Why the Windmill?

You might be asking yourself, what's up with the Windmill background, Mark? Two reasons, which explain some of the purpose behind this blog:

1. My entire extended family is from the Netherlands and while I was born and raised in California my first language is Dutch.
2. The Dutch are the world's most successful international trading people in recorded history (Tulips, Spice Trade, Diamonds, Windmill and Delta Technology), and most recently have done so in an internationally recognized highly regarded way.

I aspire to reflect my heritage through how I respectfully conduct business across borders, always seeking in work and life to find the balance of trade between people, cultures, and markets. Perhaps like you, I've learned that the only way we will get better is to share ideas and explore them with people that will challenge our thinking - that's how the Delta project came together, and now we are seeing the same thing in new-age wind power. People tell me that at least some of what I have learned so far is worth publishing. ;) Let's hope I can extract the good parts efficiently to provoke healthy growth together...

As a start, here are a few topics I would like to share what I've learned and tackle with you:

Business:

1. high-technology marketing and business development
2. international market development
3. technologies from IT infrastructure to the apps we use
4. social media's impact on Enterprise markets
5. how to avoid future "Tulip frenzies" or "dot.com bubbles" in the process (no Don Quijote windmills either)

Personal:

• striving to balance life and health across "heart, mind, body and soul"
• prioritizing relationships, especially life with my family
• working with people with character as a personal and professional priority
• living toward my values and not just my ideals

Both:

• ways mobility is changing buying and selling, personal transparency, and productivity
• tools of the trade in business and personal development that have made a difference

We'll see where it goes from there. I'll try to avoid the "Jerry Maguire manifesto" and stick to the topics, and I'll try to keep it brief. Keep me honest. :)