A new brand, a more sophisticated vision and a driving desire to improve the world of work.
When I started Actionable back in 2008, I never could have imagined what it would grow into. What started as a passion project (identifying and applying a single concept from 52 business books into my life over the course of a year) has evolved into a global entity, disrupting the antiquated world of Learning and Development. How does that happen?
The last eight years certainly hasn’t followed a direct path. Like all long journeys, there have been detours, setbacks, big wins and a wide range of travel companions. Over the years we’ve experimented with consulting, online courses, content-for-purchase and a myriad of other offerings. We’ve had months where I wondered how we could keep the lights on. Entire quarters where we’ve strayed from the core of who we are for the sake of cash flow or a (well-intentioned) side project.
Yet while there have been (many) false starts and dead ends, each project we’ve embarked on here at Actionable has layered invaluable experience and hard-won knowledge onto the passion and commitment of our small team. Each setback has brought further clarity on what we do well.
About a year ago, we acknowledged that the work we do best – the work we’re most passionate about and that creates the greatest value in the world – stretches far beyond the world of business books. We started working on a plan to crystalize the boundaries of that work; to determine what we really stand for and where we draw the line on “not our space”. As the momentum and clarity built, so did our enthusiasm for the expanded mission.
And so, after a long road and incredible efforts from our team, I am delighted to share with you – the faithful members of the Actionable community – our new mission, our new brand, and our new home, at Actionable.co.
ActionableBooks.com will always be an important and special part of our family – the act of distilling concepts from popular business books and putting them into practice is at the core of what we do. Practical application trumps sheer knowledge collection every day of the week. And yet, while reading books and applying concepts on your own is great, the fact remains that we work in a social world. So much of our daily lives is consumed with interaction, collaboration and problem solving as a team. We need tools that make it easier for us to learn together, to take personal and deliberate action from that learning and to support each other on our individual-yet-aligned personal paths. In short, we need to have more Conversations that matter. And that, ultimately, is what Actionable is all about.
I hope you’ll come visit us at our new home. We’re dramatically ramping up our content production to include articles, videos, infographics and whitepapers that help leaders be better leaders, help consultants navigate the shifting learning landscape, and provide further insight into the inner workings of fast growth start up (that would be us).
It’s funny to think of Actionable as a start up after all this time, and yet that’s exactly what we are. We may have the experience gained through the last eight years, but this really is a new chapter for us. And I, for one, am very excited about the road ahead.
Thanks for being here.
Chris
