David S. Finch

Everything You Need to Know About Startups

Depending on who currently has your attention, opinions concerning business and the economy range from extremely optimistic, to the doom and gloom crowd. However, if you silence all the noise and listen carefully you'll discover innovators who are saying, "when everyone is selling, buy." "When businesses are closing their doors, it's time to start." In the thunderous sounds of negativity, your hearing pioneering voices cheering on creativity.

While it's easy to join the masses and play it safe, I'm constantly intrigued by those that push their creativity to a different level. Individuals like Dharmesh Shah, CEO of Hubspot who recently spoke at the Business of Software conference. Here is his presentation from that event that hopefully inspires you like it did me.

The Key Points from the video that I resonated with.

• Your idea can suck. Just get started.
• You can be in the middle of nowhere and still build a great business.
• Not having cash breeds good behavior. It’s helpful to have constraints.
• Write a blog, not a business plan.

For more insight into the presentation you can check out Dharmesh's post at Onstartups.com.

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Technorati Tags: business, entrepreneur

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The Influence of GREAT Customer Service

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Let's face it, great customer service is really hard to come by. As a matter of fact, more often the general attitude of most businesses is that your here to serve them instead of them serving you. However, when you stumble across great service not only are you impressed, but you usually tell someone else.

Which is exactly what took place this morning. After dropping my wife off to work, I stopped to get a cup of coffee from the greatest coffee roasters, Jackson's Organic Coffee. I've never stopped by the store because I usually buy the roasted beans from a local market, but this morning I stopped since I was driving by anyway.

Here's how it went down.

I followed the line of cars to the rear of the building patiently waiting my turn. I thought as I was waiting in line how much different will the coffee taste from how I make it. When it was my turn, I pulled up to the window, quickly looked at the menu board, was about to order when I heard the worst news possible. "Sir, we don't take debit or credit cards." I proceeded to let the guy know that I wasn't carry cash and I'll just have to stop by another time. I told him Jackson's has become my favorite coffee and I'll get it another time.

This is how great customer service works!

His reply then switched to customer first... Don't worry about the coffee, its on the house this morning. Now, I don't know if this is common procedure, but it was this morning and I was impressed. Not only was I impressed, but I've already told about five people about it today. Will they buy Jackson's Organic Coffee? I don't know, but I know I will. Thanks guys for the coffee!!

Quick tip: If you're in the customer service business, think customer first. You never know who'll comment, blog or post a video about it.

LINK: Jackson's Organic Coffee

Technorati Tags: customer service, customer+service

How to Work Through the Beginning Phase

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Let's face your not who you were and your not yet who'll you be. In other words, everything you are and do evolves as you evolve.

The challenge to starting a new business, blog or any creative initiative, is that the beginning is far from the end that you have intended. In all reality your first attempt at producing this new creative idea is probably going to suck. Accepting that it sucks and moving forward is the key to arriving at the desired results.

Ira Glass, host and executive producer of the public radio show, This American Life, recounts his early mistakes in attempting to create quality content that is enjoyable to listen. There is some priceless wisdom in the video... Enjoy!

[via 43folders]

Technorati Tags: blogging, business, personal development, podcasting, video, writing

The Warrior's Secret

photo by:Hape Gera
In martial arts, learning the basics are mandatory before any student can move on. Training the internal and external are lessons that can be traced back to 2698 B.C. These techniques have been built upon and passed down from generation to generation. This secret contained the warrior's ability to defend.

In modern times and western culture it's not natural for us to look to the stories of the ancient monks for wisdom, but we can find their principles all throughout our culture. It's movements are different. It's language has changed, but it's message remains the same, defense wins!

Defense: The Warrior's Secret

The discipline that separates the champions from those that fall along the way, is the ability to defend. Choose your favorite sport and you'll find a quote from their legendary coaches, it's defense that wins games. Listen to a press conference and the losing team always references the inability to defend. The teams that wins are those that can keep other the team from scoring. If you can defend you can win.

Defense: Your Secret to Success
In the progression from goals to strategic planning, to actually seeing results for any effort there must be an intense energy to defend. To be able to achieve your goals you have to be able to defend against,

• negativity
• set-backs
• dream thieves
• procrastination
• self-esteem

The ability to defend against internal attacks and external actions will determine the rate and level of success. If you can defend you can win!

As you plan for the upcoming year with goals, projects and initiatives, make sure you include defense as part of your game plan. You can solidify you defensive game plan by,

• listening to positive influencers
• block out every dream thief
• put people around you that add value
• find a mentor(s)
• defend by moving forward

The potential to accomplish anything is available when defense becomes part of your planning. Don't be blind sided because of your lack of defense. Be prepared and take your dreams to a whole new level.

Is defense a part of your planning? What things have you incorporated in your defensive scheme? Leave a comment and let's win together.

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Technorati Tags: business, dreams, entrepreneur, goals, life lessons, motivational, productivity, self-development

Facebook for the Wine Enthusiast

How about Facebook for the wine enthusiast? It's here and it's known as the OpenBottles. Sagi Solomon who started OpenBottles has made social networking a part of his marketing plan.

BusinessWeek.com: Building a Facebook for Wine:

Sagi Solomon founded OpenBottles in 2005. An attorney in San Jose, Calif., Solomon hopes to make the wine review and social-networking site his only full-time job next year. He deliberately avoided outside investment, however, because he does not want his vision for the company diluted. "It's costly to get venture financing, and you do give up not only equity in the company but overall control of strategy and where you want to take the business," Solomon says.His model for growth is Craigslist: "He started it on his own with no financing, and it's grown into this really vibrant community," Solomon says.

Solomon believes that community comes even before there ever is a profit.

"You can't just wait for profits. They don't just magically show up. You have to plan for them," he says. "If taking on debt does not contribute to plan, then don't do it."

Even with a solid plan and good product, building a self-funded startup takes patience. It's not the approach for entrepreneurs looking for big returns right away. "It took four years, to 2003, to get to a sort of tipping point where I had enough customers and cash flow, my first initial employee, enough hype, and a good enough product that now, things finally started to happen," says Stajer.

Self-funded entrepreneurs also face the risk that the significant time and money they put into their businesses may never yield profits. "It takes a lot of work," says Solomon, who invested $10,000 of his own savings in OpenBottles. "You're working nights. You're working weekends. You've got to make that investment."
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photo credit: yashima

Technorati Tags: business, entrepreneur, social networking

Do You Have What it Takes to Succeed?

"Do you have what it takes to succeed?" That's the question I asked myself this morning as I took our dog for a walk. Not just to get by, but be #1, as Seth Godin so masterfully lays it out in his book, The Dip. It seemed like the farther that I walked each question was answer with another question. With precise detail I answered each new question one by one until I answered the one that started this mental journey.

In the midst of going for your dreams, or trying to achieve your goals, your never short on information, ideas, tips and opinions. Transitioning from paper talk to walk the talk is often what separates the successful from the wanna-be.

As we close out one year and approach a new one, you should be laying out your goals for the upcoming year. If you wait until January then it's to late. Having the proper tools can launch you in to a successful new year a step ahead of the crowd.

Do you have what it takes to succeed?

A Detail Plan
A blueprint, business plan, master-list. Do you know where your headed, what your target is, what you'll need to get there and what will it look like when you arrive? Without a plan your spinning your wheels and predicting your own failure.

Time Limits
Plans with no time limits are mere pipe dreams. You have to have dates that you hold yourself to as well as use as achievement milestones.

A Mentor
Everyone needs a mentor, coach, wise master. This individual can be your eyes when you can't see and your ears when you can't hear. This individual who lives outside your world, but enters when invited brings experience, wisdom and counsel to each phase of your plan.

Passion
Passion is what drives you when the plan looks like it will never work. Passion is what causes you to takes risks, pushes you through negativity and continue pursuing your dreams when you still haven't seen any results.

Confidence
If passion comes from your gut, confidence comes from your head. It's a swagger, a knowing that you can do this. Your dreams, goals and plans are possible and they will be accomplished. Confidence ignites the fire of the introvert, it eliminates the dream thieves, it doesn't take no for and answer. It's your mental gladiator that keeps moving forward one step at a time.

Resources
You have to have resources: educational resources, relational resources and financial resources. Most often the financial resources are the last ones to show up to the party, but if you acquire the right information along with develop the right relationships, financial resources with become easier to obtain.

Are you already planning for the upcoming year? What would you add to this list? Leave a comment and share your wisdom!

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photo credit: aphex twin

Technorati Tags: business, dreams, goals, motivational, self-development

The Best Credit Cards for Your Business

Businesses are constantly being targeted by credit card companies for their business. Choosing the right card that benefits with:

cash back
balance transfer
paying your bill in full
carrying a balance
the road warrior

Inc.com: What's in Your Wallet

"Credit card companies want your money. That's nothing new, of course, but the number of cards aimed at small businesses is. "The big card issuers are kind of foaming at the mouth," says Ben Woolsey, director of marketing at CreditCards.com, a credit card information website. Discover (NYSE:DFS), for example, launched its first small-business card this year, and American Express (NYSE:AXP) has recently introduced a small-business card called Plum. The average APR for corporate credit cards is 13.2 percent, according to CardRatings.com, a consumer advocacy and research company based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. But with a good credit rating, you can do better--and get a bevy of other benefits. Here are some of the best credit card offers for small businesses with a strong credit history."

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photo credit: theconsumerist

Technorati Tags: business, credit cards, finances

Budgeting for Small Business Travel

One of the challenging factors in any business start-up is budgeting for travel. Conferences, networking events, and trade shows can have huge benefits for any small business as they evolve from conception to profitability.

WSJ.com - Starting Up: Budgeting for Small-Biz Travel

"The Power of Planning
The more travel dates you can predict in advance the better, says Holtzman. It's easier to budget for expenses you know about. Plus, if you book your travel arrangements a certain number of days in advance, you can usually find discount prices.

It's also a good idea to know how to get around in the city you're visiting. Figure out whether it is smarter to take a cab or jump on a train. Knowing the cab rates in the city you're visiting will help you understand and plan for such costs, says Holtzman. If cab prices are high or if you have far to go, "it might even make sense to hire a limo." That way, he says, "you can get some privacy and the cost differential may be negligible."

Mapping out cheaper places to exchange U.S. currency in advance of foreign travel can also cut down on costs. Or, check out your bank's automated teller machine policy abroad. For example, Bank of America is part of the Global ATM Alliance, which includes eight banks in nine countries including the U.S. and offers customers free access to more than 30,000 ATMs.

Make reservations at restaurants within your price range in advance of your trip. That way you won't have to endure long waiting times or seek more expensive alternatives. Plus, in places such as New York or Chicago, "sometimes you can't get in; if you're trying to entertain a client that can be embarrassing," Holtzman says.

But even if you do plan out your trip, business travel is going to cost you, says Mari Adam, a financial planner in Boca Raton, Fla. After a recent conference in Seattle, in which airfare, a hotel room and registration set her back more than $2,000, she says, "I probably won't do that every month." But, she added, meeting with business contacts and colleagues in similar situations made the trip worth it."

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photo by pyronious

Technorati Tags: business, Travel

How to Live Your Mission with a Marathon Runner's Mindset

Success in any task always comes down to your ability to endure. Endurance is what keeps you moving forward when your thoughts and feelings can tell you to throw in the towel.

One way to practice endurance is to think like a marathon runner. Running a marathon is all about endurance. To run successfully it's about consistency and maintaining a steady pace. Consistent movements, one step at a time toward your goal.

Ted Corbitt, a New York native ran his first Boston in 1951 at the age of thirty-two. Ted said after his run,

"By twenty-three miles I wanted to quit. I was so tired. Although I had trained hard and ran thirty miles several times, I was running faster than I ever did in training. Distance wasn't my nemesis; it was the speed. I didn't run recklessly, but I ran fast."

You would think if you've never ran a marathon that distance would be the issue, but Ted spoke of the pace of the run. He wasn't use to the speed of the race. While he finished in fifteenth place, his immediate challenge was to be able to increase his speed.

What do you think would happen to your goals and mission if you approached them not with the mindset of a day-dreamer, but one who paced themselves with consistency completely committed until the goal is accomplished. I'm sure the fulfillment factor would be at an all time high.

Here are a few reminders when walking out your goals and mission daily .

1. Write everything down!
2. Review your list on a consistent basis.
3. Take small bites until you complete the task.
4. Gauge your success by forward movement not just giant steps.
5. Network with other achievers who will challenge you to increase your pace.
6. Commit to improve daily.

That's it! Let's lace up our shoes and start running!

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photo by archival

Technorati Tags: business, goals, personal mission statement, productivity, self-development, self-help, success

How to Pack for a Business Trip

The biggest challenge to any business trip is the ability to continue "working" when your outside of your normal working environment. Making sure you have everything your mobile office requires can often times be a frustrating especially when portability matters. Here are some great tips that you can start using today.

[see more videos - getconnected]

Being a content developer I would add to this list:
1. Compact Digital Camera
2. Handheld Video Camera
3. USB Headphones
4. Flash Digital Recorder
5. Microphone(2)

What would do you carry with you on your business trips that is a must have? What would you add to this list?

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Technorati Tags: business, howto, new media, Travel