A Bigger Voice

Part 3, Brains on Fire: Interview with Spike Jones

"Everybody wants to be a part of something bigger than themselves." 

--Spike Jones

 As a new fan of Brains on Fire and their terrific blog, I experienced how BOF taps into the human desire to belong to something bigger than oneself. I received a thank you in snail mail for recommending them on Twitter ("1st company I'd contact if I ever needed job: Brains on Fire, helping organizations build movements. Check it out.") The thank you consisted of what looked like a business card with simply a url and a code. Going to the url (youareoneofus.com--brilliant!) brings up a visual of a "treasure chest" and a request to put in the code. Once the code is input, the visitor hears an unlocking of the chest, sees a visual of gold coins in the chest, and enters into "Brains on Fire Underground." Eventually, this leads to a series of pages where I pick out a gift for myself.

The story doesn't end there. I pick out a t-shirt, with a BOF-designed logo, "Fascinate, Inspire, Reward, Engage." (FIRE, get it?) Several days later, a cardboard box arrives with my free t-shirt inside. What catches my eye is not the t-shirt, but the box. On the inside of the cardboard, employees of BOF had signed it with a nickname or their initials or a mantra. It was as if to say, "You matter enough for us to personalize the package." What a remarkable example of how to create a "true fan" and that sense of belonging.

In this third and final part of my interview with Spike, you'll learn why effective movements have a barrier for entry, how to empower your kindred spirits, and the beauty of the words, "I am a <blank>."  A wonderful quote from Spike that sums up the BOF philosophy:

"We'd much rather have 5,000 deeply passionate people who are participating than half a million that sign up and never come back. If we go for quality first, they're the ones who will be protective of the movement."

In other words, focus on the kindred spirits who will own the movement.

This final portion of our interview is less than 8 minutes long. My thanks to Spike for taking the time to share his wisdom and for the entire BOF crew for being so clear about who they are and what they stand for. It's compelling.

In addition to the Tequila Shots book, you'll want to check out BOF's manifesto, Lessons Learned in Igniting Word of Mouth Movements. It's chock full of insights on creating a movement, word of mouth or otherwise.

To contact Spike: spike [at] brainsonfire.com or find him on Twitter (@brainsonfire), LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Part 2, Brains on Fire: Interview with Spike Jones

"People ache for the human connection."

--Spike Jones, Chief Firestarter, Brains on Fire

In Part 2 of my three-part interview with Spike Jones from Brains on Fire, we cover lots of ground, from what it takes to have a strong culture to how movements live both offline and online to how building a community is an organic process. We also touch on having fun, saving the day and being profitable. Photo by brainsonfireflicker.

Two of my key take-aways as a wisdom entrepreneur:

• A traditional entrepreneur can get caught up in the goal of making money, to the detriment of growing the business. Likewise, a wisdom entrepreneur can be so enamored with their cause that engaging and empowering kindred spirits can suffer, to the detriment of building a movement. Spike reminds me that focusing on "the other" is where it's at. Whoever is in your community, find ways to tap into their passion and co-create with them.

• Defining your brand (part of the Crystallizing phase in A Bigger Voice) and staying true to it is important, whether you are a traditional entrepreneur or a wisdom entrepreneur. Fun is part of the Brains on Fire brand and you can see it throughout their work. I especially like how it comes out in how they welcome viewers to their site.

Enjoy Part 2, which is approximately 12 minutes long.

Throughout Part 1 and 2 of this interview with Spike, I make reference to the Tequila Shots Book. You'll find that and more (including other podcasts) on the Published section of their site.

In Part 3, Spike reveals more lessons learned on building movements, including one that I found to be completely counter-intuitive. Stay tuned.

Brains on Fire: Interview With Spike Jones

Brains on Fire is a brand identity and marketing company that drew my attention with these words on their home page: "Brains on Fire helps organizations build movements." 

When was the last time you heard a for-profit company talk about building a movement? Love it. That led to a more poking around on their site, a tweet about the company, followed by a series of email exchanges between myself and Spike Jones, BOF's Chief Firestarter.

I discovered a company that not only understands the nature of communities and movements, but also knows how to create remarkable relationships with fans/kindred spirits. Nurturing your evangelists or "1000 true fans" is not something I've spent much time talking about on this blog. It's one of the reasons I got so interested in Brains on Fire. 

"Be famous for the people who love you and for the way you love them."

--Greg Cordell, Principal at Brains on Fire

It's notable that Spike found me. I tweeted about the company and then he initiated a conversation. He later asked for a snail mail address to send a thank you for the tweet. This was not just over the top. It was remarkable. And it further intrigued me. Who are these guys anyway?

I asked Spike if he'd like to be interviewed for this blog and he graciously said yes. I'll talk more about my experience with Brains on Fire, as a new fan, at the end of this three-part blog interview.

For now, enjoy Part 1, where Spike talks about Brains on Fire as a company, and what they believe in as a collective organization. Part 1 is approximately 13 minutes long.  Photo of Spike Jones by Olivier Blanchard.

 

Stay tuned for Part 2, when Spike talks about the importance of offline gatherings to build connections and the use of online means to provide a reason for meeting face-to-face.