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Doug 6:34 pm on April 16, 2003 | 0 | # |
Tags: business and corporate

I’d like to announce the launch of my new business: Arrochar Management & Learning, LLC. Arrochar Management & Learning provides “hands-on” business expertise to help small and mid-size businesses improve their operational effectiveness, execute their business plans more effectively, and increase their bottom line results. Unlike traditional consultants who focus on providing advice, our services go a step further by focusing on implementation and execution.

In conjunction with the new business and website, I’ve also launched a new ‘blog: Thinking in Public.

For the curious, “Arrochar” (pronounced ar-O-car) is a small town in the Highlands of Scotland where a part of my family lived prior to emigrating to the U.S. It’s a town that has endured over the ages despite attacks from Vikings, wars, harsh winters, and difficult economic times. It seemed to me to be a good omen to name a new company after this town in these times.

I’m very excited about this new venture and the new opportunities coming my way. Drop by the new place and say hello!
Doug 2:21 am on April 11, 2003 | 0 | # |
Tags: computing

The Mac OS 10.2.5 update was released today. As with prior updates, there don’t seem to be any major issues on this end. One weird thing did happen, though - after the update, I fired up NetNewsWire, and found my preferences, including all my subscriptions, were gone. I did have a kernel panic prior to the update, however, so the problems might have been related to that.
Doug 2:09 am on April 11, 2003 | 0 | # |
Tags: Personal

Apologies for the lack of posts lately. I’ve been pretty “head down” the last couple of weeks in start-up mode for my new venture. Things are going very well, though - it’s an incredible feeling to be re-energized and excited about what I’m doing. For the first time in a long time, I get to the end of the day and don’t realize how late it is. For the first time in a long time I get to the end of the day and want to keep going! I spend my time in the morning, while I’m exercising and showering and whatnot, thinking not about how to avoid disaster, but about plans for the future.

This is how work is supposed to be…
Doug 10:53 pm on April 1, 2003 | 0 | # |
Tags: Personal

I landed my second facilitation/training gig today, for this weekend. The interesting bit is that it’s with a group that was one of the very first corporate experiential training programs I ever ran, about twelve years ago. Again, it wasn’t something I solicited directly, but rather just sort of fell into my lap, but I’m grateful for it. Moreover, I’ll be working the program with people I used to do a lot of work with and thoroughly enjoy working with. It ought to be a fun Saturday, despite the fact that the weather might not cooperate.

Having said that, I did that first program in a driving rain storm. I ended up in bed for about three days afterwards, but it was successful enough that they’re still doing it twelve years later, so I guess it was worth it.

Things on other fronts continue to proceed apace. This week has seen an excellent series of meetings with people, all of which have been far more directed and focused than in previous weeks. That’s mostly because I’m more directed and focused. After mulling it over the past couple of weeks, it’s become evident to me that it’s time to go back into business for myself again. Some interesting plans and opportunities are shaping up on that front, but I think I’ll put off discussing them until things have firmed up a bit more. Suffice to say that it’s time to think “outside the box,” or maybe even throw the box away completely, and try a different approach.