journal

Redemption

Steve Ellwood — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:40:50 +0000

I had a terrible customer service experience.

I know, boohoo, everyone has them all the time. Why bother to write about it?

Because there is redemption, that's the amazing part.

Here goes. I have a Herman Miller Aeron chair. Bought in 2000, that's right 11 going on 12 years ago. Love that chair.

our Australian Adventure - Part 5 - W4W

Steve Ellwood — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:00:00 +0000

100830 Brisbane Australia

Ah, early Monday morning in Australia! The quiet, the peaceful feeling one gets from knowing that everyone in the East coast of North America is just starting to think about Sunday evening dinner plans. A time when I know that no one wants to hear from me. A time I know, despite my life long obsession to get up early and get going every morning, that nothing is pressing.

Some people are 'early risers'. Me, I'd rather get up at 3:00am than go to bed at 3:00am. Before 4:00am is too early, after that...well sure up we get.

On this morning of quiet (at least in my mind - the garbage collection people don't seem to understand about Eastern Standard Time) I can reflect on the daily and weekly cycles I have, I realize now, come to see as permanent, even sacred. I guess, like everything else that might be considered sacred, (at least by me) it turns out - it's not.

I'm an entrepreneur, I work for myself and aside from our friendly and helpful bank (Hi Maria!) I only have my clients to answer to. I can select any hours I want to work in my virtual work space.

our australian Adventure - Part 4 - Communications

Steve Ellwood — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:22:00 +0000

100823 Brisbane Australia

Communication set ups are all about outcomes. You need to decide what you want to happen, set out your goals and then build the structure to accomplish those goals.

I want;

To be able to make calls to anywhere in Canada from anywhere in the world for so little money that I need not think about the cost.

To be able to receive calls from Canada (at certain times) from staff and business contacts without the caller knowing or caring where the call ends up.

I want to be able to use my iPhone in Australia without ringing up any 'roaming' charges slapped on by Rogers back home.

I want to always have email access available to me.

I want to be able to use my iPhone and iPad for accessing the web all the time.

I want to have Internet access for my Apple Macbook notebook.

In summary - to have the same communications abilities I have in downtown Toronto.

So this is what we did:

our australian Adventure - Part 3 - redundant systems

Steve Ellwood — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 21:11:00 +0000

100822 Brisbane Australia

In our house swap the nice owners have an internet connection that is freely available to us. Having ready access to the internet is absolutely essential if you are going to pull off the extended absence life.

I am traveling with a MacBook notebook, an iPad and an iPhone. But that stuff isn't really important.

What is important is that I have three separate ways to get connected to the internet.

The internet access here in the house isn't used to people that watch movies sourced on the spot from iTunes. We blew thru the bandwidth cap in the first 36 hours of our arrival. Once we used up the data plan the internet service was essentially shut off. 64K down - oh yeah! (Mom, that's like drinking a container of Vicks Vapo-rub thru a straw)

Our Australian Adventure - Part 2 - Timing

Steve Ellwood — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:38:00 +0000

100820 Brisbane Australia

Tales of my adventures as a working anywhere warrior

Saw the a temperate rain forest yesterday, visited a wonderful cheese maker, drank yet another great bottle of Australian wine... oh the pace!

There are some major (and minor) temptations to be battled for the work anywhere warrior. There are far more reasons to put off work out here in the great unknown than sitting at my desk home.

And after all if you didn't want to see the rainforest why did you come to Australia? Quite right too, you need to spend the time seeing the sites, enjoying time with family and living the life.

our australian Adventure - Part 1 - The Big Picture

Steve Ellwood — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:40:00 +0000

100818 Brisbane Australia

What the world does not need now is another travelog. So stop reading, just to be safe.

Google says we are 15,037 kms and 14 hours on the timezone clock away from our beloved Toronto. 'Beloved' because we left it mid-summer rather than mid-winter.

We are here in Brisbane for a month for three reasons.

1. Family vacation - Will, our son, is 16 years old now and we wanted to get a big family holiday on the books one last time (maybe second last if we're lucky).

2. Lynn had the good sense to, long ago, gain sabbatical eligible employment at the University of Toronto and as such she has arranged to lecture and liaise with colleagues here down under.

3. And finally, I am putting my theory to the test. We have worked very hard over the last few years to create a work environment that is completely locationless. We are completely paperless, we provide remote access to systems and data via the web for all functions of the firm, our phone system is virtual and allows callers to connect to anyone in the firm wherever they are and how ever they want to take the call. So it falls to me to 'take my model out for a spin'.

So the travelog you have so foolishly decided to continue reading will focus on the work / life balance of a work anywhere vagabond. Good luck to you.

Searching for excellence

Steve Ellwood — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:14:01 +0000

I went to a lousy highschool. 1,200 kids in St. Catharines. Back then high school was a 5 year program, ending with grade 13. From grade 12 you could go to a College or trade school, from grade 13 you could go to University.

So those 1,200 kids were divided across 5 grades, except there were only 5 of us that actually graduated grade 13 in my year. Three of the grads were stacking all their chips on getting into 'GMI - General Motors Institute' - we were after all a GM town.

The other two were me and my childhood sweetheart soon to be my wife, Lynn. (As a tribute to Lynn's patience we have been these past 27 years happily, very happily, married).

Talk about a learning environment unconcerned with learning. 'Shop class' was huge, football was huge, the smoker's area was the 'place to see and be seen'.

the accordion of life

Steve Ellwood — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:48:49 +0000

I haven't posted since December 14th - geesh, where has the time gone?

Well I guess I just haven't learned nothing these past four months! As if.

In fact I feel like my life is a accordion, doesn't everyone. I have spend several months learning, learning, learning. New ideas, new methods and processes, new ways of running my business, spending my time, focus on new goals and priorities.

I was recently asked 'What's new?' My truthful answer - which took a bit of explaining was - "What hasn't?!"

So the past four months the accordion has been expanding, idea after idea have been drawn in. Ok, I don't have the slightest idea how to play an accordion. But work with me, air gets drawn in - think ideas get drawn in. Got it?

It seems now I am ready to start squeezing the aforementioned squeeze box.

I'll tell you about these reflections, discoveries and plans (along with the accomplishments) in coming posts.

I am sure you are greatly relieved to find that I am back on the air. Try and contain your enthusiasm. ;-)

stepping out of the comfort zone

Steve Ellwood — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:52:58 +0000

Man, is it easy to get comfortable.

At the end of the third quarterly session of the Strategic Coach program I attend, people asked me what the theme of the fourth quarter's pre-event get together would be, I, the unlikely social director.

I shouted out "A Talent Show!" - why did I do that?

So I proceeded with promoting our little talent show, everyone was told they have to come prepared to display a talent.

After taking a long moment to reply, when asked I explained that I had been playing and practicing guitar for about 6 years and it was time that someone, other than my long suffering family, heard me.

And beside, I had three months, I could learn a whole song right thru in three months - right?

Glad to have a bad experience

Steve Ellwood — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:24:51 +0000

I had a frustrating experience these last two weeks.

Understand where I'm coming from first. I have a simple business, I own and operate a consulting firm that focuses on the needs of law firms. We do projects of various sorts and respond to urgent issues as well. Everything you ever want to know about us is here, www.ellwood.com. As such we provide services to our clients everyday, seven days a week.

To be one the receiving end of a contractor's attention doesn't happen to me very often. But with new house and my disinclination to don overalls, I need people to show up and do stuff in and around the house.

So we established a relationship with a contractor. He came over and discussed with us what was to be done, he was pleasant and seemed quite efficient. My expectations of the delivery of his services was further elevated by his references and his general efficiency. I like the guy.