Author: Kelli Richards

Steve Jobs on Privacy and User Experience – An Apple Best Practice

Even for me, as an Apple insider, seeing the Apple “Best Practices” in action is awe inspiring.  No one can deny that one of the most amazing things about Apple is how they embrace secrecy as an asset.  No entity keeps a secret better than Apple – AND the thousands and thousands of employees and alum in their tribe.  Quite simply it’s part of our Apple DNA.  And that idea translates far into how they work with their products, and especially, their users.  For Apple Inc., user experience goes far beyond what the customer can see, feel and touch.  It goes on behind the veil as well.

Steve Jobs talked about this himself when he was interviewed at the All Things D8 Conference in 2010.

“No, silicon valley is not monolithic. We’ve always had a very different view of privacy than some of our colleagues in the valley, we take privacy extremely seriously. As an example, we worry a lot about location in phones and we worry that some 14 year old is going to get stalked and something terrible is going to happen because of our phone, and so as an example, before any app can get location data we don’t make it a rule that they have to put up a panel and ask because they might not follow that rule. They call our location services, and we put up the panel saying this app wants to use your location data, is that okay with you.  Every time they want to use it and we do a lot of things like that to ensure that people understand what these apps are doing. That’s one of the reasons we have the curated app store. We have rejected a lot of apps that want to take a lot of your personal data and suck it up into the cloud, a lot. So we’re really old, a lot of people in the valley think we’re very old fashioned about this and maybe we are, but we worry about stuff like this.

No, privacy means people know what they’re signing up for in plain English and repeatedly. That’s what it means. I’m an optimist, I believe people are smart and some people want to share more data than other people do – ask them. Ask them every time. Make them tell you to stop asking them if they get tired of your asking them. Let them know precisely what you’re going to do with their data.”

Just another example of behind-the-scenes USER experiences – one of the best “best practices” that Apple does differently.

If YOU would like to learn more about Apple’s best practices and how those could work in YOUR company or work, sign up at https://AppleInsiderSecrets.com and become part of my own inner circle and get all of my insider, best practice tools and event invitations.

Kelli Richards, President and CEO
The All Access Group, LLC

Wendy Lipton-Dibner – Elite Video Mastery and Move People to Action

I was joined on this week’s edition of “All Access Radio” by author, speaker, and coach  Wendy Lipton-Dibner. Wendy has done amazing work as a leader in her field. She is the president of Professional Impact Inc., which produces seminars and courses such as the wildly successful “Move People to Action for Experts and Entrepreneurs.” As an internationally recognized authority in business and personal acceleration, she brought so much knowledge and insight to the table.

Wendy and I have floated around the same circles and worked with some of the same people for years, which made talking to her an absolute treat. Right off the bat, we quickly recognized that we are “kindred spirits,” from our tastes in music, passion for working and helping with people, and drive for success. I think she and I may be among a small handful of people who knew exactly what we wanted to do when we were young, 8 year old girls. Granted, neither of us knew how that would unravel, it was great to finally talk to someone who had that same experience growing up. Not to mention, as women we both worked towards shattering stereotypes and empowering women within our respective industries.

Wendy was way ahead of her game 10 years ago when she made her first promotional video, which she says was awful even though it lead to over a million dollars in sales, and she remains ahead of her game today. Keep an eye out for more great seminars and courses from Wendy in the near future, especially her new Elite Video Mastery online course and live seminar. You can find out more about that, including free training, at https://www. EliteVideoMasteryFreeTraining.com.

Kelli Richards, President and CEO
The All Access Group, LLC

One Thing RIGHT in the Music World: CD Baby

CD Baby is an online distributor of independent music. But they’re not just any online distributor they’re actually the largest online distributor of independent music in the world. Since their start-up in 1998 and mega distribution giant success, CD Baby has paid out over $200 million to artists. That’s not bad considering everyone else in the music industry is claiming that no one is buying music (and everyone is stealing it). One of the most interesting aspects of CD Baby is the fact that the artist, not the label or the retailer, sets the price of their albums and discounts. Perhaps that’s why there are over 300,000 artists on CD Baby today.

CD Baby’s greatness continues to shine through and impact every part of music and the music industry. By supporting artists, doing ethical business in the music industry, and helping new musicians emerge. With all that is wrong in the music industry today, it’s nice to see a company of great people doing great things.

Kelli Richards, President and CEO
The All Access Group, LLC

 

EventFinda – A New Way to Find Events, Concerts, Gigs, Tours…

EventFinda is an amazing new way to market and promote events as well as purchase tickets. EventFinda goes above and beyond today’s standards for event marketing and ticketing. EventFinda distinguishes itself from the competition by not only being a place to buy and sell tickets to events but also syndicates and shares content, as well as offering a path to discover more events and interesting entertainment coming to your area. EventFinda makes the lives of everyone involved with a single event much easier; from the artist, to the promoter, to the PR teams, and ultimately, to the fans and spectators.

As something that started from a kitchen table in 2005 in New Zealand (not exactly Silicon Valley) and spread across the globe to land in the USA this year, there’s no doubt that EventFinda will continue to grow and amaze fans and entertainers alike. Sure, there will always be other websites that you can go to to buy and sell tickets, discover new music or entertainment, learn more about your favorite artist or venue; but none of them will be able to package all of that together like EventFinda.

Kelli Richards, President and CEO
The All Access Group, LLC

A Peek Behind the Curtain… The Core Personal Interviews with Kelli Richards (and her Editor) that Became the Apple eBook…

Tune in for this 15-minute interview with Kelli Richards, Apple Alum and author of the Amazon Bestseller, “The Magic and Moxie of Apple – An Insider’s View.” Kelli shares some of her very personal experiences and memories of being at Apple Inc. with her book editor to frame out the book…

 

 

Will we Retain our Confidence in Apple?

The newly launched iBooks Store recently signed on its sixth major U.S. publisher in Random House, the world’s No. 1 English-language producer of books. Is there any doubt that iBooks is set on a course to become the world’s largest digital bookstore?

And then there is the legendary App Store, the heavily curated, tightly guarded walled garden that Steve Jobs envisioned as a parallel Internet. Whether apps have a long-term future is a matter of debate, but there is no doubt that they serve a purpose and are recognized for adding value to the mobile experience. Steve said in 2011 that “Mobile is the key to the post-PC world….We’re in a position now where the majority of our revenue comes from post-PC products.”

Whatever comes next must contain and continue all of this.

Is it possible? Will we as a society retain our confidence in Apple? I would love to hear your thoughts on this…

Kelli Richards, President and CEO
The All Access Group, LLC

PS: My Amazon Bestseller: “The Magic and Moxie of Apple – An Insider’s View” is now available in the iBooks Store at https://itunes.apple.com/book/id543952406?mt=11

Kelli Richards, Leader in Technology and Digital Distribution, Publishes New Book on Apple Inc., “The Magic and Moxie of Apple – An Insider’s View”

Cupertino, CA  

Kelli Richards, CEO of the All Access Group and an alumnus of Apple Inc. (where she launched Apple’s earliest focus on music and drove all music initiatives during her 10 years with the market leader) has just published her long awaited eBook, “The Magic and Moxie of Apple – An Insider’s View.” This book delves into the best practices of Apple Inc. from the inside out and takes a close look at what makes Apple one of the leaders in the tech industry – and a global change agent. Author Kelli Richards saw Apple hit rock bottom from the inside, before Steve Jobs returned to the company and then watched from outside as Apple Inc. began its climb to stardom and became the global leader it is today.  This close study of Apple Inc. and the best practices it employs creates a blueprint for all companies and entrepreneurs to follow. Through interviews with other alums and her own experiences at Apple for over a decade, tech industry thought leader Kelli Richards creates a compelling view of what makes Apple Inc. the company it is today. She looks at its failures, its successes, and the people who will continue its course toward greatness.

Kelli Richards has more than twenty years of senior-level leadership experience in the tech and music industries.  Working with the innovators in technology and creative leaders in entertainment, Richards is a highly sought-after consultant, mentor, speaker, producer, coach and author. Richards and her team facilitate powerful strategic business opportunities in digital distribution between technology companies, established artists and celebrities, film studios, record labels, and consumer brand companies to foster new revenue streams and deliver compelling consumer experiences.

Prior to founding The All Access Group LLC, Kelli served in senior roles at Fortune 100 entertainment and technology companies, including Apple Inc. She also served in senior-level leadership capacities at EMI Music as an A&R exec, and at Silicon Graphics (SGI) where she helped launch Silicon Studio, the company’s entertainment division. She developed PatroNet, the first Internet-based artist subscription service with rocker partner Todd Rundgren in the mid-90s – and helped to launch the entire digital music revolution.

A frequent speaker and panel moderator at digital music and entertainment industry conferences globally, Kelli has also been an acclaimed talent producer of a wide range of award shows, epic concerts, and celebrity fundraiser events for over 25 years.  She co-produced a celebrity fundraiser event to support the UN’s “Adopt-A-Minefield” initiative featuring Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Stephen Stills and hosted by Jay Leno.

Kelli Richards has co-authored two other books, including the critically acclaimed “The Art of Digital Music:  56 Artists, Visionaries & Insiders Reveal Their Creative Secrets”  and “Taking the Crowd to the Cloud – Social Media for the Music Industry,” which reached #1 on Amazon in several categories. A true renaissance woman, Kelli is also a Certified Integrative Life Coach trained under best-selling authors and coaches Debbie Ford and Alan Cohen.  She lives inCupertino,CA in the heart of theSilicon Valley.

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Kelli Richards, CEO
www.AllAccessgroup.com
Email: 
 Kelli@AllAccessGroup.com

It’s HERE! Get “The Magic and Moxie of Apple” + An Invite to my Launch Party in Silicon Valley

What’s Apple Inc.’s best kept secret goal? Apple insider Kelli Richards reveals how Apple built a company and a brand that reaches across Fortune 100 companies and small business owners. You the book launch for “The Magic and Moxie of Apple – An Insider’s View” at https://AppleInsiderSecrets.com and peek BEHIND the curtain to look at the best practices of Apple Inc., and how it created a climate that ultimately changed the world forever. Help Best Selling Author, Kelli Richards Reach #1 on Amazon AGAIN. Get “The Magic and Moxie of Apple” + Bonuses https://AppleInsiderSecrets.com  

Through interviews with other alums and my own experiences at Apple for over a decade, I’ve created a compelling view of what makes Apple Inc. the company it is today. Get the book TODAY for an insider’s look at Apple’s failures, its successes, and the people who will continue its course toward greatness.  https://AppleInsiderSecrets.com

THANK you everyone for your support!

 

 

“Our North Star is to make the best product.” Tim Cook Continues Apple’s Best Practices

Over the last few days, I put the finishing touches on a year-long project – to pen an eBook about what made Apple the company it is today – from an insider’s viewpoint.  This is a project I started long before Steve Jobs passed away, and one that I hoped to finish and send to him with a personal note. Obviously that’s not possible any longer, but one thing that has come out of the last six months is a telescopic view of the company and a look at the path it’s charting without Steve at the helm.

On May 29th, at the 10th annual All Things Digital Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Tim Cook gave us a bird’s eye view of how Apple plans to stay the course and continue their role as tech leader of the world. Asked about the competition many times, Cook responded at one point with a statement that completely embodies one of Apple’s Best Practices. He said, “Our North Star is to make the best product.”

I talk about this best practice in my upcoming eBook at great length. How despite being the richest company in the world, the best practice of “Excellence, not Revenue” IS that North Star – and truly has been since Apple’s rebirth when Steve came back to the company.  Here’s a brief excerpt from the Best Practices Appendix to the book:

Steve Jobs saw a finish line for his products that went far beyond the bottom line. As a reward for that, he reaped a bottom line that is still gaining market share and momentum. He looked beyond the stockholders and the money and built the best stuff out there by the best teams. He then backed it up with a brand that embraced the consumer from beginning to end. It’s hard to say that his prize was even the products. Most of all it is the products in the hands of an army of grateful consumers who have become brand advocates. Let’s face it there are some great products out there in the world that have not had anything near the global impact of those built by Apple….

Obviously Steve laid out a strong roadmap for his company to follow after he passed away, and that started with leaving the right people in place, but the actual journey will unfold, like all journeys, with many twists and turns – completely unforeseen.

One of the most poignant moments of Tim Cook’s discussion was when he talked about what comes next and not wanting Apple to become a Museum…

“I learned a lot from Steve. It was absolutely the saddest days of my life when he passed away… At some point late last year, somebody kind of shook me and said, it’s time to get on. That sadness was replaced by his intense determination to continue the journey. He also taught me the joy is in the journey and that was a revelation for me… I love museums but I don’t want to live in one.”

While I support Tim in his quest to avoid living in a museum – or in the first or second chapter of Apple’s book, we must admit that his is a sequel we’re all lining up to read – and most definitely cheering for.

Kelli Richards
President and CEO
The All Access Group, LLC


PS: My eBook launches on July 12. If you’d like to be part of the launch campaign and be invited to the VIP launch party and receive the audiobook as a thank you bonus for buying the book, please email me at news@allaccessgroup.com, so I may add you to the short list of VIP launch supporters. Thank you.

 

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