Background Info

The term Connessions comes from a word that Leonardo Da Vinci’s invented  –Connessione’ – which means the systematic approach to problem solving revolving around the input of several people… Group-Think.

Most new business ventures need more than Start-up capital ‘dollars’. They need:

1. A Problem worth solving – something identified as a real problem and big enough, cost-wise, to matter

1. Resources – People, places/organizations, and things (materials, products, etc.) to get the job done and the company in a position to make some money

1. Economies of Scale – sometimes merely being big enough to solve the problem or solving it through ability to buy stuff cheap enough to fix the problem cost effectively

1. Vision – looking at the problem/solutions from another paradigm…or ‘outside the box’ thinking, allows a creative mode for innovation to occur. Sometimes this requires a bunch of people to look at things and brainstorm ideas

1. Inside Information – or insight can come from inside the industry knowledge and expertise or from applying the technology and experience from another industry altogether.

1. Elegant Solution – this is what everyone is searching for…cost effective, efficient, and simple. It is a term historically used in solving a programming problem with a simple ‘elegant’ set of code…the small the better.

1. Wisdom – Proverbs suggests that a ‘wise man accepts the counsel of many’. The MasterMind concept.

We have organized these 7 elements in order to make a mneumonic out of them for easier rememberance. They stand for “PREVIEW”…and if you have a complete preview of the new business model you are much more likely to succeed.

Too many people struggle through life needlessly. If they can get ahold of the concepts included in this book they can transform their lives. And my goal is to help along the way as sort of a mentor and broker of the deals and ideas that can come from the process of developing new ventures, products and services…considering all the internet marketing technology and expertise that is sitting there waiting to be used. The result is successful new product and services launches.

I call this process ‘CONNESSIONS’:

MasterMind groups have been around at least 2000 years. Here’s a trivia question for you: “Who in the Bible recorded the first organized usage of MasterMind Groups?”

The answer is Jesus and the 12 Apostles…or disciples. Let’s take a snapshot of how well that worked for him.

• Jesus came from the backside of the desert hill country…sort of like our Ozarks
• He had no modern communications to get his word out
• Printing (mechanical) wasn’t even invented for another 1500 years or so
• He did not have the backing of any national organizations or even any regional groups
• He did not have an infrastructure, or funding, or place of doing business
• He and his group were basically uneducated common people. He did construction work and a few others were commercial fishermen.
• They had no means of transportation other than walking from place to place
• He had no speakers, no microphone, no Facebook, no Twitter, no newspapers or TV new media following him around.
• In fact the vast majority of the people didn’t even know what he looked like.
• And finally his ‘disruptive’ message made at least half of the population (and certainly those in charge) want to kill him or at least keep him from talking.

And yet Jesus has become the all-time most well-known historical figure in history and has had more WORDS written about him, more emotions expressed (good or bad) about his ways, and more ‘followers’ than any man that has ever lived.

And to top that feat….every single one of the Apostles CHOSE to die horrible deaths such as crucifixion, as a result of their commitment to the WAY and His teachings. That’s commitment to the MAX.

Also the fact that after only 3 years or so of hanging around with Jesus they continued to setup little groups of followers of His teachings all over the Middle East. And these groups continue to spread His words and teachings even to today…2000 years later. 

If something transforms people’s lives effectively it creates a BUZZ and through word-of-mouth marketing…that word gets out. People try it and if it does indeed work, then the word continues to spread and more people become true believers.

Our program has the added benefits of modern times, modern technology, and modern mass communications platforms. Social Media is just one piece of that package. By incorporating MasterMind meetings – we call them IDEA-Circles—into this mix of technology and organizational structure, we intend to clarify and quantify those essential components into an integrated SYSTEM…that we have labeled ‘Connessions’.

One of key components of the Connessions protocol is COMMITMENT. Commitment to solving the problem(s) you’re facing. Perhaps the problem you are facing is one of finding a new or additional stream of income. Perhaps you have NO income stream (aka a J-O-B) and then desperation joins with commitment…when you get hungry enough…or have no other obvious alternatives (like accommodating relatives or friends). SO, commitment to solving this problem is a motivational stimulus AND something that will keep you going when you encounter obstacles to permanently solving that type of problem.

Let’s continue to use finding or adding ‘Income Streams’ as our example here…to explain ‘Connessions’. Another key component is to take a step back and examine or analyze the problem and situation at hand. 

Let’s examine my example of the earliest known MasterMind group recorded –the 12 (or now 11) Apostles after Jesus left and was crucified. The took time out to meditate, pray, and reflect on their situation. In fact it was weeks into this “Time-Out” that they were visited not only by the resurrected Chairman of the Board but also by his Consigulari or Counselor (the Holy Spirit) to give them guidance and direction and support in trying times. I believe this is the ‘Third Man’ that Napoleon Hill and Ben Franklin talk about when you have two or more people gathered together to ‘mastermind’ their way out of a situation.

Anyway the key element that I wanted to point out is that one must take that time-out to reflect and properly analyze the situation. And the best way I know to do that is in a small cell group of 3 or more people (probably less than 12 is best). Discussining it and throwing out IDEA’s is a good way to find that breakthrough ‘elegant solution’ I was talking about earlier. It’s there you just have to find it. And A Given Solution might only work for YOU…not everyone in this group. Probably EACH person has different needs, interests, time-lines, restrictions and limitations and certainly different backgrounds and expertise.

Often the stress of the pressing issues or needs will weigh so heavily on you that all you care about is getting to the finish line and HAVING that solution be manifested. But truly the PROCESS and the ANALYSIS is as important as finding or getting to the solution. 

The reason is that you will almost certainly find yourself in another desparate situation again, down the road, and having a proven way out of it, that you know you can replicate, will help alleviate that debilitating and captivating STRESSED out feeling in future crisis.

When someone knows where they are AT and HOW they got there…they are halfway home and no longer feel lost. Then have a few simple tools in your pack –like a map and a compass—can get you back home. Now the analogy I give about Connessions is that having a Garmin Colorado 400T GPS Tracking device for backpackers going into bush anywhere around the world…with the proper maps pre-loaded, of course, and its electronic compass vs. just an old fashioned compass and no maps at all.

This is the distinction of USING the available internet-enabled tools and apps that could be integrated into an effective MasterMind type group setting. Not only do you apply the collaboration help and support of a group, but you also are able to gather the inside information of a large trusted network of like-minded people interested in helping YOU solve YOUR problems. Added to that is the information that is available on the WEB but perhaps not widely known to most people. Every problem involves its own NICHE market(s) and specialty areas of expertise. Therefore the wider your REACH…amongst the members of our exclusive CLUB of eVenturist’s…then the broader that insight and insider information will be. And if it can’t be found by any of the existing CO-OP Marketing Membership…then the word can go out to FIND those that at least one member may know already that does have that special knowledge or expertise. And then that person recruits them or their insight for this task. Viral Networking with a Cause.

Getting back now to our problem solving example discussion topic –finding new income streams—we need to profile and REGISTER each person’s expertise and specialty knowledge areas so that the SYSTEM can be searched for RESOURCES and experience in order to help in this situation. Messages can be exchanged and connections made. Networking beyond even the existing CO-OP of trusted members.

The tools to do this collaboration and communication all exist. They just need to be integrated into a homegrown INTRANET that facilitates this open exchange of topical issues and problems. Also existing Social Networks can be utilized, in a limited fashion, as well…to cast a wider net.

Each person brings some background and experiences to the table. Everyone must assemble and PROfile their ‘Social-Collateral’ for a mission like this to succeed and have far-reaching effect. I call it ‘leveraging you Social-Collateral’. It simulates a Trade Exchange for information and skillsets…traded for Time-Share Points…which is the currency of this private eBiz/Social Network.