Archive for the ‘English’ Category
I’m starting my Personal MBA program, you can too!
What’s better than spending $100K or more on an MBA, getting a diploma that is not necessary for an entrepreneur, and learning about things that are not all that relevant to your career path?
We just returned from a vacation to San Francisco, where we spent a day at the Stanford campus, and that brought me back to the moment 5 years ago, when I had enrolled in an MBA program which was a collaboration between the University of Amsterdam and the University of Shanghai – Olymba. It had a great promise, I was selected for enrollment, it was paid for, and I was ready to go, but the program never launched.
Oh I love personal development, enrichment by reading great books. And I did purchase great books over the years. But also noticed I read less books over the past years then ever before, as you can see on my stats that I have been keeping on Anobii:
So, now back to the Personal MBA.
The Personal MBA is an idea from Josh Kaufman. Like he says, you don’t have to pay high tuition costs to do an MBA. Make sure you read the right books. Josh created a categorized list of highly valuable books that you can read to get the knowledge you want. Josh offers a book, tutorials and a forum for support in getting started with your personal MBA.
His site and tutorials have inspired me to do an adapted version of his personal MBA. An MBA is not only reading business books, it’s also about learning how to apply these in business. And I am glad I can apply what I learn in my own company instead of to a case study company. Another important element within the MBA is the people you meet and the collaborative projects. I would love to find a good solution for that. I do have some ideas about this and added that to my Personal Plan.
My goal:
I want to acquire the knowledge to grow my agency and to support any B2C company from being a startup to become a $20 million dollar business, specifically in the area of online customer acquisition, digital marketing, online branding and sales.
I have outlined the subjects that I want to learn about and visualized this into a Mindmap.
(click on the picture to zoom in)
As you can see, my chosen subjects are: Business Management, Marketing, Personal Development, Digital Marketing, Trends in Society. It has a heavy marketing and digital marketing focus. As additional items, I have added: Projects, Network, and a Getting Started with the Personal MBA.
Making sure I’m up and running is my biggest concern for now. Blogging is part of my personal MBA plan, so you’ll see me here some more from now on! 
5 things you need to know about The Netherlands that nobody will ever tell you
Be careful, this story is full of generalizations. If you are allergic to that, please move on and don’t bother reading, it will definitely itch.
Since it’s vacation time, I’d like to share about my country and hope that it expands your horizon; geographically, but also culturally. To do that, I will start with the worst things first.
# 1. You make the decisions about your life, not the government
In my country drugs are legal, we have legalized prostitution, we’re the first country in the world to legalize gay marriages (since 2001) and legalized euthanasia. Well, you might think that’s pretty bad,
but in my country it’s not the government who make the decisions.
To take drugs, marry someone from the same-sex or end life early. It’s the people that make the decisions. And just as people have the choice to make a bad decision, they have a choice to make good decisions. We trust people to make the right decision for themselves.
So far, cocaine use is 5 times higher in the USA, and twice as many Americans than Dutch aged 12 and over have experienced marijuana.
Gays have not created more gays, but gays are an accepted part of the population in our country and euthanasia isn’t an alternative for suicide neither did it extinct the Dutch race.
So, yes those things are true about the Netherlands. But it’s your personal choice if you want to enjoy it or enjoy one of the other things our country has to offer.
#2. The lock is more expensive than the bike
One of the things to enjoy would be: the bike. We have more bikes in our country than we have people. Stealing bikes is one of the most popular criminal activities, especially in the city. Therefore it is more important that you buy an expensive lock than an expensive bike. We don’t have mountains in my country so city bikes are sufficient. And because of the always-existent scare of your bike getting stolen, you’ll buy a very good and expensive lock and a 2nd hand bike.
And believe me, I have seen my bike being stolen, someone drove off with my bike right in front of me, during clear daylight, with lots of people around me on a busy marketplace. Hmm… not too good.
My favorite way of transportation is my ‘bakfiets’, it’s a tricycle cargo bike, which also serves as advertising for my Dutch company:
It holds 4 kids on 2 benches, who wear seat belts when traveling. And we don’t wear biking helmets, actually only the Mormon missionaries wear those.
Our car is parked outside of Amsterdam, and funny as it is, the chance of your bike getting stolen is much bigger than your car getting stolen.
#3. We’re the 5th largest investor in California.
We’re a small country. The Netherlands is about 10 times as small as California, and we have 16 million people. Other than that our country is the 5th largest investor in California (after Germany, Japan and the UK).
Dutch companies you might have heard of are: Shell, Philips, ING, Aegon and Unilever (the company that produces Dove and Axe). For a small country, those companies are pretty big.
Our country has a history in trading and export, we were the first to settle and colonize New Amsterdam, that later became New York, after we traded it for Suriname with the British. I still regret that decision, cuz you would have all spoken Dutch if that trade never happened. Still, our reach has been wide, but our country stays small.
#4. Dutch people are tall, don’t brag and very tough on themselves
My country grows the tallest people in the world. Dutch people are on average 2 inches taller than the Americans. The average height in the Netherlands for adults is 6 foot 1 (1.85m). With my 6 foot (1.84), I’m even a bit on the short side. That’s where my heals can help me out. ?
We’re tough, most of all for ourselves. We criticize ourselves a lot, and also medically we aren’t the weaker ones. Dental numbing shots are not the norm but an open question. And 90% of baby’s are born at home with the help of a doula, no injections, no nothing. I delivered 2 babies myself that way and they came out just fine. I was doing fine too, oh yeah it did hurt, but we consider that part of the process.
Bragging is not Dutch. We’re the first to point out things that need and can be improved upon, but if you ask us for the best meal, our country’s hero, or what’s the best place to visit, we will not be able to do it.
#5 We are very happy people
Dutch kids are the happiest in the world, American kids are ranked 20th in the world.
For happiest people we are ranked #5 in the world after the Scandinavian countries.
Why are we so happy? Researchers say that citizens in countries with a good health care system, a high GDP per capita and with good access to education are the happiest. Also 75% of Dutch women work part time, this is the highest figure in Europe, the average in Europe is 32%. With mom being at home a lot and being there for you, that makes a child happy. Children in the Netherlands are used to a highly protected and highly positive caring environment. The Dutch family is very communicative and open.
Because the parents are more relaxed, the problems in the Netherlands with teenagers and drug use for example are less severe than in countries where they are seen as more of an issue.
A 16-year-old schoolgirl from Amsterdam agrees:
“You can smoke at 16, you can buy pot in the store next to the school. You can do what you like and because it’s not illegal, it’s not that interesting for us to provoke our parents with it.”
If you’re a happy child that gets the attention you need, you don’t need to provoke your parents with anything.
So, these are the 5 things you need to know about The Netherlands that nobody will ever tell you. I hope you have expanded your horizons and consider a visit to our country some time.
And I’ll end with a statement that is made up by Dutch people living in the US who could finally let go of the not-bragging part of our culture: If you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much.
This Speech has been given as a Toastmasters Project #2 Speech on July 22, 2010
Top 14 quotes by 6 historical heroes
1. Walt Disney
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
“All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them”
“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”
This last quote is one that I could say.
“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.”
“A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there. With enough effort, he may achieve it. Or he may find something that is even more rewarding. But in the end, no matter what the outcome, he will know he has been alive.”
And this is why I believe working with kids is soo much fun & rewarding.
“The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.”
“Crowded classrooms and half-day sessions are a tragic waste of our greatest national resource – the minds of our children.”
“Only a life lived for others is a life worth while’”
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
“Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation … even so does inaction sap the vigour of the mind.”
4. Edmund Burke
“There is a boundary to men’s passions when they act from feelings, but none when they are under the influence of imagination.”
“Education is the cheap defense of nations.”
He has so many great quotes, but he wrote/said them in totally different times (French Revolution in Britain). They are still an inspiration to me today. I would love to see politicians listen to him a little more (and understand what he is saying).
5. Mark Twain
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambition. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”
Why we shouldn’t go to school
I was amazed to read last week, that in the Netherlands we have only 170 children who are not going to school (legally) based on religious reasons. There are another 2100 children who are legally not going to school based on psychological or emotional problems. There is not a choice for parents to choose to get their children homeschooled. And this is for children between 4 and 18 years old.
There are many more kids in this age range who don’t go to school, who are not legally home.
In August our oldest son will turn 5 years old. And we have written our notice to the city government that he won’t be joining a school in the fall of 2007. On tuesday we have a meeting with someone from the city government to talk about our situation. And I hope all goes well. I feel well prepared, so I hope it won’t take much of our valuable time.
And more I hope that people will follow us to let their children grow up in the way that’s good for them, they don’t need to fit in the school system for any reason. And I believe that the more entrepreneurs we will have in the Netherlands, the easier it gets. Because it is easier for a 1 or 2 entrepreneurs family to choose for homeschooling, because you can be very flexible in your work & home schedule.
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Branding Personality based on your requests!
These weeks my focus is only 1 thing, to get Branding Personality launched.
WHAT?
Branding Personality is a one-stop shop for online marketing campaigns for real people for whom it is important to get their name out on the web and get known by their target group. Many of them who have a 1 person business and are relying on their name to be known and to have the credibility to attract their target group.
By filling out this survey, you help me out a great deal to learn what you are you in need of to establish a larger customer base. The survey is for solo professionals, based worldwide and contains only 3 simple questions:
What globalization & internet means for us
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Exciting and scary at the same time. As it shows the world is changing so freakin’ fast.
This video tells us that China and India are moving to world leadership in terms of number of people, but also intelligence. Next to that, it shows that if you are starting college you learn things in the first year that will be outdated in the third year. So, why should we study knowledge?
Better learn skills.
You can be BusinessWise by reading my book
Yes! The book that I am co-authoring is available on Amazon!
If you are starting a business, or considering doing so, BusinessWise is the book for you. A collaboration amongst over 20 business experts, this book looks at the whole process of setting up a new business with success in mind. It covers a wide range of topics including business set up and vision, marketing (including using the internet), selling, finance, working in and managing teams, working from home and beating procrastination, networking internationally, getting the right message out in the right language, health and fitness and collaboration.
The authors, all life members of the network Ecademy.com, are experts in their subject area and have shared many tips and ideas here that they would normally only reveal in training sessions or paid consultancy. The result is a book that provides insights and guidance to new or potential business people as well as existing business owners. Read it with a pencil or highlighter to hand. You’ll need it!
The book is in english and you can order it on Amazon.
If you want to read my part in the book, flip to page 49: How to attract your target group online. I can assure you, there are really valuable (and fun) pieces to read in there!
The permanent group
I am a member of a permanent group, which I cannot better describe than what Merijn Panhuijzen and Bart Kok did on their website:
Quite by accident a group of Dutch businessmen and one woman discovered a fundamental answer to the crisis in modern governance: the permanent group.
The permanent group is the missing link between individuals and society; between conflicting parties; between people on both sides of borders; between people from different cultures.
Our societies and organizations have a level of fragmentation that is so high that they start to disintegrate. There is no longer a relevant connection between micro and macro, between boardroom and work floor, between different departments of the same organization, let alone between strangers, different believe systems or enemies. We need to reconnect human beings.
But reconnection takes more than technology, more than knowledge about the problem. What is needed is a setting that is safe enough for people to really relate to one another. A setting in which you can give and receive true feedback without judgement. Take a small group of dedicated people. Forge the mutual relations from coal dust to diamonds. There you have the power to change the world. That is the principle of the permanent group.
Relation = Result. It is the relation that defines the result. No more games to play. Just a group of people taking each other so seriously that the self-evident qualities of each individual come to the surface to become a necessary ingredient of the final result. In the permanent group opposing visions lead to dialogue and the creation of synthesis.
With every real synthesis there is a release of energy: synergy 1+1=3. The synergy is the ongoing source to tackle problems, lead companies and to change the world as we know it, in a positive way.
Conflicts within the permanent group always precede the agenda. Feelings are facts and by taking feelings seriously the group creates a clear vision of the actual problems that need to be dealt with. By taking each other group member seriously, each group member finally takes himself seriously.
Individually each person is limited in effectiveness by his or her blind spots. Within the permanent group blind spots are easily spotted and the effectiveness of the group manifold surpasses the sum total of the individuals effectiveness.
You want to know how to create a permanent group? Read the book, or better: do it.
Every 4 to 6 weeks I am meeting my group members. And while I am in the United States now, I am on Video Skype. Our permanent group is called Howgh! and we are with 6 members.
Learning disabled?
"Our culture has become obsessed with an educational system that wounds many types of learners. Perhaps those who mislabel students ought themselves to be called "teaching disabled"."
A quote by Paul R. Scheele, author of Natural Brilliance.
All children are born geniuses
"All children are born geniuses. 9999 out of every 10,000 are swiftly, inadvertently, degeniused by grown-ups." by Paul R. Scheele. Author of Natural Brilliance.
Let us work on our children being and staying the genius they are. If you are a parent, you do have a genius at home, or when you have more children you have even more! Let us facilitate these geniuses to be who they are.
What can you do today to let your children grow in the fulfillment of their talents and passion to serve the world?
Cartoon about women in the 21st century
We are in the century of blogging, ipods and …. yeah, love still exists…
Read here how comics should change.
School means things done in leisure time
In the recent Freedom In Education brief:
“It recently occurred to me to look up the origin of the word school. I found that it is derived from the ancient Greek word, Skhole, which meant either leisure, or the things done in one’s leisure time, or the place where one spent one’s leisure time. In particular, it was a word used to describe learned discussions and disputations that took place between a teacher and their students. This is far removed from the modern meaning of school,…”
B-GoodFashion organizes fashion accessories parties!
Last sunday Galit & Esther organized a superb party. It was a kick-off party and many more will follow. Galit & Esther have launched the B-GoodFashion website, which sells bags, belts, jewelry and other fashion accessories. They sell the coolest bags, I really loved them. As you can use them as a regular shoulder-bag, but also (by switching the straps) as a back-pack. Trendy, really cool! and high quality.
I connected with Galit through a Business over Breakfast Club meeting in Amsterdam.
B-GoodFashion organizes 4 more parties this year in Amsterdam and we work on more parties in other places as well. Just mail her, if you are interested in a party at your place! Your house will change in a showroom of fashion accessories. At some parties you can get styling advice from a professional stylist on what to wear.
The next parties are:
Sunday afternoon, October 15th, Amsterdam Zuid
Sunday afternoon, October 29th, Amsterdam
Sunday afternoon, November 12th, Den Haag
Sunday afternoon, November 26th, Amsterdam Oud-West
X-MAS PARTY, Sunday afternoon, December 3rd, Amsterdam Oud-West
I love to see you at one of the parties. The more the merrier.
Just send an email if you are interested to attend, we will send you the address.
Personal branding
In a world where everyone is equal, it is hard to phrase who you are and what you do. It is more than ever needed to have a virtual portfolio available for everyone who wants to know more about you. When people are looking for someone with a certain skill or passion, they are searching Google. People need to find you, if they are looking for your passion. There are 6 billion people in this world who each have a special talent to deliver to the world and its inhabitants. It is each and everyone’s reason to be here to use this talent for the better of the world. This portfolio should be controlled by you. We are working on facilitating these personal portfolio’s. You can have a peek preview here. Lisa Bakker is working on a book on Perfessional Profiling (Personal + Professional).
The more…
The more you give, the more you receive
Who changes the world?
“The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.â€
- Steve Jobs
Involve and understand
Tell me, and I will forget; Show me, and I may remember; involve me and I will understand…
Sell time for money
If you work, you sell your time for money.
Treat yourself like it and your boss too.
A team always outperforms an individual
No matter how talented you are, you cannot “synergize” on your own.
An aligned team always outperforms an individual. That is why a dreamteam is so important.
-mark victor hansen-
Thank you all
For showing me your support through this weblog and through the many emails I have received. I have had an email overload over the last two months. I have read all emails, but haven’t had the chance to email you all.
Please email me again, if you want to have an answer on your email or phonecall.
With love,
Marieke