Author Archives: markkolier

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About markkolier

Futurist, entrepreneur, left lane driver, baseball lover

Venture Capital attitudes are changing – for the better I hope

Posted on March 28, 2013 by markkolier

Being a venture capitalist has always sounded like fun to me.   My perception is that most VC’s reach a station in life at which there is an ability to vet opportunities that come over the transom, as well as create … Continue reading →

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The way habits change day-by-day

Posted on March 25, 2013 by markkolier

While the talk is often about the nature of disruptive change, most of the time change while it is happening is incremental and not easy to discern.  Think about watching your parents grow older – one day you look at … Continue reading →

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How online video gamers learn business management skills

Posted on March 21, 2013 by markkolier

I have two grown children – a son who will be 24 next month and a daughter that will be 20 this summer.   Their digital skills as digital natives exceed mine despite my great efforts to keep up with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Best business practices, Communication, Leadership, Living in the World Today, Social gaming, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Trying to figure out the puzzle that is Asia

Posted on March 18, 2013 by markkolier

My friend Mel travels more than anybody that I know well.   That’s saying something since I have a fair amount of friends that travel frequently.   For what it’s worth I don’t consider myself a member of the ‘travel frequently’ club.  … Continue reading →

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Are you a last word person?

Posted on March 15, 2013 by markkolier

You know the type.   The person who regardless of the situation (online or offline) has to always have the last word.   It can be a beyond annoying habit.   In person, most people are somewhat aware of and on guard to … Continue reading →

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WeChat – the best voice texting application I’ve seen but can it make it in the U.S.?

Posted on March 13, 2013 by markkolier

My Mandarin teacher first introduced me to WeChat last year.    In China it is known as Wei Xin from Shenzhen based QQ.  Wei Xin or WeChat has many similarities to another more well known texting app called WhatsApp which is becoming … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Innovation, Mobile Communication, Networking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Be careful with Google translate!

Posted on March 11, 2013 by markkolier

This past Friday morning my Mandarin teacher cancelled our lesson due to an early March east coast U.S. snow.  She sent me the message entirely in Chinese characters and I understood what she wrote without using Google Translate.  I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Best business practices, Communication, International business, Technology | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Leadership in business – the fish stinks from the head down

Posted on March 8, 2013 by markkolier

It’s widely held that the best leaders do more than make things work on the bottom line.    There are many examples of successful leaders in terms of contributions to the financial success of their companies or organizations.    Yet we’ve also … Continue reading →

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Dennis Rodman is NOT an American ambassador

Posted on March 6, 2013 by markkolier

While I was in Asia I kept up with the news in the U.S. as best as I could which was really not all that difficult.  The story of former NBA star Dennis Rodman being invited to North Korea to … Continue reading →

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American expatriates living in China continue to increase my China learning curve

Posted on March 1, 2013 by markkolier

Today is my last full day in China for this trip.   It’s been a different one than any of my prior trips and I’ve had more alone time on this trip than any trip to China I’ve made before.   I … Continue reading →

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