Socrates Cafe Online, each Tue, Fri, Sat, 1st. Sun, 6:30 pm Denver MDT (303)861-1447 Socrates Cafe Dialogue Groups: Watch1 Lead1 Start1. Meeting ID and password emailed to members 30 minutes before each meeting. For free membership write JohnScottWren@gmail.com.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

I just sent out this email to a few hundred of my friends, if you'd like to be on the
list for next time, let me know. :) Also, please share this with any of your friends who might be interested, OK? Thanks! John

Here's the email I just sent:

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Dear Friend ,

Just a quick note FYI about a few things you might find of interest:

1) Can you join me TONIGHT for the new play at the DCPA "9 to 5"? First to email me
"yes" with your phone number will get the free ticket. I'll call you when I get back from lunch.
Details about the play are on my http://www.denverwhenwhere.com/

2) I've revised our statement of purpose for our new, free Small Business Chamber of Commerce.
Your feedback would be very valuable to me right now. As the twig is bent, so the tree grows. :)
See it under "Info" on http://Facebook.com/Small.Business.Chamber

3) We have GREAT speakers with us this week at your Denver IDEA Cafe, tomorrow, Friday,
2 to 3:30 p.m. at Panera Bread, 13th & Grant here in Denver. Upcoming meetings at Koelbel Library
in cooperation with the South Metro Chamber of Commerce and in Boulder. For more info and
optional RSVPs, see http://meetup.com/Denver-IDEA-Cafe PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS. :)

4) A new Small Business Chamber online publication is in the works, should help us reach out to
more local chambers of commerce. If you might be willing to lead an IDEA Cafe once a month with
your local chamber, please let me know.

Please forward this email along to anyone who you think might be interested in what we are doing
with our new, free Small Business Chamber. They will thank you, and so will I if you'll let me know
what you've done in a return email to me after you forward to your email friends or cc me.

May I be of service to you? For more about me and how I work to help clients start and grow their
career, their new project, or new business, see http://www.johnwren.com/ or call me at (303)861-1447.

John

John S. Wren, MBA+
http://www.johnwren.com/
Start now!
Founder, Your New, Free Small Business Chamber of Commerce
http://Facebook.com/Small.Business.Chamber
(303)861-1447 cell (720)495-4949
JohnSWren@aol.com or John@JohnWren.com

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Starting in a new direction? Join us this Thursday.
Please share this with friends who might want help.

My new, free Small Business Chamber of Commerce's Denver IDEA Cafe startup workshop meets from 2 to 3:30 p.m. each Friday (except for some holiday weekends) at Panera Bread, 13th and Grant in Denver. Speakers and brainstorming. For more information and optional RSVP see link to Denver IDEA Cafe Meetup on http://www.sbccblog.com/ or call (303)861-1447.


This Thursday, April 29, Sharon Linhart http://www.linhartpr.com/, Kevin Masten http://www.brighthive.biz/, and Rick Grice http://facebook.com/lonetreerick, will speak on the topic "my startup experience."
May 6, Speaking on the topic, "my startup experience," will be Mary Winter http://www.denverpost.com/, Dave Pearson http://www.pearsonpetservices.com/, and Barry Thomsen http://www.idealetter.com/.

In addition, new SBCC IDEA Cafe Meetups are now being held in South Denver and Boulder, for more information about them and optional RSVP see http://meetup.com/Denver-IDEA-Cafe
Since 1994, my Denver IDEA Cafe has been helping people who are starting in a new direction by providing a free forum where successful people share their startup experience and then brainstorm specific questions or problems.
IDEA is an acronym for: I= Inspiration or Identify the Problem; D= Develop Alternatives; E= Evaluate the Alternatives; and A= take Action. The meeting is free and open to anyone who is starting a new career, a new campaign or project, or a new business.

The new, free Small Business Chamber of Commerce has been formed to help local chambers of commerce and others form new IDEA Cafe Startup Workshops and Franklin Circle Peer Advisory Groups. Contact me if you'd like more information about starting a new IDEA Cafe/Franklin Circle group.

Also, if you've started a successful career, campaign, project, or new business, please share your startup experience with us. Meetings are very informal, no need to prepare formal remarks. Speakers tell me they enjoy the meetings. If you like to be announced as the speaker at an upcoming meeting, please contact me at John@JohnWren.com or (303)861-1447.

Monday, April 18, 2011

I just was on a No Labels leadership conference call, and then a long, long telephone call with Nancy Jacobson, one of the No Labels founders. They continue to be committed to calling out bullying and intimidation, which I continue to support. I’m trying to get them interested in including civic education as a part of their basic mission, and have recommended that they read the new book that just came out Why Iowa? and also Chris Phillips Socrates Café.

No Labels is planning a national convention that will include a Presidential debate this time next year, they seem very open to Denver as a possible location.

We are going to have a No Labels Meetup here in Denver on Sunday, May 1, 3 p.m. at Panera Bread, 13th & Grant Street. More info and optional RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/nolabels/Denver-CO/84080/

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

With us this Friday (April 15) at the Denver IDEA Cafe at 2 pm as an unannounced bonus speaker:
Mike O'Neil, President, Founder, Integrated Alliances, Expert LinkedIn Trainer, Inspiring Social Media, Speaker, LinkedIn Author. Each meeting of the Denver IDEA Cafe has a 15 minute "warm up" before we start the official meeting with the announced speakers at 2:15 p.m. For more information and optional RSVP to get a reserved seat, see http://meetup.com/Denver-IDEA-Cafe
My weekly video didn't seem to be attracting any sort of following, I started making it after having great success singing a little song for my grandkids, sharing it on Facebook.

Our Civil War started on this date in 1861, both sides expected it to be a short scrimmage. Robert E. Lee who had graduated from West Point and had a distinguished military career was offered the command of Lincoln's Union Army. His home was just outside Washington D.C., it was seized when he took command of the Southern troops and was turned into a cemetary for the North's war dead.

Have you been watching the PBS/ Ken Burns Civil War special?

My friend Mike ONeil is moving back home to Minnesota, you can say goodbye to him this Saturday at the Tap House on the 16th Street Mall, 5:30 pm

There are two great speakers at the Denver IDEA Cafe this Friday, and maybe a 3rd surprise speaker. Join us if you're starting in a new direction, and please share it with any of your friends who might appreciate a boost at the end of the week as they forge a new path.

Richard Oppenheim and the South Metro Chamber's Ken Wyble have started a monthly IDEA Cafe at the Koelbel Library, the next meeting is in May, you can get info about it at the above link, and a new IDEA Cafe will be starting in Boulder in May, watch here for detail.

If you'd like to start an IDEA Cafe Startup Workshop in cooperation with your local chamber of commerce or other group, please contact me for more information about the assistance that is available to help you get started through our new, free Small Business Chamber of Commerce.

Monday, April 04, 2011

Bob Williamson is a very successful business man, with a powerful, powerful rags to riches story. I discovered him in the recent AOL story about him you can see at http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2011/03/14/my-first-million-bob-williamson-horizon-software-international/

Williamson has just published a very readable autobiography, “Miracle on Luckie Street” http://www.miracleonluckiestreet.com/, don't miss reading it. The book gives a detailed account of his life in detail from childhood to where he is now and what happened to make a powerful 180-degree change in the direction of his life when he was just 23 years old following a head on automobile accident and a near death experience.

We just spent an hour on the telephone together talking more about the book, his life, and the business lessons he has learned. Here’s a summary of what he shared with me.

Business is just common sense. I haven’t really read any books, taken any class, I haven’t had a mentor or been part of any group,” said Williamson, speaking to me from Florida where he is developing a new resort and spa.

“Part of this is because I’ve always been a loner. Recently I’ve become much more involved in fellowship, which is good. But it really wasn’t part of my business life until now.

“The turning point for me, what really got me to where I am now, selling my company for $75 million and now having a life I really love, was in 1992 when I surrendered my life to Christ. My business was down to just me and my wife, things did not look good. But a peace came over me, and I knew things would be OK.

“Do you have kids? I don’t know about you, but I love my kids more than anything, more than life itself. I think God loves us that same way, and that’s why he has given us the bible. It’s not just a bunch of rules, it’s a living conversation. It's not just for salvation, although that's very important, but it's also an operating manual to help us with our life.

“I read the bible each day, Google the passage, ask myself what God is saying to me. That’s where my daily message comes from I’ve been sending out for 11 years. You can search on whatever is important to you and see what I’ve written in the past about mission statement, goals, or anything like that. It’s very down to earth and practical. www.wordsfortheday.org

“We are in a spiritual war. We can’t defeat Satan, but we are told to resist. “I can do all things through Christ” (Philippians 4:13) should be taken almost word by word. It starts with “I”, that means I have to do my part, it’s not just going to be handed to me. 'All things,' doesn’t mean fighting for slavery, or being a successful drug dealer, things that are outside of God’s will for us.” (I’d asked about the PBS special recently on Robert E. Lee, the fact that he had a deep religious faith, thought God was on the side of the South and that God wouldn’t allow them to loose the Civil War.)

“I read a lot of biographies, Thomas Edison, Jack Welch, but no book means nearly as much to me as does the bible, which I continue to read every day.

“I decided to write my autobiography some time ago, I wanted to write it to give hope to people who really don’t have any hope, so they would say, ‘if he can do it, so can I.’”

When I got Williamson’s book in the mail last week, I’d recently announced that the motto or slogan for your new Small Business Chamber of Commerce would be the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It felt like real confirmation we are on the right path when I read that he had made the Golden Rule the cornerstone of the successful businesses he has built.

 
Why the Golden Rule? Williamson told me: “I asked myself, ‘what would Jesus do if he was building a business today? He would treat people the right way with great customer service, the best products, and fair prices.’”

 
In his book Williamson goes into more detail about the four primary goals that come out of the Golden Rule. I encourage you to read it.

Bob has agreed to answer your questions you post here as a comment this week.
“Everyone is important,” he said to me when I thanked him for agreeing to answer your questions here, and to taking so much time with me on the telephone.

What question do you have for Bob? This is a great opportunity to get help for yourself, and please forward a link of this site along to anyone else who you think might have a question for Bob or who might like to join us for the Denver IDEA Café Startup Workshop next Friday.

Post your question by clicking “comment” immediately below: