Full screen…check. HD…check. Amazed…check.

Yeah, I’ve got moves like this. Not.

Dancing by RemoteKontrol.

This past weekend I competed in the 2010 Distance Swim Challenge, a 12.6 mile ocean swim from Manhattan Beach to the Santa Monica pier. “12.6 miles,” you say, “that’s crazy!” Well, I didn’t go the full distance (I chose to to do the 2.4 mile option instead), but it does mark the first time I’ve ever done a full Ironman distance swim, which definitely brings a smile to my face given the long comeback from my Bankhart Lesion (sustained a couple years ago when I dislocated my shoulder). Suffice to say the repair surgery is now a confirmed success…thanks Dr. Hatzidakis!

So why do a swim like this? Well, there are a couple reasons:

• It was literally right out outside my front door on Ocean Ave. All I had to do was throw on a wetsuit (or not…some folks cranked it out speedo style!), walk down to the beach, and start swimming. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
• The race supported several good causes, including Heal the Bay and Exceeding Expectations.
• Most important, it gave me an opportunity to focus on the my weakest triathlon discipline. While one could (poorly) justify there is some upside to coming out of the water towards the back of the pack in a triathlon (since you get to pass more people on the bike and run…ha ha!), it sure makes it difficult to post a competitive time. Although I particpated in the spirit of Notre Dame great Knute Rockne’s quote that one should “Build up your weaknesses until they become your strong points,” I doubt swimming will overtake my cycling any time soon (if ever)…but who knows!

Looking back on the event, the team at Optimis Sport did a great job hosting this inaugural Distance Swim Challenge. Hopefully, they’ll return to put it on again in 2011. I know I’ll definitely be back in the future…and next time I’ll be aiming for 4.8 miles!

During my college years, I nearly decided to major in music composition (albeit not for my only college A minus, in Music Theory II of all classes!). Oh how things would have been different going that route . Despite my about face to the business world, I’ve still been inspired by and enjoy great film compositions. Over the last twenty years, Hans Zimmer has composed many of the film industry’s best movie songs. With over one hundred film scores to his credit, along with a handful of prestigious awards, he is considered the go-to composer among Hollywood directors. He is best known for his use of electronic music sounds with traditional orchestral arrangements. Below I’ve highlighted 13 of Hans’ most memorable and epic songs. For now it’s just the recording, but hang tight and I’ll eventually include some background info for each song. Enjoy!

BACKDRAFT – Show Me Your Firetruck (3:31)

Released in 1991, Backdraft is the story of two Chicago firefighter brothers who don’t get along but have to work together while a dangerous arsonist is on the loose. This score is considered by many to be Zimmer’s first highly successful and enjoyable large-scale merging of an orchestra and choir with his electronics.
Buy on Amazon: track | album

CRIMSON TIDE – Roll Tide

KING ARTHUR – All of Them

THE DARK KNIGHT – I Am Not a Hero

TEARS OF THE SUN – Kopano Part III – The Journey

THE DA VINCI CODE – Chevaliers de Sangreal

THE THIN RED LINE – Journey to the Line

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN – Drink Up Me Hearties

THE LAST SAMURAI – Safe Passage

THE ROCK – Hummel Gets the Rockets

BATMAN BEGINS – Molossus

GLADIATOR – Now We Are Free

INCEPTION – Time

BONUS TRACK – Mind Heist by Zack Hemsey

Mind Heist, from the Inception 3 trailer is one of my favorites of all-time. The music carries the scenes perfectly as we get a brief teaser of the story. At first I thought Hans had written this piece (since he scored the film and many of the same characteristic Zimmer features are present), but I later found out that the credit goes to Zack Hemsey, who has proclaimed on his blog that he is certainly not Mr. Zimmer. Is Zack the next Hans? Well, with songs like this, I’d say it’s a good start!

Over the past several years, our team at LuxuryProperty – led by Executive Blogger Mark Knowles – has built the world’s number one luxury real estate blog. Not to toot our horn, but at one point our blog alone was outranking the “primary” websites of four of our top six competitors in terms of unique visitors and pageviews. What does it take to achieve stats like this? Well, among many things, it takes content, really juicy content:

The more important question, however, is why we launched our blog in the first place. We found that the typical buyer of luxury real estate uses the internet to either (a) entertain and educate or (b) search for property. At any given time, more people usually fall into the former category, particularly during the struggling real estate market the past several years. Instead of limiting our audience to that smaller group of users searching for property, we launched the Luxury Property Blog to expand our user base and begin developing relationships with those who could eventually use our primary service – searching for luxury homes, condos, and vacation rentals – when the time was right for them. We focused on creating interesting content (that people just couldn’t get enough of) and promoting it across the internet to drive traffic to our blog. While our traffic of users searching for property didn’t grow at the same rate as our overall traffic, we laid the groundwork to grow our users searching for property over time, which is our number one priority with the Luxury Property service.

A lot of other great companies have used blogs to initiate and develop relationships with users, as well as retain existing users. One example is 37Signals, which publishes the blog Signal vs. Noise. The leaders of 37Signals have even gone a step further than blogging to engage and educate their audience. They recently published Rework, a book about starting, building, and growing a business. If you haven’t read it, you should.

At the end of the day, anyone can create a blog to promote a business. Some do it to further engage their existing users, while others – us included – do it to reach a new audience they’ll eventually convert to their primary service. Either way, to be successful, it’s critical to provide content that users either want or unknowingly need. Once you’ve got them hooked on your crack, they’ll keep coming back. And that’s good news for your business’ bottom line when they eventually look to you to make that purchase.

Much like California’s aptly named Death Ride, Colorado offers up its version of the long and vertically challenging single day ride with the Triple Bypass. For most cyclists (and non-cyclists alike), names like these conjure up anxiety, fear, and dread, but in some rare cases (like mine), they spawn absolute sheer delight. Just think: in the case of the Triple, what can beat 120 miles of cycling over three mountain passes between 7,000 to 12,000 feet of elevation? If you answered, “finishing it,” you’d be right…ha ha!

Having missed out on the ride in 2009, I was sure to register the exact moment online registration opened in January (I had a friend try just 15 minutes later and he missed the 3,500 rider cap). Then, undeterred by my move to California in April, I cranked out some serious cycling around Santa Monica. Several months and some 50,000 odd vertical feet of climbing later, I returned to Colorado with my bike and grabbed a scant 4 hours of sleep the night before the ride (hey, that’s just par for the course before my long Saturday rides). The next thing I knew the sun was rising on a beautiful day in the mountains and the ride was on.

After 10,000 feet of climbing, 9 cliff bars, 6 bananas, 3 bagels, 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and a partridge in a pear tree, I crested Vail pass in a late afternoon thunderstorm and began the final 30 mile descent to Avon (with no crashes this year…hooray!) and the post ride party. Upon arriving, I saw my favorite jersey of the day. I heard there was a Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the course, but seriously, they don’t even come close to Cookie Monster.

Cookie Monster Cycling Jersey – 2010 Triple Bypass Bike Ride

When I saw the jersey, it reminded me of this funny gif (below) I saw on wildammo.com a month ago, with the heading “you’ll never experience happiness like this.” Well, I beg to differ. I did experience happiness like that. I finished the ride way faster than before…and felt way better in the process. But I can only imagine how much better it would have been if I had that cookie too!

Thanks to everyone who helped make the 2010 Triple Bypass happen (both for me and everyone else). You know who you are .

And PS to the schedulers of the Death Ride and the Triple Bypass: Please schedule these rides on different weekends next year. Some of us actually want to do them both. Thanks.

And PSS – for the first person that tells me what that frosty mug of beer is doing in the lower right hand corner of the Triple Bypass logo above, I’ll buy you a cold one.

These famous words by the Briton Rudyard Kipling grace the entry way above the players’ entrance to Wimbledon’s Centre Court. They are from his famous poem “if,” which is featured in the following promotional video to the 2008 Gentlemen’s final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Mr. Kipling’s (1865-1936) poem first appeared in his collection ‘Rewards and Fairies’ in 1909. It is a blueprint for personal integrity and self development, explaining that becoming a man (or better person) doesn’t take place through a single event, but through acquiring attributes over a lifetime of events. As Alan Chapman notes, “It is perhaps even more relevant today than when Kipling wrote it, as an ethos and a personal philosophy.”

The poem’s full text is below:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream — and not make dreams your master;
If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And — which is more — you’ll be a Man my son!

When I moved from Denver to Santa Monica back in April (2010), one of the first things to cross my mind – other than where I was going to live – was hoping there would be some decent size mountains to climb on my bike. I was in luck. Less than 5 miles north up the Pacific Coast Highway I found some killer climbs. While they lacked Denver’s mile high starting elevation, a couple sections presented some of the steepest paved grades I’ve ever found. If only I had a granny gear!

View Cycle Route – Santa Monica Mountains 3 in a larger map

After several months of riding, I’ve scoped out some decent 3-6 hour rides up in the Santa Monica Mountains. A few of my favorites are on this page. Be sure to check out the Rock Store – the local’s favorite hang out spot for bikers and motorcyclists on Mulholland Highway – and smile on the Rock Store Climb for the camera man! For now I’ve laid out these routes in Google maps, but eventually I’ll get them redone on Robin Thurston’s app – MapMyRide.com. On a side note, I took a spin class from Rob at the Colorado Athletic Club in Denver’s Tabor Center (downtown) before I moved west. If you are ever in town and need a workout, this newly remodeled facility is one of the best gyms in Denver (all it’s missing is a basketball court). If you need the court, head a couple blocks over to Forza…it’s pretty sweet too (and I’ve heard Melo stops by once and a while).

View Cycle Route – Santa Monica Mountains 2 in a larger map

The steepest grades on these maps are on a section of Las Flores Canyon Road and from the base of West Saddle Peak Road (2,100 ft) to the top of the mountain (2,700 ft) at the weather station.

Michael Murphy getting used to the California mountains, here on the Rock Store Climb and Mulholland Highway. Photo credits to Paul Herold and Jon Cossentine.

For tennis fans, the arrival of The Championships (“Wimbledon” for non tennis buffs) is the pinnacle of the sporting year. Gentlemen and ladies take to the finely manicured lawns of The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (that’s a mouthful) to determine the champions of the sport’s most prestigious major. As the drama unfolds this year, let’s take a look at 10 things Wimbledon can teach us about business.

1. WEAR NICE CLOTHES
Since 1963 entry conditions for the Championships have stated that except for a cardigan, pullover, or headwear, competitors must be dressed predominantly in white. In 1995 this condition was clarified to mean ‘almost entirely white’ (source). This hasn’t stopped a special few from making unique fashion statements:

2. PAY YOUR RESPECTS
Up until 2003, players traditionally bowed/curtseyed to members of the Royal Family on entering or leaving Centre Court. Now they only show their respects for the Queen and the Prince of Wales (source).

3. IMPROVE YOUR VOCABULARY
If you expect to win Wimbledon, you’ll need to stick around for the entire fortnight. That’s the duration of the tournament. You’ll also need to brush up on a slew of other words to navigate the tournament, let alone the sport of tennis in general (i.e., “love” isn’t a feeling, it’s a score).

fort·night  [fawrt-nahyt, -nit] –noun
The space of fourteen nights and days; two weeks.
The span of time to win Wimbledon.

While it’s best to speak in simple terms in a business setting so the greatest amount of people can understand you, having a strong control of vocabulary gives you the ability to express and understand the finer, more subtle, points. It also makes you look smart, which adds credibility to whatever you’re doing.

4. TAKE SOME RISKS
Not only do the players at Wimbledon take the occasional chance on a big point, but the fans get in the action too. Wimbledon has long been known for its adventurous streakers. One of the more famous nude jaunts of late occurred during the Women’s 2006 quarterfinal match between Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva, in which fans and players alike were treated to some birthday suit gymnastics. Risk: going to jail, fines, and public humiliation. Reward: 5 minutes of fame and making Ms. Sharapova blush.

5. SERVE TASTY FOOD
While most spectators at Wimbledon don’t go for the gourmet food experience, they do have the opportunity to chow down on the event’s signature snack: strawberries and cream. Some years, hungry visitors consume over 2 million berries (source).

Whether its to win or retain business with clients, or to keep morale high on your own team, good food goes a long way to making everyone happy. And happy people translates to better business.

6. FIND RELIABLE VENDORS
Wimbledon has relied on Dunlop Slazenger to provide tennis balls since 1902 (source). Granted, it took them 30 odd years to find the right vendor, but now this is one less thing they’ve had to think about…for over a century.

By finding reliable service providers, you can spend more time working on your business instead of working in it. Gone are the days you have to wonder whether the product delivery will be on time or if the material will be up to par. Now you can focus on retaining current clients and finding new customers.

7. BUILD GOOD HABITS
During the Championships, the Head Groundsman ensures the courts are white lined, rolled and cut every day. It takes regular work to make sure what is by nature a variable surface plays as consistent as possible (source).

Will Durant summarized Aristotle by saying, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Much in business as in life, this holds true. If you want to build a successful company, the cornerstone is dedication to doing the things that lead to success. Success rarely comes overnight, so build the necessary habits to get you there.

8. ALWAYS BE PREPARED
Death. Taxes. And rain at Wimbledon. All certainties in life. In 2009 Wimbledon unveiled a roof over Centre Court, and for the first time in the tournament’s history prepared itself for the inevitable downpours. Now play can continue and everyone stays dry and happy.

At first we were like:

And then we were like:

9. BECOME DOMINANT
Someone must have mentioned to open era players Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer that good isn’t good enough. These gentlemen won the Championships 5, 7, and 6 times respectively. On the ladies open era side, Martina Navratilova (9), Steffi Graf (7) and Venus Williams (5) have been the dominant players.

10. TAKE A STAND
Watch the video. Enough said.

When you believe you’re right, stand up for convictions. Maybe they turn out to be wrong in the long run, but at least you did what you thought was right at the time. Ultimately, it’s about being true to yourself.

If you have any other things Wimbledon teaches about business, please feel free to add them in the comments. Thanks!

With the world coming together today for the start of soccer’s…er, football’s big event (as evidenced by the internet having it’s busiest news day ever), I thought it a good time to dish out a relevant teamwork video:

Before you can ever make an assist, you’ve got to join a team or put one together (unless you like throwing assists to yourself). This is what Henry Ford mentions as “coming together.” It is merely the beginning, the first step to success. However, it lays the groundwork that will determine not only the frequency, ease, and style with which people will make assists, but the levels of success to which those assists will lead. While endless volumes have been written on the topic of team building, I break it down into 2 key parts: a person’s “character” and “skill.”

When I look at character from a team building standpoint, it’s all about integrity and a sense of duty. I use integrity here as it’s used in western ethics, meaning a person having an intuitive sense of honesty and truthfulness in regard to the motivations for one’s actions. Duty, on the other hand, refers to a moral commitment to someone or something without considering the previously relevant self-interested courses of action (both definitions from wikipedia). While neither of these character components are necessary to build an assist-capable team, their prevalence amongst team members amplifies each person’s ability to make more – and better – assists. People with integrity and a sense of duty on a team are more likely to understand their collective strength emanates from their coming together and commitment to each other, and this awareness allows them to rely on the power of the assist rather than on peoples’ abilities to be all-stars.

The other component, skill, is one’s learned expertise employed to achieve a certain result. No doubt you want your team members to have the necessary skills for a particular endeavor. The broader and deeper the skills they have, the more capable they are of making great assists and helping the team achieve success.

When putting together a team, it’s easy to become caught up in visions of wild success based on people with impressive skill sets. One risk with teams composed of highly talented members is that of an all-star believing he or she can carry the team to success on his or her own, without the assistance of, or with limited help from, any other teammates. As this belief becomes more prevalent, the team’s assist-making potential decreases, as team members defer to the all-star. And while the short term effect can be positive, the long term effect is usually less than desirable. It is as they often say: “All-stars win games, teams win championships.” And when a team wins championships, it’s due in large part to it’s assist making; its capacity to transcend its parts and become one functioning unit. An additional risk of focusing on skill sets at the expense of character is a team unable to flex when the going gets tough. It is in challenging and changing times that a sense of duty helps team members adjust, as they oftentimes have to place the team’s interests above their own to make it through.

So here’s the soundbite: “A requisite for any assist is the team itself. Choose yours wisely. The better your team, the more assists you’ll have, the better your assists will be, and the greater your levels of success.”

Part 2 coming soon!