Returning from Think Week

My semiannual Think Week has concluded, and I’m full of ideas and energy. Think Week is my opportunity to step back and take a 30,000 foot view of my companies, projects, and activities to make any necessary strategic adjustments. I unplug as much as possible, get out of town, and try to put my mind in the right place to sort these things out in a relaxed way. By shunning the day-to-day slog we all get bogged down in, I find I can make better judgments and churn out more productive ideas. I have been doing this for a number of years now, and I always find myself rejuvenated upon my return every 6 months. Ironically, I often find it more restorative than vacation in many ways.

(If you want more details on Think Week and my thoughts on the subject, check out my Mass High Tech magazine column on the topic from late last year.)

As I return from my latest solo retreat (or “advance” as Newt Gingrich used to like to call it when he was Speaker of the House), I have tweaked my focus a little bit. In particular, I have decided to rededicate myself personally to two of my publications, Media Bullseye and Cork & Knife. When I created Eaglon as a new media publishing company last year, I had great hope for it, and I am at least as excited about the concept today. These two publications in particular have gained traction and show real promise for long-term success.

At the same time, I am slowing down some other Eaglon projects in order to focus the limited resources of my startup enterprise on these two flagship outlets. You can look forward to lots more content and innovation from both in the coming weeks and months. And you will finally see print versions of each magazine, something that was part of the original vision. In fact, the first “dead tree” edition of Media Bullseye should hit the street next week featuring the best of the web content from the first quarter of this year.

Of course, CustomScoop remains an important part of my personal portfolio as well, and I’m excited about some of the innovation we’ll be offering up in the coming weeks. I’m especially proud of the fact that we will be rolling out a very useful tool that no other traditional or social media monitoring company can boast. My efforts during Think Week have convinced me that I am striking the right note in my involvement, focusing primarily on high-level product vision as well as being a public “face” for the company.

This Think Week did not dwell heavily on my AOS Ventures, or my volunteer work with American University, or other companies and projects I’m involved in. Generally, I find it helpful to zero in on just a few areas to achieve maximum results.