While most of the opportunities would be on the services side, I realized that I wasn’t going to get very far without a product prototype.  Thus I started poring over my materials to begin pursuit of funding.

A few weeks ago, I signed into Google+ for the first time. A few moments later, I noticed that a venture capitalist, Alistaire Milne, was funding a  contest on Google+ in which users would pitch their ideas in a  Google+ post and users would vote on the idea which they thought was worthy of funding. Mr. Milne would fund the idea that garnered the most users votes (+1′s).

I wasn’t prepared to make a pitch in such a venue, but I gladly gave up part of a sunny Sunday afternoon and whittled my 100s of pages of documents and presentations down to a Google+ post. If you are currently a member of Google+, you may my find pitch here. If you feel that my idea is worthy of Mr. Milne’s funding, a “+1″ is certainly appreciated.

For those of you who are not on Google+,Please feel free to contact me if you would like an invite to Google+ or if you would like to know more about my accessible reality concept. For your convenience, below is my pitch to Alistaire Milne:

Mr. Milne, Thanks so much for the opportunity to present my “accessible reality” concept in this manner. Best of luck to all of those who are participating in this event.

For the past several months, I have endeavored to craft a solution-framework to address print–accessiblity issues that affect the vast-majority of consumers. With the aging of the population in many countries, the problem will become increasingly worse. Despite the chants of “print is dead” we are beholden to print in several areas, most notably: product-labeling. I sought to find a way to allow consumers a means locate digital editions of print content which are inherently more accessible than print vehicles.

My own inability to read ingredients, allergens, etc. on over-the-counter and prescription drug packaging and food product labels, led to my exploration of a solution. In my case, it’s mostly a chronic annoyance, but this is tremendous risk of over-dosing, allergic reaction due to inability read instructions, ingredients or disclaimers. Research of the scope of the problem revealed that the population of consumers facing impediments to product labeling is a stunningly-large “Super-Demographic” with trillions of dollars in buying power.

Among the consumers facing impediments to product labeling (Figures US alone):

• 12 million residents are classified as having blindness or low vision
• 40 million senior citizens, who are over the age of 65
• 78 million baby boomers (ages 47 to 65 in 2011)
• 60 million residents who are not native English speakers.

The Solution Overview

Print vehicles begin their lives in digital formats ( InDesign, Photoshop…); they become static and less-accessible the moment that ink hits paper. However, current technology offers a unprecedented opportunity to provide users the means to find, and consume, digital editions of the content. Based on consumers’ preferences, content might be delivered in an array of accessible formats:

• Enlarged text
• Audio, “read-aloud”
• Language translations

In addition to experiencing enhanced levels of accessibility, customers would have the opportunity to vault from a printed vehicle (such as a product label) to an online content experience where there are numerous opportunities:
• To be educated, entertained and engaged by related online content
• To interact with other consumers through social-media channels.
• To make express purchases via e-commerce capabilities of retailers

The intent of the solution is to leverage existing (and affordable) technology in order to provide consumers with convenient access to digital editions of print content. Essentially, any device with a camera and an internet connection could be a candidate.

This will require a lightweight client application. This will be project-specific, based on retailer/manufacture requirements, but will likely customization of an existing software development kit (such as Google Goggles, Red Laser, etc…) to enable the “look-up” of digital content from a physical object. However, the bulk of the effort, and the revenue opportunities, will come from the delivery of services by my strategic partners. The scope and scale of services will vary, but might include: information architecture, software development, data migration, translation services, marketing, or instructional design.

For the past several months I have been engaged in robust discussions with subject-matter experts from a number of disciplines including: blindness and low-vision researchers, content-localization experts, software architects, marketing professionals , and social media strategists. The consensus has been that is a solid concept, thus I have recently begun pursuit of funding to develop a proof of concept for presentation to prospective clients in the retail and the consumer- packaged goods spaces.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have presented this idea to you all. Please see my blog, listed below, for a more in-depth description of the solution and my journey. Feel free to contact me scott.smith@invisiblefist.com

I think the negative side-effect of taking the stairs is that I suffer from deficiencies in my elevator pitch. Perhaps, I am not as practiced at that art as I would be if I took the elevator more often. If you don’t take the stairs at all, you are probably much better at elevator pitches than I am.

Usually when I am in an elevator ,the extent of the interrogation is “Can you push ’7′ for me?” elevator. Though there is something about a coat, and/or a tie ,that prompts people to think that they have the right to ask you, “What  do you?”

I am not sure why people assume that if you’re wearing a coat and/or tie that you do something, or that if you’re attired in a Red Sox hat and cargo shorts you probably don’t do anything.

I struggle with the question  “Scott, what do you do?” I wish that “It’s complicated.” were an acceptable answer to that question, as it is when people describe their relationship status on Facebook.

Though I think my biggest fear surrounding my response is that I was humbled to be in the presence,  of  the greatest elevator pitch in networking history.

A score, or so ago,  I returned to Gainesville a few months after having graduated from the University of Florida. Eventually I took a position with a local radio station. The title on my card said “Account Executive” which seemed to generate more confusion than clarity.

During that time, I attended a March of Dimes fundraiser which I intentionally didn’t hand out cards, because I didn’t want anybody to see my title. For the first time in my life I was able to succinctly and irrefutably satisfy the inquiries with “I sell ads for KISS 105 FM.”

Though one gentleman was persistent and soon I found myself repeatedly dipping into my pocket. That was all she wrote. I fell into a trap of continually explaining that  ”No, Account Executives don’t do accounting….”

Weary of trying to explain what I did, I turned to a gentleman who was in the current chat-circle. I didn’t know him, but his facial features were somewhat-familiar and his surname on his name tag was even more so. I asked him, “So, what do you Neal?”

He seemed surprised, but quickly answered:

“Oh, I’m George Bush’s son.”

Succinct. Irrefutable.

True, the response might have been better suited to a question like “Who are you?” or even “Who’s your Daddy?”. But his response obliterated any aspirations that the  crowd  had of asking further questions. Nobody dared to inquire how much that job paid, or whether they were hiring.

It was over in less than three seconds, though  it was  so beautiful in its parsimony and clarity that the mere  memory of the moment turns my knees gelatinous. Truly the gold standard of elevator pitches. I knew then that I could never love another. Nor would  my own elevator pitch ever feel adequate.

By the way, what do you do?

(In the interest in of full disclosure, I should mention that I believe myself to be the composer of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” at least that is the legend I am perpetuating).

Be safe!

In the course of our conversation, we began using the term “invisible fist.” I called dibs and eventually registered the domain.

Since then, I have used the domain for a variety of purposes, often mixing the personal with the professional. Starting today I will be maintaining two sites:

• The Invisible Fist, my professional site (I see you’ve found it, you are currently viewing www.invisiblefist.com).
• Another Invisible Fist for personal posts (This site is is located at http://invisiblefist.wordpress.com/).

With regard to the latter site, I consider the branding a work in progress. I have taken a Louis Sullivan approach, in that form is to follow function. My site structure is complete and I have lots of blog-worthy content welled-up inside of me, so tonight the site is l

As Ernie Ford might say: I have one fist of iron; the other of steel.