Browsing Category

Junkyard Management

How to Use The F Word in Business To Deliver Better Results

In our first meeting Shawn Parr overpowered me with creative ideas, keen questions, and solid advice. It was the early days for PathLight, and a few hours with Shawn had a profound influence on how we express our mission. My past experience with “marketing guys” has always been mixed. But with Shawn it was and remains a joy. He wrote this article for LinkedIn and it felt right to share it here. Besides, he drives a cool truck.

I’ve seen the curse of the “whack-a-mole” raise its ugly head more frequently than normal in recent months. While it’s the …

Family, Junkyard Management,

Down But Not Out

My son Jedd is the guest blogger today. He recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund Ember, an incredible night photography tool for the iPhone. Since many of my readers supported this effort, it seemed best to have Jedd share the latest news and plans. Junkyard dogs don’t give up, and his Grandpa would be proud.
——-
As most of you know, a couple of weeks ago we concluded our Kickstarter campaign without hitting the goal. We know how many of you wanted to see the Ember become a reality and we’re so thankful for all our backers. We’re …

Book Reviews, Junkyard Management, Sabbatical, So you think you're a writer?,

So you think you’re a writer?

Four years ago I took a month-long sabbatical to consider where to invest future energies. Great friends offered advice, shared their ideas, and asked me tough questions.

One of the questions often asked was, “Why not write a book?” I chuckled at the suggestion and pushed it aside.

But the idea wouldn’t go away. Three years ago a friend again asked, “You love to write. Why don’t you write a book?” This time the idea wasn’t pushed aside as quickly. But to write a book — a good one — you need an idea worth sharing. A unique idea or …

Junkyard Management,

Recycling Junkyard

It’s hard to believe Junkyard Wisdom has now been online for five years! Over 500 posts, 300 pages, too many comments to track, and tens of thousands of visitors …. wow, never expected all that. It’s been great fun!

But the overall look was not aging gracefully. The homepage was cluttered, the graphics were sloppy, and even the WordPress theme was no longer supported. Time for an update.

With the help of Alan at Immersus Media, the Junkyard Wisdom site has a new look! Or perhaps I should say the site has been recycled into something even nicer. It …

Family, Goble Properties, Junkyard Management, Random Thoughts,

Ember

My son has always been a tinkerer. We still laugh about his childhood dream of wanting to build an airplane in our backyard. I pointed out we had no tires for the plane to land with and he said, “They sell tires at Costco.” I pointed out we had no engine, which stumped him for a little while, and then he said, “We have one in Mom’s car.”

Stubborn, focused, no problem was too large to solve … he had the perfect internal hard wiring to be an inventor. And tinker he did, from Legos to woodshop to photography to …

Junkyard Management,

The Tension of Wealth and Poverty

One of the great things I’ve discovered about a blog is discovering the themes in my heart and mind. Different patterns become evident after four years of Junkyard Wisdom updates. Maybe patterns isn’t the right word; seeing the long threads that weave through a tapestry and build upon each other might be a better way to understand it.

One of the key discoveries is my interest in the tensions of life — the opposite pulls that are both equally good but heading in opposite directions. And perhaps my biggest tension of all has been the value of creating wealth and …

Book Reviews, Junkyard Management,

Junkyard Planet

Despite the title of this blog, I did not grow up in an actual junkyard. It’s might be splitting hairs, but my family owned automotive dismantling centers (or simply wrecking yards). To most folks it amounts to the same thing. But there is a difference. A junkyard takes any kind of junk that can be resold (copper wire, aluminum cans, even Christmas tree lights). But an auto dismantler focuses strictly on cars and trucks.

Here’s another way to view it. Junkyards are recycling centers that take stuff nobody can use and then recycle it into useful products. Think scrap iron …

Junkyard Management, Random Thoughts,

Support the Boring this Holiday Season

“….in this age of elites who delight in such phrases as “out of the box” and “killer app”, arguably the most coveted status symbol isn’t a yacht, a racehorse, or a knighthood; it’s a philanthropic foundation — and, more than that, one actively managed in ways that show its sponsor has big ideas for reshaping the world.”
Chrystia Freeland, Plutocrats

I remember reading that line in Plutocrats and laughing out loud. It’s so true, especially here in the Silicon Valley region. And it’s why I’m not keen on engaging with a lot of foundations.

This came to light recently as …