We Are All Entering BIG SKY.....
"Big Sky".
That's the new term I am using to define the energy that sweeping the world right now. Big Sky is all about freedom, openness, unconditional energy, service, non-linear/viral thought processes. Big Sky is about being "wacko, out there" etc.
I have long predicted that Nextel is one of the PUREST INTERNET PLAYS ON THE PLANET.
Why Nextel?
One word: THE INDIVIDUAL.
The Internet is ALL about THE INDIVIDUAL. Individuals, not companies or governments hold the keys to the virtual Kingdom. Individuals, not AOL, Yahoo, eBAY, Microsoft, etc. makes things rock.
Anything, any company, any system, any network, anywhere, anytime...which tries to bundle, slice, dice, measure or package INDIVIDUALS in ways that restrict or limit their freedom will be completely bypassed.
And this is the only reason why I am not crazy about Gates' investment in Nextel. Kicking Netscape off Nextel's potentially open java/JINI/XML-fired Internet rocket is like going back to the days of the stagecoach. Gates wants his hooks, his restrictions, his limits to power more energy into his proprietary Windows/WindowsCE paradigm.
But let's get onto the main point.
With very few exceptions, everything we see on the Internet today will be history in the not too distant future. Companies that embrace individual-centric solutions which maximize our freedom of choice will rise mightily. The entire world is stuck in a power/control, quid pro quo, portal crazy, linear, cash-and-carry, "gotta come to me, me, me" mindset.
The secret of the Internet is that's all about complex, network orientied, viral, almost spiritual, non-linear thought and the energy that comes from non quid pro quo unconditional energy.
Business as we know it can understand this stuff. Every traditional "business" is obsolete. The term "service" will replace "business" as the new model for the future.
I say goodbye AOL, Yahoo, Lycos, AT&T, Disney, Microsoft and all the rest of the Old Business model titans. Even Amazon is a PURE Old Business Model masquarading as a Internet Company.
You are not a true Internet company until you scrap "business" and get into the REAL game: service. Humbly walking the streets of life, networking, helping, sharing, giving, reaching, extending.
There is a massive arbitrage underway right now which is fueled by individuals who are taking control of new forms of communication that give them information when they need it, where they need it and on a completely customized basis: e-mail, unified messaging, chat, FREE faxing, follow-me numbers, online conferences, ICQ, talking e-mail, IP radio, MP3, Internet enabled digital wireless handhelds, PDAs, Java, XML, PERL, yada, yada, etc.
Getting in bed with traditional corporations today would be like chuming up with the railroad executives on the eve of the birth of commercial aviation and the auto and trucking industries.
The cream will rise to the top. Entrepreneurial talent is jumping ship faster than drops of cold water on a red hot skillet. True to its natural dynamic, capitalism is creatively destroying itself.
Like a deer in headlights, if I were a traditional executive today I'd be scared out of my pants: the bigger or higher up my office, the more consultants I hire, the less in touch I am, the more out of control I probably feel. Fear is their only driver. Unfortunately, fear is what drove the Old Business Model. Love is what drives this new business model.
The IP Revolution is here to stay....
I just hope Nextel overcomes it's need for cash so it can really break free and keep on running.
GO!!
PS - For those who want a taste of Big Sky visit....
teneagles.com
Teneagles Lodge is located 2 miles as the crow flies from our 400 acres in the heart of south central Montana, right off Highway 89, about 14 miles north of I-90 in the great little town of Clyde Park Montana. Be sure to tell Will and Betsey Todd - related to Christie Todd Whitman, governor of New Jersey - that I sent you.
Anyone still up for a National Nextel Users Group convention? Teneagles has just 10-12 rooms. We can start small. There are over 100 rooms available at the Crazy Moutain Ranch 6 miles away, home of the Marboro Man.
There's also a great Bed & Breakfast in Clyde Park, The Gibson Cassidy House run by Nancy Glibert, where we stayed last week. Nancy is a great lady.
If you want a tour of the valley, just call Warren & Jamie Latvala. They purchased my grandfathers ranch from us in the late 70's and they lease out the 400 acres from us. We have about 2 miles along the Shields River, one of the best trout fishing streams in the state. |
