Author: Winston Ash

by Winston Ash on #Manager, Business

Capture, Clarify, Organize

As a manager, this is my job. 

I realize to bring my business to the next level I need to do this work. 

Capture all inputs. Clarify what they mean for the business. Organize them by category. Then the crux of being an entrepreneur. Delegate the action. 

Ensure the work gets done. Put systems in place to follow-up and verify. Then, feed the beast. 

The CEO sets the course. The team handles the rest. Each role requires different skills. 

As business owner success is measured by increasing shareholder value. My goal in simple terms: do work, make money. 

Now, that I have an outcome set. I can see multiple paths. 

First project: 

Create flowchart of a typical client project. 

Stay Tuned …

The next #Manager post brings the flowchart. 

 
by Winston Ash on Entrepreneurship

Be Brief

Say it and no more. 

Don’t elaborate, pontificate, or any other words that means talk without end. 

Just say what you came to say and be done with it. 

I value your attention. And, mostly I bore myself. But I do like to talk, email, and answer comments. 

If you want to go deeper. Continue on this journey with me. 

I will keep it short and to the point. 

What is the point? Document. 

 
by Winston Ash on #Life Lessons

Words Matter

Do you remember the song? 

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” 

Well, that is a children’s rhyme. Adults know the truth. Words Matter. 

What you say matters. How you say it matters more. And why you said it is the culmination.

Be thoughtful. Think. And say what truly counts. 

 
by Winston Ash on #Life Lessons, Business

2017 Goals

#Writer

  1. Don’t break the chain – Document Daily 
  2. Get Better

#Runner

  1. 5K
  2. Spartan Race 
  3. Tough Mudder

#Manager

  1. Hit all budget goals
  2. Exceed my expectations 
  3. Set the standard higher

#Family 

  1. First Priority Always

#Business

  1. Hit revenue goals
  2. Hire 2 employees
  3. Document, don’t create. 

#Coding 

  1. 30 minutes of learning a day 
  2. Create 1 portfolio project per month

#Life 

  1. Win. 
  2. No regrets 

#Productivity

  1. GTD everything.
  2. Focus on applying the framework 

#Fitness

  1. 235 lbs. 
  2. See #Runner
 
by Winston Ash on #Life Lessons, Founder Journal

Vacation Time

It’s that time of year again.

People going away. Spending time with family and loved ones. It’s also that time where we really feel the sting of friends and family members that have passed. Not a fun reminder, but always in the back of our head. This year let’s celebrate the ones no longer with us – celebrate their life.

Vacation Plans

Worked hard all year. Now time to relax and evaluate.

What worked this year? What will I adjust for the upcoming year? Lots of questions to answer. But, no pressure. Relax. Evaluate. Plan.

This year, I have solid goals.

But, goals aren’t enough. This is what I’ve learned. The process to get to the goals has to be defined and clear. Most importantly thinking through what can throw you off the straight and narrow. And accounting for that grey area.

They say planning is art and science. Now, I understand.

What has helped me recently:

  1. GTD – This framework created the needed clarity, space, and organization that allows me to focus.
  2. Calender – Hard edges on items that have to be done including early reminders to get started. Works wonders to know how to effectively use this tool.
  3. Evernote – I have been able to accurately track my lists, assignments, folders, and projects.

Worthy of Your Attention:

  1. Gary Vaynerchuck: Want to learn the philosophy behind doing business in the 21st Century. Focus Areas: Marketing, Self-awareness, and Building Businesses. I have re-read his books and they are the basis for my business style.
  2. Seth Godin: The man is great at pattern recognition and spelling out exactly how to accomplish what you want. Read most of his books and have subscribed to his daily blog for about a year now.
  3. Austin Kleon: Need help with your creativity. This is the man to read. He keeps it simple, to the point. Love his style of writing and what he has to say, mostly.

2017 … Here. We. Go!

Get out there and do something. Anything.

“We each walk the path that we have chosen.” – Choose Wisely!

 
by Winston Ash on Coding

Computer Education

So, 2017 is the year I take my learning to the next level.

I am fascinated by computers, the web, code, and the application of engineering, coding, and business to old problems. My goal: solve aold problems with new tech.

Think about it. Here are the parameters. The problem has to be labor intensive and equipment intensive.

Top problems I like:

  1. Recycling – How to get the most material out of the residue stream and into recycable material.
  2. Landscaping – How to reduce the need for labor intensive work by cost effectively allowing autonomus machines to do the work
  3. Transportation – Reducing the cost per mile through smart planning
  4. Repairs – Scheduling repairs instead of incurring the cost of unplanned downtime.

So, these problem are diverse, but all have a similar theme; elimination of waste. My goal is to do the right thing in the best way possible. And the only way to know that is to have internal tracking to show progress.

Great problems whose solution leads to better life on the planet. Yes, these are small problems. Yet, there solution is elegant and creates opportunity out of boring industries.

Let’s upturn the established order and do it better.

So, let’s start with Computer Education.

I need to be able to express my ideas and get traction in the world. So, marketing becomes my number one priority. To keep costs low. I want to learn as much about computers, coding, and websites as possible.

Computer Education:

  • Codecademy – Javascript, Learn Ruby on Rails, Deploy a Website – Basically everything on here is valuable to learn
  • Hootsuite Academy
  • Google Analytics Academy
  • Free Code Camp

This is the start. I’ll keep documenting my advances.

My portfolio of work is available for your viewing pleasure @ CodePen: http://codepen.io/webzkidd19/