THESE GUYS DESIGNED AND BUILT A WATCH THAT SOLD FRO 2.7 MILLION DOLLARS
We have now completed our film of Franck Muller brand wristwatches, the master of complications. Here are the brains behind the operation, Jean Pierre Golay and his cousin Pierre Michel Golayl Both of these Swiss gentlemen went to watch making school years ago and have mastered their craft. If there were a sport called Xtreme watch making, these guys would be the poster boys. The last watch they created took four years to make and had over 1,500 parts delicately placed in a case that fits on your wrist. Without SolidWorks CAD software, this would have been nearly impossible to create. I asked Jean Pierre this afternoon at lunch why the Swiss are so well known for watch making. He surprised me by answering that the French were the real watch makers but that hundreds of years ago, the protestants and Catholics went to war and the protestants were exiled and they went to Switzerland. These were the watch makers and so they took their craft with them.
Tomorrow, we’re back to Paris to finish filming the Aldebaran humanoid robots. I’d like to get my son one of them but considering they are $15,000, I’ll look for something a little less steep in the local souvenir shop. Seven more days until I get to hold him in my arms and kiss my wife. - See more at: http://dadsdecoded.com/blog/index_files/archive-apr-2012.html#sthash.H6iEDYW5.dpuf
Comments
FAMILY'S FIRST TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT
36,000 feet above the Atlantic and Conor and I were on top of the world. The gate agent at Luftansa in Boston had taken good care of us and with only three empty seats on the plane, she worked enough magic that Valerie moved into a middle seat one row away while Conor got her seat for no additional cost. This meant we got to use our car infant seat to wedge into the cramped quarters of the economy class at seat 19A. The 25-year old sitting in the seat directly in front of Conor was the only loser in the equation. Not because Conor cried because he didn’t. He slept soundly from take-off until an hour before landing. But because the seats were so cramped, the guy couldn’t recline his seat even one inch. He eventually stopped looking back in frustration and fell asleep.
Cleverly, Valerie had booked a flight that didn’t leave Boston until 10;20pm. This was two hours after Conor’s bedtime and sure enough, he was fast asleep for takeoff. And as we landed, I gave him a bottle of milk to ease the pressure in his ears and he flew like a champ. Within no time, we had switched from plane to train and was on our way to Kassel, Germany. Flying with my son has always been a fear of mine but after today, I have to say that it was relaxing and even fun. The flight attendants and even fellow travelers are much nicer and gives us all something to talk about. - See more at: http://dadsdecoded.com/blog/index_files/archive-may-2012.html#sthash.6jL33UpS.dpuf
AFTER TWO WEEKS OF RADIO SILENCE WITH A WORKING LOBSTER BOAT
After 2 weeks of radio silence, I emerge with the beginnings of a refurbished wooden lobster boat. Today, Valerie, Conor and I tested the new boat on the ocean. Okay, I took it out first to make sure everything was working properly. After a few tweaks, we all headed out together. If you can't see Conor, he's the one behind the life vest and under the hat. It was super sunny and if you haven't noticed from other pictures, he's Irish white. So sunburn is not an option.
FLYING WITH OUR 11-MONTH OLD IS PLEASURE
Is having a kid supposed to be so much fun or have I just lost my marbles? I remember when I was afraid to fly with my family the first time. Screaming babies who rattle my nerves and those around me was a complete waste of energy thinking about. Conor is now 11 months old and a blast to be around. Our 2 1/2 hour flight from New Orleans to Boston was really a pleasure. Seeing my son look out the window of a plane traveling 37,000 feet above the Earth was like being a kid all over again myself. And when he'd get tired of playing and come over and crawl on me like he's a little monkey just makes me laugh. And makes me proud to be a dad.
RAISING YOUR KIDS TO BE ENTREPRENEURS
Do you ever look at your child and wonder, "What's he/she going to grow up to be?" And do you wonder what role you play in that decision? Well, I sure do. I play the piano, the guitar and the flute for my son daily in hopes that he'll get interested in playing music when he gets older. I'm not saying I want him to be a professional musician, but I know that music has been a great communication tool for me when I need to get things off my chest. Or I want to tell others what's inside my head.
I read him books and tell him stories so he understands words, speaking and inflections of voice. I think it may help him enjoy books and reading when he gets older because that's where all the answers are. I try to pick out toys that are wooden, and fabric that are texturally interesting to the touch so that he appreciates aesthetics and design.
My wife and I talk and laugh around him and are affectionate so he sees that these are the ways we treat others that we care about.
But there's still something lacking as I try to teach my son how to think as an adult. I was always taught to work hard and everything else will follow. And it has worked out okay for me to some degree. But as I grew older, I saw that there were others around me that were not working as hard as me but were just as successful or more so. And I wondered, 'what do they know that I don't?" And one day I picked up the book, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," and it began to sink in. I have come to believe that it's not necessary to work hard as it is to work smart. And this means understanding the world around us. It means to discover what others around us need or want and find ways to provide it. And when we discover how to provide it, delegate those tasks to others so it frees us up to make other discoveries. It's called being an entrepreneur. Since I have moved to Boston, I have met dozens of entrepreneurs and am friends with many of them. And i'm intrigued with their belief system.
Most of these entrepreneurs are no smarter than your average Joe and sometimes, not as smart. And they don't pretend to be smarter. It is their natural ability to think of an idea and hire someone to find the solutions for them. It doesn't dawn on them that they don't know enough to run a company. It doesn't cross their minds that they are in over their heads. They just know that they have an idea and that if someone should be able to make money from that idea, why not them. In essence, they claim their prize, they step into the ring with both feet and only then do they ask, "How in the world am I going to succeed. And one step at a time, they find solutions to each problem.
I began to wonder if I could teach my son to think this way. And in my search, I came across a TedTalks speech by Cameron Herold that really made me think that perhaps there is a road map. I think the speaker is a little too quick to assume some of his points. But that's exactly what an entrepreneur does so I cut him some slack. But I took many of his points to heart and will incorporate those examples that make sense to me as I teach Conor to be self sufficient, independent and to think bigger in a world that needs big answers.
Here's the speech and examples of how to get your child to think like an entrepreneur.