China Ready?

China ready? Are we having a fancy dinner or what? Not quite.

When Nathan Seidle asks the question - Is it China ready? - it pertains to a new product. Can he produce 10,000 units for this giant in the world market? There is even a website dedicated to this: areyouchinaready

Nathan shared lessons at the 2009 EntConnect conference of SparkFun’s recent China tour. His group learned such lessons as how their manufacturing works and the scale of it. They discovered new products and how they were done.

Often hardware and software are protected by patents and copyrights. But many, like SparkFun, take the OSH - Open Source Hardware - approach. OSH, for example, openly shares documents that illustrate how to make their electronic systems. In additon to OSH, creating modular electronic building blocks helps the hobbyists and designers to more easily develop their own gadgets.

This OSH strategy of putting their hardware designs in the public domain encourages the world to use and improve their products thus spurring ingenuity and innovation.

Nathan’s company, SparkFun, has benefited from the China - USA OSH cycle. USA design-> improved by China -> China design -> improved by USA -> …. And the improved products, which originated from OSH, are not the property of one particular entity. They are open to all to use, improve and enjoy.

One fun example of applying OSH is the first annual Autonomous Vehicle Competition - a higher tech version of match box car races. Check out the YouTube video: SparkFun - Autonomous Vehicle Competition - Course Preview

Both SparkFun employees and their customers participated in this race which put the “Spark” and “Fun” into SparkFun.

What does this have to do with writing? Writers often check out websites and blogs of those who offer their wisdom to improve the craft. This is our OSH - Open Source Help. And the bloggers also benefit by gathering a following and getting their name out there.

Two examples of such "open source help" sites that I follow for help are:

The Denver Writing Examiner: examiner.com/x-5787-Denver-Writing-Examiner
Prose from the Pros: prosefromthepros.blogspot.com

What are your OSHs? Are you one?

Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

SparkFun: sparkfun.com
SparkFun - Autonomous Vehicle Competition - Course Preview


The Denver Writing Examiner: examiner.com/x-5787-Denver-Writing-Examiner
Prose from the Pros: prosefromthepros.blogspot.com


Photos from everystockphoto.com:
China ready: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=105956

LilyPad - Electronics you can wear!

In the beginning, Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun, had

No Knowledge
No Plan
No Tools.

No Plan? As he explained to the 2009 EntConnect conference, Nathan had no plan but to relate to his current customers.

There is a parallel to writers. One type makes a detailed outline of his/her story and fills it in. This MO is much like the entrepreneur that has a detailed business plan, which is required for business loans requests or doing business with the government.

Then there is the intuitive - write by the seat of the pants - writer who has no plan but to fill the need to write. This is much like Nathan who maxed out his credit cards and launched a business from his room.


What worked for Nathan was that he fit into what Chris Anderson coined in "Wired" magazine - the "Long Tail of Economics." Nathan found a market for a large number of unique items in small quantities - the long tail. Also, his plan to relate to his current customers drove innovation and synergy with other entrepreneurs.

One great example was LilyPad, the next generation of e-textile modules for the Wearable Electronics Do-it-Yourself enthusiasts. E-textiles are hardware and software modules that interact with the environment, sown into clothes with conductive threads .

Check out some of the lastest in e-textiles at:

Talk to my T-shirt
SparkFun LilyPad accelerometer

Likewise, the intuitive writers comes up with ideas as they writes and their story take them places that they would have missed if they stuck to their rigid, detailed plan. Serendipity!

Hmmm. What "Long Tail" market is out there for writers?

Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

SparkFun: sparkfun.com
SparkFun LilyPad accelerometer: www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8462
Talk to my T-shirt: www.talk2myshirt.com/blog/archives/315

Photos from everystockphoto.com:
Lily Pad: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=750910
Long Tail: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=1068554

American Ingenuity

At the turn of the century (2000),Tulsa native Nathan Seidle started work on his electrical engineering degree at the University of Colorado in Boulder. His junior year, a programmer for Nathan's microprocessor project burned out, and he searched for a suitable replacement for it. In his quest, Nathan discovered a dearth of resources to purchase electronic parts in small quantities. For students like him, who design and develop prototypes, small quantities are a good thing.

The Plato quote - necessity, who is the mother of invention - came into play to fill this void in the marketplace. During his junior year in college, Nathan maxed out his credit cards and built a website to cater to customers - the designers, the developers, the hobbyists - like him. Thus, SparkFun began in January 2003, run out of his room.

By the time this electrical engineer graduated in 2004, SparkFun had grown to support Nathan full-time and another employee. As Nathan told his story to the 2009 EntConnect conference, he now has 27 employees and does business in 100 countries.

There are so many lessons here for writers. Finding a need, building a platform, and going for it like Nathan did, maxing out his credit cards and just doing it. And in the mean time growing your business and having fun!


Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

SparkFun: sparkfun.com

Photos from everystockphoto.com:

Electronic Board: www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=3977509

Reward them with Starbucks!

Reward what you are trying to accomplish.

This is the code of the “Queen Mother of Direct Mail.”

Selling construction additions to homes was one of Patty Coldwater’s tough direct mail assignments. Other similar solicitations rewarded contracts with a percentage off the construction job or a free air conditioning system. These did not generate much response from mailings.

At the 2009 EntConnect conference, Patty outlined how she got back to basics.

Question: What was she trying to accomplish?
Answer: A face to face meeting of a potential customer with a salesperson.

Question: What would be the reward for this face to face meeting?
Answer: Starbucks!

Patty got the desired boomerang effect as potential customers took a second look at the offer. Home owners scheduled face to face meetings to get their Starbucks coupon. And some of those meetings resulted in contracts. A few hundred dollars of Starbucks generated tens of thousands in sales.

Don’t’ underestimate the power of Starbucks.

As a writer, what is my desired boomerang effect to read my works and spread the word? Starbucks? Hmmmmm.

Will see. Definitely need to get creative to reward my audience.



Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

TMR Direct: tmrdirect.com

Photos from everystockphoto.com:
StarBucks Coffee: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=1575436

Know Your Customer

As a writer, my customers are my audience.

At the 2009 EntConnect conference, Patty Coldwater told her real life stories of how, as a professional marketer, she had attracted customers. One of her jobs was to convert clients' expiring warranties to paid service agreements.

Today’s wisdom would be to contact potential customers with email or call over the phone. Yet, as employees now are very likely to change jobs 40% to 60% of the time in a year, databases with emails and phone numbers quickly become out of date.

Understanding her potential customers, Patty figured how they would respond best to a solicitation. Most worked in the field, away from their desks. They did not have ready access to a computer to get email nor a phone at the office.

What worked well was the old fashioned direct mail with a reply card to call a toll free number and extend the service warrantee. Using her hook - reward what you are trying to accomplish - those who responded got a prize, like a fishing lure, a calculator, or a seven in one survival tool. These were tokens, but items her customers were interested in.

Knowing her potential customer allowed Patty generated a 300% increase in sales.

Who am I targeting as my audience? Are they being rewarded for what I am trying to accomplish? This evolving writer still has much to learn. I am grateful for the wisdom Patty shared at the 2009 EntConnect conference.



Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

TMR Direct: tmrdirect.com

Photos from everystockphoto.com:
US Mail Box: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=391665

The Queen Mother of Direct Mail

“My Goal is to be the Queen Mother of Direct Mail.”

Patty Coldwater had said this during a job interview. And that title stuck. Her business card actually reads “Queen Mother of Direct Mail" as VP of Marketing for TMR Direct (a division of The Mail Room Inc.)

One of the greatest challenges I face as an evolving writer is marketing. I love to ensconce myself behind the ivory tower of the keyboard and unleash my creativity. But stepping out in the real world to sell my wares? Well, that’s another story.

How do we sell services in a tight economy and succeed at it?

As companies strive to save money, fewer people are asked to do more work. Yet, opportunities to outsource are out there. Patty presented her experience of "Direct Marketing Ideas that Work" as the third speaker at the 2009 EntConnect Conference.

The following blogs will share Patty's lessons that apply can to any field where goods and services are sold. Especially writers.

One of her memorable morsels of wisdom: “Reward what you are trying to accomplish.”


Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

TMR Direct: tmrdirect.com

Photos from everystockphoto.com:
Queen mother: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=2127507

Interlude

Congratulations! We covered key points of the first two speakers of the the 2009 EntConnect conference. And it only took 12 blogs.

Time for a break? Here are some memorable quotes between speakers.


About entrepreneurs:
“My job is to make your money, my money.”

About email:

“Email is where knowledge goes to die.”

“Email is like popping popcorn without a lid.”

Next, blog we will take a short break from EntConnect.

There must be an answer

Winston Churchill once said, “It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required.”

For the energy crisis, what is required?

The previous five blogs covered key points from Dr. Bartlett’s “Arithmetic, Population and Energy” speech at the 2009 EntConnect conference.

In summary,

(1) To find the doubling time for any percentage of steady growth, use this simple formula: 70 divided by the percentage (70/%). Hence, 7% steady growth per year equates to a doubling time of 10 years.

(2) We saw with the case of the doubling of grain on a chess board and the splitting bacteria in a jar, steady growth equates to huge escalations over short periods of time.

Simple arithmetic tells us that population growth and/or growth in the rates of consumption of resources cannot be sustained. Understanding the consequences of growth, we can see trouble coming and take proactive action to avert disaster. Most important when acting early, we are more likely to control the factors to sustain living in an ethical and healthy way.

If we ignore the red flags, zero population growth will happen anyway. As we do nothing, factors, out of our control, will suppress life and promote death. The resulting human suffering could be incalcuable.

Space confines detailed solutions. Thoughtful community planning and education are a start. Exploring and developing renewable energy resources are another. And let’s not forget one of the most important factors, people who are willing to think.

Solomon expressed this timely wisdom:

A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge,
but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
Proverbs 22:3
(New International Version)

On that spiritual note, instead of "In Growth We Trust" may we choose "In God We Trust" when we tackle our great challenges.


Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

Dr. Bartlett links:
albartlett.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Bartlett
globalpublicmedia.com/transcripts/645

Sir Winston Churchill link:
en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill

Photos from everystockphoto.com:
Sir Winston Churchill: http://everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=2235250

Peak Oil

During the energy crisis, Peak Oil was quite the buzz in the blogosphere. Remember when gasoline approached, if not passed, $5.00 per gallon? The gnawing thought in the back of my brain is when gas will shoot up like that, again.

Dr. Bartlett articulated the Peak Oil concept during his “Arithmetic, Population and Energy” speech at the 2009 EntConnect conference. Actually, I first heard Dr. Bartlett’s lecture during the 1970s energy crisis and he still had many of those same charts. Key indicators pointed that, at a steady rate of consumption, the world’s oil production would peak, sometime in the late 1990s or early 2000s. That is, like, now, and we are living on borrowed time.

As shown in the doubling of grain on the chess board, consumption during the next doubling period is always greater than all that of previous history. Therefore, even a modest growth of consumption can escalate very quickly.


At a convention of petroleum geologists and engineers in 1956, the late Dr. Hubbert presented his calculations that “the peak of US oil and gas production could be expected to occur between 1966 and 1971.” No one took him seriously then. Yet, the data from the Department of Energy showed that the actual peak was 1970, followed by a very rapid decline.

Professor Bartlett put forth his famous quote on the public perception of energy consumption: “The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.”

Remember the last blog of the splitting bacteria in the jar? Assume the world’s oil reserves equal the amount we have already used in the history of the planet.

What time is?

11:59.

One more doubling time (10 years for 7% growth), the world’s oil reserve will be consumed.

As the legendary Chinese curse says – May we live in interesting times.


EntConnect website: entconnect.org

Dr. Bartlett links:
albartlett.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Bartlett
globalpublicmedia.com/transcripts/645

Photos from everystockphoto.com:
Peak Oil: www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=3206626
Peaked Oil: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=2233748

It's later than you think

It’s 11:00 PM. One bacterium sits alone in a jar. At 11:01 PM, the bacterium splits in two. Then these two bacteria split again at 11:02 PM, becoming four bacteria; then these four divide at 11:03 PM, becoming eight bacteria; and each resulting bacterium splits every minute until the jar is totally filled up at midnight.



When the jar is half full, what time is it?

11:59 PM.

It’s later than you think.

Assume you are a bacterium in this colony and you just realize your jar is a quarter full. Not to worry. The remaining open volume is triple the space of what your colony now occupies. Right?

What time is it?

11:58 PM.

Again, it’s later than you think.

The clock has struck midnight and your jar is completely full. Luckily, exploring bacteria have found another jar in which to continue growing and save your colony from decimation.

What time is it when your colony fills up the second jar?

12:01 AM.

But wait! A miracle happens. Two more jars suddenly materialize, an incredible volume of space for your ever growing colony. You are saved, again!

What time is it when your colony completely fills up these next two jars?

12:02 AM.

Dr. Bartlett drove home the overpopulation dilemma with this type of story at the 2009 EntConnect conference. In his “Arithmetic, Population and Energy” speeches over the years, he considers the greatest challenge facing humanity as overpopulation and promotes sustainable living.

Next time you read an article about a new housing growth rate of, say, 7% per year, consider this. When half the area of a desirable open space has been populated, what time it is?

11:59 PM.

Next doubling time, 10 years, the open space will be urban sprawl.

Joni Mitchell sang it best in “Big Yellow Taxi” – “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”


EntConnect website: entconnect.org

Dr. Bartlett links:
albartlett.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Bartlett
globalpublicmedia.com/transcripts/645

Photos from everystockphoto.com:
Bacteria in a petri dish: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=2760059
Ticking clock: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=3860496

The Numbers Game

Consider the two headlines:

(1) Violent Crime Doubled in 10 Years

(2) Violent Crime Grew 7% Per Year over Decade

Which is more alarming?

My gut reaction is that (1) is more troubling. While (2) does not present great news, it is nothing to get that excited about.

The second speaker at the 2009 EntConnect conference, Dr. Albert Bartlett explained the meaning of growth statistics in his presentation: "Sustainability 101: Arithmetic, Population and Energy." Dr. Bartlett, an emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has lectured on this topic over 1,600 times since September, 1969.

His message? Some very simple ideas about the problems we are facing are all tied together by arithmetic, and the arithmetic isn't very difficult.

For any entity growing at a steady rate, the doubling time T(double) = 70/(k%), where (k%) is the growth rate per unit time. (For you mathematical types, the derivation of this formula is done in the footnotes.)

Hence,

Growth rate ------Doubling Time
--per year ------of Initial Quantity
----k%--------T(double) = 70/(k%)--

---1%------------- 70 years----------
---5%-------------14 years-----------
---7%-------------10 years-----------
--10% -------------7 years-----------
--35%------------- 2 years-----------
--70%--------------1 year------------

In headline (2), the growth rate is 7% per year. Therefore its doubling time is 70/7 = 10 years. We see both headlines (1) and (2) reflect the same statistic. Yet, how these statistics are presented impact the emotions of the reader differently.

The following blogs will look at using arithmetic to write with more clarity and more accurately decipher what we are reading.

Quiz time:

If you now have $1000 in your savings account at a 1% interest per year, what year will it be when it doubles to $2000?

(a) 2019
(b) 2034
(c) 2079
(d) Time to get a new bank account with a better interest rate.


Related links:

EntConnect website: http://www.entconnect.org/

Dr. Bartlett links:
albartlett.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Bartlett
globalpublicmedia.com/transcripts/645

-------------------------------------------

Footnotes:

For the mathematically curious, to show this formula, T(double) = 70 / k%, was not pulled out of a hat:

N = number or quantity of an entity, such as a population, statistic, resource, etc …
dN = differential change in the number
k = a constant
dt = differential change in time
T(double) = the doubling time
k% = constant percent, that is k x 100

The exponential function of the size of something growing at a steady rate of k:

(1/N) dN/dt = k or dN/N = k dt

Using calculus to find the doubling of quantity N, integrate N from N to 2N, over time period 0 to T(double):

ln(2) = k T(double)
100 ln(2) = k% T(double)
T(double) = 100 ln(2) / k%

Since,
100 ln(2) = 69.3 or approximately 70

Hence,
T(double) = 70 / k%

Q.E.D.

On a Positive Tweet

Write interesting thoughts.
Ask interesting questions.
Attract like minded people.
Publish something of value.
Create a ground swell at a viral level.

As an evolving writer, I aspire to all these goals. And Bill French’s Social Media presentation punctuated these goals at the 2009 EntConnect conference.

My previous blog had pointed out the dark side of Twitter, yet Twitter can be used for good, for example, in public service and safety. During disasters, bad traffic conditions, severe weather, twitterers can relay - as fast as they can type - status, new route suggestions and other critical information.

December 2008, right after the Denver air crash, twitterers micro-blogged immediately at the crash scene as written in the following articles:
Plane crash geek Twitters from burning Denver aircraft
Man Used Twitter From Plane Crash

What’s in the near future for Twitter?

I’ve seen Audio Twitter, audio boo, on tweets lately. Like the TwitPic, the boos play a short sound bite. Here is allegedly the first boo: first-twitter-boo

More great twitter tips tweet came from @ZebOlsen. He blogged Top Twitter Tools Exposed and Explained at Lightning Speed!

As always, google Twitter for latest information.

On a final tweet note, as I delve into this brave new world of social media, I feel more entangled in the world wide web. Bill French suggested another application that can help get a handle on information overload. Ping.fm is “a simple service that makes updating your social networks a snap.” Whether, twitter, myspace, facebook, linkedin, plaxo, yammer, etc. Ping.fm allows you to post your messages wherever you want. Maybe worth looking into?

Whew! Those were some of the high points in the keynote EntConnect speech. Next blogs will cover different topics from presenters, who range from teenagers to octogenarians.


Related links:

EntConnect website: www.entconnect.org

Twitter and related social media applications:
Twitter: twitter.com
first-twitter-boo: audioboo.fm/boos/4110-first-twitter-boo
ZebOlsen: Top Twitter Tools Exposed and Explained at Lightning Speed:
zebolsen.com/top-twitter-tools-exposed-explained-at-lightning-speed/
Ping.fm: ping.fm

Denver Air Crash and Twitter:
Plane crash geek Twitters from burning Denver aircraft: technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5383144.ece
Man Used Twitter From Plane Crash: news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Twitter-Man-Microblogged-From-Scene-of-Continental-Airlines-Crash-In-Denver/Article/200812415192585


Bill French links:
myst-technology.com
blogsite.com

The Dark Side of Twitter

“It's a dangerous business, going out of your door. You step into the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.” (The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien)

The same could be said of stepping out into the twittersphere.

When I first started to twitter, one of the first people I followed was the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, Michael Hyatt. He graciously sent me a direct message: “Thanks for following me. New to Twitter? You might want to read my "Beginner's Guide": http://michaelhyatt.com/2008/05/the-beginners-guide-to-twitter.html.

And I’m glad I read it for his fatherly advice.

Point 5 warned that anyone could be listening in my conversation.

Point 7 cautioned care in posting sensitive information, which could compromise my safety.

My previous blog offered evidence that the twittersphere is constantly being monitored. The current twitter interface exposures my recent tweets, my followers, and who I am following to cyberspace. And not everyone listening in is my friend. Yet, the twitter interface has mechanisms to lock data and only grant access to those who have my express permission. Also, Twitter administrators do police and suspend accounts for suspicious activity.

Is this enough?

At the 2009 EntConnect conference, business owners expressed their concern for the protection of their sensitive information. Bill French, the keynote speaker, pointed out that entrepreneurs have stepped up to fill this need with secure twitter-like applications.

Yammer is one of them. It is separate service to secure private information and allow safe collaboration on the web. Its basic service is free to companies. For a nominal fee, Yammer allows upgrades. And you can bet there are more companies out there that supply similar services.

Meanwhile, twitterers, as always, be safe!


Related links:

EntConnect website: www.entconnect.org

Twitter: twitter.com
Yammer: yammer.com

Michael Hyatt links:
Michael Hyatt: michaelhyatt.com
Beginner's Guide: michaelhyatt.com/2008/05/the-beginners-guide-to-twitter.html.

Bill French links:
myst-technology.com
blogsite.com

Around the World in 80 Tweets

Twitter as a micro-blog can begin a conversation that is truly global. This can be seen, literally, with the following visual applications:

Twittearth maps a sampling of tweets on a 3D model of the world.

Likewise, Twittermap displays its samples on a goggle map.

Twittervision can toggle from a classic 2D map to a 3D model of the earth as the tweets roll in around the world.

With geocoding applications, twitter maps can display tweets for customized scenarios. An example is tracking attendees at a conference. A street map may be tailored to pinpoint the comments tweeted at specific locations within the campus of the event.

If you are into graphics, Twitter StreamGraphs allows the user to plot keywords versus time. This graph presents a visual model of how people are conversing on different subjects on the web throughout the public timeline.

As a part of marketing strategy, savvy companies strive to address consumer needs. Therefore, Cotweet, that’s for company tweet, can become an integral part of Customer Relation Management (CRM), helping companies reach and engage their customers.

All the above were more cool twitter applications Bill French shared at the 2009 EntConnect conference.

Bill gave a specific example of a twitterer complaining about her cable TV service. Shortly, a cable rep twittered her back asking how he could help. This is evidence that large organizations are regularly monitoring the conversation within twittersphere. And when a hot, new product is released, you can bet that tweets are taken most seriously.

Information is power, especially for a writer, who is taking the public pulse on any number of subjects. Yet, as twittering is exploding globally, this conversation creates responsibility, which will be the subject of my next blog.

Any thoughts on this brave new twitter world?


Related links:

EntConnect website: www.entconnect.org

Twitter and its applications:
Twitter: twitter.com
Twittearth: twittearth.com
Twittermap: twittermap.com/maps
Twittervision: twittervision.com/
Twitter StreamGraphs: neoformix.com/Projects/TwitterStreamGraphs/view.php
Cotweet: cotweet.com/

Bill French links:
myst-technology.com
blogsite.com

The Gist of it all

Gist. Merriam Wesbter defines it as “the main point or part : essence”

Writing can involve many aspects of Social Media. In addition to twitter, there are emails, blogs, facebook pages, forums, favorite sites we like to peruse, etc. It can be overwhelming tracking it all. And how do we make sense of all the babble?

True entrepreneurs see a need and move in to fill it.

Bill French, the keynote speaker at the 2009 EntConnect conference, presented Gist as a good monitoring tool to listen in what is going on. Gist allows you to customize your dashboard, displaying private vs. public information. Hence, Gist’s motto: “Where your inbox meets the web.”

Here are some benefits of Gist from their website:

From the “About Gist” page:

“Gist is an online service that helps you build stronger relationships. By connecting your inbox to the web, you get business-critical information about key people and companies.”

From their Index page:

“Control information overload. Emails, links, attachments, blog posts, news—all relevant data is organized and prioritized by contact.”

“Focus your time. Rank importance and fine-tune your experience to pinpoint specific news about your most important people and companies.”

“Discover new insights. Be the first to know about relevant news that gives you more opportunities to reconnect.”

Journalists could find Gist as an ideal tool to access and sort out timely information for articles. In general, whether fiction or non-fiction, writing involves organizing the chaos and focusing on thoughts to communicate a good story. Gist provides a model for that.

I have not tried this tool yet. But I’m glad I know about it. Anyone have any experiences with Gist that you would like to share?


Related links:

EntConnect website: www.entconnect.org
Twitter: twitter.com
Gist: www.gist.com

Serendipity

“Serendipity You’ll discover something you’re not expecting.” This is the theme of the annual EntConnect (Entrepreneur Connection) conferences held since 1992. “Learn. Share. Grow.”

Writing is a business and writers are entrepreneurs. Therefore, during the 2009 conference the end of March, I itched to hear the stories of small business owners and entrepreneurs from teenagers to retirees, especially in these challenging economic times.

Before kicking off the formal conference, we had the chance to relax and socialize with each other. In one memorable encounter, my opponent in a card game blurted out with a grin: “This game sure was more fun when I was winning!” So, it seems with writing (and life). I constantly struggle to summon the courage to get into the game, make the best of the hand that I have been dealt, and not give up when the game is not going my way.

The next two days, diverse presenters gave their observations from evolving technologies to the paradigm shifts in the markets. In the following blogs, I plan to share what I have gleaned from these entrepreneurs’ stories – their challenges and dreams and the lessons learned from their failures and successes – and apply those lessons to the craft of writing.

I would also like to hear your thoughts, opinions, insights, and your writing experiences. Together, we can live out the EntConnect conference theme – “Learn. Share. Grow.”

Please feel free to check out the EntConnect website:
http://www.entconnect.org

They inspired me!