A Poem for 2017's Departing

After a while

After a while 
you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn love doesn't mean leaning and company doesn't always mean security.
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't always promises 
and you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and and your eyes ahead with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers
And you learn that you really can endure, that you really are strong and you really do have worth and you learn and you learn 
with every good-bye you learn.

Author: Veronica A. Shoffstall

The Dance: A Belated Christmas Present

This past weekend I went to a jazz club because a DJ I knew was scheduled to play there. I didn't make it past the first set. 

I met a person who happened to be a woman of Dutch origin. We danced for a while pulling others into our groove. Creepers stared at us, the females on the dance floor. Our intent was not to swoon each other but to have fun.

The person shared with me that she was studying to be a "house doctor". We shared frustrations about our perceptions of working women in her culture and my own including forced expectations of motherhood. 

After the person left the jazz club where the trance music blared, I heard an American accent. I approached the source, which was the voice of a person who later stated she had been living in Amsterdam 10 years after arriving from Boston. With her was Silver, a person of unknown origin. 

My energy sparked high around this ambiguous couple. I followed them by bike on an adventure to The Place Where You Dance All Night. I had been to the location before, but it was much less crowded. 

"What's your Disney Princess?" I asked the person, who happened to be female and a venture capitalist. 

"Let me think about that." she said. 

She nodded to Silver, who pulled out a tube of lip gloss for her. 

"It will come to you," I told her. "But for now I will call you Jasmine. Maybe other times I will call you Sapphire."

#amsterdam #magic

Quotes of the Week

Forrest Gump: That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of the town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on goin'. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on goin'. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on goin'.

Forrest Gump: Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if I was goin' somewhere, I was runnin'!

Ireckon this is a marathon, not a sprint.

12-Oct-2017: Two weeks ago, I started working with a company called IRECKONU. My office is (coincidentally) located in the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium, where I'll be standing in three days time to run my ninth marathon.

17-Oct-2017: I finished the Amsterdam Marathon with a personal record! 02:55 and some change.

My sister, Jordan Roberson, was a huge inspiration during the race. She has struggled with drug addiction for a large part of her life, but she recently celebrated two months of sobriety -- I'm so proud of her.

Being in the international crowd was also incredibly inspiring. I heard so many languages along the 42.2k route and felt proud and lucky for my status as a global citizen.

"Dorothy, we're not in Austin anymore."

Meanwhile, in my professional life, I am learning so much about the hospitality industry and the technology used within it. I have also had the pleasure of working amongst a very talented, driven leadership and software development team. The feeling is humbling and occasionally overwhelming. Cheers to crawling, walking, then running...

Life is a marathon, not a sprint!

Startup Fest Europe

The Netherlands continues to amaze me...

This March I stumbled upon the New Dutch Wave at SXSW, and now even more of the magic of this innovative country is unfolding. This week's adventures included attending New Materials for Building a Sustainable World hosted at Plant One in Rotterdam and EnergyFest hosted at the Shell Technology Centre in Amsterdam.

It's interesting to observe how corporates and government are helping connect emerging companies with investors. I heard several really good pitches at the New Energy Challenge segment of EnergyFest, which was coincidentally narrated by Josh Baer (an Austin startup scene celebrity).

I was also blown away by Eva Gladek, an American who is making waves here in Amsterdam with her firm Metabolic. Willemijn Peets was another inspiring character I had the pleasure of meeting in person; she was a former UT student who founded a company called Searious Business that helps find innovative uses for plastic waste.

Prince Constantijn van Oranje giving a keynote at new Materials.

Clear solar panel design by wellsun. 

Hydrogen car by BMW.

Peter Schwartz, business strategist at Salesforce, sharing his futurist viewpoints.

NetWORKing . . .

Amsterdam is full of networking opportunities! 

I've been using MeetUp to scout out events related to my interests and professional goals. So far I've learned that the startup scene is thriving in this city. Ford hosted a "Make it Drivable" at Merkspace, a startup hub, and I also attended a discussion on Design Thinking at Rockstart, another incubator. 

The infographic below seems like it will come in handy for sales developments:

I was also really inspired by Rockstart's Smart Energy Accelerator Demo Day and plan to keep in touch with its Program Director, Freerk Bisschop. 

Next week marks StartupFest 2017 in the Netherlands. More to come...

Rollercoaster... of Love.

This week had its downs and ups... 

My divorce is finalized. It's a bittersweet feeling. I still love my ex-husband very much, but we weren't in a healthy relationship. He was also ready to settle down and start a family, and quite frankly I'm terrified of reproducing at this phase in my life. I learned so many lessons from the rise and fall of our love, including what I need to do to be a better person and partner. To quote my mantra, "I will treat my mistakes as learning opportunities, and I will not dwell."

On the upside, I accepted a contract with IRECKONU, which means my Dutch visa will be sponsored.  I'm incredibly excited to be working under the wing of the VP of Business Development, who I can tell is an amazing force from my handful of interactions with her. I am also going to be learning so much about the hospitality industry and sales for software development services. Plus, I'll be part of a very global team, which comes with the benefits of cultural understanding. 

I also met my running tribe this week! 

Now six weeks into Dutch life:

[ x ] Living Accommodations

[ x ] Social Group

[ x ] Bicycle

[ x ] Job 

Fulfilling a promise to myself, I bought myself flowers upon receiving a job offer. 

Cheers to progress!

Over a month into my dive into Dutch life, I'm feeling more adjusted and confident about being able to pull together new beginnings here in Amsterdam.

My days are spent filling out job applications and working on conceptualizing a consulting practice, Roberson Business Development, under which I can secure contracts in exchange for providing advice and deliverables for marketing and sales optimization at startups and small businesses.

I also managed to find a potential work opportunity through a connection back in Austin with a company that develops and implements software/middleware solutions for the hospitality industry. The organization would be an excellent fit based on my passion of IoT as it relates to reduction of energy use and sustainability.

Meanwhile, I keep myself busy keeping in touch with friends and family. I'm also training for the Amsterdam Marathon, which will take place in mid-October, and focusing on health and fitness in general.

As far as play goes, have been lucky to go on the occasional cruise through Amsterdam's canals and have also attended a few music festivals in both Belgium and in the Netherlands. Benelux is absolutely gorgeous during the summer!

Reinforcement of an Epiphany

Today I woke up realizing one of my purposes.

To provide you with a little background, I studied advertising in college, where I became aware of the rise of mass production and increases in consumerism.  The more manufacturing that occurs, the more materials are mined and distributed across the world. Pollution ensues from the production and acquisition of goods. Air quality and climate change cause harm to human health and our ecosystem. The cycle needs to be corrected so future generations can thrive (or, as an alternative, move to another colonized planet...).

The concept of sustainability has fascinated me for the past several years. I am also becoming mesmerized by the emergence of the "Internet of Things" (IoT) and how a network of connected devices and data can create efficiencies in modern day manufacturing and distribution. Furthermore, I believe the IoT has the potential to help re-engineer consumer behavior to reduce waste and energy consumption.

Ultimately, my mission is to make the world a better place. As I develop myself and my profession, I will aim to merge my interests in sustainability and IoT, including how both are related to commerce.

Banksy Inspo

PRIDE in Amsterdam

What a beautiful life this is!

Ready, set, Dutch!

READY, SET, DUTCH!

I arrived in Amsterdam nine days ago. This will be my fourth time being in the city, and I come with a mission of obtaining a visa through the Dutch American Friendship Treaty. The treaty will allow me to begin a sole proprietorship and stay in the Netherlands for at least two years with the possibility of a visa renewal.

I've always been extremely self-motivated, but the concept of self-employment did not stick on me until this opportunity became known. I'm excited to have a kick in the rear to move in me in the direction of working for myself. For the next several weeks I will conceptualize and plan the business I will build to support myself while living in the Netherlands. Step one will be listing out my passions, talents, and existing experience.

Here's a start on my strengths and interests:

• Health & Wellness
• Sales & Marketing
• Strategic Planning
• Art & Design
• Influencing/Motivating 
• Writing

Building out my network will also be key. I met a few really amazing characters at the New Dutch Wave at South By Southwest who have already opened doors to new contacts in Amsterdam, including an American named Ashlee who has a very similar background to me. 

I am living with an American named Matt, who was introduced to me via my running partner in Austin, Texas. Matt is walking me through the Dutch American Friendship Treaty and has also offered to introduce me to his colleagues at a dental product manufacturing facility. His company needs help with sales, so I am excited for an opportunity to apply my knowledge and skill-set as needed. 

VISA ROADBLOCKS 

While I am very optimistic about my new Dutch life, I acknowledge that the transition will be filled with roadblocks and let-downs. Pivots may be needed at times, but I am determined never to be discouraged beyond the point of being able to forge forward.

One slight bump in the road so far has been putting together the documentation I need to start the visa and company registration process. Apparently an "apostilled" birth certificate is required to apply for a BSN, or Dutch citizen service number required for tax and residency purposes. For any Americans reading who plans to immigrate to the Netherlands, I highly recommend researching how to request an apostille for your birth certificate from the state it was issued prior to leaving the US. 

BIKES, BIKES, BIKES

I was an avid bicycle commuter back in Austin, and I've told many people I am extending my lifespan potential by moving to a place where cycling is the norm, as road cycling can be quite dangerous in America. 

A defining moment of my settlement here in Amsterdam was purchasing a bike. You can buy a basic new bike for around 350 Euro, but it is advised to purchased a used bike for riding in Amsterdam since they are stolen often. After doing research online, I learned about several Facebook groups where used bikes can be found. I also found out about the Flea Market at Waterlooplein in Amsterdam, where used bikes can be purchased for between 70 and 90 Euro.

Not my bike above, but it's worth of sharing!

I'm loving the Dutch's appreciation of flowers.

(Nearly) all aboard for acting on dreams of Dutch life...

The travel bug continues to bite. I've been toying with the idea of establishing a sole proprietorship under the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty and taking the leap into living my dream of spending a few years in The Netherlands. A plane ticket is purchased, but I'm not yet "all in" until I spend a little more time in one of my favorite cities... Amsterdam.

Some people ask me, "Why Amsterdam?" I tell them that as an avid commuter cyclist, I'm increasing my lifespan potential exponentially. I've also learned that the Dutch really value work-life balance, and my general encounters in the country and with the Dutch people I've met have felt very warm. My gut tells me I'll be able to make friends and connections quickly simply by being my quirky self.

Right now I'm dealing with the very real fear of starting anew and figuring out where my true market potential is. I've done very well working in sales for companies in growth mode, but I've also experienced hardships of the business risks that can result from being in an environment full of pressure to perform in a market that is saturated.

So... what's next for Emily? Stay tuned! For the meantime, I'll leave you with this article by a really cool firm called Winning By Design - Hiring Start Salespeople Isn't The Best Way To Grow.

My Morning Mission Statement

You're Golden

Catherine Calia shared the Japanese concept of Kintsugi with me yesterday. Take something broken, repair it with gold, and suddenly it becomes more beautiful, valuable, and stronger than it was before its breaking point.

For anyone hitting a rough spot in their personal or professional lives, the art of Kintsugi can be a metaphor to help you seek out the golden knowledge  and actions needed to forge forward into your strongest self.

Give yourself the courage to create the work of art you wish to be.

A Traveler's Perspective

After spending one month in Thailand, one week in Malaysia, and one week in Japan, I am reinforcing a very simple realization about myself: I am an incredibly lucky person.

Many of my days were spent in temples contemplating peace and my own spirituality. Concepts of collectivism drew me in like a child who never experienced a hug before.

Good deeds -- sharing flowers from the local market, bestowing self-esteem through conversation, and simply listening to and acknowledging others' perspectives -- kept me thriving during the unplanned journey.

Since I've also been training for the San Diego Marathon, I'd merge the chore of long runs with longings for adventure taking off in a direction of my choosing for up to 12 miles at a time. You can see so much of the world with just yourself and a pair of running shoes.

Experiencing the longboat village off of one white sand beach in Southern Thailand renewed my sense of appreciation for voluntary simplicity. All we really need is a roof over our head when the weather is bad and food in our bellies, plus a few other critical staples for life. Water and love are high on this list.

I'm reminded of Pauli, who I met while traveling in Iceland many years ago.
I'm also reminded of Lisa Saeboe, who shared my passion for the color purple.
Most importantly, I had a reminder of the me outside of constant stress.

Overcoming Roadblocks

Source: The New York Times, Carl Richards

Sunsets and Sunrises

Talkin' about a pretty sunset.... (Modest Mouse)

No April Fools

When life seems a little weird and distorted, I must remember that the gifts I am given daily are not a joke.

Thank you to the disabled woman wearing Campers.
Thank you to the runner who helped me find shoes.
Thank you to the gestures of kindness and real smiles.
Thank you to a wonderful life partner who completes us.

Fan the flame of passion and love.

Peak performance...

Adding to the reading list.

Beast Management: Creative Conflict Resolution With Tough Workplace Adversaries

SCALABILITY

How to Accelerate Learning on Your Team

Source: Elizabeth Doty

Throw back to 1991

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere
I want it more than I can tell
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than they've got planned"

Abolish Negative Self Talk!

Kudos to Chris Conger for his very insightful outlook about negating the inward and outward negativity in your life. Check out his LinkedIn post, Negative Self Talk is Blocking Your Success, which provides tips for three-pronged approach to success:

1. Building Amazing Relationships
2. Getting Serious About Spirituality
3. Actually Taking Care of Yourself

Thanks for the sharing with the world, Chris!

Trade Show Success Tips from Sandler

Source: Learn How to Succeed: Trade Shows & Events - Sandler Systems, Inc / Sandler Training

Quote of the Week

Thank goodness all our mistakes were burned up. Now we can start fresh again.

                                                                    - Thomas Edison

Found via LinkedIn: 11 Habits of Mentally Strong People

Amazon's Leadership Principles

No wonder Amazon is one of the world's largest companies. Check out their Leadership Principles:

Customer Obsession

Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.

Ownership

Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job". 

Invent and Simplify

Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here". As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.

Are Right, A Lot

Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.

Learn and Be Curious

Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.

Hire and Develop The Best

Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent, and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.

Insist on the Highest Standards

Leaders have relentlessly high standards - many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and driving their teams to deliver high quality products, services and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.

Think Big

Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers.

Bias for Action

Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking. 

Frugality

Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency and invention. There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size or fixed expense.

Earn Trust

Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team’s body odor smells of perfume. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.

Dive Deep

Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them.

Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.

Deliver Results

Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.

7 of the Best Email Subject Lines We've Seen (HubSpot Article)

7 of the Best Email Subject Lines We've Seen

Written by Michael Pici | @MichaelPici

When was the last time you walked down the breakfast aisle? The children’s cereal is always brightly packaged, with fun imagery and fonts. Brands know how to attract young consumers with their designs.

If you think about it, email subject lines work the same way. You won’t entice your prospect to open your email if your subject line is boring, irrelevant, or overly promotional. To convince them to click, you need to speak their language -- both in terms of phrasing and content.

Find out your industry's email open rate benchmark and start being better than average. Now.

Easier said than done. Luckily, I’ve rounded up some of the most creative and effective subject lines I’ve seen lately to give you some inspiration.

1) “[Prospect’s favorite drink or food]?”

HubSpot growth marketer David Ly Khim says he immediately opened an email titled “Bourbon?” Khim says he occasionally drinks bourbon on the About page of his personal site:

“This subject line told me this salesperson had done their homework and found something I like,” Khim explains.

The first line read, “Let me know if you’re up for a chat (with bourbon?) sometime.”

You can use any dish or drink your prospect publicly mentions they like -- but make sure they’ve done so on a professional platform, such as LinkedIn, an online portfolio, their company bio, etc. It’s easy to take this approach too far. For example, if the buyer posted an Instagram picture of their lunch four months ago, asking, “Are you up for a quick meeting (over grilled salmon?) this week?” will definitely seem creepy.

2) “Competitive data about [prospect’s competitor] and your strategy for [related topic]”

Want to pique the buyer’s interest? Offer exclusive, relevant information that’ll help them stay ahead or even pull past the other companies in their space.

Not only does this subject line give them a clear incentive to click, it also indicates you’ve personalized your outreach. Your prospect will see you as a trusted advisor before they’ve even read your message.

3) “Hey, quick heads up”

It’s hard to ignore this subject line. You’ll immediately provoke curiosity -- the buyer will think, “Wait, what do I need to know?”

The email itself should live up to the subject line, otherwise you’ll lose your prospect’s trust. Share an update related to their industry, market, or product, pass along a tip, let them know you’re offering a major promotion, or help in some other way.

4) “[Prospect name], when X gets tough, we’ve got your back”

Reference a challenge the buyer is facing (or likely facing) to catch their attention and foreshadow the value you can provide.

To give you an idea, you might use this subject line for an HR manager at a 100-person company:

“Tom, when compliance becomes a challenge, we’ve got your back”

You’ll demonstrate that you understand your prospect’s priorities and pain points from the start. In the body of the email, link to a blog post, ebook, webinar, or other piece of relevant content so you deliver on the support you promised.

Wondering how to know which challenge to reference? If you’re reaching out to an inbound lead, look at their previous interaction(s) with your company. Maybe Tom downloaded an ebook on understanding the new compliance laws or visited three different articles on that topic.

If the buyer hasn’t engaged with you before, use an issue similar buyers struggle with based on their buyer persona.

5) “[Name], not many people know this, but … ”

As a salesperson, you should consistently deliver unexpected insights to your prospects. This subject line hints at the surprising information you’ll reveal, creating intrigue and suspense.

Like always, you won’t get a response unless you follow through. Share an insight with the buyer, then ask a related question or offer to set up a call so they can learn more.

6) “Love how [prospect’s company] does X”

A little flattery goes a long way. If you’ve noticed the buyer’s organization excels at something specific -- whether that’s great customer service, creative marketing, superior product quality, strong internal culture, etc. -- call it out.

Make sure your compliment is genuine. You don’t want your prospect to think, “What are they talking about? Our [customer service, marketing, product, culture] isn’t that special.”

But if you’ve honed in on a specific aspect they’re truly proud of, they’ll feel gratified and impressed by your research.

Tie your observation to the focus of your email. Let’s say you wanted to highlight how quickly their support reps respond.

Source: HubSpot

10 Networking and Leaderships Lessons by Jennifer Gluckow

An except from a post by Jennifer Gluckow from her Sales In a New York Minute blog regarding networking and leadership lessons:

1. Assume positive. When networking, always assume the best about a person first. What you assume will have a major impact on your thoughts, your words, your tone, your body language, your actions, your ideas and through positive assumption, you create opportunity. Positive is Powerful.
2. Genuine Giving. Giving first without expectation is how you will win. No “measuring.” No “you owe me one.” Try it. It will make you feel good to give, and at some point, you will receive way more than you’ve given. You don’t have to think about it, one day it just shows up.
3. Enroll Help. If you’re managing a team, whether they’re volunteers or employees, you’ll need to attract them, engage them, and enroll them into your idea(s). Inspire them to take action on your idea, and make it easy for them to say yes by showing them how they will benefit.
4. Real Friendships. The best and most powerful kind of networking creates lifelong friendships. While you may not go into it with that as your goal, if you do it right (assume positive, give first, and are perceived as genuine ), you will create lifelong friendships.
5. Presentation Experience. I got to present in front of an audience every week for more than two years. With 100 presentations under my belt, I got IMMEASURABLE experience that will further my career forever. Ask yourself this: what kind of presentation experience are you getting monthly? Weekly? Daily? Whether you’re in sales or you own the company, you’ll need to have GREAT presentation skills to become a valuable person in your network or company.
6. Leadership Experience. Navigating political fires, “hiring” or enrolling volunteers and “firing” or asking volunteers to step down when they aren’t able to do their job well, delegating with proper instruction and expectations, all provided experience and lifelong lessons that I could immediately use in my career and my life. The best thing I did was cut the fluff. Just be straightforward with people about what’s going on, what needs improvement and where they’re performing well. People respect honesty especially when they know it’s coming from a good place with the intent to help them grow and improve. KEY POINT OF UNDERSTANDING: Don’t insult. Do encourage and compliment.
7. Making a Meeting Exciting. Create a meeting that people want to be present for and go to again. Not HAVE to go, rather WANT to go. Make it fun, offer ways for attendees to add humor, don’t be too strict or serious, don’t be condescending or self-serving. Be laid-back, happy, enthusiastic, friendly, and engaging. By adding meeting themes and surprise items to the agenda, you can keep it fresh. Music can add a great mood booster especially with early morning meetings. Play rock.
8. Building Community. Successful networking requires a powerful community. But great communities don’t just pop up out of nowhere. You have the power to create them by offering value, finding like-minded people, like-attitude people, and having a fun environment for people to connect. Make sure you are socially connected to EVERYONE in your network, give them consistent value messages, and that Number 9 (next) is always on your mind.
9. Introduce “Bob to Mary” (be a yenta). Your goal at a networking meeting is not just to say hello and introduce YOURSELF, it’s to introduce people you meet to others. At a BNI meeting I made certain that no visitor was left alone. When I meet someone I find out who they are a guest of (to build rapport), and what they do, so I can figure out who I know (in or out of the room) that can help them. You have to do this individually. And always must be thinking, who can I introduce them to? Someone who is just starting a business can be introduced to a business coach. I meet a professional – a lawyer, an accountant, and I know a digital marketing agency that can help them grow their business, or maybe someone looking for legal help or a CPA. Become the connecter and you win. You win helping others win.
10. The courage to walk away to the next adventure. When you’re in a rhythm, in the groove, experiencing success, building friendships, and confident in your shoes, it’s hard to stop, and even harder to walk–away. Whether it’s romance or business, sometimes you have to take a time out and a step back and assess where you are, where you’re going, what you’re investing your time in, and where it’s leading you.