About Bill Boulton — The Longer Non-Standard Version — "The Rest of the Story"

Twenty years after my garden side chats with my neighbor, I decided that the wisest decision I could make in the final course I took to complete my undergraduate degree in Economics was to write an economic development plan for Bangladesh. Why Bangladesh? I’m not sure why, because all I needed to do was pass the class for graduation, I didn’t need to prove anything by becoming an academic martyr! Looking back, I believe I chose Bangladesh, because in my naivete, I thought the plethora of information available about the Bengali economy would make the paper easier to write. The stacks of information I went through of course made preparing my term paper much more difficult. (This was several years before everyone had a laptop and an internet connection. We’re talking card catalog and no computer.)

When I finished my presentation of my proposed economic development program for Bangladesh, my teacher said that what I did was a, “great example of genius being revealed when forced on itself.” When I was walking out of the classroom, you’d have thought I had just made the play that won the World Series, or thrown the pass that won the Super Bowl there were many fist bumps, and high fives going in my direction, and I repeatedly heard, “Do you want to be/have you thought about being a professional speaker?” (Okay no fist bumps were going in my direction, we’re talking pre-internet by several years folks.)

Unfortunately, I took little action on improving my speaking skills or becoming a professional speaker until I joined Toastmasters International nine years ago. Since I joined Toastmasters, I have become passionate not just about public speaking, but about writing and all forms of the communication arts. I look forward to sharing what I am learning with you whether that sharing is through working with you on your speaking skills, through writing a speech or something else cool with you, through a speech I make for your group or organization, or through sharing what I have learned with you through my Speaking Husky blog.

AND THEN THERE WAS KODIAK (KODIAK 2003-2015 R.I.P. BEST BUDDY)

In early November 2006, my ex-wife, Emily, had just finished her early morning run. As she was taking her key out of her running clothes to unlock the front door, a vicious wolf came running up howling at the top of his vocal range! (One of our neighbors later described the howling as Led Zeppelin III era Robert Plant meets screeching coyote!)

Emily screamed, Help! Help! like she was a bizarre hybrid of John Lennon, Janis Joplin, and Dolly Parton. The entire neighborhood was awake now! Luckily our neighbor, Dottie, who owns a pet sitting business, ran over, grabbed the “wolf” by the collar, and calmed him down. The “wolf,” who was actually a dog that looked a lot like a wolf, briefly stayed at the humane society before he could find a permanent residence.

This “wolf,” is a Siberian Husky named Kodiak who is sleeping under my desk right now. I didn’t start The Speaking Husky, Cody started The Speaking Husky when he showed up at our door. I’ve learned more about communication from Cody than I’ve learned from any human being in the world! Cody is founder and CEO of this business. Without Cody, there would be no Speaking Husky!

What I’m Interested In

I. In Business

The Triple Bottom Line/Sustainable Business Entrepreneur

I’m very interested in the concept of the triple bottom line in business. The triple bottom line is running a business with a focus on more than just the traditional bottom line of profit. One definition of the triple bottom line is: profit, sustainability, and social justice. If you are interested in learning more about the triple bottom line, here are some links that may help:

Starting at age 20, Paul Hawken, dedicated himself to sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment.

What is sustainability? Page on the the site of sustainability pioneer Ray Anderson’s company Interface Carpets.

Social Business Enterprise/Social Entrepreneur

I also enjoy learning about social business enterprise (SBE). The Speaking Husky is a member of The Social Enterprise Alliance. My favorite definition of SBE is “A revenue generating non-profit organization.” If you are interested in learning more about the concept of social business enterprise, here are some links that I have found useful:

Ashoka is the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs.

Social Edge is the global online community where social entrepreneurs and other practitioners of the social benefit sector connect to network, learn, inspire and share resources.
I think that TOMS Shoes is a great model for Social Entrepreneurs and use this information from their website for inspiration: “TOMS Shoes is a for-profit company with giving at its core. With our One for One mission, TOMS Shoes transforms our customers into benefactors which allows us to grow a truly sustainable business rather than depending on fundraising for support. This model has enabled us to give more shoes at a rapid rate and created thousands of customer-philanthropists along the way.”

1% For The Planet

The way that I develop as an entrepreneur/sustainable entrepreneur/social business entrepreneur will definitely be a work in progress. One thing that I 100% know about every type of entrepreneur is that if you don’t eventually make a profit you will eventually be 100% out of business!

I am thankful that while I am working hard to establish my business, there is an easy way that I can indirectly or perhaps directly support sustainability and conservation. The Speaking Husky is a member of 1% For The Planet. Members of 1% For The Planet agree to donate 1% of net annual sales to conservation organizations. As many hours as my dog, Cody, and I spend hiking and trail running, that’s the least I can do. Thank you 1% FTP for making my work a bit easier!

II. In Hobbies

Music

My first exposure to my favorite music, rock n’ roll, was in a church service I attended when I was five years old. The church’s teenage ensemble was performing, and I can still hear what my Mother said before we walked into the sanctuary, “They are going to play a type of music where they snap their fingers, move around, and make some noise. We don’t listen to that type of music.” Well, I’m sure my Mom influenced me in many ways, but not in that one! As the song says, “I love rock n’ roll,” and I love every other kind of music too. If you love music, especially rock n’ roll, I’m sure that we could have a very fun conversation about our common interest.

Books

If I could get paid to read a variety of books eight hours plus a day, I might be a professional reader. My office is filled with everything from biographies, to political treatises, to philosophy, to comic books. (Of course my office is filled with books about speaking and writing also.)

Travel

My goal is to see much of the world. Seeing that I have never been outside the United States, I have a long way to go! Some of my favorite places I’ve visited in the United States are: Tybee Island/Savannah, Georgia, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina/Tennessee, and Northern California. (I love all of Northern Ca. that I’ve visited from San Francisco, to Monterey, to Marin, to Sonoma County.)