Oxford Sbs Launches Youtube Channel

I’m sure there are many universities and MBA programs that have YouTube channels, so this might not be breaking news but this is big for Oxford’s Said Business School (”SBS”). I did a quick search and found 174 videos on YouTube under “MBA Programs” and another 528 under “MBA school”. I didn’t check for duplicates but I’m actually shocked there aren’t more videos. Maybe Oxford is ahead of the curve?

Either way, you can check out their videos here: OxfordSBS

Or just view one of these samples:

BTW, students from 2006 there is a Grace spotting 5 minutes and 25 seconds into the video.

Mba Concierge. Should We Have Franchised?

A buddy from grad school, Rob Mittelman just sent me a note regarding a concierge company going to campuses. Well, for any of the MBA students at Oxford in 2005/06, you already know how successful this could be. I still think back and wonder if a group of us should have done our summer project on MBAconcierge and rolled out some franchises around the world. We could have been big! I guess we’ll just see have to see how Precious Time of NY does in Syracuse.

Forget the age-old tales of having to walk uphill both ways in the snow to get to class—college students at Syracuse University in New York don’t even have to coordinate their own grocery shopping, laundry or cleaning, thanks to a concierge service that aims to motivate them by giving them a taste of the good life.

Student-owned and operated Precious Time is a personal assistant, errand and concierge service just for college students. Students can become members by charging pre-paid accounts with a minimum of USD 50, and money is drawn from the account to pay for services as needed, plus a percentage for Precious Time’s own profit. Services include placement and delivery of take-out orders from local restaurants, grocery shopping, house cleaning, flower delivery and booking tutors.

While a concierge service for college students may seem over the top, education at top colleges comes with a high price tag. So it’s not surprising that some students are willing to buy extra time by outsourcing domestic chores, so that they can fully focus on their studies. The concept could also do well on other campuses, and Precious Time hints at franchise opportunities on their website. What about concierge services tailored to other busy demographics who struggle to find the time for all the items on their ‘to do’ lists, like working parents or small business owners?
Website: www.precioustimeny.com
Contact: drewaustin@precioustimeny.com

source: http://www.springwise.com/life_hacks/concierge_goes_to_college/index.php

Coincidently I was reading last months Wired and they highlighted a service out of India. Yes, anyone can outsource now. You can get pretty much anything done from Your Man In India. Check it out: http://yourmaninindia.com

YourManInIndia.com is a venture that caters to every conceivable service need in India of people all over the world. The company is uniquely positioned to be a Service Window for the world to get anything done in India. The venture is backed by a seamless technological backend, and best-in-class vendor support

The Putter Recap

It took 5 months but I am finally putting together my recollection of the 2007 Putter. It was my first time attending this fascinating event. This is truly an honor - there are few colonists that still play - in fact, this year 3 Americans crossed the Atlantic for the event. David Stewart (DJ) played quite well and made it to Saturday morning. He was one of the few that made it to Saturday from the 2006/07 Oxford team. The rest of us had early exits and enjoyed the Niblick - a foursomes event for the unlucky. As you can imagine after 5 months it’s a little difficult to recall all the details but I’ll recap a few:

Many would say I had an unfortunate draw - I was matched against Glynn (G A Jones) and after his 5 birdies through 15 holes my run for The Putter was ended.
Ian Henderson won The Putter - he won 7 consecutive matches (maybe even eight) in the wind, rain, sleet, and sun. It was impressive to watch someone play such consistent golf for 4 days in the elements. Not only that but this was his 2nd or 3rd title.
Several of us stayed in a vacation rental in downtown Rye. Very quaint indeed. (picture coming soon)

If you get a chance to play Rye, do it. The history in itself is worth the trip not to mention the traditional links layout. And don’t forget to bring your rain gear, there’s not too many days you get out there without a little sprinkle.

I thought I’d publish an excerpt from an article in Golf World on The Putter:

SUSSEX, England (Feb. 24, 2004) — Just as mad dogs and Englishmen went, according to Noel Coward, out in the midday sun, the same may be true of those golfing oddballs who like nothing better than braving the worst of the winter when sane folk stay indoors.

They are all members of an exclusive club, the Oxford and Cambridge Golfing Society. These doughty university men (and three women) of all ages have gathered every January since 1920 at Rye to play for the President’s Putter.

Rye is the spiritual home of the Putter which exerts a magnetic social attraction as old chums re-unite and maintain a stiff upper lip when temperatures plummet. This year 164 competitors laid siege to the 1,000 year-old red roofed town on the East Sussex-Kent border. In the freakish period of long nights, early-morning starts at eight o’clock sort the men from the boys.

Golf World Article

Scotland Golf Trip Reflection

It’s been almost a year since the Scotland Varsity Match golf trip. It started with the Match (Oxford v. Cambridge) at The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, Muirfield in Gullane and ended at Cruden Bay 7 days later. I was reminded of the trip recently as I scoured through several golf rankings for a not-so-stealth mission for The Society of Leisure Enthusiasts. As I reviewed the lists from Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, Golf Weekly, Avid Golfer and many more I had to call my golfing buddy Dave Runyon. Dave flew out to the varsity match last spring along with my Dad, Mary Ann, and Joe Goebel. My wife, my biggest supporter, was there as well.
Anyway, tonight I went back to my notes and looked up our itinerary and the results. I forgot that I played 12 rounds in 7 days (including the varsity match) and Dave played 8 in 5 days. It was epic. It was also epic because we had close friends playing with us at different courses. Check out the link to the itinerary and you’ll see the pairings at each course. You’ll also see that Dave and I played 54 holes at Cruden Bay in one day to cap off the trip.

Following the trip on the train ride home from Edinburgh to Oxford Dave and I created the Dream 18. The only criteria was that we played the holes that we added. You can see the scorecard below. For the large image click here.
Dream 18 Scorecard

Back to the rankings, tonight I was told I was missing one list. Dave pointed out that I didn’t have Golf World’s Dream 18. It’s referenced on Glen Golf Clubs website but I could not find the list anywhere. If you have any idea please let me know. We desperately would like to compare the two.

Just so you know I did write the editors of Golf World and Golf Digest as well as the secretary of Glen Golf Club. I’ll keep you posted.

Classic Startup Mistakes

After my time in Rye at The Putter I spent an afternoon in Oxford. By pure coincidence I walked into Said Business School and saw that Stewart Niblock, former EasyGroup entrepreneurer, was giving a talk entitled Classic Start-Up Mistakes.

It was very informational. I’ve posted some notes in a word document.

The President’s Putter

I leave on Jan 2 for England to participate in my first ever President’s Putter. I hope to have at least a few rounds at Littlestone and Rye. We’ll see what happens. I play Gareth O Jones on Thursday the 4th at Littlestone. It will be great to catch up with Gareth — he and I played together last year at Oxford. For those unfamiliar with the Putter, I’ve included a little excerpt from Rye’s website. Enjoy.

The President’s Putter

Rye – isn’t that where they play the President’s Putter? Yes it is, since 1920 in fact. The Oxford & Cambridge Golfing Society, founded 22 years earlier for ex-participants in the golf match between the two universities, decided in addition to fixtures against various clubs to hold an annual meeting at Rye in early January.

The format of the main event is scratch match play, the basis of university golf, and currently attracts a field of about 160. Thus the winner must survive seven or even eight rounds over four days, frequently in adverse weather, without undue delay since at that time of the year play is only possible between 8.00 am. and 4.30 pm. But herein lies the genius of the instigators, for the length of the evenings provides ample opportunity for sociable reunion, if not an obstacle course for those aspiring to success on the following day. Nearly everyone stays in or around the ancient Cinque Port of Rye, where amid its cobbled streets a myriad of inns and restaurants contributes to the congeniality.

Players range in age from 20 to 70, some playing regularly – David Hayes the 2006 winner with a handicap of plus two – others barely picking up a club from one year to the next as work and family commitments intervene. Nevertheless the Old Course at Rye can be a great leveller and with the greens at their slickest and best in winter, never truer was the adage that ‘the man who can putt is a match for anyone’. Serious fun is the theme, exemplified by the presentation of a silver medal to the winner in exchange for the victorious ball. On the back of the medal are inscribed the Latin words ‘Primus inter pares’, which are freely translated by everyone else as ‘he was lucky to win’.