Small Business
Business Books and Personality Type
A few weeks ago I revisited the Myers Briggs personality test. Why? I am not sure, but this was something I remember taking a long time ago to find out why I think a certain way, and how I interact with others. I took three test, on one I came out as an INTP and [...]
The Introverted Entrepreneur
I don’t consider myself a hermit, I like being around people, just not all the time. But I especially like to go into my cave (basement/garage/home office) and work on a project and don’t like to be disturbed until I am either done with my project or I’ve achieved a significant milestone. Entrepreneurship is about [...]
Understanding The Market
Every time I talk to someone about starting a business or about my own business the central theme comes down to “market.” Market defined as a group of people that are your customers or your potential customers. Fundamentally every business needs to understand their market in order to be successful. There also to be a [...]
It’s about the Individual, not The Team!
I am so tired of late hearing about how it takes great teams to succeed. Whether it’s software development, starting a business, or football, the dogma is the same: “It takes a great team to win!”. That’s baloney! The one thing that’s often overlooked by the people preaching this non-sense is Pareto’s Law (80-20 Rule). [...]
The Resistance – The Reason Why You’re Stuck.
I recently read a post over at ZenHabits, that resonated with me. It was a guest post by Seth Godin which talked about a term coined by Steven Pressman, called “the resistance”. The resistance is that little voice in the back of your head, the one that tells you that it will never work, the [...]
Is Your Niche Too Small?
So you want to create a niche market because you read the Four Hour Workweek or are starting a business. You’ve done the following: Listed your passions. Listed the things your good at. Consolidated the list and started to test. Then you found out all the stuff you like or are good at doesn’t have [...]
The Business of Ignorance
Lately on the radio and TV I've been hearing and seeing advertisement for businesses built on the ignorance of others. I'm sure you've heard of products that will turn debt into wealth, or get your pc faster, or even something that will let you quit your job and work from home. Every time I hear [...]
A Business Equation
In searching for the viability of a business in terms of a mathematical equation I have worked out some of the parameters. The numbers below next to the item represent a factors importance as it relates to the total equation on a scale from 1-10. Problem(5) – How well is problem understood? Solution(5) – How [...]
What do you sell?
I heard something interesting today. You don’t sell a product or a service, you sell a feeling to someone. Yes, so that iPhone, new gadget, website, robot, part, TV, etc. is nothing more than a means to an end, a feeling. Depending on how well you sell that feeling, how well you sell that consistent [...]
The Value Scale == Time
When thinking about pricing for a product/service, I often start with what other things cost to determine the value offered per dollar. In robots for example, you can get a basic sumo robot kit for about $100 or you can get a RoboNova for about $1000. The value spread on this is a little disproportionate [...]