Thanks to Lynch

John sent me a pretty kick ass article written by Perry Marshall from his monthly renaissance club newsletter. It was called "Escape from the Institutional Straight Jacket" and it was quite powerful in its message, debunking the (our) process of secondary education, exposing the unconscious conspiracy that has programed most of our students into minion employees of big business, the minions of middle management status quo, many of whom are unemployed and/or unhappy during this time of economic crisis. (probably more my editorial than the authors).

And since I was having a pretty good day yesterday; lately there has indeed been a bit of clarity in regard to the connecting of the dots, that winding trail that never ends, that garden of forking paths--the one that entrepreneurs travel daily in their quest for achievement...I was flattered by John's comment: "this made me think of you". Thanks John, right back at you my brotha.

And it did remind me of me...and my group of men and women who stay on path and choose to embrace our style of advancement. Kevin and I have embarked on some pretty cool stuff when it comes to unconventional process in marketing and development. It is a template...kind of, a guide to the unconditional taking in of information and the sifting process that leads to a connection. The "degrees of separation" are important--that is where the opportunities lie.

I usually go straight to the big question before he does, at what point does the commodity come in to play? In our case, it is food. Then it is backwards from there. We go to great lengths to get trucks of (it) through the back door of restaurants, institutions, multi-unit operators. We don't necessarily need to own the business but playing a role in getting a start up business off the ground and/or enhancing our clients ability to grow and/or perform is critical, for many reasons.

For example, if we have to build a sky scraper as an offshoot...for the purpose of sending a truck of food through the back door (so that we can prepare and sell a finished product to our client or their client), so be it. The residual process of building that sky scraper is what provides us the power and a warp-speed-power-jump through the winding path, right up to the next fork (opportunity) in the road.

How? Because of the relationships encountered during the conception, planning and build out--the referrals that come after, the exposure to the top people, the money managers, the investment culture and top operations people that you team with. Soon after, and if you perform well, they can't do another project without you. This is where its at folks, and if you haven't embraced this concept, by all means, drink the cool-aid.

Why do they need you? Case in point, I am no architect, nor am I an engineer, I don't have a college degree and, god forbid anyone yank up my high school transcript. But intuition always pulls me through the right door, especially now that I have finally reached "intellectual maturity"--the point that one decides that the unconventional, the fringe, the non-conforming diatribe is the subscription.

Intuition is an automatic file recall of experience, a sub-conscious and split second reaction to a good experience or a bad experience. In the "Blink" (Gladwell reference intended) of an eye, the entrepreneurs mind rifles through filing cabinets of exposures to "like" situations, pulling from, measuring, studying the patterns of success and failure, eventually spitting out the subconscious deduction and the answer to: which way to go. Success over failure is an odds game with supporting similarities, historic data with degrees of separation...experience, the likely hood of taking the right path is enhanced by experience and this comes from embarking on the journey. So, them not necessarily wanting to conform to popular opinion, they need you for your intuitive power. Big business needs entrepreneurs!

And that was what Perry's article was about. Our countries default to provide our students with conformity, rules, standards or conduct, speak when spoken to, read what is set in front of you, compete against others receiving the same information. It is a brilliant article and I recommend everyone read it. At the risk of alienating myself from the educational community, I forwarded it to several educators of entrepreneur-ism as a testimony to my ability to not conform and still get what is needed. I was a little apprehensive at first, but it was my duty to permanently label myself a non-conformer, as it relates to my style of business. If I am permanently the token wild card schmuck sitting around the entrepreneurial table, so be it. Click...send.

Again, thanks John Lynch for providing me with the good fodder.