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Other Added - Passing the Torch-Next Generation Leadership
Business Ideas
Richard Branson, billionaire founder of Virgin Records and Virgin Atlantic Airlines, may be better known for his efforts to circle the globe in a hot-air balloon than for his business successes. He suggests that “Being an adventurer and an entrepreneur are similar… You’re willing to go where most people won’t dare.”But it is still generally accepted that entrepreneurs are skillful at knowing which risks are worth taking. “In everything I do, I examine the downside, the danger, what can go wrong,” says Branson. When he started his airline, he only bought one plane, with an agreement with Boeing to take that back “if things didn’t work out.”Are there any safeguards against failure? No! Even the best conceived and implemented business ventures can become market experiments that simply did not work. Our goal here is to follow a planning process that can minimize risk. That is the best that we can do, and the degree to which we can enhance our confidence about a venture must enter into any decision about its pursuit.The best approach requires patience, and to a commitment to preparation well in advance of start-up.
used to take that old row boat out almost every day.Richard Branson, billionaire founder of Virgin Records and Virgin Atlantic Airlines, may be better known for his efforts to circle the globe in a hot-air balloon than for his business successes. He suggests that “Being an adventurer and an entrepreneur are similar… You’re willing to go where most people won’t dare.”But it is still generally accepted that entrepreneurs are skillful at knowing which risks are worth taking. “In everything I do, I examine the downside, the danger, what can go wrong,” says Branson. When he started his airline, he only bought one plane, with an agreement with Boeing to take that back “if things didn’t work out.”Are there any safeguards against failure? No! Even the best conceived and implemented business ventures can become market experiments that simply did not work. Our goal here is to follow a planning process that can minimize risk. That is the best that we can do, and the degree to which we can enhance our confidence about a venture must enter into any decision about its pursuit.The best approach requires patience, and to a commitment to preparation well in advance of start-up.
We got to the lake and as he started uncovering the boat from the brush it was hidden under, I started getting
There Ain’t No Silver Bullet When it Comes to Marketing
Marketing. Ahhhh, Marketing! A 4-letter-word to some; a wealth of ideas to others. No matter how you market and brand your business ventures, it comes down to this: We want customers, we want to remain in business for the long-term and we want to be paid for our time and talents. The thing with marketing is that, at times, it can be a crap shoot. You try something in August and the customers flock to you in droves. You try something else in February and it stinks like last week’s garbage. Don’t let the latter get you down; indeed, take the “stinky garbage” attempts and turn them into learning experiences. Do the research, check your numbers and figure out what went wrong. Whatever you do, don’t think of these attempts as failures--they’re not! One of the successes in my marketing and branding arsenal is the landing or sales page. Now, it must be said that I fully despise the “typical” sales page--you know, the ones with “Dear Friend” and today’s date at the top. Or the one ones with lots of big red bullets and arrows and testimonials in table format in a yellow background. I’m not you’re friend and
I don’t have a lot of memories of my Dad since he left the family when I turned six and passed away when I was only nine years old but there is one memory that seems to be burnt into my brain. It was a day when just he and I were together. I was only five years old and he decided it was time to teach me how to swim. We didn’t have a swimming pool; in fact, we lived out in the woods in an abandoned trailer. There was a lake within three miles of the trailer. The nearest town, named after that lake, was called “Blue Lake”, Michigan. Somehow he had managed to find an old row boat that he kept hidden in the woods. My older brothers tell me he was an avid fisherman and that he used to take that old row boat out almost every day.Marketing. Ahhhh, Marketing! A 4-letter-word to some; a wealth of ideas to others. No matter how you market and brand your business ventures, it comes down to this: We want customers, we want to remain in business for the long-term and we want to be paid for our time and talents. The thing with marketing is that, at times, it can be a crap shoot. You try something in August and the customers flock to you in droves. You try something else in February and it stinks like last week’s garbage. Don’t let the latter get you down; indeed, take the “stinky garbage” attempts and turn them into learning experiences. Do the research, check your numbers and figure out what went wrong. Whatever you do, don’t think of these attempts as failures--they’re not! One of the successes in my marketing and branding arsenal is the landing or sales page. Now, it must be said that I fully despise the “typical” sales page--you know, the ones with “Dear Friend” and today’s date at the top. Or the one ones with lots of big red bullets and arrows and testimonials in table format in a yellow background. I’m not you’re friend and
We got to the lake and as he started uncovering the boat from the brush it was hidden under, I started getting
Discovering The Benefits That Hook Your Prospect
Benefits! They're what marketing is all about. No doubt you've heard the mantra over and over: "Benefits, not features.. Benefits, not features."So how do you tell the difference, anyway? And how do you choose which ones will get your prospect's heart pumping?First, let's set the parameters: A feature is a raw fact about your product or service. You're open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Your widget slices, dices, and then folds flat. Your cleaning service uses Chemical X to clean carpets.A benefit, on the other hand, is the specific advantage of your product or service. It stirs the emotional desire within your prospect, and connects him with what you are selling. It tells him What's In It For Me.Your convenient hours make after-work shopping a breeze. Your widget makes dinner prep simple and saves counter space. Chemical X leaves carpets sanitary enough for babies to crawl on.Every feature provides at least one benefit, often several. So discovering benefits is just a matter of finding out what each feature does for your prospect.Take a sheet of paper and divide it in half. On one side, list all t
e burnt into my brain. It was a day when just he and I were together. I was only five years old and he decided it was time to teach me how to swim. We didn’t have a swimming pool; in fact, we lived out in the woods in an abandoned trailer. There was a lake within three miles of the trailer. The nearest town, named after that lake, was called “Blue Lake”, Michigan. Somehow he had managed to find an old row boat that he kept hidden in the woods. My older brothers tell me he was an avid fisherman and that he used to take that old row boat out almost every day.Benefits! They're what marketing is all about. No doubt you've heard the mantra over and over: "Benefits, not features.. Benefits, not features."So how do you tell the difference, anyway? And how do you choose which ones will get your prospect's heart pumping?First, let's set the parameters: A feature is a raw fact about your product or service. You're open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Your widget slices, dices, and then folds flat. Your cleaning service uses Chemical X to clean carpets.A benefit, on the other hand, is the specific advantage of your product or service. It stirs the emotional desire within your prospect, and connects him with what you are selling. It tells him What's In It For Me.Your convenient hours make after-work shopping a breeze. Your widget makes dinner prep simple and saves counter space. Chemical X leaves carpets sanitary enough for babies to crawl on.Every feature provides at least one benefit, often several. So discovering benefits is just a matter of finding out what each feature does for your prospect.Take a sheet of paper and divide it in half. On one side, list all t
We got to the lake and as he started uncovering the boat from the brush it was hidden under, I started getting
The Chinese Web - What's Out There
China already leads the world in the number of Internet users as well as Internet usage, with over 800,000 new Internet users coming online every week. You'd think that a country with so much Internet usage would have a big effect on the web. Well, they do, but for US users, we don't often notice their presence unless we go searching for it. Here's what's out there on the Chinese information superhighway:PortalsJust like other countries, Chinese users tend to use portals to find what they're looking for. Yahoo's Chinese portal is rated as the 6th most popular Chinese site. The #1 site for Chinese users is a portal called Baidu.com, a Chinese language search engine that also offers multimedia content to its users. Next on the list is QQ.com, a portal similar to Yahoo with a popular free email service attached. Sina.com.cn is next on the list, then we have Sohu.com and 163.com. Each portal has a similar setup to traditional portals like Yahoo and MSN, where updated news is offered, plus stock information and tickers, email services, entertainment information, shopping, music, communities and message boards as well as th
ing pool; in fact, we lived out in the woods in an abandoned trailer. There was a lake within three miles of the trailer. The nearest town, named after that lake, was called “Blue Lake”, Michigan. Somehow he had managed to find an old row boat that he kept hidden in the woods. My older brothers tell me he was an avid fisherman and that he used to take that old row boat out almost every day.China already leads the world in the number of Internet users as well as Internet usage, with over 800,000 new Internet users coming online every week. You'd think that a country with so much Internet usage would have a big effect on the web. Well, they do, but for US users, we don't often notice their presence unless we go searching for it. Here's what's out there on the Chinese information superhighway:PortalsJust like other countries, Chinese users tend to use portals to find what they're looking for. Yahoo's Chinese portal is rated as the 6th most popular Chinese site. The #1 site for Chinese users is a portal called Baidu.com, a Chinese language search engine that also offers multimedia content to its users. Next on the list is QQ.com, a portal similar to Yahoo with a popular free email service attached. Sina.com.cn is next on the list, then we have Sohu.com and 163.com. Each portal has a similar setup to traditional portals like Yahoo and MSN, where updated news is offered, plus stock information and tickers, email services, entertainment information, shopping, music, communities and message boards as well as th
We got to the lake and as he started uncovering the boat from the brush it was hidden under, I started getting
Is Business Formulaic?
You can either engineer your business by design or let it evolve by default. While the choice is clearly up to you I would strongly suggest the former over the latter. Creating a formulaic approach to business is not only logical, but it is without question the best practices approach.Some would argue that business is very fluid and that too much structure stifles creativity and entrepreneurialism. While the previous theory makes a good sound-bite, it has been my experience that those executives who use it as their mantra don’t foster creativity, they create chaos and disruption. It is never a question of whether structure and process work, but a question of whether it was designed, implemented and managed properly. Moreover a well engineered formulaic approach to business does not exclude creativity, it stresses innovation as a key component.A structure built with sound underlying business logic not only enhances creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit, it accelerates it. I have always subscribed to creating a formulaic approach to business. I developed the following formula for corporate success almost 20 years ag
led “Blue Lake”, Michigan. Somehow he had managed to find an old row boat that he kept hidden in the woods. My older brothers tell me he was an avid fisherman and that he used to take that old row boat out almost every day.You can either engineer your business by design or let it evolve by default. While the choice is clearly up to you I would strongly suggest the former over the latter. Creating a formulaic approach to business is not only logical, but it is without question the best practices approach.Some would argue that business is very fluid and that too much structure stifles creativity and entrepreneurialism. While the previous theory makes a good sound-bite, it has been my experience that those executives who use it as their mantra don’t foster creativity, they create chaos and disruption. It is never a question of whether structure and process work, but a question of whether it was designed, implemented and managed properly. Moreover a well engineered formulaic approach to business does not exclude creativity, it stresses innovation as a key component.A structure built with sound underlying business logic not only enhances creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit, it accelerates it. I have always subscribed to creating a formulaic approach to business. I developed the following formula for corporate success almost 20 years ag
We got to the lake and as he started uncovering the boat from the brush it was hidden under, I started getting
Delaware Incorporation – Why Delaware?
Delaware's business friendly government with its modern laws, suitably complemented by the Court of Chancery makes Delaware the ideal place for any business to incorporate. Delaware incorporation is definitely much easier and beneficial for businesses when compared to the other states, because of all these contributing factors.With so many favorable factors, Delaware has definitely had its share of the business pie, being home to more than 60% of the Fortune 500 companies in the USA and large number of publicly traded companies. Though every company has their own reason for incorporating in Delaware, it seems to have just the right thing to fulfill the requirements for every business demand.Delaware allows out of state incorporation; that is the business owner do not have to be a resident of Delaware, simply having a registered agent in Delaware is good to complete all formalities related to Delaware Incorporation. Besides, being a Delaware incorporation gives the added advantage of having access to the Delaware Court of Chancery that has significantly contributed to the formulation of U.S. corporation case law. The m
used to take that old row boat out almost every day.Delaware's business friendly government with its modern laws, suitably complemented by the Court of Chancery makes Delaware the ideal place for any business to incorporate. Delaware incorporation is definitely much easier and beneficial for businesses when compared to the other states, because of all these contributing factors.With so many favorable factors, Delaware has definitely had its share of the business pie, being home to more than 60% of the Fortune 500 companies in the USA and large number of publicly traded companies. Though every company has their own reason for incorporating in Delaware, it seems to have just the right thing to fulfill the requirements for every business demand.Delaware allows out of state incorporation; that is the business owner do not have to be a resident of Delaware, simply having a registered agent in Delaware is good to complete all formalities related to Delaware Incorporation. Besides, being a Delaware incorporation gives the added advantage of having access to the Delaware Court of Chancery that has significantly contributed to the formulation of U.S. corporation case law. The m
We got to the lake and as he started uncovering the boat from the brush it was hidden under, I started getting a little nervous. Up to that point I had been so excited about going out on the lake with my dad that I had nearly wet my pants; the anxiety of the reality of the situation hadn’t set in yet. When I actually realized that I was going to be in this huge—deep lake, that’s when I started to worry a little. But, not too much, after all, I was with my Dad and he was going to teach me how to swim.
SOooo……. He rowed that old boat out to the middle of the lake, put down the oars, looked me right in the eye and said:
“Are you ready? ---- You can do this!”
I heard the “You can do this” as I was flying thru the air over the side of the boat. He must have thrown me
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