Entrepreneurs and innovation

Innovation is what makes entrepreneurs different from everyone else.  Entrepreneurs are innovators.  They think outside the box.  Sometimes there is no box.

Google.com has been known for having made some massive innovations to the search engine world.  Everyone knows who Google is and what they do.  If you don’t you might have been living in a whole for the past 4 years .   Wolfram|Alpha is changing the game.  Stephen Wolfram calls it a omputational knowledge engine.  What the heck does that even mean.  Basically, it means that you can ask it a question and it will calculate it for you.  That doesn’t mean that it will do what Google does and search for the answer.  It physically calculates the answer for you utilzing some amazing technology.  Check out some of these blog posts for more technical details. 1 2 3

Techcrunch explained the difference between Google and Woflram|Alpha in a recent blog post:

Wolfram Alpha is like plugging into a vast electronic brain. It provides extremely impressive and thorough answers to a wide range of questions asked in many different ways, and it computes answers, it doesn’t merely look them up in a big database.

In this respect it is vastly smarter than (and different from) Google. Google simply retrieves documents based on keyword searches. Google doesn’t understand the question or the answer, and doesn’t compute answers based on models of various fields of human knowledge.

Stephen Wolfram is an entrepreneur.  He is an innovator.  This new type of engine will more than likely revolutionize the web.  Wolfram|Alpha could have the power to help many entrepreneurs as well.  Just think of all the questions you could ask it!  You could use it to find out demographics, sales for a competitive company, or find hard answers for your business plan.

Innovation is great! What do you think of the Woflram|Alpha engine?

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Are you Confused between a Freelancer and a Logo design company?

A few days back, I met a friend, who came up to me to have my suggestion on whether he should hire a freelance logo designer or a logo design company for his start up business. Similarly, most of the people who want a logo for their business come across this very same situation – A situation of immense confusion!

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

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Built to Last – Chapter 11

We are going to start a series of posts on the book Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras. As of the writing of this post its only $13.23 for new and $11.60 for used.  Both prices are from Amazon.com.  It is definitely worth the money as you will soon see through our chapter by chapter walk through the book.  So join the conversation and get the book! You can check out the previous posts here.

Building the Vision – Chapter 11

Chapter 11 is basically a review of some very key points from the book.  Like chapter 10 except without the whole hammer it come kind of feel.  Chapter 11 elaborates on how to use their vision framework.  The first part of the vision framework is the building of the core ideology.  It was interested that the authors pointed out the importance that the core ideology is not something which is not created or set.  The company must discover the their own core ideology. Within the core ideology there are a couple of subsections. The core values are the essential and enduring tenets of any organization they need to be included into the core ideology.  They are the building block on which the company runs.  The core purpose of the company is another part of the first section of the framework which provides the company a reason for being.  The second section of the framework is titled Envisioned future.  This is cut down into two subsection: a 10 – 20  year “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” and then a detailed description of what it will look like if that goal is accomplished.  With these two subsections the second part of the framework can be put into practice.

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Built to Last – Chapter 10

We are going to start a series of posts on the book Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras. As of the writing of this post its only $13.23 for new and $11.60 for used.  Both prices are from Amazon.com.  It is definitely worth the money as you will soon see through our chapter by chapter walk through the book.  So join the conversation and get the book! You can check out the previous posts here.

The End of the Beginning – Chapter 10

Vision is a word that everyone throws around.  I feel like this book has done a great job of defining that yes vision is important but that is not the end in itself.  It must only be the beginning.  Chapter 10 focuses on how to implement the vision which is so crucial to the visionary companies.  Just having a vision statement, mission statement or guiding documents is not enough.  You must practice what you are preaching.  If you state in your vision statement that you want to be eco-friendly then you sure better implement something that will show that you are working toward that goal.  It’s the difference between the visionary companies and the comparison companies.  “The essence of a visionary company comes in the translation of its core ideology and its own unique drive for progress into the very fabric of the organization.” (Built to Last page 201)  The core ideology needs to be building into everything.  The company structure, goals, tactics, policies, processes, cultural practices, pay systems.  It must be incorporated into every stitch if you want the company to become a visionary company.

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Built to Last – Chapter 9

We are going to start a series of posts on the book Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras. As of the writing of this post its only $13.23 for new and $11.60 for used.  Both prices are from Amazon.com.  It is definitely worth the money as you will soon see through our chapter by chapter walk through the book.  So join the conversation and get the book! You can check out the previous posts here.

Good enough never is – Chapter 9

Through out the entirety of this book “stimulating progress” has been a key thing which has been echoed in the placement of the symbol at the beginning of every chapter to remind the reader about the two basics: preserving the core and stimulating progress.  Chapter 9 was titled Good enough never is.  The title immediately grabbed my attention and I got excited because I completely agree with the title.  Good never is enough.   We must be striving for better.  The way in which each company strived to be better was absolutely ingenious.  I worked at Wal-Mart for 2 months in the summer and I have had first hand experience with the “Beat Yesterday” ledger book.  It was a very effective tool in stimulating us to beat what we did yesterday, last week or even other stores.  It helped focus the team on an achievable goal for the day.  It gave them inspiration and drive for the day.  It was very effective in stimulating growth, new ideas and innovations.

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Built to Last – Chapter 8

We are going to start a series of posts on the book Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras. As of the writing of this post its only $13.23 for new and $11.60 for used.  Both prices are from Amazon.com.  It is definitely worth the money as you will soon see through our chapter by chapter walk through the book.  So join the conversation and get the book! You can check out the previous posts here.

Home-Grown Management – Chapter 7

Built to Last has been a great book go through.  It provides great perspective for CEOs, managers and entrepreneurs alike.  At the end of every chapter the how to apply this chapter to your situation has been extremely helpful indeed. In chapter 8 the book continues to focus on the importance of preserving the core and stimulating progress.   The idea in this particular charter is in regards to management.  Specifically the authors suggest that to preserver the core and to stimulate progress the best way to go about doing this is through “Home-grown Management”.  The visionary companies which we have been following have some type of management development program which encourages hiring from within before going to external sources.  The chapter focused on CEO’s in particular.  The main point was not that the specific person (CEO) made a difference in the company but the company training up the CEOs themselves made the difference.  It wasn’t the fact that the person was an amazing manager but rather that they became an amazing manager through the steeping of them in the management programs of each visionary company.  This was the difference between the visionary companies and the comparison companies.

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The Outsourcing Debate

Over the past couple of months, I have run across a debate brewing and it seems that a recent post by CopyBlogger has really caused there to be a little bit of a social media battle over the last week.

That argument is should a business really outsource and can you build a business on outsourcing. There are many who believe that you can. That is part of the 4-Hour Work Week.  Along that line many believe that you can build a venture that outsources the majority of work and build a money making machine.

But, then CopyBlogger last week posted an e-Book called “The Outsourcing Conspiracy Report” which basically seems to debunk the idea that a business can be built using heavy outsourcing and that it is a pie-in-the-sky idea that is the current trend for “get rich quick”.

So this week I have read many articles that seem to be discussing this exact issue and falling on different views.  Here are a couple:

Can you really outsource your life? [Freepursuits.com]

Should your startup outsource? [Blogtrepreneur.com]

If you remember, I even voiced a base opinion on it a few weeks ago called “What do you want??” where I said you have to understand your requirements.

SO…

With all the buzz around this topic, I am interested in finding out what you think.  Here’s your opportunity to chime in on the debate!!

1.  Should start-ups outsource?  Why or Why not?

2. Can you build a lasting, successful business that heavily outsources?  Why or why not?

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Posted in Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneur | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

What do you love?

Everyday you read articles about people who have created the business of their dreams.  You also read about people who are creating new niches that no one ever thought of.  What I really find interesting is that at least 9 times out of 10 the people have found an idea that they are absolutely consumed by.  Very seldom in these articles do you read someone say “I started this business to make 10 million dollars”.  Usually they say “I ventured into this business because I thought that I could do a better job on _____ than the others are” or “One day I went looking for a ____ and couldn’t find it”.  Most very successful businesses were started by someone who is truly interested and passionate about their chosen topic.

Now, on the opposing side, how many times do you see small business people who got into their business because it was the “best” opportunity that cropped up while they were looking?  They really don’t care about selling that multivitamin supplement but it was the opportunity that came along.  As soon as they can find something to replace it, they will.

The difference?  The love!  In my opinion this is one of the hardest pieces to find.  There are so many ideas out there that can more than likely make you money to pay the bills.  One problem… they don’t inspire you.  Once you are inspired by a product/service/business, you are on fire.  You believe that everyone NEEDS it.  It’s not a sales pitch to you, it’s a from the heart belief.  People don’t usually buy products they buy passion.

My question to you is What do you love?  Where does your passion lie?  Now, how do you turn that into your business?

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.

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Built to Last – Chapter 7

We are going to start a series of posts on the book Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras. As of the writing of this post its only $13.23 for new and $11.60 for used.  Both prices are from Amazon.com.  It is definitely worth the money as you will soon see through our chapter by chapter walk through the book.  So join the conversation and get the book! You can check out the previous posts here.

Try a Lot of Stuff and Keep What Works – Chapter 7

American Express was a great story in Chapter 7.  They started out as a company that dealt with shipping of parcels.  There was a decline in the demand and they needed to change.  In response to the declining the demand they created their Express Money Order. Later in 1982 there then President travelled to Europe and had problems getting the finances that he needed. This caused him to expand American Express to Europe and become basically a new type currency.  This speaks a great deal to our current society and times.  Demands for certain products might not be there as much any more and so trying a ton of different things and seeing what works is right on track with our current situation as a country. The authors idea of the evolutionary process was an interesting one at that.  I would agree.  The businesses we need to some trial and error.  See what works and what doesn’t work but ultimately keep moving forward.

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Built to Last – Chapter 6

We are going to start a series of posts on the book Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras. As of the writing of this post its only $13.23 for new and $11.60 for used.  Both prices are from Amazon.com.  It is definitely worth the money as you will soon see through our chapter by chapter walk through the book.  So join the conversation and get the book! You can check out the previous posts here.

Cult-Like Cultures – Chatper 6

A couple of newer couples which remind me of having cult-like cultures are Apple Inc and Google Inc.  They both have a strong cult culture.  Either the people who are hired will join the cult after a long indoctrination period or they will be swiftly ejected.  I worked for Wal-Mart which has an amazing cult like culture.  They have a song which they sing every day.  If that’s not cult like I don’t know what is.  They also have a Wal-Mart University like that of Walt Disney.  You are paid to go through this University and the management takes it extremely seriously.  All of the companies which were looked at in this chapter all had an infusion of the Core ideology apart of their introduction or indoctrination into the companies. People that didn’t fit in were ejected like a virus.

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