One red dress looks like another.

I was fascinated to learn that there is a Buy Nothing New Month in Australia. I love this idea… though of course retailers will not… (I’m sure the liquor retailers don’t like Dry July either.)  I was in the US last summer on holiday with my family and I was completely overwhelmed by the consumerism. (And quite frankly everything began to look the same). I heard that 10% of all women’s clothes sold in Australia are never worn. It is shear waste. I wondered if I could go a year without purchasing anything new for myself. No shoes, clothes or accessories. I have not managed it completely… but I did go for 8 months without anything new for myself personally.

Clearly this aligns to what we believe at RedBalloon– which is all about buying less “stuff” and instead living in the moment and enjoying shared experiences. Our photo albums and our memories are what we treasure.

With self storage one of the fastest growing industries in Australia – do we really need any more stuff? And just think what all this waste is doing to the environment… recycling starts with reusing.

In our little bit for the planet, RedBalloon has a green program, as you would expect… it is the least we can do.

My personal “lose pledge”, earlier in the year to stop buying unnecessary items for my wardrobe – really changed how I viewed shopping. I have learned to really appreciate the things I do have… More more more does not mean better… and where on earth would I store anything else?. I just didn’t need any more new clothes or shoes – they wouldn’t make life any more fabulous, they wouldn’t make me smarter or more efficient, buying new clothes wouldn’t do something worthwhile for the planet. Instead they were just accumulating in the back, front and sides of my wardrobe. So much so that my daughter recently took up her own recycling task of selling my shoes on eBay… I may have a young entrepreneur on my hands. I can gladly report that I have stuck to my guns and found an invigorated sense of enthusiasm in combining my old favourites to create “new” outfits. Red is red after all.

I also believe strongly in giving to others who need it more – RedBalloon is a gifting company, and the team is generous with its time and spirit, and this spirit of generosity is shown in all that we do. For instance, we have a program called ‘We Care,’ where each RedBallooner gets one day  to go and work for the charity or cause of their choice.  I send my pre-loved outfits to a charity called Dress for Success, which dresses women ready for job interviews and employment… (I can only imagine how many women are turning up for job interviews wearing red.) We also run office clothes swaps a couple of times a year, which are organised by one of our corporate account managers (and chief story-teller) Arielle.

So, here’s the challenge… what do you ‘not need’ ask yourself the question ‘Do I really need this?’… I have a friend who has argued that his wife is ‘saving him into the poor house’ she just cannot resist a deal.  You don’t save money if you buy stuff you don’t need (or even like.)

Have fun – it’s a game. Clothes swaps are the new black.

What one event in your past has shaped your present?

I have learned just as much from poor managers as I have from great ones. The reality is that there is gold in every experience we just need to have the clarity of mind and commitment to listen for it. I worked at Ansett during deregulation and the pilots dispute in the late 80s – it was tough times in aviation – but when I watched how senior leaders treated subordinates I was truly abhorred. I could not understand how a General Manager could walk through an airport without even looking at anyone in the eye. Business, after all is about building great relationships. People want to believe that they are part of something bigger than themselves – they need leaders that they can believe in. It was a wonderful lesson early in my career – even though it made me angry and disillusioned at the time – I committed to myself “when I’m running the show it will be different.”

Part of the RedBalloon journey - Version 4

If I knew then what I know now, I’d…

It might have been handy to know a little about the Internet, web development and hosting before I launched a website in 2001. I just went into it completely blindly – believing those technical people both outsourced and later employees – each individual telling me ‘what was right’ for RedBalloon. And I naively believed them. It took many years before I was able to establish a group of ‘IT mentors’ that I could bounce ideas off – to validate what I was being told. It has been a painful and expensive journey to build an enterprise level website, and the team to deliver it.

No pain no gain they say – and now we have had a stable, productive and committed team for some years. The difference is immense.

James shares his insights into RedBalloon

We are fast approaching RedBalloon’s tenth birthday, with that it mind I wanted to check in with the team ‘What does it mean to you to be a part of the RedBalloon story?’ The answers were delightful and insightful… but this particular answer from one of the newer RedBallooners is very worth reproducing in whole.

If you were to ask the similar question in your organisation, you too could get a great insight into the ‘mood’ – think of it as a ‘culture check’.

R Recognised. Continual recognition day to day has been very important in my short time here. Knowing that all my efforts are acknowledged, appreciated and are of value to the business in achieving the goals we collectively aspire to, gives myself and everybody a huge sense of unity in where we are heading.

E Experiences! Such a unique trait to my role and being a part of my story is fulfilling so many dreams for so many people. Not many people I know can say the consequences of their daily tasks will live in the memories of others forever!

D Dynamic. I am buoyed by how I can personally contribute to our visions and challenges for the future. If I want to make a suggestion of change or improvement, the big red door is always wide open. All that is required of me, is imagination.

B Belief. Having the people around me who are not afraid to get out there and make things happen because they believe in the cause. No objectives are too big, because where there’s a will, there’s a way. We are all role models.

A Aspiration. Reaching the One million milestone and the ‘RedBalloon Story’ I believe is directly attributed to the investment in the people along the journey. Being a part of an ever improving, expanding organisation who actively encourage personal development and achievement will, in my mind, only motivate the story into achieving even bigger ‘hairy audacious goals’ in the future, and it feels good to be a part of that.

L Love. For what we do and how we work.  To me the story is based up a culture of passionate, driven people, which can only have a ripple effect on each other and associates alike.

L Learning. The story of the RedBalloon journey is anything but one dimensional, and the opportunities for learning to benefit myself and company co-inside with the RedBalloon ride. Only limited by the wind in my sails.

O One-on-one. Anyone involved in the RedBalloon story can approach anyone at anytime. Two heads are better than one! Be it personal or otherwise, it is well practiced and there is always someone I can to turn to.

O Opportunity. Seizing the opportunity! The story for me has told me to not be afraid in grasping an opportunity. Flexibility in my role is great and I can go about that how I like, which permits outside of the box thinking. Which reminds; “Most people think inside the box, great visionaries think outside the box, geniuses don’t see a box!”.

N Next steps.. the future

James R…. Corporate Team

Today at the Optus Business Technology Seminar however, I learned more about Google’s commitment to workplaces – work can and does happen everywhere and anywhere. Google itself does not have enough desks for the number of people who are employed by it. There is a fundamental shift on what work looks like and where it takes place.

A few facts: Google is the 4^th largest server manufacturer in the world (and they have never sold one) – also they are the 3^rd largest IP network in the world…

Interesting to listen to Stuart McLean Head of Enterprise in Australia and NZ as he shared how Google’s purpose to ‘Organize and manage the worlds information’ drives its innovation and product development. Included in that is the Google Enterprise, established to support businesses organize and manage the businesses information – As Stuart pointed out much of the planets information is still housed on people’s hard drives… (Google can’t help manage or organize it if it stays on those hard drives.)

Google has come up with the notion of ‘100% web’ – which means that information is stored remotely on massive servers, but can be accessed from any device anywhere – if the device gets destroyed – it does not matter because the real value is in the data – which is remote so not destroyed. A PC, smartphone, tablet all they are is an access mechanism to the data.  This by definition is what cloud computing is all about.

“Work is not a place it’s a thing you do – and you can do it anywhere.” Apparently 85% of new jobs created between 1998-2006 are involved in knowledge work of some sort – like problem solving or connecting people.

The workspace – is transformed to a place where people come together to connect ‘the tribe’s place’. “Telecommuting can reduce a businesses real estate costs by 20% and payroll by 10%” he quoted.

As the notion of how work takes place evolves – then I believe that the investment made in ensuring people are connected, aligned and have a shared sense of purpose is critical to peoples well being. The challenge for organizations is how to celebrate peoples contribution, recognize them and also to recognize teams – when they may be dispersed across the globe.

As the world becomes smaller “in the future each and every job will be completed by people from around the world” [The world is flat] – as we can see with the massive growth in businesses like freelancer.com

Stuart summarized:

• Innovation is not installed
• Attachments are so last century
• Think mobile first
• Team effort and collaboration is the future
• Manage the information coming at you – cleverly
• Relationships not contacts

One thing I do know is that the work places my children enter will be vastly different than the places I started my career – ‘so last century’

Two past RedBallooners (and me supporting them) who are now working in NYC

Over the past 10 years RedBalloon has had many members of the team leave the business often to run their own show, travel, take on study or leave to work elsewhere. RedBalloon has been part of their personal journey, part of their learning, development and education – we have impacted and supported them. And in return they have appreciated being part of RedBalloon.

On a personal level we are often sad to say good-bye given that we experience so much together; they often have become great friends. One of my colleagues who left for a promotion to another company – lamented that ‘it just won’t be like RedBalloon’ and I responded – “that it was now up to him – to take all that he has learned about the power of employee engagement and shared values and create that in his new workspace.”

Another colleague who went to work with Disabled Skiers in the US wrote to me to say “as a result of working at RedBalloon and learning how to execute growth strategies and being a values based business – there are 100s of disabled people who are now having a far better experience.” I was so touched that she took a moment to let me know.

I was delighted to receive the email below from a colleague who left to follow the love of her life to New York. At RedBalloon we don’t take recognition for granted – we believe it is all about the authentic, real and timely acknowledgement of really ‘knowing’ our people. And it is wonderful to know that we are spreading the word.

Hello Ladies! I hope all is well. We are melting in the June heat wave here, but otherwise ticking along just fine.

Had a great experience of recognition last night and immediately thought of you gals:

I started my new job about 2 months ago. At the time, I had planned on going to Paris for my (30th!) birthday and had the vacation days pre-approved. Once I started work, however, a big project launch was scheduled for around the same time and I was clear that I would not be able to take my trip— since I was planning on traveling alone, thankfully, this did not ruin anyone else’s plans, but of course it was a disappointment for me. When the project was cancelled at the last minute and quite unexpectedly, I was frustrated that all my work had been in vain, and immediately thought, “I could have gone to Paris!” Last night, a very senior member of the company approached me and said “I heard you cancelled a trip to Paris for us… and whilst its not Paris, at least its French…” and he handed me a generous gift certificate to a new, swanky French restaurant downtown. I was humbled and surprised— not only for being recognized by a senior person for all the hard work I had done but the extra nod to my trip was very thoughtful. This morning, I couldn’t stop smiling and got to work early to be extra prepared for a meeting with the same senior person— it makes me want to do good work for him. Mostly, it reminded me of my days at RedBalloon — I haven’t been “recognized” like that since then and it made me remember how good it feels!

I hope that all is well in Pyrmont and you are living the value of FUN every day! I think of you all often— please keep in touch and definitely let me know if anything brings you to NYC, I would love to catch up.

Wonderful! Not only that they get to carry the story on – but that past RedBallooners take a moment to recognize us and the impact we had…

At the Swans Magpies game - met 'the cup' - winning takes a team in complete harmony. The EY award is a wonderful acknowledgement to the RedBalloon team.

This week of course is the end of the financial year. Time to reflect, review, and reinvigorate ready for the new financial year. Last Monday we finalized the plans for FY12 – each team leader presenting their insights, ideas and execution plans – requesting resources and budgets. This is now the eleventh annual planning cycle and each year I am even more excited by the innovations and new opportunities that RedBalloon creates.

I managed to get to Melbourne for the NAB speaking engagement last week– and back for the Eastern Region Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year event- despite the airline chaos. My daughter came with me to the event. It was wonderful for her to hear the other business leaders’ stories. She whispered to me as proceedings commenced ‘Mum this is just like a speech night for grown ups’. Now 15, I was so proud of her; how she engaged in conversation and was truly interested in other people. (She was also proud of her mother as I accepted the category award and go on to the National finals in Melbourne in November.) Also made it for the third year to the BRW Best Places to Work list… well done team.

This week:

Adelaide: for Westpac’s Ruby Connection lunch and the Australian National Credit Union conference

Sydney: for client meetings, attending a presentation by Dr Brene Brown and a strategic offsite for Best Buddies

Canberra: Debater for the affirmative at AIMs Great Debate with Julie McCrossin.

Reading:

Martin Seligman’s – Flourish

Monday: Planning presentations from each team leader, and reviewing of business cases at the board meeting.
Tuesday: Finalising budgets and start the performance review process
Wednesday: Presentation for Aspire Women in Business Network Lunch, then have to dash to Melbourne for a business round table (Then large family dinner to celebrate my nephews 21st)
Thursday: Presentation for NAB women’s program – straight back to Sydney for the Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year dinner
Friday: Client review meetings and finalise plan, theme and budgets for the strategy.

(Saturday: the Collingwood vs Swans game at the stadium… )

Dexter was in his element when we had Channel 7s Today Tonight come and film with us on Friday – he of course was the star of the show.

I’m sitting looking at this weeks calendar and sort of wondering if I can get it all achieved (with elegance and grace.)

This week:

Monday: Speaking at the Mt Eliza Business School on Employee Engagement
Tuesday: Speaking at the Geelong Business Group, Speaking for Court Financial in Sydney, then attending the judging of EYs Entrepreneur of the Year
Wednesday: Participating in a BRW business round table
Thursday: Participating in a PwC business education event
Friday: RedBalloon experience familiarization with the team (on the harbor)

Reading: What makes us Tick – Hugh MacKay

Friday was a day for many celebrations – our April Fools day tradition continued with some really ‘special experiences’ that only a ‘fool’ would not take up. Well done marketing team… love your work.

RedBallooners Celebrate 1,000,000 good times and counting

And at 11.22 on 1 April the scoreboard clicked over to 1,000,000. We are half way to our BHAG of 2 million people by 2015. It was fabulous to bring the team together for an impromptu celebration.

It was truly humbling to be a part of the Qantas eXcel awards celebration at hanger 96 at Mascot airport under the wing of a very large 747-400. Whilst I was personally involved in the selection of the ‘peoples choice’ winners- there were more than 700 people at the party – and it is an amazing thing to know that each of the winners there had received a RedBalloon voucher at some stage through 2010 (in recognition of their achievement). How delightful to listen to customers about the experiences they went on or are planning to do.

And in between all that I attempted to study for the AICD exam and put together an argument for the assignment.

This Week

Monday: Study & phone hook up briefing for Boot Camp presentation

Tuesday: Monthly Company Meeting and board meeting

Wednesday: Interview with Anthill, boardroom lunch at Taylor’s wines and AICD exam

Thursday: Presentation by Lowy Institute and then I’ll present at Kochies Business Builders Bootcamp

Friday: More Boot Camp and finish AICD assignment.

Reading: AICD Company Director Course Notes

It seems like yesterday that I launched RedBalloon (during the dot com crash, no-one can accuse me of not having an optimistic outlook) and waited (and waited) for two months and four days to sell our first experience.

Thank you to our first customer, Damian Chown, who says he chose to purchase from RedBalloon because it was the only gift giving company of its kind that was established online. “Traditional gifting businesses at the time only gave you brochures and pamphlets to flick through. I liked the variety of RedBalloon’s offering and how easy it was to make a decision,” he said.

And our millionth customer is Lisa Harris who bought an engagement gift for her friends – a Chocolate Fondue and Martini for Two

It is amazing to see the dream becoming reality – especially creating such a vast and diverse community of suppliers, many of which are small businesses themselves who have achieved fabulous growth too.

Thank you to the RedBalloon team members, who excel looking after our customers and suppliers. Thank you to our customers, who trust us to deliver on amazing, memory-creating experiences.

I look forward to the journey forward, to the next million experiences.