Vlad Mazek - Riff Raff, just say no..
Some times I feel sorry for Vlad only from the perspective of the amount of pressure he must get from people wanting him to attend, support, whatever... events that others consider his duty as a community leader. Oh the joy of being an SMB Rockstar.
Today he blogged further about the SMB Nation Conference and how better spent some peoples resources could be.
I am not paid off to tell you to give my friends money after they screwed you, I do not have an alterior motive, I do not have a competing event/conference. I just believe in truth and value and if you think you’re riff raff there are better places to spend your money:
Now about the Riff Raff thing, every time I read this, the thing that pops into my mind is "Ta da ta da touch me, I want to be dirty" (oh Columbia, purr). While I understand that people don't like to feel like they may be the "Riff Raff", in its most derogatory sense but I'm happy that some of the things Vlad says causes me to evaluate what it is that I do.
Vlad is saying this more and more...
Either way, disclaimers up first: Yes, I am talking about you, and this is how I single out people I don’t want to do business with. Is this your setup?
I'm interested in the commentary of how dealing with the SMB Reseller community effects a provider of services to so many small business service providers (Approaching 3000 I assume). Now when I read some of the things Vlad has to say, I find it enlightening to evaluate what I do and if I fit into the group being referred to. Have I ever asked Vlad if that is about me? Are you insane? If you asked me if what I say is about you I'd have to say "Welcome to Loserville population 1, you!!"
Has Vlad caused me to think if I am
- an SPF? You bet. In our SMB Services Practice I am the only one, and I'm not sure that we won't abandon that in favor of other services works just slightly up the head count ladder
- a low value VAR? sometimes I want a benefit before investing in Vendor Partnerships
- am I a sponge and not much of a contributor in some of the SMB forums? Yep. Sometimes running a company as a startup in a new business area, running a family and keeping the other business things ticking, it is tough to keep focus on community
but do I think Vlad needs to spend time making me feel better, does he need to give me a leg up into a community that HAS evolved over the last 5 years into something much more self seeking and commercial? NO
Vlad HAS made me feel more motivated to do things I formerly made priority 5 in things I do, I think that is more than enough.
So as I start to build on ideas on how to give back, will some of the credit for that belong to Vlad? yeah probably, so when you read about folk who talk a big game and deliver too slowly I hope it will be about me cause that will give me a little prod forward.
So why the Vlad fanboy post? Today I was called out in a group that I'm not too sure I belong in
Spend it to send a thank you postcard from your vacation to the SMB blogging elite that calls it like it is and never asks for a damn thing in return: Susan Bradley, Susanne Dansey, Chris Rue, Tim Barrett, Eriq Neale, Andy Goodman Blog, Andy Goodman Chat, Dana Epp, Vijay Riyaait, Chad Gross, Dean Calvert, Andy Parkes, David Mackie, David Schrag, Steve Wright, Jeff Altman, Bill Leeman, Anne Stanton, Richard Tubb, Bill Waters, Jason Lieb, Karl Palachuk, Mark Crall, Larry Lentz, Nick Whittome, Kevin Weilbacher, Amy Babinchak and the TS2 community guys who although Microsoft employees probably spend more than anyone outside of 9–5 to locally support the SMB community.
Some of these folk I don't know but will now check out some of their stuff, and of course only one of the them I have ever met in person. When I think of the SMB Community many of these names have built what I only occasionally poke with a stick, but it really does motivate me to more involved. Do I care what Vlad Mazek thinks about me or what I do? Do I even care about what the others in that group of folk think? No not really, that's not what I'm about, but do I think that there is need for community resources for people coming through and do I think Vlad brings out what many folk are thinking but are way to PC to say, and there needs to be more than just these folk contributing, and of course how am I going to live up to inclusion in that group? I guess we will have to see.
So Yes, you are talking about me, and this is an interesting way to single out people you don’t want to do business with and perhaps it should include me. Will this move me forward in examining what I do? and make it more compelling for me to do more? yep. I have been motivated to start smemanaged.com but the slowness of content might highlight my SPF and commitment void so keep the shocky stick charged and poke me with it some more.
I don't know who is flogging the dead horse of "come to SMB Nation Vlad" but I think it is just that a dead horse.
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