Blackberry: Friend or Foe
I have all the symptoms of an addict: * I think about it when its not there * I'm constantly looking at it when its around * I get nervous if it hasn't been in...
Planning to Write Your Business Plan
My new company's business plan went from beta to final release today. I'm very proud of the final product, and am excited to circle back to to prospective investors. In my opinion, Jeff and Rich...
How to Gather Competitive Research
Knowing that a market exists for your product or service is an important first step when launching a new venture, and who better to tell you about the market than your future competitors? You can...
Getting Engaged to Entrepreneurship
Well, it happened again. I had the best intentions to go into management consulting following my recent departure from Charisma Arts, but it seems like I'll be starting another business. Just can't escape it! I...
Is the customer always right?
This evening we received an email from an irate customer who had no reason to be. He was challenged when accessing one of our digital products, and closed the email off with "How much is...
Don’t forget the small stuff
Whoa, remember me? Its been a long time since I blogged. No excuse for the unexplained absence... other than graduation from college (after nine years of in and out!), consulting on a friend's new business,...
How do you convince a friend to start a business?
I have a fozzy of a bear of a quandary on my hands. You see, my sister is a truly talented artist. Every year on my birthday, the one gift I look forward to more...
What does it take to be the leader of a startup?
Good heavens, its been awhile since I blogged. Midterms were two weeks ago, along with a push to launch some new backend stuff at my businesses, then I took a much-needed spring break. In any...
Your evolving business plan
I was going through old files recently, and came across some archived business plans from several past companies. Man, how things change… Business Plans are necessary inasmuch as they put your company's strategy on paper....
Is it time for a site redesign?
The venture industry is abuzz about Web 2.0 - a rejiggering of web technologies that promises more interactivity and a better end-user experience. If you have a website that promotes your business, now might be...
Cheap, smart startup labor!
No, I'm not talking about highly trained monkeys; I'm talking about college students. Do you work with college students? If you don't yet, you should consider it. They can be a free (or incredibly cheap)...
A quick way to improve your professional image
Ppl r calling it the myspace generration and u may evn be a part of it. If u r, u should read this mssg. If you are not, you may also find something of use...
Windows or Mac?
The Consumer Electronics Show is currently underway in Las Vegas, and Mr. Gates keynoted with much ballyhoo about Vista, the new version of Windows that is set to replace XP later this year. This got...
Searching for a Success Principle
Why do we entrepreneurs educate ourselves? Sparing you a diatribe on knowledge theory, I'll cut to the chase: For those who succeed, education is a supplement to, but not a replacement for, drive and self-belief....
How to be a market leader
Question: What do Microsoft, Martha Stewart, and "Double Your Dating" all have in common that make them market leaders? Answer: They own a platform When Microsoft was starting out, their mission statement went something like:...
Who’d have thunk he’d write back?
Who knows what was going through Joey Hawilo's mind when he sent an email to Mark Cuban? Joey is on the board of the Entrepreneur's club here at U of M. They're planning a conference...
Extra Credit
Like my cell phone and briefcase, credit cards are such an integral part of my life that I forget what life was like before I had one. In speaking with some of my younger friends...
Why Finish College?
When I dropped out of college the first time, everyone asked if I would be going back. "Definitely not," I remember telling a friend of my then-girlfriend. It was the heady dot-com days and college...
Midterms
My Intro to Buddhism midterm was a few weeks ago, and this week I have my American Business History midterm. No, I'm not buried in Fluid Mechanics equations, but I'm no less stressed juggling the...
Idealistic Naivete
Every now and then, I speak to an aspiring entrepreneur who is amazed by the daring feats of business-building we all read about here on StartupNation, in magazines such as Inc., and anywhere else a...