July 4

My mind took a fun-filled walk this morning, thanks, again to Chris Brogan.

I fully expect the business world of the future will look very much like a bunch of boxes with rounded corners floating through space (figuratively). Boxes will dock up with each other – pass useful work through windows build into their common sides – then undock and move on to the next box and the next task. Some boxes will remain docked for long periods of time. There may be giant sets of semi-permanently attached boxes with a ton of little, more transient, highly specialized, boxes docked. Some of those little boxes will link up, and be exchanging value with the box next to it as it exchanges value with the giant box. In fact several little boxes might operate as a unit to create useful work exchange with a great big box. You get the picture. Yes, boxes. Docked. Exchanging value.

That happen as worthwhile box dwellers reach escape velocity so they hit orbit – docking with other boxes in the universe as the result of shedding the strings that keep them tethered. There will always be a group of people who, through fear or laziness, remain ground-bound. They, of course, will want the benefits of being connected to box dwellers. Ultimately, it will be goodbye American Standard of Living for masses of ground bound people and hello life in a box for others. It’s happening already.

Box dwelling will lead to the Borg Collective which is by far the most “get ‘er done” group ever given imaginary life. Small business, especially the onesey-twoseys that I’m hearing touted more and more loudly as our economic salvation, are inefficient – equipment runs at less than full capacity as everyone needs one of everything yet can use only one thing at a time, and they “can’t afford” the best and brightest. Most of them spend half their working life trying to figure out QuickBooks because they think they’re saving money. (My secret belief is that they’re avoiding marketing.) They don’t have research and development departments. They can grow – and some do – if their attitudes change to allow for growth. Most don’t.

Very big businesses have the capacity for enormous efficiency but lack of communication – whether it’s training or authoritative, – making them odious to interact with and quite inefficient. In fact I read some book that contained a part that made me think of businesses as stars. They go through phases from dust to star to super nova to black hole. Efficiency allows them to grow to the point where inefficiency causes them to implode. I wish I could remember the book.

The Borg licked that problem. Cloud computing offers similar options. I’ve never been on the inside of very big businesses but I suspect the reason they don’t function better is that not everybody is plugged in. They have the network, but they don’t trust their people’s judgment, therefore those people aren’t allowed to plug in.

Oh – and the key of course is goals. If your goal never grew from “being able to pay my mortgage” neither would your income. My first small business client nearly 20 years ago is still my client. His goal was “I want to pay my mortgage.” Every time I try to bring him beyond that point, he gives me 20 minutes of excuses why he can’t do a single thing to improve and that “at least he’s paying his mortgage.” He is – barely – paying his mortgage. When you care more than your client does, you have to back off because you’re not doing either of you any good – in fact, you alienate your client. Choose, instead, to live to fight another day.

Success is in direct proportion to the distance that must be traveled on the most direct path from one ear to the other. Some people have a straight shot. It’s not a good thing.

My box is sunshine yellow, Caribbean blue, palm frond green, and mango. The virtual reality in my box will be life very near the shore on a tropical island where I can see the sun set over water every day of the week. The ocean breeze will flow as I do my work.

What color is yours?