I was raised to be down-to-earth and always be willing to lend a helping hand without regard for what I was going to get out of it - the 'Good Samaritan' type of person.
I have never liked successful people who were standoffish ...READ»
How many times have you been to a networking event and been afraid to talk to 99% of the people?
Even outgoing people sometimes feel out of place or get the wrong vibe from the crowd. I have solved the problem with a simple ...READ»
I am not sure how I am managing to even write this post: I have not slept in 29 hours! I did manage to take a 45 minute nap :-)
Yesterday evening I left the office at 5pm and drove straight to Orlando for a meeting with our ...READ»
Probably one of the most uncomfortable things a first time entrepreneur has to attempt is their first set of financial projections. Frequently I hear the following:
“Well…I don’t know how many people will buy from ...READ»
I am thinking about this today because we just signed a huge strategic partnership deal that I am not allowed to announce as yet.
It should make it much easier for us to raise outside capital, provide a new revenue stream and ...READ»
Today I happened to be thinking about my last few presentations at conferences, especially at the Global Reggae Conference in Jamaica in February where I was invited to speak about leveraging the web to promote Reggae ...READ»
NewTeeVee recently carried a post titled Report: User-Gen to Only Ever Account for 4% of Video Revenue that relied on a recent study from the Diffusion Group. This upcoming study claims that user-generated video accounts for around ...READ»
I was researching for a blog post about YouTube and professional video vs. user-generated video but I couldn't find the specific quote I was looking for: One where Sergey Brin (I am sure it was him and not Larry Page) said that he ...READ»
Exactly 7 days have passed since my wife and I launched StartupToons.com, our comics website that pokes fun at entrepreneurship, the web, angel investing and venture capital.
We have spent a total of $50 of our money to launch ...READ»
Some people will read this as YAFS - Yet Another Facebook Story - but I think it is different because it shows how I used a social network in a way that will provide free promotion for me, my ventures and build my reputation: ...READ»
I have been nagging my wife with an idea since 2005 that I felt was the perfect team project to combine my business experience and her graphic design abilities:
Startuptoons.com - a website/blog focused on editorial commentary on ...READ»
I grow tired of hearing the opinion that business plans are not a necessary component of starting a business. In Mike Michalowicz’s blog post Business Plans are OUT! Here’s the New Way… he expounds on the virtues of the ...READ»
In Free Money to Pay Your Bills! Or Maybe Not Part 1 we discovered how Matthew Lesko (and others) use word play and semantics to get you to buy their books believing you will obtain riches on someone else’s dime. In Part II we ...READ»
Mathew Lesko is my nemesis.
You know the crazy guy on late night infomercials prancing around in his question mark suit screaming about “Free” money to pay your bills…or to buy something…or to start a business?
For ...READ»
This list reflects my experiences only, is based on no other research and is in no peticular order.
10. They had a well researched, well written business plan that backed the assumptions in their financial ...READ»
The fact is that not all businesses will be successful. Some have even heard that 80% of new businesses fail by the 5th year, although this is disputed by many and evidence suggests that the failure rate is closer to 50-60 ...READ»
Maybe it is a midwestern thing but lenders around here have a hard time just saying “No”.
Let me lay out a scenario for you:
Client comes into my office and tells me about the ultimate business opportunity.
We ...READ»
Looking back at April 1st there were several occasions for someone reporting bad news to smile quietly and say “April Fools!”.
Unfortunately, the one to legitimately play an April Fools joke on me was my eight year old ...READ»
Bad Credit is not always a death knell when it comes to business banking. If there is a legitimate reason why you have poor credit some lenders can look past it. Typically, health problems, divorce, or a layoff (known as “life ...READ»
I meet and work with about 200 entrepreneurs a year who are interested in starting a small business. Every time I have a meeting with two or more people involved in the same venture, they always say the same thing: ...READ»
Creating financial projections is part art and part science. First, accuracy is a relative term. Nobody would reasonably expect you to forecast sales exactly as they will occur in the future. What is important is coming up ...READ»
Triple net, or the designation NNN or net, net, net is a lease agreement where the lessee (you) is responsible for Property Taxes, Insurance and Common Area Maintenance (AKA a “CAM fee”). The CAM fee is normally quoted in ...READ»
1. I know there is a fine distinction between a hobby & business, but do I need a business license or tax registration certificate before I consider this endeavor?
No…you do not need a business license or tax ...READ»
One camp believes that top line growth can solve all of a companies problems and that means making investments in branding you company and heavily marketing your products/services. The other camp believes that concentrating on ...READ»
I hope you have had lots to “give thanks” for this year and are looking forward to a very merry (insert religious holiday here)! The new year is just around the corner…which means lot of people starting new businesses. ...READ»
