Make your website's overhaul an event that attracts traffic--and customers.
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Entrepreneur.com
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Ramp up Your Redesign
30 Jun 2009 | 5:00 pm -
Build a Social Media Hiring Strategy
30 Jun 2009 | 5:00 pmUse your online network to lure quality talent. -
Learn to Lean on Your Advisors
29 Jun 2009 | 5:00 pmTake advantage of expert advice--but know that the final say is yours. -
The 10 Worst Partners For Your Start-Up
28 Jun 2009 | 5:00 pmDon’t give away equity or authority to these characters. -
5 Tips to Become a High-Achiever
28 Jun 2009 | 5:00 pmUnderstand your threshold and exceed your goals.
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Fast Company: Features
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100 Most Creative People in Business
3 Jul 2009 | 3:00 pmThere are no rules about creativity. Which made constructing our list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business a tricky task. We looked for dazzling new thinkers, rising stars, and boldface names who couldn't be ignored. We avoided people we've profiled in the recent past. We emphasized those whose creativity addresses a larger issue -- from the future of our energy infrastructure to the evolution of philanthropy to next-generation media and entertainment. So read on. Enjoy. Quibble. Complain. -
Palm Pre vs iPhone 3.0: A Feature-by-Feature Comparison
3 Jul 2009 | 2:00 pmThe Palm Pre is going to be a hot item when it launches this summer--possibly hot enough to tackle the iPhone. One reason it's gaining so much traction is that the Pre's features weren't designed to compete against the current iPhone, but the next generation. And today Apple took the battle to Palm, with an updated software package that's designed to fight right back. Search. The first feature people wondered about was the Pre's "Universal search" function. This is a single search bar that allows keyword hunts in "web and user’s applications, contacts, and dialing… -
The 10 Commandments of Social Media
3 Jul 2009 | 1:00 pmdigg_url = 'http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/lon-safko/ten-commandments-social-media/ten-commandments-social-media'; digg_skin = 'compact'; As an author of The Social Media Bible, I am often asked, "What do I need to do engage my company, my products, and myself in social media?" The answer is easy: participate. Get out there and get involved. If you aren't in the game, you can't win. Here's your Ten Commandments or things you need to be doing to get in and win with social media. Thou Shalt Blog (like crazy). Thou Shalt Create Profiles (everywhere). Thou Shalt Upload Photos (lots of… -
25 Must-Have iPhone Apps
3 Jul 2009 | 12:00 pmFiltering 25,000-plus apps into one list? Impossible. Instead, hot apps to suit your style and phone. digg_url = 'http://www.fastcompany.com/multimedia/slideshows/content/top-iphone-apps.html'; digg_skin = 'compact'; Filtering 25,000-plus apps into one list? Impossible. Instead, hot apps to suit your style and phone. Integrated with geo-located Wikipedia entries and photos from Panoramia, Google Earth ties viewing perspective to the phone's tilt. Also available on BlackBerry. Learn more about this app Security wait times, gates and baggage areas, and flight delays updated in real time? We're… -
Brad Pitt's Foundation Unveils 14 Home Designs for New Orleans
3 Jul 2009 | 11:00 amPitt's foundation, Make it Right, eventually hopes to build 150 houses in the Ninth Ward--completely remaking the blighted neighborhood.Brad Pitt is more than just a voracious consumer of design--he is, perhaps, one of design's greatest philanthropists. The proof is his two-year long effort to build houses--designed by some of the world's best architects--to New Orleans's Katrina-decimated Ninth Ward. Yesterday, Pitt's organization, Make it Right, released 14 new home designs. Eventually, the foundation aims to build 150 houses in the area. The 14 architects are a formidable lot: Atelier…
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Escape From Cubicle Nation
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Instant mood lifter: thank someone for a job well done
24 Jun 2009 | 5:55 amI am sitting in the Phoenix airport about to take off for the first leg of my book tour in Silicon Valley, CA and Portland, Oregon. I arrived at 4:30am since my husband dropped me off before work. My flight takes off at 6:15am. The entrance to the departure curb was blocked off for maintenance, and by the time we realized it, I had to crawl over some barriers with my suitcase and drag my book-laden suitcases far down the sidewalk. The police officer stationed at the blocked off entrance gave me an annoyed look. “Someone left you stranded, huh?” he said, as if I had been… -
Overloaded corporate employee w/entrepreneurial dreams needs your advice
16 Jun 2009 | 11:12 amIt has been awhile since I have done an “open source coaching” post. These have been some of my very favorite times on the blog, since the advice from my readers is so specific and supportive. Past posts include: The 23 year old ballplayer trapped in a cube and the follow up post with input from his mom Relationship advice for an aspiring entrepreneur This time around, my gentle reader is, in her words, trapped in a hellish situation and wants to find a way out. Here is the gist, edited for confidentiality. We decided that “Manic Mathilda” was an appropriate… -
Open letter to recent college graduates
12 Jun 2009 | 5:44 pmCongratulations! Making it through four or five years of college requires concentration, stamina and discipline and you should feel very proud of yourself. I am proud of you. I imagine you have been getting looks of pity from friends and relatives since you are graduating in one of the bleakest economic climates since the Great Depression. Here is the good news: there is no need to worry. Living with constraints and challenges is one of the best learning opportunities you will ever get. By succeeding in a tough economy, you will be much better prepared for life than peers who graduate… -
How to know if a work challenge is building or busting your chops
11 Jun 2009 | 1:57 pmThe other day I got a panicked text message from a client. “Help me Pam. I am totally scared. Call me.” Expecting to hear the worst, I called him right back. “What’s going on?” I said. “I just got asked to take on a big project and I am scared out of my mind” he replied. Knowing that he was new in his consulting business and that a big project was exactly what he had been asking for, we worked together to diagnose the scary parts so he could move out of the panic zone and get busy. If you get in a similar quandary, here is how I suggest getting out of… -
Learn fantastic relationship-building skills with me, Keith Ferrazzi and Daniel Pink on 6/11
10 Jun 2009 | 2:44 pmI sometimes have a flair for the dramatic when talking about important business building ideas. I am dead serious about this one: The topic of this call is the secret to the universe, and will radically alter the course of your destiny if you apply it. What I mean by “secret to the universe*” is that when you build strong mentoring relationships with people who are deeply committed to your personal and professional success, you are propelled faster towards the things you want to accomplish in life than any other single thing you do. Keith Ferrazzi, bestselling author of Never…
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OPEN Forum by American Express OPEN
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A Recovery or Not - What to do Now?
3 Jul 2009 | 8:00 amThis seems to be the topic that is on everyone’s mind these days: Are we in the early stages of an economic recovery and what will happen now? Take a simple test: What do YOU think? The answer, I’ll bet was “I’m not sure.” And if that’s right, then you are representative of the majority of America (and maybe a lot of other countries). What do you do when you are uncertain? You are cautious, right? You watch your spending and keep it to the basics — the needs and wants that are modest, etc. Well, there is your answer. This recovery… -
8 Simple Rules for Practicing Frugality while Traveling for Your Business
2 Jul 2009 | 8:19 amWhenever I have the opportunity to take business trips, I’m often stunned at the endless opportunities to rack up expenses. Tickets. Meals. Cab fare. Hotels. Entertainment. Pretty much anything in an airport. Sure, most of these expenses are tax deductible, but they still eat directly into the bottom line of a small business. After one particularly painful business trip in 2007, when I found myself spending a shocking amount on food, drink, lodging, and transportation fees, I resolved to never fall into that trap again. I sat down, took a serious look at my business… -
Business in the 2010s: Proceed with caution, but proceed
2 Jul 2009 | 7:44 amPlanning for growth in the post meltdown economic climate: Growth should generally be a key focus for business but the current strained economic conditions mean that for many businesses simply keeping above water is a major challenge. Also, some recent examples of irresponsible behavior by corporate leaders have led to great concern among customers and a desire for signs that businesses are practicing *responsible growth* and long term, *sustainable* corporate architectures. Responsible practices and long term growth have been great basic business principles for some time, but have become… -
How Is the Economy Looking for Women Starting Up Businesses?
2 Jul 2009 | 7:00 amLet’s jump right to the question that every woman entrepreneur who’s thinking about starting up a business in today’s economy wants the answer to: “Should I start up now or wait six months?” On one hand, you might be thinking that starting up your business in this economy would be a risk. On the other, you might be hearing buzz that the U.S. is beginning to come out of the recession, which would mean that starting up now would put you on the leading edge of post-recession confidence. How do you decide what to do? Regardless of when you start up your business - in… -
Three Sacred Cows That Deserve to Become Hamburger
1 Jul 2009 | 10:16 am2009 is a year that will repeatedly leave our collective jaws dropped. Recently, we heard that the FDIC, the organization built to insure our money is guaranteed in the US banking system, is in jeopardy. What? Is there no safe ground? I say no, there isn’t, and that means you are hereby granted license to try some business decisions that might not have been considered best practices until this year. Look over at that pasture. It’s not so green any more. You’re not sustaining, or you’re okay today, but tomorrow looks like the grass might get brown and brittle. Time to consider a few…
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Small Business Labs
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Self-Employment Not Falling
1 Jul 2009 | 1:00 amThe New Times article Are We Becoming Less Entrepreneurial has a chart showing that the percentage of the U.S. workforce that is self-employed has been falling since 1990. The data source is the OECD Fact Book. However, as the chart below shows, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic (BLS) the percentage has been roughly steady to slightly up over the last decade. I haven't had a chance to check out the OECD data, but it appears likely that the OECD only counts unincorporated self-employment. It also looks like they… -
Baby Boomer Entrepreneurs Hot
30 Jun 2009 | 1:01 amBaby boomer entrepreneurship is a hot topic these days, with lots of recent discussion, studies and information on the trend. Three of the more interesting are: - Seniors as Entrepreneurs in Business Week. Key quote: A combination of economic volatility as well as the growing number of baby boomers with time, energy, and money on their hands has redefined the starting age for new startups and has led to a surge in senior citizen entrepreneurs. - A recently released Kauffman Foundation Study - nicely summarized by the study author in an… -
The SBIR Debate - Should VC Backed Firms Be Eligible?
29 Jun 2009 | 1:05 amThe Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is up for renewal and there is a battle going on over whether or not VC backed firms should be allowed to win SBIR grants. Started in 1982, the SBIR program is designed to help small businesses develop and commercialize ground-breaking new technologies that have broad benefits. 11 federal agencies participate by setting aside 2.5% of the research and development budgets for small businesses. The program provides roughly $2.2 billion in annual grants, and in 2008 about 3600 phase 1 grants were awarded. … -
Teen Necessity Entrepreneurs
28 Jun 2009 | 1:16 amThe New York Times article Teenagers are Building Their Own Job Engine talks about teens starting their own businesses because of a lack of jobs. According to the article, teen unemployment is at 22.7% and the economic downturn is leading older workers to take jobs that teens would normally get. This is resulting in teens becoming necessity entrepreneurs - starting businesses because there are not other options. Gen Y continues to appear to be a very entrepreneurial generation. -
Tweet Chat on Small Business Credit Tuesday at 2:00pm Eastern
27 Jun 2009 | 1:00 amIntuit is hosting a tweet chat Town Hall on small business credit this tuesday, June 30th at 2:00pm eastern/11:00am pacific. The focus of the Town Hall is practical advice for small businesses seeking credit and loans. The participants are myself and: Phil Bryan, senior vice president of retail and lending at Metro Credit Union in Massachusetts, which is one of the largest credit unions in the state. Metro is also the top SBA loan producer for credit unions in Massachusetts. Gene Marks, small business owner, expert and author. He recently co-moderated a series of Intuit…
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Smartbrief: National Federation of Independent Business
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Advanta agrees to pay customers $35 million
1 Jul 2009 | 10:00 pmIn a deal reached with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Advanta has agreed to pay its small-business credit card customer -More- -
Major corporations nurture small suppliers
1 Jul 2009 | 10:00 pmContracts with big companies can be a boon for small companies in today's tough economy. -More- -
Definition of small business is sticking point in debate
1 Jul 2009 | 10:00 pmSmall businesses have mixed opinions on a proposed law to keep big businesses from getting government contracts that are supp -More- -
Reports: Cost-cutting not over for businesses
1 Jul 2009 | 10:00 pmSeveral reports indicate that small businesses are still cutting workers and other costs in order to stay afloat. -More- -
How to find insights from your research
1 Jul 2009 | 10:00 pm-More-
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How to Change the World
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How to Achieve Revenue
1 Jul 2009 | 10:59 amThe harsh reality of the startup scene today is that revenue is the best, and maybe only, form of funding. While many conferences focus on gaining the attention of investors, we’ve put one together that focuses on generating revenue. It’s called Revenue Bootcamp. It’s on Friday, July 10th, at the Microsoft Mountain View, California campus. Click here to learn more about it and to register. The topics include increasing traffic, selling advertising, and utilizing other revenue streams. There is also a keynote and booksigning with Chris Anderson, the author of Free: The Future… -
Reality Check Now Available in French
28 Jun 2009 | 7:39 pmVient de paraître en français: La réalité de l'entrepreneuriat Le guide irrévérencieux pour dépasser, devancer, distancer vos concurrents de Guy Kawasaki Publié en français par les Editions Diateino, avec l'aimable autorisation de Portfolio, Penguin Group. 26 euros. Ce livre, traduit par Marylène Delbourg Delphis, fait suite à L’art de se lancer, le bestseller de Guy Kawasaki traduit en 10 langues, paru en 2006 aux Editions Diateino. La réalité de l’entrepreneuriat, comme L’art de se lancer, est un livre de chevet pour tout entrepreneur, où qu’il vive. Ce livre vous… -
Sites Used at San Diego Venture Group Speech
25 Jun 2009 | 11:19 pmThese are the sites and applications that I used in today’s San Diego Venture Group speech about using social media as a marketing tool. Making Connections LinkedIn LinkedIn: Find References LinkedIn: Companies LinkedIn: Answers: Home LinkedIn: Jobs Home Jigsaw Spokeo Social Networking Facebook | Alltop Twitter / Home Twitter Corporate Examples JetBlue Dell Outlet Virgin America Amazondeals CirqueLasVegas Comcastcares Kogibbq Twitter Search Examples Monitor: guykawasaki OR alltop Monitor: comcast OR Directv Monitor: Starbucks VIA Search.twitter.com/ Camaro Camaro within 100 miles… -
How Mayo Clinic Uses Social Media
23 Jun 2009 | 4:57 pmOver at the American Express Open Forum I posted an interview with Lee Aase. He manages syndication and social media for Mayo Clinic. In this interview he explains the history of Mayo Clinic’s use of social media and how effective this effort has been. If you’re considering social media for your organization, it’s a worthwhile read. Click here to read it. -
How to Use Alltop to Add Content to Your Website, Blog, and Feed Reader
21 Jun 2009 | 10:43 amWe’ve enabled people to access and repurpose the website and blog feeds that we’ve curated at Alltop: Widget. Create a widget of any Alltop site by going here. Then you can deploy these widgets in your blogs. These widgets display the five most popular stories from the respective topic. This is a great way to add fresh content to your website or blog with very little work. To see a list of “all the topics” that may be relevant, go here. RSS feed. Grab the RSS feed of any Alltop topic by clicking on the RSS symbol in your browser’s navigation area. Then you can…
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Tim Berry: Planning, Startups, Stories
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Business Boost: How Did it Go?
2 Jul 2009 | 2:04 pmThanks for asking. Our Oregon Small Business Boost day (business plan software free for Oregonians) yesterday went even better than expected. I like this summary from our local newspaper, which tagged it as “frenzy” on its front page this morning. And you can click here for our summary of it. We distributed more than 17,000 cards through 85 locations. By the next morning, we’d had people logging in and registering their new software from more than 170 different cities and towns in Oregon. When some locations ran out of cards, we got them more units, even though we’d… -
Blogging: 10 Things To Do with A Bad Headline
2 Jul 2009 | 8:03 amI thought it was one of my better posts ever on Huffington, A Great Debate About Ideas, because it covered something really important — the battle of free vs. not — and tied Chris Anderson, Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, and Ellen Goodman together. But it wasn’t, it turns out, because of a dull deadline. Maybe I should have called it “The Battle of Free vs. Not.” Hmm, no, see, I’m not that good at headlines. “Naked idea orgy?” Delete it Start over Make it a list of 10 Make it a list of 5 Insult somebody famous Find a way to add one or more of the… -
Invention vs. Necessity, Upside Down
1 Jul 2009 | 7:24 amYou know the phrase: Necessity is the mother of invention. Right? You hear it a lot. But what if, in fact, invention is the mother of necessity. Once the technology exists, we then complicate things, demand more, and use up the productivity gain in raising the quality bar. Take budgets, for example. I realize it’s hard for most people to imagine a world without ready access to spreadsheets (you’d almost have to be a baby boomer, since spreadsheets and personal computing burst onto the scene in the early 1980s). But spreadsheets changed what we expect of budgets and budgeting. -
Business Boost: Business Planning for Oregon
30 Jun 2009 | 11:16 amI hope it doesn’t seem like total self promotion — I’ve tried to avoid that as much as possible on this blog — but hey, tomorrow Palo Alto Software is going to give away thousands of copies of Business Plan Pro (and not a light version, the upscale, premier version) for free to Oregonians who want it. I would like to think that’s newsworthy, even if it’s my company. The video here is my talking for slightly less than three minutes, my summary of what happens tomorrow. And if you can’t see it for any reason, then please click here to go to the Youtube… -
Questioning 10 Things Women Need to Know About Men
30 Jun 2009 | 7:35 amI spent a spare moment on twitter last Saturday afternoon. It had been a busy day, a long drive home in the morning, quiet time to myself in the car, then an explosion of small children, a beautiful summer day, a nice dinner in the garden. And I discovered this: Top 10 Things All Women Need To Know About Men. It caught my eye in twitter, I clicked, I read. I liked the intro. I’m not a church goer myself, at least not anymore, but the introduction, church or not, God or not, was pleasant enough and engaging. Thoughtful. I even like the list. There’s something in the tone that makes…
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Inc.com
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Would You Buy This Business?
2 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pmThe owners of a 32-room hotel on Mohegan Island off the coast of Maine are putting it up for sale. Is the place really worth $4.3 million? How Much Is Your Business Worth? Slideshow: The Most Expensive Businesses in America -
More Features: Unleashing Employee Creativity
2 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pmHere are six tips for entrepreneurs on how to inspire employees to be innovators at your company. -
A Start-up Takes on Wal-Mart
2 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pmAlice.com, which launched recently, is the fourth Internet start-up from co-founders Brian Wiegand and Mark McGuire and, according to Wiegand, "our biggest swing of the bat." Can the partners, who sold their last business to Microsoft, disrupt the stolid consumer-products industry? Method: Running Through the Legs of Goliath Slideshow: How Two Friends Built a $100 Million Company -
More Features: How to Motivate Employees
2 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pmKevin Plank, founder of Under Armour, sounds off about improving employee morale during a recession. -
More Features: Business Advice from Top Chefs
2 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pmTop restaurant owners, including star chef Tom Colicchio talk about making a small business work in their industry.
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NYT: Small Business
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A Guiding Hand From Big Business to Small
1 Jul 2009 | 10:58 pmSome of the country’s heavyweight corporations are continuing their mentoring programs of small companies owned by minorities or women despite the recession. -
Going Public in the Throes of a Recession
1 Jul 2009 | 9:20 amA conversation with Tom Adams, who successfully took the language software company Rosetta Stone public despite the economic downturn. -
A Small Player Breaks Into Starbucks
30 Jun 2009 | 9:42 pmLittle companies have a tough time being noticed by the big chains they hope will carry their merchandise. One that made the grade is KIND Fruit + Nut Bars. -
How to Enlist a Global Work Force of Freelancers
30 Jun 2009 | 6:08 pmLayoffs have pushed many skilled professionals into the worldwide marketplace, where smaller companies may tap their talents. -
A Credit Squeeze for Small-Business Owners
29 Jun 2009 | 2:26 pmA crackdown on credit limits by card companies is squeezing the nation’s small businesses, exacerbating the problems caused by a stagnant economy.
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Copyblogger
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Three Tips for Creating Your Own Independence Day
3 Jul 2009 | 7:51 amJuly 4 is Independence Day here in the States, which, for most of us, entails the risk of losing: your fingers to cheap fireworks; your waistline to hot dogs; your liver. All of which, as a red-blooded American, I support wholeheartedly. But if you’re spending today celebrating the country’s independence, how about putting some attention on your own personal independence? It might be independence from a day job, or financial stress, or even a mindset that’s keeping you from making things happen. Here are a few of my favorite tips for declaring your own individual independence. Expand… -
How to Write an Ebook that Sells in 2009
2 Jul 2009 | 8:35 amYou’ll see one theme come up again and again on Copyblogger. If you want to create real revenue with your blog, you need to have something worthwhile to sell. Most sites are disappointed by the nickels and dimes that come in from advertising. If your site gets massive amounts of traffic, it can work, but if not, you’ll want to find a much more profitable source of revenue. But most of us find that it’s not all that easy to translate high-quality content from your blog into a high-quality product for sale. Four or five years ago, you could have slammed together an ebook over the weekend… -
Old-School Marketing No Longer Working? Blame Canada
1 Jul 2009 | 6:45 amCanadians are a funny lot. They use strange words and spell with a U. They kiss cod. They enjoy being frozen solid nearly 8 months a year, and they call their money Loonies and Toonies. Don’t get me wrong; they’re nice people just the same. They’re nature lovers and humanitarians and they like things simple and friendly. And contrary to popular belief, they’re actually pretty smart. But there’s just one problem. Your marketing strategies? You notice how they’ve been changing? That the old-school methods aren’t working anymore . . . at all? Well, I’ve figured out whose fault it… -
The Courage to be Wrong
30 Jun 2009 | 8:28 amI used to think being “right” was a big deal. I had to say the right thing, dress the right way, know the right people, read the right books, live in the right neighborhood, go to the right school. It wasn’t because I wanted to, exactly, but because I thought it was a prerequisite for success. If you want other people to respect you, then you have to look and sound a certain way, right? Makes sense, if conformity is all you’ve ever been taught. What no one tells you is the cost. Yes, conformity gains you a certain type of approval from others, but it comes at the cost… -
The Future of Copyblogger
29 Jun 2009 | 10:59 amWhat a wild three-and-a-half years, huh? Copyblogger started out as a way for me to demonstrate what I knew and could do in order to collaborate on new media projects with others. Now it’s the hub of a business enterprise that supports three families, two single guys, one single mom, and a host of domesticated animals. And we’re just getting started. Of course, that means having a clear picture of where we want to go is pretty essential. Guidance from the Wise Bald One I’m not going to pretend that Seth Godin and I are best buddies who hang out on weekends and major holidays. But if…
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crowdSPRING Blog
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Do I HAVE to wear boots to a Bootcamp?
3 Jul 2009 | 10:29 amOne of my favorite companies in the world - Zappos - is planning a two day Zappos Bootcamp. At first, I got excited because one could never own enough boots, and Zappos certainly has one of the largest inventories of boots in the universe (or at least on Earth). I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to find a great pair of boots and also to find a pair for Chris Detmer (our talented front-end developer), who has a cool hat, as you can see below, but sadly, no boots. After reading about the bootcamp, I became even more excited because the Zappos bootcamp isn’t about boots at… -
Iranian Revolution Project
1 Jul 2009 | 9:39 amLike many around the world, we at crowdSPRING have been watching the turmoil unfold in Iran. Eager to contribute, we’re hoping to help mobilize our community so that we, and those around us, can show their support through one of the best ways we know how: design. Every revolution needs a unifying symbol. Iran’s citizens have bravely stood up to the repressive rule of the current regime, risking injury and life. Neda Salehi Soltani has become the worldwide face of Iran’s revolution when she was killed while watching a pro-democracy protest. Many others have been killed and… -
Still listening…
29 Jun 2009 | 8:45 amIn our first year-and-a-bit in business we have made a number of adjustments to our pricing. We continually review our business model, continually speak to our community, and continually listen to the feedback we receive. When we launched Pro projects back in September of last year, we set the minimum price at a very easy to grasp $1,000 across all categories. Since then, we have collected a great deal of data on Pro projects, including Creative participation, submission levels, average awards, numbers of NDAs executed, and project lengths. These projects have been very successful and we… -
The king of pop is dead. Long live the king of pop.
26 Jun 2009 | 6:53 pmAll of us here at crowdSPRING saddened with the passing of Michael Jackson yesterday. But mourning was quickly replaced with warm-hearted memories and reflection - how his music had taken part in all our lives. He was a legend, an artist, and a creative force that effected both the music industry and popular culture in immeasurable ways. He was also a troubled individual who never had a chance to lead a normal life. Like many artists before and after him, his fame cost him his privacy and possibly his sanity. But man if he didn’t make some beautiful music along the way. To this one of a… -
How Does crowdSPRING Protect Intellectual Property?
22 Jun 2009 | 1:40 pmcrowdSPRING respects intellectual property - this is one of our core values as a company (before co-founding crowdSPRING, I spent 13 years as an attorney focusing on the protection of intellectual property, for clients around the world). People often ask what crowdSPRING does to protect intellectual property. The Q&A below shares our answers to the most common questions. 1. Does crowdSPRING have specific policies to protect people’s intellectual property rights? Answer: Yes. crowdSPRING has two specific, written policies designed to protect intellectual property. First,…
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Smallbiztechnology.com
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Online File Storage vs Local Server Storage: Monthly Fees, Simplicity, Direct Access to Files
30 Jun 2009 | 5:22 pmI've recently been living a dual life: Using hosted services to store files and also using a PC based storage - with remote access. While online file storage is good, and I know works, there are also monthly fees involved. For your business you must weigh the monthly fees ($10 or more per month, per user) versus paying for a computer server ($500+ one time fee) with remote access. The hosted file server is much easier to set up and often includes neat features to make it easier to share the files. The traditional computer server has no monthly fees and you have direct access to your files. -
Why Palm Pre Could Boost Your Productivity And Bring Enjoyment To Your Cell Phone Use
30 Jun 2009 | 9:13 amA few weeks ago Palm launched its latest smartphone, the Palm Pre, running on Sprint's network. Over the years, I've used BlackBerry's and Treo's (using Palm's earlier OS and now Windows Mobile operating system). When choosing a mobile phone, which for many of you is more than just a phone but is an "out of office" computing device, there are three things to keep in mind: The carrier you use for the wireless connectivity (see my interviews with Verizon Wireless executives Howard Watermanand Bruce Simon The hardware you choose - BlackBerry, Treo, Nokia, Samsung, etc. Flipphone vs Clamshell vs… -
Is Your Website Mobile Friendly? Here's Some Tips To Help
30 Jun 2009 | 4:37 amLyn Nielsen of web development company Desktop Solutions sent me these great tips in how and why to consider making your web site "mobile friendly" so that it more easily displays on web sites of cell phone browsers and I'd thought to share them with you. As more and more users, use their smartphones to communicate on the road, having your web site fully or partially accessible through a cell phone browser is crucial. Lyn writes: Picture this. A Vice President of a manufacturing company is sitting on an airplane, explaining his company’s product line to his seat mate. He takes out his… -
New Vendor Web Site: Websites.com - Full Of Information For Building Great Web Sites
30 Jun 2009 | 2:24 amThere's an increasing number of vendors, making web sites chock full of REAL information related to the products and services they offer. Citrix has a web site all about non-traditional work environments. HP has a series of videos with Revision 3 here. These are just two that I can think of, but I know there are more. Other vendors, such as Symantec, Register.com and Intuit have web sites that are full of information respectively related to security, online marketing and all things building a small business. Web site host Verio has launched a nice new web site, Websites.com that provides a… -
$440 Million In Fed Govt Printing Waste: What Lessons Can You Learn
29 Jun 2009 | 8:00 amLexmark surveyed federal employees to find out how the federal government prints. Their survey revealed that the government wastes $440 million dollars every year in printing. What's ironic is that the total printing expenditure is $1.3 billion so roughly 1/3 of the governments printing is wasted. You can download the full report here. Although your business is probably never going to spend $1.3 billion dollars on printing, the reports findings and recommendations are probably something you can learn from. Some reasons the government gives for printing includes: The document needs a signature…
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Small Business Trends
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Fall Business Forecast
3 Jul 2009 | 4:00 amIn additional to cartooning, I’m also a stay-at-home dad to my two young children. This means I read a lot of children’s books. In fact, I read so many that I can rattle off rather lengthy impromptu Seuss-like verse on almost any subject. (Fun at parties!) Mother Goose is especially great for cartoon inspiration because it’s something that everyone gets right away. You just have to say “Hey diddle diddle,” and not only does everyone fill in the rest, but you get great images of superpowered bovine and anthropomorphic flatware to play with. So often when I’m reading to the kids,… -
The Straight Skinny on When to Offer Early Payment Discounts
2 Jul 2009 | 2:49 pmSome businesses try to encourage early payments from customers by offering what are known as trade terms. Typical trade terms might be 1/10/30. Those terms mean that the buyer gets a 1% discount if paying within 10 days, and the balance is due in 30 days from the date of the invoice. Sounds simple enough, right? But I wanted to know if trade terms work in the real world, especially from the point of view of the company extending the trade terms. So I asked John Mariotti, President and CEO of the Enterprise Group and formerly the CEO of Huffy Bicycles. He’s had a lot of commerce… -
How to Get the Most Out Of Facebook Fan Pages
2 Jul 2009 | 6:00 amFacebook has come a long way since its inception. No longer just a site for college kids, Facebook has created some amazing advertising opportunities for SMB owners to take advantage of. And those opportunities have become even more powerful with the creation of Facebook Fan pages. Facebook Fan pages allow you to officially represent your business on Facebook. You get to give your “fans” and customers a unified place to hold conversations about you, to get updates on what you’re doing, interact with you, and connect with other people who are “just like them” and love your products. -
Combatting The Summer Business Lull
1 Jul 2009 | 6:00 amWelcome to July, folks. We’re now officially knee deep in summer. That means along with the BBQs and sunburns, you’re probably also facing sluggish sales and a loss of in store face time with customers. As happens every year, warmer weather means people are spending more time at the beach and less time making heavy buying decisions. It’s the summer lull and there’s nothing you can do to combat it. Or is there? As an employee, I always loved summers in business because it meant the store grew quieter and the workload all but stopped. But as an employer, that same situation can be a… -
Take the Time to Manage Customer Reviews
30 Jun 2009 | 6:00 amNot so long ago, Yelp received quite a bit of attention when they began allowing business owners to respond to reviews left on the site. It was something SMB owners and others had been salivating for. And for good reason. Review sites and local search have changed the way your customers are discovering you and helping them make important purchasing decisions. If your company is who your customers say it is, then these online reviews play a pretty crucial part in giving them that voice. And you need to be listening. Let me share a quick story. A good friend of mine was recently researching…
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Seth's Blog
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What to do with special requests
3 Jul 2009 | 2:20 amThe bike shop is busy in June. If you bring your bike in for a tune up, it will cost $39 and take a week.A week!What if someone says, "I have a bike trip coming up in three days, can you do it by then?"At most bike shops, the answer is a shrug, followed by, "I'm sorry, we're swamped."The problem with telling people to go away is that they go away. And the problem with treating all customers the same is that customers aren't the same. They're different and they demand to be treated (and are often willing to pay) differently.So, why not smile and say, "Oh, wow, that's a rush. We can do it, but… -
The purpose of a book cover
2 Jul 2009 | 3:11 am(and I think it works for lots of products)Is the purpose of the cover to sell books, to accurately describe what's in the book, or to tee up the reader so the book has maximum impact?The third.It's the third because if the book has maximum impact, then word of mouth is created, and word of mouth is what sells your product, not the cover.Tactically, the cover sells the back cover, the back cover sells the flap and by then you've sold the book. If those steps end up selling a book that the purchaser doesn't like, game over. So you have to be consistent all the way through and end up creating a… -
The risk/reward confusion
1 Jul 2009 | 3:13 amIt's easy to to adopt the policy of avoiding risk at all costs, that whenever possible, the products you launch or the engagements you have should be flawless and without downside.Here's the problem: in most endeavors, a small increase in risk can double the reward. It's the second doubling of reward that brings serious risk with it. But the first leap is relatively painless.In the chart above, notice that going from point A to point B brings almost no incremental risk. It might feel scary, but rationally, it's not. Doubling reward again from B to C, though, brings significant incremental… -
Malcolm is wrong
30 Jun 2009 | 1:37 pmI've never written those three words before, but he's never disagreed with Chris Anderson before, so there you go.Free is the name of Chris's new book, and it's going to be wildly misunderstood and widely argued about.The first argument that makes no sense is, "should we want free to be the future?" Who cares if we want it? It is. The second argument that makes no sense is, "how will this new business model support the world as we know it today?" Who cares if it does? It is. It's happening. The world will change around it, because the world has no choice. I'm sorry if that's inconvenient, but… -
There's always room for Jello
30 Jun 2009 | 2:41 amThis is one of the great cultural touchstone slogans of our era. A culture where there's so much to eat we need to try to find a food that we can eat even if we're stuffed.Often, we'll decide that something is full, stuffed, untouchable but then some Jello shows up, and suddenly there's room.Think about your schedule... is there room for an emergency, an SEC investigation, a server crash? If you took a day off because of the flu, is your business going to go bankrupt? Probably not.So, if there's time for an emergency (Jello), why isn't there time for brilliance, generosity or learning?
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Marshall Goldsmith
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If You're a Lame Duck, Quack Like One
15 Jun 2009 | 11:18 amFor many leaders, it is hard to make the announcement that they will soon be passing the baton of leadership to their successor. The common fear is that if they declare their intentions too soon, they will become lame ducks. No one wants that to happen. Almost every leader goes through this inner dialogue as part of the challenge of "slowing down." This fear, which often results in postponing the announcement about succession until the last minute, inhibits what could have been a much smoother transition. Face it: When you are nearing the time to exit, you will become a lame duck! That is… -
Making Money in Chaotic Times
1 Jun 2009 | 2:55 pmThis week's question for Ask the Coach: The economy will always have its ups and downs. That's why our company has two playbooks: one for running the company in an up period and another in a down period. If we enter a down period, we immediately switch to the down period playbook with its set of well-defined behaviors. Is this a good idea? And can a company still make money during bad times? To answer your question, I decided to turn to Philip Kotler, the well-known marketing guru at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Phillip has just recently published a book with… -
4 Tips for Efficient Succession Planning
12 May 2009 | 2:02 pmOne of the most common leadership development questions that I hear from executives is, "Why does succession planning feel like such a waste of time?" I do a lot of work on executive coaching and succession with my good friend, Jim Moore. Jim is the former CLO of three major companies. Here are some of our thoughts on how to make leadership succession a more relevant process in your company. Many of the CEOs we talk with these days express concern about the lack of bench strength in their companies. They are very worried that they lack sufficient "ready now" candidates to replace planned &… -
Evaluate How You Fit Your Company Culture
4 May 2009 | 11:37 amThis week's question for Ask the Coach: While moving up the organization, I've noticed a high turnover in the senior ranks. It seems like a lot of talented people who were once successful fail to make the grade. How can I increase the likelihood that I will not end up like these casualties? MG: This is a significant challenge for executives today. How can you avoid being another turnover casualty? Nat Stoddard and Claire Wyckoff recently wrote about this in their new book The Right Leader: Selecting Executives that Fit. I asked them to give us their take on this question. Nat and Claire:… -
Keeping Your People Engaged in Tough Times
17 Apr 2009 | 12:37 pmThis week's question for Ask the Coach: Keeping employees' committed and motivated during tough economic times seems like a tall task, especially after downsizing or program cutbacks. What should I do to keep our employees 'in the game'? Marshall: I hear this concern every where I travel these days. Who doesn't? My friend Joe Wheeler, Executive Director of The Service Profit Chain Institute, recently co-authored a book with Harvard Business School Professors James L. Heskett and W. Earl Sasser, Jr. entitled The Ownership Quotient, Putting The Service Profit Chain to Work for Unbeatable…
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HBR Editors' Blog
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Finally, A CEO Speaks Up on How to Renew America
29 Jun 2009 | 7:40 amA couple of weeks ago I met with GE's CEO Jeff Immelt and we were talking about the financial meltdown, the deep recession, and what it would take to fix America. He was outspoken about how business and government had let down the American people and the need for radical change. That's fine, I said, but if he felt that way, why hadn't he spoken up publicly? Immelt ran from the room and quickly returned with a speech he was working on--one he delivered last week at the Detroit Economic Club. This was his speech and not something he had fobbed off to a speechwriter, he told me. I urge you to… -
HBR Issue Highlights | July-August 2009
25 Jun 2009 | 9:10 amWelcome to HBR's Issue Highlights. Each month, this interactive table of contents will highlight some of the magazine's best features, tell you who should read them, why they're relevant, and what you'll take away from them, all in under five minutes. Share this with others by clicking on the "Share" button in the bottom right hand corner. Let us know what you think by commenting below, or by emailing us at issuehighlights@harvardbusiness.org. -
How Bad Is Your Company's Consumer Debt Exposure?
22 Jun 2009 | 9:00 amAs reported in the web-exclusive article "Consumer Credit: The Next Crisis," American consumers are carrying a dangerous, unsustainable amount of debt. Over the next several months, many will default on their loans. The authors of the article, investment banker William Jarvis and Wharton School professor Ian MacMillan, warn we should brace ourselves for record numbers of personal bankruptcies. Still more consumers will not file bankruptcy but will radically slow down on both borrowing and spending. That's exactly what they should do for themselves. But the cumulative effect on the economy of… -
New Moon on Monday: Market Lunacy Update
22 Jun 2009 | 7:50 amThere's a new moon today, and I'm wondering what it will mean for the stock market. Believe it or not, past and current research suggests that returns may actually go up. HBR is still receiving comments from readers about "Market Lunacy," a brief article we published in November 2006 about Ilia Dichev and Troy Janes's study of correlations between stock market activity and lunar cycles. In their review of 25 stock exchanges over the past three decades, they found that annualized mean daily returns for G-7 countries were higher in the days around new moons than in the days around full moons. -
Managing the Office Coffeemaker
17 Jun 2009 | 2:16 pmThe honeymoon period at my first "real" job lasted about a month. In those early weeks, I basked in the unknown, soaking up what it meant to dress business casual and admitting that my celestial tapestry — while it looked sweet in my dorm room — might not work in my cubicle. With each day, I felt more professional, and after months of interning and waiting tables, a 9-5 job suited me just fine. At least, that is, until the coffee incident. We were a small office, only eight on staff, and required no more than a 12-cup pot. I ordered one from Staples, set it up in the empty cube…
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Tom Davenport
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Private Equity and the Ownership Decision
29 Jun 2009 | 8:30 amA few months back I wrote about micro-decisions and how they can add up to macro money. But as a student of decision-making I would be remiss if I didn't point out that one big decision — who will own an organization — has a massive effect on performance, culture, and organizational effectiveness. I'm prompted to post on this topic because of two contrasting experiences of late. One is that I've been doing some research on private equity and what a bloody mess it has made of many of the companies it has taken over. The other is a recent visit to SAS, the privately-held company… -
Why 1.5 Is Greater Than 2.0
15 Jun 2009 | 6:42 amThe proponents of 2.0 thinking on user-generated content, be they fans of Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, Health 2.0, or Rhubarb 2.0, would have us believe that their highly participative approach is the only one that works. And indeed, there is an appeal in democratizing content creation and management. However, in almost every case there is also value in professional involvement. Take health care, for example. A couple of months ago there was a conference in Boston (I was unable to attend) on "Health 2.0 meets Ix." For those unfamiliar with this debate, Health 2.0 fans advocate patients taking… -
The Return of the Non-Virtual Organization
29 May 2009 | 10:56 amI can't tell you how many companies I have worked with that have encouraged or tolerated a large degree of geographic dispersal among employees and management teams. "We're virtual, and proud of it," one told me. "It doesn't matter where you live anymore," many employees of virtualized companies have argued. "We travel all the time anyway," has been another frequent mantra. But I recently encountered a company that is moving the other way. Eclipsys makes software for healthcare providers. The company's headquarters is in Atlanta. Last week, it changed CEOs. The previous CEO, Andrew Eckert,… -
The Rise of the Chief Performance Officer
11 May 2009 | 7:39 amYou may recall the brief run of publicity for a new role in Washington called the Chief Performance Officer. President Obama planned to nominate Nancy Killefer, a McKinsey consultant, to this position, but some tax issues led her to withdraw her nomination. A few weeks ago Obama nominated Jeffrey Zients, another consultant and Washington business executive, for the role. I don't know Zients, but I think the Chief Performance Officer role has a lot of potential, and it's a new wrinkle for something like this to appear first in the federal government. A little background behind the appeal of… -
Will Monster.com Go the Way of Newspapers?
29 Apr 2009 | 11:08 amI was fascinated by a recent article in the Boston Globe about the factors behind its own impending demise. The article revealed that in 1995 Jeff Taylor, the founder of Monster.com, approached the Globe with an offer to collaborate on online job advertising, and for the Globe to invest in Monster. Needless to say, the Globe's owners (then a different Taylor family) turned Jeff Taylor down. Also needless to say, the Globe has suffered greatly from the loss of classified job advertising that was at one point its annual $100 million cash cow. Most of those fish have now moved to online fishing…
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Bill Taylor on HarvardBusiness.org
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Decoding Steve Jobs: Trust the Art, Not the Artist
23 Jun 2009 | 12:47 pmSteve Jobs is back in the headlines, which got me thinking about this unique leader's legacy — and what, if anything, the rest of us can learn from how Jobs does his job. Whoever uttered the words, "trust the art, not the artist" must have had Steve Jobs in mind. There's no doubt that the Apple CEO will go down as one of the most creative, visionary, and high-impact leaders of his generation — or any generation. How many corporate executives can make a legitimate claim to have reshaped not just one industry but four: computing (the Mac), music (the iPod), mobile communications… -
The 10 Questions Every Change Agent Must Answer
18 Jun 2009 | 10:43 amAs leaders, we have no control over how fast markets grow or how wisely banks lend. But we do control our own mindsets and "animal spirits" — the phrase coined by John Maynard Keynes in the depth of the Great Depression. If all you've got is a spreadsheet filled with red ink and dire forecasts, it's easy to be paralyzed by fear and resistant to change. But if you can summon some leadership nerve, then hard times can be a great time to separate yourself from the pack and build advantages for years to come. Indeed, when it comes to creating the future, the only thing more worrisome than… -
Recession Leadership: On Sinking the Boat, Missing the Boat, and Rocking the Boat
18 May 2009 | 8:45 amFor months, I have argued that a down economy can be a great opportunity for companies to try something different or start something new. I don't mean to minimize the pressures and setbacks that are part of unleashing real change in tough times. If all you've got is a spreadsheet filled with red ink and dire forecasts, it's easy to be paralyzed by fear. But if you've got some leadership nerve, and can muster a few good ideas, then hard times can be great times to separate yourself from the pack and build advantages for years to come. Don't believe me? You can read it for yourself in The New… -
MBAs vs. Entrepreneurs: Who Has the Right Stuff for Tough Times?
4 May 2009 | 11:39 amThe one growth business in this shrinking economy is speculation about where MBAs and other elite students will flock now that Wall Street is a vast wasteland. "What will new map of talent flow look like?" wondered a piece last month in the New York Times. The tentative answer: towards government, the sciences, and teaching, "while fewer shiny young minds are embarking on careers in finance and business consulting." Just five days after that article, the Times was at it again, chronicling the difficult career choices for business students, including one former Goldman Sachs intern who started… -
Should Your CEO Take a Pay Cut? It Depends on What You Value
16 Mar 2009 | 9:21 amMy friends at the Washington Post, where I am a member of the "On Leadership" panel, asked me to consider a sports-related question which is really a leadership-related question: In this period of March Madness, should big-time college coaches take pay cuts to respond to the tough times? You can find my full essay here. But what follows captures the essence of my argument. Consider these two scenes for a revealing look at the face of leadership in difficult times — and a surprising twist on how we read those faces. Back on February 21, after his team beat the visitors from the…
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Scott Anthony
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Lessons from Clear's Failure
29 Jun 2009 | 5:57 pmAbout two months ago, a colleague convinced me to sign up for Verified Identity Pass' Clear service. I dutifully filled in the forms, had the company capture my fingerprints and take pictures of my iris, forked over a couple hundred bucks, and received my Clear pass in the mail. I wouldn't quite say the Clear card changed my life, but the next couple months of travel (at airports that had special Clear lines) were a breeze. I made at least one flight because of Clear. I started recommending the service to my colleagues. Then, last week, a sad email arrived in my inbox: "At 11:00 p.m. PST… -
Google Grows Up
22 Jun 2009 | 8:48 amOver the past decade, Google has inspired envy in trench-dwelling managers around the world. It's not just the unparalleled benefits. It's the way Google approaches innovation. Engineers are encouraged to dream up pet projects in their spare time. Teams self form around the best ideas. Market-based principles ensure that the best ideas receive funding. It sounds chaotic, democratic...and intoxicating. "Why can't we do that?" countless managers wonder. "Instead, we have to deal with crushing bureaucracy that favors our leaders' personal whims over the most game-changing ideas." Management guru… -
Is It Time to Invert Your Strategy?
18 Jun 2009 | 6:58 amCompanies that fall prey to disruptive attacks aren't stupid. They aren't lazy. They aren't bad operators. In fact, the root of the innovator's dilemma is deep competency. Smart executives fine-tune their approaches to wring out as much profit as possible. But, this optimization process blinds them to strategic shifts that take place at the fringes of the market. Typically, a small upstart begins the strategic shift. But today's pharmaceutical industry features a $40-billion company driving a striking strategy shift instead. For decades, large pharmaceutical companies have focused on a single… -
Four Lessons from Y-Combinator's Fresh Approach to Innovation
12 Jun 2009 | 7:25 amA central tenet in The Silver Lining is that the tough times today are actually a hidden boon for innovation — scarcity will drive discipline, forcing innovators to focus on critical assumptions and make quick decisions. One organization that is trying to live these principles is Y Combinator. For those who haven't heard about it, the company was founded in 2005 by Paul Graham, who sold a startup venture to Yahoo in 1998 for about $50 million. In just a few years, Y Combinator has funded 150 different software and Web services startups. Well known Web 2.0 companies Scribd, Xobni, and… -
Seize the Silver Lining: A Checklist for Innovation
8 Jun 2009 | 7:02 amIt's tough out there, but companies that think their choice is to innovate or to survive are missing the point. Innovation is a corporate necessity, not a nicety. There's little doubt that innovation is going to become harder as resources become tighter and competition becomes fiercer. But, those companies that continue to focus on innovation have a rare chance to create substantial space between themselves and their competitors — those that don't will fall further and further behind. The Silver Lining: An Innovation Playbook for Uncertain Times makes the case that today's turbulent…
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Rita McGrath
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Hiring the Already-Employed: Savvy or Sad?
2 Jul 2009 | 7:06 amA fascinating article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal caught my eye. It suggests that even with so many great people out there looking for work, employers would still rather hire someone who is already working, thank you very much. Apparently, many believe that those that are unemployed were their former employers' lower-priorities, poor performers or otherwise non-superstars. By hiring someone who already has a job, they reason, they are reducing their risk of picking up someone who is a second-class performer. I guess this is the modern-day version of Groucho Marx's old line that he… -
Competitive Advantage Is Fleeting (And It's Okay to Admit It)
8 Jun 2009 | 8:55 amFor as long as I've been working in the field of strategy, a taken-for granted assumption among executives, students and academics has been that the goal of a great strategy is achieving a "sustainable competitive advantage." As the field migrated from a subject called "Business Policy," having to do mostly with the job of the general manager, to the current conception of "Strategic Management," we picked up a vast number of tools, frameworks and analytical approaches that promised to make the world of strategy one of greater rigor, science and analytical depth. The ultimate goal was to… -
Using Smell to Sell
12 May 2009 | 11:19 amIt never fails to astonish me how adroit companies can innovate to improve customers' experiences in ways that make me ask, "Why didn't I think of that?" Among the best types of these innovations are those that improve a particular 'link' in a customers' experience to make it better by making more pleasant, less inconvenient or just more fun. So here's one for the record: UK parking-garage firm NCP has explored new technology that can actually make the stairwells in parking garages smell nicer, instead of smelling like...well, to be honest, I'd rather not go into what they smell like,… -
AIG: Why The Facts Don't Matter
26 Mar 2009 | 12:35 pmThomas L. Friedman penned an opinion piece recently in the New York Times that captures the unease many of us feel about the populist feeding frenzy over a situation now with idiom status: "the AIG bonuses." Everybody, from the President on down, expressed outrage and disgust. More dangerously, the elected officials in whom we place our trust, as Friedman points out, seemed more than ready to throw time-honored principles of good government and sound democratic rule overboard in a frantic rush to appear more "one of the people" than the next guy. Among the poorly thought through proposals are… -
A Better Way to Cut Costs
9 Mar 2009 | 9:09 amYesterday, I participated in a workshop whose theme was "Cost Cutting: Beware the Traps." One of the cautionary tales of a company whose aggressive and ultimately mis-placed cost cutting is Home Depot, which I have blogged about before. Since then, other firms that followed a similar slash-and-burn approach have collapsed, among them Circuit City and Mervyns department stores. Among the insights that emerged from the workshop were: Beware the hidden dependencies among different parts of your operations when you are evaluating areas to cut. In the Home Depot case, a huge part of their value…
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HarvardBusiness.org
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Trend to Watch: Asia Rising
2 Jul 2009 | 1:00 pmAuthors' note: Each week in July and August, we'll introduce a new trend you have to watch from our HBR article in the July-August special issue. We also invite you to comment on this trend and suggest what trends you think you have to watch. One long-term trend that's been thrown for a loop in the past year is the steady rise of Asia as a force in the global economy. Seemingly unstoppable in the past decade, China in particular saw a sharp slowdown in its growth in recent months as investment flows dried up, exports collapsed, and stock markets and consumer confidence plummeted.It would be… -
What Nonprofits Teach Us About Learning
2 Jul 2009 | 12:31 pmThe recession that has staggered the world economy has leveled the nonprofit world. Endowments have lost significant value, and donations from corporations and private citizens have dwindled. But dealing with hard times is nothing new to many in the nonprofit sector. Well-run nonprofits know how to be frugal as well as creative in how they work with limited resources. A core competency of the nonprofit world is people, men and women who are committed to a cause who know how to get effective results. A virtue of effective nonprofits is their culture; it extends beyond a gathering of… -
This Year's Management Off Site: Necessary or Negligent?
2 Jul 2009 | 12:00 pmCuts, cuts, cuts. Rightsizing, rightsizing, rightsizing. How can a conscientious CEO--one who has asked employees to contain costs, or who has even frozen or reduced their salaries--even consider spending money to take his or her leadership team off to some nice hotel with rich food and cocktails for a management retreat? Historically, for most organizations, annual or quarterly off sites in which senior management work on strategy has been considered "good business." After all, it's senior management's task to chart the strategy of the company, and good strategy is what's needed now more… -
Whom to Pay is More Important than How Much or How
2 Jul 2009 | 10:20 amHaving read every posting and response so far in the debate, I see that everyone has naturally focused either on the moral and practical appropriateness of how much to pay, or on practical suggestions on how to pay. That is all very good when it comes to avoiding scandals and abuses, and will to some extent improve performance and value creation. But the real aim should be not just to avoid public frustration and excess, but to aim for a much more ambitious objective -- to ensure that CEOs and other leaders make the greatest potential contribution towards building lasting greatness. Whom you… -
Hiring the Already-Employed: Savvy or Sad?
2 Jul 2009 | 7:06 amA fascinating article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal caught my eye. It suggests that even with so many great people out there looking for work, employers would still rather hire someone who is already working, thank you very much. Apparently, many believe that those that are unemployed were their former employers' lower-priorities, poor performers or otherwise non-superstars. By hiring someone who already has a job, they reason, they are reducing their risk of picking up someone who is a second-class performer. I guess this is the modern-day version of Groucho Marx's old line that he…
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Gill Corkindale
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Gordon Brown's Leadership Scorecard
9 Jun 2009 | 2:46 pmAstonishingly, it looks as if Gordon Brown survived as Prime Minister, following a week of fighting for his political life. At a crisis meeting in Westminster, support for the PM prevailed — just — over mounting opposition to his leadership, including MP Frank Field who said his "premiership is inept and the party standing is pitiful." How long Mr Brown will be able to remain PM is questionable. A perfect storm of bitter party in-fighting, dramatic Cabinet resignations, the worst election results (in domestic and European polls) since the Labour became a national party in 1918,… -
MPs Are the Latest Leaders to Earn Public's Contempt
26 May 2009 | 12:30 pmMay 2009 will go down as a turning point in Britain's parliamentary history. Over the last three weeks, the Daily Telegraph has published shocking details of MPs' leaked expenses claims, exposing our elected leaders as greedy, venal and completely out of touch with reality. As a spectacle of poor moral leadership, it is matched only by City bankers at the peak of the financial crisis. Revelation after revelation has shown how hundreds of MPs have played the system for personal gain, setting their own rules (the 'Green Book') and using public money to subsidise their lifestyles. Claiming they… -
Equal Pay Hard to Find in London's Financial Sector
6 May 2009 | 8:58 amSexism in the City is a dirty fact of life. Decades have passed, yet macho behaviour, discrimination and secrecy over pay endure for thousands of women working in London's financial sector. While most carry on regardless, some have risked professional exile by suing their firms for sexual or professional discrimination. Last year 44,000 equal pay claims were brought before the courts — more than double the number in 2005. It's frightening to think that this is where we are, nearly 40 years since the Equal Pay Act made it illegal to have different pay rates for men and women, and 25… -
6 Networking Mistakes And How to Avoid Them
23 Apr 2009 | 12:47 pmIf you've been laid off in recent months, you're in excellent company. Plenty of qualified and experienced managers are now having to develop strategies to find their next job. But where to start? If you were my coaching client, I would simply say: network, network, network. And yet among my clients, networking is often an underdeveloped skill. Take Jerry, a 40-year-old business development manager in a financial services firm. His role is to build the business in Europe, so he has to make industry contacts, speak at conferences and look for new client relationships. He is now at a point in… -
At G-20, Leaders Jostle for the Limelight
2 Apr 2009 | 6:41 amThe convergence of global leaders on London for the G20 Summit is shaping up to be a fascinating spectacle of leadership for our times. Against the backdrop of world economic crisis and domestic unrest, we are surely witnessing an important political moment, but the most fascinating thing about the summit so far is the wide range of leadership styles and the shifting alliances between those leaders. Britain's prime minister and the summit's host, Gordon Brown, is clearly enjoying a moment of kudos after months of criticism for botching the economy and failing to discipline the banks. His dour…
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Susan Cramm
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How to Support Your IT Innovators
16 Jun 2009 | 11:59 amThe key to freeing IT up is to increase the "IT smarts" of your team. In my previous post, "Find the IT Innovator Within," I recommended creating an "IT gifted and talented" program for the lead (or power) IT innovators on your team by elevating the relationship with IT from supporting existing technologies to supporting innovation. But overall, business leaders don't feel very smart about IT. For example, in my recent survey... Only 11% personally use and fully leverage the capabilities of the technology currently in place 50% agree with the statement that "business leaders don't understand… -
Find the IT Innovator Within
2 Jun 2009 | 11:17 amEric Hippel, in his book Democratizing Innovation, says that every organization has "lead users" who "engage in developing and modifying products" so that they get "exactly what they want, rather than relying on manufacturers to act as their (often very imperfect) agents." In the midst of this half-empty economy, it's comforting to know that innovation is happening at the front lines of every organization. Question is, like the proverbial tree in the forest, are lead users really innovating if no one's watching? For if no one is watching, then the innovations remain the domain of the inventor… -
9 Ways to Run Smarter IT Projects
27 May 2009 | 8:22 amWe've all been there. Trapped on a plane, heading home — only to be diverted to another airport. The mind races head — what to do? Caught in this situation our world view narrows to focus on one singular objective: how to get home. Mid-course, the options are few — take a bus, rent a car, book a room, or take a later flight. Once home, rested and refreshed, the memory fades, but a lingering question remains: What should I do differently next time? We've all been through the IT equivalent of the diverted flight. Like air travel, IT projects deliver too little, too late, for… -
Get Your IT Project Fast-Tracked
12 May 2009 | 2:23 pmTo get funding for IT-enabled projects, it's necessary to navigate the IT demand management process to prove that you are investing wisely in IT. Unfortunately, the process can be as bad as its name. Bad, but necessary, given the unquenchable thirst for IT services and the fact that, according to my survey (still in process), Over 50% of business and IT leaders agree that business leaders make half-baked requests and are clueless about enterprise impact Nearly 60% of business leaders admit that they want it all — right now — regardless of ROI Almost 35% admit of business leaders… -
Harness the Value of Scarcity
30 Apr 2009 | 12:58 pmWith the cash crunch, focus is coming back in style. A lot of people are hoping for a future — both professionally and personally — that will be, in the words of Peggy Noonan, "pared down, more natural, more stable, less full of enervating overstimulation, of what Walker Percy call the "trivial magic" of modern times." During the "good times" only 10% of managers lived in a state of purposefulness, defined by clarity of intentions and vigor that is fueled by intense personal commitment (with the balance of managers operating in a state of disengagement, procrastination, or…
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cool global BIZ
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Michael Jackson: Media Freak Show, or Global & Cultural Revolutionary?
3 Jul 2009 | 12:43 pmYes, Michael Jackson was king of the bizarre. Yes, the criminal allegations of child molestation are hard to ignore, even though a Santa Barbara jury acquitted him. But in my mind, the most striking aspect of Jackson's shortlived life was his role as a racial radical who enjoyed universal appeal... -
Beat This: The Michael Jackson Brand
1 Jul 2009 | 1:07 pm"Jacko No More" by lastyearsgirl, under Creative Commons license on flickr.com Count on academics and consultants to weigh in on the death of pop-cult phenom Michael Jackson. In my related post ("Michael Jackson, Media Freak Show or Global & Cultural Revolutionary?") I wondered how the man in the mirror and... -
Woo Hoo, Womenomics! Businesswomen Hold Up Half the Sky
17 Jun 2009 | 6:03 pmREDWOOD CITY, California, U.S.A. -- A generation or two ago, fearless feminists fought for equal pay and equal opportunities for women in the modern workforce. Then, for a myriad of sociopolitical reasons covered by scholars and the media, the next wave of young women shied away from the "militant" feminist... -
Britney, Begone. Instead, Check Out the World Economic Forum's Davos Debates
15 Jun 2009 | 1:01 pm"Britney Spears Concert - Inspired by Bollywood" by Anirudh Koul, under Creative Commons license on flickr.com. In the middle-class realms of the West and East, where the cost of an espresso would feed a poor Third World family for days, wealth and comfort equals apathy. We lead such pampered and... -
Scenes of urban contemporary Beijing
13 Jun 2009 | 10:17 pm"Beijing" photo by Svennevenn, under Creative Commons license on flickr.com. BEIJING, China -- Interview a hundred China experts, and you'll hear a hundred views of the emerging superpower. China, the economic juggernaut. China, the rising geopolitical threat. China, the human-rights violator. Here's one slant you don't see or hear as...
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The Official BizUnite Blog
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Whatever It Takes to Help Small Business Thrive
26 Jun 2009 | 7:22 amWe have a mantra at BizUnite: Whatever It Takes to Help Small Business Thrive. It's posted everywhere - in every office and in every cube. Our mantra a daily reminder of why we do what we do, but it's even better when our customer call us to share just how much we're helping their businesses.They say things like:"BizUnite has allowed us to communicate and interact with our members quicker and more effectively than ever." - Carl Michelakos, Operations Manager, The Bike Cooperative“The independent entrepreneurs that are members of our cooperative now have a website that… -
Get More Income from the Traffic You Already Have
28 May 2009 | 12:39 pmAre you doing all you can to turn potential customers into buyers? Here are three simple strategies that will go a long way toward making sure that your shoppers’ dollars are flowing into your registers: Downsize packaging to fight sticker shock. After determining that buyers now balk at paying more than $20 for individual food items, Connecticut-based Stew Leonard’s food stores are repackaging meat and other products to bring the package prices under that price point. Are your price tags triggering resistance? Find ways to whittle down your per-item prices. If your stumped for ideas, try… -
Success Lessons from a Two-Handed Bowler
13 May 2009 | 10:37 amJason Belmonte is an Australian bowler who has singlehandedly reinvented his sport by making one simple change: He rolls the ball with two hands instead of one. If you haven’t seen Belmonte bowl, check out his videos on YouTube and elsewhere on the Internet. The ball explodes from his hands with incredible speed. He puts so much spin on the ball that it seems to make a sudden 90-degree turn before smashing into the pins. People have been bowling for hundreds of years, but Belmonte seems to be the first professional bowler to perfect the technique of releasing the ball with two hands. It’s… -
How Will Your Customers Spend their Money when the Crisis Ends?
1 May 2009 | 6:49 amWhen the current crisis ends, will your customers spend as much money as they did before it began? Will they buy the same products, or have their tastes changed? Some answers to those questions can be found in “New US Shopper to Emerge from Crisis,” an article by Jonathan Birchall in Financial Times. Let’s take a closer look at Birchall’s findings: More upscale customers have gotten hooked on coupons. Consumers who earn $100,000+ have gotten into the habit of using coupons – and they will continue to do so when the hard times end, according to a TNS survey. People will spend about… -
We're Coming Out of the Booth
22 Apr 2009 | 1:32 pmI guess any great company needs a "kick-butt" convention booth. Ours is no exception. Here's a pic of our booth from our it's unveiling at the Multi-Unit Franchising Conference in Las Vegas. We'll keep you updated to where and when this cost savings circus comes to your town.
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Duct Tape Marketing
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How to Get Great Photos for Your Blog Posts
3 Jul 2009 | 4:35 amThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing How to Get Great Photos for Your Blog Posts I like to use to use images to help illustrate the theme or point of a blog post. It’s a proven “best practice” in blogging and I highly recommend that every blogger do it. One trick for easily finding and properly using images in your blog posts is to search the creative commons licensed photos on the photo sharing site Flickr. So, what’s Creative Commons? Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that has created a standardized set of tools for granting various levels of permission… -
What Really Generates Referrals
2 Jul 2009 | 8:23 amThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing What Really Generates Referrals So much of the literature on the subject of referrals focuses on the proper ways to network, ask for referrals, and create incentive programs for referral sources. While some of these more tactical things do indeed produce referrals for the organizations and salespeople that employ them, they are often little more than window dressing when it comes to the big picture. Building a foundation that automatically generates referral momentum is not done through external actions – like some many things in life, you do it from… -
Yahoo Pipes a Smokin Radar Tool
1 Jul 2009 | 6:13 amThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Yahoo Pipes a Smokin Radar Tool Yahoo Pipes is a powerful composition tool to aggregate, manipulate, and mashup content from around the web. Frankly, it has been around for a couple of years now and while it’s advanced a bit, I don’t think it has ever really caught on in a big way. The interface is a little funky and takes some getting use to, but once you do, it’s a pretty cool tool. Pipes can do some very complex things, but what I think it does better than most other options is allow you to aggregate, sort and filter many RSS feeds… -
Local as Differentiator
30 Jun 2009 | 8:17 amThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Local as Differentiator Several years ago, Hilary Brown decided to open a burger joint in Lawrence, KS. She readily admits that folks around town questioned whether the world, or for that matter Lawrence, needed another place to get a hamburger. After all, this is a college and fast food is plentiful. Brown tells that to her doubters she enthusiastically replied, “what I’m creating is the next generation of burger joints.” Local Burger, as her restaurant is called, takes into consideration where food comes from as well as the… -
Making Video an Everyday Marketing Activity
29 Jun 2009 | 5:17 amThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Making Video an Everyday Marketing Activity Capturing and adding video to your marketing and social media mix has become a necessary and increasingly expected part of creating your overall marketing message. With each passing day this task just seems to get easier. Camera prices have fallen while quality has risen, editing software is free and simple to use, and video hosting and streaming from sites like YouTube provide most of the heavy lifting when it comes to putting those videos online. Recently, I added a Flip Ultra HD camera to my portfolio of…
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Word of Mouth Marketing
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How to get followers: Just ask
3 Jul 2009 | 6:15 amWant to get a ton of Facebook fans and Twitter followers? Just ask. On the side of every web page In your email correspondence Most important: on the Thank You page after every order. Someone just gave you cash -- why wouldn't they be your friend? Think about how many fans you'd have if 20% of your customers followed you. Think about how many new customers you'll get if those fans start re-tweeting and sharing your offers. Here are some great examples from the very tasty Adagio Tea. They ask you to be their friend, and let you follow order status on… -
Newsletter #738: The "Turn a Negative Into a Positive" Issue
2 Jul 2009 | 1:00 pm{Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I Thought of That Email Newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the left.}If you can look at your negatives -- the blemishes, the missteps, and the shortfalls -- as opportunities, you can turn an ugly situation into something everyone loves. Here's a few examples of how to do it: 1> The delays 2> The errors 3> The naysayers 4> Check it out: GraphJam1> The delaysWhen you've got something great,… -
Creepy is wrong
2 Jul 2009 | 6:02 amA lot of people are creeped out by Facebook right now -- because folks are getting friend suggestions that are a little too familiar. Here's what happened to my wife: Facebook suggests she friends 3 of our neighbors. She has never given our address on Facebook or connected to those neighbors in any way. She has never given Facebook access to her contact lists or email accounts. Her assumption: Facebook was secretly scanning her Outlook and identifying people she received email from. Invasive, scary, and infuriating. Mobs of other people are equally angry. Here are a few… -
SocialMedia.org -- the Blog Council is now the Social Media Business Council
30 Jun 2009 | 10:52 amI'm excited to announce that the Social Media Business Council is the new name for the Blog Council. Our new web site is SocialMedia.org. Members chose the new name at our meeting in New York this spring, and we just went live with our new site. (See the press release here.) The Social Media Business Council is a brands-only community that helps large organizations build successful social media programs. Members gain instant access and advice from the heads of social media at the world's largest brands and collaborate in a friendly, productive, and private environment. The Social… -
Sunday Inspiration: Flexibility = Success
28 Jun 2009 | 1:00 pmIt is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change. - Charles Darwin
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The Franchise King Blog
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Caution; "Business Opportunities"
1 Jul 2009 | 4:57 pmHave you ever heard this?"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."Have you ever been tempted to inquire about "opportunities" that promise; Internet Millions! Make Up To $2,000 Weekly Working From Home Become A Medical Transcriptionist In The Booming Medical Industry Make Money With Foreclosures! Fraud is most often associated with vending machine, display rack, pay phone, medical billing, work-at-home, and some Internet-related business opportunities. Promotions for fraudulent business opportunities often appear in the classified pages of daily and weekly… -
It's Raining Cats And Dogs. Pet Related Franchise Growth Continues
29 Jun 2009 | 9:22 amIs it my imagination, or are there more and more franchise concepts starting that have to do with the following; Grooming Mobile grooming Dog Daycare Dog And Cat Sitting Dog poop Removal {Still can't quite put my arms around this one. And I don't want to.} Dog Camps Dog Training Is the economy good enough to warrant all of these franchise start-ups? Let's find out.Go to Anita Campbell's Small Business Trends website to find out... -
Are Franchise Companies Ready For A Growth Spurt?
25 Jun 2009 | 4:18 amMonths and months of mostly negative discussions about a mostly negative economy have left a lot of us mostly...well...negative. Is there change in the air?The phone calls and emails that I have been receiving in the last 60 days or so are decidedly different than the ones I had been getting since the middle of… -
A Very Helpful Franchise
23 Jun 2009 | 8:12 amFrom The Daily Franchise News;Jim Wright is the man to call for help, when it comes to mobility... The Naples Daily News reported Wright is the owner of Amramp and one of the company's 40 franchisee-owned operations throughout the nation that sells and installs steel access ramps for the disabled on homes and for events like high school graduation ceremonies. Since opening for business in February, Wright has installed $12,000 in ramps and plans to break $50,000 by the end of 2009. He says Most of the sales are rentals installed on the homes of people with work-related injuries. Wright plans… -
5 Things My Dad Taught Me About Business And Life
22 Jun 2009 | 4:11 amJune 23rd is the second anniversary of my father, Jerry Libava's death. He succumbed to lung cancer in 2007. He started his self-employment trek in 1990, after being a victim of corporate downsizing at Physicians Weight Loss Centers, where he opened over 300 franchises......... He founded International Franchise Development, did some consulting, and in 1991, joined a young franchise brokerage firm out of San Diego. He was one of the original members of that group, and contributed lots of ideas, along with other…
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The Get Smart Blog
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Facebook What’s On YOUR Mind??
In this Read Write Web Facebook article they discuss the new changes happening over at Facebook and what Facebook maybe trying to accomplish. According to Facebook execs they say these new privacy changes are all about increasing a user's control over their privacy. In the post RWW sites Traffic and Advertising and ... -
Vacationing Without Your Boss, Company, or Clients Knowing
All of us with office jobs dream of vacations to sunny beaches and happy climes. Sipping from a drink with an umbrella in it and lounging in a beach chair. Ahhh, it feels warmer already. Well, you don't have to limit yourself to a one or two week a year getaway. ... -
Winning the Information Game: How To Collect, Organize, and Share Information
"Knowledge is Power" and "The More You Know The More You Grow" these statements are wonderfully empowering, completely true, and yet the same time a bit frustrating wouldn't you say? We would all love to know more....well most of us would, but where do you get the time to discover ... -
You Had Me at Hello: The Power of Twitter
I will openly admit that I am a Twitterholic, there is just so much that can be accomplished with Twitter that I can't help myself! In our workshops, trainings, and consultations I try to stress how useful and actually essential a platform such as Twitter can be for a business ... -
What is Your Twitter ROI? Twitter Analyzer Tools
ROI or return on investment is different for every person, business, and situation. First you must look at your goals....what do you hope to obtain with your investment? Next, what are you investing, money, time, and/or resources? What is the timeframe for your endeavor and what milestones are you looking ...
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The Profit Repairman
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Stop Your NO’s, Start Your KNOWS!
30 Jun 2009 | 7:20 amIf you say NO to something, ask yourself, “Why did I just say NO to that?” Start with knowing why you said no before you actually say NO, because once you say NO, that NO may have far-reaching consequences. When you commit to something by saying NO to it, and then end up finding out that you could have done it, an opportunity for that action is lost forever. Make sure that each decision you make has been well thought out. Life has a rippling effect. When you always say NO to someone, soon they will start asking someone else, because they really wanted a yes from you. But, if every answer… -
Keep IT Simple
8 Jun 2009 | 7:06 amYour businesses is what is “IT”, with all of the information and bombardment of calls, e-mails, faxes, twitters, IM’s, texts and people, a business owner can feel overloaded and get misdirected and forget to keep an eye on what really matters to their success, THE BOTTOM LINE! What’s the solution? On no more than a couple of 8½x11-inch pieces of paper, have a “snapshot” of the top five to ten critical statistical metrics that determine your business unit’s success available with comparisons for your daily morning review. If you do not have this report, you cannot be proactive… -
It’s June 1st, How Are You Pacing On Your Year-End 2009 Goals?
2 Jun 2009 | 1:47 pmYour 5/12 or 41.37% completed with the year, do your numbers tell you if you are going to make your 2009 year-end budget numbers today? If you had a twelve month pacing model in place for your business, you would have an accurate reading about this question. A pacing model can help your business unit gauge if it is on pace to meet the goals set forth and gives a quick “YES or NO” to that pacing question throughout your goals’ time frame. A pacing model is different than a forecasting model, since a pacing model takes your historical numbers to date plus what is pre-sold/reserved and… -
Are You Open?
4 May 2009 | 8:26 amAre your hours open to best maximize your top line sales or your lifestyle? When your business doors are closed, do potential, current, or future customers (economic decision makers) stop spending their money? Do outside and inside factors affecting your business and your competition stop, or is someone out there creating a better widget than you, ending their day when you do? No, they are not! Obviously, many factors come into play as a big part in determining your operational hours. But when was the last time you truly looked at your business unit’s hours with a critical and objective eye… -
Did You Draft A Good Team?
27 Apr 2009 | 10:58 amHow many of you watched the NFL draft yesterday? If you missed it, you also missed out on a great Human Resources lesson; do you know what that was? You must strengthen the weakest links in your Human Resources Chain to make sure your entire Team wins. Each Team that drafted yesterday asked the same question, round after round; whom is available in the marketplace (on a team or not) to fill our gaps, which our Team needs to win the next Super Bowl. Each Team’s need is different, but their goal is not; how do we build a better Team. They do that by not being satisfied with their current…
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Local Na8ion
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Access means Big Change Fast
25 Jun 2009 | 3:44 amLocal Knowledge Episode 18 Access means Big Change Fast In today’s episode of Local Knowledge I talk with viewers about how access to technology for small to medium sized businesses is creating big change fast in local online marketing. I cover easy-to-update websites and low cost online video to how Smartphones like the iPhone 3GS should be in the pockets of businesses like yours right NOW. Access to high quality low cost tools to make websites and online video offer companies with small budgets the chance to participate in marketing that used to just be for those with deep pockets. -
Update your website for more leads
22 Jun 2009 | 1:40 pmEpisode 17 | Local Knowledge Video Summary: If you’re like most small to medium sized businesses you either don’t update your website at all or you don’t update it frequently enough. This hampers your online marketing results in key areas like search engine optimization and building better customer relationships. In this six-minute video I talk about the two primary benefits of updating your website more frequently and then share a golden tip on how to create content for your website more efficiently and consistently. If you don’t already have an easy-to-update website for your… -
Free Press Release Websites for Small Business | Part II
31 Mar 2009 | 3:12 pmRecently I published an article about websites that allow you to publish your press release for free. I promised in my post to update you on resources you can use to write your press release. Those details will follow my commentary below but first I’ve got some useful updates and news to add. I want to make you aware of a service that LOCALNa8ion reader @trdeeter of problogservice.com called to my attention in the comments section of my last PR post. The service is called PitchEngine.com and I’m excited to share with you that It works It’s free That’s a pretty good… -
12 examples of WordPress flexibility for small business
19 Mar 2009 | 10:45 amYou may know WordPress as the very popular blogging tool that is now in use in over 50 languages and powers millions of blogs worldwide. What’s less known is the ability to use WordPress to power a regular small business website, even when there’s no blog involved. Web marketers and website developers are increasingly using WordPress to power very large websites as well. Here are a few examples. Customers around the world trust Network Solutions to manage more than 7 million domains, over 1.5 million e-mailboxes, and more than 350,000 Web sites. Network Solutions Uses WordPress… -
Free Press Release Websites for Small Business
16 Mar 2009 | 10:48 amOne of the most overlooked marketing opportunities for small business owner are press releases. Press releases can generate free buzz about your small business, products or services and create sales leads. Further, press releases have a positive impact on your local search engine optimization efforts. When a website news organization or blogger links to your website it indicates to Google, Yahoo! and other search engines that your site has some useful or relevant content. Press releases are a great way to make this happen. This is especially true if you use keywords that accurately…
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The Entrepreneurial Salesman
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Treat Sales People as Entrepreneurs
2 Jul 2009 | 6:48 amMy last post mentioned the poll I put up on LinkedIn - What is the most important thing for sales reps to succeed in doing… and I had some very interesting results and a good number of comments. I believe the comment from Peter Styles is most apt for this post… “Sales budgets drive the business therefore achieving sales targets are most critical”. Let’s break this sentence down into the two points: “Sales budgets drive the business…” uh-huh… makes me think that sales are important part of running the business… “…therefore achieving sales targets are most… -
Polling Day has arrived
24 Jun 2009 | 7:35 amIn the absence of a national poll to determine the next government of the UK, I thought I would share the details of a Poll that I have just created on LinkedIn. Although not as important as the big political poll, mine may well be just as controversial and if you wish top participate you can find the poll here. Choose your response carefully as there can be no recount! The question and the five possible responses… “What is the most important thing for sales reps to succeed in doing?” and the responses to choose from… a) Excellent Activity Management b) Accurate… -
Focus on the individual not the organisation.
23 Jun 2009 | 8:53 amCurrently, one of my favourite quotes is often attributed to Albert Einstein and his definition of insanity… “Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.” The reason why I find this quotation so appealing is that it is for our times… most of the world is in recession and therefore for many organisations are reporting that their sales are down. I was looking at the latest quarterly results of a potential new client today to read that sales are forty percent down on the same period last year. This is not uncommon. As a consequence, some organisations are… -
I’m Back!
17 Jun 2009 | 9:35 amI thought it was about time to dust down my keyboard and put finger to keys, or two fingers in my case, and write a post. It seems like it has been weeks and that is because it has! Although not posting on my site I have written a couple of pieces for the Sales Bloggers Union - Add Value by Asking Great Questions, Sales Process often stifles sales and Motivating the Buyer. I have also written a paper on Sales 2.0 which will be part of an eBook that Brad Trnavsky will be publishing on his Sales Management 2.0 site. My paper is… Sales 2.0 Should You be Afraid or Excited?… and here are… -
Sales Podcasts - listen and learn
1 May 2009 | 5:09 amIt seems blogging is no longer good enough and Podcasting is the way to go. Although it has been around for a few years the popularity of podcasting is increasing. Now, having just written these last two sentences I can’t but notice a number of words (Blogging, Podcasting, Podcasts) I’ve chosen to use are underlined in red – meaning spelling mistakes. My friend Tibor was recently accused of misspelling in one of his posts (Burn Out Is An Avoidable Ritual In Sales!) and so conscious not to upset the reading public podcasting might be the way to go! Of course Tibor’s spelling was…
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Dane Carlson: Business Opportunities
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Solar Business for Everyone
3 Jul 2009 | 2:36 pmphoto credit: Jesse Wagstaff Want to get into the solar business but don’t know anything about electricty? No problem, says the NY Times, neither do these guys: Technology advances and falling prices for solar technology have opened the gates for solar installations by businesses with no background in electricity generation. Energy generation “is not our primary business, but it’s in our best interest,” said Mike Defferding, executive vice president of Forest City Military Communities, a developer. “There’s an economic incentive to make the jump to become… -
Protect Your Business From Identity Theft
3 Jul 2009 | 1:30 pmphoto credit: lovelypetal It is so important these days to worry about identity theft not only in your personal life but especially in your business, maybe even more so in your business. Think about it, all the credit and charge cards your business contains, set up lines of credit for your business, hackers obtain a lot more money when stealing the identity of a business. As such, identity theft has a “multiplier effect” on small businesses, he added. “You’re not only affecting the individual — you’re affecting the business so inexorably linked to that… -
What Angel Investors Wont Tell You
3 Jul 2009 | 12:30 pmphoto credit: e³°°° In recent light of credit crunching down so much and the economy going down the toilet rapidly, we have all seen several articles posted on where to find additional help and financing such as with Angel Investors. However, as with any area of finance even Angel Investors have their bad points about them. Look below for some key phrases that you’ll never hear an Angel Investor actually say even though they are thinking it, recently read about at OnStartups.com. I only want to support the entrepreneurs who are actually going to make me a lot of money. However… -
Must Have Social Media Tools
3 Jul 2009 | 11:30 amphoto credit: geishaboy500 While today yes there are so many different web tools to choose from and you don’t need every single one, there are also many that a business definitely can benefit from and should have for their business. Below are a select few of the web tools for social media that I think a business should definitely obtain if they haven’t already. Ping.fm. Write once, publish many. Ping allows you to publish to as many as 60 social networks in less than 10 seconds (NOTE: be careful. Understand how your message is being sent and where it is going so you are not… -
Friday Fun Poll: Twitter Apps
3 Jul 2009 | 11:11 amThere are hundreds of third-party apps available for Twitter. Below are five apps. Which is NOT really a Twitter app? (At least not yet.) Twaitter Twitletter Twititon Tweepular Twicli View Results The answer will be revealed Monday. Have a safe and wonderful holiday weekend. Photo by whothetweet.com. From Business Opportunities Weblog.
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Signal vs. Noise
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QUOTE: 'Rock Star' is perhaps the most abused phrase
2 Jul 2009 | 2:02 pm‘Rock Star’ is perhaps the most abused phrase in the history of job listings. Nobody should be looking for a “rock star” accountant, HR recruiter or janitor. Whomever is posting these jobs is grossly misinformed as to the nature of rock stardom. Or accounting. Or both. —AvoidThisJob.com on the differences between a Rock Star and a Planet Funk Store Manager -
Product Blog update: New Basecamp features, Highrise/Harvest integration, etc.
2 Jul 2009 | 8:18 amSome recent posts at the 37signals Product Blog: Basecamp New File Uploading features in Basecamp We’re excited to announce a batch of improvements to File Uploads in Basecamp. Now it’s easier to attach multiple files at once, we’ve improved our progress bar to show you as each file is uploaded, and you can click thumbnails to zoom image attachments without leaving the current page. These new features make it faster and easier to attach, review and discuss files in Basecamp. Here’s a demo video to show you all the improvements. New Basecamp feature: The Daily Digest… -
Oldie But Goodie: Sketching with a Sharpie
1 Jul 2009 | 7:16 amI’ve always preferred sketching UIs with an as-thick-as-I-can-find Sharpie over a thin ballpoint pen or finely sharpened pencil. Ballpoints and fine tips just don’t fill the page like a Sharpie does. Fine tips invite you to draw while Sharpies invite you to just to get your concepts out into big bold shapes and lines. When you sketch with a thin tip you tend to draw at a higher resolution and worry a bit too much about making things look good. Sharpies encourage you to ignore details early on. If you sketch, try a thick Sharpie next time. You may find you’re better able to… -
Design Decisions: Results from the Basecamp account screen redesign
30 Jun 2009 | 9:54 amJust about two weeks ago we launched the a redesign of the account chart in Basecamp. This is where people can upgrade or downgrade their accounts. The goal was to increase overall upgrade conversions and encourage people who are on Basic plans or lower to upgrade to the Plus plan (our lowest priced full-feature plan). Results I’m glad to report our design hunches appear to have paid off. We’re only about two weeks in, so we don’t have a ton of data yet, but we can compare the 14 days since the upgrade with the 90 days prior to the upgrade. Average upgrades/day: up 13%… -
Working at 37signals
30 Jun 2009 | 8:54 amIt’s been several weeks since I was hired here at 37signals so I thought it might be interesting to share some of my experiences so far. Ready, set, go! One of the best things has been how quickly I’ve been able to jump in and start contributing. The very first project I worked on was a refresh of the Account screen in Basecamp. What started as an exercise quickly escalated to a new design that we wanted to actually put into the app. So it wasn’t long before I moved from Photoshop right into the app code to integrate the new design. This required me to build on my limited…
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Karl Goldfield: Startup Sales Mentor
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Pipeline Management Series: Time to Show Them Something
23 Jun 2009 | 4:47 pmWell, you are exhausted. That is to say that questioning has taken you as far as you need to go. You know who is involved, what they want, what they don’t want, and most of all what will get them running right onto the client list of one of your competitors. It is time to [...] -
SETV - Show Date/Time - What’s convienent for you?
18 Jun 2009 | 8:35 amLet The Sales Evangelist, Karl Goldfield, know what date/time you would like to view the weekly sales episodes each week! Send us an email and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter! -
Great Sales 2.0 Applications!
16 Jun 2009 | 7:34 pmIt is essential for a sales professional to get a huge number of quality leads in order to widen their market. The advent of new technology has paved way to make this easier for modern sales professionals. There are so many tools, so many platforms, so many softwares, so many websites that a sales professional can utilize to get leads but only one Web 2.0 Application stands out. MyWay Reach is an innovative new service designed to maximize your sales potential by extending your reach within target accounts and territories. -
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-14
14 Jun 2009 | 9:04 pmThe Sales Evangelist The Sales Evangelist The Sales Evangelist The Sales Evangelist The Sale.. http://twurl.nl/s0×1s5 # RT @damphoux: @b2b_sales_leads, @nedelsha, @Jeff_Ogden, @JoeGalvin discuss b2b Sales & Marketing Alignment http://bit.ly/DslEj #sales20 # asking the tough questions can case the client to think and commit #sales #STA http://bit.ly/OXBWu # RT @SalesBlogcast shares “17 Things You Have to Know!” http://bit.ly/13ceAA #sales [...] -
SETV Episode 19 – Evangelist in Discovery: Speaking their Language
11 Jun 2009 | 8:06 amHow much time have you spent learning the language of your buyers. Karl will share how a Sales Evangelist works toward understanding the word choice and vernacular of their contacts by title and industry. By speaking the language of the potential client more can get done in less time.
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Small Biz Survival
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Celebrate Independence in the Brag Basket
3 Jul 2009 | 4:51 amIt's Friday, and that means the Brag Basket is open for the weekend. On this Independence Day weekend in the USA, let's celebrate our independence as entrepreneurs. Share your projects and accomplishments. You can also cheer for other people, give shout outs, congratulate, and even give someone a well-deserved pat on the back.Plus, it's Liz Strauss' birthday. So go leave her a comment, OK? Think that bragging is a bad thing? Read how Tony explains the Brag Basket.The Brag Basket is open for everyone, whether from a small town, a big city, or anywhere in the world. (But it's true that I love… -
Social marketing only works if ...
2 Jul 2009 | 8:43 pmReminder: Social marketing only works if your product is excellent. Dangerous combination: aggressive social marketing and sucky product. New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe. -
Shopping local as a partnership
1 Jul 2009 | 12:57 pmLois Loucks, Director of the Tri-Cities Economic Development (Wheaton-Onaga-Havensville, KS), shared some of her innovative thoughts with me in an email about shopping local. "Shopping Local" as a two way street, with responsibility placed on the business owners to earn "their share of business". Just because someone decides to be in business, does not automatically mean they deserve "their share" of customers. The business owner/manager/employees must earn "their customers". From my experiences, I believe, especially in the present economy, a "Shop Local Campaign" must not only be directed… -
Is Twitter worth it for small town businesses
29 Jun 2009 | 10:51 amTwitter is getting a lot of attention, with mentions in national media, being used on the news, and articles in all kinds of business publications. But, is Twitter worth the effort for a small town business?Businesses of all sizes are sharing impressive results. Dell announced it has made $3 million worth of sales through its Twitter efforts. Even small businesses in big cities have started benefiting. Small bakeries can now buy an oven-gadget that automatically announces when fresh baked goods are available. Small restaurants in big cities are filling seats and retailers are selling specials… -
Share good news in the Brag Basket
26 Jun 2009 | 3:18 amIt's Friday, and that means the Brag Basket is open for the weekend. This is designed as a fun place for you to share your projects and accomplishments. But you can also cheer for other people, give shout outs, congratulate, and even give someone a well-deserved pat on the back.Think that bragging is a bad thing? Read how Tony explains the Brag Basket.The Brag Basket is open for everyone, whether from a small town, a big city, or anywhere in the world. (But it's true that I love small town brags!)Will you put something in the Brag Basket this week? You can brag on a friend, your…
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i know a mom
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Ladybug Stitches
18 Jun 2009 | 2:19 pmI recently discovered Ladybug Stitches Online Boutique...they specialize in custom and handmade gifts for babies, and clothing for boys and girls. They carry a wide variety of *ADORABLE* items, from aprons, diaper bags, nap mats to burp cloth sets and clothing. The prices are really affordable and the items are all handmade. And did I mention...adorable? Take a look! -
I apologize ::
18 Jun 2009 | 2:00 pmSorry for the long lapse in posts and reviews....here's a pretty good reason why. -
Winner :: Paper Shouts & Bride Wars Giveaway
7 May 2009 | 8:31 pmTo - Brea's Mommy - the winner of the Paper Shouts/Bride Wars Giveaway. Congratulations! -
gift hero to the rescue
1 May 2009 | 11:52 amI am a BIG fan of companies that exist to make my life a little easier as a mama. I can't count the number of times I have stood in the aisles of Target five minutes AFTER a birthday party starts, looking for the perfect birthday gift. I've heard the idea of having a "gift closet" but have never gotten around to such a concept. And, if the child isn't my son's age, I usually don't have any clue of what he/she will like. Gift Hero solves so many of these problems. They have done the research for you - they know what kids like - you can shop by age and gender. And, I LOVE that you can select… -
tess & tallulah
28 Apr 2009 | 10:49 amI have come to the realization that my kiddos have much nicer things than my husband and I...I suppose that is the natural progression of things. Our wedding gifts are now almost 10 years old, so it makes sense that some of our things have seen better days. Our children are "newer", after all. :) Case in point :: I just received the most luxurious towel from Tess & Tallulah for baby on the way. Not only is the towel super plush, it is so adorable -- it is one of those products that I want to just display on a shelf, not actually use, which I realize is very silly. The towel is in a mod…
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Marketing Practice
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Brand Update : Idea
2 Jul 2009 | 9:15 pmIdea has launched another campaign extending its core idea of " An Idea can Change your life ". This time the brand has chosen a funny tale to drive home its positioning. Watch the new ad here : Walk the TalkThe new campaign revolves around the theme " Walk when you talk " urging the mobile users to walk while they talk and there by be more healthy. The ad is funny and Abhishek Bachchan is at his best. The brand and the celebrity co-existed perfectly well without eclipsing each other. One should really appreciate Idea for being consistent with its positioning. The brand reaped the… -
Brand Update : Pulsar
30 Jun 2009 | 10:28 pmFaced with stiff competition from the likes of Yamaha, Honda and TVS Apache, Bajaj Pulsar have decided to strike back. The brand has been facing competition from the super bikes and was pressurised to hit back aggressively. Yamaha with its new launches and Apache are slowly eating away the market once owned by Pulsar. Pulsar reacted to this by launching new variants but on the promotional front, it was keeping silence.In my earlier posts, I have been criticising this brand for being laid back in its promotions and commoditising its DTSI USP.The brand has launched its revamped Pulsar 220… -
Fuel : Ignite the Fire
28 Jun 2009 | 9:31 pmBrand : FuelCompany : Elder PharmaBrand Analysis Count : 405Here is another men's deo launch. Elder Pharmaceuticals has recently launched its range of deos for men branded as Fuel. The deo is being launched in collaboration with VLCC.The men's deo market was virtually untouched till recently . Axe was ruling the market with no powerful competitors except for some foreign imports. But the last few months saw a plethora of brands entering this segment.My earlier blogpost was also about the Fa Xtreme and Denver both targeting the male segment.Fuel deo is running a tvc across various… -
Brand Update : Cadbury Dairy Milk
23 Jun 2009 | 9:38 pmIt is very difficult to imagine a campaign for Dairy Milk without Big B. Amitabh Bachchan had become the face of this brand and was instrumental in making the brand a darling of youngsters as well as not-so-young ones. Cadbury's was one of the brand that used the persona of Big B to the maximum.For the past few months, the brand has been trying to break free from the dependence on this powerful celebrity. The brand earlier came out with the "Kenya " campaign without Big B 's presence.Now Dairy Milk is running another campaign without Big B. The campaign known as the Pay Day campaign is… -
Brand Update : Fa
19 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmFa has launched its range of deos for men branded Fa Xtreme. The brand has roped in the hollywood diva Bipasha Basu as the brand ambassador. The brand is running its first tvc across various channels.Watch the TVC here : Fa XtremeWell.. Just like the brand Denver, Fa has also fallen into the stereotype trap. The theme is predictable and the execution is nothing but lousy.I wonder whether the creative and strategy guys of the agency had gone on a vacation entrusting this job to a school kid.And the way Bipasha embrace the hunk looks as if she is acting in a Kamasutra movie..Another issue is…
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Tecoris
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If You Can’t Be Replaced You Can’t Be Promoted
23 Jun 2009 | 9:14 amI love that saying on several levels. Nothing frustrates me more as a manager than the employee who builds a wall of secrecy around his area of responsibility. You know the type. They build an ever increasing list of things that only they can do. They guard the processes and procedures with their lives in a misguided belief that their job is secure if only they know how to do something. In effect they’re trying to create job security by holding you hostage. Nothing makes me madder than that. Not only do they take me for a fool (thinking they can hold me hostage,) they foster… -
Adapt Or Die: Part Two
22 Jun 2009 | 9:40 amA couple of weeks ago I wrote about the need to adapt or die. Today I read an article that illustrates exactly why. Kodak announced today that it will be discontinuing production of Kodachrome film effective this month. The article talked about how sales had dropped to a point it no longer made sense to continue. The real telling thing was, there is only one lab in the country that still processes Kodachrome and they will be done this winter. Apparently Kodak stock is off 76% from earlier this year. That’s pretty ugly. But I remember telling my son in 2000 that the film… -
World’s Worst Customer Service
17 Jun 2009 | 11:26 amI just returned from a week in New York City. Paraphrasing what NFL quarterback Jim McMahon said on leaving BYU, “My favorite view of New York was the one in the rear view mirror on my way out.” That’s not entirely true, or course, but there is certainly some truth there. I had fun in New York. Who doesn’t have fun in a place with that much culture and that much cultural diversity? We went to the theatre, to the museums, to the historic places, to the touristy places and everywhere in between. Some of the best food in the world can be found in New York. In… -
Adapt Or Die
8 Jun 2009 | 10:43 amI spoke with the owner of a very successful business the other day. They have a unique business model that has worked phenomenally well since they opened the business. They have experienced double digit growth month by month from their inception — until the last few months. Like many businesses in the USA (and the world) today, things are changing. Not only that, they’re changing so rapidly, many businesses aren’t able to keep up and are going under. This is a poor time to keep saying, “No, this is the way we do it around here. It’s the way we’ve… -
I Could Do That
4 Jun 2009 | 8:03 amIn this time of economic trouble, many people are losing their jobs. As they go out into a sometimes hostile marketplace looking for a new job, they find that there are few positions in their field. The trap many of them fall into is saying, “I could do that.” What that means is, “I don’t really like that. Under normal or ideal circumstances I wouldn’t do that. But if push comes to shove, and it looks like it has, I could do that.” The problem with that type of thinking is those people are not functioning in their “wheelhouse.”…
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StartupNation
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Opportunity for you to be featured on NBC Nightly News: Update
2 Jul 2009 | 12:00 pmUpdate for information previously provided in my blog post below: This just in from the NBC Nightly News producer: “We finally have an airdate. July 13th. I’ve been scrambling with other projects in the meantime. Scott is out til next week so after the holiday we’ll get serious about shooting someone starting a business. I haven’t had a chance to go thru all the candidates you sent, but a few look really promising. Thanks.” Cross your fingers, folks - i’ve submitted many of you for their consideration. — PREVIOUS POST ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 19, 2009 Here’s the… -
Max’s greatest adventure begins
1 Jul 2009 | 11:48 amYes, my incredible, ever true, best friend has met his end. Max has died of cancer at nine years old. This photo of him was snapped on Friday, tumor obvious, at a favorite spot of his – the creek behind my dear friends Brent and Teri’s ranch. I am also including links to blog entries I’ve written here at StartupNation about Max (with some reluctance, I might add, given this is a business website and is typically inspirational in spirit, but I ultimately concluded that the human side of all of our business endeavors is worthy). In reverse chronological order: My Dog, One… -
Website ROI - 5 Secrets to Success
1 Jul 2009 | 6:36 amA website that does not drive your small business revenue is a lost opportunity. When building a new website or updating an existing website, many small business owners are focused on the design, technologies (Flash, for example), or the number of pages of the site. What is ultimately important to focus on, though, is your website’s Return On Investment (ROI). Simply put, how is the website driving revenue and helping you to build your business? To that end, here are 5 tips to help you get the most out of your website. These tips will help you avert much of the dysfunction that can… -
Cool Idea Hits it Big with Publicity
30 Jun 2009 | 2:00 amI recently found out about this business called Klymit, www.klymit.com. If you’re a scuba diver like me, or just like to spend time outdoors, it’s pretty cool stuff. With this in mind, I tracked down some insights from Klymit’s CEO, Nate Alder. Here’s what he had to say: Tell us how and why you started your business. Back in July of 2006, while I was still in college, I went on a trip to Brazil and went scuba diving with some friends. The Master Diver talked about the use of a noble gas called Argon in their dry suits to help them stay warm while diving into frigid… -
Why the Time is NOW to Hire a Virtual Assistant
29 Jun 2009 | 5:28 amWith over 70% of the economic experts expecting a last quarter uptick in the economy, now is the perfect time to start preparing for the extra business. I am a big fan of using virtual assistants to help build out my team during peak seasons. This is an especially useful business strategy in today’s market place. One of the best lessons a recession can teach us is that in many circumstances variable costs beat fixed costs any day. To survive the feast or famine rollercoaster of entrepreneurship, you need to make sure your expenses mimic those same ups and downs. Benefits of…
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Mobile Marketing Watch
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U2 Goes Mobile with New Album
3 Jul 2009 | 9:25 amBono on your Blackberry. Could there be a cooler combination? If you’re a U2 fanatic, today is an exciting day. Research In Motion is reportedly teaming with superstar recording group U2 for the release of a new mobile album. For now, all reports are light on details. A blurb on BlackBerry.com, however, gives a quick synopsis of what appears to be a “U2 App” with music, photos, tour info and a few other morsels of insider information. As soon as more details are made available, you will be among the first to know if you sign up for an email notification on the status of the… -
Visa Teams with Monitise for Ambitious Alliance
2 Jul 2009 | 9:06 amIt seems like a match made in mobile heaven. Monitise has announced a “global strategic alliance agreement” with Visa International Service Association, a subsidiary of Visa Inc. The reported five-year agreement combines “Visa’s unmatched reach, payments expertise and trusted brand with the Monitise Mobile Money platform and toolkit.” Basically, Monitise will be an enormously helpful vehicle for Visa’s already teeming offering of mobile services (including payments, transaction alerts and special offers) by providing support and even greater reach to the… -
Verizon Wireless Offers Patriotic Jukeboxes
1 Jul 2009 | 9:26 amJust in time for the benchmark holiday of summer, Independence Day, Verizon Wireless is getting patriotic. And we can join in the fun thanks to their patriotic ringtone and ringback jukebox. Verizon Wireless unveiled the two new ringback jukebox bundles this week, which will be available through the operator’s VZW Tones Deluxe service. Customers can now choose from hundreds of patriotic, customizable tracks to prepare for whomever may ring for the Fourth of July: · “American Pie,” by Don McLean · “R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.,” by John Mellencamp · “Born In… -
MMA Releases New US Consumer Best Practices, V4.0
1 Jul 2009 | 8:13 amThe Mobile Marketing Association has released the latest version of its “U.S Consumer Best Practices Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Services. More simply, its the latest iteration of guidelines in terms of cross-carrier mobile content services such as SMS, MMS, shortcode services, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and the mobile Web. Dubbed version 4.0, the new guidelines represent the first time the individual mobile marketing guidelines and codes of conduct, known as “carrier playbooks,” of the four largest U.S. wireless service providers: Verizon Wireless,… -
“MMS Lite” Debuts As SMS/MMS Hybrid Solution
30 Jun 2009 | 1:01 pmA mobile services company dubbed Grapevine Interactive has developed what they’re calling MMS Lite, a hybrid SMS/MMS solution that aims to fill the niche between simple text-based SMS and more complex and expensive MMS. Created for mobile marketers, Grapevine Interactive CTO Cliff Court states: “Mobile marketers, in particular, have been asking for a product offering more than text-only SMS but with less of the complexity and high cost of MMS.” To answer that need, Grapvine’s “MMS Lite” solution combines a notification message with a larger rich…
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Business Blogs on Blogged
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How to be the best customer
Wisebread We've no shortage of "How to do good customer service" articles designed to be applied from the company's side. But what about customers? We need each other to thrive, and... -
Ask the Readers: Save More or See the World?
Get Rich Slowly I’ve written a lot lately about finding balance. It’s important to save for the future, but how do you balance that with enjoying today? Each of us has to address that question in our own way. A... -
The FDIC’s Negative Feedback Loop
Deal Journal President Obama has taken some hits over his low batting average on making good on campaign promises of making government more transparent. Many regulators in his administration also have been... -
Jobs Data Should Mute Inflation, Rate-Hike Worries
Economics Blog The grinding gloom of the June payrolls report shows why inflation fears are overdone, and why it’s a pretty safe bet the Fed’s policy stance faces no imminent changes. Bernanke The U.S. economy... -
Good-Bye, Microsoft Money! 16 Powerful Personal Finance Programs
Get Rich Slowly As of today, Microsoft Money is no longer available for purchase. Microsoft has essentially conceded that there’s no demand for the product. From the website: With banks, brokerage firms and Web...
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Branding Strategy Insider
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Days of the Logo Numbered
2 Jul 2009 | 10:30 pm“Make it bigger,” the executive screamed from the corner of the room as I desperately sought a sign-off for an ad featuring a major fashion brand. This wasn’t the first time such a situation came up. In fact, every meeting I had always ended up in discussions about the placement and size of the logo – it was as if that one by one inch space, over time, had become the holy grail of branding – the rest was more or less an ad-on. Let’s be frank – we live in a logo obsessed world. Pay a quick visit to Times Square and you’ll see what I mean. But is the magic still in the logo as… -
Marketing Luxury Brands Q&A
1 Jul 2009 | 9:10 pmNot too long ago I was interviewed by Amanda Tattam of Melbourne University's Up Close program. Here's the discussion that transpired.Amanda Tattam The massive growth of luxury goods has now extended deeply into China, India and other markets. Estimates vary, but some say the luxury market is worth between 60 billion and 20 trillion US dollars, including consumers who are trading up. That is, the increasingly wealthy middle classes, who 30 years ago, would have thought it luxurious to have two TVs in a household. Mark, can you explain how a luxury brand distinguishes itself from other brands? -
When The Brand Appeal Just Isn't There
30 Jun 2009 | 9:10 pmThis weekend, if the papers are to be believed, we might see the first British men's finalist at Wimbledon for more than 70 years. I am not convinced that Andy Murray will make it to an apparently inevitable final against Federer on Sunday, but, irrespective of his performance on the courts this week, the bigger marketing question relates to the potential appeal of 'Brand Murray'.The concept has reached a peak in recent months, fuelled by both the player's short odds to win Wimbledon and his decision earlier this year to join 19 Entertainment, David Beckham's agency, which is widely portrayed… -
What Are Brand Attributes?
29 Jun 2009 | 9:10 pmToday we're taking another branding question. Feyza, a marketer in Istanbul, Turkey asks... What are brand attributes? Please describe the difference between brand essence and brand attributes!"Feyza thanks for your question. Attributes are more often used when referring to products than brands. A product's attribute might be a function or a feature. These functions and features often lead to consumer benefits. However, brands can have attributes too. The attributes may be personality attributes or they may be derived from the brand's products' attributes.A brand's essence, on the other hand,… -
Creative Debate: London's 2012 Olympic Logo
28 Jun 2009 | 9:05 pmCreative debates come and go. Some, like that of Tropicana's new packaging and London's 2012 Olympic logo are sure to have a long shelf-life. As Wolff Olins’ work on the 2012 logo continues to be scrutinized, we would like to gauge your reaction to the design above. To begin, two marketers share their opposing views.Loves it: Bryan Bedell Just like most people, our first reaction to the London 2012 logo was shock. But we talked about it all morning, and by 3pm, we decided we love it. And here’s why you should, too:It’s not boring. The bright colours and distinctive design definitely do…
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OPEN Forum by American Express OPEN
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A Recovery or Not - What to do Now?
3 Jul 2009 | 8:00 amThis seems to be the topic that is on everyone’s mind these days: Are we in the early stages of an economic recovery and what will happen now? Take a simple test: What do YOU think? The answer, I’ll bet was “I’m not sure.” And if that’s right, then you are representative of the majority of America (and maybe a lot of other countries). What do you do when you are uncertain? You are cautious, right? You watch your spending and keep it to the basics — the needs and wants that are modest, etc. Well, there is your answer. This recovery… -
8 Simple Rules for Practicing Frugality while Traveling for Your Business
2 Jul 2009 | 8:19 amWhenever I have the opportunity to take business trips, I’m often stunned at the endless opportunities to rack up expenses. Tickets. Meals. Cab fare. Hotels. Entertainment. Pretty much anything in an airport. Sure, most of these expenses are tax deductible, but they still eat directly into the bottom line of a small business. After one particularly painful business trip in 2007, when I found myself spending a shocking amount on food, drink, lodging, and transportation fees, I resolved to never fall into that trap again. I sat down, took a serious look at my business… -
Business in the 2010s: Proceed with caution, but proceed
2 Jul 2009 | 7:44 amPlanning for growth in the post meltdown economic climate: Growth should generally be a key focus for business but the current strained economic conditions mean that for many businesses simply keeping above water is a major challenge. Also, some recent examples of irresponsible behavior by corporate leaders have led to great concern among customers and a desire for signs that businesses are practicing *responsible growth* and long term, *sustainable* corporate architectures. Responsible practices and long term growth have been great basic business principles for some time, but have become… -
How Is the Economy Looking for Women Starting Up Businesses?
2 Jul 2009 | 7:00 amLet’s jump right to the question that every woman entrepreneur who’s thinking about starting up a business in today’s economy wants the answer to: “Should I start up now or wait six months?” On one hand, you might be thinking that starting up your business in this economy would be a risk. On the other, you might be hearing buzz that the U.S. is beginning to come out of the recession, which would mean that starting up now would put you on the leading edge of post-recession confidence. How do you decide what to do? Regardless of when you start up your business - in… -
Three Sacred Cows That Deserve to Become Hamburger
1 Jul 2009 | 10:16 am2009 is a year that will repeatedly leave our collective jaws dropped. Recently, we heard that the FDIC, the organization built to insure our money is guaranteed in the US banking system, is in jeopardy. What? Is there no safe ground? I say no, there isn’t, and that means you are hereby granted license to try some business decisions that might not have been considered best practices until this year. Look over at that pasture. It’s not so green any more. You’re not sustaining, or you’re okay today, but tomorrow looks like the grass might get brown and brittle. Time to consider a few…
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Ideablob News
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Epic Change wins $10k & Aims to Help Those in Need
8 Jun 2009 | 10:00 pmEpic Change wins $10k & Aims to Help Those in Need. For more news see http://www.ideablob.com/posts. -
"Stories of AIDS through Music" Wins $10,000
17 May 2009 | 10:00 pm"Stories of AIDS through Music" Wins $10,000. For more news see http://www.ideablob.com/posts. -
“Design Green Now” Wins
15 Apr 2009 | 10:00 pm“Design Green Now” Wins. For more news see http://www.ideablob.com/posts. -
THE BLOG - blog.ideablob.com
5 Mar 2009 | 10:00 pmTHE BLOG - blog.ideablob.com. For more news see http://www.ideablob.com/posts. -
The Contest Continues
1 Mar 2009 | 10:00 pmThe Contest Continues. For more news see http://www.ideablob.com/posts.
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Men With Pens
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How to Turn Your Blog Into a Business
3 Jul 2009 | 3:00 amIn a recent post, we explored a few facts: Blog readers aren’t buyers, more readers won’t make you rich, and fame is nice, but it doesn’t pay the bills. So now what? You might be looking at your blog feeling disheartened and discouraged. Your whole business model revolved around blogging for business, and your home page is full of posts. Fret not, fair reader. All is not lost. If you’re sitting there wondering what to do with your front-page blog and few sales, the answer is simple: Change. That’s the nice thing about blogs and sites built on WordPress. They’re very forgiving and… -
Staying On Task While Traveling
1 Jul 2009 | 3:00 amEditor’s note: Happy Canada Day to all our Canadian friends! As you know, I’ve been in Ashland for the Shakespeare Festival. Before that, I was in Alameda helping my younger sister celebrate her birthday. Before THAT, I was visiting various friends in Northern and Southern California (two areas that should really be separated by barbed wire and a sign that says “Here There Be Dragons”). I have been on the road for the last month. On the morning that you read this, I will have just spent my first night back in my own bed. Which is why you probably won’t see me until… -
How to Get New Clients with Old Work
29 Jun 2009 | 3:00 amImagine getting new clients all the time using old work you’ve done in the past. How easy would that be? Wouldn’t it be nice? You can do just that – by having a great portfolio. Do You Really Need to Show Off? Yes, you do. When you operate an online business, you need to provide potential clients with a portfolio of your past work to show your abilities and skills. A portfolio is the equivalent of a resume or CV. Your resume reflects your experience and work. Often, it represents a lifetime of your achievements. A portfolio is no different. This is your life’s work… -
What You Need to Know Before You Start a Video Blog
29 Jun 2009 | 3:00 amLove it or hate it, video is here to stay. Despite those who need to read and don’t like videos, there are others who think video is the next best thing. And it could be. In our human need to desire fulfilling all our senses, video blogging (or vlogging) seems the next natural step in the evolution of blogging. We could read posts, then we could listen to audio, and now we can see. A vlog might sound like a fun idea to start up. When done well, it can be a useful tool, too. But there are a few important factors to consider before the cameras start rolling: Satisfy All Types of People… -
How to Swipe Your Way to Faster Communication and Better Service
26 Jun 2009 | 3:00 amPersonalized communication is important these days. No one likes automated responses and canned communication, and we feel let down when we see those template replies. Your potential customers want to work with you. If you treat them like a number, you may lose sales. But new freelancers often go to extremes to avoid the problem of using cookie-cutter communication. They want to offer top-notch, all-personal attention to every potential customer, so they expend energy and time writing out brand-new replies to every contact. Those minutes add up, often into hours. Even a fast typer ends up…
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My Venture Pad
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Twitter is the Internet's Water Cooler
3 Jul 2009 | 1:32 pmYou can’t monitor the whole Internet. Nobody can, not even Google. So what do you do? It’s obvious that you can’t ignore it? You need to be monitoring something. “But I don’t have budget for ... -
Redefine Customer Communication
3 Jul 2009 | 8:24 amLast week I did a half day workshop at Enterprise 2.0 in Boston. We had a great conversation! Over fifty people from a broad range of backgrounds attended! I was glad to hear that we had more than m... -
Successful People Build Strong Relationships With Their Colleagues
3 Jul 2009 | 8:16 amTomorrow is Independence Day in the USA. Happy 4th of July to all of my readers in the US. I hope you get a chance to relax and enjoy the long weekend. Cathy and I are headed for the beautiful Colorad... -
More Behaviour Less Measurement
3 Jul 2009 | 7:35 amNew strategies require new measurement – or so says Helge Tenno. In this fantastic presentation, Helge suggests that when it comes to the social web, we are using the “destination web” as a basis fo... -
Leading: Meet People Where They Are
3 Jul 2009 | 7:35 amA client was of mine was told that he didn't jump in alongside his people to get new projects and improvements off the ground. As a result, things weren't getting done on schedule. So I asked him wh...
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Entrepreneur Blog
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How The Mighty Fall, And Get Back Up
2 Jul 2009 | 1:34 pmIn the latest book by Jim Collins, How the Mighty Fall, Collins carefully outlines how great, thriving organizations can quickly and dramatically fall from prominence. While he spends a lot of time outlining what he calls the “Five Stages of Decline”, I was particularly motivated by his thoughts on what those who fall, and then recover, have in common. I certainly want to understand how to avoid a fall in the first place. (Or should I say, avoid any more “falls” than I’ve already experienced!) But since it’s a given that stumbling and falling down is a… -
Perfection-ism Syndrome
20 Jun 2009 | 10:48 amI want to address something that lurks in the wings, waiting to suck you in…and it’s a real productivity killer: Perfection-ism Syndrome. “I can’t do the next thing until this task is just right!” If you find yourself saying this, you’ll have a really hard time being efficient and productive. Successful entrepreneurs must be able to juggle multiple tasks and while the details are important, getting it “just right”…doing things “perfectly” will slow progress and hold you back. Consider these tips, they’ll help you get real about the Perfection-ism Syndrome: Tip… -
Avoid Paralysis of Analysis
7 Jun 2009 | 2:48 pmIn business you’re flooded with information from marketers and experts. Some of it piques your interest but eventually you simply get stuck staring at all of it; “Is this the right thing to do next, or is that the right thing?” That’s Paralysis Analysis! And before you know it, hours, days, even weeks can go by and you’re still stuck in the exact same place—nowhere. The truth is, analyzing information creates a “feeling” of work and it creates the illusion of progress when it’s really just another insidious form of procrastination. So, here are some important tips that… -
The Speed of Trust
11 Mar 2009 | 6:10 pmI’ve been reading “The Speed of Trust” by Stephen M.R. Covey. So much of what he covers is extremely relevant. Especially today. In times of uncertainty it’s much more difficult for people to hide under the radar or just “skate by.” Whether in a job, running a company, looking for new work, or starting a new business, those we deal with have a heightened awareness of what’s going on around them. Who can they trust? Who are the most valuable players? Who’s for real? Who’s genuine? In times like these, one of the best ways to stand out in… -
How’s Your Brainpower?
9 Feb 2009 | 5:00 amIt’s funny how we forget about our brain sometimes. We try and take care of our bodies with exercise but seem to altogether overlook the fact that our brain needs exercise too. As America ages, we’re finally seeing an increase in programs and even “head health” facilities that focus on increasing mental capacity and keeping our minds sharp. Skeptical? Consider this, Do you ever want to say something but just can’t find the word? (I thought so.) We all have some mental weaknesses. I exhibit mine at least 10 times a day! Brain fitness is real. And the more fit you can keep your…
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Home Business Ideas
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A Blog Post from the Sick Bed, a Seminar Post-Mortem, and How To Give Good… Gifts
25 Jun 2009 | 9:38 amI am sick. This is good for you because I write better when I’m sick. I don’t give a shit if anybody likes what I have to say, so I just say it. Like Chris Rock, but whiter. Or Johnny Truant, but prettier. So how did the seminar go? I did my first ever in-person seminar the other day and it was killer. I won’t tell you what I talked about because then I can’t charge you to come to the Canadian version later, but I will say that the intrepid souls who braved the trip and the risk made me very happy indeed. I met Mark Benjamin who is brave enough to be honest about not… -
Johnny Gets Physical, Like Olivia Newton John
22 Jun 2009 | 4:05 amSo today, I thought it might make sense to talk about the very first thing I tried in my online commerce fiesta, and also the thing I’ve had the least success with: selling a physical product. Because it was my first large venture, I have a fair amount to say about it. But, because it hasn’t been a runaway hit, you may not care if I say it. Meh. You might as well read this anyway, because otherwise you have to get back to work. Or maybe surf for porn. (If it’s the latter, go ahead. I’d make the same choice.) So here’s what happened. It started way, way back in… -
The IttyBiz Summer Collection, or Jamie’s Deportation Collection
18 Jun 2009 | 8:05 amI am writing this for you today because my husband Jamie, the best husband in the history of marriage, has taken Jack away. I don’t know where he’s taken him and I don’t care. All I care about is that he’s gone. Because Jack has become three. He’s not actually three until September but in his head, he’s totally three. If you are a parent, you understand that THREE IS ALWAYS WORSE THAN TWO. Why? Because nobody fucking WARNS you about three. Three is “why?” Three is “whasSAT for?” Three is “whassat MEAN?” Three is… -
Introducing The Incredible Business Building Bullshit Detector
16 Jun 2009 | 5:55 amI know a guy who lives in northern Ontario. The economy kind of sucks up there and for a variety of reasons, he can’t get a conventional job. His skill set is limited, he doesn’t have a lot of spare time to work and competition for traditional small town ittybiz options (lawn cutting, snow shovelling, that sort of thing) is high. He does, however, have one particularly unique skill. He has freakishly good luck when he hunts. I don’t know a whole lot about hunting, but I know you don’t score a dead deer every time you take a walk. It’s an art and a science, and… -
Johnny Asks: Are you selling solutions? Or are you selling some stupid-ass product?
15 Jun 2009 | 6:34 amTen minutes ago as I write this, I was begging to spend $60 for a service that I didn’t really, on any normal level, need or want at all. It was a surreal demonstration of the power of urgency-based purchasing. Wait. Wait, before you start expecting me to write something all deep and shit. Let me be honest. I’m sort of on vacation here. I hope you’re okay with this being a laid-back sort of post, with a laid-back sort of point to it. I’m going to tell a story, and it has a moral, but I’m going to kind of saunter up to it slowly while holding a beer. Hope…
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All You Need Is A Good Idea!
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HAPPY FOURTH
3 Jul 2009 | 7:16 amJust want to wish everyone a happy—and safe—Independence Day. (For a thrilling version of the Star Spangled Banner to accompany that thought, just click play.)And remember, any live fireworks display…school, town, or whatever…is many times more exciting than even the spectacular Macy’s fireworks display when it’s seen on TV.And though I am sure there is a marketing message to be gleaned from that observation, it is a holiday. -
WOULD YOU HELP ME FOR ONE MILLION DOLLARS?
1 Jul 2009 | 7:07 amHow would you like to have thousands of people help design your next product improvement?Netflix, the online DVD rental company, set up a contest offering a million-dollar prize to anyone who developed algorithms that improved their movie recommendations by more than 10 percent. After almost three years, and entries from over 50,000 contestants, a group says that is set to win the prize.(Here’s more information than most anyone would ever need about all this.)First, does this seem like a lot of money to spend? Well, Netflix points out that it’s a low price for an improvement, which would… -
ONE BIRTHDAY. TWO VERY DIFFERENT DINNERS.
29 Jun 2009 | 6:47 amMy birthday was last Wednesday and, it being a special one, we celebrated it twice. Once on the actual day, with a casual dinner, and again last Friday evening at a higher end dining venue.I was allowed to select the casual place, and chose a local Mexican restaurant. When I booked they asked, as a matter of course, if it was for a special occasion, and I told them we were celebrating a birthday. When we came in and gave our name, I noted in the reservation log that there was a small “HB” next to my name, which I (correctly) assumed was their code for “Happy Birthday.” Sure enough, at… -
Risk The Unpredictable
26 Jun 2009 | 6:29 amNew York’s newest attraction is the High Line. It is a park built on an abandoned elevated railroad track on the West Side of Manhattan. There is a wonderful article about it by Julie V. Iovine in the Wall Street Journal, with a video tour online. (Paid subscription required, unfortunately. But here is the FREE official High Line website.) As interesting as this new park is, it is the story of community doubts, prohibitive costs general opposition, and their eventual resolution that is more to the point of this post. All because in reading the article I came across this great phrase:… -
A SHOE STORY
24 Jun 2009 | 6:16 amI never thought I would purchase a pair of shoes online; the correct sizes are difficult enough to figure out in shoe stores, let alone when you can’t try them on. And who knows what the actual color might be (Brown? There must be 67 shades, each called “Brown.”).Then I found a site called Zappos, which sounded terrific —and this does have a very happy customer service ending. They offer free shipping both ways, and a 365-day return policy. Plus, free phone service or live chat. And if the pair they sent does not fit, they will send you a different size to try, and you just return the…
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p2w2 blog
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Five Tips for Creating Website for Business
11 Jun 2009 | 2:37 pmYour website gives the first impression about your business. It is a reflection upon your company’s personality. While, simplicity is the key, it is difficult to strike a balance between looks and purpose while designing a website. This blog post in Small biz bee offers five tips that can help you create a website that brings business. “If you leave your website’s look and feel strictly to the designers, be prepared to get a beautiful, sexy, artistic site that does everything but make you money.” -
Four Ways of Implementing Internet Marketing
9 Jun 2009 | 12:16 amNo matter which business you own, Internet Marketing is here to stay. But how do you implement it? Russ Henneberry has outlined four options you can consider. It is true that you can learn all the techniques required to top the search results. However, back linking to get optimized results for your website is a time-consuming process and time, as we know, is something all small business owners are short of. So, managing the entire online marketing process on you own is not very advisable for small business owners. Hiring an in-house search engine optimization specialist is an option. However,… -
Are we on the same page?
3 Jun 2009 | 9:35 pm -
How to Build Your Business Credit Rating
28 May 2009 | 10:51 amManagement of finance in recession period is challenging. The credit worthiness of your business plays a major role in your business cash flows. Fastupfront blog has written a good article (How to Build Your Business Credit Rating) on how to improve your business credit rating for borrowing required finance. Tip #1: Separate your business credit profile from your personal credit. Tip #2: Register your business with the major credit reporting agencies and monitor reporting. Tip #3: Make good cash flow management a priority. Tip #4: Seek out transactions that will improve your credit score. -
How to Write Copy for Short Attention Span
19 May 2009 | 4:53 amWriting for web or for that matter any medium these days has to deal with the short attention span problem. As a business owner, if you can figure out how to write for short attention spans, you will have a BIG asset. Copyblogger has a good post about how to write for short attention spans. No matter how gripping your sales copy is, it’s an unfortunate fact that the majority of people will only read the first few lines of it. Does that mean all the effort you poured into the perfect call to action is wasted? Not at all! But in today’s fast-paced world of communication, less really is…
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Online Business Blog -- erica.biz -- Erica Douglass teaches you how to start and grow an online business!
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When You’re Sick, What Happens To Your Small Business?
23 Jun 2009 | 6:44 pmImagine waking up every morning and feeling like you have been hit by a freight train. You take naps throughout the day, but to no avail — you feel worse when you wake up than when you went to sleep! Every time you eat, no matter what you eat, you feel as if you’re slipping into a coma. It’s hard to concentrate for more than a few seconds; writing anything more than two sentences is almost too much effort. You can’t remember anything and begin to slip on making appointments because your brain is so foggy. You find yourself constantly glancing at your calendar for fear… -
The End of an Era
2 Jun 2009 | 11:31 pmMy journey through Silicon Valley has come to an end. Now, I relive it for you, including full details of some harrowing experiences I haven’t yet shared publicly, and explain what’s next. The Beginning In August, 1999, a few months after I graduated from high school and having just turned 18, I packed my car full of everything I owned and drove to the promised land — California. I was young and naive. I moved from a small farm town in Indiana to smack in the middle of a huge, 1-million-person-plus city (San Jose) and chose to live in the dorms at San Jose State, where,… -
Web Site Copywriting Secrets: Rocket Your Sales with These Two Easy Tips
21 May 2009 | 10:19 amWeb site copywriting secrets; how to get your web site visitors to buy.What’s the difference between web sites where visitors buy products consistently — and web sites where visitors don’t buy at all? Many times, it’s not your product, price, or site design that make your visitors whip out their credit cards. Instead, your web site’s copywriting — the words used on your site — make all the difference. Marketing gurus charge a lot of money to tell you how to write better web site copy. In fact, I recently paid copywriting guru Chris Haddad 5 figures to… -
Cash Back Rewards Credit Cards
13 May 2009 | 11:53 amWhich cash back rewards credit cards are worth it?When I started my search for a cash back rewards credit card several months ago, there was a bevy of cards available, each seemingly offering something better than the next. I ended up picking up a Chase Freedom rewards credit card, which offered 3% cash back in the 3 spending categories I used most, plus an additional $50 bonus cash back for every $200 in cash back earned. I paid off my credit card balance in full every month and benefited from thousands of dollars in rewards. Now, due to the credit crunch, credit card companies have been… -
How To Choose A Business
1 May 2009 | 6:55 amHow to choose a business.Ben writes in: “One of the issues I struggle with is focus. I have too many ideas and dilute my time pursuing several of them. What process do you use to choose which business idea you’ll run with?” V also has a similar question: “I’d like to hear your thoughts about involving in many businesses at once. I’m mostly interested in web-based projects with a high requirement of up-front work (but not necessarily up-front money investment) and ‘passive-income’ potential.” Instead of some boring stats and humdrum…
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Forbes.com
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Can We Innovate Our Way Out Of Recession?
1 Jul 2009 | 6:00 pmYes--but it will take lots of strategic alliances among many players to pull it off. -
How To Value An Auto Dealership
30 Jun 2009 | 3:25 pmA lot of these outfits are on the blocks. Here's how to price them. -
Bean Battles
25 Jun 2009 | 12:00 pm -
Sweet Talker
25 Jun 2009 | 12:00 pmJacques Torres' showmanship sets him apart in the chocolate market. -
How To Deal With Bankrupt Customers
23 Jun 2009 | 3:00 pmWhat you should know about reclamation rights and critical-vendor orders.
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Business Week: Small Business
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When Sister Is Your Business Partner
30 Jun 2009 | 6:40 am -
Who Pays a Failed LLC's Debts?
30 Jun 2009 | 6:39 am -
When Your Kids' Needs Conflict With Work
26 Jun 2009 | 10:12 am -
As Bankruptcies Surge, Fewer Emerge
23 Jun 2009 | 6:51 am -
America's Best Independent Stores
19 Jun 2009 | 12:48 pm
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JUST TELL ME HOW TO MANAGE
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The "Don't" Interview Secret
8 Jun 2009 | 11:37 amMany good people have recently lost their jobs – and not because of poor performance. Your ad runs once and an email avalanche is the result. How do you decide who to interview? More importantly, how do you decide who you don’t interview?Use screening questions. A short list of questions that quickly and effectively screens out candidates who just won’t make the cut. And screens in those who deserve the big interview. But the ‘don’ts’ come first.The goal for the Screen interview is to be short and sweet. It's efficient. And it lasts ten minutes, max; fifteen for someone who is… -
Fantasyland is in Orlando
29 Apr 2009 | 8:23 pmHere is the Fantasyland definition of management: expecting people to show up, memorize their job descriptions and “just do their job”. In other words, it's not real. And here is another pretend definition of management: any sort of nonsense that includes things like hitting the number or growing profit. Revenue and profit are the results of great management; hitting the number does not define anyone as a great manager. That makes you a great profiteer.A more accurate, real-life definition of management is this: doing what is needed to help talented people succeed. It's kind of broad and… -
How To Operate - YOU
4 Apr 2009 | 1:11 pmOperating instructions come with every electronic item we buy. Even the simple stuff. The manual for an iron shows how to plug it into the wall. Flight attendants still show us how to insert the strap into the seatbelt clip. (Why do they still demonstrate that??) We might not read the instructions but we expect to receive them. For everything. Those manuals are like tiny insurance policies: “I can read it when it breaks”.You know where this is going. And it makes sense, doesn’t it? Managers should come with a set of instructions. Seriously. I recommend that you personalize the sample… -
If the Shoe doesn’t fit…
20 Mar 2009 | 5:03 pmHere is the NOT definition of management: spending way too many of your coaching hours with under-performing employees. The ones who improve just barely enough to stave off the reality that they should be fired. Are you doing that? Why?The wounded state of our economy is an opportunity to de-hire the employees who don't meet the standard of right person right job. The ones who are not meeting expectations. The ones who struggle with the skills they need to succeed. The ones who struggle.Are you managing out of 'maybe'? As in, maybe she will improve when I explain this...again. Or maybe she… -
What’s True
23 Feb 2009 | 12:48 pmManagers have to be completely committed to the truth. You set yourself up for great success as a leader when your people know that you will not accept anything less than the truth. And that this standard is applied to both the incoming and outgoing.We are all incredibly busy. We get distracted by the little fires that spontaneously combust every hour of the day. We make poor decisions when we don’t take the time to determine what is really true. We invent perception, half-truths, denial and exaggeration. We guess. And we get good at making excuses.As a manager, you set the standard for…
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Entrepreneur: Up and Running
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Is Entrepreneurship Declining?
1 Jul 2009 | 9:58 amVery interesting piece on BusinessWeek.com today, “Is Entrepreneurship Declining.” John Tozzi gets two contrary points of view from two people I’m proud to know and admire: Scott Shane and Steve King. John picks up the right links: Scott says yes and Steve says no. Both pieces are well-written and well-researched. William Blake said, in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, “anything possible to be believed is an image of truth.” I’ve always liked that quote. Tozzie concludes: I can’t argue with the entrepreneurship numbers. But as one of Scott’s commenters… -
Business Boost: Business Planning for Oregon
30 Jun 2009 | 11:20 amI hope it doesn’t seem like total self promotion–I’ve tried to avoid that as much as possible on this blog–but hey, tomorrow Palo Alto Software is going to give away thousands of copies of Business Plan Pro (and not a light version, the upscale, premier version) for free to Oregonians who want it. I would like to think that’s newsworthy, even if it’s my company. The video here is my talking for slightly less than three minutes, my summary of what happens tomorrow. If you can’t see it for any reason, please click here to go to the Youtube source. And… -
In Business, Too, It’s OK to Say No
30 Jun 2009 | 6:11 amI like the following line in “Love Minus Zero/No Limit,” by Bob Dylan. She knows there’s no success like failure. And that failure’s no success at all. Here’s a good look through the window of things going wrong or, at the very least, not as planned. I happened upon it yesterday morning while drinking my coffee, absorbing the early-morning web on a sunny summer morning in Oregon. It’s called BabbleSoft looking for a new home. I’m sure it was a hard decision to write about; but I’ll bet it was even an even harder one to make. Posting in… -
Understanding the Changing Media Landscape
29 Jun 2009 | 6:52 amThis 18-minute TED talk offers a very intriguing broad view of the changing face of information, media and communication in general as new phenomena–cellphones, Facebook and Twitter–change the way information travels and multiplies. If for any reason you don’t see this video here, you can click this link to jump to the source as it was posted on YouTube. -
Almost 22 Million ‘Personal Businesses’ in the U.S.
26 Jun 2009 | 8:52 amSteve King at Small Business Labs posted this morning that U.S. personal businesses grew by almost 1 million in 2007, to 21.7 million, according to the U.S. Census. Of course that’s before the big economic crash, but still, that’s interesting to me. A personal business is a non-farm business with no employees. The growth in personal businesses fits right in with the research Steve and his company have been doing for Intuit, on the new artisan economy. The individual experts, consultants, graphic artists, bookkeepers, designers, programmers and bloggers, among others, are part of…
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San Jose Mercury News: Good Morning Silicon Valley
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If the plan is to sneak up on Google very, very slowly, it’s working
2 Jul 2009 | 6:25 amPerhaps you’ve seen that “ninja cat” video — the one where the curious but wary kitty is standing at the end of a hall, and each time the owner peeks around the corner with the camera, the cat is still standing there stock still, but just a little bit closer. Next peek, a... -
The latest nudes from the App Store and other follow-ups
2 Jul 2009 | 4:37 amThere was a brief buzz last week when it appeared that Apple, taking advantage of the iPhone’s new parental control options, had approved the App Store’s first adult-rated offering, one that featured photos of nude models (see “And wait until it gets the haptic... -
Quoted
2 Jul 2009 | 12:15 am“We have applied to trademark Tweet because it is clearly attached to Twitter from a brand perspective but we have no intention of ‘going after’ the wonderful applications and services that use the word in their name when associated with Twitter. In fact, we encourage the use of... -
Off Topic
2 Jul 2009 | 12:02 amNCBI ROFL, amusing research found in the PubMed database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information; Fancy Fast Food, where they perform extreme makeovers on cheap takeout (like turning a White Castle order into Tapas de Castillo Blanco); and the Meeting Ticker, showing the running cost... -
New dashboard lets us see how much mileage we get out of federal IT spending
1 Jul 2009 | 6:28 amThe federal government now spends more than $70 billion a year on information technology projects, and not all of it well, as many valley veterans will be quick to tell you. Vivek Kundra, the nation’s new chief information officer, acknowledged as much Tuesday, saying, “Everyone knows...
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Bizsugar
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Intersection of SEO, Public Relations & Social Media Marketing
30 Jun 2009 | 8:59 amEarlier this week I gave a presentation on the intersection of SEO, online PR and social media to a great mix of people (mostly agencies) at a SEMPO Arizona event. The SEO/PR/Social topic is an interesting mix due to the convergence that's been happening over the past 2-3 years and of course, because it's the essence of what we've been doing at To12 Vote(s) -
Building successful business relationships
26 Jun 2009 | 10:54 pmVenture Capital investor Fred Wilson talks about what he's learned from both marriage and business about building relationships.20 Vote(s) -
Five Ways to Increase Your Income Now
26 Jun 2009 | 10:53 pmNo matter what you do for a living, there's always an incentive to make more money. Maybe you're trying to pay off credit card bills, save up for something special, or have a little cushion should something unexpected happen in your life. It used to be that if you needed to make a bit of extra cash, you needed to pick up a second job, like bussing13 Vote(s) -
Don’t Blindfold Your Customers: 4 Tips for Optimizing Beyond Your Home Page
26 Jun 2009 | 1:33 pmYour home page may be beautiful but it's likely that as many as 1/2 of your site visitors never see it! To improve your sales online, optimize "beyond the homepage" to help customers more quickly find what they want. This short article offers 4 easy tips for improving your site's sales conversion by optimizing non-home page landing strateg17 Vote(s) -
How to Use Audio Microblogging for Your Work
26 Jun 2009 | 10:13 amI've been struck by the recent proliferation of audio microblogging or micropodcasting (or micro audioblogging?) apps out there. In addition to Jott (read one of our reviews) and Utterli, there is now Trottr, Chirbit and AudioBoo, just to name a few. While micropodcasting hasn't yet taken off in the way Twitter has (what has?), I really do see the12 Vote(s)
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The BIG Kahuna
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Why Taglines Get A Bed Reputation - Bridgestone Tire
2 Jul 2009 | 6:49 amLook at Bridgestone Tire’s Tagline… How generic can this be? What’s the benefit to a Bridgestone customer? What company doesn’t strive for excellence? Imagine a company the size of Bridgestone with all their uniqueness coming up with this for a positioning? This is what fuels marketing people to say a tagline is not necessary. Yet when done right it works masterfully. A tagline is a company’s one chance to differentiate themselves from the competition. To stand out and apart. It should leverage your brand identity. What’s Bridgestone’s brand identity? -
Burger King Targets Sluts Across America
25 Jun 2009 | 3:52 amIn an effort to keep making horrible ads that have nothing to do with whatever Burger King’s brand identity is they’ve come out with this pile of crap: Let’s not forget their past insulting work here, Mexican get sizzled, and here, Slap that booty. Obviously the only branding strategy Burger King can come up with is to be controversial. Brilliant. So I’m out of the Burger King loop. They obviously want people in the business to write negatively about them because what women is gonna run out and buy this sandwich now? And do men really think they’ll get a blow… -
The American Auto Industry Still Doesn’t Understand Branding
23 Jun 2009 | 4:53 amI saw two new commercials yesterday. Ford came out with their new branding. Here it is: Our cars are quality and as reliable as Toyota or Honda. Brilliant huh? I’ll bet my yearly paycheck that if I went out and asked 100 regular Americans where they thought Ford’s quality rated amongst Honda, Toyota and a few others they would rank near the bottom. Why does Ford persist on trying to change their poor brand image? They should focus on core strengths not weaknesses. But they can’t focus (pardon the pun) on strengths because they have absolutely no brand identity! Volvo owns… -
The Types Of Clients We Avoid
4 Jun 2009 | 5:58 amWe don’t participate in RFP’s. We don’t do spec work. We often lose business because of it. Good riddance, it wasn’t business worth having. Here’s a really funny video of the things prospects try and pull over on agencies. The sad thing is agencies often cave. Click here to view the embedded video. -
Jumpline Hosting Shows How Crappy Their Brand Really Is
28 May 2009 | 7:33 amMy company has been with Jumpline Hosting for over 9 years. We’ve had our share of problems but never switched because it was a pain in the butt. Their service is slightly above awful at best. Lately things have really become bad and our website has gone down too many times to count. I emailed them today with this question: 2nd time today the site has “went down”. Earlier it was restarted which seemed to get it going again but now it’s back down. Here’s the response from them: Dear Scott White, This account was disabled earlier by one of our System Administrators because of the high…
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Bringing Brands to Life!
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My Interview with Author and Communication Coach Nick Morgan
2 Jul 2009 | 6:02 amI am incredibly thrilled and honored to share with you my first ever blog interview. Nick Morgan is President of Public Words Inc and author of Give Your Speech, Change the World, and Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma. He is a fellow at Harvard's Kennedy Center and former editor of the Harvard Management Communication Letter. I enjoyed "Trust Me" so much I wrote a review and then decided I wanted to ask Nick a few questions for this site. I "met" Nick on Twitter and asked him if he'd be willing to answer a few questions about his ideas in relation to corporate videos and he… -
Introducing Speed Linking: Week #1
30 Jun 2009 | 4:38 amSeveral years ago, I started sharing links for my readers by bookmarking interesting things I discovered on the web through Delicious. I always knew that there a small problem in doing that: only the RSS readers of this blog (and a handful of other Delicious users) would benefit from seeing those links. To resolve that, I'll start "speed linking" once a week. Speed linking was introduced a few years ago and made popular by Darren Rowse over at Problogger. "Speed linking" is simply a convenient way of rounding up five to ten links I think you'll find interesting and thought-provoking. I'll… -
Can We Capture Reality? The Art of Documentary Amazing Website
26 Jun 2009 | 5:27 amI can't believe it. I haven't seen anything like this. Ever. What am I talking about? It's perhaps the most amazing website the documentary world has seen. The National Film Board of Canada has recently announced on their blog an incredible new website, "Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary." This media-rich site is packed with over 30 master documentary filmmakers like Errol Morris, Werner Herzog, Albert Maysles sharing their thoughts and insights on the craft of making documentaries and how they try to capture that all too slippery thing called, "the truth." The site features over 160… -
What's Next for Company Videos? 5 Links to Get You Thinking
17 Jun 2009 | 5:42 amI’ve recently bookmarked so many interesting sites on how companies use video I figured it’s time to open the vault and share a few of my favorite discoveries with you. I hope you’ll find something interesting, useful and thought-provoking here. While I don't have a crystal ball, the trends are crystal clear. 1. Herman Miller Video: Making of Setu Watch how the team members sit around a table and one team member shares their compliments about another person on the team; interesting spin on the traditional interview. We also get a quick tour, see the chair in action and catch some… -
You’ll Love This Book, Trust Me
9 Jun 2009 | 5:46 amOne of the questions I get asked the most is “How do you get people to talk so naturally on-camera?” The simple answer is it starts with my intention. That’s why I’m so thrilled to share with others Nick Morgan’s new book “Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma.” Setting intentions is one of the central ideas in “Trust Me.” Business leaders and non-filmmakers involved in any aspect of creating a corporate documentary will find this book invaluable. (And yes, filmmakers will find it awesome, too!) Think your spoken words carry the most weight during a conversation?
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CreativityRulz
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Radio Time... on VoiceAmerica.com
27 Jun 2009 | 7:58 amOn Monday, June 29 at 2PMET/11AMPT, I will be on the live internet radio show, Voiceamerica.com. The show is called Positive Living and is hosted by Patricia Raskin. Here is the press release....Join nationally recognized, multi-media radio talk show host and award-winning producer Patricia Raskin, host of the Positive Living radio show on voiceamerica.com on Monday June 29 at 2PMET/11AMPT, when she interviews Tina Seelig, author, winner of the 2009 Gordon Prize from the National Academy of Engineering, and executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP). STVP is the… -
My Favorite (27 second) Video Clip of all Time
17 Jun 2009 | 11:11 pmOver the years we have built a large collection of video clips and podcasts of entrepreneurs, VCs, and other luminaries who speak at Stanford's Entrepreneurial Thought Leader seminar series. But, one clip always sticks out as my favorite. It is only 27 seconds long, but captures the essence of entrepreneurship. It is Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and a successful venture capitalist, filmed in 2002. In this clip, Vinod talks about turning problems into opportunities. I show this clip in almost every talk I give and at the beginning of every class I teach. I hope you will enjoy… -
Jeff Hawkins... My Creative Hero!
10 Jun 2009 | 6:32 pmAs mentioned in an earlier blog posting, Jeff Hawkins is one of my heroes. He is the founder of Palm Computing, Handspring, and most recently, Numenta. He is a self-taught neuroscientist and wrote a terrific book that summarizes his theories about how the brain works, called On Intelligence. If you are interested in hearing all about Jeff's newest venture and his incredible career path, definitely check out his podcast here, at STVP's Entrepreneurship Corner web site...Also, here is a five minute video clip from the talk in which Jeff describes some of the failures that accompanied his grand… -
Guy Kawasaki interviews me....
30 May 2009 | 8:24 amQuestion: How does making stuff out of rubber bands and paper clips over the span of a few days transfer to the reality of the long-lasting grind of innovating, marketing, and supporting products? Answer: In the exercise you’re referring to students are given a handful of paperclips or rubber bands and are challenged to create as much value as possible in only a few days. Value can be measured in any way they like. The lessons they learn are priceless: They realize that there are opportunities everywhere, that they can easily leverage limited resources, and that they can create real value… -
Whatz Your Problem?
30 May 2009 | 2:31 amAs we head towards graduation, I have been asked to speak in several classes at Stanford to talk with students about life after school. After sharing some stories about my career path, I decided to do an experiment... I asked the students to write down the biggest problems they are currently facing so that together we could try to solve their problems by turning them into opportunities.Each student instantly pulled out a sheet of paper and started writing. After a few minutes I asked them to pass them to the front of the room. The problems were all anonymous. As I started reading them, I was…
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NHG: Small Business Essentials
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Economic Corrections and Relaunches
18 Jun 2009 | 1:20 pmI keep hearing this term lately, "Economic Correction", and all I can think is that it doesn’t matter how much honey you spread on liver - it’s still going to taste pretty bad. All jokes aside, a true CEO would celebrate a recession as a time of opportunity, not as a time to roll over and quit. To honor that can-do spirit, I’m dedicating the next month or so to doing business in a recession. I’ll have content like: Tips on maximizing your ROI Real-life stories from entrepreneurs like yourself Case studies with real hands-on advice and more! Along with this… -
I’m Getting Closer!
20 May 2008 | 11:24 pmFor most people, purchasing a template for your site saves money through reducing programming and graphic arts costs. For a developer, it may save money if you don’t do the artwork yourself, as you save yourself from having to pay an artist, but it ends up costly in terms of changing an already-designed theme around. When I started out with this redesign project, I wanted to try a lot of new things—purchasing my first theme (instead of custom-designing) was one of them. The thing about purchasing a theme is that it has pros and cons. As I said before, one of the pros is reducing… -
I’m Working On It!
12 May 2008 | 11:38 amI’m sorry if you show up on the site in the next few days and things seem out of sorts or they keep moving around. I’m building a new theme for the site and it might take a few days before regular activity is resumed. Stay tuned! P.S. The ads are not real—they just came with the theme. And no, don’t worry, I haven’t changed my tune and decided to serve up ads (if you are seeing the new site with fake ads right now). They will be replaced by something else. photo credit: ryanharne -
Bad Habits
2 Apr 2008 | 12:18 pmI’ve been going through a lot of life changes recently, and this state of flux has created some bad habits for me. I get like this when my life gets too busy or I have a lot of projects going on that are particularly draining. So what do you do when this happens? I’ve basically come up with a plan to get myself out of this productivity funk. It’s worked before in the past, so I’m hoping it works again. (I’ll let you know in another month if it worked this time!) The Bad Habit Breaking Process Have you found yourself in a low-productivity time? Try these tips: Go… -
Kudos to … Alltop and Me!
10 Mar 2008 | 12:37 pmI just wanted to say a quick bit about Alltop Small Business. I’ve been using it as a home page for about a month now and it’s been really useful so far. Alltop is a collection of stories from "all the top" sites on the web in a single-page aggregation. (They have other categories at Alltop.com as well, not just small business.) I was also pretty happy to make Guy Kawasaki’s list myself, so I feel that I have to mention that part too.
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SpringWise
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T-shirt comes with free music downloads
3 Jul 2009 | 7:47 amMuch the way Webkinz pets are more than just stuffed animals, so t-shirts can be more than just t-shirts when they forge links to the online world. The conversation-starters offered by Reactee, Shyno and Augme are one type of example; now bringing a new purpose to such connections comes The Music Tee, a shirt that gives wearers the right to free music downloads. The new offering from Invisible DJ and fashion house LnA features album art on the front of the t-shirt and a list of tracks on the back. Included on a separate hang tag, meanwhile, are a URL and a unique code that can be used to… -
Stainless steel lunch containers
3 Jul 2009 | 6:45 amPacking a lunch for kids tends to involve a variety of plastic packaging, bags and wrappers that are harmful not just to the environment—heading directly to landfills as they so frequently do—but also, potentially, to the kids themselves. Whereas Kids Konserve's plastic-free lunch kits were driven by environmental considerations, a new line of stainless steel lunch containers was inspired instead by concerns over bisphenol-a, or BPA. Several studies have contributed to fears that BPA—a chemical widely used in plastics for baby bottles, beverage and food containers, and linings in food… -
Awareness avatars signal charitable support on social networks
3 Jul 2009 | 2:54 amOver the past few weeks, thousands of Twitter users tinted their profile pictures green to show support for protesters in Iran. In a similar vein, UK-based Lovebox encourages charity-minded social network users to replace their current profile picture with one of its digital Lovebox icons and then make a donation to the charity it represents. A different charity is selected for support each month, represented by an icon of a different colour, making it the digital equivalent of silicone 'awareness' bracelets/wristbands. The green Lovebox, for example, supports WWF-UK, while the pink one… -
Online shopping meets curbside pickup at French E.Leclerc
2 Jul 2009 | 1:47 amEarlier this year we wrote about Sears' MyGofer experiment blending online shopping with curbside pickup, and recently one of our spotters alerted us to a like-minded effort that's already well underway across the ocean. At French hypermarket chain E.Leclerc, customers can order online and have their purchases loaded into their car two hours later at no extra charge. Leclerc's initiative began in late 2007, when it opened its first Express Drive in Roques sur Garonne near Toulouse. With a selection of nearly 3,000 available products, customers then could place their orders online—or via… -
Open restaurant night showcases aspiring chefs
1 Jul 2009 | 6:38 amPhotos by philafoodie If the underground restaurant known as Charlie's Burgers departs from the norm in part through its secrecy and its constantly changing venue, Open ChefAMe is in some ways its opposite, featuring instead the creations of different aspiring chefs at each of its well-publicized monthly events. Through the participation of a few Philadelphia restaurants, Open ChefAMe offers what it calls an "open mic night" for local aspiring chefs on one Monday each month. The chosen culinary talents for each event get to pick the menu for a three-course meal, take over the kitchen at the…
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Hacker News
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You've Got Blackmail: The AOL Account That Wouldn't Die
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Django design patterns
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Bram Cohen's "Bram's Cube"
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TechCrunch50: You Want Advertising? We’ll Give You Advertising
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The Pros and Cons of Password Masking (follow-up from Schneier)
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iinnovate
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Chris Capossela, Senior VP of Microsoft
19 Jun 2009 | 1:40 amMP3 File | Subscribe via iTunes | Add to del.icio.usChris Capossela is the Senior Vice President of the Microsoft Information Worker Product Management Group. Chris is responsible for the worldwide product and business management of the Microsoft Office System of products, which includes desktop applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, server products such as Exchange, and hosted services such as Office Live.Chris has been with Microsoft for over 15 years in various of business positions, including two years as a speech writer for Bill Gates.In this interview, Chris tells us about… -
Max Ventilla and Rob Spiro, Founders of Aardvark
12 May 2009 | 10:45 pmMP3 File | Subscribe via iTunes | Add to del.icio.usMax Ventilla and Rob Spiro are two of four founders of Aardvark, a new social search tool that gets real-time answers from social networks. Max and Rob, along with Nathan Stoll and Damon Horowitz , are carving out the social space with a product that’s a conversation facilitator.In this interview, Max and Rob give an overview of social search, explain their approach in building an innovative product in a burgeoning space, and give insight into Aardvark’s user-centric and research-oriented approach to product and company development. They… -
Alex Wong, Director of Products at 23andMe
19 Mar 2009 | 12:21 amMP3 File | Subscribe via iTunes | Add to del.icio.usAlex Wong is the Director of Products at 23andMe, the popular leader in the personal genome space. As the company’s third employee, he has led product development and design for more than two years, taking the idea of a "personal genome service" from concept to reality.In this interview, Alex explains how 23andMe is making changes in personalized healthcare and genetic research by putting consumers in the driver’s seat and spearheading consumer-driven research. He also explains how the Personal Genome Test, the "spit kit", works, and… -
Paul Edmondson CEO & Ren Chin VP of Marketing of YieldBuild
15 Dec 2008 | 7:09 pmMP3 FileYieldBuild is an online service that maximizes publisher ad revenue through layout, ad network and ad placement optimization. YieldBuild also provides consolidated reporting to help publishers identify, on the basis of statistical data, the best performing ad position layout, color and font style on their webpages.Paul Edmondson, YieldBuild's co-founder and CEO, was part of the executive team at MongoMusic, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2000. He help group management positions at MSN Entertainment over product management, quality management, and operations. Paul graduated from… -
Alyssa Rapp, Founder and CEO of Bottlenotes
15 Jul 2008 | 10:10 pmMP3 File| Subscribe via iTunes | Add to del.icio.us Alyssa Rapp is the Founder and CEO of Bottlenotes, an online wine retail business that helps individuals discover and learn about wine. Alyssa started the company while at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she headed the school's 500-person wine club. In this interview, Alyssa gives key insights on starting and running a hybrid online retail business, talks about her personal and entrepreneurial story for Bottlenotes, and gives leads to the most amazing wine regions in the world. Her goal for Bottlenotes, she says, is to create…
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YoungEntrepreneur.com
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“As an Entrepreneur - What is the one thing you cannot do without?” - Entrepreneur Poll Results
3 Jul 2009 | 5:30 amOver the last few weeks we have been asking you “As an Entrepreneur - What is the one thing you cannot do without?”. Thanks to everyone who entered, the overall winner was the iPhone - so entrepreneurs, if you don’t have one, this is the number one gadget that entrepreneurs cannot do without! So onto the remainder of the results - The Awesome list of essentials Entrepreneur’s can’t do without! 1 - Phone. (iPhone is the overall winner) 2 - Reading “I can’t do with continually reading, which is usually done with books. I love books and buy one a week and… -
How To Create A Marketing Campaign That Everyone Will Be Talking About
1 Jul 2009 | 10:15 pmPeople are being bombarded with marketing messages, from the time they get up in the morning and switch on the radio or TV, to the time that they venture out into the real world, to the time that they eat their TV dinner before crashing for the night. As an entrepreneur, you had better make sure that you have a message that people want to hear, with the ability to crash through all the other “noise”. You might have a great product or service, one that you fully believe in, with all your heart. Your challenge is to create a marketing campaign around that product or service which causes… -
Interview with Brad Sugars
30 Jun 2009 | 10:07 pmI am really excited about this weeks interview with Brad Sugars. He is an amazing entrepreneur, and the founder of ActionCoach.com - read on to find out more. 1. Having had 27 jobs by the time you finished your degree must have given you a huge amount of experience in the real world at a very young age, which job did you take the most lessons away from? Working for others is great because it gives you an opportunity to learn what not to do in certain situations, which is many times more important than learning what to do. But one of the best lessons I had working was probably at K-Mart when I… -
“When You Are Led By Values, It Doesn’t Cost Your Business, It Helps Your Business.” - Jerry Greenfield Of Ben And Jerry’s.
29 Jun 2009 | 10:15 pmBen Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have ice cream in their veins. These two unlikely entrepreneurial heroes rose to pop culture status by following different paths. Jerry is more of the joker, always ready with a quick quip, who landed his first job in the industry as an ice cream scooper in college. He tried moving through medical school without any success and reverted to work as a lab technician, whilst Ben drove an ice cream truck in his senior school year, but also dropped out of college. The pair first met each other when they shared a Manhattan apartment following graduation, but they did… -
The Most Common Errors When Writing A Business Plan
28 Jun 2009 | 10:09 pmThe thought of compiling a formal business plan can be quite daunting to the entrepreneur. Many of us see ourselves as the creative type rather than the formal intellectual and we might have an inbuilt tendency to try and fly by the “seat of our pants”. In spite of the pain, perceived or otherwise, involved in its creation, we must invest the time and effort to come up with a formal business plan. It is not as hard as you think, there are plenty of good books on the subject and some really great software packages, such as Business Plan Pro, for example. So what are the most common errors…
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Zdnet: Entrepreneurship resources
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Visionary 2009: Jim Clark on the importance of Stanford university to Silicon Valley
1 Jul 2009 | 11:58 amJim Clark, co-founder of Silicon Graphics and Netscape was one of four winners of the SDForum 2009 Visionary Awards. He spoke about his earlier life and how he was trying to get out of Texas, then trying to get out of the navy. He also spoke about the importance... -
Visionary 2009: Kay Koplovitz - more women entrepreneurs
30 Jun 2009 | 11:56 amKay Koplovitz calls for more women entrepreneurs during her acceptance speech at the SDForum visionary awards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGRyvhsP7Uk Her Bio: Kay Koplovitz is currently a principal of... -
Creative destruction in Canada
22 Jun 2009 | 7:50 amCanada is much better off nurturing entrepreneurs than trying to bail out the past. by Dana Blankenhorn -
MySpace cuts 30% of workforce; Says it was bloated
16 Jun 2009 | 10:46 amMySpace said it would cut its staff by 30 percent in an effort to become  "a more innovative, efficient, and entrepreneurial business." When the cuts are over, MySpace will have about 1,000 employees. MySpace CEO Owen Van Natta said in a statement Techmeme: ... -
The many faces of small business and open source
15 Jun 2009 | 8:31 amLegacy businesses may be where the money is, but it's not where the growth is. Go for the real little guys, and the entrepreneurs, first. by Dana Blankenhorn
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Slate: BizBox
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What You Should Be Reading
2 Jul 2009 | 3:09 pmWe'll be off tomorrow, and probably posting lightly through at least the middle of next week. Happy Fourth, everyone! Those lousy jobs numbers. You probably saw on your front page that June witnessed the unemployment rate rise to 9.5%--the highest point in 26 years. Here's the news viewed through a small-business lens. [The Entrepreneurial Mind] Small business tax breaks. A video runs down several that the federal stimulus law introduced. [SMSmallBiz] Credit or charge? Which type of card should you get for your business? [OPEN Forum] Cutting when they've already cut. A dispatch from the… -
Whither Entrepreneurship?
2 Jul 2009 | 11:42 amWe examined this question earlier this week: comparing a pessimistic post by Scott Shane of You're The Boss and a more optimistic one by John Tozzi of The New Entrepreneur, we concluded that while traditional small business owners may be genuinely pessimistic, and not without legitimate reasons, the dynamics of the recession are actually likely to encourage the rise of non-employee--that is, single-person--businesses. Well, we have another post in us on The State of Entrepreneurship, and it once again results from the dialectic between a pessimistic Scott Shane and a less-pessimistic John… -
How To Buy Health Insurance
2 Jul 2009 | 7:49 amGenerally, what we talk about when we talk about health care is reforming it so as to get small businesses out of the business of providing it as well as saving them billions of dollars. However, BizBox doesn't run the world (not yet, anyway), and so if you decide to quit your job--or if that decision is made for you--and then start your own business, you're going to need either to purchase health insurance on your own or go without. In the spirit of not being afraid to be service-y, let's take a look at a recent Wall Street Journal article on how to buy health insurance. In essence, the… -
Starbucks and I.B.M. Help The Smaller Fish
1 Jul 2009 | 4:01 pmThe New York Times runs not one but two stories highlighting ways in which big and small businesses can create a symbiotic, mutually beneficial dynamic, rather than one in which they are constantly at odds. One article describes how the owner of KIND Snacks strove to, and inally succeeded in, getting Starbucks to sell his fruit and nut bars (which are bound together by honey, rather than an artificial paste, and are therefore healthier and more organic). "Big product makers have a clear advantage" in getting retailers to sell their goods, the article reports, "because they can usually offer… -
Anonymous Banker on Financial Regulation Reform
1 Jul 2009 | 12:11 pmIn light of the recent efforts to come up with a reformed regulatory infrastructure for the financial industry, I feel the need to reiterate my comments on our financial industry's regulators, which I have referred to as Our Nation's Ball-less Wonders (what can I say, I'm colorful!). I especially want to look at how they have dealt with and will now deal with community banks. The current debate has focused on whether the Federal Reserve should become a sort of mega-regulator. But the real question, I think, is whether in the past the Fed has performed its job to protect this country and our…
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CNN/FORTUNE/Money: Small Business
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Bacon entrepreneurs bring in the bucks
3 Jul 2009 | 7:36 amTired of hearing that everything tastes like chicken? So are Seattle entrepreneurs Justin Esch and Dave Lefkow. They want it all to taste like bacon. -
Small business lending falls sharply
2 Jul 2009 | 3:00 pmDespite emergency stimulus measures, small business lending continues to fall. In the just-ended quarter, the Small Business Administration's flagship program backed 30% fewer loans than it did a year ago, and 55% fewer loans than it did in 2007, before the recession set in. -
Health care reform: What small business wants
2 Jul 2009 | 7:48 amAs Congress prepares to do battle over health reform, a parallel dispute is shaping up among small-business groups that are staking out opposing positions on a key element of reform proposals: whether Uncle Sam will take on a bigger role in offering insurance coverage or leave the field to the private market. -
Business owners cut to the bone
1 Jul 2009 | 12:11 pmTo stay open. That's the goal of business owners across the country as they continue to lay off employees, cut benefits and pull back on retirement contributions. These cost-cutting strategies are likely to stay in place for months to come, according to several recent reports. -
Josie Natori's stylish evolution
1 Jul 2009 | 8:15 amJosie Natori followed her business dreams from the Philippines to Wall Street. But after nine years as a banker, she needed a more creative outlet. In 1977 she launched a lingerie company with an East-meets-West flair. Today her brand includes four intimate-apparel lines, as well as a ready-to-wear clothing collection, home and bath products, eyewear and fragrance. Natori, 62, shared her story with Fortune Small Business in her Manhattan showroom.
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Sales Management 2.0
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Growing a Brokerage Sales Organization
Culture and Process First; Then Technology Independent insurance agents and brokerages are gaining efficiencies with technology. More efficiencies are on the way as vendors and carriers roll out real-time communications. But with so many processes now automated and keystrokes eliminated, this is an excellent time to re-address the real inherent value of the independent agent. That value is around sales—unless a sale happens, nothing happens. Efficiency—while continuing to be very important—can’t be the end game. The sales must first happen in order for all of the other improvements in… -
Have You Mastered Sales 1.5?
Sales 2.0 is getting tons of buzz right now in the technology market. There are lots of different definitions out there, but here's mine: Sales 2.0 is an outcome not an event. The process requires you to transform your business from one that is focused on selling to one that is focused on letting the market buy from you. Sales 2.0 requires a change in mindset. It requires focus on buyer personas, lead nurturing, content development, social networking strategies, web 2.0 tool, etcetera, etcetera. Pretty head spinning, right? So how do you begin to transform your organization? Take baby steps:… -
Sales Leadership Using "Girl Scout Power"
The Girl Scouts of America was teetering on the edge of extinction when Frances Hesselbein was named president of the organization in early 1976. The Girls Scouts, an organization comprised of thousands of volunteers from across the fifty states, had been going about their business in a very traditional way for years...but that way was now placing the organization in jeopardy. Bleeding funding and declining enrollments, Frances knew she need to change things fast or the organization would cease to exist. But how could she motivate a group of thousands of volunteers? Because her position had… -
Beg, Steal And Borrow Your Sales Techniques
My current place of work is an open office environment. This means that for each sales call that is made, I can hear it. I can hear it when my colleagues get beaten down on price by a professional purchaser or when they attempt to fend off a refund because they exaggerated the features or benefits of their product. Listening to your colleagues’ sales calls is one of the best ways to understand the wide variety of sales techniques around and provides you with a chance to expand your arsenal. While I write this post I can lean back and listen to a whole host of closing techniques. I can hear… -
Your average percent over target is 50%. You are 10% above the next best average. You seem to be ‘closing’ everything and everyone. You’re on fire. You’re magnificent!
Are you REALLY though? I used to work within a small sales team, pro actively selling software to prospective clients, worldwide. I worked there for 3 years and I had perfected the art of either coercing our clients into purchasing or simply verbally bullying them into purchasing. I even started to train other colleagues in the fantastic art of sales I had perfected over the last 36 months, providing tips/tricks on closing and obtaining that sought after signature. I had arrived and I was brilliant. Unfortunately my colleague won the award for ‘Best Sales Person’ that year. His award was…
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Chief Home Officer Home Office, Home-Based Business, Remote Work, Telework & Cloud Computing
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Twitter, Video & Your Home Office / Small Business Marketing Strategy
2 Jul 2009 | 5:38 amAre you including video in your marketing - and social media - strategy? Do you even have a social media strategy? Listen in as I discuss the once-and-future concept of social media with Jim Blasingame. We explore the technology and tools and simplify social media - and the process of creating and delivering high definition video in your marketing strategy. We even discuss the future of that thing called Twitter. Find interviews with Small Business experts on the Small Business Advocate show . -
Home Office Reality: Snapshot of a Working Home Office
1 Jul 2009 | 6:58 amHome Office Reality: My home office is like a working newsroom, only with more clothing NOT on a human body. Aside from 10 open tabs (including Gmail and GCal) in Firefox and eight open Word docs, my non-virtual space is a chaotic mess… Two drink glasses, and a tea cup. All empty. When I get thirsty, I’ll just go get another drink. And have three empty glasses on my desk… Shorts and shirt from yesterday - was it yesterday, or last week…?, don’t really know… But they’re convenient to have around - just in case someone comes to the door and I’m in… -
Home Office Round-Up: Tax & Location Independence Day
30 Jun 2009 | 5:36 amCan you work from the dinette of an RV? Location independence is the New Way to Work. Just heard about a great concept: Location Independence. Sure, this “Digital Nomadry” is really nothing new. Ever since telework took off in the late 1990s and post 9-11, American workers and employers discovered that work is a thing, NOT a place. Location independence is just giving a catchy name to a The Anywhere Office. It could be a beach house on The Jersey Shore, a cottage in the hills of Northern Ontario, or an RV tooling down the Interstate as part of Home Office Highway. As the people at… -
Where Will You Home Office Today…?
28 Jun 2009 | 4:50 amOK, so Charles Darwin's home office has more charm than mine. But ours are equally personal. (Roger Rapoport/MCT) I work at home. From a bona fide, tax-deductible and dedicated home office tucked into an erstwhile bedroom, where the closet is used exclusively for office supplies, books, folders, tech-stuff, a file cabinet (similarly used exclusively for, um, files related exclusively to work). I came across a story on Charles Darwin’s home-based workspace, and it got me thinking about mine. And yours. What makes your space unique? What gives it charm, character, quirks? My desk is… -
10 Ways To Tap Twitter & Boost Your Business
20 Jun 2009 | 5:27 amMyspace, Facebook, YouTube… Now Twitter. What’s a small or home-based business owner to do to grasp the implications and machinations of social media for marketing the business? Owen Frager forwarded this list from Amy Armitage — the head of Business Development for Lunarpages, a web hosting firm. Amy argues that while Twitter is the latest web-centric communications service to explode onto the scene — with businesses have moved in rapidly — a little discretion is in order: The users of “social” sites and services have demonstrated that they will…
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Lip-Sticking
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Why Are You Reading This? It's the 4th! (Almost)
3 Jul 2009 | 8:24 amBy Guest Blogger, Mary Schmidt, Marketing TroubleshooterYou should be enjoying the holiday (as I plan to, so this will be a short post.) But before I send you on your way, a couple of things to remember as we celebrate Independence. Things are far from perfect, but:1. We Americans don't have to risk our lives to vote. So how come more of us don't do it? And, the old argument "they're all alike" just doesn't fly. The last presidential election should put that one to rest once and for all. Or, read up on Iran's election (or Russia's, or Iraq's...or....); those folks would beg to… -
SocialSweeps - Integrating Interactive Promotions with Social Media For a Winning Combination
1 Jul 2009 | 11:17 amBy Guest Blogger, Donna DeClemente, Donna's Promo Talk The use of social media marketing by businesses and organizations has been exploding. Today more and more marketers are utilizing these platforms as innovative and effective ways to reach their targeted audiences while also achieving their branding and marketing communications goals.I have been working lately on several proposals for prospective clients that want to get started with social media. This usually takes some education first that includes an overview of where the industry is currently at, a brief description of the main… -
7 Secrets of Happy and Successful Life Directors
29 Jun 2009 | 12:28 pmIf you haven't met Sandra Heinzelmann, you're missing out on some outstanding business advice and coaching. I don't say this lightly - she comes highly recommended by my own client and author, Dr. Susan L. Reid. So says, Dr. Reid, "A power-shot of inner wisdom that will catapult your success!" There is no doubt that we all need a catapult, today. I'm watching CNN drone on and on about Barnie Madoff and his 150 years in jail (somehow, while his victims are happy about that, I find it ridiculous, why don't they just say, "For the rest of your life."?) It's a joy, then, to turn my attention to… -
Currency Isn't Always Dollars and Cents
28 Jun 2009 | 11:02 pmby Guest Blogger, Lena West, Chief of Social Media Strategy at xynoMedia I'm noticing a trend lately and it involves a saying that my Grandmother used to say: "You beg what you need and pay for what you want." What she meant by that is, the things most people NEED to have they're not willing to pay for. The things they WANT, they'll spend every dime they have on them. This type of behavior shows a complete lack of focus and upside down priorities. Case in point, a couple of years ago - with very few exceptions - I stopped speaking for free. No ego; there just comes a point in your career… -
When Am I Too Old for Knee Socks?
26 Jun 2009 | 10:35 amBy Guest Blogger Mary Schmidt, Marketing Troubleshooter The short answer: Never, if I've got the chutzpah. However, should I wear them is another question. Recently, the NYT had an article about us 50+ women and our fashion choices (written by a 50+ woman) - Irony & The Old Lady in which she ponders, "When do coy socks, Heidi braids and vintage hats stop working?"Personally, I was never a fan of Heidi braids...although I've always thought one should wear whatever one wants, at whatever age...as long as you look good in it (with some notable exceptions such as Italian Vogue editor…
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OnStartups
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6 Quick Tips For Landing That Startup Dream Job
29 Jun 2009 | 2:13 amMy startup, HubSpot, has done a fair amount of recruiting/hiring over the past year (the team has grown by over 100%, despite the down-turn in the economy). Along the way, I’ve found some “patterns” to the recruiting that we do and the kind of people that end up joining us. I’m going to stay away from the overly obvious stuff (mostly because I have no idea what the obvious stuff actually is). I’m also going to assume that you’re already smart and passionate and all the other trimmings of a star candidate. Tips For Landing That Startup Dream Job 1. Match the… -
Angel Investor Non-Admissons: 10 Things They Won't Say
15 Jun 2009 | 3:34 amAs a tribute to the very funny VC Non-Admissions and the follow-up Founder Non-Admissions, I offer to you my own take on this — from an angel investor perspective. Sorry that mine aren’t in a cool presentation form with pictures and such. I don’t have that kind of talent. 10 Things An Angel Investor Will Never Say 1. I really want to support entrepreneurs — but just those that are going to make me money. 2. I dread having to explain your business idea to my spouse (who can veto any deal). 3. I don’t really have enough stake in… -
Flat Is The New Up: Introducing Hockey Stick 2.0 [cartoon]
28 May 2009 | 4:02 amDid this tickle your funny bone? Please tweet it. Looking for other startup fanatics? Request access to the OnStartups LinkedIn Group. 48,000+ members and growing daily.You can also find OnStartups on Twitter. -
Is Your Startup Practicing Inward Facing Dog?
15 May 2009 | 3:24 amFor those curious about the title, it’s a reference to “downward facing dog” (one of the most widely reognized yoga poses). Is your startup practicing inward facing dog? That is, are you overly focused on things going inside the company with too little attention on what might be going on outside the company? Signs That Your Startup Is Practicing Inward Facing Dog 1. More than a few days go by and you haven’t talked to a customer other than to provide support or try to sell them something. 2. When people bring up things like “Did you hear about X (a direct… -
The Attention Economy vs. The Wallet Economy
8 May 2009 | 3:18 amThe attention economy has been all the rage for startups for a while. Here’s the general line of reasoning with the attention economy: 1. Grab user’s attention. 2. Sell that attention to others. Like many abstractions, this one is a tad over-simplified, but not so much as to not be useful. A bunch of modern-day startups fall into the above pattern. Get a mass of users to your shiny-new website then monetize that attention through things like advertising (basically reselling that attention). Why do so many web startups take this approach? I think…
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Junta42 blog
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Get Content Get Customers Sighting at Newark Airport
3 Jul 2009 | 5:58 amFirst time I found Get Content Get Customers in a bookstore - Borders at the Newark Airport...sandwiched between Porter and Ramsey.Picture #1 shows the actual position of the book when I arrived. Picture #2 shows the book as I left the bookstore. Amazing, isn't it?Also, for all you Kindle fans, GCGC is now available on the Kindle and currently sits at #8 in the Direct Marketing category. -
News Flash: Guardian Seeks to Grow through Products, Not Content
30 Jun 2009 | 9:39 amIf you are a regular to this blog, you've heard this before: in the future, it will be very difficult to tell the difference between media companies and brands that sell products and services.Heck, we may be there already. Media companies are working hard to develop products while their advertising revenues plummet. Brands must develop consistent content and publishing strategies in order to attract and retain customers (to ultimately sell their products).It's a strange marketing world we live in today.Another shining example of this happening is at The Guardian, the liberal UK… -
Content Strategy as the Future of Marketing
25 Jun 2009 | 12:09 pmKristina Halvorson (@halvorson) from Brain Traffic did an amazing presentation about Content Strategy as the Future of Marketing. It's thanks to Kristina that I've been presenting more about a greater focus on content strategy as THE critical part of a total content marketing strategy. My key thoughts while reviewing her presentation include: Relevance is key to your brand's importance to a customer. Relevance is created through the distribution of consistent, compelling content. Information from a brand must be useful. It must solve challenges or entertain… -
Social Media Stages of Involvement - Where You Should Be Spending Your Time
23 Jun 2009 | 11:08 amGreat social media presentation short by Andrew Davis from TippingPoint Labs given last week at Custom Media Day in New York City. The video is three minutes long and worth the time.DISCLAIMER: I took this with my new Flip camera, which I love. The only problems with the Flip are that you need to be close to get a good video and you need steady hands. I failed on both accounts. Andrew is an expert at social media adoption, and breaks down the percentage of time brands (and in this particular case, custom content provider clients) need to spend on social media at certain… -
10 Social Media Tools - Best Kept Secrets
19 Jun 2009 | 4:59 amMy friend Scott Abel (The Content Wrangler) gave an outstanding presentation at Web Content 2009 on social media tools - best kept secrets. The full presentation is below, but here's the quick take on the 10 Scott shared: 10 Web 2.0 Tools Marketers Can Use TodayView more Microsoft Word documents from Scott Abel. Google Docs Forms Designer. Create custom forms for surveys and downloads. Customize in less than 10 minutes. Delicious Promotions. Scott reviewed the power of promoting events and offers through Delicious. Tynt. Scott's favorite tool. It tracks what users copy from…
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Shoestring Branding
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Soccer’s Branding Problem
25 Jun 2009 | 7:05 pmPhoto Credits: Fetchy Soccer has been struggling to find its way into the mainstream of American sports for a long time. Since the late 70’s, when stars like Pelé and Beckenbauer were brought in to try to stir some interest, all attempts have been in vain. While the skill level of the U.S. men’s soccer team has improved greatly (the team is now a regular and consistent participant in the World Cup), soccer hasn’t become a big-time sport yet. In my opinion, soccer has a branding problem and these are some of the reasons: Soccer is introduced to kids mainly as a girls’ sport. It is… -
U of Miami Adopts its Athletic Program Logo
14 Jun 2009 | 8:41 pmMy alma mater, the University of Miami, announced recently that it is adopting it’s sports logo as a symbol for the entire university. The decision is backed by research that uncovered that the new logo was perceived as “diverse, modern, confident, and bold“, attributes that match what the University of Miami has become academically in the last few years. UM may have hit the nail squarely in the head with this decision, since the “split U” logo is ubiquitous and instantly recognizable across the country (the collegiate equivalent of the Nike swoosh or the Target… -
Why Companies Can Have It Their Way Too
6 Jun 2009 | 12:04 pmLast week American Airlines stopped accepting cash to pay for on board beverages and meals. Good decision. Now, instead of scurrying for change, flight attendants can focus on their core task: keeping passengers safe and comfortable. Photo Credits: The Consumerist Many companies complicate their operations by trying to please everybody. Others, engage in activities that are not aligned with their goals and objectives, just because the other guys are doing them. The misguided belief that the customer (any customer) is always right often results in a muddled and unfocused brand, and operational… -
Are You Branded by Your Nationality?
25 May 2009 | 7:46 pmWhen I was in grad school, a friend of mine went to Europe and brought me back a coffee mug displaying a humorous cartoon under the title: “The Perfect European Should Be…”. The cartoon was meant to underscore the difficulty of building a united Europe given the cultural differences of its members, as suggested by the stereotypes assigned to each individual nationality. One of the challenges of building our personal brand in this increasingly globalized world is how to combat the different stereotypes associated with our national or ethnic origin. As in all re-branding exercises the… -
Name Changes, Re-Branding and Grasshoppers
19 May 2009 | 7:27 pmName changes for re-branding purposes are usually risky and costly propositions. In some cases they are inevitable and the right thing to do: for example, Arthur Andersen turned into Accenture after the Enron scandal, and now GMAC bank is changing its name to a more upbeat Ally Bank to distance itself from troubled General Motors. In other cases the name change is a calculated gamble: replacing a familiar but boring name with a new, more memorable and brandable one. Sometimes this gamble pays off handsomely: just read the success story of the Big Ass Fan Company (formerly known as the HVLS…
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BNET Articles
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Pension 2012: What Every UK Business Should Know
2 Jul 2009 | 10:09 am -
Managing Remote Teams: Does Collaboration Technology Work?
2 Jul 2009 | 10:08 amManaging remote workers is a reality at a growing number of businesses, but how good are collaboration tools at meeting the needs of a distributed workforce? -
How to Sell to the Federal Government
1 Jul 2009 | 2:29 pmYes, the procedures are Byzantine and there are reams of red tape. But in this economy, the federal government could be your best customer. -
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters: Carving Out Opportunities That Starbucks Missed
30 Jun 2009 | 11:36 amGreen Mountain Coffee has built a booming business where Starbucks fears to tread in wholesale, convenience stores, and single-cup brewing. -
J. Crew: One-Upping the Gap in Quality, Style, and Agility
30 Jun 2009 | 11:35 amWith savvy PR and an agile product line, J. Crew has snagged a good chunk of the Gap's market and even its CEO.
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Selling to Big Companies
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Top Sales Resources, June 2009
30 Jun 2009 | 6:27 amSelling to Big CompaniesAn Interview with Jill Konrath David Wolf from Smallbiz America asks me lots of questions about how entrepreneurs can land bigger corporate clients. As you might imagine, I have a few things to say! Click here to listen in.Don't Cold Call, Social CallBy Nigel Edelshain, Sales 2.0Learn how to prospect with Sales 2.0 tools and social networks. Just one of the techniques in this ebook causes an approximately 8x improvement over a cold call. Click here to get your free copy. Top Sales Experts Share Their Top ArticlesThis free ebook features articles by a whole bunch of… -
A Great $20 Investment to Increase Your Sales
25 Jun 2009 | 6:19 amBecause I've been in the sales field a long time, it's not often that I come across material that really stretches my own thinking. That is until I read Buying Facilitation: The New Way to Sell that Influences & Expands Decisionsby Sharon Drew Morgen.The author offers a truly fresh perspective on selling. In short, she shows you how to become a true consultant to your buyers, by teaching your buyers how to make sense of their buying decisions. More specifically, you'll discover new ways to: Differentiate yourself from your competition. Help your buyers bring all their… -
Web Leads: Pounce, Pause, Nurture or Wait?
24 Jun 2009 | 7:20 amMike Damphousse, CEO and CMO of Green-Leads approached me with a great question the other day. Leadlander, a Sales 2.0 company, tracks when people visit your site and lets you know when it's happening. Here's what Mike asked ... Within a day or two of sending an initial email to someone, leaving a phonemail or posting a blog article or tweet, I see they (or someone from their company) have visited our site.How aggressively do I go after them? Do I pounce immediately? Do I pause and call shortly thereafter? Do I just nurture them? Do I wait a couple days then call?Great question! Mike… -
Want Expert Sales Training Without Paying the Big Bucks? Then check out these videos ...
23 Jun 2009 | 7:27 amRecently I was invited to New York City by The Customer Collective to be filmed for their new video tutorial series, "Access to the Experts." I was joined by Josh Gordon, author of Selling 2.0 and social media expert Richard Nacht. We were asked tough questions on hot sales topics - and we shared our best stuff. Check out these new F'R'E'E video tutorials at: http://tinyurl.com/accesstoexperts What's the Secret to Customer Loyalty in a Disloyal World? Jill Konrath (Yup! That's me!), author of Selling to Big CompaniesIn my videos, I share my unconventional… -
Must Watch Video: Triumph of the Human Spirit
20 Jun 2009 | 9:46 amIn a Chinese modern dance competition, one unique couple won a top prize. The lady was a dancer who'd trained since she was a little girl. Later in life, she lost her entire right arm in an accident and fell into a state of depression.Someone then asked her to coach a children's dance group. From that point on, she knew she needed to dance again. It took a long time before she could even make simple turns or spins without falling. With only one arm, it was hard to balance.Then she heard of a man who'd lost a leg in an accident and fallen into a depression. She was determined to persuade him…
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CASKEY Sales Training
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Sales Podcast: Are Your Clients Really Loyal?
2 Jul 2009 | 10:00 amIn Bryan Neale’s absence this week, I enlisted Phil Bounsall of Walker Information to talk about the issue of client loyalty. As sales professionals, a loyal client is a referring client. And since most of us count on referrals to grow our business, keeping your eye on loyalty is a MUST DO. Phil has excellent insight and tips on how to improve client loyalty. -
You Say You’re Different, But Are You?
26 Jun 2009 | 10:00 amLast week I was with one of my clients who was thumbing through some resumes when he came across a marketing person’s application. On the resume in the summary it said, “I think differently than most people, and I can bring new ideas—out of the box thinking—to your business.” As I reached over and grabbed it and put it up in the air, I said, “This is part of the problem. A person sends this in on a resume just like the other hundred that you got, but says they’re different. The fact is they aren’t different. To you, the CEO or hiring authority, all of them look alike. Which… -
Sales Podcast: “How Do I Prospect When I’m Already Busy?”
25 Jun 2009 | 10:00 amIn this episode, Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale address a question from an audience member on how to prospect when you’re already busy. And Bryan reveals a communication technique that helps as you’re explaining to a prospect what you do. Watch the video below. Advanced Selling Podcast-June Episode from Bill Caskey on Vimeo. -
Think Big
24 Jun 2009 | 10:00 amI recently spoke at the Whale Hunting Women Summit (www.thewhalehunters.com) in Indianapolis. The idea behind Whale Hunting is that of conquering big deals, big clients, big ideas. All of the women who spoke had an incredible story of a whale they had harpooned, beached and harvested! I thought I would share the basis of my talk. I realized, when thinking about what I wanted to share, the biggest whale that I have to conquer (almost on a daily basis), is the crap that I put in my head—how I speak to myself, how I think about myself, how I don’t trust myself. I think all of us struggle… -
Sales Podcast: First Call Protocol
11 Jun 2009 | 11:31 amIn this week’s podcast, Bill is going “solo” and talks about the first call “protocol.” We’ve received a lot of mail recently on “filling the sales funnel,” but the first discussion you have with a prospect is still vital. You have to set the tone in the right way. And to do that, you MUST have the right frame of mind going in.
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B2B Lead Generation
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B2B Marketing Zone launched
2 Jul 2009 | 6:45 amA new B2B marketing community that I am participating in was just launched. The B2B Marketing Zone is a marketing community site that was launched as collaborative effort between Tom Pick and Tony Karrer.The community features content from other B2B marketing bloggers I enjoy such as Ardath Albee (Marketing Interactions), Paul Dunay (Buzz Marketing for Technology) and Jon Miller (Modern B2B Marketing) as well many others. If you’re looking for insights from other experts in B2B marketing I recommend you check it out. -
On Lead generation: Insist on lead quality over quantity
1 Jul 2009 | 10:19 amUnder increased pressure to help drive revenue in this challenging market, many of us are tempted throw as many leads as we can to our sales team. We can tell ourselves that more leads is better because it lowers the cost-per-lead and gives the sales team more activity. But don’t be one of those lulled by this false sense of security. If you really want to make a difference in your company’s sales, dig deeper. Focus on metrics that go beyond cost-per-lead, and more importantly, focus on quality first then quantity. Do you know how many of your leads are actually impacting the sales… -
7 Tips on how B2B marketers can leverage social media
29 Jun 2009 | 7:15 amIn B2B sometimes we need to remind ourselves that people don’t buy from companies, they buy from people. That’s why why I think social media has a lot of potential for B2B marketers and sellers. Why? Social media tactics are wonderful for building and supporting business relationships and making yourself more available to connect with your current and future customers. If you are still on the fence or if you are still struggling with how to fully utilize social media, I encourage you to check our Ambal Balakrishnan’s article, “Tips on how B2B marketers should leverage social… -
Moving Marketing Leads to Sales Pipeline best practices data
23 Jun 2009 | 6:00 amA key challenge B2B lead generation is driving leads from the marketing funnel to the sales pipeline. MarketingSherpa just published a chart that shows which best practices are marketers NOT using to effectively manage their marketing-to-sales pipeline process. Check it out. The one that stands to me is the last one, "have a process for handing leads back to marketing" when they are not sales ready. We call that lead reengagement and it's a form of lead nurturing. Lead reengagement is one of the most powerful ROI tools marketers have available to them. Why? You're getting… -
Inbound lead nurturing presentation slides available
22 Jun 2009 | 7:07 amI had a great time with being a professor at the inbound marketing university. Here's my presentation deck on inbound lead nurturing (CV201) via #IMU for those who missed it. #8 IMU: Inbound Lead Nurturing (CV201)View more OpenOffice presentations from Hubspot Marketing. You can check out all the other classes or register at: http://www.inboundmarketing.com/university
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About.com Entrepreneurs
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Madoff Gets 150 Years - We Get A Lesson in How to Treat Shareholders and Investors
29 Jun 2009 | 7:58 pmAnyone else gleefully surprised by the 150-year sentence given to Bernie Madoff? Perhaps this will send a nice, scary message to other investment boogie men lurking in the wings. Treating... -
King of Pitchmen Billy Mays Died Today at Age 50
28 Jun 2009 | 9:46 amEntrepreneur extraordinaire, Billy Mays, was found dead the morning of June 28, 2009 in his Tampa, FL home by his wife. Paramedics were unable to revive Mays, who died... -
How to Make Time For Marketing
27 Jun 2009 | 7:54 amJune is National Entrepreneur Do-it-Yourself Marketing Month. If you are not actively marketing your business in everything you do, you are limiting your growth potential. Many entrepreneurs think of marketing... -
2009 Good Design Competition - Graphics Design Entries
27 Jun 2009 | 6:01 amNow in its 59th year, GOOD DESIGN is the oldest and the most prestigious Awards Program organized worldwide. Good Design Awards - Format: Graphic Design You can enter any graphic produced... -
Enter Inc.com's Neutrepreneur of the Year Contest to Win $50k
27 Jun 2009 | 5:52 amTell Inc.com why you are the most outstanding start-up business owner of 2009 and you could win a $50,000 business grant or other prizes in the Neutrepreneur of the Year...
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HomeBiz Resource
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Solving the "Allowed memory size of XXX bytes exhausted" Fatal Error
16 Jun 2009 | 7:43 pmToday when I was about to upgrade one of my blogs to Wordpress 2.8 I encountered a "Allowed memory size of 33554432 bytes exhausted" fatal error. That was not the first time I got the error message and I can see that there were many others had gone through the experience and many will too in the future. And so I asked my hosting live chat support to see if there were any new alternative solutions other than what I usually do to solve the memory error. It was a fast response and although I was still suggested to modify the php.ini file, they gave me a very detailed step by step… -
Busby SEO Test – Adding Nofollow Without Changing Wordpress Codes
25 Jan 2009 | 9:01 pmToday I took a look at my stats and I saw many people were searching for how to add nofollow to special links. What I mean by special links are “read more” links, author links, tags links, etc. The links are usually generated by php functions and people tend to go for the Wordpress core in order to add the nofollow tags. It shouldn’t be a problem if they know what they’re doing. But they need to rewrite the modifications as soon as Wordpress releases an update to maintain the nofollow effect. I used to change the codes in Wordpress core too. But since I found this, the Add Link… -
Tweeting Your Stumbles and Easily Discover Inactive Twitterers
21 Jan 2009 | 8:01 pmJust a quick post this time. I just read Twitter FAQ by Caroline Middlebrook and wanted to share some of the methods I learn twittering. Caroline received a lot of Twitter related questions and that’s why she decided to release the FAQ on commonly asked questions. Some of the questions that haven’t been addressed are How to tweet your stumbles How to purge inactive followers FeedTweeter beta invite code I’ve made a comment on her article about how I work on those two and of course maybe there’s still someone else who come up with better ideas. But for the moment, here’s the method I… -
Busby SEO Test – Does Internal Linking Pattern Still Do The Trick?
18 Jan 2009 | 9:00 amIn other words, do your sitewide links pointing to your favourite post still provide a significant boost to its ranking? Or on the contrary, they will cause your featured post to be penalized by Google? Rand Fishkin from SEOMoz did some testing around internal links and anchor text and found some interesting results. Internal Anchor Text Has Very Little Impact on the Homepage Excessive Internal Anchor Text Linking / Manipulation Can Trip An Automated Penalty on Google Beyond a Certain Point, Adding More Internal Links to a Page Does Not Necessarily Flow More Anchor Text Value In my early… -
Opinions on 69 Solid Link Building Tactics for 2009
16 Jan 2009 | 9:00 amOn late December 2008, Wiep wrote about 69 link building tactics you can use for 2009. Although we all know that search engines especially Google shifts algo hundreds of times a year, I agree on the approaches suggested on the list. However, there are one or two that I feel need to be added another point of view just to balance. Breadcrumbs are a great internal linking tool. Use them for usability and anchor text differentiation. In-content links not only tend to have a higher click through rate and perceived trust, but are also able to add more relevance to a link because of the surrounding…
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Solutions Are Power
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Happy July 4th
3 Jul 2009 | 5:00 amHappy Independence Day to all out US readers. To our international friends, since it is a national holiday, we are taking the day off. Regular programming will resume on Monday. Meanwhile, here are some stories from this and our other sites. * Solutions Are Power: Twitter’s Secret Manual - Mashable’s Guide to Twitter. Continue reading. * Grow Smart Business: Law Firms and Social Media - Even Lawyers Can Have A Conversation. Continue Reading. * Women Grow Business : The Chief Troublemaker on Her Favorite Twitter Visualization Sites. Continue Reading. Photo Credit: Morganglines -
The Changed Expectations of Digital Vacations
2 Jul 2009 | 1:00 pmI’ve never been very good at taking vacations, so this is more of a theoretical exercise for me than anything else, but I was thinking about different ways our expectations of vacation have changed because of this whole online thing. I’m not talking about the prosaic stuff like being able to make your own reservations and book your own flights. (Which, let’s face it, can be a burden — sometimes I miss having a travel agent in the loop, which made vacation planning a kind of “fire and forget” experience. Although no one misses the added cost.) I mean stuff… -
Understanding Word of Mouth Marketing
2 Jul 2009 | 8:00 amEver heard of WOM? It stands for “Word of Mouth”. You might be rolling your eyes and saying “great, another acronym to remember and another marketing concept to understand and incorporate into my business”. But not so fast, this one is on of the most important concepts to come along to marketing in years. Let me explain myself… Explaining Word of Mouth Marketing in Plain English According to the Word of Mouth Marketing Association web site, they define it as “Giving people a reason to talk about your products and services, and making it easier for that… -
Announcing the Network Solutions Social Web Advisory Board
2 Jul 2009 | 5:00 amAs many of you may know, we are getting ready to rebrand and launch a whole new brand and as part of engaging our community, Network Solutions has put together a group of individuals respected for their opinion and ability to offer insight in places we would not expect. Here they are: Tinu Abayomi Paul Leveraged Promotion, a website promotion company. Their specialty is bringing companies with an existing offline presence the local, national or international exposure they need to increase profitability, leveraging the cost-effective tools available on the web. You can reach her at… -
Twitter’s Secret Manual - Mashable’s Guide to Twitter
30 Jun 2009 | 5:00 amAs most of you know I use Twitter for a few things but I am not very prolific on it and that is not because I don’t have things to say, it just comes down to time and deciding which conversations to join into. “Twitter, despite its many extraordinary uses, can be a bit of a head scratcher when you first get started. From hashtags to Trending Topics, Twitter is a world of nomenclature and established conventions that are alien to newcomers.” [Mashable] I also admit when it first came out I really didn’t get it but I captured my name for brand protection purposes and now…
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HomeBiz Resource
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Solving the "Allowed memory size of XXX bytes exhausted" Fatal Error
16 Jun 2009 | 7:43 pmToday when I was about to upgrade one of my blogs to Wordpress 2.8 I encountered a "Allowed memory size of 33554432 bytes exhausted" fatal error. That was not the first time I got the error message and I can see that there were many others had gone through the experience and many will too in the future. And so I asked my hosting live chat support to see if there were any new alternative solutions other than what I usually do to solve the memory error. It was a fast response and although I was still suggested to modify the php.ini file, they gave me a very detailed step by step… -
Busby SEO Test – Adding Nofollow Without Changing Wordpress Codes
25 Jan 2009 | 9:01 pmToday I took a look at my stats and I saw many people were searching for how to add nofollow to special links. What I mean by special links are “read more” links, author links, tags links, etc. The links are usually generated by php functions and people tend to go for the Wordpress core in order to add the nofollow tags. It shouldn’t be a problem if they know what they’re doing. But they need to rewrite the modifications as soon as Wordpress releases an update to maintain the nofollow effect. I used to change the codes in Wordpress core too. But since I found this, the Add Link… -
Tweeting Your Stumbles and Easily Discover Inactive Twitterers
21 Jan 2009 | 8:01 pmJust a quick post this time. I just read Twitter FAQ by Caroline Middlebrook and wanted to share some of the methods I learn twittering. Caroline received a lot of Twitter related questions and that’s why she decided to release the FAQ on commonly asked questions. Some of the questions that haven’t been addressed are How to tweet your stumbles How to purge inactive followers FeedTweeter beta invite code I’ve made a comment on her article about how I work on those two and of course maybe there’s still someone else who come up with better ideas. But for the moment, here’s the method I… -
Busby SEO Test – Does Internal Linking Pattern Still Do The Trick?
18 Jan 2009 | 9:00 amIn other words, do your sitewide links pointing to your favourite post still provide a significant boost to its ranking? Or on the contrary, they will cause your featured post to be penalized by Google? Rand Fishkin from SEOMoz did some testing around internal links and anchor text and found some interesting results. Internal Anchor Text Has Very Little Impact on the Homepage Excessive Internal Anchor Text Linking / Manipulation Can Trip An Automated Penalty on Google Beyond a Certain Point, Adding More Internal Links to a Page Does Not Necessarily Flow More Anchor Text Value In my early… -
Opinions on 69 Solid Link Building Tactics for 2009
16 Jan 2009 | 9:00 amOn late December 2008, Wiep wrote about 69 link building tactics you can use for 2009. Although we all know that search engines especially Google shifts algo hundreds of times a year, I agree on the approaches suggested on the list. However, there are one or two that I feel need to be added another point of view just to balance. Breadcrumbs are a great internal linking tool. Use them for usability and anchor text differentiation. In-content links not only tend to have a higher click through rate and perceived trust, but are also able to add more relevance to a link because of the surrounding…
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Mine Your Own Business
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Small Business and Health Insurance
2 Jul 2009 | 1:48 pmHere's a timely article on some new health care reform being considered by the United States House. Under the plan small businesses would be required to pick up some portion of health insurance premiums for full time employees and some... -
A Followup on the 3/50 Project
1 Jul 2009 | 1:57 pmWe did a posting on the 3/50 Project on May 20th of this year. If you missed it, you can read the posting here and check out some of the links included in the posting. There is a new article... -
A Business Growth Strategy
25 Jun 2009 | 1:52 pmThere are numerous strategies on ways to grow your small business. An article from USA Today that compares growing your business to squeezing oranges, certainly a novel comparison. What are the oranges? The article makes the point that the oranges... -
A List of Best Independent Retailers
23 Jun 2009 | 11:26 amWe ran across a recent article in BusinessWeek on a new book by George Whalin providing his take on the 25 best independent stores in America. To be considered for the book the stores had to meet certain criteria, such... -
More E-mail Tips
19 Jun 2009 | 8:39 amWe've done a few postings on e-mail in the past few months. On April 21st we posted about an article that focused on the importance of effectively revising an e-mail in order to make it more likely that your e-mail...
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Bizinformer
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NetworkingForPros.com Puts You on the Web
30 Jun 2009 | 7:36 am© Dmitry Baranovskiy I've been contributing over the last few months to the content of a vibrant and growing site that points toward the future of the Internet and has profound potential for eComm... -
Your Company Website
30 Jun 2009 | 4:48 amI talked yesterday over at BizPlanHacks about getting customers through your company website. Do you have a company website? You should. SimplWeb has an online course available to help you start a we... -
Yescalate Brings You Business Information and Customer Reviews
20 Jun 2009 | 5:15 pm© Ed Yourdon If you're looking for a convenient way to get your business noticed on the Web, you're probably looking for Yescalate, a site were local business information is built by users. I... -
The Philoneist Tells You Who's Behind that Domain, and More...
19 Jun 2009 | 9:26 pm© chrisdlugosz Whether it's online commerce, advertising or trading in Internet properties and domain names, the Web has come to play an important role in 21st Century business. With the influen... -
Virtual Goods and Real Value
19 Jun 2009 | 3:58 amHave you paid money recently for a new outfit for your Second Life avatar? Or to send a friend a teddy bear on Hi5? We talked not long ago about virtual currencies. Now VentureBeat has an article out ...
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the Selling Sherpa
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Sales Tip of the Day: IMAGINE
3 Jul 2009 | 12:17 amWhen you are making a presentation, you are a walking, talking advertisement for the solutions you sell. I’ve been creating advertising for print and broadcast media for over 2 decades and, trust me on this, the most effective advertising leads people (listeners, readers) to visualize themselves using and enjoying the product or service being offered. You can make all the promises in the world but, without a visual, you may not make the sale. So, whether or not you have any visual materials, you must guide prospects to create their own vision. In my experience, the easiest way to do this… -
Sales Tip of the Day: ACT NATURALLY
2 Jul 2009 | 12:01 amHave you ever encountered someone trying to “act” like something they are not? You know the kind I am talking about. They put on airs, seem to know everything about everything, and generally bore everyone around them with endless stories about themselves and their adventures. Most of the time, these people are really just very insecure, so they try to project an image of what they think they are supposed to be like. If you really want to make new friends, make relationships, and make sales, I have two words of advice for you: act naturally. Don’t try to be anything you are not. -
Sales Tip of the Day: I'M A BELIEVER
1 Jul 2009 | 12:01 amEver since we were both young, we’ve been cautioned that “seeing is believing”. Unfortunately, it has become a part of our subconscious programming. The truth of the matter is, you have to believe in your ability to achieve your goals before you can ever hope to reach them.Visualize the end result in your mind, think about what it will feel like to achieve it, and start making plans for how you will accomplish your goals.Stay focused on your vision, work diligently towards it, and nothing can stop you from achieving everything you want to.I’m a believer. Are you?© 2009 YOU… -
Sales Tip of the Day: BAD DAY
30 Jun 2009 | 12:01 amI was in a specialty retail store not long ago and ran into a cashier/clerk who was clearly having a bad day. With a few items in my hands, I passed by the checkout counter to look at a display near the door and heard him ask, “are you gonna pay for any of that?” My guess is he was assuming that I would walk right out the door with the merchandise and make a run for it. Not likely. I turned and responded, “excuse me?” He realized what I was doing and answered, “nuthin’.” When I did step up to the counter to have my purchases rung up, he just blurted, “zip code?” No… -
Sales Tip of the Day: IT'S MAGIC
29 Jun 2009 | 12:01 amMost people in sales are looking for the magic question. You know, the one that will get them a sale every time. Actually, there is a question you can ask that virtually assures you will get the business. I must warn you that it’s magic, so you have to be careful when and on whom you use it. But before I tell you what the question is, let’s go over the prerequisites: First, you must have a superior product, service or treatment with easily identified value. Next, you must be the kind of salesperson that has a tremendous reputation for helping others first before helping yourself to…
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Future Changes
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Why Businesses Don’t Collaborate: #3 Chaotic Group Input
2 Jul 2009 | 8:22 amThis is the third in a twelve-part series exploring Why Businesses Don’t Collaborate. The full research report is available for Download. Question How many of the emails you receive require your direct input or feedback on the contents of an attachment? Survey Comments Almost all require my input. I am the editor for all the member and provider communications that are generated from our department. I also respond to RFPs on behalf of our department. If I do get attachments, the sender usually wants my opinion on something before that sender does the official ‘mass mailing’. Those… -
Wiki: Antidote to Edifices of Unidirectional Communication
30 Jun 2009 | 8:29 pmAaron Rester explains why web sites that respond to and enable the collective activity of their audience are less likely to become occasionally noticed but little-used monuments: Just as Lefebvre leads us to see built spaces not as the expressions of a single architect, but rather as the production of the wide variety of human interactions that occur within them, so websites created by cartographers would cease being grand edifices of unidirectional communication and become instead the collective product of the individuals whose lives intersect within them. The rise of the social web demands… -
Why Email Isn’t Ideal for Group Input
29 Jun 2009 | 9:49 amFrom an Apple support discussion on why sharing documents online via iWork.com is better than emailing them as attachments: I don’t need to send to 20 other people, then get 20 mails back and read through those 20 mails. At the same time, each of those 20 has no idea what the other 19 are thinking and thus means there will be many overlapped ideas in those 20 mails I have to go through. That nicely sums it up. -
How to be a Successful Web Worker – A Collection of Tips
26 Jun 2009 | 10:52 amMeryl Evans wrote a guide for remote workers on Web Worker Daily, and included this tip from me on maintaining strong communication: Communicating Without Geek Speak Stewart Mader: A strong ability to communicate about what you’re doing. If you work for a company, you need to be good at using the intranet, enterprise wiki or other social computing tools to keep others up to date on what you’re doing, ask for their feedback and make sure they know you’re available to help them too. -
Why Businesses Don’t Collaborate: #2 Where’s the File?
26 Jun 2009 | 8:12 amThis is the second in a twelve-part series exploring Why Businesses Don’t Collaborate. The full research report is available for Download. Question We asked how many of the emails people receive on a daily basis contain attachments. 65% of respondents said a few of the daily emails they receive contain attachments, and 25% said at least half contain attachments. Only 2% said that the vast majority include attachments. Survey Comments Usually, the attached file is only a page or two long. The content could easily be put up on a wiki for review/comments/reading. I have emphasized within…
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ScottFox.com - Internet Riches - e-Riches 2.0
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e-Riches 2.0 - The Exclusive Kick-off Broadcast Podcast
2 Jul 2009 | 10:14 amAre you thinking about buying my new book, e-Riches 2.0, but haven't fully decided yet? Wednesday's special episode of my E-Commerce Success Radio Show answered all your remaining questions about this new book! Listen to this fr-ee podcast of my broadcast by clicking on the player below or by downloading the MP3 for later. Listen now and you'll hear the excitement in my voice! I wrote this new book to help readers like you and hope that you'll check it out. At only $16.50 (on-sale at Amazon.com and BN.com), you're sure to learn dozens of valuable tips and new Web 2.0 marketing… -
Recent Radio Thanks
1 Jul 2009 | 5:08 pmWith the arrival of my new book has come a new wave of radio publicity. Luckily for me, radio listeners all over want to learn more about today's Web 2.0 marketing and e-business opportunities! I've been pleased to appear on a bunch of radio shows recently to talk about e-Riches 2.0 and the latest modern online marketing strategies it details. My special thanks go out to these radio hosts: Russ & Sully of the "Big Biz Show" on the Business Talk Radio Network Kate Delaney and the America Tonight team Peter Anthony Holder on Montreal's CJAD and Toronto's CFRB Jim Blasingame and… -
Russell Simmons says…
28 Jun 2009 | 5:17 am"There Are No Failures, Only Quitters." - Russell Simmons, Hip-hopreneur Thanks to James Holmes A quotation from the 365SuccessQuotes.com collection. Subscribe for a fre-e daily dose of inspiration delivered directly to your email inbox! -
Don’t Blindfold Your Customers: 4 Tips for Optimizing Beyond Your Home Page
26 Jun 2009 | 5:33 pmMost business owners and web designers spend too much time on creating the "perfect" home page. They forget that search engines index your entire web site. Search engine results invite visitors to arrive at almost any page on your site depending on what they searched for. And, if they talk about your site online, most bloggers and previous customers skip right over your home page to instead share links to specific pages deeper in your web site, too. Many of Your Visitors Never See Your Home Page at All! The result is that most visitors to your web site may never even see your homepage. Does… -
Comment Contest Winner: Cary Bartlett
25 Jun 2009 | 3:59 pmI'm giving away prizes to the best commenters here on ScottFox.com, as promised recently here. Our first Comment Contest winner is Cary Bartlett. Cary (pictured right) left a thoughtful and detailed comment about online marketing here. In addition to several nice compliments about my books, (and more importantly!) Cary was smart enough to tactfully mention his own e-business web site, NorCal Outdoor Supply and include a link to it, too. His web site looks like a great source for outdoor gear - check it out if you're an avid outdoorsman like Cary and his family are. Cary's comment…
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MyBusiness Magazine
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What is your biggest fear?
2 Jul 2009 | 9:56 amWhether you're worried about crunching numbers, managing employees or nailing your next big sales pitch, let's face it: All small business owners grapple with anxiety. But the good news is you're not alone. Need proof? Check out this Entrepreneur.com article, which names the top five fears that entrepreneurs deal with--and how to overcome them. Here they are: 1. Failure. Ninety-five percent of small businesses fail within the first five years, but that doesn't mean you'll be one of them. Chances are, your fears of failing are worse in your head than they are in reality. Keep plowing through… -
Restaurants Realize Value of Twitter
30 Jun 2009 | 1:37 pmI know that one of my favorite Mexican restaurant's in town was open on Father's Day. And I know that on Tuesdays they have 2 for 1 margaritas. And I haven't even been lately. So how do i know this? I found out on Twitter, of course. I follow them on Twitter, which gives me the inside scoop on what's happening over there and when. This Boston Globe article includes the stories of other restaurants and how they're using Twitter to market their menus. It's a great tool to get customers in the door, but it also helps restaurants get feedback from their customers on the customers' terms. If you… -
How Not to Write a Business Plan
29 Jun 2009 | 12:14 pmBusiness plans and resume cover letters have a lot in common—they often find their way immediately to the trash. I had never made this connection until I read this Wall Street Journal article. It's writer, John Mullins, sought out to figure out why so many business plans end up in the trash can after -- or halfway through -- the loan officer or potential investor reads them. He found out that it's because the wannabe business owner made one of five common yet critical mistakes. In this article, Mullins explains what the traps are and how to avoid them. After reading it, cross-reference his… -
Easy Ways to Make Your Office Green—and Save Money
26 Jun 2009 | 3:22 pmLooking for a way to make your business a little greener? You don't have to spend tons of money to be environmentally friendly. It's the little things that add up. PC World suggests trying the following: •Move from direct mail to e-mail. Keeping in touch with customers and clients is vital to your business, but you don't have to kill a forest to do it. These days, e-mail is more practical and cost-effective. The trick is how to launch a successful campaign without getting labeled as a spammer, but plenty of Web-based applications designed for small businesses make it easy to build and… -
Grow Your Business This Summer
25 Jun 2009 | 9:50 amAs many businesses tend to slow down during the summer, The Hartford Business Journal offers nine ways owners can ramp up productivity and turn the summer slump around, including: Develop a marketing plan. Use the downtime to work on strategy, marketing materials, lining up trade shows and advertising. Start social networking. Learn how Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn can help you reach new potential customers—and solidify relationships with current ones. Build your customer database. Putting all of your customer (and prospective customer) information into a digital format will help you…
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Small Salons
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You NEED a good website!
16 Jun 2009 | 9:17 amThis article is fromLifehack.org, a great resource that you should be reading! They have articles for business and for life. Please check them out! For most businesses, a web site is one of the most important investments you can make. Entrepreneurs are either overspending or underspending on their web sites, and many have no idea what they’re doing or why. So today I’m going to talk about why a good, solid web site really matters to your business, and in the next two weeks, I’ll follow up with articles on the core components your web site needs to work well for you, and how to hire a… -
How to keep your employees from wanting to kill you
16 Jun 2009 | 9:12 amThis is a post from That Guy With The Nametag. He has great stuff all the time. Cick on over and check out his blog (and subscribe while you are at it!) 1. Let people finish what they have to say. Most interruptions are derailments, and as such, most interrupters are avoided. PRACTICE: On a daily basis, challenge yourself to play the game called, “Let’s See How Long I Can Go Without Interrupting People.” Actually keep score. See if you can beat your personal best each day. Then, every time you DO interrupt (unnecessarily, that is), drop twenty bucks in a jar. Get the whole office… -
It is not about the hair, people!
2 Jun 2009 | 9:43 amClick on over and read this article in Business Week magazine. How to Sell More Than a Product In a coffee showdown with McDonald’s, Starbucks’ tried—and—true strategy has a lesson for entrepreneurs: Don’t sell products. Sell an “experience” By Carmine Gallo Read the article here. -
Get off the phone!
16 Mar 2009 | 4:20 pmImage by Noonch via Flickr Are you spending time on the phone booking appointments that you could be spending pampering the clients in the salon? It is time to join the 21st century and get an online appointment system! An online appointment system works 24/7. It doesn’t call in sick and it never comes to work with a hangover. We have used online appointment services in my salon for years. If I tried to take it away, the customers would string me up by my toes! Whenever they think about their hair, they can get an appointment. It doesn’t matter if you are open or… -
Recession busting strategies
9 Feb 2009 | 12:14 pmI have mentioned to you before that our primary advertising tool for the salon is Citysearch. It works well for us and so we keep at it (in good times and bad.) I wanted to share with you an email I got from my Citysearch account manager. I was impressed with the personalized service and as I read the message, I couldn’t help think that she was following the same advice she was giving. It can’t be easy to sell advertising to companies who are facing cash flow shortfalls, but she is working it. If you are in the Seattle/Tacoma area, I suugest you give her a call and see…
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Innovation Weblog
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New study from Booz and Co. analyzes brand innovation factors
Booz and Co. has been conducting brand research for many years, and they are finding that most consumer brands are not creating value. Where brands ARE creating value is when consumer experience has been greatly enhanced. This combines two major areas of innovation focus (brands and user experience) and requires deep analysis and understanding by a company’s brand and senior leadership teams. -
The secret ingredient to creative success
Have you ever wondered what it is that elevates some of us from mediocre to outstanding? Well, I'll let you in on that secret ingredient. -
Innovation: The right tools for the job
What are the tools you should use as you establish/cultivate/support your idea and innovation management systems -
The growing role of government in innovation
The British government has established innovation as a central economic focus and has created several organizations to help drive its adoption by businesses in the UK. -
Demand innovation step 3: Finding new growth opportunities
In most cases you and your colleagues will need to shift your understanding of where top-line growth has come from in the past to a new model that better fits the challenging times in which we all live today.
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FreelanceFolder
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20 Must-Read Blogs for Freelance Developers
2 Jul 2009 | 8:50 amWith all of the other must-read lists here on freelance folder, I don’t think it would be fair to leave out the amazing developers who are regular readers. This post contains 20 must-read blogs for freelance developers, from php to jquery, ruby on rails, css and general web development. With all of the regular articles and tutorials being posted on these blogs, it’s easy for a beginner developer (or even a designer who’s dabbling with the idea of becoming a developer) to learn a ton of useful information. I personally subscribe to all of these sites and have learned more in… -
Freelancing Stories: When A Neighbor’s Tree Kills Your Power
1 Jul 2009 | 9:29 amWe freelancers have to be resourceful. Just how resourceful, however, our clients may never realize. The fact is that Murphy’s Law is alive and kicking in the freelance world — anything that can go wrong generally will go wrong. You’ve experienced it. I’ve experienced it. In most cases, we persevere. We get the project turned in on time and meet or exceed our client’s expectations. Things usually work out well. It’s how we’ve dealt with Murphy’s Law, however, that makes for some really funny freelancing stories. Just for fun, I thought it would… -
8 Tips for Success When Freelancing On the Road
30 Jun 2009 | 8:12 amLet’s face it, most of us freelancers do what we do in order to have the potential to work and play on our own terms. I love setting my own hours so I can enjoy life, and I also love slogging away on projects that I’m really passionate about. One aspect of play that many of us want to take up is to be able to freelance and travel at the same time. In fact, that’s exactly what I’m going to be doing in a few months when I start my 1 year (hopefully) journey around the world. I don’t start this adventure for a while, but it’s good to have everything organized… -
How To Be Genuine and Nice in a Web 2.0 World (and Why It’s Important)
29 Jun 2009 | 6:28 amIn the past, we’ve posted here about the importance of monitoring your online reputation. That post was mainly about knowing and responding to what others are saying about you, or about your business, online. There’s a whole other dimension, however, of online reputation management that doesn’t often get discussed. It’s the dimension of how you, as both a professional and individual, behave online. It may surprise you to know that some of the worst hits to your freelancing reputation occur, not as a result of what others say or do online, but actually as a result of… -
Open Thread: Do You Have a PDF or Web Portfolio?
26 Jun 2009 | 8:23 amA good portfolio is a freelancer’s gateway to the world. It’s the primary factor that clients evaluate when hiring for a new project, and it’s the first thing peers and friends look at to determine a freelancer’s skill. With the obvious importance of a portfolio, it’s no wonder most freelancers spend hours, days, or weeks creating something that looks awesome. Having a good portfolio is just that important. But there are a number of different ways to create a portfolio — and not everyone agrees on the best choice. You could create a PDF with your top…
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The Global Small Business Blog
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Eco-Friendly Global Luxury
3 Jul 2009 | 9:07 amThe tough global economic climate is forcing Mother Nature to come out full force in unexpected positive ways.Over the past year, many of the world's best-known luxury labels have started to introduce eco-friendly products, snap up brands that tout their social responsibility and weave environmental themes into their advertising and marketing.Are you looking into the validity of global small business environmental and social responsibility efforts?Maybe you should. Read more here.Note: Image button can be found here (no affiliation). -
Get a Feel For the Overseas Market
2 Jul 2009 | 9:15 amIf you have the time and the funds, nothing beats a visit to a country you are about to do business in to fully understand and appreciate how the people live day-to-day. Even Pepsi CEO, Indra Nooyi, realizes this:The visit, one sweltering morning last week, was part of a 10-day "immersion" tour of China for Ms. Nooyi, who is seeking to strengthen the Purchase, N.Y., company's business in emerging markets. "I wanted to look at how people live, how they eat, what the growth possibilities are," she said in an interview Tuesday in Beijing. What she has seen has persuaded her that PepsiCo's… -
Changing The Way The World Learns Languages
1 Jul 2009 | 5:08 amWhat was he thinking when Tom Adams, CEO (37), chose to take Rosetta Stone public in April during the worst downturn in recent memory?Since 2003, the company has grown from a small, family-owned business with $10 million in annual revenue and 90 full-time employees into a 1,200-employee operation with first-quarter revenue this year of $50.3 million. Rosetta Stone’s shares have recently traded above $27 (shares went out initially above the estimated range of $15 to $17 and raising $112.5 million). The wildly successful offering sent a message of good news worldwide for privately owned… -
SMB World Will Move Up
30 Jun 2009 | 6:37 amInteresting post by Mike Speiser on "Self-Service Nation: Why Targeting Small Business Is Good Business."I'll jump to one (of 27 at this writing) of the reader's comments which I think says it all:Focusing on supporting and recommending small businesses will create a much better world to live in and spread the wealth far more equitably.Read more here. -
Exporting Big Box Concepts to India
29 Jun 2009 | 4:04 amIs Wal-Mart's deep retail discounting formula doable in India? Only time will tell.India is part of Wal-Mart's rapid global expansion under Mike Duke, the former head of the company's international division who in February became CEO. In his previous job, he recruited native-born managers in international markets who understood local customs. Mr. Jain, for example, had worked more than 20 years here for Unilever PLC and Whirlpool Corp. Wal-Mart's 3,400 international stores generate close to one quarter of the company's revenue. The arrival of big-box wholesalers and retailers in India was a…
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Floort - Business
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Business: Instead of blocking Twitter & Facebook businesses should learn and use them
9 Jun 2009 | 7:07 amReuters, May 09 -- More Australian companies are blocking access to social networking websites such ... -
Business: China will have 50% of world mining market by 2010
8 Jun 2009 | 10:33 pmAggressive acquisition policy of China in mining... -
Business: This makes the 'financial crisis' more understandable.
2 Jun 2009 | 11:16 amHeidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit. She realizes that virtually all of her customers are un... -
Business: My stock portfolio has doubled over the past two months.
1 Jun 2009 | 11:28 pmIt's not very big, but it has in fact doubled over the past two months thanks to performers like For... -
Business: Missouri..go or don't?
30 May 2009 | 6:25 pmhey.. a few family members want me to house watch for the entire summer in Missouri, someplace near ...
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Custom Software
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How To Manage Database Development More Efficiently
8 Jun 2009 | 5:18 amThis article was written based on a presentation given by Eric Carlson. VS Team System 2008 Database Edition GDR is a component of the Visual Studio Team System suite of tools. It was formerly known as “DB Pro”. As the General Distribution Release, it is a post-service pack 1 release. It incorporates several of the features slated for Visual Studio 2010 “Rosario”. It also has SQL Server 2008 support. Some of the key features of this Team System release are listed below: T-SQL Editor The T-SQL Editor support ad hoc queries within Visual Studio without having to rely on… -
Test Driven Development in .NET
18 May 2009 | 6:22 amThis article was written based on a presentation given by Aristo Setiawan. Test-driven development is a development pattern which is characterized by the use of pre-written test cases which are continuously validated via an iterative, incremental development process. The basic process is: Write the test. Write the code which is tested by the test from step 1. Validate that the new test and all previously implemented tests run successfully. The process is repeated for each test until the code is fully implemented. Benefits of test-driven development include: Forces simplicity in the code by… -
Why use Linq instead of SQL?
3 Apr 2009 | 7:49 amTo give you an idea of what Linq looks like, and how it compares to SQL code, below are some very simple queries in both SQL and Linq. This assumes a Customer table with columns ID and Name: SQL Linq SELECT UPPER (c.Name) FROM Customer AS c WHERE c.Name LIKE '%a%' ORDER BY LEN(c.Name) from c in Customers where c.Name.Contains ("a") orderby c.Name.Length select c.Name.ToUpper () Strongly Typed Queries Linq queries are all strongly typed since classes are autogenerated to match your database schema. As a result, you also get intellisense all the way through composing a query. -
Resume Tips
11 Feb 2009 | 5:47 amI want to share some resume writing tips. These are all based on actual things I have personally seen in resumes that I've reviewed for software developer positions. However, almost all of these tips are generally applicable to anyone writing a resume. Proofread for spelling and grammar, especially if English is not your primary language. When I see spelling and grammar mistakes I want to stop reading and throw the resume away. If you have these mistakes, you are digging yourself a hole and the rest of your resume has to be good enough for me to overlook these errors. If you are not adept… -
Flexible Software Saves Money!
3 Dec 2008 | 7:50 amOne of the calling cards of poorly or hastily developed software is lack of flexibility: it cannot easily be reconfigured, enhanced or adapted to changes in your business. Rigid software can make adapting your application to evolving business needs extremely time-consuming and expensive. In fact, sometimes it can be more cost effective to consider a "rewrite" than to pursue costly maintenance of inflexibly designed code. Here are three techniques you can use to improve your software's flexibility: Configuration files - most applications make use of environment setting that are…
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Art Biz Blog
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Find your way around Twitter, part 2: @Replies, Direct Messages, and Favorites
3 Jul 2009 | 10:04 amHere’s a little bit more about what you see when you are on your Twitter Home page. (Remember from my earlier post that this is the page that only you see when you sign in to Twitter.)The following three links are in the right column of your Twitter Home. I think of them as separate inboxes that help with organizing tweets, but you can think of them as folders, pages, or just links. 1. @RepliesIn short, whenever @YourName is used in a tweet anywhere, it will appear under @Replies on your Twitter Home. The picture here shows you what my @Replies page looked like recently. Just click on it to… -
Deep Thought Thursday: Show it again, Sam
2 Jul 2009 | 3:53 amWhen is it okay (if at all) to exhibit previously-shown art?Are there hard and fast rules?Are there loose guidelines that you abide by?Here's the message from Jeanne Guerin-Daley that prompted this:I find myself wondering if it would be okay to exhibit work which has been shown before. I certainly understand that an artist shouldn't keep showing 3-year-old work over and over again. But if one shows a work in one venue, and it doesn't sell, then maybe a year later, that same artist gets a chance to show in another venue, maybe in another state or at least in another area, and that… -
Find your way around Twitter, part 1: Profile and Home
1 Jul 2009 | 9:05 amIn earlier posts about Twitter, I gave you guidelines for your Twitter username and told you about the @ and # symbols.By popular demand, I’m going to share with you some additional basic information that will help you to better understand how Twitter works. This won’t be too helpful if you aren’t registered for your free Twitter account, so go ahead and do that now (using the username guidelines I provided earlier).Quick VocabularyA tweet is a Twitter post (also called an update). It contains 140 or fewer characters (not words--characters) and has the Twitter user’s name (aka… -
Podcast: Include prior connections on your mailing list
29 Jun 2009 | 7:01 amAre you assuming--perhaps incorrectly--that certain connections are separate from your art connections? Regardless of the type of work you did before diving into your art career, every contact you have made is valuable. Include previous connections on your mailing list. As I share in this week's podcast, it's all about cultivating collectors! [3:52] Related Art Marketing Action newsletter (a written version of this podcast) Cultivate Collectors for your art (online class begins July 8)Don't shrink your mailing list just yet (newsletter)I'd Rather Be in the Studio! (book, pages… -
@abstanfield Tweekly
27 Jun 2009 | 5:16 amAnother opportunity to see what you missed if you hadn't looked at your Twitter screen at just the right time. Check out Marcia Yudkin's nwsltr this week: Take the Pain Out of Pricing (re the pricing format you use) [Note to future readers: only current edition is on this site, but you should definitely subscribe. It's a great newsletter!]RT @ArtistTaraReed: If u missed the Art Licensing call last night, see what Paul Brent & I discussed-another great hour! @crobe posted a "reward chart" for her summer goals--"fill in the castle". Anyone do anything…
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Meryl's Notes at meryl.net
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Links: Independence Day 2009 Edition
3 Jul 2009 | 6:18 amHappy 4th to Americans and Happy belated Canada Day. Email going around with this. “At 5 minutes and 6 seconds after 4 a.m.,on the 8th of July, this year, the time and date will be: 04:05:06am on 07-08-09 “This will not happen again until the year 3009.” You can say the same for the ones coming in the next three years: 05:06:07am on 08-09-10 (2010) 06:07:08am on 09-10-11 (2011) 07:08:09am on 10-11-12 (2012) It’d be cool to have one of these birthdays. 7 Ways to Build Your Author Brand Online My Favorite Book Covers of 2008: Fabulous list. Can’t begin to pick one. -
15 Ways to Blog for Your Blog When You Blog for Clients
1 Jul 2009 | 11:49 amPhoto credit Naama y.m. I started writing a post about Twitter this morning. Then I realized, the post would work for one of my clients and moved it there. My clients come first, which makes it harder to produce high quality blog entries for my own blog. And I am not about to abandon this place after nine years. So how do I balance blogging here and blogging for clients / publications when our audience is the same? Not all of my clients have the same target audience, but a couple do. That’s one reason why I don’t blog as often. I share good and fun finds on link Fridays. It looks… -
Game du Jour: Week of 28 June 2009
29 Jun 2009 | 9:06 amThe following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games: Sun. June 28th: 50% off on Battles of Norghan Mon. June 29th: 50% off on Crazynoid Tue. June 30th: 50% off on Boulder DashREpisode II: Jive-n-Cave Wed. July 1st: 50% off on Smiling Bubbles Thu. July 2nd: 50% off on BoXplosion Fri. July 3rd: 50% off on Jet Ducks Sat. July 4th: 50% off on Solitaire Studio -
How to Run a Successful Twitter Chat
26 Jun 2009 | 10:17 amImage credit Flávio Takemoto I love participating in Twitter chats. These bring together intelligent individuals with a common interest yet each one adds something unique to the conversation. I’ve already covered how to join Twitter chats. This post looks at the process of participating in the chat. #journchat set many of the standards that other chats have adopted. While official standards don’t exist, it becomes clear what works and what doesn’t work after you participate in enough chats. These guidelines capture the practices that lead to productive and fun chats. Let… -
Links: 26 June 2009
26 Jun 2009 | 6:49 amEasy on the Hooptedoodle: How to be invisible when writing a book. You know… show instead of tell. [Link: The Blood-Red Pencil] Exposing Some Myths About Blogging Pay Rates 7 Ways to Rediscover Your Dreams Book Marketing 2.0: 5 ways you can use Web 2.0 tools to promote your book Namechk: See if a user name is available across many social networks. Twitter Logo Generator [Link: Crenk] Best Sites for Used Cars: Daughter has driver’s permit. Not gonna get her a new car. If anything, she’ll inherit hubby’s car once he gets a replacement. Star Trek does opera: Khannnnn! in…
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Capital Solutions Bancorp Blog
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7 Tips to Grow Your Business
24 Jun 2009 | 4:50 pmThe economy is not an excuse for becoming stagnant. Many businesses are growing today. Yes, today. Many of today's big and successful businesses were founded in tough times. Need names? Here you go: Microsoft, Apple, Adobe and Southwest Airlines. I'm not saying ignore the economy and go about your business. Rather, I'm suggesting you take a look at your business in the following seven ways. These will help you grow your business and cash flow.read more -
The Effects of Making Late Payments
22 Jun 2009 | 9:24 pmA business that chooses to pay its employees and vendors late instead of taking out a line of credit to get the needed cash flow will experience more problems as opposed to avoiding interest by not taking out a line of credit. Not taking out a line of credit for paying bills and making payroll causes the following problems:read more -
Starting a Business during Tough Times
19 Jun 2009 | 8:49 amThink the gloomy economy is the worst time to start a business or to add new products and services? Think again. Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and Method (environment-friendly soaps and household cleaners) all came to be during an economic downturn. How in the world do such companies manage to thrive when starting up during bad times? A blasted economy offers several advantages for new companies:read more -
Invoice Your Way to Cash Flow
15 Jun 2009 | 8:42 amHow you handle your business invoicing process can affect your cash flow. As I've said it many times in this blog, cash flow keeps your business going. It doesn't matter how well a business is doing, it's possible to lose it all due to poor cash flow management.read more -
A Factoring Tale
12 Jun 2009 | 9:20 pmJames was in the oil and gas business. He sold equipment to oil and gas companies that need to replace broken or missing parts. One day, another business owner approached James with a fabulous deal, the kind you couldn't pass up.read more
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BusinessCast Podcast
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Overcoming Common Sales Objections
27 Jun 2009 | 12:59 pmEntrepreneurs know: The sales cycle never stops. And, so it makes sense that entrepreneurs always have to be prepared to face sales objections. Many BusinessCast loyal listeners have asked Robert and me to offer more advice/content on overcoming common sales objections. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. In BusinessCast podcast episode #113, Robert and I sit down with award-winning sales guru Warren Coughlin. Together, we run through the most common sales scenarios and how you can address them. So that you can comfortably address sales objections, we’ve also developed some… -
Greening Your Business…For Business
21 Jun 2009 | 9:23 am“Green” your business? Why should you? After all, you’re busy dealing with day-to-day business challenges in the middle of a soft economy. Do you really have time to be thinking “green“? What’s the payback? Will it really matter to your top line or to your bottom line? Well, “greening” your business means a host of different things to different people. So, in BusinessCast Podcast episode #112 – Greening Your Business — we sat down to get a perspective on greening from an entrepreneur who has a strong track record of successfully… -
Business by Association
12 Jun 2009 | 7:37 amIf you’re like most successful entrepreneurs, you’ve found great value in belonging to professional associations. But, what about getting involved in the leadership of an association? What’s involved? What are the benefits? Is it right for you? Is it right for you now? To answer these questions, in BusinessCast Podcast #111 — Business by Association, Robert and I gather practical insights about this topic from the President of one of Canada’s most prestigious and dynamic associations — the Canadian Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs… -
Business Succession — Making the Most of the Opportunity
7 Jun 2009 | 12:31 pmAll entrepreneurs, at one time or another, must contend with business succession. For example: Are you buying a business from someone? Are you planning to sell your own business? Are you taking a back seat/different role in the business you’ve built? Have you taken over the helm of a business for an aging/exiting family member? Regardless of the circumstances, you’re going to face succession issues and challenges. And the way, you deal with these issues will have a tremendous impact on you, your friends, your family and your business. That’s why in BusinessCast Podast #110… -
The “Entrepreneur and the Netbook”: The Checklist Episode
31 May 2009 | 4:20 pmNetbooks are all the rage. But, are they right for entrepreneurs? And, are they right for entrepreneurs, now? They certainly can be when entrepreneurs apply a disciplined approach when searching, evaluating and comparing this leading-edge type of business tool. In BusinessCast Podcast 109a – “The Entrepreneur and the Netbook”, we go through the key criteria that all entrepreneurs should use when considering a netbook as well as identify a handful of key free resources. After listening to BusinessCast Podcast 109a – “The Entrepreneur and the Netbook”, you…
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MakingTheMogul.com
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SOUNDBITE: Ego
3 Jul 2009 | 1:42 am“The ego is not master in its own house.” - Sigmund Freud © MakingTheMogul.com - visit http://www.makingthemogul.com for more great content. -
What Was Missing From The BET Awards
28 Jun 2009 | 11:32 pmThe BET Awards just wrapped up and everybody has an opinion on it. Everybody. Whether you loved it or hated it though (there’s FAR too much blatant negativity, without real basis, online), I will say that I give respect to any staff that has 3 days to scramble and re-arrange an event that took them months to set up. Was it the best show they’ve ever done? No. Was it the worst show they’ve ever done? No. It was a decent production – especially given the fact that they had to reformat the entire scheduling in such a short timeframe. (After speaking to several people who… -
Konvict Muzik’s Bu Shows You The Life Of A Young Music Exec
24 Jun 2009 | 10:11 pmLast year, I featured the big homie, Bu; co-CEO of Konvict Muzik. Not only did that feature get some attention, but a lot of people started asking for more information about him, his ventures and his everyday life. Well, Bu decided it was time, and so he recently joined Twitter & launched his own YouTube channel. Make sure to subscribe to his updates on both sites, as he’s going to be offering some insight into his life as a young music executive. Bu on Twitter Bu on YouTube I see you homie! © MakingTheMogul.com - visit http://www.makingthemogul.com for more great content. -
Featured on Mogul Monologues
10 Jun 2009 | 11:15 amThe homie EL Johnson just interviewed me for his site, Mogul Monologues – a business lifestyle blog for the young professional. Check below for an excerpt: Name: Moe Arora Age: Twenty-Something Hometown: Montreal, Quebec Company: Rockstar Branded Pet Peeve: Egos and Music Snobs Life Goal: To positively influence others based on my example. Since you live in Montreal, how are you able to connect with so much clientele in the US? Two words: technology & travel. Right now it’s incredibly accessible to work from anywhere in the world. Especially as a consultant. I don’t have… -
Ryan Leslie Knows How To Connect With His Fans
8 Jun 2009 | 10:48 amOne of the biggest questions every artist, manager & label rep asks themselves on a daily basis is, “how can we further connect with our fans?” Amongst all the teams out there, one of the best examples I can think of (and one whom I mention in nearly every meeting) is Ryan Leslie. From his initial YouTube videos, to his MySpace push, to his Twitter profile and blog – he’s consistently shown that he’s one of the very few, that truly does “get it”. Last night, R. Les posted a message on Twitter, telling fans he would purchase & autograph an…
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Biz Crusader
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Here’s to the CRAZY ones… Think Different
20 Jun 2009 | 9:53 amHere is an oldie but a goodie. This is a perfect video for the weekend. Consider this video my tribute to ALL of you crazy ones otherwise known as entrepreneurs, leaders and those who just dare to think differently. Enjoy! Until Next Time… -
What goes in the box? Why it matters in e-commerce.
23 May 2009 | 9:04 amI’ve been working with a number of e-commerce clients lately and this question seems to come up often. If you’re selling tangible products online, it’s not enough these days just to ship an order in a timely manner. An online store owner should view the box as another opportunity to market their products. Just by including the right items in the fulfillment box, you can exponentially increase the chances for a return visit and a follow-up sale. Here are some proven marketing ideas. 1) Return Visit Coupon: Include a coupon code for their next… -
How should employers deal with Swine Flu?
30 Apr 2009 | 10:32 amI’ve been reading quite a bit lately about labor laws, compliance posters and OSHA standards. This is due to our newest client, AllInOnePosters.com, one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of HR Compliance Posters. Along with that thought process, I started to investigate how business owners should be dealing with the current and possible Swine Flu pandemic. As employers or heads of companies, you have an obligation to make sure your workplace is properly and accurately dealing with this possible cause for great concern. At the end of the day, it’s all about… -
Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent
13 Apr 2009 | 4:33 pmOne of my clients just sent this over to me. As we ALL start the week again, take a few minutes to view this short video about a woman who never gave up on her dreams. It’s all about that isn’t it? We all have dreams and it’s just an issue of whether we will let them fade away or we keep pursuing them. I heard a line from a movie once that stuck with me… “You can do anything or be anyone, it’s just a matter of discipline.” A little luck can’t hurt either. Enjoy! Thanks Katherine James–client who sent this. VIEW THE VIDEO -
How Sticky is Your Business Web Site? — PART 1
1 Apr 2009 | 1:44 pmFirst my apologies for not posting in a while. There are hundreds of you now generating over a thousand page views a day. I am also happy to report that my little blog has also been picked up for syndication on a few notable web sites around the Internet. I am hoping this means you are finding my posts to be informative and helpful. Like you, I also head a business and things got a little crazy in March. The good news is that the economy seems to be thawing a bit. It’s not necessarily getting better but maybe consumers and businesses are slowly realizing that business…
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Connie Bensen
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Redefine Customer Communication
3 Jul 2009 | 7:21 amLast week I did a half day workshop at Enterprise 2.0 in Boston. We had a great conversation! Over fifty people from a broad range of backgrounds attended! I was glad to hear that we had more than marketing people. There were some social media people, analysts, community managers, higher education (one in engineering!), programmers, and brands. I was really hoping for that diversity & it really spiced up things. My hats off to the Enterprise 2.0 organizer, Steve Wylie. When he first talked with me I advocated for sessions on ‘community’. And when I saw the agenda I was so pleased to… -
Living on the Edge