I am the founder and CEO at CSG, a marketing services company in Redmond, WA. At CSG we help large technology companies increase revenues. I started CSG because I like to spend my time thinking of more effective ways to sell stuff and I wanted to create a Great Place to Work. Turns out both have their challenges.
I am very thankful for that because I have learned an incredible amount about myself and our business while pursuing these goals.
I am also involved in a number of philanthropic organizations in the Pacific Northwest including Emerald City Rotary, and Social Venture Partners.
On Facebook: I no longer use Facebook. Please use this page to contact me.
Why do I Write?
This is a logical question - although I have to admit no one has ever asked it. I am sure my reasons will evolve; here are my current reasons:
Organize My Thinking: I read and think about a great many subjects and often highlight books or make notes. Forcing myself to spend some time each day writing thoughts down that are clearly (I hope) presented seems to exercise a muscle I value. Knowing that other people read my writing causes me to think more deeply about things.
Put in my 2 Cents: Well yes I do have opinions and want to get them out into the greater conversation. My wife, kids and dog are grateful that I have another outlet for my opinions.
Promote my Company: Yes indeed I do have a company where we spend all of our time thinking about how to produce more revenue for our clients (mostly technology companies). This investment of energy has made us experts in Sales and Marketing in the technology industry and we work hard to promote ourselves and the ideas we think make a difference.
I am Biased
I wrote a post titled "Who is Writing" that worked through the different kinds of writing I have encountered. In it I proposed that expertise cannot be obtained without also obtaining bias. Here are a few of my biases (I am sure there are others). I list them with the hope that you will at least have my agenda out in the open. With any luck, this list will help me move off of the same old points and get on with writing interesting things.
Tech Marketing: My Company is in the Tech Marketing business and our claim to fame is to be highly measurable. We have many specific tools and methodologies that work to measure the value we deliver to our clients. Clearly it is good for my firm, our clients, and the marketing industry in general to work to stamp out marketing spending that goes unmeasured or poorly measured. The pieces I write in the Tech Marketing category are intended to provide insights on how to do this. I also will try to highlight happenings in our industry that I think are new, interesting, or important.
New Media: While I am quite interested in journalism and new media, I am by no means an expert and I think I am early enough in my study of this subject to be relatively free of bias. I find myself consuming more blogs, books, and podcasts on this subject than just about anything. This blog is my attempt to experience this subject area first hand and I will try to share what I am learning along the way.
Education: I have been involved in improving our education system for a long time and believe it is a very important area for the health of our nation. I believe the reform must start with the teachers. Not that we don't already have great teachers -- we just don't have enough of them. If we cannot figure out how to get our best minds into teaching, we are doomed.
Economics and Politics: Other than my participation as someone who spends money and votes, I really have very little to add in these areas. I do follow developments so I can make the most informed decisions possible. Consider the entries in these categories just thoughts I had when encountering the news. Incidentally I did vote for President Obama, who was the first Democrat I have ever voted for. Like our founders, I believe less government is better, but have never been a follower of Ron Paul.
Book Reviews: There are so many high quality book reviewers out there that I am sure I cannot add much in the traditional book review form. So please view my book reviews as if they were notes to myself on what I took away from the book. I usually put in links to other reviews so the reader can easily gather more information if needed.
How To: This category of posts just capture simple ideas I have employed in the past that may work for you.