Just a precision based on some of your comments here and there: no, I am *not* in Saint Barth right now. Actually the next stay there is planned for February 2010. Unfortunately, still some months to wait. On the other side, we are lucky enough to be able to go there again ;-)
As a reminder, I am re-publishing parts of my last Saint Barth portfolio from February 2009!
No fear, you will know when I will be again “back home” :-)
via Seth Godin
So true…
You will never be out of work if you can demonstrably offer one of the following:
- Sales
- Additive effort
- Initiation
Sales speaks for itself. If you can sell enough to cover what you cost and then some, there will always be someone waiting to hire you.
Additive effort is distinguished from bureaucracy or feel-good showing up. Additive effort generates productivity far greater than the overhead you add to the organization. If your skills make the assembly line go twice as fast, or the sales force becomes more effective, or the travel office cuts its costs, then you’ve produced genuine value. That surly receptionist at the doctor’s office–she’s just filling a chair.
The third skill is the most difficult to value, but is ultimately the most valuable. If you’re the person who can initiate useful action, if you’re the one who makes something productive or transformative happen, then smart organizations will treasure you.
I have the chance to be a member of the “Four Seasons Club” (in French: le club des quatre saisons), which is a private business club founded in 2003 and based in Zurich, Switzerland. It is a French-speaking club, gathering personalities from the economical, political, academic, cultural and media worlds.
The number of members is limited to 120. For me, a quite unique opportunity to speak French, my mother-tongue, and not (broken) English or (broken) German!
The Club is also an opportunity to see and to meet extremely interesting people, coming from different horizons, and not “just” the business.
On last Wednesday, we could see, listen to and meet Mr. Vincent Bolloré (wikipedia):
Vincent Bolloré (b. 1 April 1952 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France) is a French industrialist, corporate raider and businessman.
He heads the family investment group Bolloré and is ranked 451st richest person in the world according to Forbes, with an estimated fortune of US$1.7 billion. He is married, with 4 children.
Vincent Bolloré is from a well-off family from Brittany, and he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from Université Paris X Nanterre. Bolloré started his investment career as a bank trainee at investment bank Edmond de Rothschild.
His personal investment career began when he took over the reins at his family-controlled conglomerate Bolloré, which deals in maritime freight and African trade, and paper manufacturing (cigarette and bible paper). The company he leads today employs 33,000 people around the world.
He is a well-known corporate raider in France who has succeeded in making money by taking large stakes in French listed companies, in particular the building and construction group Bouygues, where he left with a sizeable capital gain after a power-struggle.
In late 2004, his investment group started building a stake in advertising group Havas, becoming its largest single shareholder. He mounted a coup and replaced Alain de Pouzilhac as Havas Chief Executive Officer on July 12, 2005.
In 2005, through his family company, Bolloré expanded his media interests by launching the Direct 8 television station. Towards the end of 2005, he began building a stake in independent British media planning and buying group, Aegis. As at 19 July, 2006, his stake in Aegis stood at 29%. Direct Soir, a free newspaper, was launched in June 2006. In January 2008, he manifested interest in becoming a shareholder of famed, but troubled, Italian car manufacturer Pininfarina.
He is a close personal friend of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
I haven’t known any detail about the Bolloré Group before this meeting. Actually very interesting! As Vincent Bolloré, a very charismatic and fascinating person, with quite a lot of distance and humility with his business successes. And a definitely not common strategic approach (“we do what the others don’t want to do”), with a very diversified group founded in 1822!
It was also the last day of the very long Indian Summer in Zurich.
We could celebrate today our 2nd anniversary (already!) at Innoveo.
As usual, some great time with great people.
On top, we had a super weather in a super restaurant (Seerose – “we take care of nice people”).
A bit of time for us, after some extremely intensive and successful months!
Tomorrow, back to business!
As some of you have already observed, I have completely left my Flickr account since beginning of this year. For different reasons. I have to post about that too ;-)
I would like to mark this day because I have passed the 100’000 photos viewed on my SmugMug account within one month! These views have generated more than 16 GB of bandwidth usage for the same period (actually, exactly 29 days).
On my Flickr account, with about the same portfolio, I have today 18’341 views within … more than 2 years. Crazy, no?
All my photos and videos can be found under:
I am very proud to announce that Cédric Walter, one of our colleague and founding member of Innoveo, is nominated to the EOS Directory (Enterprise Open Source Directory) Advisory and Expert Board. Cédric is a very well-known contributor of the Joomla community since 2004.
EOS Directory is a great catalog of more than 350 open source projects, that are listed, described and analyzed. It is today the leading online platform to help enterprises and organizations identify and evaluate Open Source technologies. Initially launched by Optaros, about two years ago, the platform has been recently handed over by Bruno von Rotz, initial sponsor of the initiative, well known Open Source specialist, and one of our Innoveo Board Member.
In support to strengthen the neutral approach to ratings and selection of the technologies, the new EOS Directory Advisory and Expert Board has been established over the last weeks.
The Advisory and Expert Board will be both instrumental in guiding the future development of the EOS Directory Platform as well as in making sure that the content is accurate, relevant and fairly represented. (Source: EOS Directory Blog)
Congratulations to Cédric!
More Information on Cédric’s blog and the EOS Directory blog.
Cross-posted on the Innoveo Blog.
Yesterday (Thursday) was an absolutely important and central milestone in the life of our company – Innoveo.
I am very proud, totally exciting for the coming steps, exhausted, and also in a way – relieved. First confirmations that our vision, strategy, and tactics are not sooo bad ;-)
As usual, a bit of luck, plus a great help and support from very smart people (hello René), and from our Team!
I remember a thought of one of my former boss, saying that:
Good stuff needs time to mature
This is absolutely true ;-) I would just extend it a bit:
Good stuff needs time AND a lot of energy to mature
Nick, mate, a big thought in your direction, you did such a great job!
Coming challenges are big, again, but first … there are coming! And second, they are super interesting!
A last one now, about “vision” :-)
(© Despair, Inc)
But gosh, now, I just want to sit down with a good grappa, and to appreciate this moment.
Bavella, the highlight of the Corsican mountain!
For a very good reason : from one side the mountain pass, and on the other side the forest. It summarizes itself the particularities of the island relief, with dramatic rock formation and colours from most delicate red to the darkest grey and all “sprinkled” with giant Laricio pines. The most beautiful panoramas on the Bavella Needles can be seen at the passed called Col de Bavella ( 1218m high ) inside the regional reserve.
TechHeadBrothers and Innoveo are now well represented in Saint Barth ;-)
What about opening a subsidiary there for both?