Jeff Widman (.com)

New here? You may want to visit my welcome page. Thanks for visiting!
 
(Title format derived from SAT analogies–it must be PSAT time because this post is drawing over half my traffic.)
 
When it comes to life, you certainly get your money’s worth!

-Karl Klaesius (friend & mentor)
 
Life is full. Of opportunities. For success. Or failure.But [...]

Two days ago, my sister and I were talking over the phone:
"Jeff, I’m going to these parties with our highschool friends, and they all ask about you. [Thanks guys!] I try to explain, only I’m not really sure… What is TechStars and what are you doing there?"
Well Michelle, here’s the answer.
 
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Marketing is a delicate craft. A rhythmic balance between planning and executing.
There are overnight growth wonders. (The hockey stick pattern–think Twitter.)
But creating a world-class product cannot happen overnight. By definition. It takes time, user-testing, iterations. (How many [...]

 
I didn’t want to post this. It’s basic. We forget. That’s why it’s worth your time.
Last week, a guy I’d never met tweeted that he’d spend a half-hour meeting with any Seattle-ite willing to drive him to the airport.
In that brief conversation, Dave McClure used words like:
Customer acquisitionUser engagementOrganic growthViralSEOIntimidating
Okay, I added the [...]

Today begins a month and a half of traveling adventures… My upcoming itinerary:
    -August: Boulder, CO. http://www.TechStars.org/    -August 25: Road trip home. Boulder–>Seattle.    -Sept 2-5: Boston, MA. http://www.businessofsoftware.org/    -Sept 5-12: Washington, DC. Visiting a friend/backpacking.    -Sept 12-17: Kansas City, MO. http://www.apics.org/education/conference/
Then back to Redmond for a few weeks…
 
I enjoy blogging. I enjoy meeting people.
 
If [...]

It’s been 5 weeks since my last post–I was burned out… I’m refreshed now.  I can once again look at the trees, feel the wind, and say, “Thank God–I’m alive!”
Thanks for patiently waiting.
 
I’ve asked myself why I blog. Simple. Passion demands an outlet.
 
My friend Delaney recently asked my thoughts on blogging.
I’m concerned [...]

Despite the silence, I’m still here… Working at a camp in North Dakota for the past one and a half weeks–I’ll be here through the end of next week.
 
While I originally intended to post here, the 26.4 kbps has stifled my online presence–takes 15 minutes just to upload a blog post!
 
The time here [...]

Some marketers lie on purpose. You know who I’m talking about.
 
The rest of us are tempted. By definition, a good marketer is an expert in creating WOW experiences. We understand the importance of a great story. But sometimes……it’s impossible to surpass customer expectations… …the competition has a better product……the deadline won’t be met……the XBox [...]

Not all neighbors are as friendly as Mr. Rogers. While some invite you in for a cup of tea, others limit you to the porch. A few merely gawk from behind shuttered windows.
The same responses happen when you market to consumers. Seth Godin is a genius for reminding marketers to mind their manners, and [...]

In January, I spent a week with Genie Industries participating in a kaizen event. This week was special–Genie paid a lean manufacturing Sensei upwards of $30k to supervise. (Shingijitsu’s website looks like crap… Yet my Genie contact told me, “We’re working hard to wine/dine them–otherwise they’ll fire us.” That’s abnormal.)

I’ll never forget asking the Sensei [...]