Brave New World

It amazes me how quickly life changes. Since I spoke with you last, some significant events took place that will have a permanent impact on the lives of my family and friends. Without getting in to the details, an accident occurred that brought pause and reflection on the realities of life. I continue to digest what happened, the what if, the what now, and how to move forward. A split second is all it takes to make your world a very different place. This situation is a stark reminder that life doesn't stop to let you plan and figure it out, life is happening each and every moment you breathe. How are you making the most of every moment?

LightThread
I took a break from the smart grid/energy world this week and focused on LightThread and the social media space. I attended Highlight Midwest (www.highlightmidwest.org) and met some amazing social media entreprenuers from Omaha, Des Moines and KC. I had never attended an event quite like this one as it was very different from the big corporate conferences from my past. You had the experts, break-out presentations and main stage speakers but it was all in a bar...in Westport! When I first walked in I was asking myself, "how is this going to work?" But let me tell you, it not only worked but was FANTASTIC! The space allowed you to easily move from presentation to presentation while stopping to network or talk business opportunity at the same time. We then moved to the Kauffman Foundation (www.kauffman.org) for the evening event and had the honor of listening to Carl Schramm (Kauffman President & CEO) share his powerful insights. We also enjoyed a great introduction video from some of the true social media leaders in the country and then listened to a panel facilitated by Bo Fishback, also from the Kauffman Foundation. There are some great companies based right here in the midwest, check out the highlight midwest website to learn more!

At LightThread we are finalizing our business model and targeting to get the website up and running in the next few weeks. We are thinking of pitching ourselves initially as an Intellectual Venture Capital company....we provide you the expertise, practices and tools to take your business to the next level. We also have a product arm with applications that are under development and will tie these applications in to our mission of helping businesses connect their ideas and make opportunities happen. We assert that if a company can focus solely on their niche and not have to get bogged down in being all things to all people they can then truly prosper, grow and be successful. LightThread....Connecting Ideas to Light the World. Ok, tagline may be a bit hokey and needs more work but hopefully you understand the goal.

Family
Watch out KC drivers...you have a new 16 year old out on the road. That's right, Zach passed the driver's license test and is enjoying his new found freedom. Now, if he can just find a job.... :) Jackie wrapped up his freshman football season and ended with a 6-2 record. He loves the football season and is still helping with varsity but I have to say I enjoy having him home a bit more now that his head coaching responsibilities are completed. Samantha also wrapped up her softball season last weekend and was able to pitch in her first competitive game ever. Considering they had the pitching rubber 3 feet back too far, she did a commendable job and I was so proud of her as she kept the nerves in check. Hopefully we can start to have homemade dinners now that we aren't at a sporting event/practice every day of the week.

Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to leave a comment or send me at an email (lqualls4444@yahoo.com).

Be who you are and learn to be better,
Lisa