business 101

It all starts..........

.......with an idea.

A business starts as an idea. We've all been there.

 Many years ago I began running. Long before it was popular and in a most peculiar place. The flight deck of an aircraft carrier off the coast of Vietnam. After a long grueling day of work on the flight deck I would change and begin my up and down....some 900+ feet, from stem to stern,  in either direction dodging aircraft being placed for the next day's missions. I continued, to this day, to run daily in civilian life. In 1976 Bill Rogers and Frank Shorter brought home the Olympic gold & silver. In 1977 the NYC was going to break the confines of Central Park and run through the five boroughs of New York. Shorter, Rogers and most Olympians were to run the inaugural event. As I watched them run I was inspired to join them. However, the odds were against me. Unlike them, I'm 6 ft 3 inches tall and weigh 203 lbs. hardly made to go the distance. However, beginning in 1977, and for seven consecutive years, I ran and completed the NYC Marathon. Over the years there were many many races used as training runs in addition to a daily regime. Gladwell, in Outliers, is correct as it relates to repetition and the miles upon miles will attest to this.

I was at the beginning of the running boom. I had an idea, vision and youthful enthusiasm. I was a participant and could relate to my brethren. From a business perspective I was quite inexperienced. I researched franchises but the stumbling block was money. I didn't have it and didn't know where or how to get it. Oh, how times have changed.

stay on the offensive and celebrate the small victories................

Simple, I'm all about............

........simple. Not complex, complicated or complex.

The view from 30,000 feet, more often than not, obscures the view from the ground. As a leader be keenly aware of micro managing........all too often that's you're problem. Especially tough for an entrepreneur!

We, you and I collectively, tend to over think, over react and simply miss the point.

stay on the offensive and celebrate the small victories.............

Business and Blogging......

....the following was my second post in April of 2005.

"New to blogging it's easy to see the value of this medium. Blogging, like the Internet, is changing the way we do business. For those, like me, whose business is service related there won't be a need for a website. The blog is much more powerful, much more user friendly and less expensive in the long term. The immediacy of the medium is a very strong attribute. On the downside blogging requires a commitment of resources, mainly time, and regularity in order to remain relevant. Long live the BLOG."

How far we've come......so the question, Is Social Media a fad or does this horse have legs?

In a recent session Giovanni Gallucci, the Social Media Expert, explained just how quickly <A class=zem_slink title=Facebook href="http://facebook.com/" rel=homepage>Facebook</A> was populated. Even more surprising were the numbers and how quickly Twitter was becoming a household name. Nothing new here, the tools have changed the game for everyone.

Businesses, large and small, will continue to increase spending and participation in Social Media. There is no choice. What other way can you effectively and efficiently influenceyour community (aka customers)?

Long live Social Media................

stay on the offensive and celebrate the small victories...........

Getting information on the........

Image by Linda Nowakowskivia Flickr

....competition is fairly easy.

 Writing a business plan for a start up or maybe just doing a SWOT assessment you'll like to find out how you stack up to the competitio. At first it may appear to be a bit overwhelming but it's not. Soon you'll  be comfortable with gathering said info and actually find it somewhat exciting.

The easiest and most obvious,way, of course, is using Google. Whether it's adword search, analytics or websites simply type in what you're looking for and let the fun begin. As an example, yesterday I visited a competitors website. These days everyone has a website, no? In any event, as I went through the pages I was able to able to get information about their vendors. Not to mention their list of clients proudly displayed bbehind the tab "CLIENTS"! A few weeks ago I visited another site and was able to figure out how to reach one of their clients. An email and a couple of days later that potential client was in my office. At the very least I was able to get information and perhaps a new client as well.

In addition to using the usual tools another effective approach is simply to ask. Call, visit or contact a competitor and develop a relationship. You'd be surprised how welcoming some folks will be. Heck, when I opened my doors here in Arizona several of my competitors brought work to me just so they could see my operation. Too funny.

 Soon, with the rise of Social Media, nothing will be sacred.........

So you've got the internet and all ya gotta do is ask! Doesn't get any better than that.

stay on the offensive and celebrate the small victories..........

The art of ........

Image via Wikipedia

 ...running a business is just that an art.

The organization is made up of many movingparts. Whether you're by yourself or your a captain of industry there's a plan that is executed and adjusted as feedback comes in. Liken it to a real life chess game where thinking and cunning are as required as if you were confronting an opponent across the table. Consider the global marketplace and the thought of it all can be overwhelming.

While the big picture is relevant the only real concern should be a shorter vision as in right now. What are the tasks that have immediacy and what resources are available to achieve results. All the time thinking ahead.

When asked about the number of employees I have I say, "I don't know until they show up each day.

But how do you explain a Bachelor of Science in Management????

Are we having fun yet?

stay on the offensive and celebrate the small victories..........

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