Trent365

The truth is not cold. It has no temperature.

It just is what it is.

Oftentimes we don't like the sound of the truth and so we go on the defensive.

We just tell ourselves the truth teller is being a bit mean. A bit cold.

But the best response is to accept that the truth is not cold, or harsh or heated, even.

It just is what it is.

NB: Thanks to Cameron Diaz in The Counselor for that little gem of a quote.

#truthbomb #realitycheck #greatquotes

Once upon a time it seems like we got all the information and made our decisions based on that.

These days, it seems like we're always waiting for, or at least expecting, further updates. More data. More information.

And in waiting for more, we delay our decisions.

Procrastination Rules!

So, if you're experiencing a little Organisational funk when it comes to decision making, maybe it's time to just assume there is no further information coming.

Ask yourself, 'Is this enough information for us to make a good decision?'

You might just find that you do.

Take a look at some recent decisions where you waited for more information and ask yourself, 'Did that extra information really help us make a better decision?'.

You may be surprised how little difference it really made.

#decisionmaking #informationoverload #procrastination

If I was running a hotel these days, I'd be approaching brands in my local area to create themed and branded rooms within my property.

What sort of brands?

Any and all brands could work.

But ideally, it would make the most sense for brands in the bedroom, living room, bathroom space. After all, that's really what a hotel room is.

Bed, Bath & Beyond might be a good one.

IKEA would be a perfect example.

Even a hardware brand like Bunnings in Australia.

These branded hotel rooms could effectively become living showrooms.

A great place to market test new products too.

Imagine a Bunnings Hardware branded hotel room where you get a screwdriver upon checkin and you can remove the tagged products on the wall of your room and take with you when you check out.

There's no end to the creative ideas you could come up with.

#hotels #hotelmarketing #brandingideas

I've spoken with many people who blame Covid-19 for destroying their business.

For many of them, that's only part of the story.

The reality is, their business was struggling before the current Covid Crisis.

But that's ok, as long as they use Covid-19 as the Catalyst to make the changes they've actually needed to make for some time.

And the good news is that they now have the Cover they need to go ahead and try something new, without the fear of failure.

Frankly speaking, they don't have much choice.

Until Covid-19 they could've probably just kept plodding along for another year or two or more.

But now, they must make changes.

So, even though Covid-19 probably isn't really the Cause of many of the problems with many of our businesses, it absolutely can be the Catalyst for change AND, more importantly, it can give us the Cover we need to give it a go.

#covid19 #businessmodelinnovation #stayagile

We tend to obsess about the results.

We obsess about the Output.

As a result of that, we often lose sight of the value of the Input.

We do that at our peril.

Oftentimes it is the nuances and intricacies hidden within the Input that actually enable us to unlock the real power of the Output.

NB: Thanks to Gary Vaynerchuck for the inspiration for today's episode.

#input #output #process

The payments space has been evolving pretty rapidly over the past few years.

The developments have largely been enabled by advances in technology.

As the technological evolution propels us towards the Internet of Things, where everything is connected, payments will become embedded.

That means that your Smart Fridge will know when you're running low on milk and order it automatically from an online grocery store that will deliver it via drone to your front door.

That entire transaction will happen without any involvement from you.

As Artificial Intelligence improves, one day soon your Smart Home will probably negotiate with the Smart Power Grid to get the best energy deal for your home.

Again, the payment will be embedded in the things - ie: the Smart Home and Smart Grid.

Welcome to the Future. It's just around the corner.

#paymentsolutions #paymentsindustry #internetofthings

There's a lot of talk about the New Normal.

What will life be like in a post COVID-19 world?

What opportunities will present.

But don't forget about the Old Normal.

Many of the frustrations of the Old Normal will still be there.

And some of them, like traffic jams, will be much more frustrating, at least for a while, because we haven't had to deal with them during lockdowns and movement controls.

Wherever there is a frustration, there is an opportunity for you to create and craft products and services to help alleviate them.

And that is a massive opportunity.

#newnormal #postcovid19 #businessopportunities

I heard this quote on the new Netflix Series - Operation Buffalo.

Science is the great conversation stopper.

In a world where we all have access to platforms to express our opinions, the conversations just seem to go on forever.

And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

But at some point, we just need to draw a line through it and move on.

At some point we just have to agree to disagree on our opinions, but hopefully accept the facts.

The simplest way to do that is to defer to the data, to the facts, to the science.

#science #data #opinions

We talk a lot about the importance of young people making mistakes and losing, so that they can learn from their losses.

In theory, the same holds true for older, more experienced people too.

But in reality, it's not so easy for us older heads to do that.

The problem is, the more experienced we are, the more we tend to believe that we are right.

So, if we lose a contract or a negotiation, it's simply because the other party just didn't understand.

Nothing for me to learn here. 

I am right. I know I'm right. I have all this experience.

They are wrong. 

End of story.

So, if you're a bit older and more experienced, like me, just be aware that you may need to work a little harder to dissect and analyse the losses so that you can learn from them.

#learning #mistakes #losses

Whenever the quality of something is ultimately subjective, we tend to just defer to the experts.

But the experts should still provide some type of explanation, justification of qualification for their opinion.

With music, for example, thy might say this song is the best because of the beat or the rhythm or the tempo.

With a painting, it might because of the colours or use of shading.

That way, you can dissect their reasoning and form an informed opinion based on your own perspective.

To simply defer to the experts because it is subjective is never a good idea.

#subjectmatterexperts #opinion #subjective