Now Boarding: ALA Toronto and a LinkUP to Your In-Flight Infotainment

"We can't wait for conventioneers to experience firsthand what we've been telling you all along: What makes FSO the industry's fastest growing company and our competitive market advantage is hospitality delivered with a personal, passionate and productive tradition of service extraordinaire that's has never been duplicated."

Good Morning Folks,

As we prepare to pack our bags and board a our flights to Toronto, I wanted to send you my best wishes for an amazing ALA Annual Conference experience. The annual event brings to together leaders in the legal industry to discuss the challenges and opportunities in today’s legal environment.  

Our team has worked with a the ALA and it local organizations for the past few years to better understand the challenges of this unique industry in order to help better tailor our services to their specific needs. We are very proud of our association with the ALA. 

We leave today to embark on a mission. To win the hearts and minds of the legal community. 

Remember we are three and a half years young besides my 20 plus years of experience. And what FSO has accomplished in this short period of time has rocked this industry and me. Lol

We have come out of no where. And while others have been doing year after year for so many years, they have not been able to accomplish what we have REIMAGINED in recent years. 

We wanted to let you know that while you are on-site at the ALA next week, FSO will be making news launching some exciting new services. We will also provide live, ongoing Twitter updates on @FSOOutsourcing, @MWeinerFSO and of course as always on my Linked In page.

We will be using hashtags #ALA2014 and #FSOALA2014, so stay tuned to those.

For your downloading and in-flight reading pleasure, here's a LinkUP to popular legal-related posts that are sure to be hot topics at ALA:

Oh! Ricin and Anthrax and Cyanide and a Hero… oh BOY! (Suspicious Package Security)

Law Firms: What If Gordon Gekko Bought Your Outsourcing Partner?

Revolutionizing Records Management In the Digital Practice of Law

Before You Engage Or Renew Another Onsite Outsourcing Provider, These Are The Differences That You Need To Consider

Throw Back Thursday: Remember A Function Called "The Law Library"? (The ongoing debate about the value of law-firm librarians in an age when much information is available online)

FSO Onsite Outsourcing Legal Services To Present at ALA Toronto, May 19th - 22nd

Ted Tuesday: ALA Keynoters— Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly: Be Passionate. Be Courageous. Be Your Best. (A sneak preview of what you can expect from the keynote)

We can't wait for conventioneers to experience firsthand what they've been hearing in the marketplace: What makes FSO the industry's fastest growing company and our competitive market advantage is hospitality delivered with a personal, passionate and productive tradition of service extraordinaire that has never been duplicated. 

The passion we have for our business, the drive for excellence we instill in our employees and the involvement of myself in every opportunity and client interaction will never change no matter how much we grow. Our entire company will be the HAPPIEST PLACE TO WORK. This is not a marketing buzz word. This is the fabric, culture and commitment of our company to its employees and our clients. 

Our culture at FSO is one that can never be rattled. And it will take us too new heights. 

For those traveling to Toronto, have a safe sand productive conference.

Lets keep the torch lit and go forward with that passion instilled in all of us, enjoy life!

Have a GREAT day,

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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“Each of us has been put on this earth to do something well. 

We cheat ourselves and the world if we don’t use that ability as best we can”

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Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest growing companies for the second consecutive year, FSO’s growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients’ bottom lines, as well as their employees’ careers and lives. See us in action HERE

FSO Onsite Outsourcing Legal Services To Present at ALA Toronto, May 19th - 22nd

"At FSO, we are driving change and ushering law firms into the digital 21st Century and beyond. It's the kind of change that's top of mind for this year's ALA attendees.

Good Morning Folks,

We are proud to announce our participation in the Association of Legal Administrator's (ALA) annual Conference and Expo, May 19th - 22nd at Toronto's Metro Toronto Convention Center. The annual event brings together leaders in the legal industry to discuss the challenges and opportunities in today's legal environment. 

These few days of knowledge and collaboration are just one of the many ways we are spreading the FSO way, driving visibility for our great brand and making powerful connections.

The legal profession, always slow to adapt to change, finds itself in a new environment of increased competition, client-initiated pressure on expenses, rapid migration from paper to digital records and the relocation of back-office tasks out of city centers where space and labor savings go direct to the bottom line.

I launched FSO with a vision, a dream of changing the outsourcing business in a way that was never done before. At FSO, we are driving change and ushering law firms into the digital 21st Century and beyond. It's the kind of change that's top of mind for this year's ALA attendees.

A highlight of the conference for me, as Chief Happiness Officer, will be the keynote by Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly. Talk bout possibility thinking and overcoming adversity.

Their address will be called "Endeavour to Succeed" taking place Tuesday 20th at 8AM Sharp.

On January 8, 2011, Mark Kelly faced the toughest challenge of his life when a would-be assassin shot his wife, who was then serving as a U.S. Congresswoman. His dedication to family and Gabby Giffords' arduous road to recovery captivated the world.

The Gifford's embody all of the goodness which lies within us. Theirs is also a story of teamwork at its best. At FSO, we are getting bigger, better and stronger as a TEAM.

You can see a preview of what the Giffords might be speaking about on their TED talk, that was featured on our Ted Tuesday series right here.

To learn more about how FSO (re)imagines the ways Legal Services are run, visit booths 631 & 633 on the Expo Floor.

Until then hope you are feeling great and having a personal, passionate, productive week.

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the second consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

See a brief video portrait of who we are and what can can do for you, HERE

Ted Tuesday: ALA Keynoters— Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly: Be Passionate. Be Courageous. Be Your Best.

"He has combined teamwork, leadership, communication and family in an unwavering commitment to succeed. "

Good Morning Folks,

In just a few short weeks several members of the FSO family and I will be on our way to Toronto for the Association of Legal Administrators premier annual event. These few days of knowledge and collaboration are just one of the many ways we are spreading the FSO way, driving visibility for our great brand and making powerful connections.

A highlight of the conference for me, as Chief Happiness Officer, will be the keynote by Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly. Talk bout possibility thinking and overcoming adversity.

Their address will be called "Endeavour to Succeed" taking place Tuesday 20th at 8AM Sharp.

On January 8, 2011, Mark Kelly faced the toughest challenge of his life when a would-be assassin shot his wife, who was then serving as a U.S. Congresswoman. His dedication to family and Gabby Giffords' arduous road to recovery captivated the world.

For Kelly, focus equals success-even in the face of adversity. Personifying resilience and spirit, he was a combat pilot in Iraq, an astronaut on four Space Shuttle missions and commander of the final flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. He has combined teamwork, leadership, communication and family in an unwavering commitment to succeed. Kelly shows audiences how to accomplish their missions while maintaining the love and devotion to family that make up the foundation of true success.

Kelly and Giffords will have their international bestselling book, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, available in the onsite ALA Bookstore, with a book signing to follow the ALA Keynote Address on Tuesday, May 20.

In today's Ted preclude to their keynote , Be passionate. Be courageous. Be your best, the pair describe their lives both before and after the accident -- and describe their political campaign against gun violence.

The Gifford's embody all of the goodness which lies within us. Theirs is also a story of teamwork at its best. At FSO, we are only going to get bigger, better and stronger as a TEAM.

To our team: You have been given the opportunity to show what you’re made of, to be so much stronger and better than you were just the day before and to show the world of business a better way.  

So as you get ready to start your day take a second to think; how am I contributing to the FSO competitive difference? How can I be better?

How can I get to infinity and beyond? 

How can I be that star, that hero that brings to our clients all the positive change, wealth and success they deserve?

I hope you are feeling great and are geared up for another personal, passionate, productive week.

Because IT IS YOU that makes FSO who we are. 

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Short Video: Experience Our People:

Meet our passionate onsite staff who deliver service extraordinaire to our clients each and every day

Tour our beautiful offices

Read my latest article in CEO Perspectives

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

Ted Tuesday: Dr. Michael Norton: What To Do With Your Money?

Dr. Michael Norton shares his research from behavioral economics about ways to spend money to increase happiness. Hint: it is not about buying more for ourselves..

Good Morning Folks,

I'm on the road so I have to be brief but I've found a special treat to inspire you on Ted Tuesday.

Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton's counter intuitive talk challenges the way we think about money. If you think money can't buy happiness, maybe you're not spending it right.

Indeed money can buy happiness — when you don't spend it on yourself. Listen for surprising data on the many ways pro-social spending can benefit you, your work, and (of course) other people. (Filmed at TEDxCambridge.)

OK folks. I have to run or I will be late. Promise me to not let anything get in the way of your passion to succeed. Reach. And to be the best you can be. So go out of your way to smile to everyone. Or to nod. Or to introduce yourself. You are the right people at the right time to make something great.

Have a GREAT day and…. Love Life,

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

Ted Tuesday: Advertising Guru Rory Sutherland— "Perspective is Everything"

"In truth, brand value is not determined by the flagship product or main service of an organization, it is determined by all of the factors that affect perception. What affects perception? Everything and anything that a customer perceives and thinks about your business," says Rory Sutherland. At TEDxAthens, he makes a compelling case for how reframing is the key to happiness.

Good Morning Folks,

What a rare treat we have for you this fine Tuesday morning.

Rory Sutherland is Vice chairman of Ogilvy. He stands at the center of an advertising revolution in brand identities, designing cutting-edge, interactive campaigns that blur the line between ad and entertainment.

From unlikely beginnings as a classics teacher to his current job as Vice Chairman of Ogilvy Group, Rory Sutherland has created his own brand of the Cinderella story.

He is creative, funny and compelling in this amazing brilliant talk opining why looking at our lives through a different lens may be the key to greater happiness, no matter what challenges we face.

Motivating people, our own key to success at FSO, is often about perspective. Really small changes can make dramatic impact of whether something is boring or interesting, good or bad, safe or unsafe, ... you get the picture.

Rory also gives really strong arguments that:
- when making decision we should base it on technology, economics and psychology
- selling our product is not solely about the quality of product or price but also about perception of our service
- if we have a great service/product but perception of it's quality is that it's bad, don't spend money making it better, spend money changing perspective

All of this is supported by high amount of examples. Rory touches on an interesting topic which is mechanistic innovation and blooms into perception…

‘The london underground cost several billion dollars to reduce commutes by 40 minutes.’ – alternatives would have been to serve free alcohol on the trains or hire supermodels to patrol the aisles. Both would have been cheaper and would have changed perception on the trains being much faster”

This is an interesting distinction, the truth is irrelevant, and in many cases, the truth is more costly than changing the perspective of the user or customer. Several times, the truth isn’t even relevant. When users of the London underground were polled after the 40 minute reduction in time, many didn’t care.

When a problem is solved or an innovation is being created, the truth should not be the end goal, but whatever perception aligns with the business in changing customer perception cheaper. When a company listens to the customer and directly affects the perception, it is a powerful differentiator.

A second point, is thinking from a logical and somewhat economical perspective isn’t always what’s needed. The most difficult things in business to replicate are experiences. Ask yourself if Star-bucks had the goal of being the fastest coffee barista, how difficult would it have been for others to improve and replicate?

Although a customer’s time is important, if Starbucks focused on being fast at delivering coffee instead of their focus on overall experience, it would have become an entirely different company.

A third and final point is the value of brand equity in influencing perception. Rory describes a 5-star restaurant with world class food, yet sewage runs throughout the restaurant. The restaurant could spend a high amount of money on making the food even better, yet no matter how much money is spent on improvement, the sewage has a greater negative affect on perception.

In truth, brand value is not determined by the flagship product or main service of an organization, it is determined by all of the factors that affect perception. What affects perception? Everything and anything that a customer perceives and thinks about your business –  from a negative yelp review to brand confusion caused by mixed marketing messages, to a change in positioning that has not yet affected perception. All of these misalignments are more powerful then truth, and that folks is the truth. 

What a great speech. ENJOY!



After watching this, how can one not be pumped, super excited and ready to rock.

With hat tip and big shout out to the Cleverly Engaged blog for your input.

Have a GREAT day and…. Love Life,

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

Ted Tuesday: Sir Ken Robinson— How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life

“If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.” 

Good Morning Folks,

As I woke up this morning I wanted to share another inspiring @Ted talk with you.

The Sir Ken Robinson @Ted talk that follows is one of my all time favorites. It reminds me of a book which I also highly recommend called "Finding Your Element: "How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life" which you can find at Amazon.

Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk video and groundbreaking book introduced readers to a new concept of self-fulfillment through the convergence of natural talents and personal passions. The book has inspired readers all over the world and has created for Robinson an intensely devoted following. Among the questions that this new book answers are:

• How do I find out what my talents and passions are?
• What if I love something I’m not good at?
• What if I’m good at something I don’t love?
• What if I can’t make a living from my Element?
• How do I do help my children find their Element?

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Sir Ken Robinson:

“If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.” 

“Creativity is as important as literacy”

“Imagination is the source of every form of human achievement. And it's the one thing that I believe we are systematically jeopardizing in the way we educate our children and ourselves.” 

 “We have sold ourselves into a fast food model of education, and it's impoverishing our spirit and our energies as much as fast food is depleting our physical bodies.” 

“Human communities depend upon a diversity of talent not a singular conception of ability. and at the heart of the challenge is to reconstitute our sense of ability and intelligence” 

In his talk that follows which counts 26 million views on Ted.com alone, Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.



What an inspiration Sir Ken is to the very core and spirit of FSO's brand. 

I could not help to be completely Inspired by the great teams and clients we have - so much passion and commitment to greatness and so much opportunity for all.

Nobody and I mean nobody will take CARE of the their customers or employees like FSO USA. 

So good morning. Get those inspiration hats on, put those smiles on, and lets rock the world together. 

I can we 2020 clearly. Hope you can as well. 

Love Life,

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

Getting Right Back Up When You Are Knocked Down

"If you know folks who have that “skip, twinkle and fire,” and are ready to get back up, bring them to our family!"

Good Morning Folks,

As I woke up this morning I wanted to share a vintage nugget of advice I came across while revisiting Tom Ziglar's blog from 2009.

A fan names Chis asked:
“When your mind takes a hit after working hard at getting better, how does one get back?”  Chris 

Chris, good news and bad news on this one. The bad news first.  We all get knocked down!  Everyone has to deal with taking a mental hit, even if you are working on staying mentally strong and staying positive. 

Here is the good news. You can decide NOW how you are going to respond when you take a mental hit. Here are a few things to remember. 

“Logic will not change an emotion, but action will.”  Zig Ziglar.  You can not “just” think your way out of a mental hit. It is important to recognize that you have taken a hit, and then you have to take action to get back on track. 

Have on hand your favorite books and audio recordings, and when you take a hit plan some time each day to absorb the good stuff. 

Call a friend or mentor who is positive and ask them for a little motivational feedback. It’s great if you can also be this person for someone else. 

Create a victory list of all of the things you have accomplished and the goals that you are in the process of achieving and review it when you get knocked down. This will remind you that you have been knocked down before and you can get back up and achieve great things.

Take some time for reflection. It is amazing how many times getting knocked down really means that you just stand up and start again, in a slightly new direction!

As you go back about your business this Wednesday, I can't help but think how awesome it is that we have so many cities and teams across FSO USA— how amazing that makes the opportunities for every single person in our great company.

What a time in everyone's careers to live the dream and know that your future is so bright.

So if you've been knocked down but still have that “skip, twinkle and fire,” and a desire to get back up— come on over and give FSO a look.

You'd be joining the right company, at the right time, with the right people that can help you get back on your feet.

We are one blessed company. Communicate. Smile. Treat our clients like gold. Treat your teammates like family and never ever give up and I promise you will thrive.

Keep it up and continue to spread the FSO way.  

Love Life and LIGHT IT UP!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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"Kindness it is that brings forth kindness always." 
-- Sophocles (447 BC)
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Ted Tuesday: "I Got 99 Problems... Palsy Is Just One"

"I have cerebral palsy. I shake all the time," Maysoon Zayid announces at the beginning of this exhilarating, hilarious talk. (Really, it's hilarious.) "I'm like Shakira meets Muhammad Ali."

Good Morning Folks,

Today comedian Maysoon Zayid's very funny talk on not letting anything hold you back.

"If there was an Oppression Olympics, I would win the gold medal. I'm Palestinian, Muslim, I'm female, I'm disabled, and I live in New Jersey." Wow, what an amazing person! I believe we need more people like her in the world. And she is funny as all get out. You have to be willing to laugh at yourself and be confident enough to do what she does.

So without further ado, with grace and wit, Maysoon takes us on a whistle-stop tour of her adventures as an actress, stand-up comic, philanthropist, and advocate for the disabled.



Maysoon Zayid to me is an example of struggle and perseverance, no matter the obstacles she struggled every day to achieve her goals. Never heeded the ridicule of his peers at school or negative ideas about disabled people, but rather those were the inspiration to achieve what no one thought she could do. Also, Maysoon gives an example because the love of the father can do miracles and that we can all achieve whatever we want long as we never stop beating or doubt our own abilities.

We can do anything folks. If you too have got “99 problems”, then you need to watch Maysoon rap about why your issues in life shouldn’t hold you back unless you let them.

Let’s have some fun and lets LIGHT UP THE NATION. ITS OUR TIME, together we can do it.

Love Life,

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer