Airbnb's Soul; 10 Great Logos; Tim Ferriss's 3 Tips; CEO Boot Camp #2

"...insights for agile scaleups"

HEADLINES:

This program provides one of the best platforms to access the minds of great entrepreneurs (and Verne) to help identify and explore ways to solve the constraints in both my industry and company.
	Steve Hall, CEO Boot Camp participant

Next CEO Boot Camp  -- the first, held last week, scored a 9.8 out of 10 - the next is March 7 - 10 for ten CEOs. More details below, but first...

Airbnb Finds its Soul -- do "unicorns" do all this purpose stuff? Fortune's Leigh Gallagher has an upcoming book titled The Airbnb Story (out Feb 14). Notes this excerpt in Fortune:

Sometime in 2013, Airbnb started thinking about reorienting its entire mission and center of gravity to better articulate the elements that made using its platform so unique. Douglas Atkin, the company's new global head of community, began by posing the questions, "Why does Airbnb exist? What's its purpose? What's its role in the world?" The answers to those questions, as Atkin puts it, would become "the rudder that guides the whole ship."

Airbnb Tagline/Logo -- Answering these questions (above) led to its tagline "belong anywhere" and its new logo/symbol. Take 2 minutes to watch the video and then scan the extensive excerpt to see the four things the new logo represents and how they arrived at their purpose (and initially didn't like). They wrestled with this decision like all entrepreneurs - but when they got it right it drives lots of decisions and the culture of the company.

Tim Ferriss's 3 Branding/Marketing Tips -- 4-hour guru Tim Ferriss does what Ferriss does best - get to the essence of something quickly. The three:

1. Own a category
2. Don't make a product for "everyone"
3. Forget "branding"

Take 30 seconds to read the details in this Fortune article.

Need a New Logo? -- do you have your own Nike-like "swish"? The iconic S-curve is ours. Fortune's 10 "Breakthrough Brands" in 2016 all have distinct logos. Take 1 minute to scan down through the list and then head to the drawing board.

Leaders are Readers -- the US swears-in a new President tomorrow. With the changing of guard (generally peaceful ☺), lots of stories are reflecting on President Obama's term. Notes this NY Times article:

Not since Lincoln has there been a president as fundamentally shaped - in his life, convictions and outlook on the world - by reading and writing as Barack Obama.

Even some good science fiction was helpful to Obama. One of my insight readers suggested some "speculative fiction" and I immensely enjoyed Ready Player One over the holidays. Take 3 minutes to scan down through the article to pick up some excellent book recommendations.

CEO Boot Camp #2 -- given the enthusiastic evaluations by the first 10 CEOs (half over $80 million, half under) we're hosting a second Boot Camp March 7 - 10 at the beautiful Marathon Retreat in Marathon, Florida (two hours south of Miami in the Keys). Four of the seats are already spoken for, so six remaining. Notes Jennifer Lyle, CEO of STS Healthcare:

Thank you so much for this experience. I have come back feeling excited and empowered with a clear game plan for 2017. Working one on one with you (Verne) was a highlight as were John's (Ratliff) stories. The content was presented in such a way that it really became actionable.

Arriving Tuesday evening March 7 (6:00pm) for cocktails, dinner, and opening session (CEOs went deep fast) the program is structured each day Wednesday - Friday:

9am - 1:30pm - Structured content and guided discussions 2:30pm - 5:30pm - One-on-One's with Verne - along with think and sun/activity time 6:00pm - Cocktails then dinner 8pm - ? - In and around hot tub where the real problems are solved!

CEOs can depart Friday afternoon or stay the entire weekend to further decompress for no additional charge ($7500 all-inclusive of food and accommodations). Concluded Tom Bemiller, CEO The Aureus Group:

It was the best education experience I've ever had.

Email Tanya Fraser if interested [email protected].

Executive and Forum Retreats -- looking for a 9 bedroom plus loft venue on the water in the Florida Keys with multiple pools, meeting spaces, board room, fully stocked bar, hot tub, etc. for your next forum or executive retreat then consider Marathon Retreat owned by YPOer John Ratliff. His place is designed specifically for these kinds of retreats and has six bedrooms plus a loft. I bought the place next door on the lake (200 ft. dock) with three additional in suite bedrooms.

EXITING: Thinking about selling the business for $40 million or more? Want to get 25% to 200% more than you thought? Request the whitepaper from the Exit Strategies Summit at Harvard from Denise Richmond at (610) 299-6466 or email at [email protected]

TECHNOLOGY:

Align Software puts everyone on the Same Page - Literally! See, in real time every person in your organization and how they are progressing on their priorities - alongside how they Align to the Company Priorities! Scale Up your Rockefeller Habits implementation with www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer and on your phone.

Better Book Club -- What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? Click here to watch Gazelles International President Keith Cupp describes the four most important attributes of successful clients. Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

And if you're interested in becoming a world-class certified Gazelles International coach, please go to gicoaches.com/becomeacoach for more information. If you determine that we're a fit and wish to join our premier organization, we invite you to contact our Dir. of Coach Engagement at [email protected] or 877.217.2253 ext.700.