L Vaughn Spencer – Very Funny

A good friend of mine, Neil Mullarkey (yes, that’s his real name), is one of the funniest people I know.  He, Mike Myers, and a couple of other guys founded the Comedy Store Players (an improv comedy group) in London.  I have seen Neil perform dozens of times.  Always fantastic!  I even spent a day training with him.  Now I am funny(er).  His latest comedic character is the “gansta motivator,” L Vaughn Spencer, also known as L Vo.  He also has a new book based on this character (I am eagerly waiting for mine to arrive from Amazon).  I know many motivational speakers.  After a while, it is hard to take some of them seriously.  That’s why L Vo is so much fun.  The Sunday Telegraph in the UK said, “(L Vo is) the perfect antidote to the endless bogus management consultants and coaches who ply the corporate circuit.”  Hopefully they aren’t referring to me!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4_NzRz4kd8[/youtube]

Listen to My Innovation Interview

Earlier this week, I was on “Riches in Niches” radio with Susan Friedmann. We discussed innovation and business success in today’s economy. The 30 minute interview (split into two parts) covers practical ways to survive this volatile marketplace.

You can download the both parts at Innovation Interview Part 1 and Innovation Interview Part 2.

Or, you can visit Susan’s page to access streaming audio or to listen to other interviews.

The basis of our interview was my article on “7 Ways Innovation Can Recession-Proof a Business.”

Podcast with Inventor Brooks Lambert

No guy wants a beer belly. Right? Most would rather have a “six-pack.” Of course. But what if you could have a six-pack AND a beer belly at the same time? Well, now you can. The Beerbelly is a “removable spare tire” that holds 80 oz of beer (more than a six-pack), allowing you to bring your favorite beverage into any event. A while back I spoke with the product’s inventor, Brooks Lambert.

And now, you finally get to hear the podcast.

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Download the mp3 (right click and “save target as” to download to your computer)

Brooks told me that his company, Under Development Inc, was born to help others develop their ideas. His most famous invention – The Beerbelly – started out more or less as a joke that took on a life of its own. “We let the group choose a problem to solve, and then brainstormed ideas about solutions. The next thing you know, a buddy and I are cutting up a wetsuit and stuffing a CamelBak (a hands-free hydration system used by hikers) bladder in as an example of rapid prototyping.” That day, the Beerbelly was born. Their latest invention is the female version, called the Winerack. I’ll let you guess what that is.

Although these are fun products, Brooks’ main interests lie in more “socially redeeming” ventures. One day, Brooks and some buddies were brainstorming ideas. “We thought it would be cool if we could make a surf chair for the kids who can’t hold themselves up. The next day I made some calls and we found a race car seat manufacturer who was willing to make a custom shaped aluminum seat. We then got one of our local surfboard shapers to build a custom board to accommodate the chair, crossed our fingers, and voila, the surfchair was born. It works way better than we imagined and now it gets used on a regular basis.” This invention is used as part of the Ride-A-Wave charity, a 100% volunteer/nonprofit group that takes kids with all kinds of disabilities out surfing for the day.

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3 Things on Innovation

A colleague of mine, Erik Hansen, is Tom Peters’ brand manager.  In case you did not know, I am one of Tom’s “Cool Friends.”  You can read my interview on TomPeters.com.

The other day, while relaxing after a brainstorming session, Erik whipped out his video camera and decided to interview me.  What you see below is totally unrehearsed, unprepared, and uncensored. 

Enjoy!

Press the “play” button and wait a few seconds for the video to start. It may take as long as a minute.

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The Big Idea Video

As many of you know, I was recently on “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.” Here is the video of my (very) brief appearance. If I were given more time, I would have discussed these 7 tips for keeping your job.  Fortunately, CNBC decided to post these tips on their website along with another article of mine.

Enjoy!

Press the “play” button and wait a few seconds for the video to start.

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