New York State of Mind

In our last post, we explored dealing with the issues of starting a new venture based on an idea, not necessarily a protectable one, and the challenges and risks facing me in an uncertain and unfriendly economic environment. As the head of a boutique investment advisory firm, which was founded more than 20 years ago without any real business plan, I have managed to somehow survive, and even at times prosper, despite the inevitable ups and downs of the global business world. Most recently, after reading this review on the power of twitter. I have made a concerted effort to understand how to best "tweet "while complying in a manly fashion. I also seek to understand the needs that Twitter serves to satisfy, something that had escaped me until recently. More importantly, perhaps, I can yet become a contributing member to a social network community not yet fully known to me.

I have been recently enamored with an old love, broadcast radio, on the FM band, which is currently underutilized and unappreciated in many respects. Much of the statistics presented here are provided by my partner in crime, Bill, who has successfully managed his stations to serve as a new media bridge to the broader, but locally targeted audience, available market offered by the Internet sites that he created and hosts. Amongst Bill, the radio and new media maven, Ed, our authoritative expert on the health care, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and related FDA compliance and myself, we form the basis of a highly accomplished and successful executive team that should by all accounts be taken seriously. You can read the importance of the team here on my examiner.com column.

Thus, through networking with a childhood doctor friend, I have made contact with a very distinguished semiretired department head of a major San Francisco teaching hospital who now provides health care information with an emphasis on cancer education and drug ramifications via his podcasts. During our lengthy introductory telephone conversation, the length of which was uncommonly generous for someone so accomplished in his profession, we were able to enjoy a common bond of growing up in the Washington Heights section of New York. We both laughed at the absurdity of a hit musical Broadway show, The Heights, given the knowledge that we knew of the neighborhood during the stretch of time both he and I attempted to survive in an environment. Hardly, it would seem worthy of the subject of a hit musical, but it remains a fact and we both have to live with it. After exchanging some biographical information as well, we seem to agree that we share a common goal and attempting to educate consumers by providing more accessible and digestible health care and drug information. One of the goals of this adventure is to provide such information in the most consumer friendly manner, entertaining in nature, leading to greater education and a more informed public. There are many websites available for people to consider, so we need to distinguish ourselves in some manner.

In any event, I'm looking forward to the meeting and seeing if I can gain his support in moving this project forward; having him on board, from my perspective, will give us much needed credibility in the medical profession in his subject matter expertise, cancer, as well as, establish a high standing for us. Hopefully, we will then be able to attract other distinguished medical specialists, as well as, hospitals, insurance companies, other health care providers and medical device companies that could serve as substantial financial and advertising supporters of venture.

I think that we can use radio to our advantage and am about to test that notion with a medical expert and see if I can get his support. If anyone has any questions I should ask, just drop me a line.