Ascend Your Start-Up: Week 8, book review

 As there was no 8th chapter in this book I opted to do an overall review. 

In short: I loved this book. My favorite of the three we needed to read for this class. Mostly as I enjoyed the story that was told to parallel the how-to of your start-up business. The relationship with Yu's grandmother being equated to the idea of a business, the journey up the mountain being the start of the business, and the descent discusses the importance of keeping the business growing. 

I will admit I have limited desire to start my own business, as the field I am in needs some major re-booting and I hope to work within the system to inspire change, but Yu makes it easy to understand some of the pitfalls of starting a business and how to avoid those. 

I have even gifted this book to some friends who are entrepreneurs. I hope they are not only able to enjoy the book but to benefit from its experience as well. 

Yu, H., (2021).  Ascend your start-up: Conquer the 5 disconnects to accelerate growth. Made for Success Publishing.

https://www.amazon.com/Ascend-Your-Start-Up-Disconnects-Accelerate/dp/1641466219/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VXKCBSGWX83Z&keywords=ascend+your+start-up&qid=1653066501&sprefix=ascend+your+start-up%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-1

 

Surfing the Tsunami: Chapter 8, Week 8

Ah! The last chapter, where do we go from here? 

Surfing the Tsunami once again provides the reader with many resources and guides on what our next steps might be regarding AI. These include classes to take, free resources, guidance on master's degrees, etc... Kelsey does state that in-person learning would be one of the best options, but understands that online might be the only way for some. 

As a travel nurse, and one who hopes to continue to travel after I finish the MBA portion of my dual degree, online options would be my choice. My only concern would be when. My initial goals for this year are to complete my current degree and then move on to learning Spanish, and enjoying life for a bit. After that, I feel the need to learn more about computing, as it is also changing the landscape of healthcare. 

Until that time, I am reminded to take baby steps so I do not suffer burn-out. Which also ties in nicely with the theme of this weeks chapter. Everyone has their own journey to take, the chapter provides many options and resources for the reader. Until then; be like Bob:

Kelsey, Todd: Surfing the Tsunami: An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Options for Responding

Amazon - Surfing the Tsunami: An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Options for Responding: Kelsey, Todd: 9781976756344: Books

Guerrilla Marketing: Chapter 8, Week 8

Growing up in the 70's/80's, anytime someone mentions how knowledge is important all I see is a rainbow and the words, "the more you know." But that is besides the point. Chapter 8 discusses the most important item any marketer can obtain, and that is information about their customers. 

The chapters main focus is on using surveys to obtain this information, and to be as detailed as possible in the questions. Levinson () makes some suggestions that appear bold (attempting to get information from customers who already use one of you competitors), but this information can prove invaluable for marketing. 

While the internet is also a treasure chest of valuable information, it is important to be sure the information you are receiving is accurate. Along with the internet, using a librarian to help with your internet, or other, research can ensure you are using the best information out there. Now to market... 

Levinson, J.C. (2007). Guerrilla marketing: Easy and inexpensive strategies for making big profits from your small business. Houghton Mifflin Company

https://www.amazon.com/Guerilla-Marketing-Inexpensive-Strategies-Business/dp/0618785914/ref=sr_1_4?crid=131TNV5PGKZZP&keywords=Guerrilla+Marketing%3A+Easy+and+Inexpensive+strategies&qid=1653170897&sprefix=guerrilla+marketing+easy+and+inexpensive+strategies+%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-4

Ascend Your Start-Up: Chapter 7, Week 7

The seventh and final chapter focuses on the next climb/hill/summit. How you will expand, goals to set, and the type of environment you want to promote in your business. In short: my favorite chapter. 

A few of the items I felt were important:

Creating an inclusive environment. Maybe it is my inclusive nature, but I feel the more people you know and accept for who they are, the more you will learn in life. As for business, you will be able to market to other cultures, belief systems, races, etc... Think of Subaru. They did not immediately market to lesbians, but when they placed those subtle context clues in their advertisements, Subaru became a brand where lesbians felt comfortable as someone (some business) let them know they understood their needs. 

Managers who are leaders. Yu only focuses on the word leader, but in many worlds management is still a word that depicts an environment where what one person says is the golden rule, ideas are stolen, and non-management feels insignificant. But a leader is someone who encourages questions, ideas and most importantly, challenge. A leader brings their group up and encourages them on their journey. It is a significant difference between being managed and being led. 

The final big takeaway for me was how is your product connected to humanity. And maybe my liberal heart is shining at the thought of a business wanting to do better for humanity and not just the bottom line. Because it is my firmly held belief that if you do something to better humanity, your bottom line will increase, not only in dollars, but in good will as well. 

And as one positive thinking fish would say:

Yu, H., (2021).  Ascend your start-up: Conquer the 5 disconnects to accelerate growth. Made for Success Publishing.

https://www.amazon.com/Ascend-Your-Start-Up-Disconnects-Accelerate/dp/1641466219/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VXKCBSGWX83Z&keywords=ascend+your+start-up&qid=1653066501&sprefix=ascend+your+start-up%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-1

 

Surfing the Tsunami: Week 7, Chapter 7

 Interview with an AIer

This chapter included some of the main leaders in AI and a couple of interviews with them. There were a couple items that stood out to me from these interviews:

Jim Spohrer, IBM: Jim was a true realist in the terms of working with AI. He understood that every person can have a role to play and his main piece of advice was to find a mentor, or someone to help you find your fit. He explained the importance of having a T-shaped person; someone who can work with the technical but also has relevant communication skills. 

Irving Wladawsky-Berger: This man has optimism with an understanding of growing pains. This interview focused on how AI can and will change the workforce. Irving is optimistic that in the long run the effects of AI on the workforce will not be detrimental, but acknowledges that the short term may see some set-backs before the world adjusts to this new automation. 

Finally: I think of the point Jim Spohrer makes early in the interview that, "with enough data and enough computer power, pattern recognition models can be developed that are as good as individual people (typically 5% error rates) and in some cases super-human performance levels." (2018) I found this information to be mis-leading. My understanding of programming is a case of if/then statements. An AI model will only be as good as the code in place. With that I wonder, mostly skeptically on the recent news of the Google employee who was placed on administrative leave, article below:

https://news.yahoo.com/google-engineer-leave-claims-ai-124338899.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

Kelsey, Todd: Surfing the Tsunami: An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Options for Responding

Amazon - Surfing the Tsunami: An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Options for Responding: Kelsey, Todd: 9781976756344: Books

Guerrilla Marketing: Chapter 7, Week 7

Author Levinson discusses being cost effective in marketing in chapter 7. I would be lying if I said I did not spend a ton of time looking up a different commercial (did theatre a while ago with a guy who used the phrase "mmm chocolaty" in a commercial with another actor who said, "not too hard not too soft," needless to say we made fun of him a lot) that had 3 people, one of whom was the founder of the company. But it also brought to mind the original general auto insurance commercials (see below). Now the company uses Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal) so their marketing budget has definitely increased. 

This chapter offers loads of cheaper ways to advertise, as well as cost-effective measures on tracking how well the different advertising mediums are working. These items are important for entrepreneur's who are just starting out and are consistently watching their pennies. In returning to the commercial below, I remember seeing these early renditions in different office breakrooms in my early working days and thinking they marketed to those who could not afford insurance. In their current commercials they even elude to this long held belief and promote how their insurance stacks up against even the largest insurance agencies. 

Levinson, J.C. (2007). Guerrilla marketing: Easy and inexpensive strategies for making big profits from your small business. Houghton Mifflin Company

https://www.amazon.com/Guerilla-Marketing-Inexpensive-Strategies-Business/dp/0618785914/ref=sr_1_4?crid=131TNV5PGKZZP&keywords=Guerrilla+Marketing%3A+Easy+and+Inexpensive+strategies&qid=1653170897&sprefix=guerrilla+marketing+easy+and+inexpensive+strategies+%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-4

Ascend Your Start-Up: Week 6, Chapter 6

Yu discusses her triumph of completing her Mt Everest climb in this chapter, and how instead of celebrating she was hooked up to an IV, exhausted. With this she parallels the start-up of a business, how it has reached it's initial goals, but in order to continue growing you need to push pass that initial summit and continue your journey. 

At this point the start-up needs to look at their goals they have accomplished, set new ones and seek advice on how to keep their business afloat. Measurements of the different areas in the company are a great way to do this, looking back through the year and seeing how things fared as well as creating new goals for the next year. 

I made my own connection with the show "Stranger Things" as I was hearing how Kate Bush has become popular again with her song, "Running Up That Hill."  While not all of the lyrics to the song apply and not all businesses are fighting evil forces, the show has been steadfast in how the monsters at the beginning of the show end up growing in complexity causing the 'kids' to have to be more creative in their ways of destroying it. The clip below is from a scene in the fourth season, while all ends well in this scene, the viewer instinctively knows that in order to survive the cast must come up with a more permanent solution. 

Yu, H., (2021).  Ascend your start-up: Conquer the 5 disconnects to accelerate growth. Made for Success Publishing.

https://www.amazon.com/Ascend-Your-Start-Up-Disconnects-Accelerate/dp/1641466219/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VXKCBSGWX83Z&keywords=ascend+your+start-up&qid=1653066501&sprefix=ascend+your+start-up%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-1

 

Surfing the Tsunami: Chapter 6, Week 6

This week the focus was becoming adept at AI. One of the main flows through the book is providing sources for learning as well as sources to enforce the ideas in the book. This is definitely a chapter to review when going forward and incorporating AI into your daily life. 

This chapter is an honest approach at the flood of information out there to help someone to become adept and provides a solid framework to follow for that learning. Tools that are provided include websites, platforms, apps and games that can be used. The author encourages the user to choose a path to learn more about the world of AI, if only to understand it more. 

The most important point for me in this chapter was to 'avoid overload.' In my attempts to understand anything I usually jump in with both feet and assume I will know how to swim. With this type of information I have found myself challenged to accept the full impact of its abilities. Therefore, when I am prepared I hope to begin with a project, as suggested in the book, to help gain a better understanding of how to work with AI and how to work AI in general. 

In my search I found the following links to provide some help. The first helped me to understand that AI, while intelligent, will never out pace the human brain. The second, well, gave me a giggle. 

https://tech.co/news/artificial-intelligence-human-brain-2018-04

https://youtu.be/0K2lgbEClD0

Kelsey, Todd: Surfing the Tsunami: An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Options for Responding

Amazon - Surfing the Tsunami: An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Options for Responding: Kelsey, Todd: 9781976756344: Books

Guerrilla Marketing: Chapter 6, Week 6

Levinson focuses on selecting and planning your marketing strategies in Chapter 6 of Guerrilla Marketing. Once again, knowing who you are marketing to is important. Marketing strollers to baby boomers may not be the best plan, unless it is a walker/scooter/stroller combination, but I am sure the market is slim on that one. 

Guerrilla marketing has an arsenal of methods to use for marketing, in order to use them effectively the book notes that the process is as follows: being aware of the methods available, use as many of those methods as you can while keeping track of which ones are working and which ones are not working, and finally eliminating the methods that miss the target while doubling those that provide a profit. 

Importance of planning is highlighted in this chapter. Which items are good to be marketed at what time of the year for certain companies (ex. you don't see many ads out for tax software after April 15, nor do you see Christmas sales in July). Levinson notes the importance of marketing calendars to determine what to market and where, including a price list of the marketing methods used. These can all create the best marketing campaign to fit the businesses needs. 

Levinson, J.C. (2007). Guerrilla marketing: Easy and inexpensive strategies for making big profits from your small business. Houghton Mifflin Company

https://www.amazon.com/Guerilla-Marketing-Inexpensive-Strategies-Business/dp/0618785914/ref=sr_1_4?crid=131TNV5PGKZZP&keywords=Guerrilla+Marketing%3A+Easy+and+Inexpensive+strategies&qid=1653170897&sprefix=guerrilla+marketing+easy+and+inexpensive+strategies+%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-4

 

Ascend Your Start-Up: Chapter 5, Week 5

There were two things that stuck out for me in this chapter. The first was the sentence, "Buzzwords are left for people who don't know how to get to the top." Everyone I know in the business world, who is not in sales, groans as buzzwords, so I found this sentence to be quite humorous. Most people I know see buzzwords as a cheap gimmick, even in healthcare most nurses are annoyed when we are told things we need to say as 'buzzwords' because it often feels un-authentic. 

The other part that hit me was how much growth is achieved through our customers. Finding out what they need, how they need it, etc... is important in growing a business. The story of process-disconnect with sales over-promising and service under-delivering. The point was made that because of that 'error' strides were taken to make a greater company. 

Yu, H., (2021).  Ascend your start-up: Conquer the 5 disconnects to accelerate growth. Made for Success Publishing.

https://www.amazon.com/Ascend-Your-Start-Up-Disconnects-Accelerate/dp/1641466219/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VXKCBSGWX83Z&keywords=ascend+your+start-up&qid=1653066501&sprefix=ascend+your+start-up%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-1

 

Surfing the Tsunami: Chapter 5, Week 5

Chapter 5 discusses the importance of adopting artificial intelligence. I agree with the concept that adopting AI is a realist argument. While evidence is provided, everyday life for the regular "joe" on the street provides sufficient evidence. 

Just today I paid my house/dog sitter using Zelle, a technology where I can send money to someone from my bank to theirs with a couple clicks of a button. I also booked airline tickets online, will use an app for my boarding pass, and had information for flight transferred to my calendar. There are websites dedicated to finding the best prices for anything you might want to do. 

I also feel a great example of this book and the chapters on AI and adapting, adopting and being adept at AI is the movie "The Internship" with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. While this is a movie I have always enjoyed, reading through this material has made me aware at how the main characters adapted to AI (their job interview), adopted (see scene below), and finally became adept at the material. 

Kelsey, Todd: Surfing the Tsunami: An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Options for Responding

Amazon - Surfing the Tsunami: An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Options for Responding: Kelsey, Todd: 9781976756344: Books

Guerrilla Marketing: Chapter 5, Week 5

 My big takeaway from this chapter is knowledge. Levinson discusses throughout the book how Guerilla Marketing is all about being creative. In the 5th chapter he notes the significance of knowledge on being creative. 

Being creative is significant in selling products, teaching and every day life. But in order to be creative you have to know exactly what you are selling/teaching. One under-valued ad campaign (in my opinion) was for Old Spice. The tongue-in-cheek masculine men stating that your man could be like them was a great way to play to both men and women. 

In order to use this creativity, Old Spice had to use their knowledge of the market. In my limited knowledge I know Old Spice had a reputation for being cheap. While playing off the affordability, they incorporated humor and creativity to appeal to women. In doing this Old Spice used the seven steps in a successful marketing campaign: Find the drama, translate that drama to benefit, state benefits in a believable way (ok, maybe a little off here), get people's attention, motivate your audience to get involved, communicate clearly and measure the finished product against your creative strategy. 

For reference:

Levinson, J.C. (2007). Guerrilla marketing: Easy and inexpensive strategies for making big profits from your small business. Houghton Mifflin Company

https://www.amazon.com/Guerilla-Marketing-Inexpensive-Strategies-Business/dp/0618785914/ref=sr_1_4?crid=131TNV5PGKZZP&keywords=Guerrilla+Marketing%3A+Easy+and+Inexpensive+strategies&qid=1653170897&sprefix=guerrilla+marketing+easy+and+inexpensive+strategies+%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-4