Solving problems that started as solutions

I'm just back from coffee with my long time friend and colleague, Mike Hanbery of Hanbery Marketing.

As a bit of a preface, you may recall seeing ads running on TV lately where there's a group of people at a conference table tasked with finding ways to save their company money. Stacked high on the table are folders, binders and piles of paper. Finally, one member of the team looks at all the paper and asks the question, "How much does all this cost?"

The point being, they could save literally millions of dollars by eliminating the piles of paper on the table. Going paperless is the solution.

But talking with Mike today, he pointed out it's creating another problem. Going paperless (plus the zillions of e-mails we all generate each day and electronically file) means increasing the load on servers, which means buying more servers, using more power to run them and of course, more techs to maintain them. Which costs....money. Money is a rare commodity these days.

The solution to one problem, is becoming a problem itself.

Mike has some interesting ideas about solving this problem which I won't share here because they're Mike's ideas and not mine. When he's ready to announce his strategy, he'll do it. That's why I posted his link above.

We're constantly going to be presented with problems and tasked with finding solutions. But solutions can ultimately become problems which require...solutions.

Solutions are what keep the doors of your business or organization open. They key is recognizing when solutions become problems.

It's what Mike does and what we do at Conversation Starters LLC.

Brian Olson
CEO and Founder
Conversation Starters, LLC

Paper to Laptop to iPad

It wasn't that long ago my morning routine included three things:

1. Coffee
2. Monitoring news, weather and business channels, in multi-screen mode
3. The Rocky Mountain News

I like to start the day prepared.

The first two have stayed the same, but #3 continues to evolve. The Rocky is no longer with us. So after a short period of mourning the demise of yet another big city daily, my laptop took its place. It worked great until we got our iPad. Laptop? I don't need no stinkin' laptop!

Before I proceed further, this disclaimer: I own Apple Stock.

Ads for iPad say "You already know how to use it." They're absolutely right. I can't recall a more intuitive device with an instruction manual that essentially tells you how to turn it on.

The challenge is really all about learning about, then using the thousands of apps available. As for ease and comfort of use, it beats a laptop anytime. It's like a magazine that's a portal to the world. (It weighs not that much more than a magazine) Battery life continues to amaze, with at 10 hours of heavy use before a quick recharge.

Does your organization or business realize the potential of the iPad? Do you have an aptitude for apps and the attitude to use them in today's social media driven world of communication?

It's what we do at Conversation Starters. Check us out.

Brian Olson
CEO and Founder
Conversation Starters LLC

L*O*S*T. A Social Media Phenom

As I write this, the early ratings are in for the LOST Finale; 9.0, which isn't even close to the finale of one of television's most beloved shows, M*A*S*H.

But as Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friend."

The difference between how people talked about M*A*S*H and LOST after an episode was the traditional Watercooler vs the "E-Cooler" i.e. the myriad number of podcasts, fan pages etc that evolved during the run of LOST.

My two favorites LOST Podcasts are The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack and The Transmission. Both heavily involve fans of the show itself, plus you can blog, twitter, post comments on Facebook and the list goes on. That conversation will continue for months to come, if not years. The conversation continues!

One of the real challenges of Social Media is how to measure it as compared to traditional television ratings. But one thing for sure is, lovers and yes, haters of LOST are empowered to talk about the show, be involved and you can bet the networks monitor the more successful podcasts and fan pages.

As in my last posting here, viewers controlled the brand far more than ABC ever did. It's the brave new world of social media. It can be overwhelming sometimes, but Social Media can be an effective and powerful communication tool for your association or business. It's a medium where it's not enough to dip your toe into it, you have to jump in. Just make sure you know how deep the "E-Water" is!!

We don't claim to be experts in social media, frankly there aren't any "experts." Just people with a lot of experience with what works and doesn't work. Social media can and must be custom designed to meet your exact needs. One size does not fit all.

So today, people are all over the web chiming in on those final scenes of LOST, just like they did a generation ago around the traditional water cooler about the final scenes from M*A*S*H. But with Social Media, you can be part of a conversation involving millions instead of just a few.

It's what we help you do at Conversation Starters. Check us out.

Brian Olson
CEO and Founder
Conversation Starters LLC

So you think you own your brand? Think again.

Earlier this year I attended a Social Media Summit sponsored by Ragan Communications and the Public Relations Society of America. The event was hosted by Coca Cola in Atlanta.

One of the key elements I came away with is that businesses, organizations and the like no longer control their brand. Their customers, fans and detractors do. Social Media has empowered them to post anything they want, both good and bad about you. It's a tough concept for people to accept, especially CEO's!

Google just about any business name followed by "scam" or "complaints" and you'll get multiple hits. Some are fair, but sadly most are just the opposite. People can post anything they want, true or not about you and they're protected by the 1st Amendment.

But you can fight back. One tip, don't engage your detractors on the complaint sites where they post. You just add fresh content and it drives search ranking up. You have to engage on neutral ground and use other social media strategies.

It's what we help you do at Conversation Starters. You can win in the court of social media opinion. If....you know how.

Brian Olson
President and CEO
Conversation Starters LLC

B-17's Visit Front Range

One of the most famous aircraft in the world is the Boeing B-17. A friend recently sent me these pictures of "Liberty Belle" from a recent visit to the area. Up next, EAA's "Aluminum Overcast" returns to Centennial Airport next month.

To learn more about what it's like to fly aboard Aluminum Overcast and
Wings over the Rockies visit their website.

Brian Olson
CEO and Founder
Conversation Starters LLC

The Art of Starting

As one builds a business, lots of paperwork to set up incorporation, bank accounts, blog pages, twitter pages and network. I've never liked paperwork but networking is great fun.

Next step is to join the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, arguably one of the most active Chambers in the area. A friend and colleague already invited me to a couple of events and the potential to attract business is obvious.

Also been tweaking the website and doing some pro bono work for some local non-profits, especially in video.

I like this entrepreneur thing. Just might work out. So far so good. The key is to keep busy, always have meetings, projects to work on and goals to set. Especially important when you're starting out from home. Meetings and projects get you out of the house, which is a good thing.

Above all, ethics and integrity remain the key. My crossroads before taking this turn was the choice between dollars and integrity. I chose the latter.

Brian Olson
CEO and Founder
Conversation Starters LLC

Houston, we have a website! (Sort of)

I worked closed today with our IT and Graphics Design Team aka "me" and got our website up. I registered for my domain with GoDaddy.com (which I highly recommend, especially their customer service team) and also used their web design tools.

It's not the finished product by any means, still waiting for our "official" logo which we'll add when done.

But it does show you how easy it is to coordinate all the things you need to do to get you "out there." I even incorporated using online legal tool, LegalZoom.com. (Got all our official paperwork today making us official)

So please check out the new website when you get a chance.

Brian Olson
CEO & Founder
Conversation Starters LLC

I'm the boss of nothing but I'm the boss.

When I was working for Echostar Communications, Larry King interviewed CEO Charlie Ergen about when Charlie started out in business. Charlie told Larry he knew he couldn't work for other folks and started his own business instead.

"So you were the boss of nothing?" asked Larry. To which Charlie replied, "Yeah, but I was the boss." Charlie of course, went on to form Echostar Communications and DISH Network. A true entrepreneurial success story and a man I have a huge amount of respect for.

I'm now on the same track as CEO and Founder of "Conversation Starters LLC" which is a PR company focusing on the needs of non-profits and smaller businesses with need of strong communications experience but lack the funding to hire an experienced full-time person.

Will it work? Time will tell. The company just got incorporated, we're finalizing our logo design and still have to get our website up and running. We already have a strategic partnership with an east coast agency, and together we're forming another company which will deal in media training and crisis management.

Plus I'm networking like crazy on Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook.

So this is my first blog as a CEO, aka "Boss of Nothing" but I'll chime in with thoughts from time to time as to how the business is growing and commentary on what's going on in both traditional and social/new media.

Brian Olson
CEO and Founder
Conversation Starters, LLC.