The Jack White School of Business

I’m noticing that the guys behind the blog that covers the Philly Startup Scene tend to have a better grasp on business fundamentals than some of the “startups” included in their coverage. I’m guessing it’s a blend of their own savvy, the fact that they’re learning from the successes and failures of industry they’re covering, or some combination of the two.

Either way, TechnicallyMedia co-founder Sean Blanda has a rock-solid post about the things he’s learned about his own priorities in business from musician and creative businessman Jack White.

Blanda focuses on the value of constraints as creative fuel, the importance of taking ownership of your work, and a focus on simplicity. The whole piece is a a worthwhile read, and is peppered with White Stripes videos for extra taste.

Startup Therapy Talks Trust

A new group of Indy Hall members have been self-organizing for the last few weeks for a self-titled meetup dubbed “Startup Therapy”. I’m excited to see what sort of antidote this group is able to provide for curing some of the most troubling issues I (and many others) have with Philly’s startup culture.

One of the members, Brian Glick, penned a brief post inspired by a conversation the group shared at last week’s meeting regarding selling into big companies. He mentions an article with some things to consider when selling to the BigCos. But I smiled as I read the next part:

One thing that this article overlooks (or maybe assumes) is that you need to build personal relationships based on openness and trust.  Big companies are made up of real people.

If you’ve been following along here, I’ve been writing a lot about the importance of trust (1, 2, 3).

Startup trends come and go, but the causes and effects of trust in business are age-old. I don’t think the article assumes anything, I think that on the whole people forget the significant impact of this simple priority. Brian’s attitude towards building trust and authentic relationships is one I wish more people made a part of their public dialogue.

Disruption, the good kind, is that experience that makes you turn your head, question where you are, why you’re seeing or doing what you’re doing. There’s usually an element of curiosity to it. In the best cases, there’s an element of participation.

P’unk Ave, with support from Indy Hall, is going to be creating Adirondack chairs made out of discarded crate pallets, and placing them in public places with the hopes of people using them to gather and converse. During DesignPhiladelphia, P’unk Ave is going to host workshops to build them. The chairs won’t be bolted down – instead people will be encouraged to move them around.

My hope is that these chairs find themselves into interesting places, scenes, photos, and discussions. I just wish I got to see what these chairs will see.

• Elon Musk

I can almost see myself writing this while wearing a scorched Philebrity trucker hat, as the piece oozes with my fairest attempt at their trademark snark.

For reference, Indy Hall was nearing it’s 1 year birthday at this time (today we’re fast approaching the ripe age of 4), and I still wrote about social media on my blog. Ha!

It’s nice, though, that my sentiment that “the internet should bring us outside rather than keep us inside” still holds true.

Enjoy.

Roads? Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads

And thank god for that, cuz our roads have 4’ wide potholes and traffic backed up along the SchuylkillExpressDistress-way.

The local history of the internet’s contributions to Philadelphia’s culture is rich and exciting, as we’ve learned this week. But what does our future hold for internet and technology in the city of brotherly love?

Luckily, we don’t need a Mr. Fusion-powered Delorean to step into the future of the Internet in Philly.

Will city-wide wifi ever happen? Not if it’s the city behind it. More likely, we’ll one day flip on our iPhones to discover that the guys at The Hacktory have figured out how to cover the city with a user-powered mesh of wifi hotspots. And with ubiquitous internet connectivity, you’ll always have the option of reading the latest post on Philebrity while waiting for a Septa train or bus, which is inevitably late. Apparently, public transportation isn’t any more reliable in the future. iSepta will settle a legal dispute with SEPTA by renaming their app to SorryYoureStillWaitingForTheTrainYouShouldProbablyCallACab.com.

Comcast and Verizon will continue their skyscraper pissing match, spending all of their energy showing the skyline “whose is bigger,” while Verizon continues leaving customers wondering, “When on earth will FiOS get to my neighborhood. I heard it was coming in 2008.” Comcast’s twitter-loving evangelist, Frank a.k.a @ComcastCares, will inevitably burn out from personally replying to each inquiry. Luckily, in the future, Comcast has cloned Frank into an army of Franks, giving them an edge on customer support. That’s right. In the future, Comcast’s customer support won’t suck, but the prerequisite is the invention of cloning. You heard it here first.

Ultimately, though, the future of the Internet in Philadelphia looks extremely positive. With every new technological advance, it brings our communities closer together and does a better job of helping us discover each other and the great things we have just beyond our own doorsteps. Just don’t forget that the future of what the Internet has in store for us isn’t inside your web browser, it’s what your web browser gives you access to that you get to experience in real life.

Get outside and enjoy the future. Just don’t try to bring your Hoverboard™ to Love Park.

Somebody says something, we respond with the first thing that comes to mind.

Somebody does something, we do the first thing that comes to mind.

Somebody writes something, we comment the first thing that comes to mind.

It’s not that our reactions are wrong, it’s that they’re reactions. They’re not fully formed thoughts or actions or statements, run through the filters of critical thought and reason. And most of the time, they’re shared in a way that’s only going to elicit more reactions, rather than more critical thinking and reasoning.

The next time you’re about to react, stop. Pause.

Take a deep breath.

Count to three.

Do this ten times.

And see how your reaction changes.