Radish Sprouts

OUT OF AFRICA as a Pursuit of Passionate Purpose

Here is a book review of Out of Africa, by guest blogger Annie Szczurek Davis.  As a heroine's journey, it is in itself an interesting pursuit of passionate purpose dealing with business and life experiences. 

What if you were given the opportunity to move to Africa and run a farm there? Would you do it? In Out of Africa, by Isak Dinesen, the pen name of Karen Blixen, Blixen describes her experience in Africa. In 1914, at the age of 27, she sailed from Denmark to Africa and married her Swedish cousin, Baron Bror Blixen. For seven years, they lived together on their 4000 acre coffee plantation in Kenya, but eventually got divorced. Karen Blixen remained in Africa for another ten years, until she was forced to sell her beloved farm and move back to Denmark. The book is filled with many stories of the land, the Native African people and animals, and her friends in Africa. Though many of these stories are simply memories from her time in Africa, and don't play much of a role in the plot, Karen's overall journey follows the archetypal heroic cycle. In the orientation phase of her journey, she is called from her home in Denmark to marry her cousin, and crosses into another world when she reaches Africa. During her 17 years in Africa (the disorientation phase), she experiences many struggles and challenges, and eventually is forced to sell her farm. After moving back to Denmark, in literary terms, reorienting herself, Blixen shares her stories with the world as a gift.

 The novel shared some valuable lessons and messages with the reader, through the different stories. One point that was particularly clear to me was understanding and appreciating people of different races. A good portion of the book was spent describing the Natives who lived on Karen's farm and certain of the Natives to whom she was closest. These stories helped the reader understand the similarities and differences between Natives and Europeans. Blixen writes with such affection and regard for the Natives that the reader walks away less prejudiced against them.

 Lastly, Blixen made the point that although there will be uncontrollable events that occur in life, there is little-to-nothing you can do to control them. Life can be difficult. So, therefore, you should respond as best you can given the situation, but ultimately accept your destiny and fortune. Karen Blixen struggled with drought, low crop yields, grasshoppers, and much more. Because of these irrepressible factors which did not allow her ongoing financial support, she was ultimately forced to sell her farm and move away. After some denial that she would have to leave her home of 17 years, Blixen resigned herself to the fact that she was actually leaving. She also compared the philosophy of the Natives to that of Europeans with regards to their destiny and fortunes, saying that the Natives are more able to accept the cards they are dealt in life. From her own personal strategy, as well as her comparison of Natives and Europeans, her philosophy becomes clear to the reader that certain out-of-control events do happen, but there may be nothing you can about them except have equanimity. 

by Annie Szcczurek Davis (www.PursuitofPassionatePurpose.com)

copyright 2011.  All rights reserved. 

 

FIVE SECRETS FOR STARTUP SUCCESS from Bob Metcalfe

We can learn much from those people who have successfully pursued their passionate purpose.  During the recent StartupCamp4:  Comm Edition (http://itexpo.tmcnet.com/west/collocated-event/w11-startupcamp-communications.htm)  at ITEXPO 2011 in Austin, TX where we were honored to present our startup Radish Systems, Bob Metcalfe  (inventor of Ethernet, founder of 3Com, author of Metcalfe's Law, Venture Capitalist, and Professor) shared his wisdom.

 

1. Learn from Steve Jobs.  Have the courage to FOLLOW YOUR HEART and INTUITION.  Do what you LOVE.  Live each day as if it were the LAST – someday it will be. (See Steve Jobs in the best video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc) 
2. A startup’s NETWORK is its secret weapon.  The fate of a startup is a function of the networks they form.
3. Successful start-ups have:  founders who do not let their ego get in the way of the company’s success (the success of the company is more important that having a certain person run it), focus, sufficient funding, good technology/product, and good leadership. 
4. The five most important qualities of a startup CEO:  has a lifestyle which brings forth great ENERGY (sleep, eat well, and get exercise), knows how to WRITE, can SPEAK, has ability to PLAN, and can SELL. 
5. The richest companies get money from CUSTOMERS, not from investors.

Theresa M. Szczurek (www.PursuitofPassionatePurpose.com and www.TMSworld.com and www.RadishSystems.com)

Harry Potter’s Business Success Secrets

Have you ever seen such a thing?  People pay a large amount of money to get the opportunity to stand in the hot sun for over an hour in a long line to be able to shop in a certain store.  Then when they finally get into the store, they spend lots of money buying theme products. Unbelievable?  That’s what hundreds of Muggles (non-magical types) did at “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” as part of the newest attraction in Universal Studios in Orlando, FL.  Wouldn’t every business love becoming an international craze with huge demand?

 

Over Spring Break 2011 besides attending the CTIA Wireless show, I experienced with my daughter one of the biggest business successes.  People of all ages traveled in from all over the world and spent lots of money for parking, entrance fees, food, and products.  As a Harry Potter fan, I must admit it was brilliant and the Hogwart’s Castle ride whereby you experienced being on a broom in a Quiddtich Match with Harry was the best ride ever.

 

7 Practical Pointers.  What are the Harry Potter business success strategies?  What can we learn and apply to our businesses?  Radish systems is using these.

 

1. Start with an exceptional product or service.  The Harry Potter book series by pauper turned billionaire J. K. Rowling was one of the biggest and most profitable publishing phenomena.  My daughter has read all seven books hundreds of times – no lie.  The product is different, is filled with characters readers can related to, is action-filled with magic and suspense addressing a universal good versus evil topic, and hit at the right time.  By dividing the book into many parts, there was anticipation for the next part of the story. One of the most important P’s of marketing, have the right product.
2. Be responsive to the market, your customers.  Here is another important P of marketing, know and respond to the people. Wouldn’t it be great if your customers can’t stop thinking, dreaming, and talking about your firm and your service? Your customers are your most important asset – without them you would have no revenue, you would be out of business.  If you make sure your customers are happy, they will keep coming back and make sure you are happy.  How often do you ask your customers and prospects what their pain is and how you can best resolve it?
3. Leverage success to breed more success.  The bestselling book, led to sell-out movies, which led to in-demand products, overflowing amusement parks, and much more.  It is the same concept that Starbuck’s and other well-known brands have used for concentric diversification and additional revenue streams.
4. Go viral.    Harry Potter came out just as social media channels began to take hold.  Readers spread the word to other readers.  When the park was about to be announced, the top 10 Harry Potter bloggers were invited to a private meeting.  They then spread the word virally.  Within 24 hours, millions knew about it. How can you use this most important promotional tool (another P of marketing)?
5. Think BIG.  Believe everything is possible.  Be open to the possibilities.  Use the Attraction Strategy to power the pull (as explained in Chapter 8 of Pursuit of Passionate Purpose, www.PursuitofPassionatePurpose.com). 
6. Surround yourself with great people.  Harry had Hermione and Ron, and Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix who were united in a common set of values.  Rowling found a great publisher and other support team members.
7. Be lucky.  It is said that luck comes when preparation meets opportunity.  Believe, prepare, and then act.  It is useful to be lucky.

Theresa Szczurek (www.TMSworld.com and www.PursuitofPassionatePurpose.com)

Obama Calls for ChoiceView to Share Visual Info during Mobile Call

During his 1/25/2011 State of the Union address, President Obama stated:

 

“Within the next five years, we’ll make it possible for businesses to deploy the next generation of high-speed wireless coverage to 98 percent of all Americans.  This isn’t just about -- (applause) -- this isn’t about faster Internet or fewer dropped calls.  It’s about connecting every part of America to the digital age.  It’s about a rural community in Iowa or Alabama where farmers and small business owners will be able to sell their products all over the world.  It’s about a firefighter who can download the design of a burning building onto a handheld device; a student who can take classes with a digital textbook; or a patient who can have face-to-face video chats with her doctor.”

 

President Obama could have had Radish’s ChoiceView in mind when he made this statement, because ChoiceView is making this happen. Radish, which recently announced January 4^th at the Consumer Electronics Show with its customer Scosche Industries, has the ChoiceView solution now to allow visual information to be shared during a call with this firefighter’s mobile device.  Here’s how:

 

Radish™ Sprouts Again with ChoiceView, First Communications-as-a-Service Platform Allowing Visuals to be Shared During Smartphone Call

 

ChoiceView allows callers to talk with a ChoiceView-enabled business while seeing visual information delivered to their smartphone by that business, either from a representative or an interactive voice response (IVR) system. ChoiceView increases comprehension, problem solving, and recall by as much as 50% over just hearing the information and improves the way businesses interact with its customers, field force, and other mobile stakeholders. 

 

ChoiceView Applications

 

• Firefighter Support for Emergency Response.  Firefighters need good information quickly.  With ChoiceView, the firefighter could discuss strategy with an offsite captain who is in a ChoiceView-equipped dispatch center while both are viewing the design of the burning building.  ChoiceView technology is available NOW – no need to wait five years for this solution!

 

• Visual Voice Response. Are you aggravated with lengthy audio phone trees when calling a company? With ChoiceView, you instantly see and hear menu options instead of listening to long, sequential lists. You can easily navigate tappable menus and view visual information in response.

 

• Complex Information Exchange. Need medical info now? You call a medical hotline to receive detailed audio instructions along with drawings of exercises and a video clip encouraging faster recovery. You save these visuals in ChoiceView for future reference.

 

• Technical Support. Tired of wasting time while a service rep reads critical info to you? With ChoiceView, you view a diagram and talk (or text) with the rep to quickly resolve the support issue. Here’s how Scosche Industries is using ChoiceView to support its auto accessory installers – cool!  More on that next time. 

 

• Mobile Commerce. Have you abandoned a website session in frustration? When help is needed, you launch ChoiceView directly from the enterprise’s mobile website. Session info is transferred so the agent knows exactly how to answer your call and complete the transaction.

 

Practical Pointers for You and Your Business

• Explore how your business can better support its mobile stakeholders?  Do you have a mobile strategy and at least a mobile website, a mobile app, or the need to share visual information during a call with a mobile stakeholder?   Let’s talk.
• Try ChoiceView now from the Apple App Store and demonstrate the newest capabilities:  http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/choiceview/id404719513?mt=8 
• Participate in a pilot?  Radish is offering a free pilot to qualified companies.  Check out http://www.radishsystems.com/contact/participate-in-a-pilot/

 

Make 2011 ALL that YOU want it to be!  The 2011 theme for success:  BELIEVE it is possible, VISUALIZE, and then take ACTION.

 

Theresa M. Szczurek (www.TMSworld.com, www.RadishSystems.com, www.ChoiceView.net)

RADISH SPROUTS AGAIN WITH CHOICEVIEW, FIRST PLATFORM ALLOWING VISUALS TO BE SHARED DURING SMARTPHONE CALL

Smartphone-based customer service in the cloud may be the hottest new technology coming out of the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, January 6-9 in Las Vegas. With the debut of ChoiceView™ – the first-ever voice and visual Communications-as-a-Service (CaaS) cloud solution for businesses to share visual information during an ordinary phone call with smartphone users – Radish Systems is now revolutionizing technical support, customer service, m-commerce, and information exchange business practices of a variety of industries ranging from consumer electronics and automotive accessories to hospitality and healthcare.

 

ChoiceView allows callers to talk with a ChoiceView-enabled business while seeing visual information delivered to their smartphone by that business, either from a representative or an interactive voice response (IVR) system. ChoiceView increases comprehension, problem solving, and recall by as much as 50% over just hearing the information and improves the way businesses interact with its customers, field force, and other mobile stakeholders.

 

Proven Voice and Data Standard. Over 15 years ago, Radish 1.0 developed the original telecommunications technology solution licensed by Microsoft, Rockwell, Intel, and dozens of other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) which became the defacto industry standard allowing data to be transmitted during an ordinary phone call. Radish’s products were also used by PC makers such as Sony, Hewlett Packard, Acer, and others to enhance technical support. Now Radish 2.0 introduces the ChoiceView CaaS Platform, today’s first integrated voice and data approach poised to transform smart mobile device communications. “The beauty of ChoiceView is that it works with an ordinary phone call.  ChoiceView doesn't disturb the existing voice infrastructure that callers and businesses are accustomed to using in their normal phone transactions," said Richard A. Davis, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Radish Systems.

 

Seeing and Hearing Increases Comprehension.  “Sharing visual information during a voice call greatly enhances learning, understanding, and memory,” said Steven Peskin, MD, MBA, FACP, EVP and Chief Medical Officer of MediMedia, Inc. “With ChoiceView, you achieve communication and learning objectives in less time with greater impact.”

 

“By enabling callers to see and hear complex information in real time on their mobile devices, businesses create ‘Wow, now I see what you’re talking about!’ moments, thus eliminating the classic frustrations with cumbersome service and technical support that have plagued callers since the invention of the telephone,” said Radish Systems CEO Theresa Szczurek. “ChoiceView goes beyond ‘click to talk’ or ‘live chat’ by adding the most critical dimension – live visual communications during a smartphone call. The result is faster information exchange and increased user comprehension.”

 

Benefits to Many Industries. With mobile device transactions quickly becoming the communications standard of choice for millions of users, the Radish ChoiceView software, SaaS, and OEM platform is poised for deployment into multiple vertical markets where customer service and technical support are the lifeblood of many businesses. ChoiceView is currently being tested by a number of companies in a variety of industries including healthcare, financial services, travel, insurance, e-commerce and call centers where new standards are being set with 15% and higher reductions in call-handling time. ChoiceView-enabled contact centers also create profit opportunities by enabling customer upselling and improving user satisfaction.

 

Demos Available at CES. If you are interested in a meeting and demo at CES or at another time to discuss the new ChoiceView solution, please contact Radish Systems at 720-440-7560 or www.RadishSystems.com.  The ChoiceView App is available now at the Apple App Store .

 

About Radish Systems

Radish Systems, LLC is improving the way businesses communicate with smart mobile device users through its ChoiceView technology platform, available as a general app on the iPhone and iPod Touch, or private-labeled as a custom application for individual enterprises and services. ChoiceView allows visual information to be shared during a phone call with smart mobile device users and results in faster, more rewarding mobile communications. Use cases include visual response systems, enhanced customer and technical support, and improved information exchange. For more information visit www.RadishSystems.com. 

Media please contact Stephanie Vanderholm, svanderholm@metzger.com, 303-883-8832

Theresa M. Szczurek (www.RadishSystems.com)

WHAT'S MOBILE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Going mobile could be the most significant technology trend your company has ever experienced.  Does your company have a mobile strategy? Have you updated and implemented it? If so, read and learn about gaining further competitive edge.  If not, wake up now or you will be left behind as your stakeholders – customers, partners, employees, and prospects – use mobile as their communications standard of choice.

 

The mobile communications market has exploded. 

• Comscore reports that a total of 234 million people age 13 and older in the U.S. used mobile devices in December 2009 with a projected growth rate of 3% year on year.
• Canalys reports that there were over 166M smartphones shipped worldwide in 2009 and over 143M shipped in 2008, with a year to year growth of 16.2%.
• A recent Nielson study shows that 28 percent of U.S. wireless subscribers now have smartphones, up from 21 percent in 2009’s fourth quarter. Smartphone adoption is expected to increase even more dramatically in 2011 with over 50% of all U.S. wireless subscribers projected to be using a smartphone by the end of next year.”

 

Mobile is the Standard.  Mobile device transactions are quickly becoming the communications standard of choice.  Increasingly people are using only mobile devices for their business communications.  Whether they want to receive customer support, access complex information, shop from a catalog of products, or complete financial transactions, users want to do so with a full understanding of their options.  People insist that their mobile device transactions be as quick, efficient, and understandable as doing business in person.

 

Key Mobile Trends. 

Morgan Stanley reports that:

• Major technology trends tend to last 10 years.  We have moved from mainframe computing in the 1960’s, mini-computing in the 70’s, personal computing in the 80’s, desktop internet computing in the 90’s, and now to mobile computing in the 2000’s.

• The number of mobile internet users will be larger than then the number of desktop internet users by end of 2013. 
• ‘Social media and mobile’ is very rapidly emerging as a game changing communications / commerce platform.
• Mobile is revolutionizing commerce with constant product improvements, location based services, instant local and online price comparisons, invitation-only time sensitive selective discounts, and immediate gratification with immediate content and digital delivery.
• Mobile coupons have potential to generate retail store traffic and sales.
• Branded mobile apps can drive incremental store traffic and purchases.

 

Mobile Challenges.  And yet with the move to more mobile internet computing, there still are difficulties.  The abandonment rates on mobile shopping as reported by Web Analytics, for example, are as high as 72 percent December 2009 to January 2010, with an average between 50 and 60 percent over the past two years.  What is the real cost to an Internet Retailer for those abandoned contacts?  DoubleClick estimates that shopping cart abandonment results in $4.51 of lost revenue for every $1.00 of revenue made from sales.

 

Practical Pointers.

 

1. Know your market. Make sure you are serving your mobile stakeholders.
2. Develop and implement a corporate mobile strategy that allows you to serve these mobile stakeholders.
3. Minimally launch a mobile website.
4. Consider other ways to support your targeted mobile market such as offering a mobile application and improved mobile communications that allows simultaneous seeing and hearing of information.

 

Radish Systems Case Study.

 

Radish Systems is helping businesses communicate more effectively with smart mobile device users.  Our ChoiceView solution overcomes the mobile challenges and allows your business to transform your communications with seamless voice and visual information exchange.  What’s that you ask?  Stay tuned.  Good news is coming soon.

 

Theresa Szczurek (www.TMSworld.com, www.PursuitofPassionatePurpose.com, www.RadishSystems.com)

8th Rockefeller Habit for Business Growth -- Diary of Radish, a tech start-up

“You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence is not an event - it is a habit.”

Aristotle, 384-322 BC, Philosopher and Scientist

 

Do you have good business habits?  Are your current habits getting you the results you need and want? Those firms using the Rockefeller Habits, as organized by Verne Harnish in his bestseller Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, along with the “Pursuit of Passionate Purpose” principles have an easier time producing great results.  Perhaps it is time to take your habits to the next level and as a result take your firm to the top.  Here is the 8^th Habit that the most successful, fast growing firms have embraced along with an example of its application at Radish Systems.

 

8^th of the 10 Rockefeller Habits.

 

8.  Ongoing employee feedback and input is systematized to remove obstacles and identify opportunities

• Employee hassles/ideas/suggestions/issues are being collected weekly
• There is a systematic process for addressing issues and opportunities
• Thank you cards are being written every week by senior management

 

Radish Systems Case Study.

 

Have you tried using a Stop / Start / Continue list with your team?  Radish now has a monthly all-hands meeting where we, among other items on the agenda, ask what we should stop doing, start doing, and continue doing.  At our last meeting, people unanimously wanted to continue this kind of forum.  Since our team is spread from CT to NC to TX to CO to CA, we hold virtual meetings using audio and web conferencing.  This is one means to get and address feedback. 

 

In weekly meetings each functional team discusses status relative to its Critical Metrics.  Additionally, this is the place for team mates to offer additional suggestions to dehassle the organization.  Those ideas are either reviewed and immediately enacted in the department, or brought forth to the weekly senior staff meeting for a decision.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I just sent out online Thank You cards to three members of our sales team who are living Radish’s core values and making progress with significant accounts.  I also sent a group thank you email to our Launch Team which includes creative and hardworking team mates from development, support, marketing, support, and administration. After defining what needs to be done by when and by whom in a detailed Launch Plan, they are using the “Divide and Conquer” strategy --  dividing a big task into smaller pieces and tackling the small piece until it is complete.  There is much to do.  Yet there is progress.  Providing the team a sense of progress builds intrinsic motivation to continue persevering.

Interested in more of the story? Follow Radish @RadishSystems and @ChoiceView on Twitter and on its blog at www.RadishSystems.com.

Theresa Szczurek (www.TMSworld.com and www.PursuitofPassionatePurpose.com)

HOW WOMEN LEADING TECH START-UPS HELPS EVERYONE - WHY,WHERE, WHY

There are not enough women leading tech start-ups.  The buzz is on ignited by the 8/27/2010 Wall Street Journal article “Addressing The Lack Of Women Leading Tech Start-Ups.”  As a serial tech entrepreneur, I participated in heated discussion for decades exploring why the dearth and how it negatively hurts society.  I propose four practical actions of what to do about it.  But first why, where, and why.

 

Why bother getting more women tech leaders?  Besides addressing gender equity issues, everyone stands to benefit – companies gain from female creativity and management styles, those companies’ customers, half of whom may be female, find unique products being brought to market in novel ways, the employees and people involved in the company benefit from women’s leadership, the women themselves self-actualize their potential, and our nation is ultimately more competitive from the outputs of more start-ups. The end result is a stronger tech engine.

Where do leaders of tech start-ups come from?  One proven path to tech leadership is to start as an engineer, scientist, mathematician, or computer scientist.  While women represent around 50 percent of the US graduates of law, medicine, and business degrees, the percentage of women graduates in engineering, science, and math graduates is well under 25 percent and has gone down over the years.  The National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) reports, “In 2008 women earned only 18 percent of all Computer Science degrees. Back in 1985, women earned 37 percent of CS degrees.”  The same under-representation of women is seen in other tech fields. In 1996, only 17 percent of bachelor degrees in Engineering were earned by women.

Disappointedly, many females who graduate with a technology degree do not stay in the field.  The Society of Women Engineers (www.swe.org) reports statistics that between 7-16 percent of engineers, depending on the discipline, are female. According to a National Science Foundation 2009 report, only 11 percent of the engineering workforce in 2003 was women.

 

Why don’t girls pursue tech degrees and careers?  That is the question the Girl Scouts Research Institute explored.  The Girl Difference: Short-Circuiting the Myth of the Technophobic Girl, through a synthesis of relevant research, shows the following: 

• Adults are not encouraging girls to pursue math, science, and technology-related courses.  (National Science Foundation)
• Girls and women do not encounter enough mentors in their career pursuits.
• Early childhood messages prevail. Boys are expected to learn about machines and how things work. Girls are not. Gender specific social expectations may play a role in limiting the likelihood that girls will be creators, shapers, and producers of technology.
• Girls reject computer games that are violent, and they find action gaming boring and repetitious. Girls prefer games that feature simulation, strategy, and interaction. (American Association of University Women, Tech-Savvy: Educating Girls in the New Computer Age).
• Women would be more attracted to computer science if it were integrated with other subjects and resulted in their ability to do something useful for society in their work. (Margolis, et al., Carnegie-Mellon University).

Four Practical Pointers of What to Do.

Stay tuned for my next article on what to do.  The answer is believe and act -- Believe it is possible to change the situation and take action.

 

Theresa M. Szczurek (www.TMSworld.com, www.PursuitofPassionatePurpose.com, www.RadishSystems.com)

Radish Illustrates 6th and 7th of 10 Rockefeller Habits: Szczurek Speaks 9/16 at Boulder BPW

Business growth can be a challenge for some firms. However, those firms that use the Rockefeller Habits, as described by Verne Harnish in his bestseller Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, together with the "Pursuit of Passionate Purpose" principles have an easier time growing. Thus, I'm continuing to review these habits and illustrate how they're being applied at Radish Systems.

6. EVERY FACET OF THE ORGANIZATION HAS A PERSON ASSIGNED WITH ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ENSURING THAT GOALS ARE MET.

	Income (P&L), Cash Flow, and Balance Sheet statements have persons assigned for each line item.
	An accountability chart has been created.

 

7. ALL EMPLOYEES CAN REPORT AT ANY TIME WHAT THEIR PRODUCTIVITY IS AND HOW IT COMPARES WITH GOALS.

	Smart numbers (key performance indicators) are identified for the organization.
	Weekly measures for each individual/team are clearly displayed and reviewed.

Radish Systems Case Study

During our Q3 strategic planning session, we explored which leaders of the company are accountable for key measures. For example, as CEO, I am responsible for: (1) Profitability, (2) Share price or market share, (3) Percent of "A" Players on the team, and (4) Raising new money (fundraising). These are the smart numbers I track.  Most important at this time are raising funds and hiring "A" players.

Radish 2.0 is a development-stage company funded to date by the founders. It's now time for Radish 2.0 to raise seed funds to carry it to the next stage of qualified financing. Thus, we have organized a Private Placement Offering to sell convertible debentures to selected accredited investors. These promissory notes may convert into equity interests in the firm at the time of its next qualified funding.

This approach worked well for Radish 1.0 and carried it until we secured a $3M round of venture capital financing. During that PPO time, Richard A. Davis (the co-founder of Radish) and I got married to each other. The weekend of our wedding, we raised enough funds to support the company for an additional six months.

In terms of "A" players, Radish has a strong team, many of whom have worked together in Radish 1.0 and beyond. This team has demonstrated the ability to create exceptional success. Over the past year (July 15, 2010 was Radish's first birthday), we have made great progress while working in stealth mode and mostly for sweat equity. Yet in reviewing the accountability chart of people and goals, it became clear that we need to augment our team with an experienced Marketing leader. Can you recommend an available, talented Marketing Director with proven expertise in B2B marketing of innovative technology? If so, please visit www.RadishSystems.com/careers.

Interested in more of the story? Hear Theresa Szczurek speak on 9/16/2010 at the Boulder Business and Professional Women meeting.  Register now at www.BoulderBPW.org

TWO MORE ROCKEFELLER HABITS FOR PASSIONATELY PURSUING BUSINESS GROWTH

Fast growing companies follow certain principles that the less successful firm do not embrace.  Last article, we covered three habits, and this article covers two more of these success principles for business growth.

Gazelles, or companies that grow more than 20% per year for 3 consecutive years, have overcome the barriers to growth.  Verne Harnish in his book Mastering the Rockefeller Habits shares, “As organizations move up the growth path they go through a predictable series of evolutions and revolutions.  The three barriers that prevent firms from moving along this path include:  lack of leadership, lack of systems and structures, and market dynamics.”  The Rockefeller Habits help firms overcome these barriers.  From my experience as a business coach, I know the habits work. 

Award-winning entrepreneur Henry McGovern, founder of American Restaurants, the largest restaurant chain in all of Europe with revenues over $3 billion, shared at a Fortune Small Business Growth Summit one of their secrets to growth and success, "We believe our motto that ‘Everything is Possible’ and use the Rockefeller Habits" Thus, we are using them in my new company Radish Systems (www.RadishSystems.com) along with the ‘Pursuit of Passionate Purpose’ success model. 

Practical Pointers on Two More Best Habits of Fast Growing Companies:

Last month I shared 3 of the 10 habits; here are two more.

4.  Clear understanding of the firm’s market position drives strategic planning and sales and marketing

· Brand promise and market (Sandbox) are clearly defined.

· The organization is aligned around 5 key strategies for growth.

5.  Reporting and analysis of Customer Feedback data is as frequent and accurate as financial data.

· All employees are involved in collecting customer data.

· There is a person assigned responsibility for customer feedback.

· All senior leaders communicate with at least one customer weekly.

Radish Case Study.  In our strategic discussions at Radish Systems (also known as Radish 2.0), we questioned who is our target market and who do we want to play with in our Sandbox.  Our purpose is to help businesses communicate more effectively with smart mobile device users.  Mobile device users are important and are definitely invited into our Sandbox; however our top priority customers (or playmates) are enterprises seeking to improve efficiencies in their contact centers and build loyalty with the stakeholders with whom they communicate.  In addition to working with our Alliance of partners, we use Willie Suttons’s Law, “Go where the money is!”

So what do we promise to deliver to our customers?  What is our brand promise?  A fast-growing firm does not come up with a brand promise lightly, so the ‘radishes’ gave it considerable discernment.  Radish promises:  happy, fast, rewarding experiences.

Radish has annual and quarterly strategic planning meetings where we establish and review our 5 key strategies for growth.  Additionally, we share customer feedback in our daily huddle and weekly meetings.  Because our customers are so important, we just hired the best Director of Customer Care we know. And so the Radish story continues…

What habits are you using to grow your business?

Theresa M. Szczurek (www.TMSworld.com and www.PursuitofPassionatePurpose.com)