let it bleed...

I believe that what you do for a living OR the company you work for should be an extension of who you are inside. Otherwise, blood flow just isn't the same.

As the team works on the documentation to explain to businesses the step by step process (basically, the instruction manuals)  I notice something that I am quite proud of.

Instruction Manuals - probably the least fun part of the 12.12.12 launch - is still exciting enough to keep the energy level high among the group.  You see, as they put together these final pieces, the entire package becomes visible to them for the first time.

It's exciting to create something from nothing.  It's exciting to try and turn lead into gold.  It's exciting to see the looks on people's faces when they have seen what they have actually created.


We are all against a clock.  It's not just businesses....people too.  So, the way I see it, if you don't wake up everyday looking forward to the next project than somethings wrong.

I see people come to work everyday and put their all their thoughts, energy, and BLOOD down on paper...giving it their all for what I believe is an extension of who they are inside.  And that is what defines people.

Here are just a few pics of one of the manuals.  So simple - an extension of who we are

The next project is coming...Let it bleed people!

Three point oh...

GoNextWorld 3.0 - Sleek, Simple, Red and Black

Kinda reminds me of a Joan Jett video...


 New design for the merchant management app.

 Yep...its Free.

One of the 9 automated reports.  View any date and time...at anytime.  See if your advertising actually works :)

...

and this is what the business will see  when its fully integrated in the Point of Sale Provider like it is in the worldwide POS Pizza v6.4

Management Backend for POS Pizza Customers...

philosophers stone...

I came across this video link (below) the other day.

 It goes to show ya... some people will have some amazing stories to tell when they are 60 years old and sitting by a fire on the beach....

video = click this link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5bhTt69H-0&feature=player_detailpage#t=80s 


..

I hope I will have some good stories to share.

Something tells me, that December 2012, will be a good start.

The harder the road...

As we continue to test the new reports around the clock, I figured to spend a few minutes to show you a few of the updates.

1) Members can Check-In to be rewarded instead of providing a phone number at all participating businesses.

Remember, the merchant is prompted to ask if customer would like to be rewarded by GNW for their purchase  ON EVERY PURCHASE via their own Point of Sale system.  This ensures that each customer can be rewarded and that the business has a rewards program that is SYSTEM automated which helps for TRUE accuracy in the backend reports.  The customer could simply give their phone number at checkout to the cashier or check-in via GoNextWorld to make it even faster and they only have to say their name.  At bars and restaurants, you have to say your last name anyway to close out the tab or to pick up a pizza.  If the customer checks-in, it will show up on the screen to the left. 

2) Rewards Never Expire ...if the member stays active with using GoNextWorld atleast once every 90 days.  This rewards those that consistently support our participating merchants and it gives them a chance to accrue some serious $$$ to save on everyday spending.

3)  U.S. States have been segmented by zones and zip codes for the commencement of target marget advertising :)

4) Uniform Pricing and structure is set in place for advertisements.  Since mobile advertising is so new, we do not believe "impressions" are effective enough on the mobile platform -  60% of mobile ad clicks are by accident.  So, we have taken a new route.  You will see it soon. 

5)  Reports have been optimized for better decision making and for absolute clarity.  The more steamlined each report is, the greater the amount of Business Intelligence captured and provided.

6)  24/7 Testing continues.  The due date is near.  I missed Walking Dead this week because of it, so you know its serious. As that the date approaches, sleep time becomes less and less.  But that's why we do it...

Because the harder the road....the easier it is to tell the story...

"like a million lions"...

Yesterday, I spent some time with friends and family.  It was great to see them all again.

Today, I will be doing the same.  However, it will be a little bit different.  Instead of looking forward to the freshly made stuffing, I will be looking forward to:   testing all the reports for the entire day....and leftover stuffing, of course.

Here is a sneak peak:

Then, they will be able to target market advertise to Women, 15203, under 30 years old VIA GoNextWorld.

...And the results are in...
 

 They DID increase women shopping frequency and SALES.

footprints on my ceiling...

My first car in 2001 was an old 1988 Honda Civic.  It was my baby.  The only problem was that it did not start in the sun.  Yes, i'm serious -  it did not start if it was sunny out.  I called it "the night rider."  

After asking around for weeks, we found a guy who knew how to fix it.  Turns out, it was only a $50 item called a main fuel relay.  Once it would get to a certain degree in the car, hairline fractures would expand and disconnect.  Therefore, the fuel pump could not turn on and the car would not fire up. 

It was a relatively simple fix...but it took asking the right person to figure it out.   The car never had a problem on the sunny days ever again.

This is pretty much the case with trying to accomplish anything that is not the "norm".  Finding the right person who knows how to solve an issue takes time.  Nothing big can be done alone.  Nothing.

Some people's weaknesses are other people's strengths.  In order for a company to survive the constant battles, all weaknesses must be protected by the others strengths.

So, on Thursday, when I am sitting in front of some homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, and some cranberries, Ill be thinking about how lucky we as a four year old company are to find a solid team of people that have the answers.

Thanks gang.



Day or night... we will be ready.

#121212

The night is coming...

For the past few days, we have been preparing the new office location.  Moving is not fun.  But, once we were able to see the office come to life, it feels like a breath of fresh air.

The concentration on efficiency is the main drive behind the move.   The technical division of GNW (Summit Computer Networks) has taught me quite a bit about efficiency.

Being less than 4 years old, we are still finding new ways to make GNW more productive, leaner, and faster.  Creating a world of simplicity is top priority to us now.

The transition of Headquarters must be final by 12.12.12, so there is little time to waste and the move is just another layer to the onion.  What keeps me up at night are the new additions that businesses will be able to access.

Now, businesses will be able to breakdown their repeat customers to "Gold (BEST Customers), Silver (Good Customers), and Bronze (Customers that shop every once in awhile)" customers.  They have the ability to define these categories themselves!

So, if you are a Restaurant in Idaho, you can search Progress, Habits, and Transactions on Customers that come in Once per week as your Gold Customers, Once per month as Silver customers, and Once per Year as Bronze Customers.

Then, you can use the tools we provide you to see if what you do on your own OR THROUGH US if you are increasing their frequency. ---Mobile Target Market Advertising unlike ever before----- 

So, as the nights last longer and THE NIGHT approaches, there is little motivation that is needed to get through these next couple of weeks.

However,  there is a framed quote from Thucydides (a man who wrote about war in 400 B.C.) that  I received as a gift on day 1 of GNW many years ago.  It never leaves the desk.

It states " The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it."

To the GNW team , The night is coming, time to go out and meet it.

#121212

These are the days...

I remember a place, deep in the woods,  where we used to go to party when we were kids many years ago.

We really had some amazing times there.  Most people would look forward to midnight when the "DJ" would turn the music loud and the energy picked up.

I, on the other hand, always looked forward to the preparation BEFORE the party.  That is when only a few people gathered to light the fire, and anxiously wait for what the night had in store. 

Anticipation before a big event is almost always as exciting as the event itself.

I can relate this to the changes we have made over the years to GoNextWorld.  The August 1st Cardless launch was a day I will never forget and it was a day that took 6 months of preparation.

The December 12th deployment might be a little more serious, though.  We went cardless on August 1st, but no one outside of PA would see it.

That will all change on December 12th.  Since GNW will be bundled with a current software package that's already nationwide, its one step closer to the real vision.

As the 14 people from the GNW team work to get everything ready for the big event, I feel like listening to some music.

"DJ", can you play something from the ol' days that might make for a good/cheesy montage someday? .....

Thanks

 The preparation BEFORE the big event is still my favorite part.

You better believe...

Since you (the reader) are following along in the "Tale of how GoNextWorld changed the way people shopped", I figured to let you see one of the new additions for Twelve. Twelve. Twelve.

But trust me, the story only gets better...

ONE...

Today was another meeting at Summit Computer Networks HQ in Cranberry.  To be honest, I never want to leave after I see the updates each week.  I can't even describe the feeling of seeing the ideas come to life.  The  recent additions and progress are incredible.

Now that we are less than a month away from the GNW nationwide release,  discussions on the required remaining projects seem to become a little more intense with the required definite answers. (By the way, the tech team hates the fact that I bring up the phrase "12.12.12"  in pretty much every conversation)

Its incredible that each decision made will be seen by and affect people all over the U.S.  (and the world once we are tested) 

Not only must we have the answers, we must have them fast.  To me, problem solving is a natural high.

There is always going to be 100 different roads to get where we want to go.  But, there is always ONE thats faster, cheaper, and more efficient than the others.

Its our job to find it.  We have 29 days to do so.

And that got us thinking... maybe this is what the MAYANS were predicting.  Not that this world would end, but that people will be able to "Go-Next-World" from anywhere in the U.S.

Keep Digging...

After some soul searching this weekend, the technical division of GoNextWorld proposed an idea of building one more incentive for a consumer to use our service.

(And by soul searching, I mean... taking the bike out,  making sure you got a full tank of gas, forgetting about the problem, and trying to get lost on the back roads of Pennsylvania.)  Sometimes forgetting about the problem is the only way you can find the answer.

Our 45 expiration on rewards may be a thing of the past.  The way we are starting to see it, if a consumer is constantly using our service (and some already do :) ), then why should we punish them by having their rewards expire.  I feel very strongly that the only way a company or economy will thrive is by well-defined incentives.

Why would a person get off of unemployment if an actual job will pay them equal or less pay?
Why would a person pick up a second job if it puts them in a higher tax bracket?
Why would a person quit using a service if they get rewarded for using the service more than others?


It all comes down to incentives.

We feel that rewards should never expire for those that "Go-Next-World" (or "Keep Moving Forward") on a consistent basis.

We have one month to make it work. 

Just one look...

For the next few weeks, we will be revisiting some projects that have not been on a radar since August.  This includes the Front of the House App, Terms and Conditions, and Merchant Agreements.  Of course, now we have a few more loose ends to pull together - the real fun stuff, like:

-seamless integration in Point of Sale software
-Advertising finalization - Look/feel/PP/How it will be divided among regions, and contracts
-and the fact that I want everyone that works at GNW to have a tattoo that says "12.12.12" somewhere visible


There is no doubt about it, these next 5 weeks are going to be fun, but tough.  I can't help but think about what an old friend said to me when I was 18 years old.  He was a very successful entrepreneur, employed approximately 300 people, and I watched very closely on how he handled himself in crazy situations.

After a bad day of work one day, he told me something that I will never forget.  He said "being successful at something has a lot to do with channeling rage in the right way.  Everyone has bad days and is handed bad hands.  Some people use that to go hit a punching bag in the gym at night and some use it as fuel to accomplish something big."

Damn, I hope he's right.  These next few weeks are gonna be wild.

Next week, we make the final decision on how the advertising is going to be implemented.  I can't wait to show you.

Its gonna take just one look..

 

GNW linkbacks...

http://gonextworld.com/linkbacks/ 

To save some money for the participating businesses, we will allow an incredible discount to make it FREE if they embed picture on their website linking directly to GNW.  The link above can show the first step. 

This increases brand awareness, SEO, and notifies their customers of the newest and baddest rewards movement that ultimately helps their business if they join.

Unfortunately, the image will need to be changed to the below image (or something like it) by December to keep it all uniform.

On a side note, last nights sales meeting was a success.  We all have a better vision of 12.12.12 and beyond.  Special thanks to Julie, our guest speaker, for helping out!

Tonight...

Tonight, the sales team is meeting for a late night dinner to discuss the GNW mobile advertising price points, strategy, look, feel, target marketing break-up by area, and more.

Bits and pieces have been given to them, but this is the first time the team will see the whole picture.

It took us along time to figure out one big mistake we were making.

We do not sell the rewards program anymore.  The rewards program will be free, and seamless in worldwide software.  Therefore, the software will move the rewards program on to the businesses and to the members on its own.

We will sell advertising.  But the kicker is, we will also show if it works or not via the backend merchant tools we provide to the participating businesses on GNW (which are free).

Simple, right?


I have always wanted to say what we do in one sentence and have a person understand the company CLEARLY.

Do you know...people still think we organize events?  A girl dressed as Robin at a Halloween party last month thought we were like Groupon - I guess they do not read the blogs :(

Its time to put a stop to all that.

Even though it played with my emotions, it was easy for me to say what I did in the past lives.  But atleast, people understood it when i said:

"I cut grass"
"I'm a telemarketer"
"I'm a real estate agent"
"I'm a landlord"
"I sell Monavie"
"I sell fuel for a gas company"
"I'm a janitor"
" I work at a gym"
"I'm in construction"
" I'm in finance"
"I'm a bartender"
"I'm a waiter"
"I work at a convenient store"
"I work in entertainment"
 etc...

Well, now..... its just as simple...


WE SELL ADVERTISING ...and provide you the tools to see if your advertising works.

 

hanging on...

When it comes to GoNextWorld, there are 3 priorities at the top of my list:

-Direction
-Goals
-Tools necessary to get from point A to point G

Once these 3 items are in the hands of the rest of the team, I feel it is best to just let them play in a way that they know they can play best.

Then, once they find their own rhythm, thats when it all comes together.

You can start to see people find their rhythm, when they start to make it personal.  You can see it build each week in how they think and how they problem solve. 

I have seen quite a bit of that recently.  In another blog, I mentioned that few things are as exciting as starting something new.

Well, seeing the rest of the team taking GNW personal is one of those things.

chasing the night...

This past weekend, I started getting everything ready for the move back to Mount Washington.  So, I went through my garage where all my old stuff that has been in storage for 2 years.

As I opened up all the bags and boxes, I realized none of it was necessary any more. It all had to go.  The way I see it, anything that does not serve a purpose anymore, must be thrown away.  Otherwise, it complicates life.

Every time you move somewhere, its a change and a chance to start new - no matter how far away it is.

Few things can match the excitement of starting something new.


Getting rid of the old and preparing for the new is sort of common theme at GoNextWorld this month.  As we cut out a bunch of confusion and trim everything down to the essentials, it almost feels like we are starting something new.  Well, with the new path of advertising...it sort of is ALL NEW.
-------------------
Example -

1) "Richard's Pizza" is a popular restaurant in California.
They need a software program to take orders for customers.
So, they download POS PIZZA for FREE.

Within the software, the business can join GoNextWorld for FREE.

Once they join, the software automatically takes customers phone number (pizza shops run off of phone numbers) and rewards them.

2)Customer is notified via phone that they have received $X amount towards store credit on GoNextWorld.com.

Once they sign up, they have the ability to "check-in" on GNW to any business to receive more money back (or give phone number to cashier)

3)  Businesses are able to see reports that feature who and where their customers are. (i.e.  Most of Richard's Pizza customers are females under 32 years old and in the 92274 zip code)

They can advertise directly to them OR just to females under 32 years old and in the 92274 zip code via GoNextWorld.  Anytime a GNW member logs in, they see information related to the business that advertised to them.
 
-----------------

Like I said... out with the old, in the new.

 Few things can match the excitement of starting something new.
 
(For more information, please call 1-800-976-7924 or visit us here)

Mobile Advertising done right...

"Don’t just RENT advertisement space

…OWN it!"

Own a consumer’s experience from start to finish.  Your advertisement will be the only one they see..and remember, when they Go-Next-World.  Set your own budget!  Set your target market!   

Mobile Advertising done right. Your business takes center stage!  

More info soon.  Call 1-800-976-7924 if you want to play.

Available for any business, any product, and any service in January 2013.  

 

 

hand on the heat...

A meeting with the sales team yesterday left me with a few questions unanswered.  There is a big decision we MUST make BY December and the fog did not clear in time for us to understand our way.

When there are a 1,000 ways to go, it all must come back to what way is the most simple and effective.  A sign hangs in my office that reads "Cleverly Simple".  It is to be a reminder that over-thinking something or trying to get too creative with a project will only confuse you, your peers, and your audience.

After leaving the office, I went home and obsessed over the dilemma.  While cleaning my toilet (yeah, you read that right), something sparked a possible answer.  I will present the idea to the team tomorrow to see what they think.  If it works out, you might see it in December.  and if it works out...i might ditch the late night workouts for a late night cleaning session to clear the head for GNW more often...

Let them know...

As we enter November, we are changing gears again.  I can already feel the heart beat a little faster..in a good way.  Today, I  met at Summit Computer Networks HQ in cranberry to cover a few things, including what needs to be done in the next 42 days.  Not only are we clearing things up in regards to the Business Management APP, but we are clearing the noise in relation to the reports too.

As a business, wouldn't it be nice to decipher and categorize different types of shoppers?  Then, only advertise to shoppers that are considered your Best Customers?  Or just the customers that come once a year?  or even people that have never been to your business?

Preparing to be a global company means there cannot be an interruption in service...ever.  That means a wall of redundancies must be in place.  Sync tools need to be built once we have multiple servers in different parts of the state.  What really opened my eyes was the advertising path we are taking.

Later today, the advertising conversation will jump to center stage as the sales team unites.

The next 42 days...anything but boring...