• Myself and two of my clients just showed up in a US News and World Report article about credit card processing http://tinyurl.com/6rv2s4. #

• Still working in the website. I figure it takes me 30 minutes of design work what it would take a true geek 5 minutes. But hey I’m trying! #
• Just wrote two quick posts - http://cocardsynergy.com/blog/. #
• Up and running, could not stop thinking about cool things to work on today so I got up and poured myself a cup of coffee. #

I have to admit that I am stealing the base design of our website.  From who?  A company that I love and that we are a client of - 37 Signals.  I thought I should bring this up to alleviate any guilt I have for not being completely original.  Don’t “they” say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery?  Well let me clearly flatter 37 Signals; we use three of their products, Highrise (CRM), Backpack and Campfire (chat) and love each one of them.  We tried Salesforce out and found it to be just too complex for most of us.   Each of 37 Signals products are simple and easy to use and therefore they are utilized by each member of our team.

If you do go to their website be sure to check out their book, it’s about how they build products and run their business.  The book is called Getting Real and you can find it here.

link

Thanks for everything 37 Signals!  You are truly a business to imitate and admire.

• Planning out the month of July, just made list of 100 baby step must dos. When I get all these done it is going to feel real good. #
• Just signed up with a great source for my “high risk” clients. No that does mean I will be seeking out porn site clients! #
• Working on Cocard Synergy website - I need to have this up and running today! #

When I woke up today I sarted my day with Seth Godin’s newest blog post.  In the post he writes about a custom t-shirt company that calls him three days after he put in his order.  Was there a problem?  Not at all, they had noticed the t-shirt was for a non-profit cause and were calling Mr. Godin to see if they could contribute to the cause.  This was a total surprise for Seth; there was nothing on the t-shirt company’s website bragging about such a policy.  So he concluded his pst with a new rule: “The value of a perk is inversely related to the expectation of that perk”

I agree with him, this t-shirt company was doing this not because it would bring them accolades or so they could write about on their blog.  Nope they did this because of who they are as a company, because they think contributing to causes is the right thing to do.

I have to tell you that I love the new business world, whatever label you want to put on it.  This is truly a new world where the good guys do finsih first.  I look forward to creating value and having it be a urprise to our clients.

• Been up since 4:30am - thinking about the biz. Now I am writing more about the values of this new company. #
• Just finished a post about creating value - http://cocardsynergy.com/blog/value/. I came to a conclusion I was not expecting. #
• On my way to San Diego to see the Mariners play the Padres. A contest for who’s the worst in MLB.
  http://tinyurl.com/56zwq5 #
• In San Diego, in seats behind the Seattle dugout. It’s 8 to 1. I guess the Padres win, they are the worst team in baseball.
  http://tinyurl.com/5lbe8y #

This sounds like an obvious characteristic every business would strive for. However, when I look around and examine my experiences with businesses I often see the idea of making as much money as possible while creating as little value as necessary. Of course I also see companies like Apple that have clearly realized the correlation between creating value and profit.

In his book, How To Be Rich, J. Paul Getty, once the richest man in the word wrote,”The businessman should never lose sight of the central aim of all business — to produce more and better goods or provide more and better services to more people at lower cost.” “More” and “better” are the words that stick out to me in this quote.

So why wouldn’t a business focus on increasing the value of it’s product or service? My mind keeps coming back to two reasons:

1. Lack of awareness of the motive behind the business.
2. Lack of awareness that value creation and profit go together.

Let’s start with motive, why is the business person or corporation operating? I mean the real reason, what drives them?  I don’t believe the motive matters, as long as it is not immoral.  It could be money, ceating jobs, building a better world or even feeding the ego of the owner or CEO.  The key is being aware of the motive and connecting that motive to the every aspect of the business.

Here is an example; I was watching one of my favorite TV shows the other night, The Business of Innovation on CNBC.  The show was focused on company social responsibility (watch it here).  One of the interviews was with the CEO of Timberland, Jeffrey Swartz, who’s family founded the business.  The interview revealed a strong commitment the family and business have to the environment.  Then the discussion moved to the idea of balancing that passion with their commitment to their share holders (profit).  It was a great interview that me made want to buy all my shoes from Timberland.  Bottom line?  What I saw in this CEO and his company was a deep connection to it’s base motive - family pride.  I truly believe they are so proud of what they have created that they are driven to keep building an operating a great company.

In contrast, the mediocrity enerprise is arrived at by not knowing what drives it which results in a lack of passion and vision.  Somewhere in the Bible, I think it the book of Proverbs, it says, “where there is no vision, the people perish.”  When we business types don’t know what really drives us, then we have no vision for greatness and when there is no vision the business will eventually fail.  So discovering what motivates a business is essential.

My second point was realizing that value creation is central to operating a successful business.  I don’t think I need to expounon this, it’s pretty obvious.

So here is how this plays out with myself and Cocard Synergy.  What drives me is esteem, how I and others regard me, myself.  In other words I want to be great. I want to be proud of myself and I want others to see me as a great human being.  Therefore, I will build a great company that produces esteem for me.  I know this confession sounds a little narcisitic but it is the truth; it’s just who I am.

So why I am I committed to creating and increasing value to our clients?  Because I want to be esteemed highly and I have connected that desire with creating a special, unique, innovative and profitable business, which means come hell or high water we will create value (among other things)!

Do you see it?  Do you know what your base motation is?  Once realized can you take that motive and turn it into a vision?  I am in that process now when will you start?

Another Post: More on Creating Value

• Started the day missing my old office mates at USMS. If today is a typical Friday there, they are dressed casual and eating donuts. #
• Getting out some proposals - one for a bus company in Boston, MA and the other for a hotel in Northern California. #
• Why does my new business name start with “Cocard”? Answer: http://cocardsynergy.com/blog/cocard/ #

Yes, the name is Cocard.  I have had many people ask what the heck Cocard is.  According to a recent press release Cocard is a Nashville, TN based merchant services provider currently serving over 25,000 merchants.  The release goes on to say, “Cocard is a cooperative of bankcard professionals with 48 members and approximately 600 sales representatives located in over 60 offices throughout the continental U.S..”

So Cocard is a group of bankcard professionals who have come together as one to share resources, negotiate better pricing and basically take over the world.  I added that last part just to see if you are awake!  The bar is pretty high to get into this organization which means that if you are dealing with any office with the Cocard name in font of it you are going to receive great service and honest rates.

The reasons I chose to become a part of Cocard are:

1. Integrity - I wanted to be a part of a integral group that I could be proud be a part of.
2. Relationships - Cocard is set up with only the largest and the best payment processors and third party vendors in North America.
3. Rates - because Cocard has such a large portfolio of quality merchants the rates they have negotiated are much better than I would have received on my own.
4. Control - I am able to run my own business within Cocard (as log as I follow the rules).  This means I am able to choose and build my own price models and I don’t have to wait for someone’s approval to take quick and decisive actions for the benefit of our clients.

So I have the best of both worlds, the pricing of a large organization and the ability to make my own business as great as I want it to be.

I’ll be writing more about Cocard in the future but if you have any immediate questions you want answered feel free to comment below and I will respond promptly.

More reading: What Greensheet has to say about Cocard.

• Wow, what a long day - but I have the new blog up and running, so all the work was worth it. Off to bed! #
• Calling all of my clients and referral partners about my move from US Merchant Services to Cocard Synergy. #
• Today is my oldest child’s 18th birthday - am I getting old or what? How did that happen!?
• If you a were going to build your own company what would be the number 1 value? Here is what I am doing http://tinyurl.com/4kae75