Run down of the generations (from my Managing the Next Generation CPA Firm post on my THRIVEal.com blog):

Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, about 78 to 80 million folks, currently running our country, most getting ready to retire,

Generation X, born between 1965 and 1977, about 40 to 41 million strong, currently in management of our companies and in the depths of building their careers and families,

Generation Y, or Millenials (a very entrepreneurial generation) born between 1978 and 2000, about 70 million of these guys (depending on who you talk to or what you read), still in school, or graduating from college and beginning their careers (or their own companies),

This is not a study on demographics (though you would be crazy NOT to study demographics as you build your business), so let’s just focus on the guys sandwiched between the Baby Boomers and Gen Y – The Generation X.  The Baby Boomers and Gen Y almost equal each other in size, while the Gen X army is half what the Baby Boomers are, and struggling whom to identify with.  At half the size, who will they be loyal to?  Their bosses or their future customers?  As I run into folks my age (I’m 38 born in 1971), I use to assume they loved technology, love to challenge the common place in their organizations, and consumed information in tiny little bites at a rapid pace.  But I’m learning that is not so.

Some of my friends my age aren’t using technology, they still order their FranklinCovey day planners (bigger than your Grandmother’s Family Bible sitting on her coffee table), and they do their accounting on paper or in Excel.  Then there are some in my generation that are miles ahead of me in building relationships through social media and always innovating in their companies to create new products that have never existed before.  Obviously, I tend to identify with the latter.

My thoughts:

1.  Since newer generations coming up are going to require us to be innovative and on the cutting edge of technology, we need to identify with them because they will become our new customers,

2.  Stop the confusion.  If in fact your business will be serving older generations that retire (maybe the medical industry), then you need to know whom you serve and serve them wholeheartedly.  No more confusion – identify with the generations that will drive your business model into the future,

3.  Study demographics, and the changing face of generations in our country.  Study what they need, what they want and how they expect you to serve them.  They will be your customers.  And if you are just entering the workplace, then you will potentially see new generations that we know nothing of yet.  Study who behaves in what ways and try to figure out why.  It will make you a better business woman.

So this is a call to my brethren in the Gen X category – know who you are!  Don’t fall into one camp or the other because that is the way you were taught, or your last boss had leanings toward one management style or another.  Study who you want to serve and why you want to serve them, and drive in that direction with vision and precision.  What do you think?  Am I way off?  Leave it in the comments.

Thanks, Jason M. Blumer

Jason M. Blumer, CPA, is the Managing Shareholder of Blumer & Associates, CPAs in South Carolina, and the writer of the THRIVEal blog.  He and his firm are notoriously addicted to preaching, installing and improving the processes in their firm, their client’s businesses and their industry as a whole.  Their interests lie in helping their clients THINK, RESPOND, GROW and  THRIVE.  With a niche focus on the newer generations in the professional services industries, Jason and his team often wear flip flops and jeans to work and refer to their client base as “dudes”.

However, you don’t need to be confused; you just need to do a little analysis of your requirements and your budget, afterwards, search for both the categories accordingly to get the best possible solution for your confusion. Yes, there’s a lot to choose from and you have to be sensible. To start off with:

Gather your Specifications and set a Budget: First of all, you as a business owner have to gather your Specifications. What exactly do you want? You need to figure out, what are the elements that you require besides the logo. You might need designs for your business cards and letterhead as well. Moreover, there is a possibility that your business needs an online presence and for that website design is what you should have. If that’s the case, where you require a complete package of design services, you need to make an appropriate budget. Once you are done with that, start searching for freelancers and logo design companies for your project.

Start Searching: The next step is to start your search for the freelance designers and the logo design companies, both online and offline. Make a list for both the categories keeping your requirements in mind. Of course your search should have the criteria of the price according to the budget set. You would ultimately shortlist two or three of them to choose from. I won’t rule in favor of any one of them since there are top class freelancers serving the market and there are specialized logo design companies with very affordable yet professional design services.

However, there are some known advantages and disadvantages associated with freelance designers and logo design companies, which I want you to go through before finalizing any of them for your logo design.

FREELANCE DESIGNER

There is a mushroom growth of freelance designers these days. However, it is said that hiring a freelance designer is a risk as most of them are mere starters and don’t know much about graphic designing as such. Well, it all depends upon the budget as well; if you have a big budget set for this project, you can go for a freelance designer, who is renowned and is the best in this field. An expert designer’s guidance would be of enormous support in delineating your logo and there is no comparison to it.

Advantages:

The following are the advantages of a freelancer:

• Renowned freelancers are reliable to work with
• They focus on few projects unlike big design agencies
• They can be cost-effective and they can be
• Minimum turnaround time
• Can be an expert in logo designing

Disadvantages:

• They may disappear for some time, they are less accountable
• Sometimes low price indicates low quality work
• You can’t have face to face meetings with your freelance designer
• One designer means less concepts or similar concepts
• Your freelancer can be a teenage amateur
• Credibility is one issue
• Can use a design template
• Don’t offer money back guarantee

ONLINE LOGO DESIGN COMPANY

Type ‘logo design’ in any of the search engines and you will get a list of design companies offering various features at different prices. Set your priorities straight. Go for the best option. Check their design galleries and then take any decision.

Advantages:

Online logo design companies are getting very popular each passing day and a lot many businesses are contacting them to get their logo designed.

• Cost-effective
• Expertise in logo designing
• Professional and accountable
• Renowned logo design companies are reliable to work with
• Handle large number of customers
• Have a battalion of professional logo designers
• More designers signify more logo concepts
• More designers indicate broader skill set
• They are secure to work with. They won’t disappear anywhere
• Fixed turnaround time
• 24/7 customer support
• Most of them offer money back guarantee

Disadvantages:

• No face to face meetings with the designers
• Not suitable for entire branding projects

Are you still confused of how you would go about it? Or do you think I have missed out on a very essential point? Don’t hesitate to put forward your feedback in the comments section. It’s always a pleasure knowing what you think. Take care!

This is guest post from Ben Johnson of Logoinn, custom logo design service provider based in UK.
http://www.logoinn.com

What PR can do

Give you more for less: PR is a cheaper way of promoting the business in comparison to advertising or huge marketing campaigns.

Shield you from problems: PR can help you with gaining positive publicity, as well as with countering the negative one. This attribute is priceless in today’s world, where reputation is all you have got.

Connect you and with your audience: PR is not only about getting your company into the media. Everyone who pulls off a publicity stunt can do that. PR is about creating and fostering relationships with the stakeholders. This can be the local community, your investors, or your business partners.

What PR can’t do
On the other hand, Public Relations cannot fix everything. If you have a bad product, be prepared to face the angry customers. Promotion can make your good product well-known and used, but it cannot make a bad product good. Be aware of that.

Jan

Jan Felt is a graduate of University of New York in Prague and an aspiring blogger. He is interested in anything to do with marketing communication, writing, social media and PR. Feel free to reach him at honza(at)cyberfootprin(dot).eu.

What is an online persona?

Online persona is what I call your identity online.  It’s the personality that comes out online through your blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.  It is your Dr. Jekyll on the Internet and social media sites.  If you invest the time in your profiles and social media accounts your interests, passions, and thoughts will create that persona.

How does that benefit you?

Whether you are seeking employment, a new contract, or building your business your online persona will lead the way.  Most people prefer to deal with experts, passionate people, and interesting people.  If people find you interesting there is a better chance that they will refer you or possibly hire you.  Your online persona is the online “You”.  It should show your strengths and your personality so that others can see them.

How do I build it?

Spend the time!  In order to craft your online persona it will take time.  You need to get accounts on LinkedIn/Twitter/Facebook/etc.  Make sure that you also have a blog.  Then you have to take the time to fill out your profile and create content on your blog.  The profiles and the blog content are the foundation.

You now need to get involved.  Spend some time tweeting, answering LinkedIn questions, posting content on Facebook, and adding content to your blog.  You absolutely need to be yourself.  Post links that interest you, tweet the thoughts that you are having, and discuss the things that you know or are learning about on your blog.  As you share all of this your online personality will explode.  People will see you and you will start building online networks of friends and colleagues.

Get Social!!

Be daring…be creative!

Jeremy

Jeremy Lattimore is a creative problem solving guru in the business technology field.  He has been involved in startups and has his MBA.  Currently, he’s obsessed with business automation/efficiency and social networks.  His current start up venture is Borea Systems and he’s diligently building his Refocusing Technology blog.

Online Networking

With all the social networking tools online today you can network with people anywhere around the globe.  You can have virtual resources on every continent and clients across the oceans.  This is an extremely important part of the new globalized world.  Connect with people and get to understand what they are doing.  But more importantly how you can help them.

Get Personal

Building the biggest network on LinkedIn or having 25,000 followers on Twitter will not make your business successful.  What will?  Make your network personal.  Get to know the people in your network and have a single focus: “How can I help you?”.  Networking is the ultimate game of pay it forward.  When you are willing to give, that is when your network will grow and become strong.  The old cliche is true:

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Get Together

Online networking is great but let’s be honest, it is more personal when you have a chance to meet.  So, when you have a chance to meet people in your online networks, take the opportunity.  If you are going to be in a different town, take a few hours out of your trip and meet the people in your networks.  Buy them coffee and get to know them.  Find out what their current needs are and what their perfect client looks like.  Learn about their long term goals and their favorite steakhouse.

Get Local

I highly recommend also getting involved in local face to face networking groups.  When you do, don’t just go to the meetings. Take the time to get together with people outside of just the group meetings.  Take the opportunity to go to lunch and discuss what they have going on.  Set a goal of one new network contact a week or 6 a month.  Once the people get to know you and what you do they may become a pro-bono sales force.

Get Done

Of all the things that an entrepreneur must do, I truly believe that networking is one of the most important.  You will learn from each other, gain market insights, build partnerships, fill your sales funnel, and make good friends.  With your powerful network in place, you will find that your business goals don’t seem as far-fetched.

Be daring…be creative!

Jeremy

Jeremy Lattimore is a creative problem solving guru in the business technology field.  He has been involved in startups and has his MBA.  Currently, he’s obsessed with business automation/efficiency and social networks.  His current start up venture is Borea Systems and he’s diligently building his Refocusing Technology blog.

When did you start ideablob.com, and why?
For the past few years I’ve attended the Kinnernet Conference in Northern Israel. It’s where about 200 internet geeks (like me) come together, live in hostels and talk about the future of the internet. One night in 2007, I had the opportunity to watch a computer animation created by a young Israeli artist. It was beautiful. I thought to myself, this young artist could take off with a little bit of capital and a network of supporters. That was the beginning of ideablob. About six months later we launched ideablob at DEMO in the Fall of 2007. We thought we had something pretty interesting and were ecstatic when it won DEMO’s People’s Choice Award. Fifteen months later there are over 125,000 entrepreneurs sharing and supporting ideas on ideablob. Of course, we also provide a $10,000 grant to help one idea get off the ground each month.

What’s the main goal of ideablob.com?
We have one goal at ideablob – to help entrepreneurs realize their aspirations and we work really hard around the clock to achieve it.

What is your vision for ideablob.com?
A lot of websites strive to the best at this or that. Our job is not to create the #1 website for entrepreneurs. We wouldn’t run away from that title, but we measure success in how many people are able to grow their ideas through the ideablob experience. It’s happening every minute on ideablob right now and we want it to continue to happen more and more each day.

Is there some commonality between the monthly winners of your “best small business idea”? If so what?
Absolutely. They are all smart, web-savvy, passionate about their ideas and work their butts off as entrepreneurs. You have to have passion and an ability to work hard or you won’t make it as an entrepreneur. We think the ideablob contest is a pretty good testing ground not only of an idea, but of a person’s entrepreneurial abilities.

How do you feel about NDA’s?
NDA’s might work and be appropriate for some entrepreneurs.  I’ve personally never signed one in years to protect and entrepreneur pitchign an idea, and I don’t know anybody who has.  Many entrepreneurs choose to pitch their ideas on ideablob, in exchange for the feedback, advise, and networking.  I believe that the trade off is well worth it, but ultiamtely it’s their choice.

What are your plans for bloblive.com?
We’ve held eight bloblives throughout the country in the last three months and we’re planning at least a couple dozen more in the next three.  Initially, we are excited to focus in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. The bloblives average about 75 people and are filled with entrepreneurial energy. We also livestream each event over the internet for people to watch and participate live via twitter. Entrepreneurs are making connections, working together and improving their ideas. Again, it was just an idea, but it’s been an awesome resource for entrepreneurs and we’re looking forward to seeing where it goes.

What was your biggest mistake, and how can it be avoided?
Every time I think and act in more then a baby step, I regret it later.  If I keep the scrappy entrepreneur in me for all the steps that we take, 9 out of 10 times it works.

If you could go back in a time to when you were just starting ideablob.com, what business related advice would you give yourself?
Keep it simple.  Dont strive for perfection out the door.  And constantly be open to change and evolution.

How do you see the global credit crunch affecting your business?
Some of the world’s strongest companies today were built during history’s most difficult economic times.  You have to keep your head up and stick to your convictions.

What are your plans for the future?
We wake up every morning, and go to sleep dreaming about how to help entrepreneurs.  If we stick to our passion, I am confident that we will do well.

I want to extend a special thank you to Ami for taking the time out of his busy schedule to do this interview! Thank Ami. Make sure to check out ideablob.com for more info!

Note: I did not receive any form/type of compensation for writing this blog post.

This is for the average twitter user to advanced twitter user.  If you have something like 50,000 followers … why the hell are you reading this post, you don’t do these things … right?

1. Don’t use auto Direct Message/@replies ‘tools’ – If you don’t have time to respond to your messages then don’t pretend like you do.  If we DM you and you have something like 20,000 followers we know we are more than likely not going to get a response back.  So why in the hell are you with your 150 followers too busy to talk to people and network?  We can see through the BULL!
2. Try to respond to at least 50% of your DM’s and @replies.  I know it gets hard but come on you are here to network and build relationships.  You gotten respond and talk at some time.
3. I personally don’t like the twitter ‘backs’.  Your trying to hard.  Give it up. If your going to do it.  Do something cool.  Don’t be lame and put your email address, phone number, physical address, extended bio, personal website, twitter link (DUH!), facebook link, linkedin link, friendfeed link, myspace link and whatever else.  You know the people I am talking about.  Those people. Check out http://twitter.com/starbucks classy and sensible.
4. Have some organic conversations with people.  Don’t just make a twitter account full of: “New post: blah blah” every freakin update.  That is LAME SAUCE!
5. NEVER bad mouth President Obama … holy crap. You will bring a shit storm upon your soul.  You loose people faster then if you were praising Bush! Check it out here.

That’s my list.  Agree? disagree? Think #3 is personally offensive? Good.  Go change your damn background.

Honestly check out http://twitterholic.com/ and look at the top 100 profiles and check out what they do.  Do what they do. Echo them.

Here is my charge. Retweet if you agree:

Auto DM’s and auto @replys suck. Talk to people. RT if you agree. If you don’t agree read this: http://is.gd/hkPA (via @startupstudent)

Follow the revolution here.

blogcatalog.com/directory/entrepreneurship

blogarama.com

Blog Flux Local – Minnesota

Blog search directory

globeofblogs.com

blogexplosion.com

I am curious to see what people’s thoughts are in regards to generating money with their twitter accounts.

Let me know what you think!

http://www.polldaddy.com/p/1248810/

In that sense, social bookmarking functions as a social networking tool much like Facebook and MySpace. But from a business point of view, it has a new and possibly more important function: social search.

A people-driven engine

Search engine optimization allows pretty much anyone to make the front page of Google. That’s why the sites that turn up aren’t always the ones you need—they’re just the ones with the best SEO. Social search, on the other hand, doesn’t rely on algorithms. Users bookmark pages because they are relevant and useful, not because they have the right keywords. Because real people keep tabs on the content, only sites with relevant content make it to the top.

What it means for your business

Social bookmarking can benefit online businesses in three ways:

1. Increased exposure. The recommendation system makes it easy to reach more people. If you make it to someone’s list, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll make it to others as well.
2. Audience targeting. By relying on people’s judgments, you can position your site more effectively. The people who find your site don’t just find it by accident—they’re really interested in your business.
3. Understanding your market. Social bookmarking gives you a peek into your market’s online habits—what sites they like, what they’re searching for, how much time they spend online. It’s like low-cost market research that’s twice as effective!

What do you think of Social Bookmarking?  How has it helped or hurt your business? Please leave a comment with your responses.