Wii get fit…

I found the coolest article in Reuters Life! There is a Canadian health club in Vancouver, BC that is using video game technology as a means of working out. The article states that the “new form of exercise is for people bored with the treadmill or cycling classes.” The Wii Workout Station is at Studeo 55 in Vancouver. Reuters reported that they “incorporated Nintendo Wii workout station into circuit training where users can punch, run and jump with the system’s movement-sensitive controller.”

This is a great example of finding a niche and using technology to fill that gap. People are always trying to find challenging ways to workout. Using the Wii is ingenious because there are a variety of interactive games chose from. Instead of paying thousands of dollars in equipment you can get a few $200+ Wii and let single or multiple users compete. Get a workout and have fun doing it. The Wii has proved to be more than a toy.

The Wii has shown steady sales because it does something that no other home console does. It makes it’s users become more active. My brother is a die hard X-box and PS3 user. He used the Wii and was instantly addicted. I have had some exposure to the console as well and observed that people had more fun. Not only does it challenge your mind but challenges your body as well.

I remember when the big 3 released their console and I personally thought that the Wii was going to flop. I even was willing to bet money. Glad I was to broke to bet because I would have lost big. I am truly eating my words. Nintendo released a console that couldn’t even play DVD’s or its former games. I have found that people don’t care. Instead of making the gaming experience more complex they simplified it.

Nintendo means fun and thats exactly what its users are doing!!!

www.reuters.com

Quicken Tour…Day 2

Day two started off with meeting the metrics team. Nicole Martin, who ironically was hired and worked with Bizdom U’s very own Ross Sanders, taught us the importance of following the numbers. The numbers that are collected in anyone’s business can help you make decisions based on data. The various data can help you to see how to predict and avoid problems.

The data that the metrics team collects comes from internal systems such as LOLA. Tim Sudz, who is a training leader, showed how using metrics helps bankers. The systems help predict what potential customer has the best odds (and characteristics) of closing a loan. At this point you can see how data is so important to the loan process.

After Tim showed us how the data can help steer the company in the right direction Brad explained what the Mortgage Insiders do. The Insiders are committed to servicing Quicken employees and its affiliates with quicken products and services. This is a prime example of the ism “eating your own dog food.” In any business you should always patronize your own company. Also you should make sure that your own employees take advantage of the products you produce.

Following up the Insiders was another internal organization. Nick Flees is with the Rat Pact, which is part of the Mouse Trap. The Rat trap is responsible for identifying opportunities for growth and improving the business’s performance. In our future business’s it is important to “always find a better way.” We did an exercise that showed how there is constant variants that can cause things to go awry. As a business owner you must see these changes and create solutions and implement them.

This concludes our tour of Quicken Loans. I can see now how Quicken is able to perform at such high levels. They have the processes and technology that keep them ahead of the game. These factors cannot be easily duplicated. As to how this tour relates to us as future business owners?

There were many valuable lessons that I learned. To insure that your business succeeds you must build quality measures into its fabric. Business owners must pay attention to data and have a culture that is proactive and solving problems.