Maroon Ventures Blog

“Everything is relative”

Okay, okay, context is important. Like much of the country, Crested Butte has been getting pounded by winter storms for the couple of weeks. In fact, I can only remember two days out of the last 14 that it didn’t snow. Yesterday, we woke up to 18 inches of fresh snow on the mountain. Like any good powder addict, I popped out of bed at the crack of 4:30, checked the snow report, gave thanks to Ullr (pagan god of winter/snow) and immediately made preparations for heading up to the mountain to catch one of the first chairs. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this wintertime ritual, avid powder skiers start lining up at the chairlift at least one hour before it opens in hopes of untracked powder. The higher the fresh snowfall, the greater the crowds and excitement.

So, as I stood in line for the fourth chair (I am such a slacker) I heard the following conversation take place.

“This winter is epic so far!” - New CB Resident

“This is nothing like last year. Last year we were getting 30 inches overnight, not 18” - Old CB Resident

“That was nothing like back in the 80’s when would get 50 inches overnight” - Older CB Resident

“Well, everything is relative I suppose” - New CB Resident

I started to think about that as I patiently waited another 30 minutes for the ski patrol to finish their avalanche routes and for the chair to start spinning.  Is that really true? I suppose it is largely true. Now that it is winter here in Crested Butte, the snow piles are starting to reach over 20 feet high in several areas. My 3 and 5 year old daughters eye these snow piles much as a mountaineer eyes 14,000 foot peaks. My daughters plot their routes up these snow piles and celebrate their successful assents with unabashed glee. They’ve started naming them and progressively picking harder routes to climb. That’s relativity in action.

I was speaking with my financial advisor the other day and he proudly proclaimed that my portfolio had out performed the index by 15% and his portfolio average by 10%.  That is to say, I lost 10% less money this year than his other clients. Ah…. the sour smell of success. That’s certainly relativity in action albeit painful.

This morning I woke up and it was –2 degrees outside when I walked to work (not counting wind chill). Two months ago I would have pronounced it a bone chilling frigid morning and driven to work. Now that I am in the full swing of winter I decided that is was delightfully balmy and walked to work. Okay, I didn’t really think that – I thought, “damn, it is cold outside but at least it isn’t –35”. Plus there was a 3 foot pile of snow that the city bulldozers left in front of my driveway overnight that prevented me from driving even if I had wanted. But that’s not important now. Back to temperature – that’s certainly relative.

The other week I was discussing the difficulties facing newspapers with a few colleagues. By any measure, these are trying times. However, as we cynically pointed out, at least newspapers can take solace that they’re not oh say US automakers, mortgage companies, investment banks, hedge funds and insurers – those guys are really screwed. Relativity at its finest!

So what isn’t relative. That I put to you is right in front of your face. Friendship, family, love, companionship and the sparkle in a child’s eye as they open their Christmas or Chanukah present. That my friends, is not relative. So on this Christmas Eve and fourth night of Chanukah, let us take time to reflect on the few things that we can all be certain are free from relativity.  

One more thing that isn’t relative – 18 inches of fresh powder will always, ALWAYS constitute a great powder day.

Happy holidays everyone! 

It is that time of year again here in the rockies - the annual unveiling of the White Ribbons of Death (WROD’s) all across the state. What’s a WROD? It is the one or two “runs” that a ski area opens up in November. A few open up a WROD in October. Basically, what they do is wait until it gets below 32 degrees F and make a ton of artificial snow.  

disclaimer: photo of a different ski area

The snow cats push the piles of artificial snow into a carpet or ribbon of snow that runs down a relatively low angle slope at the bottom of the mountain. When enough of the fake stuff has been pushed around they are then able to “open” the mountain.  If they actually open the mountain is another thing. (more…)

Since we are talking carnivores… thought I would throw this out there.

What is the absolute most powerful force in marketing in the last 20 years? Oprah! Seriously, whatever Oprah endorses or touches usually turns to gold. Remember when Obama was a 35 point underdog and she went up on stage with him? Remember how they said she couldn’t help him come from behind? How about Oprah’s book club? She could turn Game Theory for Applied Economics into an instant NY Times best seller just by picking it as her club’s book. 

Now, Oprah is going vegan. (more…)

Yes, it is that time of the year here in Crested Butte. In a town where dogs can sometimes outnumber people, the snow is melting and things are getting quite odiferous. Crested Buttians figured out how to solve this years ago - throw a party. Well, pick up poop and then have a party. Actually, it is really pick up poop, win some great prizes based on the weight of your haul, and then have a party. PooFest 2008 is officially scheduled for tomorrow, May 17th. I am not kidding… really. As the owner of a 120 pound pooch/doormat named Gunther, people have been scoping my yard out all week.

Just thought I’d share. Also, for those who were curious about Hank the Bear - he was eventually captured and relocated to a forest about a 100 miles a way. Hopefully we won’t see him as the Colorado Dept. of Wildlife does have a three strikes policy.

I am all about utility.  Life gets chaotic if you don’t keep the clutter and noise under control.  I wanna have fun while I’m moving through my day, but when it comes right down to it I want to get things done.  With that in mind, I’ve become pretty selective in the widgets and utilities I use online.  They need to help me stay connected, bring me the news and information I’m seeking, or replace a task that I would otherwise be focused on finishing.  I don’t think that’s asking too much.  Do you?

The widget does have to help with all and every task.  In fact, the smallest gestures make the biggest impact.  Last night I logged into Facebook. I’d received a new friend invite from a colleague I worked with in the Bay Area.  And, there on my profile page were reminders of two friends celebrating birthdays this week – Mike and Teresa.  What a wonderful thing!  Facebook is meeting my first criteria for a useful utility- helping me stay connected. 

I sent Mike a birthday note this morning and stopped by Teresa’s office to wish her a Happy Birthday. Without the FB reminder, I would have missed that chance.  I reminded a girlfriend over lunch of the two birthdays and she quickly scrambled to load them on her calendar.  Not necessary! Find the right tool that helps you stay connected and let the tool do some of the heavy lifting for you. 

Its all about utility; life’s too chaotic not to have a little help.

Father Sarducci was a product innovator. One classic invention was Mr. Tea. As he would explain, “you add the hot water and the tea bag, and Mr. Tea does the rest”. OK, so Mr. Tea wasn’t such a hot product. That doesn’t mean we can’t learn from him.

I have used the story of Mr. Tea many times when speaking with service providers. I used this as an example of how to approach the industry with turnkey solutions. The concept is simple; bring a solution so well thought out, so well integrated that the role and responsibility at the property level is reduced to the equivalent of being Mr. Tea.

The realty of this level of engagement is often times difficult for service providers to contemplate and even more difficult to achieve. In many cases service providers are quick to want to sell products and services and slow to contemplate expanding the scope of a total solution to encompass content development, revenue generation and market promotion. This involves more resources and more risk. And the companies willing to risk more will be rewarded with more opportunities to partner with their prospects and move the needle.

Today’s environment for media companies is complicated. Media companies are having to do more with less and often times to innovate in areas outside of their core competency. The pressure to perform is intense and the availability of capital, both human and monetary, is tight. So how can a service provider help a media company innovate, tap new communities of interest, and build stronger ties to their current customers? By leveraging the model of Mr. Tea to define the level of relationship you can bring to the table.

The challenge and the opportunity is to think of solutions in layers. Ultimately a platform or service must be customized and integrated. It will need robust and dynamic content. It will require a catalyst for revenue generation. It requires traffic generation and some form of marketing and PR to speak to the local community. The more layers a service provider can bring to a deal the easier the deal becomes. This implies a greater workload for the service provider but this displacement of cost and effort is the partnership the media companies values and in many cases will be the difference between doing a deal and not.

The key take away from this post is it isn’t enough anymore for a service provider to think in one dimension (their product). To be successful a product or platform needs to be Mr. Tea simple (add the platform, traffic, content, revenue and PR) and Mr. Tea will do the rest. Service Providers who understand this and that make legitimate efforts to bring this level of turn key service will stand out of the pack and enjoy greater success. They will prove their value beyond their product and that will be the key to a long and prosperous relationship.

Years ago I learned the story of the three stages of professional development. It goes something like this.
As a young person in high school you look around and notice the people that know a lot seem to be ahead of the game. So you learn that “its what you know” that makes you successful in life.
Several years go by, you are now late in your college years, and you notice that the people that are getting ahead maybe have good knowledge and maybe they don’t. And you also notice that the people moving on are well networked and seem to get along well with others. So you learn the next level, its not what you know, its “who you know”.
And now even more years go by. You have been operating under the guise of who you know for some time when you realize that still others seem to be advancing faster than yourself. You notice the more successful folks seemed to be contacted more, almost sought after for their knowledge, skill and connections. It then occurs to you; its not what you know or who you know, its “who knows you “ that makes you successful.
And that’s where the story ended. And I thought this was accurate. But recently it occurred to me there is more to this story. Something that holds the promise that it’s never too late to try something new or to take a risk. When I reflect on the doors that have opened for me over my career one thing remains constant; every new door that opened was a result of me taking a chance and doing something new. And each time an opportunity presented itself, and I had the good sense to take it, one thing always happened—I met someone new. It was when I met someone new that doors opened wider and new and exciting opportunities presented themselves.
So I have added a new level to the old story, and I let this one guide me:
Its not:
• What you know or
• Who you know or
• Who knows you that will guide your success
• Its who you have yet to meet that will most influence and alter what you are capable of.
None of us are ever too old or too experienced or too well known not to try new things or step through newly opened doors. Never adopt the attitude that you have met enough people or have tried enough new things. Growth is found in new experiences. Getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things, even if they are completely overwhelming, is the fastest path to growth. In these new experiences new relationships will be forged. And in these new relationships are where your most exciting adventures await you.
So next time a door opens, even it doesn’t seem to be a door, take a chance and step through it. Do something you ordinarily wouldn’t do, take a chance, do something that scares you. And prepare to move to new levels in your relationships and life.
My joining Maroon Ventures is the latest door that opened for me. I left the comfort of a job that I truly enjoyed with people I truly cared about. A door to a brand new adventure opened and I took it. And I can’t wait to meet the folks I have yet to meet. I know in them is the success I have been working towards.