Jott transforms spoken messages into text. After signing up for the service online and validating their phone number and email address, users dial Jott’s toll free number (877-568-8486), say ‘me’ or the name of a contact or group of contacts, speak for up to 30 seconds and then hang up. Jott transcribes the spoken words into writing, and sends the message to its destination as an email or text message. Transcription usually takes a few minutes, or up to 20 minutes during peak hours. The original audio message is retained, and is linked to in the email for reference.
Jott is currently free, but will at one point offer members the choice between a free, ad-supported version, or a premium version for a fee. Which could bring in tidy revenues, since this is exactly the type of service that users are more than willing to pay for once they’ve incorporated it into their daily routine. Jott is only available in the United States and Canada. So, partner with them and/or set up your own local version. Offshore outsourcing will be more difficult if your language is, say, Swedish or Japanese, but that’s a challenge to overcome. And if you work in (mobile) telecom, we’re sure you can come up with a few interesting implications and appealing opportunities.
Website: www.jott.com
Sunday, April 22, 2007
I Let You
iletyou lets you, and anyone else, set up a NetFlix-like video and game rental store in a matter of minutes. The San Diego-based start-up is aiming to give consumers access to an estimated 10 billion DVDs that can be found in US households alone, allowing both individuals and independent brick and mortar stores to set up shop online.
There's no minimum number of DVDs or games to get started, which means that anyone with a collection can start renting out to people with similar tastes. The rental economy, transumers briefing, caters to consumers more interested in experiences than ownership.
More:: www.iletyou.com
There's no minimum number of DVDs or games to get started, which means that anyone with a collection can start renting out to people with similar tastes. The rental economy, transumers briefing, caters to consumers more interested in experiences than ownership.
More:: www.iletyou.com
Few Quality Advertisers Which Works
* We promise to fill 100% of your advertising inventory with the best-rated banners and ads, and no default (self-promotional) banners.
* We also work with up-and-coming sites, believing in your ability to produce great content and future traffic.
* We primarily cover five vertical networks: entertainment, women’s interests, business, technology, and international.
Criteria for Consideration
Pageviews Per Month: 500,000
Unique Visitors Per Month: 75,000
Average CPM: No number listed ($.25-.75 is what we have heard)
Cut: No number listed (40% is what we’ve heard)
Blue Lithium
Advanced technology to bring you better rates
BlueLithium uses sophisticated behavioral and semantic targeting and then optimizes campaigns in real time to ensure optimal performance. These technologies, combined with BlueLithium’s approach of dividing sites into content channels, produce better results for advertisers while improving the relevancy of ads for site viewers. Data from BlueLithium and other next-generation ad networks shows that behavioral targeting alone can increase sales 10X for some advertisers over traditional run of network placement. Not surprisingly, advertisers are willing to pay more for this kind of performance.
Criteria for Consideration
Pageviews Per Month: -
Unique Visitors Per Month: -
Average CPM: No number listed
Cut: 35-60%
Burst Media
BurstDirect
Burst Direct helps publishers maximize their sell-through by providing massive reach to direct marketers. By joining the Burst Direct network, which is comprised of over 800 web publishers offering thousands of sites, you’ll be able to run a number of performance-driven campaigns across your site, and take advantage of the following benefits:
Criteria for Consideration
Pageviews Per Month: 20,000
Unique Visitors Per Month: -
Average CPM $.20 to 4.00
Cut: 35%
Contract Type: non-exclusive)
BurstNetwork
Criteria for Consideration
Pageviews Per Month: 5,000
Unique Visitors Per Month: -
Average CPM $
Cut:
Three years (exclusive) 40%
One year (exclusive) 45%
Month-to-month (non-exclusive) 50%
Casale Media
“Looking for an end-to-end solution that delivers maximum earnings and high quality advertising content? Casale Media® connects its publishers to a large selection of quality advertisers across all verticals, and provides the technology needed to track, analyze and optimize the value and utilization of online media inventory. All Casale Media® publishers are provided with a custom web-based account interface that empowers them to take complete control over every conceivable aspect of ad management. Best of all, every ad delivered to publishers’ sites is dynamically optimized to maximize advertising income and inventory allocation. That means happy advertisers, satisfied readers, and more revenue for publishers.”
Criteria for Consideration
Pageviews Per Month: -
Unique Visitors Per Month: 10,000
Average CPM $Not listed
Cut: 30%
More:http://www.younggogetter.com/2007/04/09/not-all-ad-networks-are-created-equal/#comment-2170
* We also work with up-and-coming sites, believing in your ability to produce great content and future traffic.
* We primarily cover five vertical networks: entertainment, women’s interests, business, technology, and international.
Criteria for Consideration
Pageviews Per Month: 500,000
Unique Visitors Per Month: 75,000
Average CPM: No number listed ($.25-.75 is what we have heard)
Cut: No number listed (40% is what we’ve heard)
Blue Lithium
Advanced technology to bring you better rates
BlueLithium uses sophisticated behavioral and semantic targeting and then optimizes campaigns in real time to ensure optimal performance. These technologies, combined with BlueLithium’s approach of dividing sites into content channels, produce better results for advertisers while improving the relevancy of ads for site viewers. Data from BlueLithium and other next-generation ad networks shows that behavioral targeting alone can increase sales 10X for some advertisers over traditional run of network placement. Not surprisingly, advertisers are willing to pay more for this kind of performance.
Criteria for Consideration
Pageviews Per Month: -
Unique Visitors Per Month: -
Average CPM: No number listed
Cut: 35-60%
Burst Media
BurstDirect
Burst Direct helps publishers maximize their sell-through by providing massive reach to direct marketers. By joining the Burst Direct network, which is comprised of over 800 web publishers offering thousands of sites, you’ll be able to run a number of performance-driven campaigns across your site, and take advantage of the following benefits:
Criteria for Consideration
Pageviews Per Month: 20,000
Unique Visitors Per Month: -
Average CPM $.20 to 4.00
Cut: 35%
Contract Type: non-exclusive)
BurstNetwork
Criteria for Consideration
Pageviews Per Month: 5,000
Unique Visitors Per Month: -
Average CPM $
Cut:
Three years (exclusive) 40%
One year (exclusive) 45%
Month-to-month (non-exclusive) 50%
Casale Media
“Looking for an end-to-end solution that delivers maximum earnings and high quality advertising content? Casale Media® connects its publishers to a large selection of quality advertisers across all verticals, and provides the technology needed to track, analyze and optimize the value and utilization of online media inventory. All Casale Media® publishers are provided with a custom web-based account interface that empowers them to take complete control over every conceivable aspect of ad management. Best of all, every ad delivered to publishers’ sites is dynamically optimized to maximize advertising income and inventory allocation. That means happy advertisers, satisfied readers, and more revenue for publishers.”
Criteria for Consideration
Pageviews Per Month: -
Unique Visitors Per Month: 10,000
Average CPM $Not listed
Cut: 30%
More:http://www.younggogetter.com/2007/04/09/not-all-ad-networks-are-created-equal/#comment-2170
Go BIG Network
The Go BIG Network has published data showing that funding requests by small businesses were down during the first quarter of 2007. The average amount of funding requested was $$928,875, down from $1,073,359 in the previous quarter.
That’s according to the Go BIG Network’s Small Business Funding Review (PDF), which notes:
The Go BIG Network’s survey includes funding requests made on its Web site of more than 40,000 small businesses in the first quarter of 2007 by entrepreneurs and startup companies seeking angel investment capital, small business funding and venture capital. The Go BIG Network connects entrepreneurs and small businesses to early stage investment sources to help fund startup companies.
Go BIG Network is another of the growing group of service providers that make available aggregated data of actual usage. In other words, this is not a survey. Rather, it is data of actual requests for funding by entrepreneurs.
More:http://www.gobignetwork.com/
That’s according to the Go BIG Network’s Small Business Funding Review (PDF), which notes:
The Go BIG Network’s survey includes funding requests made on its Web site of more than 40,000 small businesses in the first quarter of 2007 by entrepreneurs and startup companies seeking angel investment capital, small business funding and venture capital. The Go BIG Network connects entrepreneurs and small businesses to early stage investment sources to help fund startup companies.
Go BIG Network is another of the growing group of service providers that make available aggregated data of actual usage. In other words, this is not a survey. Rather, it is data of actual requests for funding by entrepreneurs.
More:http://www.gobignetwork.com/
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Online Animation Start Up
AniBoom is an online video aggregator for animated films, with online tools (such as a Shapeshifter) that empower users to create animation of different genres, techniques and means.
To provide the right incentive, AniBoom created a revenue sharing model based on popularity and prize-awarding contests to inspire participation. According to its FAQ, AniBoom is working on "Animated Idol", an online competition for animators.
More:http://www.aniboom.com/
To provide the right incentive, AniBoom created a revenue sharing model based on popularity and prize-awarding contests to inspire participation. According to its FAQ, AniBoom is working on "Animated Idol", an online competition for animators.
More:http://www.aniboom.com/
How To Get Out Of "Job Mentality"When Starting Business
The process of becoming a true, serial, (good) crazy entrepreneur is to view the world as a series of experiments. Instead of a subject matter expert, you want to become an expert in experimentation. And you want to plan on failing, falling on your face a few times, if for nothing else than to have a great story to tell your adoring stockholders and fans when you finally ring the bell at the opening of the New York Stock Exchange. Part of what makes Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad success so great is his self-admitted hubris and failure at his first start-up business.Here are some ways to get out of your job mentality and get into your entrepreneur mentality
Start with What kind of work am I meant to do?, not What kind of business should I start? This is a very important distinction that I want you to stop and really think about for a minute. It is related to your greater purpose for being on earth, or if you wish to frame it in corporate terms, your personal mission statement. When I spent some time reflecting on the work I am meant to do, I realized that it all has to do with promoting personal freedom, joy and expression through work. Kind of vague and squishy, huh? But it becomes concrete as I experiment with different business ideas to further this mission. I tried to work as a corporate consultant and had great fun and financial success. Then I decided to become a coach for wannabe entrepreneurs. Now I am playing with being an author and writing a book. In a few years, I may decide to create a product line or two. As I grow and evolve, my work may change too which will lead to different kinds of businesses.
Forget about permanence. If you are just starting your entrepreneurial journey, chances are you may need lots of fits and starts in order to find a business that gives you meaning, money and happiness. To use crass dating terms, you are not looking for Mr. Right, you are looking for Mr. Right Now, with the low expectation that he may surprise you and turn into Mr. Right. It has been awhile since I have been on the dating scene, but I do remember a few men I met that were waaaaay too intense in their search for a permanent mate. At the first date and coffee, if they asked about marriage and children, I would run screaming. Your work feels the same way - it needs time to get to know you. If the fit is right, go for it, if not, move on to the next one.
Read More:http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/get_a_life_blog/2006/09/5_ways_to_get_o.html
Start with What kind of work am I meant to do?, not What kind of business should I start? This is a very important distinction that I want you to stop and really think about for a minute. It is related to your greater purpose for being on earth, or if you wish to frame it in corporate terms, your personal mission statement. When I spent some time reflecting on the work I am meant to do, I realized that it all has to do with promoting personal freedom, joy and expression through work. Kind of vague and squishy, huh? But it becomes concrete as I experiment with different business ideas to further this mission. I tried to work as a corporate consultant and had great fun and financial success. Then I decided to become a coach for wannabe entrepreneurs. Now I am playing with being an author and writing a book. In a few years, I may decide to create a product line or two. As I grow and evolve, my work may change too which will lead to different kinds of businesses.
Forget about permanence. If you are just starting your entrepreneurial journey, chances are you may need lots of fits and starts in order to find a business that gives you meaning, money and happiness. To use crass dating terms, you are not looking for Mr. Right, you are looking for Mr. Right Now, with the low expectation that he may surprise you and turn into Mr. Right. It has been awhile since I have been on the dating scene, but I do remember a few men I met that were waaaaay too intense in their search for a permanent mate. At the first date and coffee, if they asked about marriage and children, I would run screaming. Your work feels the same way - it needs time to get to know you. If the fit is right, go for it, if not, move on to the next one.
Read More:http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/get_a_life_blog/2006/09/5_ways_to_get_o.html
Tubetorial
A site featuring excellent video/screencast tutorials.
Free videos with excellent instruction focused mostly on online ventures including online marketing, Adsense, blogging and various other money-making stuffs. They even have some beginner HTML tutorial bits.
Must See:
5 Steps to Making Money From Keyword Research.
7 Steps to Creating and Selling a Niche Information Product.
How to Build a Profitable Home on the Web.
For detail:http://www.tubetorial.com/
Free videos with excellent instruction focused mostly on online ventures including online marketing, Adsense, blogging and various other money-making stuffs. They even have some beginner HTML tutorial bits.
Must See:
5 Steps to Making Money From Keyword Research.
7 Steps to Creating and Selling a Niche Information Product.
How to Build a Profitable Home on the Web.
For detail:http://www.tubetorial.com/
MyCompany.Com
An online service that handles all of the necessary paperwork and legal documents for incorporation. You can do this paperwork yourself, but it's typically a quagmire of legalese and headaches. If you're running your own startup your time is usually better focused on building your business instead of dealing with arcane laws and forms for days/weeks.
For Detail:http://www.mynewcompany.com/
For Detail:http://www.mynewcompany.com/
Start Ups Paradise
Looking for advice on starting or running a business? Check out what the blogosphere has to offer. It's filled with scores of Web journals on various topics of interest to entrepreneurs.
Here's a sampling of blogs in this niche and what small-business owners can get out of reading them.
WorkHappy.net
www.workhappy.net
Carson McComas is on a mission to help fellow small-business owners succeed. His two-year-old blog provides advice, ideas, inspiration and resources he's accumulated through his own experience as a consultant to entrepreneurs and owner of four Web-based ventures. "A lot of entrepreneurially related content on the Internet is get-rich quick garbage," he says. "It's very important for me not to be that." Writing about once a week from his home office in Spokane, Wash., Mr. McComas reviews products and services such as mynewcompany.com, which helps entrepreneurs with the paperwork for incorporating a business. Readers can suggest items for review and submit their own write-ups, he says. Another feature, called "Happy Links," lists URLs to Web sites and blogs with helpful information for entrepreneurs, and "Happy Quotes" offers a regular dose of inspirational sayings. Look for interviews Mr. McComas conducts with entrepreneurs such as Markus Frind, founder of PlentyofFish.com, a dating site.
Franchise Pundit
www.franchisepundit.com
In spring 2004, Ryan M. Knoll considered purchasing a franchise, and he created this blog to document his research. Though, he later opted to practice law instead, he says he continues to blog about investing in franchises because the subject draws heavy commentary from readers. He also stays current on the subject because about a quarter of his law-firm clients are professionals seeking counsel on buying franchises, he says. Franchise Pundit discusses the pros and cons of various franchise investments, and many posts end with a thumb's up or down vote from Mr. Knoll on whether a particular franchise is a wise purchase. The blog, which is updated daily, also reports on emerging franchises, relevant legal news and various industry happenings. In addition, franchise owners frequently contribute posts about their personal business experiences. Check out the blog's discussion board and a page listing links to archived posts on franchises by company name.
Young Go Getter
www.younggogetter.com
Originally an online discussion forum, younggogetter.com was revamped in January as a blog. "We try and cover all aspects of starting and running a business from the perspective of a young person," says Travis Hines, one of its three twentysomething contributing writers from around the U.S. who each run their own businesses. The discussion board still exists as a link from the blog and has about 400 members. Another interactive feature is a weekly poll, which asks questions such as, "What business events do you attend most each year?" Look for posts offering opinions and advice, plus book reviews, podcasts and interviews with young entrepreneurs. There's also a section called "Entreprenews" which links to articles on the Web that discuss entrepreneurialism.
Escape from Cubicle Nation
www.escapefromcubiclenation.com
Nearly a decade after quitting a corporate-consulting job to start her own business, Pamela Slim started this blog to help other professionals switch to sole proprietorship. She says many of the cubicle dwellers she used to advise griped about their jobs, but were too afraid to try their hand at being entrepreneurs. For this reason, says she focuses her blog posts on the emotional aspect of leaving the corporate world to start a business. "I write about the human side of that change -- how to manage your personal fears in addition to getting the kind of information you need," she explains. She receives about 150 emails a week from readers and chooses topics to blog about based on their questions and concerns, she says. Her postings are syndicated to several Web sites.
Read More:http://www.startupjournal.com/howto/soundadvice/20070420-needleman.html
Here's a sampling of blogs in this niche and what small-business owners can get out of reading them.
WorkHappy.net
www.workhappy.net
Carson McComas is on a mission to help fellow small-business owners succeed. His two-year-old blog provides advice, ideas, inspiration and resources he's accumulated through his own experience as a consultant to entrepreneurs and owner of four Web-based ventures. "A lot of entrepreneurially related content on the Internet is get-rich quick garbage," he says. "It's very important for me not to be that." Writing about once a week from his home office in Spokane, Wash., Mr. McComas reviews products and services such as mynewcompany.com, which helps entrepreneurs with the paperwork for incorporating a business. Readers can suggest items for review and submit their own write-ups, he says. Another feature, called "Happy Links," lists URLs to Web sites and blogs with helpful information for entrepreneurs, and "Happy Quotes" offers a regular dose of inspirational sayings. Look for interviews Mr. McComas conducts with entrepreneurs such as Markus Frind, founder of PlentyofFish.com, a dating site.
Franchise Pundit
www.franchisepundit.com
In spring 2004, Ryan M. Knoll considered purchasing a franchise, and he created this blog to document his research. Though, he later opted to practice law instead, he says he continues to blog about investing in franchises because the subject draws heavy commentary from readers. He also stays current on the subject because about a quarter of his law-firm clients are professionals seeking counsel on buying franchises, he says. Franchise Pundit discusses the pros and cons of various franchise investments, and many posts end with a thumb's up or down vote from Mr. Knoll on whether a particular franchise is a wise purchase. The blog, which is updated daily, also reports on emerging franchises, relevant legal news and various industry happenings. In addition, franchise owners frequently contribute posts about their personal business experiences. Check out the blog's discussion board and a page listing links to archived posts on franchises by company name.
Young Go Getter
www.younggogetter.com
Originally an online discussion forum, younggogetter.com was revamped in January as a blog. "We try and cover all aspects of starting and running a business from the perspective of a young person," says Travis Hines, one of its three twentysomething contributing writers from around the U.S. who each run their own businesses. The discussion board still exists as a link from the blog and has about 400 members. Another interactive feature is a weekly poll, which asks questions such as, "What business events do you attend most each year?" Look for posts offering opinions and advice, plus book reviews, podcasts and interviews with young entrepreneurs. There's also a section called "Entreprenews" which links to articles on the Web that discuss entrepreneurialism.
Escape from Cubicle Nation
www.escapefromcubiclenation.com
Nearly a decade after quitting a corporate-consulting job to start her own business, Pamela Slim started this blog to help other professionals switch to sole proprietorship. She says many of the cubicle dwellers she used to advise griped about their jobs, but were too afraid to try their hand at being entrepreneurs. For this reason, says she focuses her blog posts on the emotional aspect of leaving the corporate world to start a business. "I write about the human side of that change -- how to manage your personal fears in addition to getting the kind of information you need," she explains. She receives about 150 emails a week from readers and chooses topics to blog about based on their questions and concerns, she says. Her postings are syndicated to several Web sites.
Read More:http://www.startupjournal.com/howto/soundadvice/20070420-needleman.html
Friday, April 20, 2007
Google Guide
Google Guide is an online interactive tutorial and reference for experienced users, novices, and everyone in between. Google Guide gives you more information about Google's capabilties, features, and services than I found on Google's website.
More:http://www.googleguide.com/
More:http://www.googleguide.com/
Google Vs Microsoft
The best side to be on in a bidding war is the losing side” — Warren Buffett
The concept that Buffett is putting forth is that when there is a bidding war, the price paid by the winner is almost by definition too high. The “loser” in the bidding war may not lose at all, because they have forced a competitor to pay too much for something.
I thought about this after reading that Google (a company I love dealing with) is buying DoubleClick (a company I HATE dealing with). I don’t want to get into the validity of this buyout because I don’t know enough about it to form an opinion and my hatred for doubleclick is most likely putting a bias in my heart and head.
What I do want to discuss is that Google seems to be continually winning in bidding wars. $1.6 billion for Youtube. Almost a billion in guaranteed ad buys on myspace. Now doubleclick. I’m probably missing some, but you get the point.
They always seem to win bidding wars. If Buffett is right (which I’m NOT going to argue with), then Google is likely the long term loser as a result.
Which brings me to the real questions:
Is it POSSIBLE that Google competitors like Microsoft are willing to engage in bidding wars in the hope and expectation that Google will pay too much for something outside of its core competency (search)? After all, has Google EVER lost a bidding war?
Is it POSSIBLE that Google (rightfully) sees its stock as currency that should be taken advantage of? If so, that basically means that they think their stock is overvalued (otherwise it’s not currency)….and if they think that…..shouldn’t you?
Read More:http://www.andyswan.com/
The concept that Buffett is putting forth is that when there is a bidding war, the price paid by the winner is almost by definition too high. The “loser” in the bidding war may not lose at all, because they have forced a competitor to pay too much for something.
I thought about this after reading that Google (a company I love dealing with) is buying DoubleClick (a company I HATE dealing with). I don’t want to get into the validity of this buyout because I don’t know enough about it to form an opinion and my hatred for doubleclick is most likely putting a bias in my heart and head.
What I do want to discuss is that Google seems to be continually winning in bidding wars. $1.6 billion for Youtube. Almost a billion in guaranteed ad buys on myspace. Now doubleclick. I’m probably missing some, but you get the point.
They always seem to win bidding wars. If Buffett is right (which I’m NOT going to argue with), then Google is likely the long term loser as a result.
Which brings me to the real questions:
Is it POSSIBLE that Google competitors like Microsoft are willing to engage in bidding wars in the hope and expectation that Google will pay too much for something outside of its core competency (search)? After all, has Google EVER lost a bidding war?
Is it POSSIBLE that Google (rightfully) sees its stock as currency that should be taken advantage of? If so, that basically means that they think their stock is overvalued (otherwise it’s not currency)….and if they think that…..shouldn’t you?
Read More:http://www.andyswan.com/
ZOHO-Smart Customer Service
Zoho gives you time to check it out. It also serves as a reminder to go check it out if you signed up and haven't used it much. Plus, they note that they aren't spamming you and that they simply want feedback, and won't bother you again. It's always refreshing when someone does a good job with their business.
Read More:http://www.zoho.com/
Read More:http://www.zoho.com/
T-shirts From Vending Machine
A new store concept from Uniqlo will sell limited edition T Shirts from vending machines. Opening later this month in in Harajuku, the Tees will be sold in plastic tubing.
More:http://jeansnow.net/2007/04/16/ut/
More:http://jeansnow.net/2007/04/16/ut/
Checkhouse
In Portugal, Checkhouse gives independent buyers confidence by extensively testing and checking a building's foundation, acoustics, wiring, roof, etc.
While traditional surveyors are mainly accustomed to dealing with real estate agents and builders, I believes there's a growing market for pre-sale building inspectors that focus on consumers, combing a keen eye for structural problems with a good bedside manner when it comes to telling potential buyers that their dream house is in fact a money trap. Start small, but think big: build a well-branded, nationally-known chain or network, partner with real estate sites and stay impartial by not working for construction companies. For real estate agents feeling the pinch from online listing and pricing tools, it might be time to change careers and become a home inspector.
Website: www.checkhouse.pt
While traditional surveyors are mainly accustomed to dealing with real estate agents and builders, I believes there's a growing market for pre-sale building inspectors that focus on consumers, combing a keen eye for structural problems with a good bedside manner when it comes to telling potential buyers that their dream house is in fact a money trap. Start small, but think big: build a well-branded, nationally-known chain or network, partner with real estate sites and stay impartial by not working for construction companies. For real estate agents feeling the pinch from online listing and pricing tools, it might be time to change careers and become a home inspector.
Website: www.checkhouse.pt
Thursday, April 19, 2007
CEO Refresher
We believe that people have lost sight of what it means to be accountable in organizations and have confused this concept with blame and punishment. This article is an effort to shed some light on accountability and in doing so engage the productive potential of the term.
As long as people see accountability as a threat instead of an opportunity they will find clever ways to avoid ownership of outcomes, disguise initiatives as imperatives, and confuse results with effort.
The first element that we need to address is that the foundation of any 'good faith' business transaction is the expectation of a fair deal for all concerned. In complex organizational relationships, it is all too easy to lose sight of the existence and terms of this deal. As a prime example, that particular employer/employee relationship, called a job, appears as a fair deal wherein the employer's money is traded for the employee's time and talent. The deeper reality, however, is that the employer is actually trading resources for a set of desirable results, which the employee is expected to deliver. The promise to faithfully deliver as agreed by both parties is the essence of accountability. To 'do what you say you will do without excuses' is the foundation of credibility which makes all business deals possible, including those specific deals called jobs.
We recommend that organizations document these bargains called jobs and give voice to individuals' accountabilities through a process called an Accountability Agreement. An Accountability Agreement clearly states the results that each member of an organization, from the most senior to the most junior, is expected to bring about [For specific examples of Accountability Agreements, please see our online tool at http://www.AlignOnline.com]. The following six principles form the foundation for negotiating and understanding accountability. Together they form a practical theory of accountability, the transforming effect it can have on an organization, its essential role in creating significant business results and how it helps to avoid the unproductive trap of focusing on blame and punishment.
I. Accountability is a Statement of Personal Promise
Accountability is both a promise and an obligation to deliver specific, defined results. Accountability, as we define it, does not apply in an abstract way to departments, work groups, or entire organizations. Accountability applies to individuals and their personal promise that these functions will deliver the agreed results. Accountability is first and foremost a personal commitment to the organization and to those the organization serves. It is more than just trying, doing your best, or behaving in certain ways. Accountability empowers individuals to push their circle of influence outwards in pursuit of results.
II. Accountability for Results Means Activities aren't Enough
Everyone in an organization, from the CEO to the janitor, has some piece of the business and a corresponding set of results which are theirs to achieve. Distinguishing results from activities requires a shift in traditional thinking built on an awareness of why we do what we do. For example, a typical supervisor's job description includes activities such as "training," "performance evaluations," and "timely communication". In contrast, a supervisor's accountabilities should include a result such as "the success of all direct reports." This concept addresses the common observation that everyone is busy but only some people are productive.
III. Accountability for Results Requires Room for Judgment and Decision Making
If you're not allowed to use any judgment or discretion on the job, if you're told to follow the rules no matter what, if no decision is up to you, then your boss can only hold you accountable for activities. You can be held accountable for doing what you're told, but you can't be held accountable for the outcome. Judgment and innovation can never be fully described in a job description. When employees are expected to be resourceful in the achievement of results, they are held accountable for capturing opportunities or ignoring them.
IV. Accountability is Neither Shared nor Conditional
Accountability Agreements are individual, unique, and personal strategies. No two people at the same level in an organization should have the exact same accountabilities. Separating each person's accountabilities can be challenging, but valuable clarity results from the struggle to eliminate overlaps.
Read Full Article:http://www.refresher.com/!smbksix.html
As long as people see accountability as a threat instead of an opportunity they will find clever ways to avoid ownership of outcomes, disguise initiatives as imperatives, and confuse results with effort.
The first element that we need to address is that the foundation of any 'good faith' business transaction is the expectation of a fair deal for all concerned. In complex organizational relationships, it is all too easy to lose sight of the existence and terms of this deal. As a prime example, that particular employer/employee relationship, called a job, appears as a fair deal wherein the employer's money is traded for the employee's time and talent. The deeper reality, however, is that the employer is actually trading resources for a set of desirable results, which the employee is expected to deliver. The promise to faithfully deliver as agreed by both parties is the essence of accountability. To 'do what you say you will do without excuses' is the foundation of credibility which makes all business deals possible, including those specific deals called jobs.
We recommend that organizations document these bargains called jobs and give voice to individuals' accountabilities through a process called an Accountability Agreement. An Accountability Agreement clearly states the results that each member of an organization, from the most senior to the most junior, is expected to bring about [For specific examples of Accountability Agreements, please see our online tool at http://www.AlignOnline.com]. The following six principles form the foundation for negotiating and understanding accountability. Together they form a practical theory of accountability, the transforming effect it can have on an organization, its essential role in creating significant business results and how it helps to avoid the unproductive trap of focusing on blame and punishment.
I. Accountability is a Statement of Personal Promise
Accountability is both a promise and an obligation to deliver specific, defined results. Accountability, as we define it, does not apply in an abstract way to departments, work groups, or entire organizations. Accountability applies to individuals and their personal promise that these functions will deliver the agreed results. Accountability is first and foremost a personal commitment to the organization and to those the organization serves. It is more than just trying, doing your best, or behaving in certain ways. Accountability empowers individuals to push their circle of influence outwards in pursuit of results.
II. Accountability for Results Means Activities aren't Enough
Everyone in an organization, from the CEO to the janitor, has some piece of the business and a corresponding set of results which are theirs to achieve. Distinguishing results from activities requires a shift in traditional thinking built on an awareness of why we do what we do. For example, a typical supervisor's job description includes activities such as "training," "performance evaluations," and "timely communication". In contrast, a supervisor's accountabilities should include a result such as "the success of all direct reports." This concept addresses the common observation that everyone is busy but only some people are productive.
III. Accountability for Results Requires Room for Judgment and Decision Making
If you're not allowed to use any judgment or discretion on the job, if you're told to follow the rules no matter what, if no decision is up to you, then your boss can only hold you accountable for activities. You can be held accountable for doing what you're told, but you can't be held accountable for the outcome. Judgment and innovation can never be fully described in a job description. When employees are expected to be resourceful in the achievement of results, they are held accountable for capturing opportunities or ignoring them.
IV. Accountability is Neither Shared nor Conditional
Accountability Agreements are individual, unique, and personal strategies. No two people at the same level in an organization should have the exact same accountabilities. Separating each person's accountabilities can be challenging, but valuable clarity results from the struggle to eliminate overlaps.
Read Full Article:http://www.refresher.com/!smbksix.html
RO0-BEE(Video Cooking)
The Food Network is a great resource– even if the majority of each show is uninteresting. But The Food Network has the downfall of all television programming– too many commercials, and annoying celebrities. Rouxbe (pronounced “roo-bee”), a new online instructional cooking resource. Step by step, in a pleasantly simple fashion, Rouxbe guides you through some yummy recipes– I thought it was simple yet engaging, somewhere between cooking school and a cooking show on TV. You can pause the presentation and step back and forth between different components of the meal, and adjust the volume of both the background music (soothing and loungy) and the instructor’s voice (Dawn). There are a couple of recipes up that you can view without becoming a member, but if you really want the goods, you should sign up. This is a super fun and helpful resource for those of you looking for some new recipes or just wanting to acquire some new skills in the kitchen.
More:http://www.rouxbe.com/
More:http://www.rouxbe.com/
Photoframe Play Music And Video
Aluratek has created a new version that doesn't just display your photos but also has 256MB of built-in memory. The photo frame can play background music or video in addition to holding all your photos. It even has a remote control. The 10.5-inch frames let you transfer files directly from your computer. The frame has 1024x768 video resolution and sells for $199.
More: http://www.aluratek.com/product_info.php?products_id=27
More: http://www.aluratek.com/product_info.php?products_id=27
Motorola's New Communication Plan
Motorola this year, explore new experiences by two new ways to communicate his brand power targeting the more voracious social sectors by the coolness. Cobranding strategy and Guerrilla communication. These days made a cobranding strategy with the internationalized argentinean brand "Trosman" (Jessica Trosman) characterized by the permanent innovation of silhouettes and textile development. Her designs are directed to the market segment denominated “designer clothing”, that is made up by articles of luxury of highest added value, which they have a very specific client who looks for and values the details of quality and design, and that at the same time, arranged to pay much more since it is handled almost like a collector. Next to her it presented/displayed exclusive designs for PEBL, KRZR1, and RZR cell phones, in the BAF week 07 in March.
In a parallel objective of communication, Motorola addopted a communication campaign in Buenos Aires called Guerrilla Paper. This concept of guerrilla invites the potential clients of the brand, to be designers by the concept of urban landscape, personal places and objects personalization. The campaign consists to atracct potential clients to download the papers designed by Joshua Davis, an illustrator who works with the chaos theory in art (or random generation in controlled surroundings) and persuade to stick them where the people want to do it. These new ways of communication explored by the brand generated a plus for the brand value (in a clear objective of association to “design brand”) next to a slope of personalization and interactivity with the products that offers.
More:http://www.motorola.com/
In a parallel objective of communication, Motorola addopted a communication campaign in Buenos Aires called Guerrilla Paper. This concept of guerrilla invites the potential clients of the brand, to be designers by the concept of urban landscape, personal places and objects personalization. The campaign consists to atracct potential clients to download the papers designed by Joshua Davis, an illustrator who works with the chaos theory in art (or random generation in controlled surroundings) and persuade to stick them where the people want to do it. These new ways of communication explored by the brand generated a plus for the brand value (in a clear objective of association to “design brand”) next to a slope of personalization and interactivity with the products that offers.
More:http://www.motorola.com/
ShopText
The New York Times recently reported on a company called ShopText that is enabling users to purchase products instantly through their mobile phone and charge it to their credit card.
The NYT writes:
To use the system, a consumer must first place a phone call to ShopText to set up an account, specifying a shipping address and card account. After that, all purchases can be made by thumb.
When ShopText receives text messages about donations or products, it charges the credit card it has on file for the buyer, then, if appropriate, sends the product from one of its warehouses around the country.
“E-commerce only represents a fraction of total retail — the thing that holds it back is it’s tethered to an Internet connection,” said Mark Kaplan, founder and chief marketing officer of ShopText. “The cellphones link products to media. When people get the impulse to buy, they have their cellphones.”
Print advertisers in particular are excited about how the new technology will increase readers interaction with magazines and loosen the death grip internet has held over non-retail impulse shopping.
For more detail:https://www.shoptext.com/main/index.action
The NYT writes:
To use the system, a consumer must first place a phone call to ShopText to set up an account, specifying a shipping address and card account. After that, all purchases can be made by thumb.
When ShopText receives text messages about donations or products, it charges the credit card it has on file for the buyer, then, if appropriate, sends the product from one of its warehouses around the country.
“E-commerce only represents a fraction of total retail — the thing that holds it back is it’s tethered to an Internet connection,” said Mark Kaplan, founder and chief marketing officer of ShopText. “The cellphones link products to media. When people get the impulse to buy, they have their cellphones.”
Print advertisers in particular are excited about how the new technology will increase readers interaction with magazines and loosen the death grip internet has held over non-retail impulse shopping.
For more detail:https://www.shoptext.com/main/index.action
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Shespeaks
SheSpeaks is an online forum for product reviews. Only at SheSpeaks, there's no cost for product testers, and products are chosen for reviewers based on their interests. (At Cherrypicka, members do the picking.) And as the name indicates, SheSpeaks is for women only, which isn't surprising since women control over USD 5 trillion in spending in the United States and are responsible for 83% of all consumer purchases.
How it works: when users sign up, they complete a questionnaire about their interests, hobbies, likes and dislikes. SheSpeaks selects an appropriate product match, which the members receive in two to three weeks. Products are theirs to keep, as they try them out in their own homes and as part of their everyday lives. In exchange, members provide their candid feedback online on the SheSpeaks website. Discussion boards allow testers to exchange views and opinions with other women who have tested the same product.
Membership at SheSpeaks is free, and the site also offers free products, special offers and valuable coupons for members to pass onto their friends. Not only does this form of tryvertising equal efficient and effective product research for manufacturers, but it's a great way for them to connect directly with their intended markets. Product testing and sampling combined with an online community: definitely a concept that easily could expand to other product categories, countries and demographics. As long as opinions aren't filtered or censored.
Read More:: www.shespeaks.com
How it works: when users sign up, they complete a questionnaire about their interests, hobbies, likes and dislikes. SheSpeaks selects an appropriate product match, which the members receive in two to three weeks. Products are theirs to keep, as they try them out in their own homes and as part of their everyday lives. In exchange, members provide their candid feedback online on the SheSpeaks website. Discussion boards allow testers to exchange views and opinions with other women who have tested the same product.
Membership at SheSpeaks is free, and the site also offers free products, special offers and valuable coupons for members to pass onto their friends. Not only does this form of tryvertising equal efficient and effective product research for manufacturers, but it's a great way for them to connect directly with their intended markets. Product testing and sampling combined with an online community: definitely a concept that easily could expand to other product categories, countries and demographics. As long as opinions aren't filtered or censored.
Read More:: www.shespeaks.com
Xbox And Instant Messaging
Microsoft have just announced that they will be introducing their Windows Live Messenger service to Xbox 360 consoles, allowing gamers to "I.M. directly from their couch" and consolidating what have traditionally been two distinct friend lists.
The NYT's writes:
In the second week of May, those two worlds will begin to converge. Xbox Live members will be able to link their “gamertag,” the online identity they use within the Xbox community, to an existing Windows Live Messenger account. Players will then be able to chat with their instant-messaging contacts using a virtual on-screen keyboard or a U.S.B. keyboard plugged into the game machine.
For more:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/technology/09microsoft.html?ex=1333771200&en=de55381c10972fc4&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
The NYT's writes:
In the second week of May, those two worlds will begin to converge. Xbox Live members will be able to link their “gamertag,” the online identity they use within the Xbox community, to an existing Windows Live Messenger account. Players will then be able to chat with their instant-messaging contacts using a virtual on-screen keyboard or a U.S.B. keyboard plugged into the game machine.
For more:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/technology/09microsoft.html?ex=1333771200&en=de55381c10972fc4&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Live Tube
One of the theories floating around is that people are far more likely to pay for live experiences than archived content. For example, you don't mind paying for your mobile phone call but you don't like paying for voicemail, or you don't mind paying for a ticket to a band's gig but you won't buy music, or you'd pay to watch your team's game live on cable but you won't pay for replays.
A new service plays on this idea of broadcasting live content that viewers pay for. Jalipo is an online distribution network for high-quality TV and video content which is signing deals with folk like the BBC to show live sports, concerts and more independent films.
For more:http://www.jalipo.com/epg/
A new service plays on this idea of broadcasting live content that viewers pay for. Jalipo is an online distribution network for high-quality TV and video content which is signing deals with folk like the BBC to show live sports, concerts and more independent films.
For more:http://www.jalipo.com/epg/
Transforming Spoken Messages Into Text
Jott transforms spoken messages into text. After signing up for the service online and validating their phone number and email address, users dial Jott’s toll free number (877-568-8486), say ‘me’ or the name of a contact or group of contacts, speak for up to 30 seconds and then hang up. Jott transcribes the spoken words into writing, and sends the message to its destination as an email or text message. Transcription usually takes a few minutes, or up to 20 minutes during peak hours. The original audio message is retained, and is linked to in the email for reference.
The service is deceptively simple, and lends itself to countless applications. It can be used to leave notes to oneself, from a reminder to buy a carton of milk, to capturing a brilliant idea. Or to draft emails, memos, or the next chapter of a novel while driving home from work. Lawyers and doctors, accustomed to speaking their correspondence and notes, can dictate on the fly.
Intriguingly, Jott has humans transcribing voice messages. Since phones are often used in noisy environments, and Jott’s founders didn’t want members to have to train speech recognition software, Jott uses a mix of machines and overseas agents that also work on medical dictations. For privacy protection, agents have no way of associating personally identifiable information with the recorded jotts they’re transcribing (unless a users makes that information part of the recording).
Jott is currently free, but will at one point offer members the choice between a free, ad-supported version, or a premium version for a fee.
For more:: www.jott.com
The service is deceptively simple, and lends itself to countless applications. It can be used to leave notes to oneself, from a reminder to buy a carton of milk, to capturing a brilliant idea. Or to draft emails, memos, or the next chapter of a novel while driving home from work. Lawyers and doctors, accustomed to speaking their correspondence and notes, can dictate on the fly.
Intriguingly, Jott has humans transcribing voice messages. Since phones are often used in noisy environments, and Jott’s founders didn’t want members to have to train speech recognition software, Jott uses a mix of machines and overseas agents that also work on medical dictations. For privacy protection, agents have no way of associating personally identifiable information with the recorded jotts they’re transcribing (unless a users makes that information part of the recording).
Jott is currently free, but will at one point offer members the choice between a free, ad-supported version, or a premium version for a fee.
For more:: www.jott.com
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
AudioSnacks
Chicago-based AudioSnacks is offering consumers. Users can download audio tours of select destinations and can put up their own tours for purchase.
“AudioSnack is a place to find, purchase, download, listen to and appreciate audio tours that people just like you have created to share, and a place where you can do the same for others.” Tours are modestly priced—some are even free. Many feature downloadable maps to accompany the audio footage, and customers can listen to a sample snippet of a tour before deciding to purchase.
Already there are tours available for destinations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, South Africa and more. Customers get a unique perspective and insights: they can take an audio tour through Chicago with a Jewish hip-hop poet, for instance, or see the sights in Seattle with a hot DJ. Since members are encouraged to create and upload their own tours, the library is likely to grow quickly. The company is also building a new section, offering campus tours for (upcoming) freshmen "who look lost no matter how many times they've looked at their maps."
Read more: www.audiosnacks.com
“AudioSnack is a place to find, purchase, download, listen to and appreciate audio tours that people just like you have created to share, and a place where you can do the same for others.” Tours are modestly priced—some are even free. Many feature downloadable maps to accompany the audio footage, and customers can listen to a sample snippet of a tour before deciding to purchase.
Already there are tours available for destinations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, South Africa and more. Customers get a unique perspective and insights: they can take an audio tour through Chicago with a Jewish hip-hop poet, for instance, or see the sights in Seattle with a hot DJ. Since members are encouraged to create and upload their own tours, the library is likely to grow quickly. The company is also building a new section, offering campus tours for (upcoming) freshmen "who look lost no matter how many times they've looked at their maps."
Read more: www.audiosnacks.com
DoMyStuff
DoMyStuff is an online marketplace where busy people can quickly find others to do their chores, from mowing the lawn or picking up dry cleaning to researching a cruise or planning a party.
How it works? Someone posts a task, choosing a relevant category and describing the task in detail. Businesses and individuals then bid for the task. Bids include the total cost to complete a task, when it will be completed and information on the service they will provide. The customer reviews the bids and chooses an assistant. Customers can view in-depth information on the service providers, including their names, locations and the ratings they've been awarded by past employers.
In addition to the bidding system, DoMyStuff has integrated several other features that take it beyond posting casual jobs on Craigslist or other boards. First of all, a rating system lets users share information on the quality of service providers. Which is important, considering many chores take place in or around a customer's home, making safety and reliability a key issue.
Secondly, to establish trust between buyers and providers, DoMyStuff provides an online escrow system that allows customers to forward payment for a task into an escrow account. While the task is being completed, neither customer nor assistant have access to the funds, but the assistant is able to see that the account has been funded for a specific task. Once the job has been completed to the customer's satisfaction, the funds are released to the assistant. Which protects both buyers and sellers.
Website: www.domystuff.com
How it works? Someone posts a task, choosing a relevant category and describing the task in detail. Businesses and individuals then bid for the task. Bids include the total cost to complete a task, when it will be completed and information on the service they will provide. The customer reviews the bids and chooses an assistant. Customers can view in-depth information on the service providers, including their names, locations and the ratings they've been awarded by past employers.
In addition to the bidding system, DoMyStuff has integrated several other features that take it beyond posting casual jobs on Craigslist or other boards. First of all, a rating system lets users share information on the quality of service providers. Which is important, considering many chores take place in or around a customer's home, making safety and reliability a key issue.
Secondly, to establish trust between buyers and providers, DoMyStuff provides an online escrow system that allows customers to forward payment for a task into an escrow account. While the task is being completed, neither customer nor assistant have access to the funds, but the assistant is able to see that the account has been funded for a specific task. Once the job has been completed to the customer's satisfaction, the funds are released to the assistant. Which protects both buyers and sellers.
Website: www.domystuff.com
Second Life Investment
Second Life is the best glimpse we have so far of what the whole Internet will look like in years to come.. The net will certainly have a three-dimensional interface by then, and avatars -- little 3D representations of our own selves -- are likely to be how we get around. Second Life lets you learn what works and what doesn't work in using the 3D Internet as an interface for users, customers, and business partners.
Measure your results. What do you want to achieve? Brand awareness? Traffic to a particular area? Sales? Second Life allows you to do some extraordinary measurements of traffic and avatar movements in areas you own, use those tools to measure the effectiveness of your in-world campaign.
Engage in the world. It's not enough to just build something in-world, you have to have your staff available to interact with SL residents. That's possibly the most important thing. Second Life, like Soylent Green, is people; if your people don't use what you build in SL, nobody else will either.
Don't expect big paybacks up-front. There's only a couple of hundred thousand people worldwide dedicated to using Second Life. The maximum capacity of an individual region is 30-50 simultaneous users. It'll take a while for revenues to become significant. You're in it for the long term.
What do you think are the best practices for real-world companies doing business in Second Life? What real-world companies do you see doing a great job doing business in SL? Leave a comment below and let us know.
Read More:http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/04/what_are_the_be.html;jsessionid=JGOZR1U3RBXHOQSNDLRSKH0CJUNN2JVN
Measure your results. What do you want to achieve? Brand awareness? Traffic to a particular area? Sales? Second Life allows you to do some extraordinary measurements of traffic and avatar movements in areas you own, use those tools to measure the effectiveness of your in-world campaign.
Engage in the world. It's not enough to just build something in-world, you have to have your staff available to interact with SL residents. That's possibly the most important thing. Second Life, like Soylent Green, is people; if your people don't use what you build in SL, nobody else will either.
Don't expect big paybacks up-front. There's only a couple of hundred thousand people worldwide dedicated to using Second Life. The maximum capacity of an individual region is 30-50 simultaneous users. It'll take a while for revenues to become significant. You're in it for the long term.
What do you think are the best practices for real-world companies doing business in Second Life? What real-world companies do you see doing a great job doing business in SL? Leave a comment below and let us know.
Read More:http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/04/what_are_the_be.html;jsessionid=JGOZR1U3RBXHOQSNDLRSKH0CJUNN2JVN
Internet Radio
Internet radio is enjoying an explosion of new services that could make it a viable replacement for broadcast radio -- if the record industry's allies in D.C. don't kill it first.
Internet radio and services that deliver personalized streams of music -- and help you discover new music and artists --are growing exponentially. In fact, they seem to be becoming a viable medium for promoting recorded music -- possibly replacing the shrinking broadcast radio audience. That makes it pretty ironic that the recording industry's aggressive push for performance royalties could kill Internet radio just as it shows some promise of throwing the record companies a life ring.
What's happening is that Internet radio is entering a new phase of its development. At first it was generalized, as broadcast radio stations streamed their over-the-air signals online as a promotional device. Then it became specialized, as Internet-only "stations" were created to serve niche markets. Now it is being personalized and, inevitably, socialized.
Read More:http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=199000898&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News
Internet radio and services that deliver personalized streams of music -- and help you discover new music and artists --are growing exponentially. In fact, they seem to be becoming a viable medium for promoting recorded music -- possibly replacing the shrinking broadcast radio audience. That makes it pretty ironic that the recording industry's aggressive push for performance royalties could kill Internet radio just as it shows some promise of throwing the record companies a life ring.
What's happening is that Internet radio is entering a new phase of its development. At first it was generalized, as broadcast radio stations streamed their over-the-air signals online as a promotional device. Then it became specialized, as Internet-only "stations" were created to serve niche markets. Now it is being personalized and, inevitably, socialized.
Read More:http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=199000898&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News
Monday, April 16, 2007
DoubleClick
Google announce acquisition of DoubleClick.DoubleClick provides a suite of products that enables agencies, advertisers, and publishers to work efficiently, that will enable Google to extend our ad network and develop deeper relationships with our partners.
This new partnership represents a tremendous opportunity for us at Google to broaden and deepen our inventory of available ads and to better serve both our publishers and users. Together, Google and DoubleClick will empower agencies, advertisers, and publishers to collaborate more efficiently and effectively, which will, in turn, provide a better experience for our users.
Sponsored information served by Google has always been, and will always be, clearly distinguished from objective content available via our search results and across our partner network. We want you to find the information that you are looking for—be it in an ad or elsewhere—quickly and without hassle. We know that our collaboration with DoubleClick will serve and advance this goal.
Read More:http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/next-step-in-google-advertising.html
This new partnership represents a tremendous opportunity for us at Google to broaden and deepen our inventory of available ads and to better serve both our publishers and users. Together, Google and DoubleClick will empower agencies, advertisers, and publishers to collaborate more efficiently and effectively, which will, in turn, provide a better experience for our users.
Sponsored information served by Google has always been, and will always be, clearly distinguished from objective content available via our search results and across our partner network. We want you to find the information that you are looking for—be it in an ad or elsewhere—quickly and without hassle. We know that our collaboration with DoubleClick will serve and advance this goal.
Read More:http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/next-step-in-google-advertising.html
Brain With Fantasy
LOTTERIES are a regressive tax on those who can't do math, runs the famous old saying. "Nonsense!" retort critics. "For a dollar, one can purchase the fantasy of being wealthy beyond dreams of avarice. It is cheap at the price."
Over at Overcoming Bias, Eliezer Yudkowsky says "But isn't that a waste of hope?"
But consider exactly what this implies. It would mean that you're occupying your valuable brain with a fantasy whose real probability is nearly zero - a tiny line of likelihood which you, yourself, can do nothing to realize. The lottery balls will decide your future. The fantasy is of wealth that arrives without effort - without conscientiousness, learning, charisma, or even patience.
Which makes the lottery another kind of sink: a sink of emotional energy. It encourages people to invest their dreams, their hopes for a better future, into an infinitesimal probability. If not for the lottery, maybe they would fantasize about going to technical school, or opening their own business, or getting a promotion at work - things they might be able to actually do, hopes that would make them want to become stronger. Their dreaming brains might, in the 20th visualization of the pleasant fantasy, notice a way to really do it. Isn't that what dreams and brains are for? But how can such reality-limited fare compete with the artificially sweetened prospect of instant wealth - not after herding a dot-com startup through to IPO, but on Tuesday?
Read More:http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2007/04/the_future_of_fantasy.cfm
Over at Overcoming Bias, Eliezer Yudkowsky says "But isn't that a waste of hope?"
But consider exactly what this implies. It would mean that you're occupying your valuable brain with a fantasy whose real probability is nearly zero - a tiny line of likelihood which you, yourself, can do nothing to realize. The lottery balls will decide your future. The fantasy is of wealth that arrives without effort - without conscientiousness, learning, charisma, or even patience.
Which makes the lottery another kind of sink: a sink of emotional energy. It encourages people to invest their dreams, their hopes for a better future, into an infinitesimal probability. If not for the lottery, maybe they would fantasize about going to technical school, or opening their own business, or getting a promotion at work - things they might be able to actually do, hopes that would make them want to become stronger. Their dreaming brains might, in the 20th visualization of the pleasant fantasy, notice a way to really do it. Isn't that what dreams and brains are for? But how can such reality-limited fare compete with the artificially sweetened prospect of instant wealth - not after herding a dot-com startup through to IPO, but on Tuesday?
Read More:http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2007/04/the_future_of_fantasy.cfm
How Internet Business Work
Think the concept of building a successful business on the Internet disappeared along with the money in your 401-(k)? Not so. Here's a collection of stories about businesses that not only have made the Internet the key to their strategy, but also have have developed innovative strategies to make it work.
How Google Grows...and Grows...and Grows
... Its performance is the envy of executives and engineers around the world ... For techno-evangelists, Google is a marvel of Web brilliance ... For Wall Street, it may be the IPO that changes everything (again) ... Keith H. Hammonds
Business Fights Back: eBay Learns to Trust Again
The world`s most successful Internet company is based on two pillars of growth: the global spread of Internet-style capitalism and confidence in the basic goodness of the people who do business on the site. Both ideas came under attack on September 11. George Anders
Why Is This Man Smiling?
You'd think startup wizard Atiq Raza would be getting hammered. He operates in trouble-plagued Silicon Valley, he launches companies in the wildly overbuilt telecom sector, and he runs -- gasp! -- a business incubator. Based on his impressive results, you may want to think again. Bill Breen
The New Face of Global Competition
Not so long ago, India`s Wipro Ltd. sold cooking oils and knockoff PCs. Now its 15,000 technologists cook up vital software applications and research for Ericsson, GM, the Home Depot, and other giant customers. Are you prepared to go head-to-head with the best the world has to offer? Keith H. Hammonds
The Internet Power Grab
Everyone knows that the Internet is moving from free to fee. John Ellis
La Dolce Vita, Internet Style
Colletta di Castelbianco is a 13th-century Italian village that was on the verge of extinction -- until an architect gave it a new design and Internet connectivity gave it a new lease on life. The story of how it became a haven for mobile professionals. Ian Wylie
Don`t Shout, Listen
At Procter & Gamble, branding is almost everything. And in the age of the Web, almost everything is up for grabs. Here`s how P& G has turned the Internet into a device for listening to customers -- and for experimenting with its brands. Fara Warner
For more:http://www.fastcompany.com/guides/digital.html
How Google Grows...and Grows...and Grows
... Its performance is the envy of executives and engineers around the world ... For techno-evangelists, Google is a marvel of Web brilliance ... For Wall Street, it may be the IPO that changes everything (again) ... Keith H. Hammonds
Business Fights Back: eBay Learns to Trust Again
The world`s most successful Internet company is based on two pillars of growth: the global spread of Internet-style capitalism and confidence in the basic goodness of the people who do business on the site. Both ideas came under attack on September 11. George Anders
Why Is This Man Smiling?
You'd think startup wizard Atiq Raza would be getting hammered. He operates in trouble-plagued Silicon Valley, he launches companies in the wildly overbuilt telecom sector, and he runs -- gasp! -- a business incubator. Based on his impressive results, you may want to think again. Bill Breen
The New Face of Global Competition
Not so long ago, India`s Wipro Ltd. sold cooking oils and knockoff PCs. Now its 15,000 technologists cook up vital software applications and research for Ericsson, GM, the Home Depot, and other giant customers. Are you prepared to go head-to-head with the best the world has to offer? Keith H. Hammonds
The Internet Power Grab
Everyone knows that the Internet is moving from free to fee. John Ellis
La Dolce Vita, Internet Style
Colletta di Castelbianco is a 13th-century Italian village that was on the verge of extinction -- until an architect gave it a new design and Internet connectivity gave it a new lease on life. The story of how it became a haven for mobile professionals. Ian Wylie
Don`t Shout, Listen
At Procter & Gamble, branding is almost everything. And in the age of the Web, almost everything is up for grabs. Here`s how P& G has turned the Internet into a device for listening to customers -- and for experimenting with its brands. Fara Warner
For more:http://www.fastcompany.com/guides/digital.html
Boober:New Way Of Banking
Boober launched last month, Boober is bringing peer to peer lending to The Netherlands. The start-up works much like Zopa and Prosper, with prospective borrowers listing the amount they want to borrow, their credit rating, purpose of the loan, interest rate they're willing to pay, etc. Credit ratings are determined by credit report agency Experian. And loans to AA and AAA borrowers are guaranteed by debt collectors Intrum Justitia, at 90% and 99.5% respectively. Investors are required to distribute their capital over at least 10 borrowers to minimize risk. Borrowers pay EUR 19.95 to have their credit rating determined, and if their loan is funded, they pay Boober a yearly fee of 0.5% of the loan. Investors pay a yearly fee of 0.5% over the funds they've invested, as well as an annual contribution of EUR 9.95.
Boober's founder, Guus Drijver, doesn't hesitate to share his feelings about why Boober is better than the Big Banks: "Boober doesn't work with hidden costs and is completely transparent. We don't sponsor yacht races or soccer teams, and don't have expensive headquarters or pay thousands of people high salaries." Boober isn't alone in this sentiment; many consumers are equally discontent with banks and their high profit margins, driving interest in alternatives like p2p lending. After a beta phase in The Netherlands, Boober hopes to expand to Belgium and Germany.
Website:www.boober.nl/
Boober's founder, Guus Drijver, doesn't hesitate to share his feelings about why Boober is better than the Big Banks: "Boober doesn't work with hidden costs and is completely transparent. We don't sponsor yacht races or soccer teams, and don't have expensive headquarters or pay thousands of people high salaries." Boober isn't alone in this sentiment; many consumers are equally discontent with banks and their high profit margins, driving interest in alternatives like p2p lending. After a beta phase in The Netherlands, Boober hopes to expand to Belgium and Germany.
Website:www.boober.nl/
Money Machine
What a Bloomberg can do
Bloomberg users can set up their screens any way they like. These displays show the data an equity investor might order up.
Stock price monitor
Users can get real-time stock prices by paying extra. Delayed prices are part of the standard subscription.
Stock charts
Bloomberg offers data on 136,000 equities.
Sliding tickers
A variety of price, volume, and earnings information moves across the screen to help the user follow three individual stocks.
Live videochats
Subscribers with cameras can have two-way chats, or Bloombergers can offer real-time support.
A portfolio, analyzed
Bloomberg's database includes regulatory filings from all over the world.
Bloomberg tv
The company broadcasts in seven languages in 23 countries. All transmissions from around the world are available on any Bloomberg.
News stories
Bloomberg News has 2,300 employees and publishes more than 5,000 stories daily. Its widely read "top stories" foreshadow the next day's newspaper headlines.
The keyboard
You can navigate on a Bloomberg with a special color-coded keyboard. Yellow keys take you to domains like "equity," green is for functions, red is for logging on.
Tradebook
Subscribers can use Bloomberg's automated broker-dealer to buy and sell equities, futures and options, paying commissions to do so.
Stock data, volume-weighted
Analytics make it possible for a day's trading in a stock to be displayed in a bar chart depicting the total number of shares traded at each price.
For More:http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/04/16/8404302/index.
htm?postversion=2007040506
Bloomberg users can set up their screens any way they like. These displays show the data an equity investor might order up.
Stock price monitor
Users can get real-time stock prices by paying extra. Delayed prices are part of the standard subscription.
Stock charts
Bloomberg offers data on 136,000 equities.
Sliding tickers
A variety of price, volume, and earnings information moves across the screen to help the user follow three individual stocks.
Live videochats
Subscribers with cameras can have two-way chats, or Bloombergers can offer real-time support.
A portfolio, analyzed
Bloomberg's database includes regulatory filings from all over the world.
Bloomberg tv
The company broadcasts in seven languages in 23 countries. All transmissions from around the world are available on any Bloomberg.
News stories
Bloomberg News has 2,300 employees and publishes more than 5,000 stories daily. Its widely read "top stories" foreshadow the next day's newspaper headlines.
The keyboard
You can navigate on a Bloomberg with a special color-coded keyboard. Yellow keys take you to domains like "equity," green is for functions, red is for logging on.
Tradebook
Subscribers can use Bloomberg's automated broker-dealer to buy and sell equities, futures and options, paying commissions to do so.
Stock data, volume-weighted
Analytics make it possible for a day's trading in a stock to be displayed in a bar chart depicting the total number of shares traded at each price.
For More:http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/04/16/8404302/index.
htm?postversion=2007040506
Sunday, April 15, 2007
FreshBooks
According to FreshBooks CEO Mike McDerment:
“FreshBooks has been designed for service-based businesses. Therefore FreshBooks users primarily fall into two categories: service-based businesses that bill for time (i.e. billing for time like lawyers, web designers, IT consultants, PR firms) and/or service providers that offer recurring services and benefit from recurring billing (alarm system monitoring companies, web hosts, ISPs, pool cleaners, lawn care companies). Technical competence does not seem to be limiting factor for uptake as we have both tech savvy customers (IT consultants, web designers, etc) and extraordinarily non tech savvy (dog walkers, dance studios, nannies…). We offer outstanding customer service by phone and email and therefore any business owner can take comfort in knowing help is available if they need it. That said, most of our paying clients never contact us directly, they self-serve thanks to the ease of use of the service.”
FreshBooks is an impressive efficiency tool. I set up a trial account and experimented with it. You can go online and issue invoices and send them out via email — or send a hard copy via snail mail through a service FreshBooks provides. FreshBooks keeps employee or contractor timesheets, including an online timer that automatically logs time spent on a task. You also can use FreshBooks to create an online help center for customers, with the ability for customers to lodge work orders and support tickets online. Your staff then goes in and handles the tickets. As the business owner you can monitor everything from the online control panel.
For more:http://www.freshbooks.com/
“FreshBooks has been designed for service-based businesses. Therefore FreshBooks users primarily fall into two categories: service-based businesses that bill for time (i.e. billing for time like lawyers, web designers, IT consultants, PR firms) and/or service providers that offer recurring services and benefit from recurring billing (alarm system monitoring companies, web hosts, ISPs, pool cleaners, lawn care companies). Technical competence does not seem to be limiting factor for uptake as we have both tech savvy customers (IT consultants, web designers, etc) and extraordinarily non tech savvy (dog walkers, dance studios, nannies…). We offer outstanding customer service by phone and email and therefore any business owner can take comfort in knowing help is available if they need it. That said, most of our paying clients never contact us directly, they self-serve thanks to the ease of use of the service.”
FreshBooks is an impressive efficiency tool. I set up a trial account and experimented with it. You can go online and issue invoices and send them out via email — or send a hard copy via snail mail through a service FreshBooks provides. FreshBooks keeps employee or contractor timesheets, including an online timer that automatically logs time spent on a task. You also can use FreshBooks to create an online help center for customers, with the ability for customers to lodge work orders and support tickets online. Your staff then goes in and handles the tickets. As the business owner you can monitor everything from the online control panel.
For more:http://www.freshbooks.com/
Franchise Vs Start UP
Entrepreneurs have plenty of questions that need answered when they’re planning new ventures, covering everything from business type to location to funding.
But there’s one other question that is just as important: Should the new business be a franchise?
Budding restaurateurs Brian Kubik of Buxton-Kubik-Dodd Interiors and Architecture and Paul Freeman of Computech Mailing Service, and industry veteran Jeff Hurshman chose a franchise – Cleveland-based San Francisco Oven – when they were ready to open an eatery in 2006 under the Oven Spaces LLC banner.
“With a franchise, a lot of the headaches have been worked out,” said Kubik, whose group paid $300,000 to renovate their first space, at 1845 E. Sunshine St., in May 2006.
“The menu’s been made, the kitchen’s been decided, the equipment has been decided, the approach, what people wear, what the place looks like, how the business is run.”
Dealing with details
That the details are taken care of by the franchise is one of the biggest draws for entrepreneurs, according to Terry Hill, vice president of communications for the International Franchise Association.
“You’re buying a system that is, as much as possible, perfected in the marketplace,” Hill said. “You also get a recognized brand and the marketing muscle behind that. You get a support system.”
Hill noted that IFA is gearing up to conduct a survey of U.S. franchise operations, but he said that in 2001, when the last survey was conducted, there were 2,500 viable franchise systems in the United States and more than 767,000 franchised businesses by the end of that year.
Read full: http://www.sbj.net/article.asp?aID=84180603.1037104.1001078.5576855.8504842.445&aID2=76997
But there’s one other question that is just as important: Should the new business be a franchise?
Budding restaurateurs Brian Kubik of Buxton-Kubik-Dodd Interiors and Architecture and Paul Freeman of Computech Mailing Service, and industry veteran Jeff Hurshman chose a franchise – Cleveland-based San Francisco Oven – when they were ready to open an eatery in 2006 under the Oven Spaces LLC banner.
“With a franchise, a lot of the headaches have been worked out,” said Kubik, whose group paid $300,000 to renovate their first space, at 1845 E. Sunshine St., in May 2006.
“The menu’s been made, the kitchen’s been decided, the equipment has been decided, the approach, what people wear, what the place looks like, how the business is run.”
Dealing with details
That the details are taken care of by the franchise is one of the biggest draws for entrepreneurs, according to Terry Hill, vice president of communications for the International Franchise Association.
“You’re buying a system that is, as much as possible, perfected in the marketplace,” Hill said. “You also get a recognized brand and the marketing muscle behind that. You get a support system.”
Hill noted that IFA is gearing up to conduct a survey of U.S. franchise operations, but he said that in 2001, when the last survey was conducted, there were 2,500 viable franchise systems in the United States and more than 767,000 franchised businesses by the end of that year.
Read full: http://www.sbj.net/article.asp?aID=84180603.1037104.1001078.5576855.8504842.445&aID2=76997
Offertrax
RSS is mainly used by bloggers and media companies to distribute their latest blog updates and news flashes. Adding to the mix, Offertrax is bringing Really Simple Syndication to the retail sector, offering consumers more purchasing intelligence and online merchants a new way to convert site visits into sales.
According to Offertrax, less than 3% of site visits convert to a sale. By letting merchants use RSS to distribute updates on products, Offertrax aims to bring visitors back for future conversions. How it works? The web-based application creates RSS feeds for entire online catalogues. Retailers just add a 'track this' button to each product page.
Consumers can then subscribe to a product's feed. As soon as a product's price changes or a retailer announces a special offer, trackers are notified. Merchants can also send notes and deal alerts directly to trackers. The service is free for consumers and merchants are charged a fee.
For more:: www.offertrax.com
According to Offertrax, less than 3% of site visits convert to a sale. By letting merchants use RSS to distribute updates on products, Offertrax aims to bring visitors back for future conversions. How it works? The web-based application creates RSS feeds for entire online catalogues. Retailers just add a 'track this' button to each product page.
Consumers can then subscribe to a product's feed. As soon as a product's price changes or a retailer announces a special offer, trackers are notified. Merchants can also send notes and deal alerts directly to trackers. The service is free for consumers and merchants are charged a fee.
For more:: www.offertrax.com
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Start Up Spark
If you’re an entrepreneur, blogger and interested in getting more involved online and working with a great company like b5 media, this is the right opportunity for you.
Check this site:http://startupspark.com/
Check this site:http://startupspark.com/
Spotzer Makes Video Advertising Affordable
Andrew Klein founder of Spotzer at last years ETRE in Barcelona. At this time Spotzer made first headlines as a alpha version but it has progressed tremendously since then. Time for an interview with Andrew:
1) What does Spotzer do?
Spotzer makes video advertising affordable for businesses around the world. We offer small and local businesses a library of pre-produced, ready-to-air video ads. Clients can buy a license to use an ad with a degree of exclusivity that matches their needs and budget. We will then personalize the ad using the client's unique logos, pictures, slogans and contact information. We also help clients plan and buy highly targeted spots on television, web and out of home TV.
2) What is the story of Andrew Klein? Tell us more about your earlier career and why you decided to become an entrepreneur?
I am the son of two entrepreneurs. I never seriously considered doing anything other than starting my own business, though I did go to law school and through six years of a legal career. I just thought I had to learn a few skills first, and save some money. Eventually, I took my first bet, starting a beer company in 1992 at the age of 32.
A few years later, I got lucky. The beer business was struggling to find investors. I came up with a scheme to offer shares in my beer company to beer enthusiasts who liked our Wit beer, and I decided to try to use the Internet to reach out to target investors. When it turned out that this stock offering was the first ever online, the beer company became very famous. Beer sales improved from the publicity and I started a new company, Wit Capital, to help other companies use the Internet to raise capital. Our little online investment bank eventually partnered with Goldman Sachs and itself went public on NASDAQ. By 2000 we employed 600 people and generated $400 million of revenues.
3) Spotzer has raised impressive piles of cash. How did you do it? And for what is all that money?
We are onto an opportunity that could be very large, but it is capital intensive. We are investing in systems that will automate several aspects of media planning and buying. And we are investing in making commercials for our library. And we are building sales and marketing teams in several countries at once. We raised the money we need to execute an ambitious plan. Investors are supporting us because they too believe the opportunity is very large.
Read more:http://www.tjacobi.com/
1) What does Spotzer do?
Spotzer makes video advertising affordable for businesses around the world. We offer small and local businesses a library of pre-produced, ready-to-air video ads. Clients can buy a license to use an ad with a degree of exclusivity that matches their needs and budget. We will then personalize the ad using the client's unique logos, pictures, slogans and contact information. We also help clients plan and buy highly targeted spots on television, web and out of home TV.
2) What is the story of Andrew Klein? Tell us more about your earlier career and why you decided to become an entrepreneur?
I am the son of two entrepreneurs. I never seriously considered doing anything other than starting my own business, though I did go to law school and through six years of a legal career. I just thought I had to learn a few skills first, and save some money. Eventually, I took my first bet, starting a beer company in 1992 at the age of 32.
A few years later, I got lucky. The beer business was struggling to find investors. I came up with a scheme to offer shares in my beer company to beer enthusiasts who liked our Wit beer, and I decided to try to use the Internet to reach out to target investors. When it turned out that this stock offering was the first ever online, the beer company became very famous. Beer sales improved from the publicity and I started a new company, Wit Capital, to help other companies use the Internet to raise capital. Our little online investment bank eventually partnered with Goldman Sachs and itself went public on NASDAQ. By 2000 we employed 600 people and generated $400 million of revenues.
3) Spotzer has raised impressive piles of cash. How did you do it? And for what is all that money?
We are onto an opportunity that could be very large, but it is capital intensive. We are investing in systems that will automate several aspects of media planning and buying. And we are investing in making commercials for our library. And we are building sales and marketing teams in several countries at once. We raised the money we need to execute an ambitious plan. Investors are supporting us because they too believe the opportunity is very large.
Read more:http://www.tjacobi.com/
Online Business Information
Taking your business online and growing your business online can be intimidating if you don't have much experience with online trends and technology.
The first step in the investment of your time (which always equates to money as an SME) is your web strategy. A solid web strategy places emphasis on the Internet as a marketplace, communications medium, and business channel and is best viewed as an integrated part of your overall business plan.
eBC and Small Business BC have developed online resources and in house seminar training (soon to be delivered by video conference) that will help you with each step of your business plan growth. Visit www.e-bc.ca and www.smallbusinessbc.ca and www.smallbizeducation.ca for online resources and information.
For more:http://www.ebizblog.ca/
The first step in the investment of your time (which always equates to money as an SME) is your web strategy. A solid web strategy places emphasis on the Internet as a marketplace, communications medium, and business channel and is best viewed as an integrated part of your overall business plan.
eBC and Small Business BC have developed online resources and in house seminar training (soon to be delivered by video conference) that will help you with each step of your business plan growth. Visit www.e-bc.ca and www.smallbusinessbc.ca and www.smallbizeducation.ca for online resources and information.
For more:http://www.ebizblog.ca/
Tumpang
Tumpang, which is Malay for pooling, makes it easy for buyers to pool their resources to get a bulk discount on everything from fabric freshener to flat screen televisions.
However, Tumpang has added an interesting twist on the seller's side. Much like eBay, anyone can post an item for sale, paying Tumpang a listing fee. The seller states what the discounted price will be and how many buyers are needed. Sellers can be regular retailers who want to offload stock, but Tumpang's blog also lists advice for incidental bulk dealers. Which could be anyone hoping to make an extra ringgit by gathering a group of buyers on Tumpang, and then placing an order directly with a manufacturer in China or Korea. Securing buyers before buying merchandise creates a low-risk form of alternative retail. Which should be music to any minipreneur's ears ;-)
Website: www.tumpang.com
However, Tumpang has added an interesting twist on the seller's side. Much like eBay, anyone can post an item for sale, paying Tumpang a listing fee. The seller states what the discounted price will be and how many buyers are needed. Sellers can be regular retailers who want to offload stock, but Tumpang's blog also lists advice for incidental bulk dealers. Which could be anyone hoping to make an extra ringgit by gathering a group of buyers on Tumpang, and then placing an order directly with a manufacturer in China or Korea. Securing buyers before buying merchandise creates a low-risk form of alternative retail. Which should be music to any minipreneur's ears ;-)
Website: www.tumpang.com
Friday, April 13, 2007
20 Things Not To Do Before Starting A Business
Here’s list of twenty things not to do before starting a business:
Don’t quit your day job.
Don’t incorporate. Seventy five percent of all businesses are sole proprietorships, and they already make money.
Don’t get a bank account. Your personal banking account will work just fine if someone wants to write you a check, or if you need to pay for something.
Don’t rent an office. Work from home. It won’t require a first, last and security deposit. Plus, it’s tax deductible.
Don’t hire an attorney. What’s an attorney going to tell that you didn’t already know, or couldn’t figure out on Nolo or in a good bookstore? There are only two times to call an attorney: if you’re in jail, or if someone else’s attorney contacts you.
Don’t hire an accountant. Quickbooks Simple Start will get you going.
Don’t get a loan. To get a loan from anyone, even your family, will require that you do too many items on this list. And besides, if you get a loan, you know work for the bank — not for yourself.
Don’t hire anyone. Don’t hire someone if you can do it yourself. For everything else, use contractors and give them 1099.
Don’t get a business license. I’m not advocating that anyone cheat the government. Once you can sell your product/service, go out immediately and get all of the necessary business licenses and permits in your jurisdiction.
Don’t try to patent anything. It takes 1.5 to 2.5 years to get a patent. Who knows what the market will look like then.
Don’t design a logo. You are your own brand, you don’t need a logo.
Don’t waste time picking a business name. As a sole proprietor, you already have a business name: your own!
Don’t advertise. Advertising costs money, and takes time to perfect. Selling takes only you.
Don’t buy office supplies. If you need a pencil, get one out of the kitchen or your son’s backpack. You are working from home, aren’t you?
Don’t buy any equipment. Outsource everything. Fedex Kinkos can handle all of your printing, and instead of splurging on a postal meter head down the post office. Need something big? Rent it! If it’s not something you can rent by the day, maybe there’s another local business with one. Can you rent it during their off hours in the middle of the night?
Don’t try to find a partner. What do you need a parter for? Capital? Don’t take loans. Need someone with some sales experience? If you the inventor of your product/service can’t sell it — no one will be able to.
Don’t join the Chamber of Commerce. Chambers of Commerce have great mixers where you can meet and network with other local business people. Right now, you don’t need to network, you need to sell! Plus, you can always go as a visitor.
Don’t tell all of your friends about the business that you’re going to start someday soon. Every minute that you spend telling someone you love about your future business is one less minute you have to either try to find someone to buy your product/service or to refine it. Plus, everyone knows an “entrepreneur” that is all talk and no action: don’t be one yourself.
Don’t write a business plan. Sure you need to know what you’re going to do and how you’re going to make money, but don’t waste time formatting it into a structured plan.
Don’t get a business telephone number or mailing address. You have a cellphone, use it. If someone needs to mail you something, have them send it to your house. You’re working there, remember.
Read more:http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2007/04/11/20-things-not-to-do-before-starting-a-business/
Don’t quit your day job.
Don’t incorporate. Seventy five percent of all businesses are sole proprietorships, and they already make money.
Don’t get a bank account. Your personal banking account will work just fine if someone wants to write you a check, or if you need to pay for something.
Don’t rent an office. Work from home. It won’t require a first, last and security deposit. Plus, it’s tax deductible.
Don’t hire an attorney. What’s an attorney going to tell that you didn’t already know, or couldn’t figure out on Nolo or in a good bookstore? There are only two times to call an attorney: if you’re in jail, or if someone else’s attorney contacts you.
Don’t hire an accountant. Quickbooks Simple Start will get you going.
Don’t get a loan. To get a loan from anyone, even your family, will require that you do too many items on this list. And besides, if you get a loan, you know work for the bank — not for yourself.
Don’t hire anyone. Don’t hire someone if you can do it yourself. For everything else, use contractors and give them 1099.
Don’t get a business license. I’m not advocating that anyone cheat the government. Once you can sell your product/service, go out immediately and get all of the necessary business licenses and permits in your jurisdiction.
Don’t try to patent anything. It takes 1.5 to 2.5 years to get a patent. Who knows what the market will look like then.
Don’t design a logo. You are your own brand, you don’t need a logo.
Don’t waste time picking a business name. As a sole proprietor, you already have a business name: your own!
Don’t advertise. Advertising costs money, and takes time to perfect. Selling takes only you.
Don’t buy office supplies. If you need a pencil, get one out of the kitchen or your son’s backpack. You are working from home, aren’t you?
Don’t buy any equipment. Outsource everything. Fedex Kinkos can handle all of your printing, and instead of splurging on a postal meter head down the post office. Need something big? Rent it! If it’s not something you can rent by the day, maybe there’s another local business with one. Can you rent it during their off hours in the middle of the night?
Don’t try to find a partner. What do you need a parter for? Capital? Don’t take loans. Need someone with some sales experience? If you the inventor of your product/service can’t sell it — no one will be able to.
Don’t join the Chamber of Commerce. Chambers of Commerce have great mixers where you can meet and network with other local business people. Right now, you don’t need to network, you need to sell! Plus, you can always go as a visitor.
Don’t tell all of your friends about the business that you’re going to start someday soon. Every minute that you spend telling someone you love about your future business is one less minute you have to either try to find someone to buy your product/service or to refine it. Plus, everyone knows an “entrepreneur” that is all talk and no action: don’t be one yourself.
Don’t write a business plan. Sure you need to know what you’re going to do and how you’re going to make money, but don’t waste time formatting it into a structured plan.
Don’t get a business telephone number or mailing address. You have a cellphone, use it. If someone needs to mail you something, have them send it to your house. You’re working there, remember.
Read more:http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2007/04/11/20-things-not-to-do-before-starting-a-business/
Mog TV
A new online social-network called Mog not only enables members to meet other people with similar musical tastes, but also view music videos based on the songs in your music library, reports Wilson Rothman in The New York Times (3/29/07). “Imagine if YouTube knew what songs were in your music collection … it’s the ultimate mash-up,” says David Hyman, Mog’s ceo. It’s actually just one of a number of online services that promise to build communities — and sell new music — based on what your music collection says about you. You’ve probably already heard of Pandora, where musicologists suggest other artists you might like based on those you identify as your favorites.
Or perhaps you’ve stumbled across Last.fm, which is premised not on expert opinion but rather “the wisdom of the crowd.” You download software that first analyzes the songs on your computer, and then creates your own personal “radio station” by correlating your collection to some “65 million tracks by 8 million artists” worldwide as found on other people’s computers. Last.fm then takes things a step further, by creating a community out of its 15 million users, who can “contact others whose musical tastes correspond significantly” with their own. A newer entry is Slacker.com, which offers a free software player and sells a portable device you can use to take your personalized music with you.
For more:http://mog.com/
Or perhaps you’ve stumbled across Last.fm, which is premised not on expert opinion but rather “the wisdom of the crowd.” You download software that first analyzes the songs on your computer, and then creates your own personal “radio station” by correlating your collection to some “65 million tracks by 8 million artists” worldwide as found on other people’s computers. Last.fm then takes things a step further, by creating a community out of its 15 million users, who can “contact others whose musical tastes correspond significantly” with their own. A newer entry is Slacker.com, which offers a free software player and sells a portable device you can use to take your personalized music with you.
For more:http://mog.com/
Goodreads
Goodreads provides an online platform for discussing just that. Booklovers can share recommendations for their favourite page-turners with friends, online acquaintances and other like-minded bibliophiles. Unlike the reviews found at sites like Amazon.com, Goodreads write-ups have a more personal touch since the site is built around a networking concept.
Users can sign up in just a few simple steps and immediately begin entering reviews. Books are rated on a five-star system, ranging from one star for “didn't like it” to five for “it was amazing.” Members can discuss what they loved or didn't love about books they've read, see right away what the consensus was among fellow reviewers and even comment on one another's reviews. Moreover, they can catalogue their collections on virtual bookshelves that can be customized to reflect their own personalities. Default shelf names are “Read,” “To-Read” and “Currently-Reading,” but it only takes a moment to add new shelves, and users can have fun with their category designations.
The business model for Goodreads and its siblings is based on racking up referral fees from online book stores like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. As the websites grow, they’ll also become highly valuable tools for the publishing industry, which could lead to additional sources of revenue. Since reading books isn’t limited to English-speakers, this is definitely a concept to copy to other countries or languages that don’t yet have their own (popular) online social network for readers. For more inspiration, check out Shelfari, Bookjetty and BuchPfade, to name a few.
Website: www.goodreads.com
Users can sign up in just a few simple steps and immediately begin entering reviews. Books are rated on a five-star system, ranging from one star for “didn't like it” to five for “it was amazing.” Members can discuss what they loved or didn't love about books they've read, see right away what the consensus was among fellow reviewers and even comment on one another's reviews. Moreover, they can catalogue their collections on virtual bookshelves that can be customized to reflect their own personalities. Default shelf names are “Read,” “To-Read” and “Currently-Reading,” but it only takes a moment to add new shelves, and users can have fun with their category designations.
The business model for Goodreads and its siblings is based on racking up referral fees from online book stores like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. As the websites grow, they’ll also become highly valuable tools for the publishing industry, which could lead to additional sources of revenue. Since reading books isn’t limited to English-speakers, this is definitely a concept to copy to other countries or languages that don’t yet have their own (popular) online social network for readers. For more inspiration, check out Shelfari, Bookjetty and BuchPfade, to name a few.
Website: www.goodreads.com
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Different Kind Of Entrepreneurship
The following is a little story about encounter with the amazing entrepreneurial spirit of homeschoolers and the great company they built, Wakeside.com.
John Hellweg was a normal homeschool guy who had a big vision: start a company. Everyone knows homeschoolers are great at academics, but what about being “cool?” Or, what’s even more dubious, what about building and running a company that makes its bread and butter on being totally awsome?
John was about eighteen years old when he founded Wakeside.com with his father. They took some big risks, like a second mortgage on their house. Building the company was a long, arduous task, and took time away from other activities, such as sleep and college. Mark took the college route, and would prove his talents in the company later on.
I met John’s brother Mark, a bright young sophomore at Patrick Henry College, when I arrived in Purcellville, Virginia as a freshman. This school was a place where 98% of the student body was homeschooled. We had a lot of fun, but I am afraid to say that we were a little too eager to prove that we were not like “the others.” But hey, what young male in the prime of life could resist that agonizing itch? That virulent urge to be different at a place where you were all the same, and all homeschooled? It was beyond me. And I was not alone. We both ended up leaving PHC that year with outstanding academic records, of course (…and no police records).
I reaquainted myself with Mark in my junior year at Hillsdale College, when Mark transferred there after taking a year to work for Wakeside. Mark has been one of my best friends since that time, and we graduated from Hillsdale together.
After getting his degree, Mark joined his brother’s company again as the director of finance. He also got married to a beatiful woman and has a beautiful baby girl.
If you want to meet some cool, bright, entrepreneurial people who haven’t wasted their youth playing video games and doing drugs, you will want to hang out with homeschoolers like John and Mark Hellweg, and the rest of their family.
Go to www.wakeside.com to see this incredible Web site, straight from the minds of homeschoolers. Buy some great towers, incredible boards, and if you are a female rider (and you’re tired of all the boarding stuff being made for guys) you need to check out the section made exclusively for you.
Don’t wakeboard? Then maybe you snowboard and you can see their new Web site, www.TruSnow.com. If you don’t do any of these things, well, you’re a big loser!
Finally, I am a happy customer, not just a friend trying to bring business to another friend. I bought my Nixon rotolog watch (see photo in bamboo wood, check out the walnut also) at Wakeside.com and it was a great experience. They send you little handwritten notes from the guy or girl who packaged the thing. Very cool.
Wakeside.com is beyond cool. What’s cooler than being cool? ICE COLD. No, really. How about being real? Wakeside customer service is out of this world, fusing local-feeling, boutique service with the power of the Internet. Check out the ingenuity of homeschoolers at Wakeside.com.
John Hellweg was a normal homeschool guy who had a big vision: start a company. Everyone knows homeschoolers are great at academics, but what about being “cool?” Or, what’s even more dubious, what about building and running a company that makes its bread and butter on being totally awsome?
John was about eighteen years old when he founded Wakeside.com with his father. They took some big risks, like a second mortgage on their house. Building the company was a long, arduous task, and took time away from other activities, such as sleep and college. Mark took the college route, and would prove his talents in the company later on.
I met John’s brother Mark, a bright young sophomore at Patrick Henry College, when I arrived in Purcellville, Virginia as a freshman. This school was a place where 98% of the student body was homeschooled. We had a lot of fun, but I am afraid to say that we were a little too eager to prove that we were not like “the others.” But hey, what young male in the prime of life could resist that agonizing itch? That virulent urge to be different at a place where you were all the same, and all homeschooled? It was beyond me. And I was not alone. We both ended up leaving PHC that year with outstanding academic records, of course (…and no police records).
I reaquainted myself with Mark in my junior year at Hillsdale College, when Mark transferred there after taking a year to work for Wakeside. Mark has been one of my best friends since that time, and we graduated from Hillsdale together.
After getting his degree, Mark joined his brother’s company again as the director of finance. He also got married to a beatiful woman and has a beautiful baby girl.
If you want to meet some cool, bright, entrepreneurial people who haven’t wasted their youth playing video games and doing drugs, you will want to hang out with homeschoolers like John and Mark Hellweg, and the rest of their family.
Go to www.wakeside.com to see this incredible Web site, straight from the minds of homeschoolers. Buy some great towers, incredible boards, and if you are a female rider (and you’re tired of all the boarding stuff being made for guys) you need to check out the section made exclusively for you.
Don’t wakeboard? Then maybe you snowboard and you can see their new Web site, www.TruSnow.com. If you don’t do any of these things, well, you’re a big loser!
Finally, I am a happy customer, not just a friend trying to bring business to another friend. I bought my Nixon rotolog watch (see photo in bamboo wood, check out the walnut also) at Wakeside.com and it was a great experience. They send you little handwritten notes from the guy or girl who packaged the thing. Very cool.
Wakeside.com is beyond cool. What’s cooler than being cool? ICE COLD. No, really. How about being real? Wakeside customer service is out of this world, fusing local-feeling, boutique service with the power of the Internet. Check out the ingenuity of homeschoolers at Wakeside.com.
GOOG411
Fed up with fees? A new bevy of free software-based directories could make you hang up on Ma Bell's operators for good
Related Items
911 for 411
Who isn't tired of paying $2 a pop—or more—for a simple number look-up over the phone? Google (GOOG) and other info providers feel your fatigue. Here's an annotated list of alternatives to the traditional paid-for 411. Just remember: You generally get what you pay for, and these services aren't always speedy. Did we leave any off? Drop us a note in the reader comments section.
GOOG 411
1-800 GOOG 411
labs.google.com/goog411
A nimble product, even in beta mode. Google Voice Local Search uses voice-recognition software that is generally up to the task of finding your information, and the service is quick. You can also get your info in a text message. One caveat: Business categories still seem to have some kinks: Goog 411's computers had better luck finding movie theaters than wine shops in our test drive. That's why the company says Google is still in its "experimental stage" and may not work for all callers.
Tellme
1-800-555-TELL
www.tellme.com
Tellme is the slickest of the new offerings, essentially offering an audio version of an online portal, and possibly one reason Microsoft (MSFT) was keen to buy the company. The voice-recognition software worked flawlessly, but Tellme doesn't connect you to caller-requested search results. (It will for businesses in its system.) Beyond business numbers, there's an array of choices: stock quotes, weather data, travel, top news stories, etc. The service incorporates jingle-style music, chimes, and soft jazz.
For more;http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2007/tc20070411_801392.htm
Related Items
911 for 411
Who isn't tired of paying $2 a pop—or more—for a simple number look-up over the phone? Google (GOOG) and other info providers feel your fatigue. Here's an annotated list of alternatives to the traditional paid-for 411. Just remember: You generally get what you pay for, and these services aren't always speedy. Did we leave any off? Drop us a note in the reader comments section.
GOOG 411
1-800 GOOG 411
labs.google.com/goog411
A nimble product, even in beta mode. Google Voice Local Search uses voice-recognition software that is generally up to the task of finding your information, and the service is quick. You can also get your info in a text message. One caveat: Business categories still seem to have some kinks: Goog 411's computers had better luck finding movie theaters than wine shops in our test drive. That's why the company says Google is still in its "experimental stage" and may not work for all callers.
Tellme
1-800-555-TELL
www.tellme.com
Tellme is the slickest of the new offerings, essentially offering an audio version of an online portal, and possibly one reason Microsoft (MSFT) was keen to buy the company. The voice-recognition software worked flawlessly, but Tellme doesn't connect you to caller-requested search results. (It will for businesses in its system.) Beyond business numbers, there's an array of choices: stock quotes, weather data, travel, top news stories, etc. The service incorporates jingle-style music, chimes, and soft jazz.
For more;http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2007/tc20070411_801392.htm
Imagine If We Could Sell What We Say
Skype's latest software release includes a beta version of Skype Prime. The service is very similar to Ether: sellers set a price, fixed or per minute, find buyers for their service, and Skype handles the rest. Of course, instead of using phone lines, both sellers and buyers use Skype's voice over IP platform.
While Skype charges 'call providers' more than Ether does—30% commission versus 15%—Skype's obvious benefit is its existing global user base. Skype has over 171 million registered users, is available in 28 languages and is used in almost every country around the world. Which means a very large reach for minipreneurs who'd like to sell their services, whether they're offering Spanish lessons, tax advice or something saucier. (Note that Skype's guidelines state that call providers cannot offer any content or service that is adult, sexual, pornographic or paedophiliac.)
Other alternatives include BitWine and Wengo.
Website: www.skype.com/share/skypeprime
While Skype charges 'call providers' more than Ether does—30% commission versus 15%—Skype's obvious benefit is its existing global user base. Skype has over 171 million registered users, is available in 28 languages and is used in almost every country around the world. Which means a very large reach for minipreneurs who'd like to sell their services, whether they're offering Spanish lessons, tax advice or something saucier. (Note that Skype's guidelines state that call providers cannot offer any content or service that is adult, sexual, pornographic or paedophiliac.)
Other alternatives include BitWine and Wengo.
Website: www.skype.com/share/skypeprime
Is Personality Type Matter In Venture Captial?
I’ll never forget Mitch Mumma of Intersouth telling an assembled group of newly initiated venture capitalists that a degree in psychology would probably be a stronger indicator of success in the industry than a degree in economics. One’s ability to intuit the capabilities of a team, to build trust, and manage bumps in the road are key skills for a VC, and only likely to become more so as investment opportunities become more competitive. Consider the kind of relationship building the Outside.in investment required.
It’s worth noting, then, that venture investors do occasionally bring to bear an analytical method of peering beneath the shiny personality veneer of management pitches and diligence visits when considering a new investment. At Chrysalis we use a tool called the Predictive Index (or PI), one of many options on the market, but one we’ve seen a lot of success with and something many of our portfolio companies have decided to use internally to foster more effective teamwork and as an aid in recruiting efforts. In fact, the Wall Street Journal covered our usage in a 2004 article on the topic:
David Jones Jr., chairman and managing director of Chrysalis, based in Louisville, Ky., said PI has helped his firm gain insight into the companies it considers funding. Before Chrysalis began incorporating PI, Mr. Jones said, “I felt we spent an immense amount of time on people issues, but there was no predictability.”
It was easy enough to look at a resume and see if someone had been a success, he said, but it was hard to tell whether a leadership team at a new company would work well together…
“We made an investment in a company last year where we’d gotten some resistance from the CEO,” Mr. Jones said. “He was probably the most experienced and mature CEO in our portfolio, and had run a number of companies. He went along with [PI], but I don’t think he was thrilled.”
When Chrysalis asked the CEO to bring his team together to go over the results, the CEO brought with him another investor, who immediately took out his Blackberry as if to say he had no interest in the proceedings.
“Their body language was tense,” Mr. Jones said. “The perception of the other investor was that he felt this was an utter waste of time. Within 20 minutes, the BlackBerry was on the table and everyone was leaning forward. When it was over, the CEO said, `You must have been listening in on our management meetings. This is a very accurate assessment of how we get along and what we’re like to work with.’ Now they’re incorporating PI into their business.”
For more:http://www.augurinc.com/art-investors.html
It’s worth noting, then, that venture investors do occasionally bring to bear an analytical method of peering beneath the shiny personality veneer of management pitches and diligence visits when considering a new investment. At Chrysalis we use a tool called the Predictive Index (or PI), one of many options on the market, but one we’ve seen a lot of success with and something many of our portfolio companies have decided to use internally to foster more effective teamwork and as an aid in recruiting efforts. In fact, the Wall Street Journal covered our usage in a 2004 article on the topic:
David Jones Jr., chairman and managing director of Chrysalis, based in Louisville, Ky., said PI has helped his firm gain insight into the companies it considers funding. Before Chrysalis began incorporating PI, Mr. Jones said, “I felt we spent an immense amount of time on people issues, but there was no predictability.”
It was easy enough to look at a resume and see if someone had been a success, he said, but it was hard to tell whether a leadership team at a new company would work well together…
“We made an investment in a company last year where we’d gotten some resistance from the CEO,” Mr. Jones said. “He was probably the most experienced and mature CEO in our portfolio, and had run a number of companies. He went along with [PI], but I don’t think he was thrilled.”
When Chrysalis asked the CEO to bring his team together to go over the results, the CEO brought with him another investor, who immediately took out his Blackberry as if to say he had no interest in the proceedings.
“Their body language was tense,” Mr. Jones said. “The perception of the other investor was that he felt this was an utter waste of time. Within 20 minutes, the BlackBerry was on the table and everyone was leaning forward. When it was over, the CEO said, `You must have been listening in on our management meetings. This is a very accurate assessment of how we get along and what we’re like to work with.’ Now they’re incorporating PI into their business.”
For more:http://www.augurinc.com/art-investors.html
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Can Mangment Theory Help In Winning Boat Race?
Can voguish management theory help to win a venerable race?
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY'S “blue boat”, which faces its Oxford rival in the 153rd boat race on April 7th, glides past the browns and greys of the East Anglian fenland. The oars cup and spill the water, leaving eight evenly spaced dimples in the river behind them. Two catamarans track the boat's progress. In the first, Duncan Holland, the coach, looks for flaws in the rowers' technique. In the second sits a less congruous figure: Mark de Rond, a management theorist from Cambridge's Judge Business School. He thinks this time-honoured contest holds lessons for business today.
As in any company, the members of the boat club are torn between competition and co-operation. Colleagues vie with each other for preferment, yet must collaborate closely to fend off competition from without. To win a seat in the blue boat a rower must outshine his clubmates; but to go fast, rowers must synchronise their efforts with the same people they are trying to outdo.
Read more:http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8931858
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY'S “blue boat”, which faces its Oxford rival in the 153rd boat race on April 7th, glides past the browns and greys of the East Anglian fenland. The oars cup and spill the water, leaving eight evenly spaced dimples in the river behind them. Two catamarans track the boat's progress. In the first, Duncan Holland, the coach, looks for flaws in the rowers' technique. In the second sits a less congruous figure: Mark de Rond, a management theorist from Cambridge's Judge Business School. He thinks this time-honoured contest holds lessons for business today.
As in any company, the members of the boat club are torn between competition and co-operation. Colleagues vie with each other for preferment, yet must collaborate closely to fend off competition from without. To win a seat in the blue boat a rower must outshine his clubmates; but to go fast, rowers must synchronise their efforts with the same people they are trying to outdo.
Read more:http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8931858
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