Internet Summit Quotes

The Internet Summit (held in Raleigh, NC earlier this month) was productive and fun. Here's some quotes that resonated with me.

"The iPhone has improved my life"
John Kosner, Senior VP, ESPN Digital Media


"Raise a bunch of money then act like you don't have any"
Douglas R. Lebda, CEO, Tree.com

"..(smart phones) are really computers that happen to make phone calls.."
As stated in the Mobile Strategies session

Durham Bulls + Inc 5000 companies

I always look forward to receiving the Inc. magazine that lists the fastest growing companies in America. Instead of just reading about these companies this month I proposed to our CEO that we celebrate by inviting these companies to a Durham Bulls baseball game (since our building is in the outfield).

He liked the idea so I jumped in the car and personally visited about 30 companies in the Raleigh-Durham, NC area in about 72 hours. The energy that was felt inside these companies emphasized my belief that our current economic environment is filled with opportunity for those willing to be flexible.



One company I've really enjoyed following is Bronto Software (we are actually a client of theirs). Not only does their culture promote productivity but their leadership is in tune with the market. I met Joe and Chaz at the recent CED event and was impressed. I asked them what they would do when email was not the primary form of business communication. (I had mistakenly thought they just sent out emails for companies.) Their answer was simple. "We're not an email company. We are a marketing analytics company. Email just happens to be the medium right now."

$48 million Punch

Since I am in investment banking I tend to attach a monetary value to most things. My latest thought is on Mr. Blount from the Oregon Football team. He threw a punch that cost him approximately $48 million by my calculation (since his NFL draft position went from 1st Round to 3rd or 4th).

Watch the video below. One question Mr. Blount, "Was it worth it?"

Why the title, "In the Outfield?"

I really enjoy working in investment banking and at KeySource Bank. While the location of the office has little to do with that I must admit that being in the outfield of the Durham Bulls baseball stadium does have it's perks. Occassionally balls will hit our window in the lobby during batting practice. We collect those balls and will give them to customers.

The picture at the top of the blog is from our conference room and we make that available to the customers of the bank. If you are in the downtown Durham area, feel free to stop by and see me.

Social Networks Eclipse Email

Did you feel us move over the hump of email in February? According to this NY Times article, "time spent on social networks surpassed that for e-mail for the first time in February."

The questions for all of us is, "Are we holding on to our email and resisting the shift? Are we in that minority group that is hold back the rest of society from moving to social computing?

If yes, there are efficient conversations we are missing. That means sales leads, client/employee feedback, and industry knowledge.

About Scott Kelly

Currently Scott is Co-Founder of Startup High plus works with students at Elon University as an Instructor of Entrepreneurship, Coordinator of Student Entrepreneurship, and Advisor to the Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community and Innovation House.  

Previously he worked with students through Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship including InCube.  He also founded Startup Madness, the ACC Tourney for Student Startups.

Scott was Vice President - Investment Banking at KeySource Commercial Bank. He provides clients with M&A advisory in the buy/sell process, private placement of debt, interest rate protection, and business valuation.

Previously Scott was a marketing consultant helping organizations such as Greenville Hospital System and other non-profits adopt social computing tools. Previously he was an Internal Sales and Marketing Consultant at IBM Global Services responsible for developing and implementing the technology strategy for the Application Services sales force. The past year new technologies have included social software, mobile computing, and browser add-ons. Day to day responsibilities include assessing the needs of the sales force, creating the technology strategy, leading web development teams in creating the tools, marketing the technology, and ultimately training the sales force. Key projects were TeamIQ and Social Software Stories Video series.

As part of his responsibilities, Scott was frequently asked to present business use case scenerioes to sales teams on how new technologies such as web 2.0 will enable them to find information and experts faster. He has authored several articles read by thousands of IBMers and authors a weblog at www.scottakelly.com.

Prior to his current role inside IBM, he was in IT Governance using ITIL concepts and policies. In this role he consulted with clients such as General Motors, Nationwide, and NiSource in their change management and root cause analysis processes.

Scott spent several years in the insurance industry working for State Farm Insurance before joining IBM. During his tenure there, he became a Kentucky Licensed insurance agent in property & casualty and life & health.

International experience includes IBM projects in Madrid, Spain and Leeds, England, study abroad at the Copenhagen Business School, and MBA Emerging Markets field trip to Bangkok, Thailand.

Scott holds a MBA from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University where he was also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Management and Human Resources. His Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems came from Western Kentucky University. He currently lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife, two daughters, and one son.

Freedom

On April 27, 2009 I went to the IBM office in Dublin, Ohio for the last time. I packed up my IBM Thinkpad (my best friend the past 3 years) and sent it to my manager. I drove out of the parking lot that day and one word came to mind, "freedom" (see Mel Gibson in Braveheart).

As I sat on the couch with my wife that night planning our upcoming move to Durham, North Carolina I received a call from a friend at a local non-profit. They had been discussing plans to utilize social media and she remembered my responsibilities at IBM of helping our sales force develop a social computing mindset. She said they wanted to enter the social media world and wanted my assistance.

I thought I would have at least one day to relax after leaving IBM, but the morning of April 28, 2009 (the day after leaving IBM) I met with my first consulting client. This is only the beginning.