Posted by AGORACOM
at 6:12 PM on Monday, July 7th, 2008
I’m happy to announce that, for the second time in the last week, AGORACOM has once again been named to a Top 10 list by a leading blog. This time out, David Crow and Jevon MacDonald of StartUpNorth listed AGORACOM as one of the Top 10 Canadian web start ups to watch.
I’m particularly honored and pleased for the recognition for two reasons. First, StartUpNorth is one of those few blogs focused on reporting on Canadian web companies that are actually producing real web solutions for real customers, as opposed to reporting on the next “me too” and “cool” Web 2.0 application.
Second, here are just some examples of the great companies we shared the list with:
Quite the company. Quite the honor.
Regards,
George
p.s. David, sorry about the S.U.N. logo at the top but couldn’t find your logo so had to use this one.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 12:07 PM on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
Good afternoon to you all. Back on February 1st, we announced that our US Investor Relations programs would now include the ability to reach investors via Bloomberg Television and CNBC TV. These incredible tools were made available thanks to our powerful partners at Google, who are now handling offline ad space for the likes of (TV) Bloomberg, CNBC (Newspapers) New York Times (Radio) Clear Channel.
To this end, I’m proud to announce that our first Bloomberg Television began running in mid-June on behalf of our client Futuremedia. About 125,000 people have watched the ad so far and volume on FMDAY is much higher than normal.
Anecdotally, a partner from Washington called to advise they were watch Bloomberg the other day and nearly jumped out of their chair when I popped up on the screen. We’ve uploaded the commercial to YouTube for all to see. The quality isn’t as crisp as the actual playing version but you’ll get the idea.
Suffice it to say that we are really excited about this initiative and expect to be launching a few more campaigns in the coming weeks, including our very own AGORACOM ad. As always, we put our money where our mouth is by using the exact same tools we ask our clients to use.
For those of you that simply want the highlights, the results were as follows:
60% do not find conferences valuable and get everything they need from the web.
Of those 60%, 24% responded they would not take time away from work or family as a reason.
Of the 40% that do attend, 70% listed “meeting with company principals” as the #1 reason.
Only 11.5% of you believe that small-cap conferences will vanish but 52% believe there will be fewer (but better) conferences.
Interesting stuff. In summary, it looks like the web takes care of all investor information needs but still can not replace personal interaction. I wonder if increased use of video (conference calls, presentations, etc.) would further erode the raison d’etre of small-cap conferences.
I’m also not surprised to see that 52% of investors believe there will be fewer but better conferences in the future. Like the increased number of bad small-cap listings, we have also seen the rise of too many bad “conferences” that are nothing more than a money grab.
I’m certain (and glad) the slower economy is going to force them out of the business, while quality conferences like those put on by Cambridge Conferences and DealFlow Media will survive and thrive by providing a valuable collaborative experience for investors, pubco’s and industry participants.
Thanks again to everyone that participated in the survey. Much appreciated and I hope you found the results to be equally valuable.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 3:23 PM on Monday, June 16th, 2008
I don’t have any empirical evidence yet but anecdotal evidence over the last 6 months is clearly indicating significant attendee drop-off in small-cap / micro-cap investor conferences across North America. Quite frankly, I am not surprised given the following factors:
Online Research Dominates – The majority of research into new investment ideas by small-cap investors is done via the web.
Too Big – With upwards of 400-500 pubco booths under one roof, investors typically can not make it through an entire show.
Lack Of Focus – With so many companies from so many different fields under one roof, investors don’t know where to begin or how to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Inconvenient – To attend a conference, you either have to take off a day of work or give up part of your weekend. Not too many people want to do either these days.
I believe the biggest challenge facing small-cap and micro-cap conferences is the temptation to keep getting bigger. Bigger is great from a revenue point of view but terrible from an attendee experience point of view. The answer is actually smaller but more frequent conferences targeted towards a specific audience. If you need any proof of this, just look at how TechTarget ate COMDEX’s lunch by providing smaller but more targeted conferences, resulting in greater revenues and fantastic attendee experiences.
To be clear, Investor conferences are not to be confused with industry conferences that are strictly meant for professional networking and knowledge. For example, the Reverse Merger conference taking place in Los Angeles this week will bring together investment bankers, attorneys and other key professionals from across the world to learn about changing legislation and conduct great networking. In addition, the targeted nature of the event means attendees get a lot bang for their buck.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 7:33 PM on Friday, May 23rd, 2008
VS.
Paul Kedrosky, one of the best known business/technology/VC bloggers and colleague of mine, is probably one of the most “together” guys I know. Uber Smart + Successful + Renowned + Family Guy + Down To Earth … read about him here.
In short, he is just about everything a guy wants himself or his son to become (OK, I’d like to add in Super Bowl MVP but let’s not get crazy). To reach your pinnacle should mean the right to rejoice, celebrate, take a breather, give a speech and sleep in the next day…
…. but it doesn’t.
In a recent blog post he stated “I’ve started to feel scraped somewhat thin.”
WHY?
The great paradox of leaving a charmed life – the downside – is that the charms keep coming. You are so well respected, so well liked that opportunities abound. Business opportunities, social opportunities, personal opportunities, family opportunities you name it.
Things get better and better – to a point. Then, all of the opportunities start crashing into each other like multi-ball bonus pinball. Fun for a few minutes at the arcade with your buddies – but not fun when it becomes a prolonged way of life. You find yourself:
staying up all night reading and writing strategy documents
accumulating unthinkable air miles
shaking a million hands
meeting unbelievable people
bouncing around more great “ideas” then you could ever get to
dining at some of the finest restaurants in the world
forgetting what timezone you are in
….and struggling to find time to do the things that really make you happy and healthy.
The situation is best summed up by Kedrosky’s statement “I’ve started to feel scraped somewhat thin..“
Many have experienced it but few have actually written about it, let alone summon the advice of blog readers, which is exactly what Kedrosky did in this post back in March.
CHOOSING BETWEEN YOUR LEGACY AND YOUR MORTALITY
When you run into this situation, you are essentially being forced to choose between your legacy and your mortality. If you haven’t been there, it sounds simple enough. Hang out on the beach with your family and friends – but you have to be in the situation to understand that one is not possible without the other.
It is a blessing. It is a curse. It can’t be avoided any further. Your day of reckoning has come.
My response to Paul and excerpts from follow-up responses is re-produced in its entirety below. It came from my father long ago. It received a favorable response, so I’ve posted it here for you, for someone in the future asking the same question, for my children.
My father taught me a very valuable lesson a long time ago – everything you do comes with a price, so you have to decide early on what you are willing to pay for and what you are willing to leave on the shelf.
In your case, you appear to be struggling with choosing between the infinite amount of incredible opportunities in this web era and having the freedom to live an amazing life.
Both are incredibly rewarding but every moment spent on one takes time away from the other.
It is difficult to choose between your legacy and your mortality. You want to be a part of so many great ideas with so many great people – but everyday away from your kids/family/friends/self is a day you will never get back.
This is the burden of being successful and surrounding yourself with so many great people. You participate in so many great things but – at some point – you run into diminishing returns.
You are going to have to let some things go. Simple as that.
From the little I know about you, that will mean leaving some opportunity/money/legacy on the table and spending that time enjoying life. The hard part is choosing which initiatives you keep and which you discard.
Easier said then done? Yep … but my father did exactly the same thing and he is pretty much the happiest guy I know on the planet.
That’s the route I am taking.
Don’t know if my musings helped at all but that’s my two cents “in the spirit of the open way in which blogging works best.”
Karthick, you are right that we all go through this “fatigue and rebound” phase…but there also comes a point in everyone’s life where you no longer want to go through this cycle.
Athletes retire. Entrepreneurs (the smart ones) scale back by picking their best 1 or 2 streams and leaving the rest on the table.
The person who leaves nothing on the table is more than likely the one with 1 or 2 ex-wives, detached kids and a big belly.
Beau – well said. Most of all, be ruthless with your own desires and dreams.
Alex, thanks for the question. For the most part I think you go primarily with bread and butter (lowest risk) because they are easier to execute and enable you to live your life.
You can pick one “blue sky” item but that can only be something you do as a pet project and whose heavy lifting does not depend on you. Otherwise, you’re back to square one.
The notion of leaving so many things on the table utterly sucks. You’re surrounded by great people with great ideas that not only make money but also make an impact on the lives of others and further your legacy…but it has to be done or (as Beau said) you get consumed.
What an amazing thread. This needs to be the focus of further discussion. Paul could probably create a one-day conference out of this and it would be sold out. It’s obviously something on the minds of many people.
Is Paul Kedrosky the business version of Jerry Maguire? Can we all learn from the moral of the story? I think we want to. I know our families/bodies/souls want us to.
Utopia comes from leaving some happiness behind.
————————
“Utopia comes from leaving some happiness behind”. I don’t know where I came up with that but I hope it means I learned my father’s lesson well – and that my children will too.
The scoping study was conducted by British Sulphur, a division of CRU International. They prepared initial project capital and operating costs assuming sale prices for phosphate of US$100 per tonne fob, US$200 per tonne fob, US$300 per tonne fob and US$400 per tonne fob.
In March 2008, sales of Moroccan product at US$400 per tonne fob Morocco were recorded. Phosphate isn’t priced on a daily market like gold or soybeans, so you have to take actual market transactions.
Based on $US 400/tonne:
Annual Gross Earnings – $US 1.7 Billion
5 Million Tonnes Of Production Per Year
Historically Defined Phosphate Deposits of 1.463 billion tonnes
At $300 Per Tonne, Annual Gross Earnings – $US 1.2 Billion
At $200 Per Tonne Annual Gross Earnings – $US 700 Million
Phosphate Prices Driven By Global Agricultural Demand For Fertilizer
CAPEX Of $826 Million To Construct Infrastructure
Given the gravity of these figures, I also think it is important to note the producers of the Scoping Study to make sure it is reliable. The British Sulphur Consultants Division of CRU Group has been the leading business consultancy in the fertilizer and inorganic chemical sector for over 50 years. British Sulphur was the first supplier of information to the fertilizer industry, and remains the largest provider of services to the industry.
As of yesterday’s close, Legend has a market cap of $US 433 Million.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 2:36 PM on Thursday, March 20th, 2008
Here is the small-cap CEO lesson Du Jour. Despite the fact the economy is struggling along, online advertising is going to increase by 23% in 2008.
Why? The quote below sums it up best:
eMarketer senior analyst David Hallerman: “The greater ability to measure ads online will likely encourage marketers with reduced budgets.”
Not surprisingly, Search Engines will account for the largest portion of online ad spending this year, making up 40 percent of web-based ad expenditures. Read my post on January 15th as to why Google (a primary weapon in AGORACOM IR programs) is the greatest investor relations tool ever.
Bottom line: If you want to attract new investors without breaking the bank, online marketing is the only way to go. You can get with the program now and become a pioneer, or fall behind smart CEO’s that will be a part of this trend over the next 5 years:
Posted by AGORACOM
at 7:31 AM on Friday, February 29th, 2008
Congratulations are in order for our members, HUB Leaders, pubco clients and the AGORACOM team for hitting yet another milestone this week. Yep, we broke through 500,000 page views for one day with 507,595 on February 25. We also hit 465,000 (Tuesday) and 497,000 (Thursday)…I knew I shouldn’t have given my twin boys the day off on Wednesday.
Great job everyone. I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. Quality wins over quantity any day. AGORACOM has provided a great platform, while members provide utopian quality via great content and self-monitoring. Together, we’ve created the community investors have always deserved.
Discussion Forums are never going to be the same. Spread the word and see you at 1,000,000.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 4:20 AM on Thursday, February 21st, 2008
I’m happy to say that my efforts to help educate the small-cap industry regarding the importance of online IR has yielded amazing results in the past 12 months. Nonetheless, I still find CEO’s who have their doubts about the web, so my job is never done and I’m only too happy to continue the education process.
Today’s lesson is courtesy of IDC – the premier global provider of market intelligence in the IT and consumer technology space. This is a serious and well respected organization, with more than 900 analysts in over 90 countries worldwide. As such, when they speak, you should listen. I know I do.
I could go into the details but my legal education taught me there are times when it is best to just shut up because Res Ipsa Loquitur – the thing speaks for itself.
Thus endeth the lesson.
Regards,
George
p.s. Thanks to Paul Kedrosky for finding the article.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 2:20 AM on Tuesday, February 12th, 2008
I’ve always hoped that, prior to departing this life, I would be remembered for a quote that shook the ground beneath everyone who read it. For example, Sir Winston Churchill said:
“A love for tradition has never weakened a nation, indeed it has strengthened nations in their hour of peril”
Until last week, I could only dream of having just one of my quotes remembered for time eternal. Well, that dream has now turned into a reality thanks to Jimmy Guterman of O’Reilly Radar (NOT Bill from Fox but Tim of Web 2.0 fame) who found me worthy of being quoted in his blog post Money:Tech Day 1: Best Lines as follows (please sit down or hold onto something stable):
“Investors want a community. But they want a civil community.”
BAM! This is Richter Scale stuff … and I said it.
Ghandi, Dr. King, Churchill, Jeff Spicoli…make room for the new kid in town.
Strike off one big item from my bucket list. I’m off to Loch Ness.
Regards,
George
Posted in Web 2.0, 3.0, ... | Comments Off on Tsiolis and Churchill – Words Remembered For Eternity
VS. 
