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Last week’s Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum

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Last week, I had the great pleasure to attend the 3rd annual Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum here in Columbus, GA.  It isn’t often there is a collection of high-profile speakers and authors that come into the local area.  When I found out about it the Friday before the Monday-Tuesday event, I jumped on it.

The speakers were:  Dr. & Congressman Newt Gingrich, General Russel Honore, Daniel Pink, Thomas Friedman, John Maxwell, and GA Chief Justice Leah Sears.

I have to say each person made an impact on me in their own special way.  On Day One, I was impressed by how knowledgeable Newt Gingrich was in his presentation.  He went past political arguments to present his case on improving the health care system.

General Russel Honore of Hurricane Katrina fame gave a funny, entertaining but also very serious speech on preparedness.  I felt that more government officials should have heard his speech.  He gave me a perspective of public service that was inspiring.

On Day Two, GA Chief Justice Leah Sears gave a short speech on familes and education.  Her speech was much shorter than anticipated which led to an extended break.

Daniel Pink of “A Whole New Mind” was dynamic and brought a youthful energy into the presentations.  I loved his book which continues to resonate and impact me as I do business.

John Maxwell who has written many titles on Leadership (of which I have several in my bookshelf) gave his view of the 5-levels of leadership.  Those 5-levels made me reflect where I stood in my leadership abilities.

Finally, Thomas Friedman of “The World is Flat” and “The Lexus & Olive Tree” fame presented material from his new book “Hot, Flat, and Crowded”.  His talk was sweepingly huge and had global proportions.  He talked about “global weirding”, a flat world, that is growing in population exponentially.  I enjoyed his thoughtful and low-key approach.

The event was a success with around 800 people in attendance.  They provided two hot lunches and a hot breakfast as part of the event.  The part I did not like was that neither day were full days.  They were only partial days.  However, the 2-day event was only $299 which was a bargain for me especially since I did not have to travel as I normally do.

As the Leadership Forum ended, an announcement was made that Colin Powell would head next year’s line-up.  Colin Powell is an amazing role model, a tremendous thinker, and diplomat.  I will definitely be there for next year’s event.

In Seattle at Independent Online Sellers Conference

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This is a quickie post.  I am in Seattle attending the Independent Online Sellers Conference.  I almost didn’t come because this event is largely a grassroots effort.  There are about 200 Amazon resellers here.  Interestingly, this event is acknowledged by Amazon.com.  I am looking forward to visiting Amazon HQ on Monday.

I also learned about micro-blogging today.  So, I set up a Twitter account.  My account is mattchan66.  The link to my Twitter site is http://twitter.com/mattchan66 It is too early to tell how or what I will be using it for.  If it is anything like having a Facebook or MySpace account, I will probably not do too much.

Returning from 2008 Book Expo America in Los Angeles

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I just returned from over a week-long adventure in Los Angeles that included the huge 2008 Book Expo America in Los Angeles.  This event followed the 3-day IBPA’s Publishing University also in the same city.

The last time I attended Book Expo America was in 2002 in NYC.  It was before I started my publishing firm, Ascend Beyond Publishing.  I definitely feel like I waited too long to go back but I did try to make up for lost time soaking it all up and managed to get some nice advance copies of upcoming books.

I am a book lover myself which is one reason I got into the publishing business.  I can honestly say my legs hurt every night from all the walking on the convention floor during the day.  The are so many exhibitors to visit and products to check out.

I had not planned on attending another Book Expo America for another 2 years but now I feel somewhat compelled to go back next year.  I have put it on my calendar.

Finished Attending IBPA’s Publishing University Conference

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It has been an exhausting 4-days since my arrival into Los Angeles to attend the IBPA’s (Independent Book Publishers Association) 2008 Publishing University Conference.  It was a great 3-day experience taking in the variety of experiences and information shared.  I think there must have been nearly 300 people including staff, speakers, attendees, and guests.  The one thing that persistently shows up is how little business sensibilities most wannabe authors have.  Most are so desperate to become authors, they throw their promotional stuff to everyone and anyone.

I have to admit even I was overwhelmed with some of the new information and distinctions that were presented especially in the area of media and public relations. I met some important people and contacts that might be instrumental to some changes I plan on making to my publishing business in the months to come.

The full impact of what I got out of IBPA’s Publishing University will linger until after I get back.  Fresh off of that 3-day conference, I have just begun my next 3-day run at the 2008 Book Expo America.  It has been 6 years since I attended this huge industry event.  I think I waited 2 years too long to come back.  I won’t make that mistake again.

My feet is sore.  I have had three 11-hour days.  Today, I put in a light 9-hours and so I have a chance to update this blog.  I can do some reading and catch up on some work in my hotel room.

“TurnKey Investor” Book Series at 2007 NAR Convention

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TurnKey Investor Books at NARIn an earlier post, I said that Matt Lombardi (Managing Director of Marketing & Sales) was going to do something “extra special” for me since he knew Wes and I was attending the 2007 NAR Convention.

Matt placed and displayed 4 of the “TurnKey Investor” book titles in the Main NAR Exhibit Booth at the center of the Expo:  3 paperback books and 1 audiobook.

I have to admit I was a bit stoked that the books would get some good exposure at the NAR Expo.

Wes Weaver (a leading contributor of the “TurnKey Investor” book series) and I managed a pose next to the books on the display area.

Meeting Kendra Todd (Winner of “Apprentice 3”) at NAR 2007 Convention

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Kendra Todd at NARDuring my week at the NAR 2007 Convention, I had the unexpected pleasure of running into and meeting Kendra Todd, Season 3 Winner of Donald Trump’s TV show “The Apprentice”.

Wes and I were near the NAR Booth in the center of the Expo area.  We were looking around to figure out which direction we wanted to walk next when I noticed a young, attractive woman in a green dress speaking on a small stage.  It took me 2 seconds to recognize this woman as Kendra Todd, Season 3 Winner of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice”.  Being a fan of “The Apprentice”, I have to admit I was excited about meeting and chatting with Kendra.

Wes and I walked over to the Lowe’s booth to where she was speaking on stage to a small group of expo attendees.  We had arrived at the last 10-minutes of her presentation so it did not take long for us to get a chance to meet and chat with Kendra.

Interestingly, it did not seem many people recognized Kendra so it was easy for us to approach and speak with her.  I did ask her where her current homebase was (Delray Beach).  I asked her about her current schedule.  She commented how if she had 10 days to herself without travel, it would be wonderful.  I asked about where her future direction lies.  I don’t think I am betraying her confidence when she stated that she wanted to work more with women and wealth-building.  I surmised she wanted to move away from the real estate field from which she is known.

It is my guess Kendra wants to make a bigger impact on the world than working exclusively in the real estate world.  (We share that trait in common.) She has a lot going on right now from what I could tell from her comments but I got the feeling she was having fun.  She admitted to me winning “The Apprentice” opened up a lot of doors for her.  (No big surprise there.)  Kendra did mention she did appreciate the quiet times the few times she gets it.

All in all, meeting and chatting with Kendra Todd was a fun experience.  She was a down to earth young woman.  I found Kendra to be more petite in person than on TV.  She was also gracious enough to stand in a photo with me as you can see.

Back from 2007 NAR Convention in Las Vegas

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NARAfter an exhausting week in Las Vegas, we have finally gotten back from NAR 2007 Convention (National Association of Realtors).  I have to admit to being impressed with the convention.  It was a huge event with approximately 30,000 people.  It was well-planned and well-organized.

I wasn’t too crazy about having NAR in Las Vegas but it is better than where they had the convention in 2006 (New Orleans).  Sometimes, you just have to make the best of situation and environment you are in.

I did have a chance to finally meet Matt Lombardi, Managing Director of Marketing & Sales in charge of carrying “The TurnKey Investor” Book Series.  He was friendly, gracious, and welcoming.  When I informed him Wes and I were going to attend the event, Matt Lombardi made the extra effort to “show off” our books at this particular show.  Needless to say, I was happy for that effort.

Although I am not a Realtor myself (or plan to be anytime in the near future), it was still very educational being in that convention environment.  I did have my brain stretched by Seth Godin (author of Permission Marketing, Purple Cow, Unleashing the IdeaVirus, etc.).  I had never heard him speak before and the room was packed with what I loosely estimated to be around 2,000+ people.  He had a captive audience and there was good reason for it.  Essentially, I was captivated by the paradigm shift I was experiencing.  Sure, I have read his books but listening to the man himself was a way more powerful experience.

Not having any experience in politics beyond the ability to register and vote, my brain was also stretched by Michael E. Dunn on how relatively easy it was to gain political power and influence without ever running for office.  He outlined his political influence model and showed how the process “really” worked.  He was very direct and concise in his presentation.  I was compelled by his ideas that I may one day involve myself with the political process.

Watching Bill Cosby live (my first time) with 25,000 people was also a fun hour.  It was a jammed room however.

The folks at NAR were very thoughtful of creating a private Bloggers break area to sit, break, write, and reflect.  Having great Wi-Fi connections to keep in touch was a huge asset.  It was funny to watch all the Realtors and the gadgets they were carrying.  I consider myself a power user of technology but compared to all the PDAs, smartphones, webphones, Blackberries, etc., I felt like a novice with my very ordinary Samsung cell phone.

All in all, I have to say NAR 2007 was a much better experience than I expected.  NAR 2008 will be located in Orlando, FL which is convenient since that is where I am from.  I definitely plan on attending NAR 2008 in Orlando.