Monday, July 26, 2010 at 6:03PM by Jason Markow 
The image above says it all! Stay tuned for more information including a recording of the talk the minute it is available!
If you have any interest in seeing the talk streamed live online leave a comment or send me an email. If enough people are interested, I will make the necessary arrangements to ustream it.
t(h)ink on.
Thursday, July 22, 2010 at 12:23PM by Jason Markow
Attention t(h)inkers, I need your help! This Friday the deadline for speaker submissions to Ignite here in San Diego closes, and I need your votes!
If you are unfamiliar with Ignite, the format is quite simple. Each speaker is allotted exactly 5 minutes to talk. Their powerpoint presentation consists of exactly 20 slides and auto plays while you are speaking. I am proposing to talk about how sending one email (telling a company their website sucked) led to eating PB&Js with (and made by) award winning superstars while assisting in the gulf oil spill cleanup. In other words: How ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
If you have 12.8 seconds or more PLEASE click here to vote for me! You are given ten votes by default, and if you think my talk is worth it, you can give me up to three of them! If selected to speak, I will record the show and get it uploaded here for those who can't make it out.
For those who can, the talk will be held on August 3rd at 7:30 PM at the HIVE Co-working space located in San Diego at 241 14th Ave San Diego, CA 92101.
t(h)ink on.
Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 3:14AM by Jason Markow
Hello t(h)inkers. How are you? Fantastic. A funny thing has been happening on youtube the past 72 hours. As if the latest Oldspice commercial (above) were not enough, and for many (companies and ad agencies) it would be. The team behind the towel wearing smooth talker has truly redefined "social" media.
If you are late to the party, here is the deal: Isaiah Mustafa the "Guy wearing the towel in the Old Spice commercials" has been firing off video replies, on set and in full constume, to people who have either "@ replied" on twitter, commented on youtube, or commented on Facebook and more. There are, as of this writing, well over 150 video responses by Isaiah uploaded over the course of the last two days. The videos range from flirting with Alyssa Milano to a real wedding proposal. In some cases Isaiah has sent responses that respond to the responses of his first response. In other words (take note fellow marketers) Old Spice is engaging in conversation on a level that has never been done before.
This strategy by Old Spice has propelled them (again, as of this writing) to the #1 Most Visited "channel" on the #2 Most Popular Search Engine (that would be YouTube and is only behind Google) on the web. They have rocketed to the #3 Most Subscribed Sponsor Channel of all time. In other words, they found a way to attract eyeballs... and KEEP THEM.
Although Isaiah claims to be "The man your man could smell like" I think in reality he represents "The campaign your campaign would sell like"... that is if they had thought of this first. Now enjoy the rest of your Thursday with some of Tt(h)B's Favorite Responses below (but be warned, these videos may result in minutes (even hours) of lost time, or even pregnancy):
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 1:19AM by Jason Markow This talk is easily one of the most powerful, timely, and important talks I have seen come out of TED in a long time. This sums up just about everything wrong with the spill and where the impact will be felt at all levels.
The talk is 4 seconds shy of twenty minutes, and it is well worth the watch.
Sunday, July 11, 2010 at 5:14PM by Jason Markow One small shift we are making here at The think (here) Blog is that we are going to spend a bit more time on the topic of investing. From the stock market to the farmers market there are opportunities everywhere to make small changes today that will have a big impact tomorrow. Many people talk the talk in the world of "Pay It Forward", but few walk the walk. Here is the first of hopefully many investment ideas:
Think (Investment) #1: Grow Your Groceries
If you have just a small area of outdoor space (In this case 4' x 4') one simple investment would be to start a garden. Here is the breakdown:
1. BUY- A garden box, soil, and enough plants to fill it (in this case 9).
2. PLANT- Get set up... Wait.
3. EAT.
The entire setup (4'x4 Box, 8 cu/ft soil, 9 plants) was around $75.00 (although I am positive it can be done for half that). This means each plant needs to yield $8.33 worth of food to break even. (For ex.- Bell Peppers run about $1.25 at the local market meaning I need our pepper plant to produce 6-7 peppers over the lifetime of the plant to break even.)
Once you pass your break even point it is all gravy (... or 'veggie' to be more precise.)
Some may argue that the 'time' spent establishing and tending to the garden drive up the cost. Time is, after all, our most finite resource. However, I would actually argue the time spent is an added value and not a cost. Slowing down enough to understand the time and energy that goes into food can be at once therapeutic, humbling, and an exercise in persistence.
They say most things worth doing are worth doing well. So take action. Get to know your food. Invest in your future.
T(h)ink on.
(Still) Sent from my iPhone.
Sunday, July 11, 2010 at 12:32PM by Jason Markow Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes. It is not just your tech support that has been outsourced. These days the high price of low cost has led to some dramatic (albeit creative) courses of action.
I bought a tomato yesterday. Today one word on the label caught my eye: Canada... CANADA!?!? A little research, and an evening watching Food Inc. (yea I know I am about two years late to the movie but better late than never) taught me that the average meal comes from over 1500 miles away.
If you are late to the party (like I was) rent/buy Food Inc., watch it, and take action. Buy local! It doesn't only help fuel you, but your local economy too!
T(h)ink on.
Sent from my iPhone.
Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 5:07PM by Jason Markow A conversation with a friend today was focused on the events in life that seem to catapult you to the next level. After thinking a while about this I came up with a few interesting points:
1. Although effort an entrepreneur puts into his/her work remains constant, the output and available opportunities usually resemble a stair step pattern (long periods of incremental growth followed by short periods of substantial growth).
2. The times when you are simply plugging away and think that you are not getting anywhere are both misleading and essential to reach that next level.
3. The "Leaps" only happen if you 1.) Chase It 2.) Embrace It, and 3.) Give it 100%.
Sent from my iPhone.
Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 8:58AM by Jason Markow Before a meeting this morning I took a walk on Oceanside Pier. For the early hour the pier was packed. Fishing poles lined each side of the walkway. Their even spacing broken only by small groups of their rightful owners swapping stories.
I stood their long enough to see who was catching anything and who was not. It was no surprise that it was the men who had a greater number of lines in the water. The more opportunities you make for yourself, the better your chances of success.
How many lines do you have out right now? Are you maxed out, or are you nursing that one, safe, comfortable line?
A Quick Side Note: The app I'm using to post has no ability to bold text... Unless I were to BILLY MAYS IT.
Sent from my (screen cracked) iPhone.
