A Big Sky Gets Bigger - MTIE Day 2012 Recap

Rob Irizarry already did a wonderful job of summing up the day’s events (and had a better seat for pictures), so I will just touch on some things that stuck out in my mind from the all-star lineup.

The day kicked off with a video address from RightNow’s Greg Gianforte. Bottom line - it’s easy to get stuck in the weeds when you’re starting out and/or running an existing business. We will all likely find ourselves focusing, at one point or another, on some absolutely important, but non-critical, aspects of running our business.  This type of misdirection can be extremely draining on your energy as a founder – especially in our new digital age. The “always on” mentality coupled with a thousand different distractions from social media channels, your next ad campaign, your next hire, that open intern position,  etc. can, at a minimum, dilute your service/product focus, and in the worst case paralyze you. Be aware of this, because at the end of the day, as Greg noted,

“You’re either making bullets, or selling them.”

Period. You won’t even get a chance to make any of those other calls unless you’re developing the best damn product you can, shipping it, or lining up clients who want it. If you’ve got a great team (which everyone reading this should view as critical), DELEGATE. That’s why you surrounded yourself with them in the first place, right? If you’re flying solo for the time being, don’t get caught in the weeds. (And you better be recruiting your team)!

Lisa Stone? Not much to add…total rockstar, explained at length in Rob’s post and the Missoulian interview. What I will say, is that she took pains to illustrate the importance of the “active social media female consumer” in virtually any business you’re planning today.  Granted, you and your product niche might not be geared at this specific market segment, but you better keep them in mind when you’re developing the business plan. Stats being kicked around would indicate that the data absolutely point to this demographic controlling the purse strings and time spent online in most households, most places…all over the world.

The morning breakout conversation on digital influence focused heavily on the importance of “getting found on the web.” Use all the free media avenues at your disposal, along with the free analytical tools for your website and social channels to help get you there.  Because personal discovery is always more fun (and I don’t have time to delve into each service thrown out there), here are a few tools, SEO and otherwise, that the panel and audience referenced:

• Google Analytics
• RavenTools (SEO service dashboard)
• Hubspot
• Woorank.com
• Textizen.com (pertains more to public opinion polling/gauging for local agency initiatives)

Dr. Cameron Lawrence’s talk during the lunch session was absolutely invigorating.  Sure, there are a lot of people talking about the various ways we might engage the youth of today and more efficiently develop tomorrow’s global citizens, innovators, instigators, and thought leaders, but it sure is a pleasure seeing someone doing it right in your backyard. The pilot program he is forming at the University of Montana School of Business specializes in the cross-pollination of bizdev and CS disciplines, as well as others. This is fantastic – and sorely needed. I’m a UM alumnus, myself, so Cameron’s talk really resonated with me.  I can speak from my own experience as an undergrad on campus that, had a prof like Cameron come into my world during my first few semesters, it would have lit the proverbial fire under me to think even more outside the box than I like to give myself credit for.

Keep an eye out for Dr. Lawrence's acolytes running amok, changing the world in the next few years.

I would encourage UM administration and faculty to collaborate and give his program room to run.  The ROI on what he’s doing is unfathomable.  Get on board.

The post-lunch session was a treat. What started out as a stellar Elke Govertsen speech on overcoming obstacles, morphed into a real-world demonstration of the points she would have covered.  Anyone who has seen the modern day ninjas of the parkour movement in action, online or otherwise, can attest to the agility, balance, and improvisation needed to navigate their environment.  As it happened, we had the crew from Unparalleled Movement on hand to give us a taste of turning obstacles into opportunities. (I actually had a pretty good seat for this demo).

During our afternoon breakout session, there was one question from the audience for the combined digital influence/innovation panel that stuck out in my mind.  The question:  “Do you ever unplug?”

Super cool to hear the answers from all 11 panel members  – I had my informal count break down as follows:

“Yes. I hate it.” – 1 person

“Yes. I plan it.” – 5 people

“No. I’d like to, but no. I never turn off, if I don’t have to.” – 5 people

The capper on the afternoon was delivered by Dr. Alex Philp in the closing keynote…this guy is a force of nature.  He began by refusing the mic, and finished by showing us all why he didn’t need it in the first place.  Alex’s key points on entrepreneurship and innovation are laid out in the following quotes:

• “It’s about not knowing when to quit.”
• “It’s about partnerships.”
• “It’s about hope.”
• “The smartest thing you can do as an entrepreneur is reach out, get help, network.”

“The single greatest tragedy in the history of Montana, is the loss of its people out of state.”

• “I detest mediocrity.”

…

Amen, brotha’. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

I found them. (MTIE Day 2012 - Rant)

I did it. I found them.

They’ve been here all along and, come to find out,...we have a reputation. They’re just like you and me. Not any superhuman specialties to speak of except, of course, a legendary Montana work ethic. When I say legendary, I’m really not exaggerating. There was 110% agreeance among the panel elites that Montana holds a special significance for many in their network. Be it a dinner party or board room, the word on the street is that we are sought after…and that should make you feel good. It’s the embodiment of all those feelings that you always thought, but never voiced. It’s the reason that you and your friends find excitement and common cause across disciplines that others might deem unrelated. It’s the knowing that you, coming from whatever background, in one of the (perceived) least consequential states in the union, are going to change the game. 

You shake things up, you don’t take “no”, you politely proceed to prove all your doubters wrong.  It’s the way you’ve always been and always will be.

And you know the great part? There is an extremely willing network of people ready to help you make your mark. They have connections to Silicon Valley, Alley, Slopes, and Hills. They are NYC, SF, CHI, Boston, Austin, Bombay, Tokyo, London, Shanghai, Paris, and on across the map.  By their own admission, they aren’t special.  If you walked past them on the street, they don’t emit some sort of glow. They aren’t flashy, they aren’t selfish, and they let their actions and works speak for themselves. They are incredibly understated and generous. They wield a wealth of knowledge and use it to call their own shots, punch their own tickets, and drop it on those who would have it.

In other words, they’re just like you and me.  We collaborate. We share the love…and the pain. We know the difference between lip service and real commitment.  We sacrifice and study and strive.  We don’t take “no,” we don’t know “can’t,” we take the help when it’s offered, and we all understand that you only get one ride. So you might as well make it count.

They are us.

We are they.

Montanans united. (More than you know).