AppsJack Group to Change World in 2018

It was a nice Fall day and the biggest and best turnout to date happened for the AppsJack group last night at Big Fish Grill in Kirkland.

Alan Andersen, Andrew Sengul, Berry Zimmerman, Christian Harris, Dominic Wong, Dr. Tom Louwers, Ele Munjeli, Eric Veal, Jean Bishop, Jehan Bharucha, Kifaya Dawud, Mark Mueller-Eberstein, Megan Gaiser, Thomas Mercer, Mike Dodd, Reba Haas, David Slight, Sriram Sabesan, Steve Kubacki, Susan Stringer, Richard Webb

 Here was our agenda for the evening:

• Retrospective and feedback
• Success stories and new relationships from the group
• Best parts
• Worst parts
• Things to change
• Competition - what takes you away from it?
• Purpose and identity - who are we and why are we here, what's our name?
• Schedule and frequency, meeting types and formats, size of meetings
• 2018 Topics
• Ongoing relationship to APQC?
• Organizers / board
• Expansion, scope, milestones, organization
• Fees
• Partnerships, sponsorship, affiliations
• Podcast
• Subgroups and committees
• Technology, tools and online presence
• Venues, Seattle

Here are the main action items and to do's from the meeting:

• Plan in detail
• Change name
• Remove cap of # attendees
• Postpone start by one hour
• Change topics from APQC to BDN + Robots + Humans in 2018
• Get owners/hosts/leads for each 2018 meeting 
• Look into online tech that would help
• Book reviews
• Pre-reading and recommendations
• More detailed profiles for each member - stickers or badges based on the APQC model
• Patreon platform for contributions
• E2B as sponsor?
• Consider and help each other develop what "product" each of us is creating
• Opportunities to share stories and successes annually - a gala
• Leverage what is unique and beneficial about Seattle over other tech hubs like Silicon Valley - be unique, different and stand out.  We are practical and not Hollywood.  We are loggers and fishermen.

And here are detailed notes, outcomes and decisions from the meeting.  Join us at a gathering soon!

• Retrospective and feedback
• Lots of good feedback here.  People were here for:
• "High level thinking"
• Diversity of opinions and perspectives (learning)
• Academic, experienced and educated tone
• Consistent high quality
• Stimulation
• Idea sharing
• Cross-domain thinking and experiences, feedback and ideas
• Random networking
• Stories and experiences are illuminating
• Successes people have had
• Steve and Andrew met through the group and are collaborating
• Christian has met a ton of new people through it
• Thomas met Bruce Follansbee who has opened many doors
• Purpose and identity - who are we and why are we here, what's our name?
• Brainstorm on names, taglines and descriptions
• Descriptions and Taglines
• Thought provoking
• "It's all connected"
• Making Meaning and Money
• Names
• Think tank
• "Talk Tank"
• "Food for Thought"
• Talk, Inc.
• Rethinking business
• Humanist Technology
• Making Business Human
• Saving Business
• Business Humanity²
• Human Tank
• Business Reconnected
• Business & People Reconnected
• H2H: Human to Human
• Unf*ck Business
• Human-Centered Business
• Business Renaissance: Unf*cking Business - This was the most popular (or at least the funniest).  We will continue to think about the best name.
• Schedule and frequency, meeting types and formats, size of meetings
• 4th Tuesdays will continue
• 5 PM official start preferred but people welcome to show up earlier
• No limit on number of guests
• "Owners" / organizers for each meeting - sign up sheet
• 2018 Topics and themes
• Ele: "The automation apocalypse"
• AI vs. Automation
• Robot-Human Interface
• Steve offered this three-pronged approach:
• Economics
• Business
• Praxix / Products (concrete)
• Zodiac signs - Andrew Sengul
• The BDN model with David Slight: Drivers, Objectives, Benefits, Changes, Capabilities, Enablers and then switch between the tech/robot perspective and the human perspective.  
• Ongoing relationship to APQC?
• Nothing will be overt.  Could come up again here and there but it's over for now.  RIP APQC!
• Organizers / board
• Not needed.  Tap individuals as needed.  Build small, focused teams as needed.  Keep organic.
• Expansion, scope, milestones, organization
• Happy to keep it as an Eastside only event for now.
• Eric will talk to Michael Dodd and the Product Camp people about expansion of a group in Seattle.
• Fees
• Keep it free / optional.
• Can charge through meetup.  Runs the risk of turning people away; traction is preferred to profit.
• Some guests are willing to contribute capital.
• Partnerships, sponsorship, affiliations
• Keep this standalone for now to maximize flexibility.
• Podcast
• Yes, the podcast is good.  Keep it tied to the meetup on the same schedule.  Add 1:1 podcasting capability through Janis' Machala or Josh Golden's contacts.
• Subgroups and committees
• No need for this right now.  Will form as necessary.
• Technology subgroup: Ele, Andrew, Eric
• Technology, tools and online presence
• No agreement here.
• An online discussion forum could be good.
• Will talk with Andrew and Ele to decide on a direction.
• Venues, Seattle
• Big Fish Grill fine for now.
• Reba and Berry may have some functional options if we want to switch it up.