Valentine's Day is coming...

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here

Courtly love... the romance of knights and princesses.

Various legends, good PR and time, has suggested that the first Valentine's Day card was written by Valentine himself. He wrote it to the daughter of his jailer, who was no longer blind due to Valentine's divine intervention and signed it, "Your Valentine." The next day they executed him. It seems back in the day there were a number of martyrs named Valentine, and through their trails and tribulations, February 14th became a special day. 

Romantic and courtly love started to take hold and by the 18th century February 14th had evolved into a day for the sharing of flowers, candies and hand written cards (called valentines) with those you loved. With the advent of the industrial revolution and the mass production of greeting cards, modern Valentine's Day was born. 

Fast forward to the 21st century and Valentine's Day has now evolved into a commercialized venture with roses at $15 a piece and overly priced restaurant meals; with this, year after year, a counter revolution to this sacred day has been growing (in light of those thrown to the lions). While part of this is the result of higher than usual pricing, there is also those who do not have a "love" at the moment or "are not a couple" and this day comes across as a condescending slap in the face. We have all known heartbreak, a love lost or a love never realized and it can be painful... quite a lot actually. We just don't need the Valentine's Day industrial complex reminding us.

So it is an interesting situation we have here, as love and the recognition of love is a very noble endeavour but it has evolved in such a way that we want to "stab it" in the proverbial heart with cupid's arrow. What are we to do? As with all problems, it requires a different perspective to help us understand the situation; and this is where wise mentors or just down right smart people come into play (this is my subtle business commentary in an obviously social, lighthearted, blog)*. In the case of this Valentine's Day situation, I turned to the master Louis Armstrong or as we like to call him, 'Satchmo". For those of you who are not familiar with Louis Armstrong, he was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and arguably the most influential figure in jazz music. It was Satchmo who introduced me to the song "What a Wonderful World" and a new perspective on Valentine's Day; the song is a bit of an anthem for me and it goes like this:

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed the day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
But they're really saying is I love you.

I hear baby's crying and I watched them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.
Yes, I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I look at Valentine's Day not in the limiting context of a couple staring into each other's eyes**, but more as to how Louis Armstrong sang of this wonderful world. It is the line, "I see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do, but what they're really saying is I love you", that gives me a new perspective of what Valentine's Day should mean (and does mean). So go shake someone's hand or give them a big hug, as frankly, it's more meaningful than a $15 rose. I think it's how many of those Valentines would have wanted it.

So here's to this wonderful world, particularly on Valentine's Day.

gpe

*Do you have your "go to list" of experts and wise council that you can refer to? You should.

**Couples staring into each other's eyes, is one of the top ten things a couple can do together, maybe even the top three.

Thank you...

This post, although short, is very special as it is dedicated to the 10 people who currently subscript to my bi-weekly blog. I wanted to take the time to thank you for subscribing; it's not just that though, I also want to thank you for your feedback, your editing, your interest, the "retweets", your ideas and your comments.

In the three months (as of today) that I have been blogging, I have discovered a number of things:

1. I really, truly, like writing... wait... it's more like story telling I think.
2. The process I go through is the same, blog after blog... I start off with an idea, then words on the page which lead to this emotional roller coaster: "I like this".... "I hate this"..."grammar is stupid (and so is spelling)", and ultimately "this is pretty good" - SEND.
3. I don't know why people are afraid of punctuation? The semi colon is so much fun. Use as you see fit.
4. It seems I have an opinion on many things.

I am not "pushing" this post out to any other social media, so in a practical sense you are currently the only ones who will read these words, and for that I am very grateful. I want to share this with you with great appreciation.

"I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness ad more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind."

Neil Gaiman wrote this, who if you do not know, is the husband of Amanda Palmer... and we all know the big crush I have on her.

As they say, "all writers start with zero readers". Thank you for being my first ten.

gpe

A tribute to Billy B...

I heard a song on the radio the other day and I was instantly reminded of Billy B*, as well as a time that was so professionally and personally fun. A while back, when business was flush with opportunity, daring, well run and not so burdened by the administrative and operating mechanisms that are prevalent in much of today's business frame work (a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away** it could be said), there was Billy B who was a part of this fabric; in sales administration and a jack of trades, he was indispensable to a small sales organization and I worked closely with him to deploy marketing initiatives through the sales channel. This is how I got to know him.

This story begins in a hospitality suite*** which, if you are familiar with them, is an oasis at the end of a long day... more often than not offering adult refreshments. It is here that one night Billy B stands up and starts to sing one of the most classic rock & roll songs ever written**** with great gusto, talent and engagement; so much so that his small audience is mesmerized. The next day saw us back to our world of sales and marketing.

Our next sales meeting inevitably led to the hospitality suite, where there were a few more people and of course memories of the previous meeting. This in turn led to Billy B serenading the group with song and great fun; it was here that someone suggested they would bring a guitar for next time (i). The next couple of years passed growing the business, the sales team and the hospitality suite - It was Billy B, two guitarists and someone on percussion using a table and every person who was attending the meeting (ii).

And then it happened, word came down that our next meeting would be a North American event and the hospitality suite would go international. This meeting was bigger and after all the activities there was the comfort of the hospitality suite, Billy B, the music and a slightly bigger crowd than in the past. The word of Billy B had started to spread. 

With the business growing rapidly there came a couple of watershed moments; the hospitality suite closed its doors to make way for a larger, more formal Sales Banquet and the band playing one time let Billy B and a couple of his "musicians" take the stage (it was at the end of the night and they didn't seem to have any issues). With most of the room empty by that time, Billy B started to sing, cheered on by his die-hard supporters (iii). Over the next four or five years the crowds got bigger at the end of the banquets, the participation greater and always, I mean always, Billy B would grace the stage engaging the crowd with his signature song. By the end, Billy B (in full costume with a full back up band) had 400 people dancing and singing along with him (iv). 

Change, that only true constant, found the business needs move in a new direction, as is the way with a sizeable merger and acquisition. With this, Billy B never had the opportunity to sing again... deep down though, he was all right with it as I can remember him saying "it's time for someone else to take the reins". No one ever did...we had moved past those times into new ones (v).

There is great nostalgia with writing this but it also struck me this is a wonderful illustration of a product life cycle, and if you want to get philosophical, how life works. Before anyone gets disheartened here, do remember that maturity can be extended through line extenders or continued refinement to stay relevant. More importantly, and never forget this... you can always just redevelop yourself and start the curve all over again. That is where the real fun and excitement is.

Billy B is retired now and I hope he is still singing.

gpe

Footnotes

• (i) Product development, viability and understanding market need.
• (ii) Product introduction, engagement with early adopters and an opportunity do optimize marketing message.
• (iii) Product growth and a time of great excitement.
• (iv) Product maturity and the height of opportunity.
• (v) Product decline due to changing markets, competition and substitutes. 

* I have changed Billy B's name a little but anyone who was there will know whom I am referring to and I expect they are smiling. 

** I am very excited about the next instalment of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

*** The hospitality suite is where the sales force would gather after the day's activities to meet, network, have drinks and bond - More often than not a hotel suite.

**** The song is Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones. As I look back at this, there is know doubt it was the perfect anthem for the sales force. See lyrics below

Satisfaction Lyrics

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm driving in my car
And the man comes on the radio
He's tellin' me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to drive my imagination

I can't get no, oh no, no, no
A hey, hey, hey, that's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm watchin' my TV
And a man comes on and tells me
How white my shirts can be
But he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarettes as me

I can't get no, oh no, no, no
A hey, hey, hey, that's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no girl reaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm ridin' round the world
And I'm doin' this and I'm signing that
And I'm tryin' to make some girl
Who tells me baby better come back maybe next week
'Cause you see I'm on losing streak

I can't get no, oh no, no, no
A hey, hey, hey, that's what I say

I can't get no, I can't get no
I can't get no satisfaction, no satisfaction
No satisfaction, no satisfaction
I can't get no

Songwriters
Keith Richards;Mick Jagger