Darren Y Mason

We could all have our Kodak moment. How can you avoid yours?

admin — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:20:18 +0000

We could all have our Kodak moment. How can you avoid yours?

Ignoring change will not make it go away!!

Eastman Kodak, one of the world’s most successful companies, has now joined the ranks of the behemoth companies that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Who would have ever thought….Kodak?? We see company after company finding out that it is a brave new world. Either you adapt or die. NO, SIZE DOES NOT MATTER!!! The ERs are filled with companies (some American icons) that are on life support with doubts of survival.

Kodak first pioneered digital technologies in the 70’s & 80’s but until recently the challenge to change has not been great enough for them to aggressively react. Why? Because like Borders and Blockbuster, they refused to believe that a low-margin technology driven by companies a small fraction of their size could literally kill their business.

One by one we see large corporations folding for the following reasons:

1) Complacency ….. It’s easy to feel complacent when you have a brand so established that people refer to those most cherished experiences as a “Kodak moment

2) Entitlement….. Because most people associate all film with Kodak, as they do copiers with Xerox,it’s easy to feel entitled when you own that type of market share

3) Arrogance…. “How can low-margin technologies and smaller companies impact the mother of all film…Hell, we pioneered digital so we control the market.” Yeah, right!!!

I see similar themes of complacency, sense of entitlement and arrogance playing out in the lives of Americans who do not have the corporate deep pockets to survive. Many Americans, even those who are well educated, do not want to admit (although there are many tell-tell signs) that the world has changed. The streets are plastered with people who have MBAs sitting on the sidelines for years waiting for their turn to get in the game. When I talk to people with MBAs and law degrees from pedigree schools and I hear some of them saying “I’m scared,” then it only continues to validate my beliefs.

In the future, the spoils will go to the Americans who understand that all great parties must come to an end, just like Kodak. The new operative word is agile, and resting on laurels will no longer be tolerated.

Companies like Kodak should always ask themselves….

What are we doing to retool for the future?

What are we doing to be in control of our destiny?

What are we doing to establish a Plan B so that we are not blindsided?

What are some of the questions we as Americans should be asking ourselves?

Ignoring change will not make it go away!!

Start-Up Chile| The Country of Chile Paying Global Thinking Entrepreneurs 40K to Live in Chile for 6 Months

admin — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 01:03:58 +0000

Start-Up Chile| The Country of Chile Is Paying Global Thinking Entrepreneurs 40K to Live in Chile for 6 Months

Viral marketing is one of the most amazing tools in the palms of everyone’s hands!!

Below is a copy of an email that I sent to my entire network back in January 2011 about an amazing opportunity in Santiago, Chile for global-thinking entrepreneurs. I am doing a reprint because the first application process for 2012 closes, April 3rd^th.

From my email I received countless inquiries from around the world as my email went viral. To date I know of 5 people who have applied and 2 people from the Chicagoland area that were accepted from the last round of applicants.

Never think you can NOT make a difference!!!!

Find out more about the application process.

Below is a reprint of my original email……

Hi everyone,

Hope all has been well!

Sorry for the long email but this can be a great opportunity for the right person as we all know life is ALL about timing.

As everyone knows, I have been living in South America for the last year and a half. The principle reason for my adventure is to learn Spanish since I can see the importance of the Latin influence both in the US and in the world. In addition to being a student of Spanish and Latin culture, I have also been researching the Latin American (LatAm) business climate. Although I have seen many interesting and creative opportunities (we could learn a few things from them), until last Thursday I had not seen an opportunity worth broadcasting to my network immediately because there was a deadline involved.

I have spent most of my time living in Cartagena Colombia and now I am in Santiago Chile and head to Buenos Aires next month. Last week I went to an event called StartUpChile.Org that was sponsored by the Ministry of Economy of Chile. StartUp Chile is the country of Chile’s attempt to attract entrepreneurial talent from around the world. Chile hopes, through StartUp Chile, to make Chile the global entrepreneurial hub of LatAm. This is a general mission of the recently inaugurated government and is the primary focus of the Ministry of Economy. In other words, it will be successful! Chile will provide $40K and a 1 yr visa to all chosen applicants to live in Chile for at least 6 months and develop their ideas in a very supportive and “incubative” environment with no strings attached. Those chosen will obviously have access to a very well connected and financially powerful Chilean network. Chile selected 25 entrepreneurs in 2010, plan to select 300 by end of 2011, and 1000 by 2014. Yes, their economy is on fire!

Obviously, Chileans know about entrepreneurship since, like most LatAm countries, Chile has a huge self-employed and informal working population; but, what Chile hopes to achieve through StartUp Chile is the development of GLOBAL entrepreneurs that are networked and can compete in the world.

For those that know nothing of Chile and the city of Santiago, below I have listed 5 great things about each of them:

Chile has one of the lowest levels of corruption and highest levels of transparency among LatAm countries. Matter of fact, many guide books say “DON’T even try to bribe a police officer or you will go to jail”. Being from the state of Illinois we know that the evaluation of corruption is relative.

Chile is a very stable country with a very stable currency and government

Chile has four seasons and even has areas to ski

Chile has a coast with beautiful beaches about 1 hour outside of Santiago

Chile is 1 of only 2 LatAm countries (the other being Mexico) that has been a part of the OECD. For more about OECD and what it means to be a member go to OECD.Org

Santiago has an impressive English speaking population. Case in point: I want to make it clear that everything associated with StartUp Chile is done in English, so obviously the ability to speak Spanish is not a requirement.

Santiago is THE safest big city in LatAm.

Santiago is a very organized city with a public transportation system that rivals most in the US. Being here I feel like I am living in any major city in the US, so the standard of living is on par or better than most US cities. Of course, the higher the standard of living the more expensive things are, so with $40K one can live very comfortably but not like a king/queen. So don’t think: “LatAm? I can live for pennies on the dollar, So $40k, I’m rich.” NOT!

Santiago, for an exercise enthusiast, is like heaven. There are exercise parks throughout the city and since Chile is very mountainous, there are mountains that you can run/bike, which are located in the middle of the city. Santiago feels and looks very much like Colorado. One mountain takes me around 38 minutes to run to the top. I know that’s slow for most of you but I wanted to give you a perspective.

Santiago is a very tech savvy city with more than 2 cell phones per Chilean, a solid technical infrastructure and a very well educated population.

OK so…all that being said, I know I need to say that I am NOT being paid a peso for this endorsement. As I said, I went to a meeting last week and the welcome that I received was amazing. Listen, the door is so wide open that, after only one meeting I have networked myself into a circle of well-connected Chileans and global entrepreneurs. In fact, I met many of the entrepreneurs that made the cut last year and they are over-the-top about StartUp Chile and its organizers, what nurturing their concepts in Chile has done for their business, and their quality of life in Santiago. After the 6 month commitment they could have returned to their own countries but many have decided to stay and live in Santiago.

So obviously this is an opportunity for a select few but for those that think they have what it takes……GO FOR IT!!

OK, something else real quick:

Since I may never have another reason in life to email my entire network again, it would be just WRONG if I did not take a few lines in this email to tell everyone to….. GO TO COLOMBIA!!!!!!!!. Don’t believe what you read about Colombia as it is a very very very safe place to visit. Of course it has dangerous areas like most countries (EVEN AMERICA) but in general there is nothing to fear. Remember, they said and still say bad things, which are not true, about Chicago. The country of Colombia is amazing and the people are even more amazing!!!! Colombia is and will always be my second home. I hesitated sharing my paradise with others as I know it will only drive up the cost when everyone finds out the truth. But like the US, I want to see my second home flourish.

If you would like to contact me about the StartUp Chile opportunity please feel free. If you think you know of someone who may benefit from this program, please share as I think this is a great opportunity for young entrepreneurs. The application process begins February 1, 2011. Go to http://www.startupchile.org/ to learn more!

Take Care!

Click below to find out more info about this program. The first application process for 2012 closes, April 3rd

Find out more about the application process.

by Darren Y Mason

Darren@darrenYmason.com

My Reason Y I Invested $600K to Learn Spanish

admin — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 14:36:49 +0000

Since the whole basis of my life coaching practice is aimed at helping others find their reason Y so they can achieve their greatest goals, it’s only fair for me to share my personal reasons Y. Let me tell you why I invested $600k in a two year move to Latin America (LatAm) to learn Spanish and the culture.

About one year before I decided to move to South America I had begun to take a few Spanish courses. Although this may work for some, I felt that (1) the progress was too slow and (2) I was not learning the real norms of the Latin culture and language that would allow me to achieve my goal. And since I believe that you either are growing or dying, I felt that learning Spanish would pay off hugely if I was willing to invest. And invest I did, to the tune of almost $600,000. Allow me to explain…..

I resigned from my position as Vice President of a division of Trading Technologies (annual salary + bonus 190,000). I had to return all unvested stock options (70,000 shares). I spent around $55,000 over the 2 years I traveled through LatAm. So what was my approximate total financial investment?

Loss of 2 years income = 380,000
Options at potential $2/share = 140,000 (approximately)
Cash spent on trip = 55,000
Total Investment = $ 575,000

To pull the trigger on an investment like this, or any major sacrifice, you better have an unshakable resolve with respect to your reason Y and be ready to live with the outcome. Otherwise things like logic, fear or a friend/family member telling you that you need psychological help will not allow you to step out on faith and follow your gut.

But stuff like big financial investments and sacrifices DON’T MATTER, when your reason Y dwarfs them. You can pull the trigger with confidence and controlled fear. Notice I said, controlled fear. Did I have fear? Yes! Did I think for one moment, after careful evaluation, that I was not doing the right thing? NO!

Some facts and figures will show you why:
• the Latino community in the U.S. has now exceeded 50 million
• the U.S. has the second largest Spanish speaking population in the world, behind only Mexico.
• The population of LatAm is almost 600 million with some countries growing at a clip of over 5% per year.

There’s a big opportunity here – an economy within an economy that most people in the US have no idea how to approach.

Obviously to truly take advantage of this opportunity you need to speak both English and Spanish. If you remove the bilingual Latinos from the U.S. population, maybe 1% (and this is being generous) of the population can truly communicate effectively in Spanish.

And although Latinos outside of the U.S. have a surprising level of English fluency, because of our strict visa laws, most can NOT travel freely across our borders.

So, imagine this… the 1% of Americans that can travel freely and are bilingual, (1) have NO competition and (2) the barrier to entry (learning Spanish) is very high and very painful, let me tell you.

Ask any business to place a price tag on just these 2 advantages; most would estimate conservatively……100s of millions of $$$.

Hence My Reason Y.

Part 2…. My reason Y I have chosen my current path to build the Darren Mason brand beginning with Beach Body (P90X). Stay Tuned!!!

by Darren Y Mason

Darren@darrenYmason.com

My Return From Latin America

admin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:49:10 +0000

I just returned from South America on Sunday, May 15th, and Monday morning I decided: rather than spend the next 3 months living in the past and telling the same stories over and over again about my wonderful 2 year adventure through Latin America, why not jump right into my next adventure, allowing me to live in the present and focus on the future.

So, it’s Thursday and I am launching my Life Coaching practice where I help those who have decided that:

1) Their current state in life just ain’t right! I work with them ….to answer the difficult questions that only they have the answers to so that they can begin to live boldly, take risks courageously, and seek affirmation from only those that really matter.

2) Their current physical state just ain’t right! I work with them to find a deep Reason Y they are ready to make the commitment to improve their health so that they can find the inner-strength to stick with a program and begin to live a more fulfilling life.

Since one frequent by-product of life coaching is the realization of an entrepreneurial venture, and since I have spent the last 2 years researching how to monetize any passion into a profitable internet business, I am also going to consult on how to build a business in this new economy.

To live my motto of letting action triumph over fear, I have partnered with Team Beach Body; a company that generated 400+ million in sales in 2010 and the creators of P90X, the most successful product in the home fitness arena. This is a natural complement to my coaching practice as I plan to allow P90X to count the reps while I focus on the most difficult parts of fitness: motivation and accountability. I am doing this today, not tomorrow, and not in three months! Instead, as my step-by-step plan evolves (which will work for any internet business), I intend to share it with all who are interested in order to share how to take a raw concept from inception to a full-fledged business on the internet.

I have purposely launched with nothing but this basic website that I put together last night so that others can see that….IT ALL STARTS WITH THE FIRST STEP. IT ALL STARTS WITH ACTION!!!!!

by Darren Y Mason

Darren@darrenYmason.com