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Google Page Rank Today

July 21, 2011, google, Ranking #1 on Google
http://www.schoolforstartups.com/google-page-rank-today/

Are you curious about the importance of Google’s Page Rank? I came across a great post about where Google Page Rank stands today amidst the 200+ features Google considers when cataloging your page. You can read the article here.

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Twitter Tips

July 15, 2011, Social Media for Entrepreneurs
http://www.schoolforstartups.com/twitter-tips/

Here it the link to a great article containing 100 suggestions on how to better use Twitter. This is a must-read for all entrepreneurs seeking to promote themselves or their businesses.

Remember to always have a strategy for your social media presences. As a web developer and web consultant, I only suggest the most relevant social media outlets for my clients. It is not necessary to be on every platform. But it is important to be on the platforms that will promote your company in the best possible way. Once social media outlets are set up, don’t add content to one and then copy and paste that information to the others. Use different social media outlets in different ways. And give people reasons to follow you. The best reason of all is to have compelling content.

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No Job? Make your Own Job

July 13, 2011, Creativity and Ideation, General Thoughts
http://www.schoolforstartups.com/no-job-make-your-own-job/

Thomas Friedman wrote an op-ed yesterday about the fundamental shift that has taken place in the job market. This shift went from getting a degree and expecting a job offer where you could use those skills to having to create that job yourself. As Friedman states:

I think something else, something new — something that will require our kids not so much to find their next job as to invent their next job — is also influencing today’s job market more than people realize.

At the core, this shift eliminates the entitlement mentality. This mentality states that you are entitled to a job if you get good grades, complete college, and interview well. That is no longer the case. This entitlement mentality has to go in order for you to successfully navigate in this new job market. You will never begin to think about starting your own business if GE, Home Depot, or the local law firm owe you a job because of your stellar education and extracurricular activities.

A big question that I have is, where is our education system within this shift? Are we teaching the soft skills of how to be flexible, how to innovate, and how to create? Those skills are not learned in Accounting 101. It takes a special type of teacher to impart those skills and it takes a special type of student to receive a new kind of education. An essential element of making your own job is maintaining your personal brand. There are ways to nurture your online identity via social networking sites, reputation management services (such as Reputation.com) and logo/branding consultation.

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Hey Jeffrey, you hypocrite, leave me out of this!

July 12, 2011, Economics, Government
http://www.schoolforstartups.com/hey-jeffrey-you-hypocrite-leave-me-out-of-this/

Today at a US Chamber of Commerce jobs fair in NYC, GE CEO Jeffry Immelt said that we small business owners are problem! That we small businesses need to stop complaining about government and just hire people. What a jerk. In 2001, GE employed just over 300,000. Today, they employ 304,000 people, 11 years later. Oh, and they paid no taxes on five billion in income. Immelt and GE have received special care under the new health care laws. He is in Obama’s pocket.

Hey Jeff, until you pay some taxes, hire some people, and face the same health care the rest of us do, SHUT UP! You know as much about small business as a brick does.

I avoid all GE products, refrigs and nuclear power subs. Jeff, think welch agrees with you?

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Being the New Entrepreneur on the Block

July 11, 2011, General Thoughts
http://www.schoolforstartups.com/being-the-new-entrepreneur-on-the-block/

So you have finally decided to start your own business at night while keeping your day job. You have an idea and you feel like you are ready to kick it off. Here are a few pieces of time-tested advice to help you avoid some of the stereotypical pitfalls.

1) Ask questions

There is no faster way to fail spectacularly than thinking that you can pull it off on your own. Even if you have already launched one successful company and you are getting into a new niche, you still need to ask questions to people who have experience in that area. I’ll let you on a little secret… people love to talk about themselves and their successes. Seasoned entrepreneurs will tell you almost anything you want to know if you just ask.

Now for the one limitation on asking questions… ask SMART questions. No one wants to receive a phone call or email with you spouting off your 20 questions you came up with the night before. Take some time and think about what you really need to know how to do to be successful and then try to spread them out over several people in your industry.

2) Don’t start too big

This is usually my personal pitfall where I have to rein myself in. It is very easy to start say a service company and decide you want to offer this one service. Well, then you read something or see another company which leads you to want to match their offering of 20 services. Don’t fall for it. Stick with your one product or service that you know forwards and backwards, that you truly believe in. Then after that is off the ground, go back and consider adding one or two additional products or services.

This concept of not starting too big also applies to startup and monthly costs. So let me be frank:

YOU DON’T NEED OFFICE SPACE (starting out)

YOU DON’T NEED A $2,500 COMPUTER

YOU DON’T NEED THE LATEST SOFTWARE

YOU DON’T NEED A  $5,000 WEBSITE

YOU DON’T NEED FANCY LETTERHEAD

What you need is to get out there and SELL. In today’s business world there are only a few things that you truly need. They are a passion for what you are selling (critical), access to a computer and the internet, a phone where people can reach you (use your cell or an internet number) and maybe some simple business cards. Everything else can wait.

3) Be willing to change

Flexibility is one of the biggest advantages of being a small business as opposed to a big corporation. You have to be willing to respond to changes in your market both professionally and personally. By personally, I mean you have to be willing to accept when the market is telling you that your product or service is not what people want. Now maybe all it needs are a few tweaks, but maybe not. Maybe it is time to take what you learned from the experience and move on to your next venture even if it means giving up your “baby”.

Building a successful business out of nothing is one of the most satisfying accomplishments you can achieve. Don’t set yourself up for failure by making totally avoidable mistakes.

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Why More Technology Is Not Always Better

July 10, 2011, Technology, Tools
http://www.schoolforstartups.com/why-more-technology-is-not-always-better/

I will be the first to admit that I love a cool piece of technology. Software, hardware, I just think it’s cool. Even with a degree that combines business and computers, I am still amazed by what people can do with technology. However, as amazing as our technological advances are, in some businesses they are causing more problems than they are providing benefit.

The tech industry has done a great job with their marketing. They have convinced us all that their product or service can make us more productive, more profitable, and more agile. However, those companies don’t know your business like you do. They cannot tell you if their product or service really helps you. That is up to you. So many of us see technology as this black box where few knows how it works, but people just assume it must be good.

Companies both large and small spend million upgrading software and computer systems not because it helps them, but because it was the latest new product and the thinking is, “Newer must always be better.” Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying everyone should be running Windows 98 and playing Pong. What I am saying is that when you are considering a new piece of software or hardware for your business (or even for personal use), take a few minutes to evaluate whether or not this purchase is truly going to benefit you or is there a simpler solution.

I was recently working with a client on some consulting work for his small business. He is looking to expand his marketing and wanted to ramp up his affiliate program and come up with an easy way to be sure they all got paid. I started looking at different software and internet-based affiliate programs that would help him do what he wanted. While I was in the process of doing that, I met with a mentor of mine and happened to mention what I was working on with this particular client. After hearing me talk he stopped me and asks, “Why not just use a spreadsheet, total what each person is owed, and then pay them all at once?” See even I fall prey to the bells and whistles I’m advising you to be cautious with.

Everyone always wants everything to be automated where they just click one button and they can go home. This creates a huge problem that is plaguing small and large businesses alike in the middle of the economic downturn. Many managers no longer understand how their business functions. They have integrated so much technology (that they were not even sure how it worked in the first place) that everything is a mystery to them. How can you operate a successful business or get that next round of funding if you cannot understand or explain what that technology is doing and how it is of benefit to you?

Technology is great and it has allowed us to do things that we never dreamed we would be able to do. We use it everyday in our personal and professional lives. Just remember that like everything else, it has its place.

So, here are what you should take away:

1) When making a change, consider if a new piece of software is really the best solution to your problem

2) You don’t need to be a tech guru, but be sure you understand what the technology you are using does (in basic terms)

3) Routinely evaluate every piece of technology that you use in your business and see if there are other options out there that can make you more efficient or save you money

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Blog Posts Go To Hell

July 8, 2011, Blog
http://www.schoolforstartups.com/blog-posts-go-to-hell/

Everyday, I review the recent blog posts to see which ones are ok.  We don’t want trash and off topic posts.  Recently, we are getting inundated with trash blogs from a place called Discount Nike Shoes.  Avoid these people!  What jerks.  They post 3-4 times per day, NEVER related to the topic, with no regard for anything.  Get a life Discount Nike Shoes jerks.

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Avoiding the Trends When Coming Up With Business Ideas

July 8, 2011, Creativity and Ideation
http://www.schoolforstartups.com/avoiding-the-trends-when-coming-up-with-business-ideas/

The business world is always in a constant state of flux with everything from clothing, to food, to cars changing at a rapid pace. When you are looking to start a business it is important that you look for ideas that are sustainable over the long term. I have met very people who just want to make  $300,000 and then have their idea collapse 3 months later. There are countless examples of toys and clothes in particular that skyrocketed to the top for a few months and then plummeted just as fast to the point that people did not even remember they had existed. At The Entrepreneur School, we tell people to not just get caught up on the “sexy” business ideas. Usually “trendy” goes right along with the sexy ideas since it is what everyone loves at the moment.

Now, I am not saying not to take advantage of opportunity when it arises. Just take a few minutes and be selective about what opportunity you choose. Why put your heart into something that will be gone by the next holiday. Instead invest yourself, your time, and your money in a business that will provide for you for the next 30 years.

Here are a few very simple prompts that might help point you in the right direction when trying to come up with substantial business ideas:

1) What process do I do everyday whether at home or at work that I wish I could improve?

2) What products or services do I always hear people complaining about? How can I capitalize on that shortfall?

These are very broad prompts, but hopefully they will start to get your juices flowing to come up with that next great business idea.

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Get Your News on Your Terms

July 6, 2011, Bootstrapping, Entreprneurship Training, google, Technology, Tools
http://www.schoolforstartups.com/get-your-news-on-your-terms/

many of you know about RSS feeds and probably already subscribe to a few. Eric wrote an article on the topic “How to Set Up an RSS Feed” back in May 2010. since then the only thing that has really changed is that Feed Burner has been bought by google and is now Google Reader (see link below).

for those of you who do not know it is a pretty simple way to get the news/blogs you want delivered right to you without having to search the web for them. if there is a blog that you read pretty often because the content is pretty awesome it would save you some time to go ahead and subscribe to the RSS feed and have it delivered to wherever you like. my two suggestions are with Google Reader or Microsoft Outlook, they are both solid and have their advantages. i personally prefer Google Reader but to each his own. i am not going to weight the two in this article i am simply going to recommend (for those just getting started with RSS) setting up your RSS feed and recommend the top ten small business feeds.

to set up Google Reader please visit their site

to set up your feed in Outlook please visit this RSS for dummies page

now that you know what you are doing i would highly recommend adding each of the following feeds to your account.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/TechCrunch

http://feeds.mashable.com/Mashable

http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/MKuf

http://feeds.feedburner.com/seomoz

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/feed/

http://feeds.feedburner.com/readwriteweb

http://thenextweb.com/feed-combinator/main

http://feeds.copyblogger.com/copyblogger

http://feeds.feedburner.com/OnlineMarketingSEOBlog

http://feeds.feedburner.com/allfacebook

http://feeds2.feedburner.com/SmallBusinessTrends

http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/tRaA

Are their any feeds you just can’t live without? i would love to hear about them!
cheers!

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Acres of Diamonds – Wealth Under Your Nose?

July 1, 2011, Business Ownership, Creativity and Ideation, Entrepreneur Personality, Entrepreneurship Quotes, Entrepreneurship Stories, Entrepreneurship Tools, Entreprneurship Training
http://www.schoolforstartups.com/acres-of-diamonds-wealth-under-your-nose/

Acres of Diamonds – I’m Late to the Game

I just finished what is a must-read for all would be entrepreneurs.  It is an essay/lecture from Russell Conwell.  This lecture came highly recommended to me from a friend at work.  Once he learned of my role at The Entrepreneur School and of my help on the book he implored me to read Acres of Diamonds.  We were in a bit of a busy season so I delayed until he finally commanded that I read it.  I wish I had not delayed for in my ignorance of not knowing this lecture existed and then in my delay I am now  late to the game and perhaps I’ve cost myself a fortune.  (Similar to the way I felt when I first learned of the philosophy of Jim and Chris here at the school).  I’m being a bit dramatic but there’s real value in this old gem.  So act quickly to read it.

√

Wealth Under Your Nose

Acres of Diamonds is a speech that Russell Conwell delivered in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s.  It’s primary theme is that wealth and opportunity lies immediately before you – right under you nose.  The speech details stories of the then famous entrepreneurs who got their start by observing the needs and problems of those immediately around them.  These were ordinary people with ordinary needs who took action.   Russell Conwell, who seemingly led an amazing life, was an officer in the Civil War, a Baptist minister, orator, philanthropist, lawyer, published writer and is known for founding Temple University.  In this lecture he takes up a Christian call for the importance in profit and industry.  He looks at opportunity (in an eerily similar low risk bootstrapping way). While calling us to these two themes the lecture combines marketing lessons with leadership and character lessons.  All the while he’s pointing the reader (or listener in those days) to the higher call of the lasting impact these things can have.

The beauty of this lecture is it in itself proved the very point Russell Conwell was trying to make.  He delivered over 6,000 times and reportedly earned over $8 million dollars on the speech (bear in mind this was in the 1890s to the 1920s).  His diamond (or opportunity) was not in steel, railroads, or mining but in speaking.  He took something people needed and wanted to hear and built a fortune with it.  You would be wise to get your hands on this speech.

Quotes from Acres of Diamonds

On Opportunity:

Oh, my friends, if you will just take only four blocks around you, and find out what the people want and what you ought to supply them, you would very soon see it. There is wealth right within the sound of your voice.

On Wealth:

But the man who has gone through life dividing always with is fellow-men, making and demanding his own rights and his own profits, and giving to every other man his rights and profits, lives every day, and not only that, but it is the royal road to great wealth. The history of the thousands of millionaires shows that to be the case.

On the Need for Capital to Start a Business:

What you need is common sense, not copper cents.

Young man, remember if you know what people need you have gotten more knowledge of a fortune than any amount of capital can give you.

There’s so many more of these that I could do another set of blogs.  Like I said – get your hands on this piece of American history.

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