. I think there are lots of definitions: for one, if i am not mistaken, Mars Hills, seems to me, claims to be non-denominational, though their head person, Rob Bell, speaks ad nauseum about the Bible, all of their publicity materials frequently reference Jesus "Christ", and the vast majority of their attendees are basically members of the CRC; apologies, if i am wrong about this, but the basic thing you need to know is that Synagogues and Masjids have more in common than Fountain Street and Mars Hill do...

I come to Fountain Street after a childhood of quasi-Catholicism, followed by ag nosticism, followed by a stint with Islam when i turned 30, followed by the current state of mind, which is essentially believing that if there is ever going to be such a thing as the 2nd "Coming"/Messiah/Jesus-return-to-earth, it better come soon, as i am sick of intolerance, manipulation, and straight-up 'evil' running the show...that is a dangerous statement, and i have played that game many a time with people, going so far as to tell a couple of self-proclaimed progressive girls in Sazerac, that i believed i knew who would qualify as the so-called 2nd Coming, and that i believe she is on the planet, and of course, their progressiveness was quickly replaced by derision...

sure, "Holy Land" purists can fight wars over it, whether they be Christian, Muslim, or Jew, but if someone like me claims that a positive force is possibly with us, that will not end the world in a ball-of-flames, but will instead assist with the process to bring lasting peace, then, yes, i am the crazy one...people who keep up with my many on-line personas will be able to reference another blog entry where i talked about litmus tests when i feel someone is not telling me their whole truth, and using their public statements as a justification for their judgement, and i like to get to the bottom of it, and call them out for the poser that they really are: don't get me wrong, you don't have to agree with me, to be right, but you do have to tell the truth...

With that said, i think you will begin to see why i need, more than anything in my life, for Fountain Street Church to stay in business, because without it, i am threatened, in this day-and-age, coming up on 2009 years after the so-called birth of the 'Christ', i am pretty certain i am not allowed to hold the beliefs that i do, in any community: Christian, Muslim, or Jew...and so, i volunteer, attend, organize, give, and plan for the maintenance of the only spiritual organization on the planet that would have me as a member: Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, MI...it gets pretty scary at times to think about the implications of our society without a true non-denominational alternative, not the b.s. that Rob Bell provides...

Don't get me wrong, he is unbelievably talented, his only Nooma video that i watched reminded me, modestly, of myself doing a blog entry: just stream of consciousness...that is how it should be, no editing, no stunts, and no help, and that is what is so damn frightening about him...he does actually believe what he is saying, and he says it well...behind the rock-and-roll band at Mars Hill, the hip glasses frames, the tight jeans, and learned hipster lingo, lies a man who is essentially the same as all the men who came before him: a music man of the Bible, telling us that this one document without any validation of its validity, is the only path for life...that we can read Old Testament commandments, and New Testament stories, and somehow get to the logic that if, for instance, two women love each other in America, they are still not worthy of the same rights to public, recognized, legally supported union as i am with a woman: give me a Mother F*ckin break, Rob Bell...

I have had my problems with Fountain Street that i think are resolved, and so the only thing i know to be true in my life is this: if i ever get married, even before the day when it is legal for everyone to marry whomever they want, be assured that the marriage will not happen, and will not be conducted, or even started unless it is at Fountain Street...i dont know what i feel about marriage, because of the above-mentioned societal rules, but i do know that if i ever go down that so-called path, and trust someone else that much, i will need all the support in the world to fulfill the obligations of that day and that life, and there is no way i could do it without the blessing and management of the ceremony by the ministers, both past and present, at Fountain Street...

i know its harsh, but after believing the hype that i am supposed to get married a.s.a.p., i have found some peace of mind knowing that unless it is absolutely right, like what i see with many friends, family, and others, i cannot pull-the-trigger, and follow-through...it is a concept that i am still learning to deal with, no where more acutely than everytime i step through the doors of Fountain Street...i could go on-and-on, but i think you get the picture, i would be happy to escort some of you to Fountain Street, but i am not going to claim it is your first-step to nirvana, i dont know what it would do for you, but i guarantee you one thing:
if you need freedom to figure it out, there is no better place on the planet, that i have found...

douglas dooley
11/26/8
3:32 p.m.

How to build a start-up

2008-12-02T05:25:00.000-08:00

i feel like i am having deja vu, because as i write this latest blog entry on the Astro Solutions blog, i am reminded of the entries i made when i was originally talking about this company, and my objectives to bring my perspective to bear on the GRR business community...i mean i have tried, via Steelcase, to help out, but it has been a lonely effort, basically, due to the fact that the GRR business community appears to not be quite ready to ditch the manufacturing heritage and move head-long in to the future of work classified as being representative of the 'creative class', or those workers who dont necessarily have a definable skill to put on their resume, such as Accounting, Law, or Programmer, but instead they demonstrate their inherent value by devising new ways for the companies that they represent to stay competitive...

i am, by default, i believe, an aspiring member of this so-called creative class, in that i literally anticipate my career being greatly influenced by the words i write here, on a blog...that is creative, and utilizes the advantages of the internet, to bring more information to the marketplace, which always results in better business: the more potential customers know, the more competition works, and the more competition there is, the more innovation comes about...please, remember not to listen to any company that claims to support competition for any market, except, of course, for the one they compete in...so, whether it be Microsoft, Google, or Spectrum Health, we must all remain diligent in the strength of market choice via competing firms, in order for innovation to continue...it is truly the only economic law in business that matters...

i have been in hibernation for the past 14 months, on the Astro front, i simply did not see the direction that the software start-up i was then working on, would transition in to stable-income-stream operation, and plus, i really had no equity, so it seemed pointless to put too much effort in something that did not seem to have any financial return associated with it, that was set aside for me, in case of initial, ongoing, and ultimate success...i no longer work for free...but something hit me recently, i think it was concomitant intersection of forces that allowed me to see that i could write, until i thought of something to do, and even work for my sister, with helping with her start-up, in an industry that is completely foreign to me: the fashion industry...

Rachel Dooley started Gemma Redux in law school, as you can read about here...she is my only sister, and i am very happy for her, that she will soon be able to call Gemma Redux her full-time job, and be one of those rare people who have the guts, the resources, and so-many other traits necessary to legitimately call herself an entrepreneur...i am so envious, in fact, that i have offered to help do the marketing for Gemma Redux, and see if i can't contribute to its possible success, i am looking forward to 2009, in part, because of this company...

another reason i am looking ahead in this post is that i may be soon asked to be the 'Band Manager' of the Southpaw Players, a local group, that has become wildly more relevant to people in GRR, now that they have been able to recruit Rick Chyme to be their front-man...i have grown to become a big Rick Chyme fan, and though i have yet to really listen to the Southpaw Players, i have put my proposal in to them, as they seek a manager, or as i would like to be called: the COO...a COO is really equivalent to the Vice-President in American politics, in that you have pretty much zero power, but could have your hands in everything going on within the organization, which means the ultimate success of failure of the organization, is a direct reflection on the diverse skills of a COO...

as some of you have read, i support GRR hiphop, and you should too, but i have been supporting in earnest for 4 years, and i know a lot about whats going on, and i really think that as long as the Southpaw Players are working with Rick Chyme, that i should be the COO of their operation, simply because no one, on the planet, is more dedicated to making Rick Chyme successful than me...i can guarantee that, perhaps, outside of Rick Chyme himself, no one understands how to make hiphop successful in GRR, more than me...sure, La Famiglia and Mike G. have more experience, but they seem to be losing relevance as quickly as Rick Chyme is gaining it...there is no question in my mind, now, that Rick Chyme is the preeminent example of the GRR hiphop scene, and therefore, the best shot we have of going big...he is that good...

so, i am saying to the Southpaw Players, this: you may feel uneasy by my focus on Rick Chyme's career, but the energy, expertise, and innovation that i would bring as COO of the band, with Rick Chyme, would be unparalleled, and if you guys are serious about making money off music, of making a career out of your skills as a musician, and want to impact the way GRR thinks about music, in general, you will continue the relationship with Rick Chyme, and you will be forced to agree with me, that there is no one, anywhere, better positioned to help shift to a new gear than me...i cant promise success, but i rarely, if ever, lose, when i want something...and, i want GRR to have a success story out of the hiphop scene, and Rick Chyme is, like i said, the best bet...so, get on board, and let me help...

2009 is about thinking big, and just, flat-out, executing...i think i can help make Gemma Redux and the Southpaw Players relevant on a scale they have not up-to-now imagined, so stay tuned, among other things, that i will be working on, start-ups are my passion...almost as much as the state of MI, and when you put the two together: start-ups in MI, there is no one alive more dedicated to making that happen, than Astro Solutions...hit me up, if you need to talk...

GRR hiphop

2008-11-29T21:55:00.000-08:00

Cory, Mike G., Karisa, Kiss, Rick Chyme, Nixon, Suport, Matt and Action Jackson, Dante Cope, AB, Rello, Sprites Ferocious - - chances are if you have even remotely paid attention to the GRR nightlife scene, you know who at least one of these individuals are, i have been fortunate to meet most of them, some of them know my name, most know my face: i support GRR hiphop...

put down the blow, or any other indulgence that you think enlightens you, and start putting your money toward local music...

nothing would help this community more than if La Famiglia were to get signed by a major record label, it would have a cascading effect on Pyrit Radio, the Southpaw Players, Sex Panther, and others...

I have seen Sex Panther tear down Sazerac...

I have seen Rick Chyme, time-and-again, freestyle his way beyond what most other people could write out...

I have bought all of Nixon's material...

I have enough La Famiglia ticket stubs to fill a wall mural...

the bottom-line is this: when i see a MySpace bulletin, receive a text, or find a flier ab/ a show anywhere in the city with the above mentioned artists, i usually show-up, if nothing else to pay the door fee, to let the hiphop crew know that i appreciate what they are doing...

though i have somewhat dialed back my hiphop purchases, and slightly diversified my musical tastes, i support them carte blanche, and you should too...

no matter what type of music you listen to, the front-line is currently occupied by the hiphopsters, so stop watching American Idol re-runs, and get to a show, this city needs everyone to get involved in helping to make these artists successful...

for more information, check out my new blog:

http://grrhiphop.blogspot.com/

diaspora

2008-11-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

Part of my thinking on the building of GRR actually hates to do this post, because i know if i was part of the worldwide MI diaspora, which includes, Madonna, Webber, McNealy, Larry Page, and many others, i would really struggle with reading what i am about to write:

sooner or later, no matter where you are at, no matter what you are doing, i will submit that you must come to the realization that your efforts to change the world elsewhere, are subsidizing your current home at the expense of your original home, and the pull becomes too great, until you realize that it is actually time to pick-up and move back to MI...

the arguments are plentiful:

- the environment

- stable politics

- lots of start-up $'s floating around

- good sports, decent entertainment (if you go local)

My point of reference is CA, and MI compares favorably...

what resources are available:

- Google

- Business leadership

- Sports

- Entertainment

what is needed:

- new political leadership

- hundreds of new MI start-ups

- more investment in the arts and entertainment

- less regulation and repression of sports and athletes

- massive tax breaks to support the next economy and an end to subsidization of the previous economy

- an end to partisanship, and namely the East-West divide

who is in a position to fulfill the requirements of the new MI:

the thousands of Gen X and Y, college graduates who represent the MI diaspora...

what public policy is needed:

- direct subsidies to returning former MI residents who bring with them skills that will be needed in the Next MI economy

- heavy investment in infrastructure, transportation, and a new forum of legislation to preserve and protect the environmental resources of the Great Lakes

- massive, ongoing, and entrepreneurial-based investment in public education

- a campaign to sell a bond proposal that would eliminate the state's budget deficit, invest in all transportation and education proposals, and continue to fund the 21st Century Jobs program

- ongoing public policy forums with simplified, documented, and web-centric financial and statistical information on the options available

- Mackinac-based forum for DET and GRR leaders to agree to 2 and 5 year timetables for implementation of all outstanding Next MI Economy legislation; to be held August 2009

there are no other considerations on the table, there is nothing left to vet out: the auto industry is officially dead...there is no turning back, MI stands at the precipice, and the pain that has been uniquely inflicted on this state over the past decade must continue to serve as the motivating factor to take bold, unprecedented steps in the direction of the next MI Economy...any debate on the merits, biases, and even necessity of this program are to be excluded: there is no contravening evidence that anything but the most dire scenario will play out without direct intervention...

the current leadership has started the process, but will fail without the diaspora...ignoring the absolute requirement to recruit as much of the diaspora back to MI will result in a 20-year depression of the state's economic outlook; a reduced role and bargaining position on all future negotiations with respect to water from the Great Lakes; and, a slide toward irrelevance comparable to the immediate aftermath of the economies of the Southern states after the American Civil War...

let me repeat, there is no other consideration, the boldest possible program to entice the diaspora to return is priority 1 for the foreseeable future, and even when it begins to take hold, it must continue to always be priority 1 so that never again are the best, brightest, most capable, and most savvy participants in the next MI Economy incentivized to leave...many factors contributed to the economic malaise, none more impactful than losing the future leaders of this state: it is time to get them back...

purple east

2008-11-21T02:24:00.000-08:00

I was not a skater, a toker, or much of a hipster in high school, but i do vaguely remember the Fulton St. location of the venerable GRR establishment: Purple East...i think i have that right, i mean something tells me that it was there somewhere between St. Cecilia's and the little Veteran's Park, maybe not, maybe it was somewhere else, regardless it is still alive today, in truly the best retail environment in the city...the current location down by Heartside Park is a really roomy and totally perfect building, and yet, something is amiss...

You walk in the front-door, and the last time i was in you are bombarded with t-shirts, which is o.k., considering we are coming out of summer, but pretty bad t-shirts, IMO, of old rock-and-roll bands...now, i know i have gone from non-hipster status when i was a teenager to too-old-to-be-relevant youngster hipster today, but i keep my ear to the street, and all, and i am not buying what Purple East is putting down, for the most part...i got my latest clothing purchase there, in the form of some Volcom jeans, that i can't take off...and i have made other purchases there, but the bottom-line is that if i had more disposable income to spend on my wardrobe, i truly would want to go local, would want to trust the early-20-somethings about what i should get, and i would want to shop in a sweet enviro, and i am sorry, but i just don't believe that Purple East management is operating at full intellectual capacity, at present...

so, i have a proposal...

i have been thinking about this for some months, and part of me is hesitant to publicly state my idea, but after being in Silicon Valley to cut my teeth early in my career, i have learned that the so-called "stealth" approach to hoarding your so-called brilliant idea for fear that someone is going to "steal" it before you can implement it, is bonkers...go ahead, anyway, if someone can take what i am about to say, and make it work, i will be one happy shopper...here we go:

basically, i am going to say something inflammatory and perhaps completely incorrect, and maybe be forced to issue a mea culpa at a later date, but my guess is that whoever is calling the shots, ultimately, at Purple east, today, has been there for some time...maybe even over 35 years-old, maybe even male, maybe even disconnected with exactly what the purported mission of the store should be...i dont know any of these things, but i think Purple East should be turned over, either to the current employees, some who i have talked with, and they pretty much are awesome, or management should consider selling out, because this rock-and-roll t-shirt line is not a viable option...

my plan has two parts: first, sell it someone who will put 20-something women in charge of it; and, second, and here is the kicker that i am putting out there for both your entertainment purposes, as well as to demonstrate the scope of my ambition with this project, turn the story of the re-emergence of Purple East under new, young, female management in to a reality television show...

beat that...

what i am thinking and going to propose to my Deal-or-no-Deal-producer/high school classmate/tennis compatriot is to showcase the entrepreneurial skills of the Real World approach, and actually this time, as opposed to all other reality t.v. fakeness, totally make it real, no script, no made-up customers or plots, no rules, just a fully legitimate take on how a business would be done in GRR...i've got a hunch that with the right approach, this would be something that people would watch, and actually talk about on-line, as aren't we all sick of ATNM, Tyra, etc..this would be a way to generate publicity for Purple East, get viewer feedback on what approaches work best, and re-start the reality intention to actually be real...

its a little crazy, but i bet the next time you are surfing around downtown GRR, and get out of Vertigo, and maybe grab an espresso drink from the Mix Tape Cafe next door, you will be looking for something else to do on a winter saturday afternoon, and i suggest you go to Purple East, and think about what could be...i have a slight inkling of an idea about how i am possibly going to try and get this done, but i dont intend to hoard it, and would gladly welcome any other creative thinkers to provide some additional input, that after being in the current store, how you might project what a future, idealized Purple East would look like...

back again

2008-11-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hey, i guess i need to issue my own personal mea culpa, as i didnt want to leave the impression that i have left GRR, or lost confidence in it, simply because i have not written an entry in a year...quite the opposite, i am doubling down on my embedded belief that this is the only business community in which i can thrive, and if you look at my other blogs in my profile, you will see, i was busy keeping the IT market in check, and recently i have been having some fun, writing about basketball...dont worry, i am not going anywhere, but as anyone who has been in at least a 6th grade english class knows, it takes a spark to write, and today, after this year+, i finally got my spark as i drove away from yet another GRR business/operation that i will support...

Today, i signed the adoption paper for a new feline...

First, though, yesterday, i signed a lease for an apartment at the Globe in downtown GRR:

http://www.globeapts.com/

So, i have an environment conducive to helping with the kitteh population that is perennially in need of help, due to too many cats and not enough homes....as you will see from the blogs i follow, in my profile, i am starting to pay attention to the issues that come along with over-population of cats, through the work at Carol's Ferals...and, i am also following another blog, that i think is indicative of the type of community that Grand Rapids is becoming:

http://blog.mlive.com/newblack/

Tricia's entry last week about naming her new cat, pointed me in the direction of the adoption agency where i will be picking up "Katie" on sunday...apologies to all Katie fans, that will not be her name going forward...I chose to own a cat as opposed to getting started with a kitten, and she's not totally tabby and attractive, but definitely cute...i am very thankful that there are organizations like Vickys Pet Connection that do what they do:

http://www.vickyspetconnection.com/

The staff and volunteers were extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and i feel as confident as i could that taking in a pet, in need of a place to live, will be the right decision...I will reveal the new name soon, i have it narrowed down to 2, and they are so different in concept, that i need to think it over this week, hopefully get some inspiration, and then settle on a name, or maybe just allow my new cat to be Katie/Name A/Name B/Fluff, whichever works for the moment...the nice part about kittehs is they generally dont seem to care what you call them, as long as you like them...

Outside of that exciting news, other things are going on, lots of things, from new bars and restaurants, to non-profits that are moving forward, to issues that are separating GRR from other communities, and so i am going to try and utilize this blog to write about those things that make me think something good is happening here...i don't know if i'll ever get the opportunity to be a full-time entrepreneur, or whether i'll even want to, but i do know that i wouldn't even attempt anywhere else...as you can read in previous blog entries, i have tried other places, and i know this is where i need to be...

so, hopefully, you will become a reader and maybe even a contributor to this blog...i'll try and keep it moving forward...

ready to launch?

2007-10-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

A lot goes in to a start-up, that would hitherto not be seen as significant. From the countless meetings and phone conferences, to the writing out of plans, there are many opportunities to define what it means to be in business. News from around the Internet industry continues to define how to enter markets, and how to craft a successful message for a product-line. I have been involved in such projects before, but none with so many unknowns as what my colleagues and I face with openiam.org.

Where is the real target for entry? That is the question I ask myself everyday, and everyday I come up with the same questions: can a small company compete? Can a group of dispersed individuals come together to execute? Can a product with little market penetration expect to gain enough traction to be relevant? Can I stick with this? All are questions that could easily be answered no. All will, however, ultimately, be answered in the affirmative. What I know is that software is as wide-open a marketplace as there is, contrary to what Oracle would have you believe.

This past week's announcement of a proposed hostile take-over of BEA Systems is just one, and a significant one, salvo in the ongoing quest to cut off the air supply for independent software vendors. This one makes sense for so many reasons, but one does have to wonder if a vendor like BEA, with $1B+ in revenue, a forward-looking product mix, and enough cash on hand to withstand any challenges, cannot make it on its own, then who can? Is enterprise software such that there will only be a half-dozen (Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, SAP, Sun, Red Hat) vendors to choose from, and the rest will be sent to the outskirts of relevance? Naturally, we are fighting this proposition.

BEA is a great company, but has lost many a good leader. They have also been eaten to death by the low-end and/or Open Source models that have cut the cost to acquire middleware by upwards of 90% or so. At the same time, large customers tend to trust their IT decisions to a select few tier 1 vendors, which has significantly reduced the claim that BEA's WebLogic can be enterprise-wide. What can be said about Oracle's claim to BEA is that the quest to be a Java Microsoft is not in the cards, and without that kind of stranglehold on the market, there is not sufficient revenue to sustain its independence. It is surely just a matter of time, until the first great Enterprise Internet software vendor is gone, or more accurately, buried in the clutches of a tier 1 vendor.

It makes me wonder about this business of software, are we just fighting to be bought out? Has the dream died, and there will be no great Netscape-like IPOs for the foreseeable future? I do not mean to pretend that that is the trajectory that we aim to fulfill, but there was a time, I remember, when dot-coms were executing for valuations that would sustain their longevity. This was a gigantic mis-calculation to not invest more in enterprise software, and now we have the tier 1's controlling the game from a vantage point that, at times, seems impermeable. BEA was a testament to a day gone, when independent software vendors dictated the marketplace, and customers invested in innovation. Now they are readying itself for the end game, as has many acquired companies have done.

One should ask: if BEA can't do it, who can? I understand the quasi-defeatist nature of this post. But in reality it is a wake-up call to all those who value the power of entrepreneurial circumstances that upend established markets. It is time for the Marc Fleury's, Marc Andreesen's, and even, perhaps, Scott McNealy to think long and hard about what role can they play to continue the tradition of the start-up. Is it sufficient to grab a 1% year-year gain that tier-1's value? Or is it more important to create change that empowers the previously disenfranchised workforce, that brings about real progress in economic terms, and creates great wealth? It is a question that needs some thought and consideration.

I, for one, think of this....

Glassfish arrives

2007-09-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

There is no denying the influence that Sun has had on the Internet software market through its game changing Java software platform. However, it was for years o.k. to deride or at least ignore Sun as a software vendor due to its trailing application server program. I say that with humility, for I was the original product marketing manager on Sun's app server program, launching Sun ONE Application Server 7, as has been detailed in my previous blog (douglasdooley.blogspot.com). But as I have said before the individuals and the community that followed on v. 7 and created v. 8 and 9 and now 9.1 have eliminated the possibility of a black-hole on my resume. Sun's app server program is now the pre-eminent offering in the marketplace, trumping Oracle, IBM's WebSphere, BEA's WebLogic, and now even JBoss...

see the launch news here...

It is a huge day for Sun, probably bigger than any single announcement this year, irrespective of Solaris noise. It is time to recognize that Sun is back and better positioned than it has ever been on the issue of Java, and Glassfish deserves a lion's share of the credit. I say congrats to the great Sun employees and all the community members who worked like the focused challengers that they are ever since it was announced Java One 2005. My last conference as a Sun employee was Java One 2003, when we first introduced the Enterprise Edition features, which are the major milestone in Glassfish's announcement today. You (Sun customers) can rip and replace all those WebLogic implementations, and save tens of thousands annually...better to spend those dollars on hardware, which is looking like it is custom-made for the application server...

I remember when I was in grad. school the Red Herring saying in 1997 that Java was mere 'pixie dust' to sprinkle across their hardware, and it was, even though firms such as Marimba tried to take it to the next level. That would not come to success without a legitimate application server offering, and that is what has been announced today. Sun is officially in the Java middleware market with market changing functionality and market upending pricing. You can no longer ignore them, nor can you overlook the dynamics of a re-surgent Sun Microsystems in software. As I have said, Glassfish, not Solaris, is the future of Sun, and the quicker that Sun's GSO sales force gets going, the quicker the financial turn-around will come.

I would like to say thank you to my former friends and colleagues who are still at Sun as well as the new ones who have made today possible; it is with optimism that we can all look on the future of dynamic, Internet-driven, Java-enabled, application platforms to create the coming business environment for trading and buying. It is time for me to help again...

working with MI

2007-08-13T09:19:00.001-07:00

I have the good fortune of being home. It is a place that is under siege, from economics to politics, and everything in between, the very essence of this state is being challenged. I have experienced first-hand what it means to be on the developing side of business in the GRR area, it is both frustrating and enabling, while having some of the same characteristics as the start-up communities throughout the world: never enough money to go around, it seems, though enormous opportunities abound. I cannot imagine living at another time in history, particularly without the benefits of the Internet to conduct business.

It is a time of great upheaval in MI. But there are sizable and noteworthy efforts to overcome the sense that all is lost. Manufacturing is all but gone in this great state, and that means a re-orientation of priorities, regardless of the what the Right Place may tell you. The efforts and investments being made in the start-up community through the 21st century jobs fund, MEDC, and countless initiatives in-and-out of Ann Arbor are significant. They are my life-line right now, I could not go anywhere else and do what I intend to do. Period. That gives me a sense of pride. It gives me a sense of purpose. It gives me a sense of caution, as well.

Why is it that all of these initiatives are available? The state and the business community has figured out that it will take investment to turn things around, if that is what you believe needs to happen. I admire the decision makers for taking some truly courageous steps to create an environment of investment, that is sorely needed. I find the resources of Idea Works, the Grand Angels, Michigan Accelerating Entrepreneurs (AME), and other individuals and organizations are taking the first baby steps toward a new future. It will work. All that is needed is execution.

I have been quick to call out the discrepancies, but I would also like to celebrate the nature of business that is evident by all the above mentioned, as well as the citizens of this state. There is no denying that we are committed to making it work...but how? I have listed some suggestions to how investment can be opened further, and not restricted to just the tried-and-trued methodologies. But it will take entrepreneurs to do the dirty work of beginning the process of starting businesses. And here is where I believe that some celebration of these efforts need to be emphasized.

So often, this area of GRR is prided with comments on the nature of entrepreneurial business. Why is it that it is so difficult to actually execute? I recently reported on my initial contact with the Grand Angels and my disagreement with their terms of starting conversations on investments. It is a risky move to call-out something that holds the purse strings. But it is also the natural give-and-take of how business works, this is not politics, regardless of the overlap of these two distinct areas. I have this sense that my efforts will be more difficult at turns given that I have publicly chastised an organization that I need. But what else am I to do?

Am I to forget the power that this one organization holds, and move on to other options? Even considering the advice given to me by a successful entrepreneur friend, who told me how he only holds on to certain priorities, I cannot turn my back on any avenues. And for this reason, I am not going to leave behind my goal of working with the Grand Angels, regardless of whether that results in financing or not. There is simply too much at stake.

As I sat at Kava House this morning, preparing for another week of chasing the dream, I thought about a time when I had more than I needed in terms of survival and business purpose, essentially when I sat at the pinnacle of business progress, while in Sun's Java server division. I did not overlook the real possibility that I may not be in that position forever, and have come to find that those feelings were right on. I wonder how the current business leaders think about their ever-precarious position, of being a leader for what? A dying region? Perhaps not, perhaps it is just the beginning...perhaps it is the only way forward...

I would like to be more effusive about the chances of making it all come together in a cohesive affront to other competitors, whether it be companies or regions throughout the world, but I feel stymied. I am looking to AME to set the stage for an arrival of good fortune, with me and my partners executing to fulfill the promise of an enterprise software start-up in MI. I am also looking to the other assets of this state to come together and bring about an environment of change. I sincerely believe it can happen. It will happen, and I am doing all I can to expedite that process. That is all.

investing backwards

2007-08-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

I can only attest to my commitment to the GRR area. I cannot write more of an opinion that directs readers to my nearly life-long interest in furthering the cause of a viable place to do business, even outside of the traditional arguments for "raising a family." I have been kicked down and knocked around before, but today took a new twist, one that has zero chance of affecting my ability to just stay positive and continue to march to a future where viability is replaced by success. But it is one worth noting.

No sooner had I written an application to the pre-eminent Grand Angels organization than I was called with a request to explain myself further. I admittedly did not provide detailed information on my career accomplishments and objectives, which would demonstrate that albeit a tough situation, I am firmly in place where I intend to do business for the remainder of my life, and perhaps raise a family. First things first, though, and that is to justify that claim made to me by Peter Cook nearly 15 years ago: "it is better to own 10% of something, than 100% of nothing."

With that inspiration from such a vaunted entrepreneur, I set out on my quest to change the way businesses are started in GRR. I have worked on the two businesses that I initially set-out to work for in my career, Sun and Steelcase, and I have tasted the effects of being wrapped up in the sense that GRR does things 'differently.' Today, I must say that 'differently' is not working. It starts with the 21st Century Jobs Fund, with its archaic neglect of the Internet, and extends to the bias that everything that represents a business start-up must be done the West Michigan way.

This is something that I even defend, but now with a different taste in my mouth. It culminated in a call with the Grand Angels organization, that said that investors do not wish to invest in anything that is not wholly operated in MI, and that potential board members do not want to travel beyond its borders. Both points are patently incorrect and misguided. The Internet has destroyed all barriers to commerce, wherever it may take place. I fully expect the Grand Angels to invest in businesses as far afoot as Africa sometime in their tenure, and the thought that these successful tycoons are not in a place to travel to Manhattan for a semi-annual board meeting is ridiculous.

It is a prejudice that will do more to keep this community from not contracting than any other decision that could be made on a micro-level. Investing backwards to me is to look only at 'reasonable' investments and try and get them to work within some pre-determined parameter. It will not work, and I can guarantee it will not be lucrative. It will not create jobs, and it will not solidify this community. It is old-school thinking from an organization that is, at least on paper, the vanguard of community development.

I respect the hell out of each and every Grand Angels member, and their representatives, so this is not a personal battle. But one of substance and policy, and it needs to mark a turning point. There is no business not suitable for a potential investment. I live in GRR. I shop, drive, and party in GRR. I am not leaving. The business that I purport to start with my partners in NY is intended to bring sales, marketing, and customer service jobs to this community, as well as wealth to its investors. Please explain to me how that precludes investment from the Grand Angels.

There are moments in history when caution is warranted, though I am no expert on this subject, as I look to change to fuel growth. This is not one of those moments, and it is time for the investors of the GRR community to wash aside the biases of the State Government, and invest where the money is: software, Internet, technology, and development. Investors at the Angel level take the most risks, therefore must see the most rewards. Where is this model when a viable business with non-earmarked limits is turned down for ancillary reasons.

I call on all those who respect the heritage of West Michigan business to call upon their representatives, allies, and associates to change the course that we are on, where influence does more to explain success than innovation - - before investment opportunities are taken elsewhere. There is no implicit threat, as I have stated I am here to stay, which is perhaps more of a burden to a certain mindset, but it is reality. Tear down the wall between the Tri-County community and the rest of the world and embrace competition.

This is the calling of today's leaders, before the next generation's leaders have even begun, there is mounting evidence of mis-management of investment funds. I am no suicide bomber looking to sabotage my end-goals. I am a concerned business person, looking to make money for this community, and will stop at absolutely nothing to make that happen, within the laws of commerce. Someone please explain to me how investment is best allocated within 4 walls, and not outside in to the general world of web commerce. It is time for answers, not excuses, and it is time for bold statements to take hold and change the trajectory that we all share. Nothing is more critical than this issue.

over-investment in health care?

2007-07-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

I am a strong supporter of the business community in GRR, even as I struggle to define what are the current priorities that will create a new generation of leaders and businesses. But there is one visibly clear sign of where this community is devoting many resources, and that is in health care. From Pill Hill or the Medical Mile (thanks RDV) to Saint Mary's and Metro's new facilities, there is a tremendous amount of money going in to the 'business' of providing health care services. I would like to submit in this essay that though business is not a zero-sum affair, where there are corresponding winners and losers, there is a preponderance of focus on health care, that will naturally come at the expense of other activities or areas of focus. This is not just education, even though the new medical school comes in, there will be less resources devoted to colleges not affiliated with medical progress. But the real casualty of the focus on health care is the start-up of other businesses.

I challenge the leaders of the medical community to explain the trickle-down effects of investment in health care. Everyone is hyped up about the impending health care needs of the baby boomer generation, but outside of the still-to-come medical start-ups, where is there a supposed ancillary market that will generate new revenues. One argument seems to be that individuals will travel from outside of the GRR area to receive medical services. This seems somewhat plausible, but to base a region's future on medical tourists is a risky endeavor, and I may not be the first to see it this way, but I have yet to read anyone calling in to question the conventional wisdom that the health care systems of GRR will generate tax revenues and jobs at a pace to keep this region economically viable.

Not only are these systems not-for-profit, but they are also specialized and have little influence on how other types of businesses are built. What I am saying is that after millions, hundreds of millions, or even billions spent on Spectrum, VAI, and the West MI Science and Technology Initiative, where are the start-ups? After the 21st century jobs fund spends its ~$2B, where will the new businesses be - - they appear not to be coming to GRR. I am concerned that the decisions made to devote resources to health care are being generated by current business owners that are concerned about their own health, the health of their employees, and secondarily, the health of the greater region. But I use 'health' specifically, as it does not appear to extend to economic health. We are told to wait and see as Centers open and jobs fill-in, but let me be the first to declare that this is woefully insufficient to bring stability to the economy as a whole.

Relying on the skills and ingenuity of entrepreneurs is also not fool-proof. When Steelcase was started, there was a furniture industry; when Amway was started there was a post-War nostalgia that fed growth; and when Meijer was built there was a natural market of consumers. Today, there is a new market, but it is called the Internet, and apparently we will not invest in this path; spout.com does not count, unless, as I have stated, the DeVos Foundation is going to invest in non-family businesses. Where are the new businesses going to come from? When will GRR invest in something other than health care? Where will all the graduates go? All of these questions need answers, and it will not suffice to simply state that we should wait and see until all the health care buildings are up and operating - - I can say definitively that this will not be sufficient, however good the intentions of the people in the medical community.

What is needed is additional leadership from the Chamber of Commerce, from other business leaders, and from the graduates who are not educated in the medical field. This is not in place, as yet. I am calling on those that feel the region needs more than health care to rally together, but more importantly, I am calling on those that can make decisions that impact future start-up growth to invest in something outside of health care. This region deserves and will only thrive with something other than a one-horse market. Perhaps this will have to come from unexpected sources, but those who can do something about it, need to take the necessary steps to build additional industries through investment. This is a priority greater than the naming of the new medical school, or any other investment that comes through the medical community.

starting a GRR business

2007-06-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

Much discussion centers around what type of business to start, and how to achieve success, but little is given in terms of a guide of how to make a business start-up go. I will attempt to do that wih this post. There are some basic rules that is a suggested framework for how to initiate a new business, including funding, personnel, technology, and partners. I will throw these in the mix with some reservation, as I found that going on your own means different things to different companies. For what I have been working on with astro solutions there has been some analysis of all four of these componets to a business plan, but what I have found to be the most important element of a start-up is defining the market - - how will a business earn its keep, and make a difference in the target market?

For young businesses, there is a tendency to over-indulge in the process of conquering markets, and taking wide swaths of market share from established businesses. This is common and understandable, for the typical entrepreneur is engaged in the process of justifying the risk of a start-up with the possible rewards of success. The risk is often quite daunting, from leaving a steady employment, or putting a reputation on the line for delivering a product or service that a start-up is responsible for, and executing on a plan. Therefore, the rewards need to be high. I would submit that the audience, to which I direct this blog post, the younger generation, bent on changing the world or at least the GRR area, is capable of growing within a smaller mold, and learning along the way. Remember: even Google had to take on professional management to sustain its growth curve, and unless you are willing to turn over your start-up to more "seasoned" managers, you should start smaller than you think and just build and grow.

But I would remiss in saying that a shoot-the-moon strategy is not sometimes in order. For example, I would think that some of the initiatives attributed to younger entrepreneurs have been remiss in exploring ancilliary concepts that would support and enhance the core business. I visit coffee shops, clubs, and other centers of traffic for the metro-individual, particularly those living within the city. In no place have I found an Internet cafe, a recording studio, or other types of services that would bring about change in an area of the city that mainly needs further investment and energy to bring about growth in all areas of economic development. Housing prices go up not down with youthful investment, and surrounding businesses have more people to serve and invest in. Those entrepreneurs with the skills and guts to do it, just need to go for it.

Areas that need investment are numerous, from technology to professional services to entertainment, though the latter is well represented in clubs and pubs, there is a dearth of innovative approaches to bringing the message of the streets to the general public, as demonstrated successfully through hip-hop. Where a young entrepreneur should invest is a matter of passion and execution - - where can you be most successful in a given set of parameters, and how will you achieve the goals that you have set for yourself in a given timeframe. The proprietors at a local coffee shop that I occassionally frequent - - Morningstar 76 in eastown - - have successfully carved out a niche for their business that focuses on a younger clientele, but the question remains how can they make a bigger dent in the widespread market for caffeine throughout the day. Similiar attempts at reaching a progressive audience are needed throughout the GRR area, and only those with their hands on the pulse of the underground will successfully gain the rewards or spoils of innovation and entrepreneurship.

In the final analysis, there is much work that needs to be done, and many opportunities to engage in, for there is a vibrant economic community in our future. Starting a business is one of the most critical decisions a young entrepreneurial-minded individual can make, and therefore all of the support that is needed will have to come from home-made sources. You can not count on the Chamber of Commerce or banks, or other traditional means available to start-ups, this is the time to start a new economy of underground businesses and initiatives, and it will take a coordinated effort to achieve the advantages that will put young businesses in competition with older, established businesses. I think it can be done, and it will be a wonderful prophecy come true for those that have educated themselves with the plans to change the world. It can be done, but only through a methodical approach that keeps the true intentions of over-throwing the established guard in check.

You can do it, and I will be there to assist...

re-stocking the talent

2007-06-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

Every so often there is a need to explain what it takes to be a successful business; typically this comes from an experienced business leader who has taken their own business from a point of initial start-up to a period of extended growth. This advice is valuable to the business entrepreneurs and executives that follow in the path of this success, and in GRR there are plenty of examples of this hand-down of business leadership in the form of articulated recommendations, such as books and interviews from DeVos and Van Andel, Wege and Pew, Meijer, DuPree, and other smaller-scale examples. All of these are invaluable contributions to the traditions, character, and overall sense of this region's business community and the greater community that extends to non-profits, educational institutions, and entertainment.

For those reading this blog, and trying to understand the GRR region, it is important to check in on the words of the leaders that have come before, and who continue to have a lasting impact on the region's standing throughout the state and extending to the Midwestern area of the U.S. Some may even argue that through products, services, business practices, and public policy, the influence of these business leaders extends nation-wide, and surely there are examples of worldwide penetration of some businesses, if not the leaders of these respective businesses. I have come to appreciate the heritage that defines pieces of my life since moving to the GRR region in 1977 - - 30 years ago next month.

However, there is more to this argument than nostalgia - - it is three decades worth of growth toward a position where I can reflect and predict at the same time. It is important for the business leaders of GRR to be well-versed in what has been successful, and also be congnizant of what trends will work toward future success. Amway in changing its name to Alticor, at least in name, achieved a re-emergence of a business concept that has recorded incredible international growth at a time when the U.S. market has completely stagnated for its products. Steelcase will face a similiar challenge in coming years, and it will help determine whether they plan to be a $3B or $5B annual company. How to get to the opportunities represents the challenge for large, established businesses, as well as the start-ups of this area.

It is my estimation, based on factors as diverse as the opportunities, that there is a current deficit of understanding of how to get to the place that represents true organic growth, and sustained success. This is not a business book in the form of a blog post, but rather a piece that represents what I have learned about this area, and what I continue to learn on a daily basis of what it will take to achieve success and growth. It may come as no surprise that the general direction of GRR businesses must adapt to the rapidly executing force of change present in consumers' lives, and the requirements that businesses dictate, depending on the customer base of a given GRR operation. But how to accomplish the necessary transition from pre-integrated web experience, to post integrated web experience will take many challenges to be won and the end result is almost certainly to be in different forms from one business to the next.

With all that said, the one constant will be the facilitation of a new generation of business employees or workers in to leaders that can take advantage of the era in which they arrived in the business world, one that is increasingly defined by the Internet. This may sound trite and/or repetitive to those reading this blog, or reading anything in the business news today, and so I will not dwell on this most obvious of trends. But to those that run consumer-facing businesses, and do not know what social networking sites do, or those that run enterprise-facing businesses, and do not know what Service-Oriented Architectures are all about, I submit a challenge to you to begin looking in to these topics, for they will define the very essence of your business over the coming decade.

In future posts, I may contribute my own understanding of why these topics are relevant, but the surest way to make sure that your business stays relevant is to enlist some of the people that know and utilize these very services and concepts in their every day language and affairs. For this is how business will be conducted irrespective of time and place, it is an evolution that will take some years to fulfill, but it is well under way for some of the earliest adopters. And herein is the challenge that will define GRR for some years: how to get the individuals that will be coming in to the workforce to replace the baby boomers and beyond to be world-class and able to articulate what it means to be a successful business in the 21st century. Soon even that concept will be dead, as it will be 2010 and everyone will be looking ahead not behind. Soon all of the trends will become real issues. Soon those students that some dismiss as not business-ready for prime-time will be the holders of vast amounts of business know-how.

Soon a new generation of leaders will be introduced, and as much as the current standings of some businesses feel comfortable, there is bound to be some disruption in the transition from turn-of-the-century to current-decade thinking. Make sure you have the business strategy in place to make this transition, and make sure to re-stock the talent it will take to make this transition successful.

GRR software company

2007-05-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

There has been a great deal of analysis by the MI Economic Development Corporation (an off-shoot of the Governor's office) as to what constitutes a viable start-up or new business. From the pre-set rules of the game comes the four areas of concentration that will supposedly define the Michigan economy going forward:

- Automotive advancement
- Homeland security
- Alternative energy
- Biosciences

If you're paying attention, you will notice that there is no place to put information technology in this group, whether or not you believe that software can contribute to the market segments of automotive and homeland, or even biosciences. Apparently, we as citizens of MI are only interested in the sub-segments or niches of the market where software could play a role as enabler not as differentiator or its own market segment. This is a shame and a catastrophic oversight that must be rectified.

Many people have run from cover from the Clinton-era, Gore-inspired, Silicon Valley-induced, VC-backed boom days of the late 1990's when 'software' companies were beginning, failing, going public, and making billions of dollars. I put software in quotes because these businesses were not actually software companies, but rather dot-coms. Pets.com, Webvan.com, and amazon.com captivated the investment community, complete with retirees betting their pensions on these start-ups. When it inevitably imploded, people looked for someone to blame. Granted some of the blame was rightly assigned to the investment analysts, business publications, and other pundits who hyped these companies beyond all recognizable reason.

However, when I was living in Silicon Valley and San Francisco, I would regularly have discussions with my brother that the focus of the investment was wide of the target. These were not software companies, but gimmics, and they failed. Should this be justification for MI not getting involved in the information technology market? No, it should not. On the contrary, it is an enormous opportunity brought on by the revolution of the Internet to start the types of companies that are actually needed. Businesses need web-based supply chains, consumers need price-sensitive products that can be best allocated in the open, competitive market that is brought on by the web. Only software companies will enable this future, and it should be in GRR that this happens as it will happen in dozens of other areas.

Already, there are signs that the investment capital is coming back to information technology and new models are making it more likely that the new, successful software companies will come from regions other than Silicon Valley, where the costs of starting a business are so high. Here, where there is a low cost of living, and yet with great business resources that can help the fledgling software business, there is great opportunity for the software entrepreneur. The state of MI has missed the mark in their recession-conceived plan to diversify the economy.

Who decided what 4 markets, and only these markets would receive money for the state funded investments? It was most likely, once again, the established companies who generally receive the funds from the 21st Century Jobs Fund, the same companies who do not need this money to survive. Its pure craziness that this is tax-payer money, with no oversight, and little rational for what will actually diversify the MI economy. I would be willing to debate anyone on the merits of the software industry, and why MI could be a competitor for talent, resources, and businesses. I, of course, will not be taken up on this offer, because the reasons for its exclusion are hollow arguments.

I say this in a self-serving way, as I attempt to start a software business, but what else can be said for the other companies that follow, or the time that I need investment capital to continue to grow, and the state of MI has advised its investment partners that software is not a market segment that it is focusing on. I would go so far as to say that the entire Jobs Fund needs to be be either re-worked or discarded because my fear is that it will skew the economy according to non-market principles. This is a grave danger, and one that needs to be considered by the business community.

At some point, there will be software businesses like astro and spout.com that will become the new engines of the GRR economy - - where will the government be, and, more importantly, where will the investment community be in its support of these intitiatives. I am not worried about success of these companies, i am concerned about the companies that follow, and the generations of MI graduates that will look to the Internet for their entrepreneurial ambitions, without assistance from the state, both public and private. It is imperative that software become one of the tenets of the MI economy. In GRR, we might as well begin this push until the reasoning is heard by those who have currently overlooked its viability for the greater state-wide initiative to create jobs, generate business tax revenue, and generally provide a competitive and desirable livelihood for residents...

astro

2007-05-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

What will a start-up business in GRR look-like? Will it be focused or multi-faceted; will it be regional or national; will it look like one of the existing businesses in terms of product or service area focus? All of these questions have answers that will depend on who is running the firm, and most likely there will be businesses that represent all of the above...which is what we are trying to do with Astro Solutions. Going against the trend of secrecy in forming a business, I have chosen to be forthright with many of the details of this business that I am starting. It will be a combination which will be focused on niches while having a multi-faceted revenue stream. It will be like many GRR businesses that do software and marketing, and it will be both regional and national. That is what it takes to survive in the business environment that we are in, and it will take all of those facets to come together in harmony.

In the interests of some of my readers, I have decided to post the initial overview of what this business will look like, and how it will operate. This is what may be understood as the Executive Summary of a business plan, and with all b-plans, some of the details need to be fleshed out, but it is with great expectation that I allow you, the reader to engage in the debate on how this business will flourish. Please leave me any comments that you think would be helpful, or look me up on the Astro Solutions web-page in my profile. Here it is:

Astro Business Plan

The emerging economy has been characterized in many forms, from energy to IT, from off-shoring to micro-investment, and from distributed models that enhance the ability to focus on more than one product/services area. The Astro Solutions approach will be to rely on expertise in two key business areas, complimentary to each other: software sales and strategic marketing. The main objective is to bring about an evolution of change in the Grand Rapids (GRR) region of business, to allow for a growth in businesses that serve the start-up market. These start-ups are youth-oriented, with a need for younger college graduates to have opportunities to participate in the start-up community. This is based on the assumption that GRR is an area that younger graduates want to live in, and that their contributions will be uniquely useful. Start-ups are critically lacking in the GRR market, and will be the engine by which other businesses adapt to changing conditions brought on by global competition and technological advances. The existing businesses will need the additional support from the start-up community to weather the changes brought upon by these two forces. Whether it is a manufacturer or a health care provider, there is increased access to customers outside of the typical segments that have traditionally composed the target markets for businesses in GRR. For more information, see my blog:

http://douglasdooley-astrosolutions.blogspot.com/2006/08/new-business-ventures.html

For example, Steelcase has moved in to the Health Care Furniture market. This move has been aided by the acquisition of specialist companies in this market. In addition to product development, Steelcase is in need of new methodologies for sales and marketing, in terms of positioning its offering in the health care market. The traditional means for office furniture sales are not the same as the health care market, where expertise is needed in product implementation, in order to fulfill the opportunity for advancements in health care environments. For Steelcase to be successful, it will need new support from the GRR area in termsof business services that can adjust to the needs of health care environments. For this to be an option for Steelcase to capitalize upon, there will need to be additional start-ups for services that can support the initiatives that will make them competitive in the market. For more information on these trends, see my blog:

http://douglasdooley-astrosolutions.blogspot.com/2006/09/office-furniture-industry.html

In addition, the same can be said for an organization like Spectrum Health Systems. Spectrum is on the verge and attempting to become a regional, in terms of the mid-west United States region, leader for the provision of health care services. Its main competition is with providers such as the University of Michigan's system, and the Cleveland Clinic, both institutions that have a long-tradition of success that will be difficult to match. However, coupled with the Van Andel Institute and the emerging MSU Medical School based on the same site, Spectrum is going to attempt to be on the same caliber as those health systems. How are they going to pull it off? It will be done through analysis of trends for new services, and implementation of the best practices that characterize a successful organization. This will take external support, in addition to its current high level of execution. The start-up community around the health care providers will be necessary to bring innovation and their own best practices to market, in order to serve the needs of the large health care providers. This support cannot come from government, and it will not be sufficient to come internally, there will need to be additional businesses in this area to support the mission and ongoing execution of the health care providers in this area. See my blog, for more information:

http://douglasdooley-astrosolutions.blogspot.com/2006/08/case-study-spectrum-health-system.html

These are but two of the largest scale examples that will need to be addressed over the course of several years, these are not short-term projects, there will need to be ongoing services provided by the start-up community - - an ongoing arrangement of services that can benefit the GRR business community. How will Astro Solutions participate in this process? As stated, through software sales and strategic marketing services. The software will come from an agreement that Astro has with Independent Software Vendor, Diamelle Technologies:

http://www.diamelle.com/

Diamelle has developed a suite of software products that address the growing requirements for security of web-sites, through user identity sign-on and passwords. With this suite, Diamelle solves the problems that face many organization web-sites with providing personalized information according to pre-set preferences. For example, when an individual signs on to their bank's web-site, they are presented their personalized web presence, and their personalized preferences. This can be extended to any organization's web-site, in order to provide personalized services. As more and more business and interactions move to the Internet, the need for a 'single sign-on' package becomes apparent for any serious web-site. From not-for-profits that can record the services that they have delivered to clients, to health care providers that can provide specialized health-care information, and with enterprises that can allow customers, partners, suppliers, and the general public have their own personalized web portal in to the services that are offered on-line. For more information, see my blog entry:

http://douglasdooley-astrosolutions.blogspot.com/2006/08/web-software.html

The second area for which Astro Solutions will be serving is in strategic marketing services. There is just not enough marketing to go around in the GRR community, there is simply a need to project outward the value proposition of the companies that are in business in GRR. Through marketing services offered by Astro, there will be a focus on how to grow this community's profile throughout the region, the nation, the world, and demonstrate the effectiveness of the businesses that have started in GRR. Marketing is a tricky concept, as many businesses have regarded it as overhead, to their own detriment, as marketing provides the platform to describe what their particular product or service offers. Marketing means everything, it is the only direct investment that supports product development, and it is a vital and primary process for describing the value proposition - - the very raison d'etre. See my blog entry, for more information:

http://douglasdooley-astrosolutions.blogspot.com/2006/08/marketing-in-grr.html

AQ

2007-05-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

As my friends know, I am deeply involved with the affairs of Aquinas College, that has been a feature of my family for 30 years, perhaps not as long as some alumni, but certainly a major focus of discussion over the years, and being a graduate of this higher education institution has allowed me to continue to stay engaged in its affairs. I serve on the Board of the Alumni Association, along with 20 other committed alums. Combined with paid-staff, we serve as the representatives to provide direction that reflects the interests of the alumni. This is a challenge to do with 17,000+ alums, located throughout the country, but with a heavy concentration of over 50% based in GRR. It is an honor that I value and take seriously.

The responsibilities do not parallel what the Board of Trustees and Executive Administration have, but they are significant. They represent the future of the College, as it will be the alumni that will lead the institution forward. This is what this post about - - the requirements that come with being a graduate of a higher education institution, and how to live up to the expectations that come with being a college graduate. Sometimes we hear in the press that a college education is the ante, the starting point, the initial conversation to "have a seat at the table." All this is good to remember for those lucky and/or privileged enough to gain a college degree, but it is equally important to remember all of those who have not. I will tear the whole house down if anyone ever suggests to me that the reason why some people do not gain a college education is their own doing. I know from being a teenager, and now as an adult, that every last individual wants a college education, so don't tell me its a matter of will, it is a matter of means.

When it comes to going to a private institution that reality becomes more acute, as it costs a salary's worth of money to attend year-by-year. There are few who can absorb those costs on their own, and fewer who can do so without loans. Don't tell me its will, its about money. We are told that the payoff is greater, and it is. College graduates almost uniformly earn more money than non-college graduates. There is no way to get past the fact that going to college is the single most important activity in a budding adult's life. What this post is all about is a call-to-arms, not of the physical kind, though sometimes that is essential and is performed on a regular basis as alumni come back to campus and stay 'involved.' It is a call-to-arms for recognition of what a higher education institution means to the vitality of a region, GRR in particular, and what role graduates have in this community.

I know that I will not rest until access to higher education is universally available. We talk about universal access to health care as a human right, and without solving that issue, I will state that with all we have learned about humanity and economics, the right to attend college is basic. It is an unspoken mantra of Aquinas to bring this message to the thousands in this country and the millions worldwide who have yet to be given the opportunity to get their degree. Which brings me back to what it means to be an alumni of a higher education institution. What it means is lifelong commitment, that rivals what you give to your siblings, your parents, your children. For those children that you prepare for higher education will not be as fulfilled or as prosperous unless we solve the riddle that keeps some out of college. This is one of the raison d'etre's of being a graduate, and like a great revolution of thought, which often occurs on campuses, it must be a problem solved by every last alum.

As you begin the summer, and as I reflect upon another great event, more commonly known as Commencement, which I attended this past weekend, remind yourself, as I know ever stronger, why you are where you are at. It is because the hundreds of people throughout your life and throughout your education that allowed you to stand defending your right to higher education. There is no cause that has as great an influence on the direction of this planet, than what an educated mind can bring. Think about what you can do to further the cause, and begin a new era of welcoming rather than shutting out all constituencies to the promise of higher education. If there is a duty you have beyond keeping yourself and your family healthy, it is the commitment to your place of graduation; it is that simple. I remind myself of that on a nearly daily basis, consider doing it for yourself.

Investments in GRR

2007-05-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

The general consensus is that we are in a difficult economic environment, but when challenged to assess what this means, the general GRR businessperson will only invariably comment on the challenges faced by companies that have gone out of business or have had to drastically scale down operations. This, of course, is alarming and is a cause for some support for those that have been 'displaced', but it does not reflect anything differently than what has always been the natural flow of business. Better models are created and business adapts.

In the current condition of this evolution, the manufacturing base of West MI has taken a particularly hard hit, after enjoying several years of expansive growth. This is most acute in the automotive and office furniture markets, as has been well documented. Business people from GRR will say that China has come ashore and there is no way to compete with low-cost providers. That the substantial advantage employed by Chinese companies to develop products by using low-cost labor, and cheaper communications technology, has overwhelmed the GRR community, as it is basically ground zero for the competition over manufacturing in the U.S.

I would like to be the first to describe this condition as being nonsense. We are running scared - - scared to compete, and it is time in the words of hip-hop to "Rise and Shine." GRR can no longer hope for a gift, a break, a tariff that will render this condition more palatable, and make the Chinese or any other competitive constituency less effective. The realities are clear and the current state of business will be, if anything, exaggerated in coming years. There is no place to run, no place to hide, and if you believe that the "worst" has come, you are surely not in a good position to lead a company trying to deal with these trends.

The question remains what to do about competiting with the Chinese or South Carolina or India or Mexico or anywhere that seems to have some evil handle on how to disturb the utopia of business in this community. I, for one, see this as a grand opportunity, and I believe there are many more like me in this community, who want to see some form of initiative to move away from the myopic viewpoint that clinging to what we have is the only defensible posture. Well, that is what it is, a defensive posture, and we know from sports, from business, from international relations, that defense does not make a good offensive strategy. Rather, an effective offensive strategy must be employed in order prevent this community from sinking in to pure defensive mode.

I see the Right Place Program and all of its success over the past 25 years as a defensive outfit. I have previously challenged the GRR Chamber of Commerce to take up the initiative to create a council to address the growing disparity between what is needed by young graduates (and those that don't even get the opportunity to graduate) and what is currently being served. Nothing has been mentioned to me, though I addressed this issue in a very public newsletter: Leadership Grand Rapids' monthly publication. Nothing. As I have said in previous posts, now is not the time to be an ostrich, and stick our heads in the ground of current, mitigated successes. Now is the time to invest.

Investments take many forms. There are those that spend their money on philanthropic 'needs', there are those investments that are made from tax-paying dollars, and there are corporate investments. All are skewed and out-of-focus currently. Let's start with philanthropy: I am under impressed. If there comes a day when I have made some wealth for myself, and I am spending money on programs and projects that would be better served by an enterprising young person, I want someone to point it out to me. I will, in all my efforts, resist the call to be a philanthropist. What I will be is an investor, in start-ups. Those small businesses that have proven time and again, over the course of history, to be the chief and primary catalyst for human growth. Not another agency for a certain constituency, but a business to bring needed services, and income to those that sponsor them.

I have literally been shocked in to submission that there is not a single Venture Capitalist in this great region of business. With the billions of dollars floating around in personal wealth, no one can find the apparent time to sit down with experts and create a VC fund. It is bigotry of the highest order. I know of one middle-stage investment company that has made some investment, but to someone like me or the thousands of other would-be entrepreneurs, that is off-limits for there is not a "revenue-model" associated with us...yet. Apparently you need to be part of the family of these great champions of capitalism in our region, in order for them to open up their literally limitless fountains of wealth. I ask, 'what will it take', what will it take for these supposed masters of business to recognize their duty goes far beyond philanthropy and give-aways, and more towards investments in the next generation, those that are not immediate family.

The second area is tax-payer advances made to large-scale institutions, such as research organizations and universities. This is merely a case of the rich getting richer in every sense of the phrase. The 21st century Jobs Fund is a joke of a program that rewards the most involved in the process. I do not mean to disparage the Van Andel Institute, I have great respect for what they are doing, and will invest in them if given the opportunity, but to take tax-payer money and give it to them, the University of Michigan, or any other richly-endowed institution is a crime against those that pay in to the system. There is no democratic oversight, there is no way for that to 'trickle-down' to those that need it, and there is no real job creation. I am tired of this fallacy of the current administration and supported by the opposing party being used to claim Michigan, and, by extension, GRR is on the right track. It is not; invest in start-ups, not richly funded organizations that do not need the money.

Finally, corporate investment is, as was stated earlier, in a running scared mode. There is not a plan at any business that I have researched to develop new markets, that extend beyond their current modes of business. This is a tragic shame, and a mistake made by leaders of these companies that will ultimately put them in defensive posture. Make investments in new programs and outsource to talented individuals who are not currently part of your executive team. This was once done, on some smaller scale, and was retracted as the business community was fooled in to believing that "core competency" was the only thing they existed for. Make strides to develop entrepreneurs within the community, and have the talent pool, and new business opportunities, via acquisition, to allow the GRR businesses to endure the long-haul. I see this at every turn, with every kind of business, as an opportunity for growth not distraction.

In short, investment is incorrectly oriented in GRR. It is time to cast aside the old adage of invest only in carefully crafted plans with recognizable returns. This does not produce results, this produces the status quo. The status quo is what put GRR in the position that it is in today, and it is the same process of implementation that will keep GRR in defensive posture. VC-spending, re-investment in start-ups from state-wide money, and corporate entrepreneurialism is the only way out of the tunnel, that so many feel is unavoidable. It is fatalist thinking and it will not suffice to call this a great business community without a re-orientation of practices. It must start here. Be the leader to begin the change, and see that the returns will be yours, first to grab...

Douglas Dooley February 2007

2007-05-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

living in the '80's

2007-05-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

This blog has been in dormancy for the winter, and now that we have emerged from the dearth of activity to re-ignite the debate on how to further the business community of GRR, I have decided to embark on an issue that a friend of mine and I have discussed at length over the past six months. In a sense, this is a post that encompasses the joint musings of two 30-somethings that want the best for this community; in fact, we need this community to be the best, in order for us to fulfill some dreams.

Let's start off with something: not all of us have the ability to start spout.com. This is, after you take a look at it on your own time, the efforts of some individuals that I respect from a business standpoint, but it is not something that will represent the initiative of other entrepreneurs in this area. Check out my web-site for my entrepreneurial efforts: douglasdooley.googlepages.com - - that is more like what you can expect from other entrpereneurs: we simply do not have multi-thousand dollar (hundreds of thousands?) budgets to build 'portals'.

The efforts of entrepreneurs in GRR are well documented, it is a business community that has national implications, and this extends beyond vitamins and office furniture. It is a community that prides itself on self-made individuals, on family businesses, on philanthropy through accumulated personal wealth. We are not shy to take a shot and make a living off of a business. The Chamber of Commerce sells this proposition, the Right Place markets this to other businesses, and the existing businesses rely on it for continued innovation. The truth is, it is not happening.

The concept of entrepreneurialism is not working in GRR, tough I am not going to be the doomsayer that the glory days are over. That is what existing business wants you to believe, that the best efforts of this community have been developed, the new markets are being served, and that the best talent is being fully utilized. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have done some research over the past six months, and there is enormous untapped opportunities and talent in this region, and only a select number of start-ups are coming to fruition. It is disheartening some hours, it is challenging others, and it is damn-right inspirational most moments. The quest is not over.

My friend and myself spoke of the way to do business. Our experiences come from that bastion of business on a large-scale: California. He lives back in LAX, as I was in SFO, and we know that rather than being the outcast that some party members will have you believe, it is the model. It is hard for me to say these things, as it is largely unknown how to package good ideas elsewhere and re-market them here. But we will characterize the GRR region as living in the 1980's. I have nothing to lose, there needs to be an evolution, more than a revolution, but the kids that we need and serve will respond to that revolution more than a year-over-year growth in policy. We can do better. We must do better. If history is any indication, we will do better.

The conservative nature of business is being replaced by mega-growth curves and investments in talent that goes beyond tactical needs, and in to strategic movements in to the next era of business. That era is characterized by liberal trade policy, low regulations, and heavy investment in human capital: this is the mantra of conservative politics, it has won, it is over, there is no other way to be competitive. So why do conservatives have a hard time adjusting to this new model, even while they developed the initial premise? Because so many in this community do not recognize that we are winning, that over-investment is the only means to the end goal of keeping the college students here. This is my diatribe, a manifesto.

Some symbolic efforts appear in the form of high-end condominiums, a high-end hotel, and a high-end art museum. Am I impressed? Not really. The leaders of our industry companies are doing a measurable and highly regarded job for this community, but not for entrepreneurs. It is time to stop investing in infrastructure, and time to invest in people and ideas, and technology. I envy spout.com, it is a good effort, it will most likely be bought by a mega-portal (does not MySpace need this functionality), but it is not representative of what needs to happen. The kids need to start the businesses, and truth be told, the kids need to run the businesses. This is a radical notion that disagrees with the current mind-set. Some might mistake this as just a simple post. Some might see this as an afront to all the good things in this community. As has been said before, "Consequence is no Coincidence" - - it is time to rise to the challenge and build the future.

Health care will not do it. Manufacturing will not do it. Re-investments in exisitng enterprises from state-wide funds will not do it. Real investment from those that have prospered from the current economic regime is the only solution. I am calling on those that purport to be VCs, those bankers with sway over community-wide business investments, and the existing business leaders to do what it takes to over-invest, not just targeted investment, but real investments in entrepreneurial growth. Remember the motto of the California VC community, 1 in 10 work, and make sure that 1 is a blow-out. I wonder if more than 1 in 10 is possible, right now we are nowehere near the sample size of 10 to find out. It is time to begin.

the Office Furniture industry

2006-09-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

My background includes Aquinas College and Steelcase, Inc. - - two opportunities that I value very highly. Both represent staples of the GRR community, and both are connected in ways not obvious to the casual observer. But ever so slighltly, my attention is beginning to turn away from my previous employer in the plan that it will help my former educational institution. I was given the chance to work at Steelcase in 2005, and signed on for a year-long contract that went in to 2006. My position was Corporate Marketing Specialist, or associate of the Group Marketing Manager for external marketing programs. As with many product companies, the product marketing is hosted within the product management function, and 'marketing' is a term to describe the broad range of duties that encompass everything except the go-to-market of the product.

I enjoyed this position and worked closely with the exhisting product management teams, the R&D teams, and even sometimes the design team. I most closely worked with the sales team to position Steelcase and the market initiatives that it was entering for the Biosciences, Financial Services, Information Technology, and Professional Services markets. But as with most things, there had to come an end. And I left Steelcase at the completion of the contract. In my time away from SCS, I have come to recognize two broad trends impacting the office furniture industry. One is the relentless pursuit of operation excellence as manifested in the entrance of HON, primarily through its AllSteel brand. The second is the efforts to drive product value through the experience of the user, which is a mainstay of Herman Miller's approach. As I discussed with a friend not in the industry, but familiar with others who are, and being an educated observer himself, it leaves a big vacancy for Steelcase's and Haworth's role. When I was at Steelcase, I would sometimes argue that the current initiatives of the office furniture industry leave Haworth without a raison d'etre.

The question one could ask is what will Steelcase do? I am not sure, but it would seem that trying to be both an operational leader and a user experience expert is a recipe for mediocrity on both fronts, especially with two exceptionally strong competitors. HON is the better bet for head-head competition, as they are new and have had their mis-steps in recent years, following a brash proclomation that they would be the industry's revenue leader, which has not happened. But for Steelcase to compete with HON is basically a race to the bottom of prices, and ultimately wipes out profit margins. For Steelcase to compete with Herman Miller, there would have to be a review of how products are brought to market. I personally think the "Think" chair is a great success of Steelcase answering a formidable challenge from HMI's Aeron. Without Think, the middle-tier chair market would have been lost for good, and although Herman Miller has answered with Mirra and Cella, Steelcase caught some breathing room for a few years. Don't count on Herman Milller to sit still in the competitive front for chairs.

Herman Miller is tremendously well positioned as evidenced from their quarterly financials, particularly their ability to generate profits and cash. Steelcase is enjoying some top-line growth in their business, particularly in N. America, but is not getting enough margin out of their revenue, or as Professor John Hogan of AQ MM program would say, they are making too much money to not take home more. Steelcase is a historical company having introduced the concept of mass manufacturing to the office furniture industry, but it is real danger of losing its position of leadership on many fronts, with the revenue probably the most prominent of the factors. Herman Miller, on the other hand, is looking to double its business by 2010, and is well on track to achieve this goal. No lofty goals eminate from SCS, and execution seems to be status quo. The office furniture industry is a dynamic market even in the midst of long-standing selling relationships, particularly through dealers and customers, with the manufacturers on the back-end. It is not unthinkable to envision a marketplace where Steelcase is struggling to fulfill its supply chain objectives due to under-funding from the slim margin of error that is afforded them from their financial results. I am the last to advocate for further employment reductions, I just think that Steelcase needs to find a niche, and do it the best, and do it fast.

Otherwise, the market may pass this mainstay of GRR business by, and leave some of the rewards in the hands of its two biggest competitors - - HON and Herman Miller. I would like to see Steelcase reduce the threat of HON, while seeing Herman Miller grow in its own right, but it ultimately may not be that straight-forward. HMI is positioned to create new markets, build new relationships, and transform its business while growing it. Is Steelcase capable of doing the same?

GRR, MI

2006-09-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

I wrote about the stagnant growth in the West Michigan market, and today I would like to talk about how to create the remedy for this status situation. There is plenty of solutions being bantered about, as to what to make this area vibrant and competitive. Recently, the Governor's office announced the 'winners' of the Jobs Fund program through the MEDC. I was underwhlemed. Not only was the GRR area given only 2 of the 50 grants (both related to VAI), but the areas of concentration are completely void of areas where Middle America is going to compete in the long-term.

Read the Press Release

Why Homeland Security and Automotive Technology when it is clear that both are well-funded and under-performing to begin with, and why not software and IT? Are we to give up on the engine of U.S. commerce, and the burgeoning Internet scale?

I just don't get it, to the extent that I might not register my vote with the incumbent this year. But politics is not what I need to write about, rather it is about how business is going to get started around these parts. When we have a model to use, then we can utilize across the state, but first Grand Rapids is going to have to lead. I find that the close-knit business community is not necessarily played out in real terms, but it is worth starting there.

When I was in college, I had the opportunity to attend Leadership Grand Rapids, and the year-long LGR program brought a great deal of insight and contacts to me, as I was preparing to go out in to the world of graduate school and then the business world. I still value that experience and continue to try and stay involved in the LGR agenda of making the community more informed, and better equipped to be led by many types of leaders. This is a good example of the business community having a shared experience.

Another way would be through a technology initiative that would inter-connect the business affairs of each company within the GRR area. This is heresy by some web-site teams at larger companies, as they would not want to "support" the extra-linkages to the community. That is unfortunate, but may be mitigated with ROI analysis. The Chamber of Commerce and Right Place Program could surely extol the benefits of an inter-connected business community. Right now there are no links on the Chamber's web-site to describe its business members for whom we might like to call-on to initiate an inter-connected community.

I would also like to advocate for GRR businesses to step outside of the normal affairs of business and look for new customers, new opportunities, and new ways of doing what they have been doing, by getting involved in their own marketing. I met with someone who had started her own marketing firm and was doing fine by holding multiple clients, and using the expertise that she learned from each to enhance the marketing resources of the others. I would like to do the same for the West MI businesses that are in need of some marketing attention. Let's sit down and talk.

GRR sleeps

2006-09-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

Still shell-shocked from the losses that continue to mount, and hoping for a victory in November with some much-promised public-sector assistance, the GRR business community is looking for a raison d'etre. I don't know how else to say it, other than to say what I am learning in my tour around the community, there just is not much business being conducted. Outside of the not-for-profit sector, and in some key areas such as health care, there appears to be very little project-based work. It is all status quo.

This is discouraging, but not an obstacle that can keep me down. I am going to continue to push the cause of marketing services for this area. But it is becoming more apparent to me how much of a void there is between what is being done, and truly effective marketing. This is a rather obvious point to be made considering the perspective that I have. But if someone does not challenge conventional wisdom around here, maybe it will go unnoticed.

My favorite executive quote came at an internal meeting in the fall of 2002 when I was working at Sun Microsystems. It was from the effusive CEO, Scott McNealy, and he said, "This (Sun) will be a product marketing led company." It was a simple statement, but he said it with emphasis both leading in to the comment, as well as the remainder of his speech to the assembled marketing ranks. Again, you may think that this is what the CEO says about all his divisions, but if you know about McNealy, you know he is not one to play all angles. He stakes out a position, and goes with it. And that is what I did. I made sure I took every opportunity to implement his quote, even in the face of soome opposition.

What I am trying to get at it is that Grand Rapids is terribly behind when it comes to market analysis, market positioning, and market adaptation. We can no longer claim to be treated unfairly, that is the way of globalization. I am tired of hearing the complaints about manufacturing going away, and under-competitiveness of U.S. products, this is a Michigan problem, not an American problem. We are being run over by more effective marketing, not better products, or even cheaper prices. It is well documented that customers pay for value, but that includes quality and design. Look at Herman Miller. They are running circles around foreign competitors, and I believe this is due to superior marketing, to match their credentials as a design house.

Grand Rapids is asleep. It is sleeping through the 21st century and waiting for some magical savior. Well, I am here to warn that Mr. DeVos will have very little impact from public policy. This has got to come from the business sector. No tax break will cure the resounding deluge of competitiveness that is being marketed more effectively across this state and throughout the global economy, as market share is taken away from West MI companies. It is time for the GRR business community to rally the forces and begin to fight back, and please, stop the complaining. It is demoralizing, and it is counter-productive to our efforts to bring more business back in to the community.

I have a simple anecdote that I have used since I can remember, and that is to error on the side of Grand Rapids. It is this belief that what I have learned in this business environment can sustain me along my journey toward independence and self-fulfillment. It is the determination that West MI has a world-leading business community that can create change like other established centers of innovation. It comes from a conviction that I have come out of Grand Rapids and have succeeded, and will in the future, find a way to succeed. Now, if only the business community would believe in itself and take the necessary step forward that will bring about warranted change. It will not come from politics, it will come from business, however much you may think they are tied. And the first thing that businesses need to do is present their arguments for sustainability of operations and offerings. Let's work together to demonstrate what a little marketing can do for your business.

New business ventures

2006-08-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

As I embark on a new journey to bring marketing services to the Grand Rapids area, I have been down the path of struggling to go-it-alone. This is no easy task for any entrepreneur, but I have found that it is both more straight-forward and more challenging in the pursuit of a start-up. What I mean by this is that starting a business is an incredible endeavor of perseverance, as there are obstacles that cannot be prepared for, and yet being in this business community, there are assets to tap in to that can assist a fledgling business. These assets include the necessary infrastructure to be engaged in the wider geographical business community, the history of business in this area, and the expertise of so many that are doing it today, and have been doing it for years.

But there is no doubt that a new business in the great state of MI has some concern. We see it across the airwaves from politicians, business people, and citizens alike - - this is a tough economic environment. We are lucky and very fortunate to have such a strong tradition of American business in this area, but it is not getting easier by any stretch of the imagination. Challenges abound from almost all directions. I have written about the technology landscape being an opportunity but I know that it is challenging; the internationalization of the marketplace means more options for success and for competition; and more regions around the country and the world are becoming like MI in its focus on business as a catalyst to overall health of a region. In short, the businesses of West MI are forced to adapt, while the start-up is challenged to survive. I see that every day when I talk with business leaders. Do I think that we will rise to the challenge? Yes, I do. Do I think that it will be a smooth transition? It is already clear that it will not be.

So what can businesses in this area do to thrive - - I see some issues and choices to be considered. First, what type of business community is needed to enable new business creation? While the Chamber of Commerce and the Right Place move along with their efforts, and as secondary initiatives, such as the Great Lakes Entrepreneurial Quest, look to help start-ups, there is a nagging sense in my mind that something is not working optimally. There are not enough areas of focus for the entrepreneurial-minded individual to focus in on, and make a business out of it. The real void for me is in the area of software. Companies like Spout are beginning to take form in GRR, but there is not enough to sustain growth in the young professional ranks, the constituency that is vital to the re-emergence of this area. What can be done by leading officials to look in to this issue?

A secondary choice needs to be made around incentives and preferences to the business community, concerning who are we trying to help and attract. I just don't see the representation of new businesses being high on the radar of officials with the visibility to make the decisions. This needs to change in order for college graduates and returning natives of this area to get jobs at family-supporting levels. Not everyone can work for the big 4 (Spectrum, Steelcase, Meijer, and Alticor). I would like to take this opportunity to challenge the officials at the Chamber of Commerce and its related partners to bring about a special committee on new business ventures, similar to what was initiated by the Hillman Commission in the wake of the Butterworth-Blodgett merger. We are at apex of inaction on the creation of new businesses and it is time to give this issue the due course that is needed in order to re-arrange priorities in order to institute policies that create new business growth.

Finally, I would say that the primary issue facing the business community of West MI is not money but the need to organize and provide outlets for new businesses to connect with one another. This is a networking challenge, and can be a daunting one for the new enterprise that does not have extensive contacts throughout the area. I have been fortunate to be introduced to many key individuals that have provided input on my own business - - Astro Solutions - - but there are many things that I need still, in these early stages of development. By making the existing infrastructure cater to the requirements of the start-up business community, the larger businesses will also be well served. There is nothing like innovation to bring new business in to this community, and it is somewhat lacking in GRR. I am do doom-sayer, I believe we are well positioned. But it is going to take some ingenuity to bring about the necessary reforms that are needed to make this a viable region for new business. Now is the time to go after what we have all thought possible, and that is the creation of anew generation of enterpises and leaders that can take Grand Rapids forward.

Case study: Spectrum Health System

2006-08-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Every day that I meet within the buiness community of GRR, I am reminded how important it is to maintain a solid reputation so that when contacts make things happen, you have the ability to speak with credibility. I have been down the road within this community where sides have been chosen and there is no turning back from an opinion that pigeon-holes an individual in to a position that cannot be easily retracted. With some regard given to the many other issues that have arisen in the past decade, there is still no comparison with what transpired in the months, perhaps years, of the Merger Debate.

I call it that, as I was the author of a senior thesis while in college, called the Merger Guide: A guide to the Butterworth-Blodgett merger. It was a seminal point in this community of West Michigan, and continues to be the subject of debate and manouveurs since that date in 1996 when the federal judge (whose name escapes me, though I'll look it up in the paper I still have) called off the FTC's contest of the merger for anti-trust rational. Instead, Butterworth and Blodgett did merge to form Spectrum Health, and it has been something of a non-issue, even considering my analysis of some fall-out. Rather than splintering the community into Spectrum patients, doctors, and medical groups and other, it has delivered a cornucopia of innovations from both Spectrum, as well as Saint Mary's health Services and Metro Health, the two primary competitors in this market.

However, it is not necessarily complete to look at this issue as one of competition, though I think both Saint Mary's and Metro have done an admirable job of staying pace with the large Spectrum institution. Rather, it is only complete when looked at from the array of health possibilities that befit a community this size and diverse. This includes regional health centers around the mid-west, including Ann Arbor and Minneapolis, and this is Spectrum's ultimate target. In order to fulfill its mission of first-rate services for the GRR community, and a programmtic approach for GRR businesses, it is important that they stay on task for their attempt to rival these larger systems, and find a niche that leads to leadership. Here I would like to propose some suggestions that may help along the way:

1. Stay relevant in the debate at the State level for CON services.
This means that the state of MI has to realize that in order to have many thriving economic centers, there needs to be adequate health care services around the state not just on the East side. This will be a growing debate depending on Spectrum's ambitions to offer high-end services, that will come in to competition with UofM's services. But it is up to the government affairs division within Spectrum to make the case for extended coverage across the state.

2. Engender competition at the managed care level
This is a white-hot topic for employers who have seen health care costs literally spin out of control, actually inpacting how they make business decisions, particularly as it relates to hiring. This is not Priority Health's problem. It is the community's decision to bring about change and enrich the entrepreneurial returns for new initiatives that bring about choice and therefore, lower costs, and increase options for employers. Currently the SMB market is widely underserved in its ability to offer health care coverage to its employees.

3. Over-invest in automation
The craziness of healt care is that the cost is staggering because of paperwork. Now, I am not naive to think that malpractice insurance, device costs, and ongoing maintenance are not the main drivers of health costs. But if there is one area where Spectrum could have a lasting impact on costs, efficiency, and customer satisfaction, it is in the area of information technology investment, which leads to automated implementations of routine tasks. All employers would benefit from the increased advantages that web services bring in lowering cost and enhancing informtion transfer concerning employee health plans.

4. Market like a tier-1 institution
There are thousands of employees and citizens of the GRR area that do not know how to engage with Spectrum on services that are available to them. saint Mary's has done some of this with minority communities, but it could be argued that Spectrum needs to do more. Simultaneous to all of the points above, Spectrum could do more to reach out to new initiatives that lower costs for health services to distinct populations, while bringing in new customers. Working at perceived capacity is not really an excuse for inaction. There will come a day when new services do not need to be added at the rate that is occurring today, and this will be a challenge for Spectrum to stay relevant and competitive with AA. Start today in engaging the wider community for how their needs can be met.

In sum, Spectrum is at a unique crossroads when there is a whirlwind of activity, but with many challenges still outstanding. By making investments now, there will be reduced costs down the road. Ultimately, the main argument in the merger debate was an insistence to stay independent and out of the reach of HCA. Now that Spectrum has maintained its non-profit status, increased technological and community investment is in order. It is time to turn up the dial on fulfilling a widely held goal in this community to make Spectrum the leader, but just one component in the eveolving West MI health care market. now is the time to take some major steps forward.

Web Software

2006-08-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

There is a great disparity between what has been accomplished by the companies of West Michigan and what will become possible with the advent of web-based integration software. From my work at Steelcase, I learned how important an automated and fully functioning supply chain was in delivering business results. There has been some work done by companies at the ERP level, such as OST:

http://www.ostusa.com/

And there is ongoing development work being done by CBS Consulting:

http://www.seekconsulting.com/

But aside from sporadic projects, such as the immense launch of Quixtar:

http://www.quixtar.com/

there has not been a truly web investment in business operations. Most of the developments have been behind the scenes, which is certainly valuable work. But it does not seem that the business community of West Michigan has fully grasped the opportunity that reaching out beyond the traditional customer base and/or supplier base brings. I can see why. There are a hundred options of what direction to go with, and this is only compounded by the ever moving target of standardization. However, this is no reason to not invest. In fact, though Java offers simplified development with the relase of Java Platform Eneterprise Edition 5, there is an argument to be made that in order to reep the incredible returns from increased efficiency, and elevated effectiveness, that web software brings, a company has to learn how to best harness it.

Take a look around at the West Michigan corporate web-sites and you will be underwhelmed by the sophistication of the transactional capabilities on these sites. I will take as an example the steelcase.com web-site which is something that I find to be under-invested. As Quixtar has shown, a customer can buy on-line and the sale can be attributed to distributors, just as Steelcase could do with their dealers. I would like to see some strategic evaluation of what direction the web-site could take for more purchasing and fulfillment to take place that would simplify the buying process, enhance marketing outlets, and reduce costs. This is the nature of web software, for there is a measurable ROI along the way that justifies the initial cost upfront for software and services costs. I believe this is a leadership question, and a middle management directive, for there needs to be a cause for moving in the direction of Internet-enabled functionality.

There are literally hundreds of web opportunities in GRR, and it takes some initiative to find that businesses in this area are in need of investment. Where would that go? Start with the underlying operating system of the Internet: the web services, application server, and integration capabilities brought by both the Java and Microsoft .Net camps. This allows a web-site to be scalable and transactional in the operations of the site, while presenting user-friendly interfaces for customers to work with, and buy from. There are ancillary investment in user identity, portals, and auctions. Take for example, Grand Rapids Spring and Stamping, a very successful automotive manufacturer. Their web-site could easily support more transactional capabilities, though it does allow for suppliers to interact with the company, due to the worldwide exposure that the company enjoys. But auctions are the next step for the automotive industry, as well as many other manufacturers.

In conclusion, it is imperative that the West Michigan business community begin the process of investing in processes and technologies that further commercial aims of reaching more customers, bringing about new efficiencies with current arrangements, and making companies more competitive. If there is assistance needed, there is an entire underground of services firms that can help establish a plan, and furthermore, execute on that plan. I have listed a few examples, but there are many more around the area. The bottom-line is that investment is the only way to grow a business, wringing out inefficiencies is completed, and now is the time to take some vital steps forward. As we reach for a new type of business community where co-opetition breeds advancement, the technology question is front and center. Now is not the time to be an ostrich...

Marketing in GRR

2006-08-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

I refer to Grand Rapids by its airport code, and its greater geographic influence on the area surrounding the city. This is important for much has been said about the cohesiveness between the city of Grand Rapids and the surrounding regions of Western Michigan. But it does come down to a central theme of business. Western Michigan is about business. Its why I like being here. I also like Gary, Indiana because it is a representation of American commerce, like so many other outposts, such as SFO, JFK/LGA, and ORD.

But nothing means business like Grand Rapids does. We have a burgeoning cultural effort here, but it is family and business that keeps people here, and sometimes the two come together, as we have seen in small, medium, and enterprise companies. Today, I had the good fortune of being able to talk with someone at Alticor, the parent company of Amway and Quixtar, arguably the defining force in Grand Rapids business. From this conversation, I received more encouragement to go down the path of following my dream to starting this new business I call Astro Solutions.

The question remains what to offer, what to specialize in, and how to execute in a market that has changed and is rapidly changing from the impact of globalization forces. I would like to use this entry to make an argument that many types of West Michigan businesses would benefit from additional and advanced marketing activities. This is a transitional time in the era of American business, and there really is no region of the country being more profoundly altered than the West Michigan region. Much of this is from Chinese manufacturing ascension. While other forces are certainly at work.

I have been in conversations with IT companies that are solving complex problems and services firms that are pushing the envelope of creativity. But the common wisdom around Grand Rapids is that we are still beholden to a select few companies, and that we are waiting for the next big one to strike. That is a painful wait, to hope for a new Steelcase, or Meijer, or Amway. While all along, there are hundreds of companies doing impressive business with all sorts of regions around Michigan, around the Midwest, around the U.S., around the World. The one thing I see is a lack of promotion in positioning what these firms are doing. This does not mean just mom-and-pop shops, these are strong businesses that could expand their expertise, expand their customer base, and expand their influence, all with some marketing.

This is, of course, somewhat self-serving as I make the case for my own services. But I would think I could get a great deal of agreement that what needs to be sold is the reputation and services of firms from the GRR area, and embed marketing in everything they are doing. Spout.com is a new success story, but do we honestly see it positioned appropriately in the fledgling Web 2.0 space? Quixtar is doing a heck of a lot of business, but does anyone know that you can buy from the site with or without an IBO as a conduit? Steelcase if reforming the way we look at people working, but do we know how that leverages existing assets, and ultimately sends the message that new office environments can facilitate productivity?

I am putting my name on the shingle because I see real opportunity, real need, and a true responsibility to turn this region in to a thriving metropolis. That may startle some who like West Michigan centered and manageable, but I am here to say that will not do. My efforts are centered around making this an area attactive to college grads, software companies, biotech firms, and cultural innovators. All while building the existing infrastructure that is Grand Rapids business. If you feel the same way, maybe we should talk. If you don't yet, maybe you should continue to read what I will propose, and ask others what do you want out of your job, out of your business, and out of your life. It is a simple set of questions, but taken together form the basis of a new West Michigan.

Experience: Sun Application Server

2006-08-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

My link to the Views on the Industry contains many posts about my experience as the product marketing manager on the iPlanet/Sun ONE Application Server, while I was an employee of Sun Microsystems. The following post will describe some of my work in this capacity. First, let me explain Java.

Java is both a development language as well as a middleware platform, where the development language enables the platform to provide inter-operability between competing products. While at Sun, I helped launch the first Enterprise Java (J2EE 1.2) compliant product, the iPlanet Application Server. This milestone was later complimented by nearly 30 additional software products that achieved J2EE compliance. The main aim of Java is to allow for 'portable' applications, and the main aim of J2EE is to allow for platforms which run Java applications that can be "wrote-once and run-on any platform." We achieved this in May of 2000:

http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2000-05/sunflash.20000515.i1.xml

Because portability was such a valuable business proposition, and the main selling point of Java, I worked with independent software vendors to help facilitate the development of a pre-built applications marketplace, where Java software components would be made available to use on all J2EE compliant platforms. One of our star ISVs was Diamelle Technologies:

http://www.diamelle.com/news/iPlanet.htm

From there, we launched iPlanet Application Server 6.5 which added all Sun technology to a previously combined Sun-AOL product, and allowed Sun to go to market with its own application server product. But preparations were already under way for the next generation of Sun's Java middleware technology, in the form of J2EE 1.3. As now a fully owned organization within Sun Microsystems, we launched the Sun ONE Application Server 7 on October 28, 2002:

http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2002-10/sunflash.20021028.1.xml

Along the way, we re-shaped the middleware software market by making the entry-level product, in the application server product-line, free for development and deployment. From a mere 5,000 downloads the previous year, we exploded with 75,000 downloads in 9 months. This would begin the repair of the Sun image as more than just a hardware provider.

I left Sun Microsystems in 2003 with the entire Sun ONE Application Server 7 product-line launched and available for customer deployment.

Marketing Services offered

2006-08-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

There will be an ongoing analysis of what services are best suited for the business community of Greater Grand Rapids, but it should be known upfront that the focus will be on process-oriented marketing solutions that help bring products to market and/or help facilitate the execution of strategic plans. I have categorized these offerings according to the level of external contact with such marketing programs.

First of all, the most external are web marketing programs that have visibility on the public web-site of a company. These types of programs are suited for an organization that has done extensive internal analysis already about what its customers need to know about the company and the company's service offerings. Many times a web marketing program will be borne out of a strategic analysis, and will be representative of what factors they would like the customer to consider in working with the company. This may include a new product introduction, new web services, or re-positioning of existing content.

The next level of services offered include the strategic plan and web analysis combination. In this offering, the intended goal is to understand what resources are available to the company that are possibly not already available to the customer base. When deemed appropriate, these resources become valuable new services that can be exposed to generate new business, or further develop a relationship with an existing customer. A strategic plan and web analysis excercise will bring to light the best web content that can turn a company's home-page in to a transactional site, from merely an information portal.

Finally, the department level marketing program offers the best opportunity to determine where an organization's offerings lie. This is how we determine what issues will be discussed in the strategic plan, the web analysis, and the web marketing programs further along in the process. Department-level discussions are important starters for any organization as it consolidates the ideas of a select functional level and disseminates this information to other functional levels within the organization. Whether it be product, service, or new process, the marketing programs generated at the departmental level will play large in the development process toward higher goals of going public with marketing initiatives.

In sum, there are three levels of marketing services offered:
- web marketing programs
- strategic plan and web analysis
- department level marketing programs

Please feel free to contact for additional information, see Profile for e-mail information.

Biography

2006-08-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

Astro Solutions is the company moniker for the consulting business operated by Douglas Dooley. Doug is a Grand Rapids resident, and attended high school and college there (Catholic Central and Aquinas). From there he went on to earn a dual degree from the College of William and Mary (Williamsburg, VA) with an M.B.A. and a Master of Public Policy. His first job out of school was with Sun Microsytems in the Bay Area of California.

In the 4+ years as the Product Marketing Manager on Sun's Java-based software application server, he conducted three launches of the product-line, along with managing day-to-day operations for the business-line. In this capacity, Doug interfaced with worldwide press and industry analysts, Sun's global customer base, and the international Java developer community. Doug was also responsible for the go-to-market strategy, which included the worldwide availability of the product-line via Internet download.

Doug's experience with Steelcase as a consultant includes managing the market initiatives for the company's entrance and/or development in the Biosciences, Financial Services, Information Technology, and Professional Services vertical markets. In addition, he managed the strategic planning for the release of an updated steelcase.com web-site, including a new Blog from Steelcase R&D, Video feeds on the Biosciences and Higher Education market initiatives, and updated product and marketing content.

Doug's experience in the high-tech and manufacturing sectors, coupled with his experience in working with a number of vertical markets important to the Grand Rapids area, including health care, biotech, and the professional services sectors, enables him to effectively target the problems, needs, and requirements of different types of companies. The services offered by Doug and his partners cover the gamut of marketing and marketing-related functions.