Yes we can!

Congrats to all my American friends, colleagues and readers!

You did the right choice ;-)

Pure joy after these 8 very difficult years, for everybody…

Hurricane Omar: Saint Barth now recovering…

via Journal de Saint Barth (pdf)

So, the Omar hurricane is now away from Saint Barth (about 300 km), strength decreasing very rapidly.

Some pictures below from Saint Barth during and after the hurricane.

Le Journal de Saint Barth, the weekly newspaper from the island (in French), was publishing the first information about the damages:

• Nobody injured
• Wind of 140 km/h and about 50mm of rain within some hours, hurricane didn’t pass directly on Saint Barth but about 50 km away in the night of Wednesday to Thursday
• The real problem was the extremely strong swell coming from the SW, which is a very atypical orientation
• Production of water stopped, it will take weeks to reach the normal production again (one meter of water in the plant!)
• People can again circulate all around the island, roads are re-opened
• Schools re-opened on coming Monday
• Harbor is heavily hit, wharfs destroyed, 5 boats have sunk, thereof 2 in the harbor!
• The Corossol, Shell and Colombier beaches seem to be very affected by the strong swell, part of the sand is just gone there…
• Airport re-opened

via Tim, living in Saint Barth, and moderator of the “Insiders’ guide to St. Barths” forum

The little airplanes soaring into the sky all day here were a perfect metaphor for SBH's soaring efforts toward a speedy recovery from Hurricane Omar. Government services returned as both trash and recycling were picked up on schedule this morning. Gustavia, the hardest hit, was hopping with activity that was not slowed at all by this afternoon's rain:

• Dead vehicles that were Omarred were being hauled quickly away by wreckers.
• The portion of the dock not totally Omarred was being removed by a crane.
• Trucks full of rocks, trucks full of debris, trucks full of muck(muck-trucks) were scurrying from Gustavia to unload their loads and return for more.
• The veggies in Omar's soup(aka seaweed) were being fished out of the harbor by a half dozen boats filled with energetic fishermen using rakes. The boats were being piled high with the grass and then unloaded elsewhere.
• Firemen were spraying down and sweeping the remaining muck from Gustavia's streets.

There will be many tasks remaining, but the big question right now seems to be whether the cleanup will be complete by party time Saturday evening. Even Shell Beach, which has lost a lot of sand, doesn't look near as bad today after the water receded to a more normal level. It gives one a good feeling all over to see such positive energy, a characteristic that has always been the trademark of St. Barth's self-reliant people.

Good luck to everybody there for the coming days!

Saint Barth being hit by hurricane Omar

Wow, I have heard at the radio this morning that Saint Barth and Saint Martin are being hit by the Omar hurricane…

Omar seems to be at about 115 km away from the islands, and is now in the category 3 (110-130mph, i.e. 175-210km/h), with a 30km/h movement (actually very strange, from SW to NE, which is not the “normal” movement of hurricanes in this region…), accelerating and strengthening!

The alert-level is now “purple” (the 5th from 6), which corresponds to the so-called “confinement stage”. People are forced to stay in shelters or at home if it has been prepared for (reliable doors and windows closings).

To all my friends & people there: take care!

Autumn is coming…

Japanese maple

 

I like very much Japanese maples and we have just transferred ours from a pot to the ground. And, its leaves have just changed their color…

 

Unusual light (rising sun)

 

And yesterday morning, a very unusual light and sky!

Innoveo Solutions, already one year - Part I

And what for a year :-) We started in October 2007, with 14 people. We are today 16. We started with one customer, we today have 4, which means some great steps on the way to the difficult customer diversification.

So, if you mind (if not, just stop to read this post, very easy ;-), I would like to take some minutes to look back to these extremely intensive 12 months. What have we done? Wow, good question! Let’s try to structure a bit these achievements. And let’s concentrate on the management activities, not on the great delivery and concrete outcome of the whole team. By doing this, it would take much more time. Just too much.

I will divide this “looking-back” process in different parts, too long for one post!

Let’s start with the 3 most important parts.

 

Co-leading Innoveo with Nick

• Nick, my Business Partner, and myself are working for 8 years together. Our collaboration has evolved step-by-step, and we are leading the company together from the day 0.
• Still a lot of fun, respect and learnings in this collaboration. And still complementary in our different ways of managing, based on the same foundation of values.
• I am a lucky guy to be able to work with Nick and I am convinced that our strong collaboration and respect is very positive for Innoveo.
• We have learnt again a lot how to work efficiently together. Responsibilities are clearly splitted but we benefit from each other everywhere it is possible.
• We are developing ourselves in our new roles (Board members, leading tactically the company, sales) together and by our own. Specially helped there by our Board.

 

The management Team

• We are also learning to act all together as an entire and compact Management Team, with Nick, with Philippe (Services and Support), with Lorenz (Technology) and Oli (Product Management).
• Our roles and responsibilities are becoming more and more clearer. Delegation and cross-deputy roles are better in place. We are operatively leading the company together. The most important tactical decisions are taken together. The strategic orientation is discussed and prepared together for the Board meetings.
• On the good way to efficiency.

 

The Innoveo people

• “First who, then what” still in place, with some nice (and complicated) examples.
• Wow, still the main driver to wake up each morning :-)
• I really like the cultural mix and our multinational environment.
• Our team spirit and identity is still extremely strong and both were confirmed from outside quite a lot of time. So it seems that it is not just an “internal” view ;-)
• Lot of fun und humor, very experienced hard-working people. Extremely motivated. Experts in a lot of areas. Our customers like them! I too.
• Great cohesion, very good personal development of almost everybody.
• Nobody left Innoveo (since 8 years now, in the different constellations).
• We could extend our team with Robert and Conny, two great persons, very well integrated in the team. As if they were by us since years!
• People = still and definitely our *main asset*.

Next chapters will contain some stuff about:

Founding, Accounting, Administration, Human Resources, Legal, Productizing, Support process, Corporate Identity, Marketing and branding, Sales, Partner Management, Capital and shareholders, Board of Directors.

Perhaps not in this order!

In Strasbourg on last Saturday

Strasbourg, about 1h by car from my home, is a very nice city. I had the chance to study there during two years at Le Lycée Kléber. My wife was studying there during more than 8 years (…) at the Louis Pasteur University (doctor of medicine).

We are always going there with pleasure, specially to visit the “Petite France”, part of the “Grande Ile”, one of the most beautiful area of Strasbourg, and registered at the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1988.

Surrounded by two arms of the River Ill, the Grande Ile (Big Island) is the historic centre of the Alsatian capital. It has an outstanding complex of monuments within a fairly small area. The cathedral, the four ancient churches and the Palais Rohan – former residence of the prince-bishops – far from appearing as isolated monuments, form a district that is characteristic of a medieval town and illustrates Strasbourg's evolution from the 15th to the 18th century.

The Strasbourg Cathedral

Access to the whole pictures-set here.

R.I.P. Richard Wright

Besides all this noise on the business and financial side (emotions are influencing so much Wall Street and the other financial places, just ridiculous, just “too much”), I would like to emphasize the fact that one of the pillar of the Pink Floyd band, Richard Wright (Wikipedia), their keyboardist and pianist, died yesterday. Rick wrote, among others:

• Us and Them
• The great gig in the sky
• Shine on your crazy diamond
• Wearing the inside out
• Marooned

Wright sang also occasionally lead vocals, for example on Time and Echoes.

About Richard Wright, from David Gilmour (on his official website):

No one can replace Richard Wright. He was my musical partner and my friend.
In the welter of arguments about who or what was Pink Floyd, Rick's enormous input was frequently forgotten.
He was gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognised Pink Floyd sound.

I have never played with anyone quite like him. The blend of his and my voices and our musical telepathy reached their first major flowering in 1971 on 'Echoes'. In my view all the greatest PF moments are the ones where he is in full flow. After all, without 'Us and Them' and 'The Great Gig In The Sky', both of which he wrote, what would 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' have been? Without his quiet touch the Album 'Wish You Were Here' would not quite have worked.

In our middle years, for many reasons he lost his way for a while, but in the early Nineties, with 'The Division Bell', his vitality, spark and humour returned to him and then the audience reaction to his appearances on my tour in 2006 was hugely uplifting and it's a mark of his modesty that those standing ovations came as a huge surprise to him, (though not to the rest of us).
Like Rick, I don't find it easy to express my feelings in words, but I loved him and will miss him enormously.

Rest In Piece and thanks for your big contribution.

Back from St Barth

So, we are back since last Friday. As usual, the “landing” is quite difficult after 2 weeks on this incredible island. And not just because of the jet lag…

I would like to share with you 8 pictures from our trip. And no, I don’t know why 8, but it sounds good ;-)

 

From Guadeloupe to Saint Barth, beautiful lights

 

Saint Jean Bay, the west part

 

Petite Anse, from the beach

 

Petite Anse, from the top

 

Colombier Bay

 

Grand Cul de Sac

 

Petit Cul de Sac

 

From the Gustavia lighthouse

 

Alicia Keys at the Montreux Jazz Festival

I had the chance to be at the Montreux Jazz Festival on Thursday, July 17, with my friend Manu, the CEO of Boomerang. This year, Manu has chosen the concert and wanted to see Alicia Keys. I haven’t really known Alicia, excepted the 3 hits everybody knows ;-)

And what for a great surprise! The concert was just fantastic! First, Alicia was introduced very nicely by … Mister Quincy Jones himself. Wow, what for an honor! Absolutely great band and musicians, extremely soul and “motown” oriented, less “over-produced” than in her albums. Alicia Keys is really a marvelous singer, with a lot of good energy. And a special mention for her groove. Come on!!!

 

© Lionel Flusin © Montreux Jazz Festival Foundation

© Lionel Flusin © Montreux Jazz Festival Foundation

© Lionel Flusin © Montreux Jazz Festival Foundation

So, if you have the opportunity to see and listen to Alicia Keys at a concert, do not hesitate!

Yesterday evening…

Wheat field

 

And corn field

Montreux Jazz Festival - Alicia Keys

As usual (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007), we are going to the Jazz Montreux Festival this year. We will have the chance to listen to Alicia Keys (seems to be already sold-out):

Nine-time Grammy Awards winner Alicia Keys is back in Montreux after the release of her 3rd album: As I Am. Her 2004 show already seduced the audience of the Auditorium Stravinski. Since 2001, she has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. One of the few artists who can capture an old-school vibe and make if feel refreshingly new, Alicia tackles this feat once again with this new album.

The program this year is absolutely fantastic! Some examples:

• Al Jarreau
• Buddy Guy
• Gilberto Gil
• Herbie Hancock
• Katie Melua
• Leonard Cohen (!)
• Paul Simon
• Quincy Jones
• Robert Cray
• ....

If you cannot find something interesting in this program, you should perhaps buy new ears ;-)

Back to 2007, some Lessons Learnt

2007 was a very turbulent, chaotic and exceptional year for me. A year full of lessons learnt and learnings, as intensive as my 2 years at EM Lyon for my MBA.

As I have heard again at leweb3 and from our business and VC friends and colleagues, it seems that there aren't so many successful cases of spin-out in Europe with innoveo. And with Nick and the whole Team (and the support of Helvetia), we did it!

So, without any prioritization, I would like to share some of my thoughts with you:

• balancing the "shit" with positive experiences: the work was not always just for fun and very pleasant, we really had some tough times, for sure. For me, it was again important to find a balance between this brutal reality and some "compensations", as having some great lunches and dinners (yes, including good wines) with friends, having fun to drive my car, taking some pictures (more and more), buying my first "big" watch, and for sure, being able to go on holidays regularly with my wife and my son, specially when we can travel to Saint Barth ;-)
• solving a very complex issue: needs time and patience. And sometimes a clear massive increase of the complexity to be able to find out a solution! Thanks for this one, Nick ;-)
• when you think it is finished: it is not finished! If you stay resilient. It can even get worst ;-) Or a solution can suddenly appear in the darkness! Staying tuned and opened for all the opportunities seem to be very relevant, as always playing with worst case scenario. When you have identified this worst case scenario and you know how you will react, then you are really prepared. And normally, the worst case is not happening. More or less, always something "in between", in the "gray zone".
• friends and family: were absolutely essential during this phase. Gosh, it was not an easy time at home for my wife and my son... I was terribly not present mentally, completely focused on the spin-out. And when present, exhausted, or in a terribly mad mood. Let me mention two friends, among others, who were very important for me and gave me the faith to move on with this crazy idea: Manu and Marc. You were both very supportive and very decisive, and perhaps also the two only ones who *really* thought that we had a chance ;-)
• co-managing a company: I have learnt further on to share and to manage the company with Nick. It is a long journey, specially for me (not really my personality ;-), to co-manage and cross-delegate the company responsibilities. On the other side, I definitely  wouldn't have been able to manage the spin-out process without Nick. I am deeply convinced that we are working in a very interesting and efficient way. And this deep collaboration was the base for the birth of innoveo, with the support of our Team. We are learning more and more how to work and to benefit from each other, all these, with positive consequences for the company. Even if we know that this "co-managing style" doesn't correspond to some leadership "best practices". Specially the ones coming from the military experience. That's ok for us. And disturbing for some people :-)
• believing in our values and our dreams: it is very interesting to confront your values and dreams with the "brutal reality". Always easy to speak about that if you are in a stable phase ;-) Let's try to do it in a very unstable process, as our spin-out. This brings real and deep learnings about your internal drivers. For me, personally, it was essential to know if the values I believe in since years are really stable and consistent, also in the adversity. This spin-out phase was a good and valuable "proof-of-the-pudding" for that. Also to be sure with Nick that we are sharing the same values fundament. It was absolutely fantastic to see how far this was/is the case, although we were challenging in this field each day of the last year! This is very strong and powerful. And reassuring to know that not all the people just believe in money and carrier.
• the value is in the team / first who then what: I was always convinced that we had a special team-spirit and that we were sharing the values that Nick and I were sharing, but across the *whole Team*. Always easy to say. Also there, it was really a wonderful and fantastic experience to see how far the Team was compact and stable, despite all the turbulences and uncertainty during about 6 months! And this, at the same time as a huge and difficult delivery time. I will *never* forget some of the most important meetings we had together. Guys, you were so supportive! In a sense, I have felt again how far it is central to share a vision with some guys and how far *they* are much more important to implement this vision.

So, all in all, a bunch of great experiences, more positive than negative ones, this big step with our spin-out of innoveo, some absolutely fantastic confirmations and...new challenges that are coming in 2008 (stabilization and first developments of innoveo).

So, I can just say "thanks" for this great year. It will be difficult to have a more challenging year, although....

:-)

Happy New Year

To all of you:

Happy, healthy and prosperous 2008 to you and your family!

Have a lot of fun and an exciting year.

....and do not just "twitt", continue to post interesting stuff ;-)