We've Got One!

When I first purchased my first investment property, I was recently out of college, had zero tools, and had almost zero handyman experience.  Even small projects, seemingly quick fixes, and simple tenant requests would take me a while to figure out and fix. Because each small project required buying all new tools, learning how to use them, and then messing up 3 times before the project was done.

As I gained more tools and more experience, the projects became easier and took less time.

For the past 4 years, GoNextWorld has been gathering tools and experience. Even though the projects are getting bigger, we can now adapt quickly and efficiently.


Yesterday, we had a huge meeting. We decided to add a feature to GoNextWorld that is truly a game changer (im slightly pumped about it). The AMAZING thing about it, is that this x factor does not require a ton of work, which initially blew my mind. In the past, we were used to having a great idea, drawing it out, and then taking months to implement. Literally months. So I was kind of baffled when I realized the x factor seemed so easy to create.

Then I realized it. Without spending the last 4 years accruing experience and building tools, this x-factor would be impossible to create. We've been slowly building an arsenal. This new feature doesn't require anything new to be created, it uses all of the stuff that we've already created. Awesome.

My takeaway: Moving Mountains may seem impossible. And it is not done easily or quickly. But when you have the tools and the knowledge of how to use them, anythings possible.

Mindset of an Underdog

Underdogs are not just fictional characters like Rocky Balboa. Rudy Ruttiger is an amazing true story.  Adrian Peterson was an underdog this year (as well as Peyton Manning). Richard Branson was dyslexic, did terrible in school, and is now a billionaire entrepreneur. Real underdog examples are abundant. The mentality is the same. 

Underdogs are scrappers. If they think see a slight chance in succeeding in something, they will go for it.
Because odds are stacked against them, they work harder, longer, and with more passion.

Underdogs constantly aim to make progress. Because of that, they are more likely to surpass all self expectations and the expectations of others.

Being the underdog feels good. It feels good to reach something that was previously thought as unreachable, look back at the ground covered, then smile and keep moving forward.

Being the underdog turns a tough journey into an unpredictable adventure. Its fun.

Once they experience it, they want to do it again. It's addictive.  Because with each milestone they reach, they will find themselves thinking less and less about feet on the ground, and thinking more and more about what to reach for next.

And it all starts with the underdog. Adapt the mentality.


#DDOP

We are a Product of those Around Us

A famous entrepreneur once said that the synergy required in successful organization is the same type of synergy of the Beatles.  Each member of the Beatles was extremely talented, BUT when they all worked together, they brought out the best in each other and created songs that otherwise wouldn't have been created.

In any innovative, successful organization, the whole MUST be greater than the sum of the parts. 

At GoNextWorld, the programmers work tirelessly to turn ideas to reality. The sales / marketing team shows the programmers what our customer would like most. Accounting team shows us the most cost-efficient & most profitable options. Technical Support gathers customer feedback to incorporate into the next product. Everyone has a hand in making the best product we can make. And when you have a good team like this, the product WILL be remarkable... just like the Beatles.

We are a product of those around us. Whether our organization is a business, a club, family, or group of friends, chemistry within the team is the true difference maker. When I look at my family, my friends, and GoNextWorld, I see three teams, full of remarkable people, that are poised to be remarkable and have a little fun along the way.

Thats all I have to say about that...

follow the experts

My cousin is an awesome mechanic.  He has a ton of experience with pretty much every common car out there. He has done everything down to rebuilding engines. He can tell you parts on what cars are most likely to fail based on that cars year, make and model. He has even diagnosed the problems on my car when I call him in a panic from Erie and try to explain the problem by mimicking the noise that my car is making. Ha.

Because of his experience and intelligence, he is able to take a complex machine, that has a ton of parts, isolate the critical components, diagnose the problem, and fix it like it is second nature. And if he needs to summarize the problem to someone who doesn't understand it (me), he can CLEARLY explain what is going on, and what needs to be done.

Experts can do stuff, that is very difficult for others, like its second nature. They can also teach others. I think this is because they have learned through a ton of projects, some easy and some hard, that gave them a ton of experience.

In order for GNW to provide a product that simplifies restaurant owners lives, automatically analyzes their business, and provides meaningful feedback, the creators of the GNW reports must gain this "second nature" ability for data analysis. We must be experts. Just as my cousin can automatically evaluate a complex automobile, we need to take a complex set of data, isolate critical components, summarize the important, and provide CLEAR AND SIMPLE suggested actions to help the business.

Eat, sleep, and drink data analysis and report generation (Wow, that sounds like a ton of fun). Get as much experience as possible. The more experience, the quicker we can draw conclusions and the more accurate they are. The quicker that we can draw conclusions, the clearer and easier we can explain that insight to others.

Gain experience. Become an expert. The rest will fall into place.

Quick, Light Feet

In a dine in restaurant, where customers walk to a register to pay, businesses owners, managers, and cashiers depend on simplicity of the checkout process to keep they line of paying customers short and happy. Even one additional function for the cashier is considered a nuisance. Because A. it confuses the employee, B. it can annoy a customer, and C. it takes more time. Business owners have been quick to let us know this. But we have been just as quick in the fix.

Agility - Quick Feet
Being agile means being sensitive, adaptive, lean, fast, and iterative. Nowadays, a business needs to be agile, IN BOTH day to day operations and in planning future endeavors.

Day-to-day op's
Learning and understanding what our merchants like and dislike about a product is only part of the game.  Quickly taking action to incorporate those changes is the other. To make the most of what you have, you must make the quick changes, and to slowly optimize.  The business owner comments above, have been reviewed, and long term fixes have already been added to our product. Biz owners now know this.  This makes the ribosomes happy.

Future
Software must be packaged so that an entire product can be quickly modified to respond to market opportunities. The business as a whole,must be packaged the same way.  Especially in the start up biz world, where opportunities can pop out of nowhere and disappear just as quick.  We go through day-to-day op's, we put out fires, make changes, and work towards our long term goals. BUT its important to always keep in mind that you do not want to get your foot stuck in the mud and then decide that you have to change direction...

... because something better than you can imagine is always right around the corner, you just need to see it, change direction, and head that way.

Any more brain busters?

Last week I wrote about the importance of self-feedback. I gave the example of someone tracking their progress while working out.  Tracking what the lift, how much weight, how many reps, what they are eating, and when.  All of this stuff is vital for self improvement and optimization.

You may be tracking your progress during every meal and workout, but what if every now and again, you asked a more experienced athlete or personal trainer for input. You could improve on stuff that you never even thought of AND end up with way better results.

Today, I had a call with a pizza shop in Illinois that lasted about 30 mins.  They think that the GNW software is great.  Customers like it, its easy to install, and the reports will certainly help them with getting new/better business. BUT the best part of the call was THEIR suggestions.

This Illinois business had a ton of small (but important) ideas for our software. Ways to make it even easier for employees, reports ideas, and more. Stuff that we might have missed in our next software release.

Everything in life (including GNW software) is about constantly getting better.  And constant self improvement (and/or product development) will happen faster with constructive feedback from others.

Can't wait to see what great ideas materialize in the next few months. Woo!

Perfection isn't instant

One thing on my "to-do" list this year, is to find the bootleg album of a dozen or so sessions of the Beatles revising "Strawberry Fields Forever".  Why? It's not because I am a fan of the beatles. It is because the album is a musical score on how to obtain perfection.  In the biography of Steve Jobs, which is an amazing read by the way, Steve Jobs explains that as you listen to each session and each version of Strawberry Fields Forever, you begin to see the small changes, progression, and refining process that the beatles use to create final master pieces that lives on forever.

Just reading about this album has helped me realize that the beatles (although they did create a ridiculous amount of #1 hits) did not come up with each masterpiece out of thin air. They were humans just like us that wanted to deliver timeless songs. All they had was an idea of what they wanted, some creativity, and then spent countless hours refining the song to as close to perfection as possible.

GoNextWorld has been refining our product, our business, and ourselves for years. And we believe that sweat equity is the most valuable equity there is.


Perfection isn't instant (nothing worth while is). But with time, hard work, and desire, this refining process can be used to get damn near close to it.  Beatles used it on their songs. Steve Jobs used it at Apple. We are using it at GoNextWorld.

Good feedback

As I have been creating analytic reports for GNW merchants and of our in-house use, I have started to become obsessed with feedback.  Collecting data about what are doing and being able to interpret the meaning beyond it is ridiculously insightful.  I've been collecting data for various purposes, but the feedback loop is pretty much useful for any business or life scenario.

Simple example: People who track their workout habits; how much they lift, how many reps, how they felt... as well as what and when they eat are able to look back at what they did, establish trends of what is making them stronger and what sets them back. Maybe a weekend of partying or something, but I wouldn't know anything about that. Anyway, the point is that tracking the numbers and your habits makes it easier to eliminate counterproductive activities and identify what actions work the best. Tracking personal spending is another good example.

Whether its using analytics software or just monitoring habits in an effort to get better, a good feedback loop will always lead positive changes and continuous improvement. 

hold on to your butts

I've been known to quote Jurassic Park (as well as waynes world and forrest gump) to the point of annoyance of those around me.  I say "Hold on to your butts", as said by Samuel L. Jackson, when I think my actions are going to have a large ripple effect.

We all have moments in our life where it feels like "this is it", "do or die", or "go big or go home", or "Hold on to your butts". And to be honest, I think the more of these moments we have in our life, the better. Its way more fun and exciting.


For me, GoNextWorld starts a new chapter this year, and its going to be a hell of a ride. Everything before 2013 was basically research, testing, and developing our product.  The past few years have literally been building a solid foundation for now. NOW, we starts to sell, support, and refine what we've been working on for all of this time. Wow.


So here is to the new year. Lets embrace it with open arms. Roll with the punches and enjoy the victories. This year is going to be what we make of it.


 2013 is going to be crazy.  "Hold on to your butts".