There have been two times in my career where I observed an entrepreneur start a company and know from day one they were going to execute their exact game plan and crush it. Like a fast pitch getting rocked in the upper decks right after the batter makes contact. No…
When we turned seven years old in the Birdsong household, my maternal grandfather, who lived in Philadelphia, would take each grandkid to Washington D.C. for a weekend. It was a rite of passage for my brothers, cousins, and me. We’d take the train from Philadelphia to Washington D.…
Nestled on the backside of the bulky 222 Mitchell Building one block south of historic hotel row sits a three story, brick building for “all lovers of the artistic and beautiful.” Or at least that is what a 1908 Atlanta Journal article described the architectural phenomenon which still stands today.…
The topic of authentic work came up the other day and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. The question was posed: what is unauthentic work? To answer that, clarifying the definition of authentic work made sense. One of the greatest aspects in working with startups and early stage…
Last week I attended an Atlanta Legacy Makers reception unveiling the plan and designs for the new living art memorial set to be constructed in downtown’s Woodruff Park. The live art will memorialize the relationship between former mayors Ivan Allen Jr. and Maynard Jackson. While at the reception, I…
A few months ago, we explored the realm of obvious insights, not easily seen. These insights contain valuable, life-changing knowledge only available to people who are looking and have the domain experience necessary to obtain it. Coincidentally, after listening to Patrick O’Shaughnessy’s interview with Chris Paik, the concept…
In the world of technology, one staple concept is codified in Geoffrey Moore's 1991 classic, Crossing the Chasm. The concept revolves around five lifecycles of adopters when it comes to new technology starting with innovators transitioning to early adopters, early majority, late majority, and ending with laggards. The…
Analyzing markets and honing in on a problem is happening all over right now. Add into the excitement of AI and there is a revamped freshness to build and start. When thinking about markets and ideas, the topic of pricing comes up much quicker than before. Pricing is a major…