More of a late summer "spring training" than a vacation, Rick shares how lessons learned over the past month of working travel are perfect preparation for the intense months to come. With the most unique and challenging holiday season in ecommerce history approaching, against a backdrop of Covid and the election, it's the right time to assess how we can leverage technology to streamline, stay safe, and succeed.

With the major release of Miva 10 software imminent, Rick juggles the round-the-clock demands of the rollout with his freewheeling, in-progress road odyssey. Here's the hat trick: how do you break free from stagnation/status quo, while simultaneously being a grounded, helpful, authoritative leader? This week, the dispatch from the RV!

This week, Rick shares impressions and experiences of his "walkabout" - using a work-from-the-road adventure to clear lockdown stagnation and explore new ways of working/living. The back half of 2020 continues to challenge us on every front - public health, economic distress, and emotional wellbeing. Conditions are shifting rapidly, but many of us still feel stuck. How can we "move the energy" in our own lives and businesses in a way that's healthy, invigorating, healing, reorienting, and safe?

The sudden shift to remote work in all kinds of businesses means more freedom to live and work anywhere. Rick Wilson is getting ready to flex that freedom with a "working walkabout" - a multi-state road adventure while simultaneously getting the job done. In part 1 of a series, Rick shares his goals and preparation for the trip. Stay tuned for more updates from beautiful spots throughout the West. 

Business communication during Covid has undergone a sea change. While at first we all tried to replicate the in-person experience of meetings, conventions, and live events, it's becoming clear that producing high quality content which engages and entertains will now be one of the key roles of every business.

No longer relegated to marketing/social media, "content" now increasingly describes the way we manage teams, share ideas with peers, and serve clients.

Rick Wilson spoke with Retail Global CEO Phil Leahy, mastermind of complex, tech-driven conferences like Mivacon Digital Day. These events now must adapt to long-in-the-works communication trends which have fully crystallized in 2020.  

For more information about Phil Leahy and Retail Global, please visit: 

https://retailglobal.com/speakers/phil-leahy/ 

For free access to the full content of Mivacon Digital Day as referenced in the episode, please visit: 

https://mivacon20.com/session-recordings 

As professional conferences and trade shows go digital to protect public safety in 2020, an important aspect of these events must be championed - the human, interpersonal connections that are made there by co-workers and peers. 

On this special episode of the Dragonproof Podcast, Rick Wilson calls up 2 beloved veterans of Miva's annual MivaCon gathering, to chat about some of their favorite memories and the people they've met along the way. Guests Leslie Kirk and Bruce Golub, each ecommerce maestros who have helped businesses reach new heights of success, prove why our humanity, technology, and business success always fuel one another. 

For more information about MivaCon Digital Day 2020, please visit:  https://mivacon20.com

Great leaders in business often stifle their own well-being in favor of company goals. But as Rick Wilson explores in the latest Dragonproof pod, excellent leadership and thoughtful self-care fuel one another for the great benefit of both. "Strategic opportunities" are not limited to market positioning & mergers - often the greatest gift our businesses give us is the ability to heal ourselves.

Face masks are the public's primary defense against transmission of COVID-19. Between shortages, lockdowns, and closed physical businesses, ecommerce has now become the key method for the public to acquire masks. From DIY sellers on Etsy, to big apparel brands using logo masks as ecommerce upsells, online sellers have identified holes in the marketplace, listened to customer demand, and navigated messaging challenges to connect people with life-saving products. On this episode of the Dragonproof Podcast, Rick Wilson explores how our industry has adapted to the new COVID reality, in a fast-moving story about what drives innovation in the world of 2020.

Marketing is more than just selling - it's about opening a personal, informative, and engaging dialogue between customer and company. But it's impossible to predict next year's - or even next week's - conditions. So how do you craft a marketing plan that speaks effectively at high tide and low tide?

Coleman and Company's Director of Business Development and Marketing, Marc Vila, joins Rick Wilson to outline the most important aspects of "evergreen" marketing. For businesses which are now grappling with complex issues around when and how to speak, this essential talk connects the dots between highly effective content, maximum efficiency, and the happy customers who are served by both.

To listen to Marc on the Custom Apparel Startups podcast, please visit: https://customapparelstartups.com/podcasts/

What can businesses and organizations do to support, listen to, and demand equity for communities of color right now? Educator, organizer, and activist Maureen Benson joins Rick Wilson to discuss the historical and social contexts underpinning America's current moment of awakening around the subject of racial justice. This challenging and heartfelt discussion probes how societal change begins with self-awareness, cultural humility, and a personal commitment to do better. With practical steps for opening this dialogue in the workplace and beyond.

For more information about the resources highlighted in this episode, visit:

Maureen Benson https://www.maureenbenson.org/

Code 2040 https://www.code2040.org/

Son of Baldwin https://www.facebook.com/sonofbaldwinfb/

White Fragility https://www.npr.org/2020/06/17/879136931/interrupt-the-systems-robin-diangelo-on-white-fragility-and-anti-racism

Octavia Butler https://bookriot.com/octavia-butler-books/

Cultural Humility https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_humility

New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander https://newjimcrow.com/

Community Ready Corps http://www.crc4sd.org/

Tema Okun https://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/preserve/museums/files/White_Supremacy_Culture.pdf

Black Girls Code https://www.blackgirlscode.com/

Sonya Renee Taylor https://www.instagram.com/sonyareneetaylor/?hl=en