Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Going Outside the Wire...

FOBS second mission: Conduct an Intelligence Gathering Mission outside of the FOB.

At some point, to gain insight into the environment around the base, you will have to plan intelligence-collection missions outside the base and head out beyond the wire...

...thank God my wife's and my family lives in Seattle, and that we grew up here.  Imagine if FOBS had to relocate back to Oklahoma! I ventured outside the FOB today and started talking with business/technology innovators.  There is a reason why Seattle was named Fast Company's City of the Year (Issue 135, May 2009; http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/135/seattle-grace.html?page=0,0).  I heard the innovation, witnessed the optimism, and read the entrepreneurism that thrives here.  Like an old military Field Manual, Seattleites are posting blogs (Seattle Urbanspoon founder offers bootstrapping advice: http://www.techflash.com/venture/Ten_lessons_in_bootstrapping_from_the_founders_of_Urbanspoon_44968952.html
; Seattle serial entrepreneur post five reasons not to quit startup efforts: http://www.inspiredstartup.com/top-5-quitting-reasons/),twittering, and facebooking each other to encourage technological creation, business acumen, and financial survival within this difficult economic environment.  There is a reason why I know I will go native again in Seattle and be among my people - technological entrepreneurism is just like unconventional warfare - under the most severe conditions, people innovate in order to survive and increase their chances of success. FOBS experienced that in spades today.

In yesterday's post I spoke of SCRs, and how much business intelligence/data they have access to, and how they could use that information to suit their own ends.  However, I was reminded today that SCRs can be the connective tissue in the business community, utilizing technology to create collaborative space, allowing competitors to work together, thus allowing new products and services to be created. 

FOBS is going to bring this insight back inside the base and analyze the information...


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