Management by Objective

Posted on June 28, 2009
Filed Under Drucker wisdom, Peter Drucker, management by objective | Leave a Comment

Jay Maharjan

The other day, Bill Maher made a comment that earned him critics among his own fans. He commented on his show that it was time for President Obama to act little bit like George W Bush. It is very clear what he meant. Maher was referring to the way President Bush was adamant in achieving his goals. Maher was referring to Bush’s core strategy ‘management by objective’. Carl Rove, the architect behind W’s two successful elections, once told the Atlantic Monthly, “I had read Peter Drucker, but I’d never seen Drucker until I saw Bush in action”. One might argue that it didn’t help or Bush chose the wrong objectives. I will leave that to political pundits with deeper understanding and experience to argue over the rationale.

President Obama is also known to have used Drucker principles preceding to his historic win. Rick Wartzman articulated the Obama campaign strategy in his BusinessWeek piece “Obama’s Drucker-Style win”.

Regardless of one’s political affiliation, ‘Management By Objective’ is relevant today just as much as it was back in 1954 when Drucker introduced the concept in his book “The Practice of Management”. ‘Management By objective’ has evolved to become a very powerful strategic tool in politics. All successful politicians have one thing in common. They understand their voters in the same way as a successful business understands its customers. They create value from the perspective of the voter and create ideal messages that address all groups. Unlike focusing and relying on traditionally segmented loyal base, this inclusive strategy with a clear message to all people open up enormous pool of untapped voters and win elections.

Embracing the power of abundance in the conceptual economy

Posted on June 21, 2009
Filed Under Conceptual economy, conceptual age, the power of abundance | 3 Comments

Jay Maharjan

The business landscape and the economy as we know it is changing and it is changing fast. What you have is an endless collaborative opportunities, with an abundance of knowledge and free means at your disposal. How can an entrepreneur take advantage of this historic time of abundance?

Regardless of the changing settings in the economy, as I often write, you can not undermine the importance of embracing fundamental principles - taking time to separate ‘means’ from understanding and offering a ‘true value’, i.e. understanding what your customer wants versus what you think is a great product- the fancy tools you choose are not going to help you if what you have to offer is not something that your customer is looking to buy. This might sound like a Business 101 but I see plans all day long with a clear emphasis on so called “state-of-the-art” technologies and ‘proven’ processes that entrepreneurs would blatantly fail to emphasize the value behind what they are selling.

Having said that, the power of abundance in the conceptual economy does create unique opportunities for entrepreneurs. Free tools allow entrepreneurs to experiment, try premature concepts with a minimal capital, risk and introduce products and services fast to the market. This begs the question of how one should leverage the power of abundance to use it either as a business tool or as a part of a larger business strategy.

As an entrepreneur simply wanting to tap into the the power of abundance, you can choose free tools out there wisely - making sure to leverage on the tools that compliment your product. If you are offering a product that sells well over the internet, you must have a website with selling capabilities and more importantly get seen on search engines. However, if you are selling a consulting service with no tangible offerings, in most cases where you are selling you, having a static website will not deliver the credibility nor the confidence that you will need to convey to close the sale. However, in almost all cases, leveraging on the abundance if done right would help you with your business.

Now, the more strategic question would be on how you could use the model of abundance versus scarcity for the benefit of your business model. Lessons can be learned from the models of companies like ‘Youtube’ and ‘Hulu’. Both companies are clear about their definition of scarcity and abundance. Youtube, in one hand, a Goliath with deep pockets is practicing the principle of abundance, encouraging innovation by allowing individuals as well as institutional users to leverage on their free video hosting platform for free. In the other hand, Hulu is offering videos for free to the users but introducing some form of scarcity by bringing advertsing model from the TV industrial revolution and by injecting ads within the high quality videos. Chris Anderson points out the case of Hulu and Youtube in his latest article this week that new model of free might be a hybrid one that also includes a scarcity element to create a business model that generates revenue. This might be a true statement to a certain extent. However, this statement does pose a threat in a larger scale - discouraging innovation and collaboration at the core. Even though Hulu might be generating revenue in a short run, the implied strategic assessment between Youtube and Hulu can not be compared in the same context.

In the conceptual economy, there is a place for companies like Hulu. However, if the ‘Hulu’ model stays the same as it is now, relying only on the ‘tv industrial’ advertising revenue model, it will be very hard for them to sustain a clear competitive advantage. Buying the Super Bowl ad for over 2 million dollars definitely gives you the momentum but the world is changing. Conceptual economy demands innovation at the fundamental level. Advertisement based web business models will be very hard to sustain becasue of a simple reason - there will be more distribution channels like ‘Hulu’ sharing the advertising dollar.

From a bigger picture, the success or the failure of ‘Hulu’ is less relevant to the point that I am trying to make that the conceptual economy will demand and help entrepreneurs with innovative, sustainable ideas to bring them to the market, and this will be done through collaboration, open paltforms and value-added models.

Lets not ever forget that when creating a business in the conceptual economy, the fundamental principles still rule the day. Make sure that the dog wants to eat the dog food (- Eugene Kleiner). Do the right thing before doing the things right (- Peter Drucker) - and always keep in mind that a true business strategy and what is simply a mean to execute your strategy is not the same.

Clay Shirky on the transformation of media landscape

Posted on June 18, 2009
Filed Under Clay Shirky, TED, Transformation of media | Leave a Comment

While news from Iran streams to the world, Clay Shirky shows how Facebook, Twitter and TXTs help citizens in repressive regimes to report on real news, bypassing censors (however briefly). The end of top-down control of news is changing the nature of politics. ( excerpt from Ted.com )

Ten Critical Steps to writing a Business Plan

Posted on June 17, 2009
Filed Under Business strategy, business plan | 9 Comments

By Jay Maharjan

Starting a business is a major commitment that will consume 24/7 of your life with no end in sight. It is always good to know what you are getting into before you take the plunge. From my experience writing business plans for large and small companies alike for the last 8 years, there are basically two reasons why you need a business plan - the first reason is to re-assure yourself that this wild dream that you have in your mind is actually attainable. And, the second reason is to convince a lender or a venture capitalist. More than likely, you are writing for the second reason. Whatever your reason may be, as the legendary management guru Peter Drucker would bluntly put - always ask yourself what your business is, who your customers are, and what the customer considers value.

In my opinion, here is a list of pointers that will save you headaches later.

Be clear about what you are selling

Spend as much time as you need to define and clarify what you are selling. From the gettgo, come up with a 15 second elevator pitch. This will come handy later on. If you need professional help to come up with a pitch, companies like - 15secondpitch can help. This is a great resource to help you discover who you are, what your company does, and what others perceive of you and your verbal and written messages.

Create a proper legal structure for your business

Right legal structure will save you headaches later. There are many legal factors that come in play while choosing the right structure for your business - always consult with a good business attorney. For an instance, choosing a Corporation in many cases will cost you more on taxes with its double taxation clauses, but will provide you with the most immunity from personal liabilities. There are websites like FindLaw that provide both free and premium services for small businesses.

Come up with Mission, Vision, and Objective statements for your venture

Mission, Vision, and Objectives - They may all look the same at first glance, but they reflect different rationale.

The mission statement represents the underlying operating philosophy and the values of the company - ‘The mission at Company ABC is to provide a reliable, yet affordable XYZ technology for residential customers.’

The Vision statement represents a long term plan - that provides a direction to make significant impact - ‘Our vision at company ABC is to become a global niche leader in XYZ technology by the year 2009.’

The Objective represents definitive goals for different purposes within the company. Peter Drucker first popularized the term “management by objective” in his 1954 book ‘The Practice of Management’. Objectives can be set in all domains (services, sales, R&D, human resources, finance) - ‘The main objective of company ABC is to understand the target market, to implement the most optimized form of logistics, to include a series of efficient fulfillment processes and to provide an unmatched form of customer service.’

Be honest with your Strengths and Weaknesses

You can conduct a simple SWOT analysis on your venture. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Create four quadrants and fill up with honest lists of answers. This simple test allows you to assess your compatibility with the venture that you are getting into. This test will also indicate opportunities, threats and barriers to entry that exist in your vertical market.

Conduct a thorough research on your vertical market

Leverage on new Internet research tools to conduct comprehensive studies. At every stage of your research, be open to adopt new directions based on your findings. Make sure there is a real opportunity. Or, move on to a different venture.

Make sure your product or service addresses pain point (s)

This goes back to the point (a). Understand and address your customer needs.

Conduct a thorough research on your competitors.
Create a matrix and conduct a thorough competitive analysis. See what your competitors are offering. Make sure your product or service addresses pain point (s) better than your competitors. Its all right if your competitors got in the market before you did, but focus on doing things little bit differently that you address the customer needs, pain points better than them.

Be realistic with the revenue projections.

Don’t fall for cliches like - ‘According to Forrestor’s research, our market will be $ X billion by ___’, ‘We will drop our product in China and we will make billions.’ There is nothing wrong with wanting to become another Google or Microsoft, but make sure you have unique product or services. If you have a patent on your innovation, that helps. If you already have an angel investor on board, that gives you credibility. If you have a veteran management team in place, thats going to help you a lot! Always be ready to explain to lenders and Venture Capitalists how you are going to reach the big numbers - and never ever use cliched answers.

Surround yourself with people smarter than you. Do not be afraid to ask for help.

Always reach out to people smarter than you. Big ideas take right people to bring them to life. You want to do things smartly and not give your idea away, but at the same time you need to be open to sharing with right people. One rule of thumb is - it is better to team up with people with complimenting skill sets. If you are an engineer, you don’t need another engineer to support your point of view. You need a professional sales partner to sell your product, and a sharp finance guy to keep the numbers in order.

Seize the opportunity to scale up - quick.

Big deals don’t happen on their own. Big deals happen because of right people, right product, right momentum in the market among many possible variations. If you have everything in order and luck is in your favor, seize the opportunity to scale up - and do it quick! Otherwise, good entrepreneurs know when to pack up their bags and move on to another opportunity. I advise entrepreneurs to get out of business if the venture doesn’t take off within two years.

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about 4entrepreneur.net - 4entrepreneur.net is a website dedicated exclusively for the causes of entrepreneurship. If you are interested to contribute or an entrepreneur seeking advice, email to ideas4entrepreneur@gmail.com or call 877 4662360

4entrepreneur podcast: Kodak CMO on Social Media

Posted on June 16, 2009
Filed Under 4entrepreneur podcast, Jeffrey Hayzlett, Kodak CMO | 1 Comment

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KODAK CMO on social media

Jeff Hayzlett joined Kodak in April 2006 as Chief Marketing Officer.

BEFORE KODAK

Prior to joining Kodak, he served as president and chief executive officer of the Hayzlett Companies, Inc. His primary business was Hayzlett & Associates, Inc., a business development and public relations firm specializing in the graphic arts, technology, and communications industries. Previously, Hayzlett held senior management positions in strategic business development and marketing at several companies, including Cenveo, Webprint, and Colorbus, Inc.

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Teaching entrepreneurship to Youth

Posted on June 15, 2009
Filed Under Fostering youth entrepreneurship, Youth and entrepreneurship, youth entrepreneurship | 8 Comments

Jay Maharjan

In the time of the recession, I hear more people discussing the need for ‘sustainable’ innovation. As the legendary venture capitalist Eugene Kleiner would say - Even turkeys can fly in a high wind. In the times of strong economies, even bad companies can look good -. We need a new breed of entrepreneurs who understands the meaning of sustainable innovation and its impact in creating sustainable competitive advantage – creating companies and innovations that can weather through the tough economic times.

It is time for America to look at entrepreneurship from a whole new dimension. We need to address entrepreneurship at the grass roots and pre-college level. Gone are the days when getting a college degree would give you a pass to get a good job. Introducing a couple of college entrepreneurship courses won’t cut it anymore. What is innovation? Innovation requires dedicated entrepreneurs with right attitude, drive, and persistance to take risk. Xylus Sand has written an appropriate piece on innovation.

Innovation doesn’t come from the antiquated academic structure geared towards the industrial revolution of the 20th century. The world is changing. People and governments around the world are focusing on innovation…and the easy accessibility to innovative tools, combined with diminishing barrier to entry and the fast changing dynamics of social, political and economic condition is strongly influencing what once was the regional monopoly on innovation. But, the beauty is this is nothing new – the Union weathered through depression, several economic downturns and always came out strong. It can be done again, but we must follow different strategy – the strategy that will demand to bring about changes at the fundamental level.

We need to focus on youth entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurial acumen needs to come at an early age. Picasso once said - Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up -.. Creativity, entrepreneurial, innovative drive dies when we grow older. It is important to keep creativity, inquisitive mindset, the DRIVE alive. Reforming education can be a polarizing topic, but introducing entrepreneurship in classrooms across America soon should be a no-brainer. Inclusion of entrepreneurial themed courses could expedite the much needed reform across the board.

On my blog and on my twitter page, I receive several emails and DMs everyday from Kids, teens and college students who are passionate about entrepreneurship. Its inspiring to see kids working with their parents and starting websites to offer advice on managing money. High school kids are developing successful business models out of social media sites like MySpace and Facebook – the concept that boardrooms across America are scrambling to understand. College film students are bootstrapping and developing studio quality movies.

I will be featuring some of the mind blowing entrepreneurial ventures sent to our blog. Stay tuned!

Like always, as so many of you have already done, feel free to email ideas, comments, feedback on our effort. Ideas4entrepreneur@gmail.com, 877 466 2360

Here is a small list of websites relevant to youth entrepreneurship –

a. The Funded Founder Institute b. SBA Youth Entrepreneurship Center
c. DECA
d. National Academy Foundation
e. NFTE
f. Ashoka’s Youth Venture
g. YSN Network

Why Peter Drucker’s ideas still matter

Posted on June 14, 2009
Filed Under Peter Drucker | 3 Comments

The Man Who Invented Management: Why Peter Drucker’s ideas still matter

Excerpt from a BusinessWeek article (read the original article)

RENAISSANCE MAN
Well before his death, before the almost obligatory accolades poured in, Drucker had already become a legend, of course. He was the guru’s guru, a sage, kibitzer, doyen, and gadfly of business, all in one. He had moved fluidly among his various roles as journalist, professor, historian, economics commentator, and raconteur. Over his 95 prolific years, he had been a true Renaissance man, a teacher of religion, philosophy, political science, and Asian art, even a novelist. But his most important contribution, clearly, was in business. What John Maynard Keynes is to economics or W. Edwards Deming to quality, Drucker is to management.

After witnessing the oppression of the Nazi regime, he found great hope in the possibilities of the modern corporation to build communities and provide meaning for the people who worked in them. For the next 50 years he would train his intellect on helping companies live up to those lofty possibilities. He was always able to discern trends — sometimes 20 years or more before they were visible to anyone else. “It is frustratingly difficult to cite a significant modern management concept that was not first articulated, if not invented, by Drucker,” says James O’Toole, the management author and University of Southern California professor. “I say that with both awe and dismay.” In the course of his long career, Drucker consulted for the most celebrated CEOs of his era, from Alfred P. Sloan Jr. of General Motors Corp. (GM ) to Grove of Intel.

– It was Drucker who introduced the idea of decentralization — in the 1940s — which became a bedrock principle for virtually every large organization in the world.

– He was the first to assert — in the 1950s — that workers should be treated as assets, not as liabilities to be eliminated.

– He originated the view of the corporation as a human community — again, in the 1950s — built on trust and respect for the worker and not just a profit-making machine, a perspective that won Drucker an almost godlike reverence among the Japanese.

– He first made clear — still the ’50s — that there is “no business without a customer,” a simple notion that ushered in a new marketing mind-set.

– He argued in the 1960s — long before others — for the importance of substance over style, for institutionalized practices over charismatic, cult leaders.

– And it was Drucker again who wrote about the contribution of knowledge workers — in the 1970s — long before anyone knew or understood how knowledge would trump raw material as the essential capital of the New Economy.

Drucker made observation his life’s work, gleaning deceptively simple ideas that often elicited startling results. Shortly after Welch became CEO of General Electric in 1981, for example, he sat down with Drucker at the company’s New York headquarters. Drucker posed two questions that arguably changed the course of Welch’s tenure: “If you weren’t already in a business, would you enter it today?” he asked. “And if the answer is no, what are you going to do about it?”

Those questions led Welch to his first big transformative idea: that every business under the GE umbrella had to be either No. 1 or No. 2 in its class. If not, Welch decreed that the business would have to be fixed, sold, or closed. It was the core strategy that helped Welch remake GE into one of the most successful American corporations of the past 25 years.

Drucker’s work at GE is instructive. It was never his style to bring CEOs clear, concise answers to their problems but rather to frame the questions that could uncover the larger issues standing in the way of performance. “My job,” he once lectured a consulting client, “is to ask questions. It’s your job to provide answers.” Says Dan Lufkin, a co-founder of investment banking firm Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Inc. (CSR ), who often consulted with Drucker in the 1960s: “He would never give you an answer. That was frustrating for a while. But while it required a little more brain matter, it was enormously helpful to us. After you spent time with him, you really admired him not only for the quality of his thinking but for his foresight, which was amazing. He was way ahead of the curve on major trends.”

Drucker’s mind was an itinerant thing, able to wander in minutes through a series of digressions until finally coming to some specific business point. He could unleash a monologue that would include anything from the role of money in Goethe’s Faust to the story of his grandmother who played piano for Johannes Brahms, yet somehow use it to serve his point of view. “He thought in circles,” says Joseph A. Maciariello, who teaches “Drucker on Management” at Claremont Graduate University.

Part of Drucker’s genius lay in his ability to find patterns among seemingly unconnected disciplines. Warren Bennis, a management guru himself and longtime admirer of Drucker, says he once asked his friend how he came up with so many original insights. Drucker narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “I learn only through listening,” he said, pausing, “to myself.”

Among academics, that ad hoc, nonlinear approach sometimes led to charges that Drucker just wasn’t rigorous enough, that his work wasn’t backed up by quantifiable research. “With all those books he wrote, I know very few professors who ever assigned one to their MBA students,” says O’Toole. “Peter would never have gotten tenure in a major business school.”

I first met Drucker in 1985 when I was scrambling to master my new job as management editor at BusinessWeek. He invited me to Estes Park, Colo., where he and his wife, Doris, often spent summers in a log cabin, part of a YWCA camp. I remember him counseling me to drink lots of water, ingest a super dose of vitamin C, and take it easy to adjust to the high altitude. I spent two days getting to know Drucker and his work. We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. We hiked the trails of the camp. And I became intimately familiar with his remarkable story.

Born in Austria in 1909 into a highly educated professional family, he seemed destined for some kind of greatness. The Vienna that Drucker knew had been a cultural and economic hub, and his parents were in the thick of it. Sigmund Freud ate lunch at the same cooperative restaurant as the Druckers and vacationed near the same Alpine lake. When Drucker first met Freud at the age of eight, his father told him: “Remember, today you have just met the most important man in Austria and perhaps in Europe.” Many evenings his parents, Adolph and Caroline, would gather the intellectual elite in the drawing room of their Vienna home for wide-ranging discussions of medicine, politics, or music. Peter absorbed not merely their content but worldliness and a style of expression.

When Hitler organized his first Nazi meeting in Berlin in 1927, Drucker, raised a Protestant, was in Germany, studying law at the University of Frankfurt. He attended classes taught by Keynes and Joseph Schumpeter. As a student, a clerk in a Hamburg export firm, and a securities analyst in a Frankfurt merchant bank, he lived through the years of Hitler’s emergence, recognizing early the menace of centralized power. When his essay on Friedrich Julius Stahl, a leading German conservative philosopher, was published as a pamphlet in 1933, it so offended the Nazis that the pamphlet was banned and burned. A second Drucker pamphlet, Die Judenfrage in Deutschland, or The Jewish Question in Germany, published four years later, suffered the same fate. The only surviving copy sits in a folder in the Austrian National Archives with a swastika stamped on it.

Drucker immigrated to London shortly after Hitler became Chancellor, taking a job as an economist at a London bank while continuing to write and to study economics. He came to America in 1937 as a correspondent for a group of British newspapers, along with his new wife, Doris, whom he had met in Frankfurt. “America was terribly exciting,” remembered Drucker. “In Europe the only hope was to go back to 1913. In this country everyone looked forward.”

So did Drucker. He taught part time at Sarah Lawrence College before joining the faculty at Bennington College in Vermont. He could be a difficult taskmaster. One Bennington student recalled that Drucker said her paper “resembled turnips sprinkled with parsley. I could wring his fat frog-like neck,” she wrote in a letter to her parents. “Unfortunately, he is a very brilliant and famous man. He has at least taught me something.”

Drucker was a professor of politics and philosophy at Bennington when he was given the opportunity to study General Motors in 1945, the first time he peeked inside the corporation. His examination led to the publication of his groundbreaking book, Concept of the Corporation, and his decision, in 1950, to attach himself to New York University’s Graduate School of Business. It was around this time that Drucker heard Schumpeter, then at Harvard University, say: “I know that it is not enough to be remembered for books and theories. One does not make a difference unless it is a difference in people’s lives.”

CREATING A DISCIPLINE
He took Schumpeter’s advice to heart, beginning a career in consulting while continuing his life as a teacher and writer. Drucker’s most famous text, The Practice of Management, published in 1954, laid out the American corporation like a well-dissected frog in a college laboratory, with chapter headings such as “What is a Business?” and “Managing Growth.” It became his first popular book about management, and its title was, in effect, a manifesto. He was saying that management was not a science or an art. It was a profession, like medicine or law. It was about getting the very best out of people. As he himself put it: “I wrote The Practice of Management because there was no book on management. I had been working for 10 years consulting and teaching, and there simply was nothing or very little. So I kind of sat down and wrote it, very conscious of the fact that I was laying the foundations of a discipline.”

Drucker taught at NYU for 21 years — and his executive classes became so popular that they were held in a nearby gym where the swimming pool was drained and covered so hundreds of folding chairs could be set up. Drucker moved to California in 1971 to become a professor of social sciences and management at Claremont Graduate School, as it was known then. But he was always thought to be an outsider — a writer, not a scholar — who was largely ignored by the business schools. Tom Peters says he earned two advanced degrees, including a PhD in business, without once studying Drucker or reading a single book written by him. Even some of Drucker’s colleagues at NYU had fought against awarding him tenure because his ideas were not the result of rigorous academic research. For years professors at the most elite business schools said they didn’t bother to read Drucker because they found him superficial. And in the years before Drucker’s death even the dean of the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont said: “This is a brand in decline.”

In the 1980s he began to have grave doubts about business and even capitalism itself. He no longer saw the corporation as an ideal space to create community. In fact, he saw nearly the opposite: a place where self-interest had triumphed over the egalitarian principles he long championed. In both his writings and speeches, Drucker emerged as one of Corporate America’s most important critics. When conglomerates were the rage, he preached against reckless mergers and acquisitions. When executives were engaged in empire-building, he argued against excess staff and the inefficiencies of numerous “assistants to.” In a 1984 essay he persuasively argued that CEO pay had rocketed out of control and implored boards to hold CEO compensation to no more than 20 times what the rank and file made. What particularly enraged him was the tendency of corporate managers to reap massive earnings while firing thousands of their workers. “This is morally and socially unforgivable,” wrote Drucker, “and we will pay a heavy price for it.”

The hostile takeovers of the 1980s, a period that revisionists now say was essential to improve American efficiency and productivity, was for Drucker “the final failure of corporate capitalism.” He then likened Wall Street traders to “Balkan peasants stealing each other’s sheep” or “pigs gorging themselves at the trough.” He maintained that multimillion-dollar severance packages had perverted management’s ability to look out for anything but itself. “When you have golden parachutes,” he told one journalist, “you have created incentives for management to collude with the raiders.” At one point, Drucker was so put off by American corporate values that he was moved to say that, “although I believe in the free market, I have serious reservations about capitalism.”

We tend to think of Drucker as forever old, a gnomic and mysterious elder. At least I always did. His speech, always slow and measured, was forever accented in that commanding Viennese. His wisdom could not have come from anyone who was young. So it’s easy to forget his dashing youth, his long devotion to one woman and their four children (until the end, Drucker still greeted his wife of 71 years with an effusive “Hello, my darling!”), or even his deliciously self-deprecating sense of play.

During his early consulting work with DLJ, the partners flew out to California to meet with Drucker at home. After one of his famously meandering monologues, Drucker thought everyone needed a break.

“Well, boys,” he said, “why don’t we relax for a few minutes? Let’s go for a swim.”

The executives explained that they hadn’t brought their swimming trunks.

“You don’t need swimming suits because it’s just men here today,” replied Drucker.

“And we took off our clothes and went skinny-dipping in his pool,” recalls Charles Ellis, who was with the group.

Surely, Drucker never fit into the buttoned-down stereotype of a management consultant. He always favored bright colors: a bottle-green shirt, a knit tie, a royal blue jacket with a blue-on-blue shirt, or simply a woolen flannel shirt and tan trousers. Drucker always worked from a home office filled with books and classical records on shelves that groaned under their weight. He never had a secretary and usually handled the fax machine and answered the telephone himself — he was something of a phone addict, he admitted.

PRIVACY PREVAILS
Yet Drucker also was an intensely private man, revealing little of his personal life, even in his own autobiography, Adventures of a Bystander, the book he told me was his favorite of them all. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the Drucker Archives at Claremont Graduate University contain only one personal letter from his wife to him. Doris had clipped two images from a 1950s-era newspaper, one of a handsome man in a plaid robe, fresh from a good night’s sleep, another of a couple in love, man and woman staring into each other’s eyes, over a late evening snack. She glued each black-and-white image onto a flimsy piece of typing paper and wrote the words: “I love you in the morning when things are kind of frantic. I love you in the evening when things are more romantic.” It is undated and unsigned.

It was Doris, in her own unpublished memoir, who told the story of how she once locked Drucker in a London coal cellar to hide him from her disapproving mother. As Doris’ mother turned the house upside down in a frantic search for a man she thought was sleeping with her daughter, Peter spent the better part of the night crouched in a cold, dark hole. Doris’ mother had long hoped her daughter would someday marry a Rothschild or a German of high social standing. The last thing she wanted was for her to marry a light-in-the-pocket Austrian.

In his later years, as his health weakened, so did Drucker’s magnetic pull. Although he maintained a coterie of corporate followers, he increasingly turned his attention to nonprofit leaders, from Frances Hesselbein of the Girl Scouts of the USA to Rick Warren, founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, considered Drucker a mentor. “Drucker told me: ‘The function of management in a church is to make the church more churchlike, not more businesslike. It’s to allow you to do what your mission is,”‘ Warren said. “Business was just a starting point from which he had this platform to influence leaders of all different kinds.”

Still, it was clear Drucker cared deeply about how he would be remembered. He tried in 1990 to discredit and quash an admiring biography of quality guru Deming, whom he seemed to consider a rival. And when Professor O’Toole assessed the influence of Drucker’s landmark 1945 study on General Motors, he concluded that the guru not only had had no impact on GM but also became persona non grata at the company for nearly half a century. “I sent it to Peter, and he spent hours going over it with me,” recalls O’Toole. “He was a little unhappy with it because he didn’t like the conclusion. He felt he had had a big impact at GM. I thought that was either very generous of Peter or else he was kidding himself.”

During the same period, Drucker, then 80 years old, penned a severely flawed foreword for a new edition of Alfred Sloan’s My Years with General Motors. In one passage, Drucker quotes Sloan as saying that the death of his younger brother Raymond was “the greatest personal tragedy in my life.” Raymond, however, died 17 years after Alfred. In another section, Drucker noted that the publication of the book had been delayed because Sloan “refused to publish as long as any of the GM people mentioned in the book was still alive. On the day of the death of the last living person mentioned in the book, Sloan released it for publication,” wrote Drucker. In fact, Sloan generously heaped praise on 14 colleagues in the preface of his book, and all were still alive when My Years with General Motors was first published.

Whether the mistakes were a result of sloppiness or his declining intellectual power is not clear. But Drucker was no longer at the top of his game. The dean of the Drucker school, Cornelis de Kluyver, had reason to believe that Drucker’s influence was on the wane — the school was having difficulty attracting big money from potential donors. To gain a $20 million gift for its puny endowment, de Kluyver agreed in 2003 to put another name on the school, that of Masatoshi Ito, the founder of Ito-Yokado Group, owner of 7-Eleven stores in Japan and North America. Students protested, even marching outside the dean’s office toting placards decrying the change. An ailing Drucker volunteered to speak directly to the students. “I consider it quite likely that three years after my death my name will be of absolutely no advantage,” he told them. “If you can get 10 million bucks by taking my name off, more power to you.”

In April, during our last meeting, I asked Drucker what he had been up to lately. “Not very much,” he replied. “I have been putting things in order, slowly. I am reasonably sure that I am not going to write another book. I just don’t have the energy. My desk is a mess, and I can’t find anything.”

I almost felt guilty for having asked the question, so I praised his work, the 38 books, the countless essays and articles, the consulting gigs, his widespread influence on so many of the world’s most celebrated leaders. But he was agitated, even dismissive, of much of his accomplishment.

“I did my best work early on — in the 1950s. Since then it’s marginal. O.K.? What else do you have?”

I pressed the nonagenarian for more reflection, more introspection. “Look,” he sighed, “I’m totally uninteresting. I’m a writer, and writers don’t have interesting lives. My books, my work, yes. That’s different.”

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Entrepreneurship in the conceptual economy - endless opportunities

Posted on June 14, 2009
Filed Under Conceptual economy, entrepreneurship in the conceptual economy | 4 Comments

Jay Maharjan

Part I - Entrepreneurship in the conceptual economy - endless creative entrepreneurial opportunities

Never before in the history that entrepreneurs had so much flexibility and tools at their disposal like they have now. With the technology advancement and globalization of high speed internet, entrepreneurs have power to do amazing things. This is a welcoming news for knowledge entrepreneurs. Knowledge workers often had to rely on their parent organization or company to make significant impact - making it very hard to make it on their own. These days, with the availability of modern tools, even college students can compete with large multi-nationals. If you look at the recent history of innovation, numerous multi-national companies were results of college experiments - google, facebook, myspace.. just to name a few. This is just the beginning. The types of success eBay and Google experienced were very few and far in between. The frequency of entrepreneural success of this type will exponentially grow in the future. Technologies are maturing, costs of technology are going down drastically due to healthy competition. Barrier to entry is going down. What dot com boom promised prematurely - it is becoming a reality right now. Virtual communities, portals and social networking sites are already offering previews of what can be expected on the horizon.

Sky is the limit for virtual entrepreneurs in conceptual economy. Entrepreneurs never liked to follow rules anyway. This time around, they will truly get to lead the way in coming up with unique, unthinkable yet surprisingly simple online business models. The model that works in one geographic location may not work in another. But, the beauty is that conceptual entrepreneurs will adapt - and they will adapt quick. Case in point - the way book publishing is taking place around the world is changing. A teenager in Japan wrote a whole novel using text messaging to her blog - and her fans downloaded portions at a time.

(Photo: NewYorker)

The concept became so popular that when the hard copy of her novel came out, it was an instant best seller and she made over eight million dollars. Today, believe it or not - half of the top ten books sold in Japan are the results of mobile phone authors. Japan is usually one of the first countries to adopt to new mobile concepts. Usually, some concepts translate to other cultures and the others do not. Well, we may not see a cell phone novel on the New York Times list anytime soon.. but who knows..some variation of the concept may catch on in the US and Europe in the next decade. These are the changing times. Time magazine appropriately named you as the person of the year last year. You have tremendous amount of power to change the way you sustain as an entrepreneur or a consumer.

I consider Youtube generation as the first group to represent conceptual generation. Youtube generation is changing the way news is distributed. High traffic sites like TMZ.com and CNNs iReport already rely heavily on end-user generated content. Highly sophisticated cell phones have enabled regular people to capture live media footage and distribute to the world instantaneously. As conceptual economy matures, technology will also mature and truly open a platform for creativity and virtual entrepreneurship to flourish.

Beyond the more obvious virtual entrepreneurship opportunites, entrepreneurs will have tremendous capabilities to collaborate with resources from around the globe. Entrepreneurs will be leveraging on each other beyond outsourcing menial tasks but in a scale and scope unheard of ever before in the history.

One another concept that is catching on is the concept of replicating ideas that work in one country and taking it to other less developed markets. eBay became very popular early on in the US. Similar auction ideas mushroomed across the globe. Initially, local entrepreneurs started the wave and once the concept became successful locally - they got acquired by eBay for hefty sums. Indian version of eBay- Bazee.com was acquired in 2004 for whopping $ 50 million dollars. Similarly, eBay acquired iBazar, a French auction site and Tradera, Sweden’s leading online auction style marketplace.

In conceptual generation, we will see this trend growing in an exponential way. There are enough entrepreneurial ideas and concepts floating around the world that smart entrepreneurs can and will easily tap into and convert to viable ventures.

In factual note, America’s Gross National Product has grown over the years, but the actual, physical weight of the GNP has declined. Go figure. This clearly supports the emergence of the new economic model.

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Interview with Donna LeBlanc

Posted on June 14, 2009
Filed Under 4entrepreneur Interview, Psychotherapist Donna LeBlanc | 1 Comment

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Donna LeBlanc is a renowned entrepreneurial therapist and the author of “The Passion Principle”

LeBlanc’s latest book, The Passion Principle, is based on her revolutionary psycho-spiritual approach to understanding and using personality signatures or styles to capture passion and purpose in life and work. The book and CD collection reveal so clearly the patterns and reactions in our lives that block our success and keep us stuck. Vivid, clear, and totally authentic, she places her thoughtful lens on each of each issue, struggle, strength and greatest hope and provides a plan for creating the life we each desire for ourselves.

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Role of entrepreneurship in conceptual economy

Posted on June 12, 2009
Filed Under Conceptual economy, entrepreneurship in conceptual economy | 6 Comments

By Jay Maharjan

The rules of entrepreneurship still apply in principle, but the medium has changed drastically. This is probably the best time in our history to pursue entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs are defying the logic and business rationale to make things happen individually. Gone are the days when you needed huge capital and veteran management teams to form companies and to wait for another several years to rake in the profit.

Markus Frind is the founder of a free dating site PlentyOfFish.com. He spends about two hours a day in his house managing his website that gets twelve billion page views a year. He is the only employee in his company. By the way, did I tell you he makes $5-6 million per year with Google ads.

Similar to Markus Frind story, another entrepreneur Dave Lu from FanPop also makes millions from his website. Fanpop is a place where fans of anything and everything can share and interact with fellow fans.

One trait that is common with both entrepreneurs is that each of them is leveraging on simple inexpensive tools that are readily available to most entrepreneurs. You might ask how these successful online ventures are relevant to the conceptual economy. Conceptual economy encourages entrepreneurs to use both left and right brains. Technical and subject matter experts like Markus and Dave are not focusing solely on their technical skills. Rather, they are conceptually leveraging on their technical skills as well as testing their creative skills to conceptualize, design, develop and market their ideas - in most cases on their own without any help.

Entrepreneurs must take the lead in conceptual economy. Corporate world usually takes the back seat when it comes to adapting new ventures and most likely will be the last group to realize and accept the arrival of this economy. Microsoft would have never thought of starting Facebook – the highly successful social networking site on the Internet. What it took was the guts of a visionary young entrepreneur by the name of Mark Zuckerberg. Mark was a Harvard dropout with a great idea that was ahead of his time. At Harvard, Mark hacked the Harvard student records for fun and created a networking site for his fellow students. The site became very popular. In a short period of time, the concept has revolutionized the online social networking scene. In the beginning, Facebook was popular among only High School and College students. With the recent change in their policy to include adults, the site has seen a huge surge, providing a great social and networking platform for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Recently, Mark turned down one billion dollar cash offer from Yahoo, validating the notion that this is just a tip of the iceberg and the upcoming opportunities are endless. Potential of social networking sites like Facebook is far from being fully realized. Imagine the power of bringing captive group of individuals from around the world who share common interest, same values and complimenting business opportunities. As large businesses and traditional knowledge workers stay skeptics and try to analyze the concept, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to run with what they believe in and bring them to life. Eventually, this economic model will affect every aspect of the society. But for now and probably for the next couple of decades, true beneficiaries will be the entrepreneurs who choose to take the initiatives.

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25 tips by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs

Posted on June 11, 2009
Filed Under tips for entrepreneurs | 18 Comments

by Cynthia Schmae

Ready to leave your job behind and become your own boss? It takes a certain kind of person to make it through the first few years. To help you along, we’ve culled the best tips from our own members - people with years’ of experience in running their own businesses.

Don’t work for less than you can afford to, but do offer a discount to customers or clients who sign contracts with you.
Find people who will refer jobs to you. If they send you nightmare jobs, make sure they’re balanced out with rewarding (profitable!) ones.
Surround yourself with supportive people and don’t be discouraged by anyone. If your idea is good and you’re determined to stick with it through the first few difficult years, your chances of success are great.
Be flexible in your thinking. Prepare to change the way you work, the products you use and the services you offer, in order to meet the demands of your customers.
Admit your mistakes, correct them and carry on.(For example, if you purchase a piece of equipment that does not meet your expectations, send it back, sell it or exchange it!)
Develop a good relationship with your bank manager and creditors. Show a genuine interest in solving problems. Pay as much as you can afford to, to everyone to whom you owe money.
Get trained! You’ll be spending a lot of time doing things that have nothing to do with your area of expertise, like bookkeeping, marketing, and IT support!
Avoid isolation. Even if you work closely with your clients, you won’t be part of a gang anymore. Develop your own network of entrepreneurs that you see regularly and bounce ideas off. Ideally they’ll allow you to vent your anger and share your successes.
Separate your work and personal life. Set your working hours and stick to a strict timetable. When you’re not available to clients, leave a message on your answer machine letting them know when they can expect a reply from you. Let them know how to reach you in an emergency.
Plan some ‘thinking time’ into every day. If you pack your diary with back-to-back activities, your business will never grow.
Plan time to do something you enjoy at least a few times a week - recharge your batteries!
Write a business plan so you’re clear about what you’re doing, and update it every year.
Develop an excellent telephone manner and react quickly to any complaints or problems.
Confirm orders personally and immediately, especially those you receive on email.
Never lose sight of the big picture – look for innovative, little-explored directions in which to take your business.
When you find someone cleverer than you, employ them!
Solicit advice from people who know, for example, other entrepreneurs and reputable small business advisers – the DTI offers lots of information and support for new businesses.
Don’t enter a business or a venture that you know nothing about. You’ll be running to catch up for the rest of your business life.
Have an existing, loyal customer base and start locally.
Be aware that you will get through any initial investment quickly, so ensure you are covered financially until at least the end of the second year.
Focus on a specific goal and work at it until it’s achieved
Never worry about how to get things done when you are first developing your idea.Money and resources will come together once you have set your goals and begun to work at them.
Make quality in every aspect of your business your primary focus and aim. If it isn’t, you will eventually go out of business.
Use the Internet. Use email. Build a website (if you aren’t familiar with websites, try HTML for Dummies), send out email newsletters, buy online banner advertisements and register your site with all the major search engines.
Delegate. You might have to hire a good PA, lawyer, or marketing professional to ensure you’ll be profitable in the future.

source: ivillage.co.uk

More useful articles on entrepreneurship:

Tips for budding entrepreneurs

11 Principles of Entrepreneurial Leadership

Top 7 Hiring Mistakes for Startup Businesses

Top 10 Most Practical Blogs for Entrepreneurs

10 tips for entrepreneurs seeking angel capital

15 entrepreneur blogs worth reading

10 critical steps to writing a business plan

10 cool colleges for entrepreneurs

Selling a business: Top 10 tips for entrepreneurs

Top 10 reasons for buying a franchise

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Twiistup Calls for Startups to “Show Off” at July 30-31 Event

Posted on June 11, 2009
Filed Under Twiistup, Twiistup "show off" | Leave a Comment

Written by Jolie O’Dell

Twiistup, the explosive SoCal event that was recently bought by a secret investor, has announced its call for “Showoff” entries. Ten slots are available in the New Tech-esque startup presentation before a horde of tech investors, entrepreneurs, and media types - including L.A.’s monied entertainment set. The showcase will take place on Thursday and Friday, July 30 and 31 at the Universal Hilton in Universal City, California.

Entrants will be selected based on their contributions to tech and entrepreneurship, their value and appeal, and their originality. The lucky ten startups to present at the event will be selected in two rounds, the first ending June 12 and the second on June 26. Also important to note is that, unlike similar showcase events, Twiistup has added a full day program to the established evening event, giving their lineup of Showoffs significantly greater time and exposure.

“Sponsors are paying thousands of dollars for space that we’re giving to Showoffs for free,” wrote event producer Francisco Dao. “If you’re a startup who wants exposure, there’s no reason not to throw your hat in the ring.”

Showoff startups will be selected by a panel of five judges, including Tubefilter co-founder Brady Brim-DeForest, investor Neil Patel, PR 2.0 publisher Brian Solis, Mixergy founder Andrew Warner, and venture capitalist Mark Suster.
Interested startups can apply on the Twiistup website.

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9 Must Haves for Innovation

Posted on June 10, 2009
Filed Under Innovation | 2 Comments

Written by Xylus Sand

Being responsible for creating innovative ideas in a management consulting company and moreover, trying to turn those ideas into products that can be monetized - I have come to some conclusions about what is necessary for innovation to take root. This applies to the world of open innovation as well as the world of controlled innovation. (Although I often wonder - can you control innovation? Heck - can you even manage it - I like the idea of herding cats - you have to do it for clients, I suspect you have to do it for innovator creatives as well.)

Resource #1: People

There’s no way around it - if you don’t have the PEOPLE with the creative minds and the capacity to explore - you’re going no where fast on the innovation superhighway. Like that? Information Superhighway? Innovation Superhighway? I’m going to claim to be the founder of Innovation now - just like our esteemed nobel laureate. No but seriously - think of innovation as being like a car from the Flintstones - if Barney and Fred don’t get in their and do some fast footwork, the car isn’t going anywhere.

Resource #2: Time

Ok, so you’ve got your bevy of creative class kinda people - (and yes, for all you grammarians - I know kinda is not a word - move along there, nothing to see) - what now? Well - let’s give them a NOW - too often organizations, groups, companies, government agencies, non-profits, NGOs etc. do not allow their people TIME to think. Consider the 15% rule developed by 3M all those years ago which have led from Sandpaper to Post-It notes - did it work? Is 3M the kind of creative company that keeps creating new futures for itself? You decide, but I’m going to consider the value of the 15% rule and scream it from the rooftops.

Resource #3: Fearlessness

No getting around this - every new idea is a risk - people will struggle with it, shy away from it, run in terror, get queasy, etc etc etc. Risk is a necessary component of trying to create. You have to be willing to put yourself out there, accept that someone may not like you, may not like your idea, may not like what your idea means to their job - it’s a long list.

Resource #4: Mistakes

Failure is not an option - we’ve all heard it - NASA coined it - Project Managers try to enforce it - companies which they could flawlessly execute. We are however human. We make mistakes. Guess what - when we make mistakes we learn from them. Sometimes that means we won’t make the same mistake again. Sometimes it means we will create something unusual out of the mistake. Once again - I reference 3M - creators of an adhesive that turned out not to be very good for adhering. Oddly enough - when you stick some of that stuff on some paper, you get sticky notes. Otherwise known as Post-Its. Mistakes lead to discovery. What would have happened to human space flight if the earlier rocketeers had operated from the ground rule that “FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION”. So where are we again? PEOPLE need TIME to take RISKS in order to make MISTAKES so that they can learn.

Resource #5: Blurriness

You know those lines that you were supposed to draw inside of when you were a child - all the coloring books had them - and then you come forward to the 80s or 90s where there’s a jeep commercial with a girl driving “outside the lines” - this commercial was particularly poignant because it suggest something - to get creative, you need to blur the lines - maybe even do away with the lines altogether. In the book the Medici Effect - the author references the idea of “low associative barriers”- and implies that this is a state we all need to get to - the point where we don’t allow traditional lines and routine directions to prevent us from seeing the new paths.

Resource #6: Support

To be successful at innovation, fearlessness is called for, but support comes right behind it. Even the most successful innovators have to have people in their corner. It could be a family member, it could be a coworker, it might be a boss. Support keeps the fearless innovator going when the road grows long, when the nights are dark, when the future is cloudy. Support restores confidence in the face of doubt and provides the shelter that amazing new ideas require in order to grow.

Resource #7: Ownership

Ownership may be the scariest part of innovation - taking ownership means making a commitment and seeing it through. It is very easy to be the 70% person and to throw half-baked thoughts out there hoping that one will stick, that someone will say “that’s great” - but the accomplishment and success of any idea can only be achieved thru ownership. Orphan ideas don’t survive.

Resource #8: Diversity

To truly break new ground, crashing together things that have come before, seeing things in new light, studying the world around, hearing the opinions of others - all of these are essential. The word that sums this up is diversity. What happens when you put the CEO in the same room as the guy from the mail room. What if you take the guy from HR and stick him with the girl from Marketing. How about putting a Brain Surgeon in the same room as a Motivational Speaker? There’s no absolute here - but the more points of view and sources of thinking that you can incorporate into your brainstorming process, the more original and creative the results will be.

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Business Plan Basics

Posted on June 10, 2009
Filed Under management tools, start-up company, start-up tools | 23 Comments

By Jay Maharjan ( Sept. 13, 2007 )

In my opinion, here is a list of pointers that will save you headaches later.

a. Be clear about what you are selling.

b. Come up with Mission, Vision, and Objective statements for your venture.

Mission, Vision, and Objectives - They may all look the same at first glance, but they reflect different rationale.

The Objective represent definitive goals for different purposes within the company. Peter Drucker first popularized the term “management by objective” in his 1954 book ‘The Practice of Management’. Objectives can be set in all domains (services, sales, R&D, human resources, finance) - ‘The main objective of company ABC is to understand the target market, to implement the most optimized form of logistics, to include a series of efficient fulfillment processes and to provide an unmatched form of customer service.’

c. Be honest with your Strengths and Weaknesses.

d. Conduct a thorough research on your vertical market.
Leverage on new Internet research tools to conduct comprehensive studies. At every stage of your research, be open to adopt new directions based on your findings.

e. Make sure there is a real opportunity.
or move on to a different venture.

f. Make sure your product or service addresses pain point (s).

This goes back to the point (a). Understand and address your customer needs.

g. Conduct a thorough research on your competitors.

Create a matrix and conduct a thorough competitive analysis. See what your competitors are offering.

h. Make sure your product or service addresses pain point (s) better than your competitors.
Its all right if your competitors got in the market before you did. But, focus on doing things little bit differently that you address the customer needs, pain points better than them.

i. Be realistic with the revenue projections.

j. Surround yourself with people smarter than you. Do not be afraid to ask for help.

k.. Seize the opportunity to scale up - quick.

Yves Behar on designing objects that tell stories

Posted on June 10, 2009
Filed Under Creative designer, Yves Behar | Leave a Comment

17th American Society of Young Musicians Spring Benefit Concert

Posted on June 5, 2009
Filed Under ASYM | Leave a Comment

Los Angeles…With a cavalcade of stars sure to match the awards events of the likes of the recent MTV Movie awards and the Grammy’s, the American Society of Young Musicians has over the years shared its stage with some of the same talent as these other powerhouse awards events and has awarded almost as many honors. Providing thousands of dollars in scholarship monies to talented young musicians across the United States, the organization recently announced its voting board’s selection of pioneering music legend and talented musician/composer and producer Brian Wilson, of the Beach Boys, its 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. The event will take place at ASYM’s annual Spring Benefit Concert at the world renowned The Highlands in Hollywood California, on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 6:30PM, where a host of celebrities in music and entertainment will be on hand to help celebrate rising musicians as they bring their craft to the fore, while coming out to honor luminaries in music and musicians advocates such as Wilson.

The American Society of Young Musicians, in its 17th year of providing scholarships to young men and women at accredited music programs and schools, will be providing several full and partial scholarships to a number of deserving students who have shown a promise for pursuing musical careers. Among the many luminaries, music moguls, celebrities and music aficionados who will be in attendance, many will be there to honor Wilson, who is legendary in the music industry for his ability to not only find top notch acts, but his prolific writing and producing talents are what are most renowned in the music industry as the catalyst that shot a group of 60’s teenagers, better known as his brothers and a cousin into rock and roll history and creating a unique California sound that became known as The Beach Boys.

A Southern California boy at heart, Wilson has gone on to become what has been called one of, the greatest, musical geniuses in the world. It was while growing up, that he noticed that he had a flair for writing and arranging music in his own particular style. Using his two younger brothers, Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson along with first cousin Mike Love, Brian recreated songs for them to sing along to. Eventually after they started singing for many years at family parties and in their room, Mike told Brian that they needed to form a group. Along with college friend Al Jardine, they formed The Beach Boys, releasing their first song “Surfin’” to popular reviews.

-CONTINUE-

ASYM Page 2 Press Release

When Brian’s father Murry decided that he should be their manager, he set up The Beach Boys with a contract at Capitol Records and helped them embark on a seven year contract with the company. Within the first two years, Brian made himself the leader of the group and was, uniquely, writer/producer/arranger/musician and lead vocalist of the band.

It was clear from the very early years that Brian was the one destined to take The Beach Boys into the spotlight. Along the way, mainly with Mike Love, he wrote a handful of top forty singles, including “California Girls”, “Surfin’ USA”, “Surfer Girl”, “Little Deuce Coupe”, “Don’t Worry Baby”, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “God Only Knows” and the three number one hits in America, “I Get Around”, “Help Me, Rhonda” and “Good Vibrations”, which was also a hit in Britain, and a second UK #1 single, “Do It Again”.

All of the musicians at ASYM are so stoked and excited that one whom they consider to be both role model, rock leader and icon, will be there in person to graciously accept the organizations honors on this occasion, and they couldn’t be more pleased at this year’s selection of such an iconic and prolific figure. According to the organization’s President Jarvee E. Hutcherson “ASYM members, friends and fans couldn’t be happier that our voting board saw fit this year to honor a music veteran as deserving as Brian Wilson. With his gift for lyrics, writing and producing, and his prodigious impact on the musical landscape of Southern California and beyond, we are so inspired by his contributions to our musical legacy, and we are honored to be able to let him know that in person on this occasion”

Himself a Rock and Roll Fame inductee, Wilson will also be inducted into the American Society of Young Musicians Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony to take place immediately following his award presentation at The Highlands. Known for his unique blend of guitar chords and keyboard rifts, Wilson said that he was “thrilled and honored at the opportunity to be a part of this long-standing musical event, where musicians young and old come together in mutual respect and admiration of one another’s musical gifts and passion.”

The organization comprised of some 1500 plus members, provides financial assistance to a number of up-and-coming artists, who have shown financial need as well as artistic talent, while also pairing them with mentors, and career counseling. Supporters of the scholarship programs have included past attendees from the fields of rock, pop, and soul from the Quincy Jones, John Mellencamp, The Foo Fighters and The Black Eyed Peas to the Goo Goo Dolls, Chaka Khan, Liza Minnelli and Lisa Marie Presley just to name a few. For ticket information, interested parties may call (310) 358-8300.

Operation Street Kidz: Helping LA youth to become entrepreneurs

Posted on June 4, 2009
Filed Under 4entrepreneur Youth entrepreneurship initiative, Operation Street Kidz, Young entrepreneurs, Youth Entrepreneurship program | 11 Comments

Operation Street Kidz, a creative grassroots effort in Los Angeles under the leadership of Commissioner Josof Sanchez is making difference in lives of youth across inner cities of LA. The group recently teamed up with executive producer Baby Bash and directors from Kanye West music videos - “Through the wire” and “Jesus Walks” to bring a rare experience for high school students at Blair High School in Pasadena for students to learn and experience what it takes to be media entrepreneurs..students learnt various facets of film making and also auditioned for a chance to appear on the upcoming music video shoot for Jasmine V produced by Baby Bash.

4entrepreneur.net ( and YCEN Young Creative Entrepreneur Network ) is exploring ways to introduce entrepreneurship among youth in inner cities of Greater Los Angeles. Email us at ideas4entrepreneur@gmail.com with any feedback, creative suggestions and potential partnership/sponsorship opportunities.

Students take a break from auditioning for the video shoot..

Commissioner, Julie Matsumoto from Operation Street Kidz talk to the crew and the team about rehearsing for the shoot

Corey Jordan, a senior at Blair High has a dream of making a career in entertainment, but focuses on finishing school, wants to play basketball for Texas…

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NYC kids give back

Posted on June 3, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Story Highlights

Thirty kids from Bushwick, Brooklyn, took part in “Journey for Change”
Malaak Compton-Rock spearheaded the mission to empower “at-risk” youth
Kids, ages 12 to 15, volunteered to serve the impoverished, AIDS orphans
Kids were required to sign one-year contracts to become “global ambassadors”

Top 10 Social Networks for Entrepreneurs

Posted on June 3, 2009
Filed Under entrepreneur resource center, resource for entrepreneurs | 11 Comments

Dan Schawbel ( for mashable.com )

Looking for a job? Consider creating your own. There are a number of social resources to help you connect with other entrepreneurs and get your business ideas off the ground.

Here are the top 10 social networks for entrepreneurs. Each helps entrepreneurs succeed by providing them with the guidance, tools and resources they need to setup their company and gain exposure.

Have another social site to add to this list? Tell us about it in the comments.

1. Entrepreneur Connect

Entrepreneur Media, the company that produces Entrepreneur Magazine, started a social network over a year ago specifically for entrepreneurs and small business owners called Entrepreneur Connect. Like all social networks, you have the opportunity to create your own profile, explore the community, share ideas with other entrepreneurs and network. Unlike most social networks, this one frowns upon too much self-promotion and applauds idea sharing.You can use this network to connect to service providers, suppliers, advisers and colleagues. Just like LinkedIn and FacebookFacebook reviews

, there are professional groups that you can join or create. Another cool feature is that you’re able to start your own blog and possibly have it appear on the main page. This is similar to what Fast Company has done with their website.

2. PartnerUp

PartnerUp is a social network for entrepreneurs who are searching for people and resources for business opportunities. Anyone can join, but business partners, co-founders, executives and board members will get the most out of this one. In this network, you can ask or offer advice, find commercial real estate and find service providers like accountants and marketers for your business.The big differentiator with this social network is the commercial real estate “MoveUpSM” program that serves entrepreneurs who have experienced a hard time trying to find office space for their business. They also have a Resource Directory that allows small and mid-sized businesses to advertise their services.

3. StartupNation

Most social networks neglect the content aspect that makes StartupNation so useful. With articles, forums, blogs, on-demand seminars, and podcasts, entrepreneurs will be better prepared for their ventures and have the resources required to make better business decisions.There are a wide range of topics being discussed on StartupNation right now, including business planning, marketing and web-based business. The site also offers a series of competitions, such as a dorm-based 20 contest and an elevator pitch competition. If you’re an entrepreneur or hope to become one, this site is definitely one you can’t miss out on.

4. LinkedIn

It’s difficult to leave LinkedIn off of any social networking list because it’s so useful for anyone who’s either searching for a job, is trying to network with like-minded individuals, or building a company. LinkedIn offers many resources for entrepreneurs, such as groups, including the very popular “On Startups” group that has over 54,000 members.Entrepreneurs on LinkedIn should brand themselves properly so they can attract the right kind of business opportunities, and perform searches to find service providers or partners. As an entrepreneur, you should also be looking to participate in LinkedIn Answers, events and applications to spruce up your profile and become a valuable member to your community.

5. Biznik

This isn’t another LinkedIn clone. Instead, Biznik brands itself as a social network that “doesn’t suck.” The Biznik community is composed of freelancers, CEOs, and the self-employed. Like the other networks, this is a place for you to share ideas, instead of posting your resume. It is mandatory for all members to use their real names and provide real data, and Biznik editors actually review all profiles to ensure compliance with that policy. There are three levels of membership, including basic, active ($10 a month for an enhanced profile) and supporting ($24 a month for increased visibility).

6. Perfect Business

If you want to meet thousands of serious entrepreneurs, experts and investors from a variety of industries, then Perfect Business might be the perfect social network for you. The type of people you’ll find are potential business partners, potential clients and advisers. Additionally, the site has leading business partners like Entrepreneur and Virgin Money. perfect business image

From business networking to a video center where you can learn from successful entrepreneurs, a business plan builder and even an investor center, you’ll have most of the resources you need to create or regenerate your business. There is a free basic membership and a gold membership that costs $29.99 per month.

7. Go BIG Network

The Go BIG Network embraces job seekers, in addition to funding sources, service providers and entrepreneurs. In this social network, you post requests for help, which are then routed to other people in the network that can answer your questions or support you. Members of this social network can search through profiles of other members, contact them or post a request (a classified ad) to talk about what they are looking for (such as a business partner). The profiles on this network are targeted and specific so it’s easy to find an investor in a particular region.

8. Cofoundr

The Cofoundr network is made up of idea makers, entrepreneurs, programmers, web designers, investors, freelancers and executives. The primary purpose of joining this network is to start a new web venture. Unlike most of the social networks already listed here, Cofoundr is a strictly private network, which means that you can’t view member profiles before you register for an account.Membership requires having a valid university or work email address, which means high schools students and younger aren’t allowed. The first thing you have to do is sign up, then specify your abilities and the people you are trying to network with and finally, post your idea on the bulletin board or in the forum.

9. The Funded

The Funded is an online community of entrepreneurs who research, rate and review funding sources. Entrepreneurs can view and share terms sheets to assist each other in finding good investors, as well as discuss the inner workings of operating a business. General benefits of this site include viewing facts, reviews and commentary on funding resources, and accessing RSS feeds of the most recent public comments by members.By joining the site, you have access to detailed fund profiles with specialty, reference investments, and investment criteria, in addition to accessing partner vCards that have full contact information of all partners at venture funds. In order to get any value out of this social network, you pretty much have to become a member.see the whole listDan Schawbel is the author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success (Kaplan, April 09), and owner of the award winning Personal Branding Blog.

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Ed Ulbrich explains the Oscar-winning digital technology

Posted on June 3, 2009
Filed Under Creative entrepreneur, creativity, digital hollywood | Leave a Comment

Top 10 Most Practical Blogs for Entrepreneurs

Posted on June 1, 2009
Filed Under Practical blogs for entrepreneurs, top blogs for entrepreneurs | 12 Comments

By Scott Allen

With more and more people jumping on the business blogging bandwagon, it’s getting to the point that there is far more out there than you could ever hope to read on a regular basis. To help you filter that infoglut down to a more manageable level, here is my list of the ten most practical blogs for entrepreneurs.

NOTE: Blogs come and go, and several of the blogs originally listed here have either been discontinued or become relatively inactive. I’ve moved those to the honorable mention section because they earned the honor at the original time of this post, but I’ve added some of my new favorites in their place.

Small Business Trends - Anita Campbell looks at the latest trends affecting small businesses and entrepreneurs. A must-read for entrepreneurs.
Just for Small Business - Full of thought-provoking tips for small business owners from Denise O’Berry, I like this blog because the topics are often unexpected - not your usual small business fare.
WorkHappy.net - Carson McComas lives up to this blog’s subtitle of “killer resources for entrepreneurs” by providing links and reviews of “killer” applications and other resources to help entrepreneurs work smarter, not harder.
Duct Tape Marketing - John Jantsch delivers 2-3 small business marketing tips weekly in easily digestible, actionable bite-size chunks.
The Entrepreneurial Mind - Jeff Cornwall, Director of the Belmont University Center for Entrepreneurship, looks at trends in small business and entrepreneurship and their impact on individual business owners.
BizzBangBuzz - Pittsburgh attorney Anthony Cerminaro delivers excellent commentary and some original posts on the challenges facing emerging growth companies, with particular emphasis on legal issues.
Business Opportunities Weblog - Dane Carlson mixes links and commentary on legitimate business opportunities with his thoughts and personal experiences regarding entrepreneurship.
Go BIG Blog - 9-time serial entrepreneur Wil Schroter, founder of the Go BIG Network, a networking site that helps growth-oriented entrepreneurs connect with investors, suppliers, co-founders and employees, uses his “no-BS” approach to tell entrepreneurs the way it really is that you won’t read in the books.
Young Entrepreneur Journey - Michael Simmons, bestelling author of The Student Success Manifesto explores what he calls “Extreme Entrepreneurship”. It’s a new blog, but the content is already outstanding.
Startup Spark - Ben Yoskovitz provides a steady supply of business tips, plus some in-depth discussion of things like entrepreneurial passion, social entrepreneurship and dealing with business failure. Startup Spark also hosts the new Carnival of Entrepreneurs.

Winners receive bragging rights and a semi-permanent home in my blogroll (see the bottom right side of the page). I say semi-permanent because I will be keeping this list up-to-date, so those of you who are on that list, keep up the good work if you want to keep that front-page link! No slacking. A list like this inevitably sparks some controversy, so before I get hit with a flurry of e-mails or a rant on Fark or Slashdot about what an idiot I am for overlooking a particular blog, let me explaing a little about my methodology. It might be easier to explain what is not in this list and why. Consider this my Honorable Mentions:

Blogs by famous entrepreneurs - Entertaining and informative though they are, they tend to be mostly about that entrepreneur’s business and whatever other topics they find interesting. I stuck to blogs that are more generally relevant and practical for entrepreneurs. I’ll probably do a separate list of these, though at some point. Some of my favorites in this category are Mark Cuban, Anita Roddick and Seth Godin.
VC blogs - Blogging has become very popular among venture capitalists, and many are worth reading, particularly if you are (or are planning to become) a venture-funded entrepreneur. But the VC blogs also tend to look more at the VC side of things and also tend to include a lot of personal musings about other topics. A good read, but perhaps not for the time-constrained entrepreneur not interested in venture capital. I’ll also probably do a separate list of these, but for now, some of my favorites are Torsten Jacobi, A VC Blogs, VentureBlog, Southeast VC and VCball.
Aggregator blogs - The blogs on the list all feature a substantial amount of original content by the author and commentary on links to other sites and stories. If you just want a list of good articles for entrepreneurs, I highly recommend Small Business Brief and Business Know-How.
Too new to tell - A lot of bloggers seem to lose interest after a few months, so I’ve stuck with blogs that have been established and consistently posting for six months or more. Some of my favorite new blogs to watch include Young Entrepreneur Journey, Home-Based Business Blog and Venture Voice.
Blogs about business blogging - There are easily ten great blogs out there about how to earn money with a blog or how to use a blog to support your business. Some of the best are ProBlogger, Blog Business World, Business Blog Consulting and Buzz Marketing with Blogs.
Niche topics - I stuck mostly to blogs that are generally applicable to most entrepreneurs, not specific types of business. If you’re into these topics, check out eBay Seller Central, Candle Making Blog and Home Party Plan Blog.
Number 11+ - There are more than ten blogs that meet these criteria, but 10 is that digestible magic number (and also the limit on the size of my blogroll in our content management tool), so 10 it is. I do have a larger list that includes some great blogs that just didn’t quite squeeze into the top 10, but may in the future.
MIA - There are some great blogs that have languished into inactivity for whatever reason. I only included blogs that have been very consistent in their posting, but I highly recommend reading the archives of Entrepreneur’s Life and re:invention. I’d love to see these people posting again. Also, some of the original honorees on this list have either slipped into inactivity or changed their focus:
- Home Office Voice - Internet entrepreneur Martin Neumann shared his experience and tips for building a web-based business. The site was discontinued and then relaunched, but it has changed focus significantly - it’s now a list of site/tool reviews and the archives aren’t on the site. Still useful, but not what it once was.
- Sacred Cow Dung - There are a number of really good blogs out there by venture capitalists about the VC market, entrepreneurship, and so on, but Christian Mayaud’s blog is for me the one that most consistently provides content that is actionable, not just informative. Sorry to see him stop posting. Great archives.
- Escape Velocity - Flemming Funch chronicles the ups and downs of life as an Internet entrepreneur. Flemming still posts occasionally, and the archives are well worth reading.

Read the full story

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10 tips for entrepreneurs seeking angel capital

15 entrepreneur blogs worth reading

10 critical steps to writing a business plan

10 cool colleges for entrepreneurs

Selling a business: Top 10 tips for entrepreneurs

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Don’t Eat the Marshmallow … Yet

Posted on May 31, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Interview with LA Commissioner on fostering youth entrepreneurship

Posted on May 24, 2009
Filed Under youth entrepreneurship | Leave a Comment

Watch Interview with Josof Sanchez, Commissioner in People & Blogs | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Role of Executives in the conceptual economy

Posted on May 19, 2009
Filed Under Conceptual economy | 2 Comments

Jay Maharjan

I followed Peter Drucker’s work for over ten years – both as his student at the management school named after him and as an entrepreneur thereafter. As the legendary management guru often said that one could not manage change, whether it was a change in market demand, political climate or a change in socio-economic dynamics. But one could and must sense the change and prepare to stay ahead of the curve. With the current changing climate of the global socio-political landscape, this statement has never been more relevant. Before Peter Drucker literally introduced formal management to mega corporations of the likes of GM and GE, corporations had run on an industrial, labor driven model instead of a knowledge based structure. The knowledge economy that Drucker significantly contributed has survived and operated effectively to this day. Well run companies learned to value knowledge workers and defined roles of management in a way that benefited the whole organization. As much as I commend and look up to Drucker’s economic and management model based on ‘knowledge workers’ – the term he famously coined, the time has come to rethink the roles of management and administrators both in the private and government sectors.

For the last 50 years, the current management model survived in spite of critics who complained that executive pay and the power they possessed were beyond rational comprehension… and the market stayed steadfast stating that only time would correct the course. That time is now. It is becoming apparent that this structure is not going to last very long. It will become increasingly harder to justify large executive pay and benefits in the middle of the crisis brewing on the Wall Street. This combination of old fashioned executives, mixed with the governance formed to tackle the issues of the last century, has failed to understand the desperate need to address the urgency to develop the conceptual economy.

It is becoming clearer that America needs to regain its competitive advantage by increasing innovation at the grass roots level.

Venture Capital model has worked extremely well compared to other parts in Europe and Asia – where generating large capital from investors had been traditionally extremely difficult. Venture Capital model fosters entrepreneurial spirit and encourages innovation – in return it creates strong economy by producing jobs. Even though the venture capital model is fundamentally sound, it is not the ultimate answer.

In this new economy, the regions that generate new breed of workforce – conceptual workers/entrepreneurs – will take the lead in steering the financial stronghold.

What happened to Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley and the world renowned investment firm, Goldman Sachs is a strong indication that the new economy will demand a strong shift in the entrepreneurial level instead of just managing assets, making high flying deals, brokering and waiting for IPOs to shine on the Wall Street. Countries are emerging as business leaders and creating niches in different fields.

(note: I wrote this piece when Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers were going through crisis.)

China, with the help of the socialistic governance and an endless supply of cheap workforce is emerging as a global leader in manufacturing and industrial jobs. India,
the world’s largest democracy and the population full of entrepreneurs are flexing their muscle in marking their territory in the knowledge niche. In an ideal, fixed world, America still holds the key to managing and governing service industry, leading innovation, and keeping the nerve center of innovation and finance onshore. But, the conceptual economy will demand both the government and business leaders to rethink, act promptly by offering more tools and education to the new wave of entrepreneurs, by introducing strong science and math courses in high school as well as by drastically increasing the measure to bring entrepreneurship and business courses.

Automation and turnkey solutions will emerge in an exponential pace, replacing highly paid managers and executives who make time consuming, ineffective decisions in a committee format. In the conceptual economy, old fashioned managers and executives will be out of touch with the emerging models based on social networks and bottom up business models. From the strategic point of view, you will still need a small percentage of managers and executives to make strategic and key decisions, but the executive number and payroll will drop drastically and the roles will change significantly.

Entrepreneurs can change the world

Posted on May 15, 2009
Filed Under entrepreneur | 1 Comment

Entrepreneurs can change the world

Elizabeth Gilbert: A different way to think about creative genius

Posted on May 12, 2009
Filed Under Elizabeth Gilbert, Elizabeth Gilbert on creativity | Leave a Comment

How to escape Corporate America: Interview with Pamela Skillings

Posted on May 12, 2009
Filed Under Interview with Pamela Skillings, entrepreneur interview | 1 Comment

Here is an excerpt of a great interview Guy Kawasaki has posted on his blog.

Pamela Skillings is the founder of Skillful Communications, a career and communications consulting firm in New York. Previously, Pamela spent more than twelve years as a marketing executive for companies including MasterCard International, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup. She recently published a book calledEscape from Corporate America: A Practical Guide to Creating the Career of Your Dreams

Question: How do I know if I should get out of the company I work for? Answer: I talked to one corporate escapee who made her decision after a senior manager threw a Lucite paperweight at her head. That’s a pretty good sign. But for most of us, the decision isn’t quite as clear cut. No job is great all the time. You have to diagnose what it is that’s making you unhappy. Are you just having a horrible week? Is there something you can do to make your current job more satisfying? If not, you owe it to yourself to get out. If you’re not sure whether you should stay or go, check out my interactive Are You a Corporate Casualty? quiz.
Question: Why don’t people who are unhappy leave to find something better?Answer: A lot of people stay stuck in corporate jobs that don’t inspire them because they’re afraid they can’t make “enough” money doing what they love. Others don’t believe that it’s actually possible to love your work, so they try to make the best of a bad situation. Then there are those who are spinning their wheels waiting for epiphanies about their true callings before they make a move.I can relate to all of these feelings. I worked in Corporate America for more than twelve years. It was fun at first and I learned a lot, but I eventually reached a point where I wasn’t feeling challenged or engaged anymore. For years, I tried to suck it up and make it work. But eventually I learned that my energy would be better spent on figuring out a career path that would make me happier.
Question: Can bad jobs be saved or fixed?Answer: Yes, sometimes. It’s worth trying if you mostly like your work and your company and can clearly identify the problems that need to be addressed. You should also be aware that sometimes it’s not the job, it’s you. There’s something to be said for being able to recognize when a position or a company is just not the right fit for you.
Question: Is there more danger in sticking too long with a job or leaving too soon?Answer: No one should quit abruptly without a good career transition plan. However, there are also dangers in staying too long in a job you hate. The longer you stay stuck in a rut, the harder it is to get out.
Question: Then what are the components of a good escape plan?Answer: The first step is to take a good hard look at what’s missing in your current career and figure out where you want to escape TO when you escape from Corporate America.Then you must identify the best route to your dream job. That might mean getting some additional training, updating your resume, or starting your business from your kitchen table in your spare time. The important thing is to take some action and start building momentum. And you can do all of this before you quit your current job.A solid financial escape plan is also essential. Money concerns stand in the way of a lot of potential corporate escapees, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Even if you think you can’t afford to make a career change right now, do the math and you might find that your dream career is possible after all. You might have to make some temporary budget cuts or wait until you’ve accumulated enough in your Escape Fund to finance your transition, but you will likely discover that there is a way to make the numbers work if you’re willing to make some compromises.
Question: How can I get a job that doesn’t suck?Answer: There are a lot of great companies out there, both big ones and small ones. The key is to figure out what’s really important to you at this stage in your life and what you need to thrive. For two years in a row, Google has been ranked as the #1 Best Company to Work For by Fortune. It’s a great company, but it’s not the right fit for everybody. If you’re not comfortable working in a very fast-paced environment, a dream job at Google might feel like a nightmare. And even at a great company, you have to be careful when choosing your specific job role to make sure it fits with your talents and preferences.Once you define your priorities, you have to do your homework and identify which companies are right for you. Reading the rankings of best companies is a good start, but you shouldn’t stop there. Reach out to your network and see who can provide the real inside scoop on the companies you’re considering. It’s important to work for a company that you respect. However, when it comes to job satisfaction, it’s even more important to make sure that your day-to-day duties and work environment are engaging.
Question: How can I tell if a job is going to be good (or bad) for me during the interview process?Answer: Be observant, ask questions, and don’t take anything at face value. Of course the recruiter and human resources representative will tell you that the job is your dream come true. That’s what they get paid for. Often, they’re not trying to trick you; they just don’t truly understand what the job is like from the inside.Be diplomatic when you probe for details and save the hardest questions until you’ve got an offer on the table. If things look promising, ask if you can meet with some of your potential peers and team members. This accomplishes two goals: 1) You can get a sense of how crazy your future coworkers are; and 2) You can get a better idea of what it’s really like to work in the department from a non-boss point of view.Always remember to keep your eyes open for clues and listen to your instincts. I know what it’s like to end up in a job that’s a terrible fit despite the best of intentions. Looking back now, I realize that it happened because I ignored red flags that I didn’t want to see.
Question: What are the downsides of working for a startup or small company?Answer: Working for a startup or small company can be incredibly exciting and rewarding. At the same time, it’s even more important to do your due diligence when considering a job offer at a smaller firm, especially if you’re making a move from a larger corporation. Small firms tend to be more vulnerable to market forces, so you want to make sure you know what you’re getting into and believe in the company’s potential. You should also be prepared to make do with less infrastructure and fewer resources. Even senior managers tend to pitch in where needed and wear multiple hats at smaller companies. And make sure you do your homework on your CEO. The leader sets the tone for a small company and often determines success or failure.
Question: Is it true that if you “do what you love, the money will come”?Answer: Yes and no. Job satisfaction is a wonderful thing, but it doesn’t magically pay your bills. However, people are more successful and often make more money in the long term in work that they love. One of the key reasons is that you work a whole lot harder when you’re passionate about what you’re doing.

Read the whole interview on Guy’s blog

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Creativity and Education

Posted on May 7, 2009
Filed Under Ken Robinson on creativity, TED presentation, creativity expert | Leave a Comment

Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we’re educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence. ( source: TED.com )

Kleiner’s Laws

Posted on May 6, 2009
Filed Under Kleiner's Laws | Leave a Comment

Eugene Kleiner created Kleiner Perkins, one of the most successful venture capital firms known for backing ventures like google, Sun Microsystems, Amazon and AOL. Kleiner was known for his business wisdom often referred to as “Kleiner’s Laws.”

Here are some of the favorites:

• Make sure the dog wants to eat the dog food. No matter how ground-breaking a new technology, how large a potential market, make certain customers actually want it.

• Build one business at a time. Most business plans are overly ambitious. Concentrate on being successful in one endeavor first.

• The time to take the tarts is when they’re being passed. If an environment is right for funding, go for it. Eugene, more than anyone, knew that venture capital goes in cycles.

• The problem with most companies is they don’t know what business they’re in.

• Even turkeys can fly in a high wind. In times of strong economies, even bad companies can look good.

• It’s easier to get a piece of an existing market than to create a new one.

• It’s difficult to see the picture when you’re inside the frame.

• After learning some of the tricks of the trade, some people think they know the trade. This reflected some of Eugene’s own humility; he recognized that many venture capitalists thought they were experts when they had just a bit of knowledge.

• Venture capitalists will stop at nothing to copy success.

• Invest in people, not just products. Eugene always respected founding entrepreneurs. He wanted to build companies with them not just with their ideas.

Posted via email from Jay’s posterous

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Top 100 Blogs For Small-Business Cost Cutting Inspiration

Posted on May 6, 2009
Filed Under useful blogs, useful small business blogs | 2 Comments

In this economy, everyone’s looking for ways to cut down, and small businesses are no exception. One of the best ways to save money in business is to examine your annual expenses and consider how you can decrease those costs. Thankfully, there are some pretty amazing resources to help you figure out new ways to do just that. Check out what we consider to be the top 100 blogs for resources and inspiration to cutting your small business costs in 2009:

General Business Finance

Learn more about business finance from these blogs.

Startups.co.uk Money Blog: The writings in this blog will help you avoid cashflow headaches, deal with taxes and more.
Rosemary’s Business Finance Blog: Read Rosemary Peavler’s About.com business finance blog for great advice on cost cutting, effective finance and more.
Shoestring Smarts: Shoestring Smarts will help you learn how to build and operate a successful business on a limited budget.
Mostly Economics: Mostly Economics is full of helpful Indian economic and business research that can help you cut your costs.
Pakdi: Pakdi’s blog discusses layoffs, money, business, and more in Malaysia.
Young Professional Finance Blog: Get great ideas for finance from this blog that highlights young professionals.
Freakonomics: Read this blog to learn interesting concepts in business economics.
Lion and Gun: In The Lion and Gun, you’ll find news, philosophy and more related to politics, business and finance.
Wallstrip: This blog highlights company stocks at their height, and examines the reasons why that company is doing so well.
Art of Money: Learn more about business finance through this blog about online business.
SpendMatters: In this blog, you’ll find practical advice for spend management.
AL6400: Alan Yu’s blog is all about making and saving money in your business.
Maver Management: Maver Management Group offers advice and information for cost cutting, profit, and more.
Money Talks: In this blog aggregator, you’ll find some of the best posts for business finance and cost cutting.
Business in General: Read this blog to get insight and advice into business finance, growth, and more.

Accounting

Effective accounting can help you find money, so get a few tips and ideas from these business accounting blogs.

Basic Accounting: Use the advice in this blog to learn how to use accounting to make your business finance situation better.
Accounting Observer: Jack Ciesielski’s blog is all about accounting, investment, and finance.
re: The Auditors: This blog focuses on business finance problems.
Samarak: Samarak offers useful advice, tips and news for small business accounting.
Sox First: Read this blog for insight into Sarbanes-Oxley, management, compliance, and more.

News

Stay informed about the world that affects your business, and you’ll be able to make better decisions about what to cut and what to keep.

Dealbreaker: Dealbreaker highlights business news and financial gossip, pointing out mistakes from other companies that you can learn from.
Curious Capitalist: The blog offers commentary on markets, the economy, and business.
Traders Trade: Stay updated on the latest in business and financial news through this blog.

Business Inspiration

Get inspired to cut costs and improve your business with the inspiration found in these blogs.

Small Business Trends: Get inspiration for building a financially stable business from this blog.
Business Pundit: Drea Knufken’s blog discusses smart business.
The Entrepreneurial Mind: Dr. Jeff Cornwall’s blog will help you learn more about financial management and more.
Freelance Switch: This blog for freelancers can help you learn how to cut costs and build a better freelance business.
Small Biz Survival: In this small business resource, you’ll learn about focusing on income producing activities, smart marketing strategies, and more.
Freelance Folder: Freelance Folder offers wisdom for working efficiently and cutting costs as a freelancer.
Small Business Blog: Through this blog, you can learn how to make financial efficiency of marketing, managing and growing your business.

Business Resources

Use these blogs to find low cost or free business resources that you can take advantage of.

Small Business Mole: Make use of this blog to find money-saving business resources.
Small Business CEO: Small Business CEO is all about resources and knowledge for small business CEOs.
Fresh Inc.: In Fresh Inc.’s blog, you’ll find lots of useful business resources that can help you save money.
Entrepreneur.com: This blog can help you learn smart strategies for a slow economy, find money saving business resources, and more.
YoungEntrepreneur: YoungEntrepreneur highlights creative and often low cost ideas for startups, and provides regular advice for business cost savings.
Invoice Factoring Blog: Read this blog to get great ideas in invoice factoring and more.
Mind Petals: In this group, you’ll find creative entrepreneurial activities that can help save your business money.
Business Idea of the Day: Get new business ideas every day from this blog.
Neville’s Financial Blog: Neville’s Financial Blog highlights low cost, successful business ideas.
Dorm Room Biz: On the Dorm Room Biz blog, you’ll find out tips for bootstrapping and creating a successful business on a dorm room budget.
How to Change the World: Guy Kawasaki offers wisdom on bootstrapping, venture capital and other creative funding ideas.
Biz Plan Hacks: Use these business plan hacks to run your business smarter.
Open Innovators: Open Innovators offers a variety of great ideas for business finance, including crowdfunding.

Startup

These blogs offer cost cutting and business building advice specifically for startups and growing businesses.

Up and Running: This blog from Entrepreneur will help you learn how to start your business and establish healthy finances for it.
FastUpFront: The FastUpFront business blog offers advice for staying out of debt, avoiding bank loan mistakes and more.
College-Startup: College-Startup offers great advice for reinvesting your profits, making business work on a dime and more.
StartupNation: Read this group blog to get great advice on starting your business on the right financial foot.
Noobpreneur: Here you’ll find plenty of cost cutting ideas and business inspiration.
Inspired Business Growth: Wendy Piersall’s blog focuses on entrepreneurial finance in the growth stage.
The Vest Pocket Consultant: Through Rosalind Resnick’s blog, you can learn how to effectively grow your small business without breaking the bank.

Frugality

Get inspiration for running a frugal operation with the help of these blogs.

Young and Frugal: Employ these frugal ideas for millenials in the way you conduct business.
Principled Profit: Read Principled Profit to get guidance on being frugal and ethical.
Frugal Hacks: Frugal Hacks will help you be more frugal in business, and use smart ideas to save more money.
Being Frugal: This blog will give you great guidance for being frugal, even when starting your own business.
Frugal Freelancer: This freelancer blogs about saving money and being frugal.
Festival of Frugality: This carnival blog will help you learn how to pinch pennies in business and beyond.

Business & Personal

These blogs offer a mix of personal finance, business, and entrepreneurship.

I Will Teach You to Be Rich: Ramit Sethi’s blog is full of pearls of wisdom for low cost, productive business.
Get Rich Slowly: Get Rich Slowly offers great personal finance advice that can be applied to business, as well as entrepreneur resources.
Mint: The Mint blog will help you learn how to reduce your personal and business expenses.
Consumerism Commentary: Flexo offers advice for frugality and smart money management.
FiveCentNickel: Five Cent Nickel has inspiration for cost cutting in personal and business finance.
WalletPop: WalletPop offers great advice for managing your personal and business finances.
Blueprint for Financial Prosperity: This personal finance blog can help inspire you to be more frugal with your business finances.
Personal Business & Finance Blog: This blog promises to provide you with answers to all of your finance problems in business and beyond.
Simplenomics: The Simplenomics blog will inspire you so simplify your entire business, including your business finances.

Cost & Supply Management

Cut down on costs in your raw materials and more with the help of these blogs.

Better Projects: Read this blog to learn about project cost management and more.
Expense Management: Expense Management will help you learn how to reduce your business costs.
Online Outloud: Read this non-conformist business blog for advice on cost management and beyond.
Expense Solution Blog: Read this blog to find solutions to expense management and more.
360 Vendor Management: This blog advocated vendor management so that you can get the most out of your vendor money.
Buyer Analytics: Use the advice in this blog to learn how you can make procurement more affordable.
Purchasing Transformation: This blog will help you meet challenges in supply chain and purchasing to save money.
The China Sourcing Blog: Learn more about using China sources to cut costs through this blog.
Supply Excellence: This blog will help you find strategies for cost saving in supply management.
TEMptation: With this telecom expense management blog, you’ll learn about a variety of ideas for expense management in telecoms and beyond.
E-Sourcing Forum: Read this blog to find out how you can attain success in supply and spend management.
Vendor Management: In this vendor management blog, you’ll find great information about improving relationships with your vendors to save money.
Effortless HR: Read Effortless HR to learn about payroll expense management and more.
Consumerist: This blog will help you consider your role as a business consumer, and learn how to get more value out of your purchases and interactions with suppliers.
Credit Card Processing and Merchant Account Services: This blog will help you better understand how to use credit card processing and merchant accounts, and can help you figure out how to save money on these expenses.
The Business Finance Blog: Here you’ll find out about business loans, alternative financing and more for small businesses.
Maximum Business Credit: This blog offers great information for financing your business in an affordable way.
VC Freak: In this blog, you’ll learn all about venture capiral news, startup funding, lending, and more.
MSBCHQ: MSBCHQ offers great advice about business credit and credit services.
Venture Chronicles: Through Jeff Nolan’s blog, you’ll get great insight into venture capital, finance, and more.
Commercial Finance Zone: Get help with commercial finance by following the advice on this blog.
The 21st Century Supply Chain: Get interesting ideas and perspectives on supply chain management through this blog.
Procurement Blog: This blog will help you make sense of procurement and better understand how to save money in the process.

Marketing & Customer Service

Learn how to make better use of your marketing dollars with help from these bloggers.

Startups.co.uk Marketing Blog: This blog offers a variety of useful topics on marketing that can help you save money and reach your audience more effectively.
Solo Business Marketing: This blog has great ideas and inspiration for effetctive and low cost marketing.
Basic Marketing: Read this blog to learn the basics of effective marketing, so you can better use your marketing budget.
Heart of Business: Heart of Business will help you design your business to make your customer happy.
Matt’s Creative Advertising Blog: In this blog, you’ll find excellent ideas and resources for creative advertising.
What About the Mailbox with No SPAM in It?: This blog explains how to make your marketing efforts more effective for your money.
Schipul Blog: Get smart and creative marketing thoughts from the Schipul Blog.
Marketing Genius: Maple Creative’s blog offers marketing tips and more to help you succeed with less money.
Duct Tape Marketing: Read this blog to learn about effective marketing ideas that are also affordable.

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Mae Jemison: Vision for teaching arts and sciences — together

Posted on May 6, 2009
Filed Under Mae Jemison, arts and sciences, getting ready for conceptual age | Leave a Comment

Benjamin Zander: on Music and Passion

Posted on May 5, 2009
Filed Under Benjamin Zander, Music and Passion | Leave a Comment

Los Angeles United Film Festival

Posted on May 1, 2009
Filed Under LA United Film Festival | Leave a Comment

For more info, click here

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15 second Pitch: Interview with Laura Allen

Posted on April 20, 2009
Filed Under 15 second pitch, 4entrepreneur Interview, interview with Laura Allen | 2 Comments

As an entrepreneur, making that first impression is crucial. I recently saw this survey posted on 15secondpitch.com that caught my attention. According to Jim Convery at 15secondpitch.com, ” 69% of 2505 professionals said they have trouble explaining what they do, and/or feel uncomfortable pitching themselves. And, of three groups with a strong need for effective self-promotion, over one-third said they hate going to networking events and/or do not have unique business cards.”

Laura is the co-founder of 15secondpitch and has been featured in number of publications and television shows, including ABC News. Here is an exclusive 4entrepreneur interview with Laura Allen

4entrepreneur: What is a 15SecondPitch?

Laura Allen: The 15SecondPitch is a clear, concise and compelling way to explain who you are and what you do in just 15 seconds. We live in a very exciting time when people are also extremely busy. If you don’t grab their attention in the first 15 seconds, you’ve lost them for good.

4entrepreneur: What motivated you to come up with this idea?

LA: What I noticed in 2002, when my partner Jim Convery and I started the business was that many people had a lot of trouble answering the question, “So, what do you do?” Over the years, I found that the people who were great at networking and connecting with others were the people who always had a great job, they never had to look for more clients and they generally had a much easier time making things happen for themselves. I realized that most of my peers were having trouble landing a job and the 15SecondPitch helps with that!

4entrepreneur: What is the secret to developing a powerful & effective pitch?

LA: We walk people through the 4 Key Steps of creating a great 15SecondPitch using a tool we developed called the Pitch Wizard. Your users can see this for themselves by clicking the link in “Box # 2” on our homepage. I’ve met a lot of people who don’t like networking, so I figured if we made it easier to answer this question, we’d make it easier for people to relax and have a better time at networking events. I know that I used to struggle every time someone asked me what I did for a living, because I used to give the “Jack of All Trades” pitch where I would tell you everything I’d ever done in my life. That was exhausting for me, and especially for the people who had to listen to it!

4entrepreneur: What are some of the differences in strategy when it comes to developing a15SecondPitch for a large corporation versus for an individual entrepreneur?

LA: When I work with individuals, I am entirely focused on helping them achieve their goals. Sometimes they need to find a new job, so we craft a pitch and individual marketing strategy that helps them achieve that. When I work with small business owners, we usually focus on making more sales. When I work with a large corporation, the pitches are still highly individualized, however, I also need to make sure that the pitches follow standard corporate message guidelines. “Corporate” pitches can be very successful!! Imagine if you worked at one of the top Wall Street firms or one of the most creative ad agencies? These companies have spent billions of dollars on making sure people know about them. Then, when you meet someone who works there, they get to talk about What Makes Them the Best at what they do, in the context of working for a large company that most people have heard of.

4entrepreneur: How do you measure the effectiveness of your pitch?

LA: First, ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish with this pitch?” Do you want to take the VP of marketing to lunch because you’d like to work at his or her company in the future? Do you want to meet new and interesting people to expand your social and professional network? Do you want to make more cold calls during the day? Do you want to make more sales or attract more clients? Figure out exactly what you’d like to happen and then craft your pitch. You also need to actually go out and TEST your pitch. Do people understand what you do? Are they excited about talking to you? Do they seem to be running for the exits? Pay attention to how people are responding to you, and tweak your pitch accordingly.

4entrepreneur: Do you recommend any free resources online for entrepreneurs - to prepare an effective pitch on their own?

LA: I always recommend the 15SecondPitch.com Pitch Wizard, of course! It’s a great way to get your started with your pitch. I recommend that people go test out their pitch at a local Meetup http://www.meetup.com group. There are so many excellent meetup groups all over the country and many of them are free. This is a great low-risk way to see how your pitch works.

4entrepreneur: For entrepreneurs and businesses who are interested in seeking professional services from your company, how can they contact you? What are some of the types of services that you and/or your company offer?

LA: The best way to reach me is via email at: laura@15SecondPitch.com. I spend a lot of time on the phone doing 90 minute sessions with my clients, so I am able to respond to people much faster via email. We’re doing a great promotion now called the Entrepreneur’s Package:

http://www.15secondpitch.com/entrepreneur

For people who want a “pay as you go” option, I offer $149. phone sessions. We’ll also be releasing a series of information products shortly and also offering a series of teleseminars.

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East LA International Youth Film Festival

Posted on April 19, 2009
Filed Under East LA International Youth Film Festival | Leave a Comment

For more info, click here,

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Turning your passion into a successful career: J.J. Abrams

Posted on April 17, 2009
Filed Under J.J. Abrams, Turning your passion into a successful career | 1 Comment

“As the Emmy-winning creator of the smart, addictive TV dramas Lost, Alias and Felicity, J.J. Abrams’ name looms large on the small screen. As the writer/director behind the blockbuster explode-a-thon Mission: Impossible III, the upcoming Cloverfield and the next Star Trek movie, these days Abrams also rules the big screen — bringing his eye for telling detail and emotional connection to larger-than-life stories.

Abrams’ enthusiasm — for the construction of Kleenex boxes, for the quiet moments between shark attacks in Jaws, for today’s filmmaking technologies, and above all for the potent mystery of an unopened package — is incredibly infectious.”

- Ted.com

“As a boy, JJ Abrams was fascinated with magic. As a television writer, director, and producer, he has beguiled audiences with a masterful use of suspense, plot reversals, and special effects.”

SBA Goes Green With Loans for Small Businesses

Posted on April 15, 2009
Filed Under SBA loans, SBDC | 2 Comments

By Vocus/PRWeb, on Thursday, 05 February 2009

Small business owners thinking of incorporating green technologies at their facilities are now eligible to borrow more money to make it happen. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is now offering special financing to small business entrepreneurs who go green through their SBA 504 Loan Program.

(Vocus/PRWEB ) February 5, 2009 — The SBA 504 Loan Program has been assisting small business entrepreneurs for over 25 years by providing fixed rate, long-term financing for the purchase, construction and renovation of commercial real estate. SBA 504 loans provide a source of long term capital with typically only a 10% down payment from the small business borrower. The rest of the financing is arranged by a Certified Development Company (CDC) securing an SBA 504 loan for up to 40% of the project costs and a lender providing the remaining 50% of the project funding.

The maximum amount of an SBA 504 loan is normally $1.5 million unless a project meets a specific public policy goal such as assisting a business in a rural area or a minority, veteran or woman-owned business. If a project meets a public policy goal, then the SBA 504 loan can go higher. The good news is that as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Congress added three new public policy goals to the SBA 504 Loan Program to assist businesses willing to invest in going green.

For existing small businesses wishing to purchase or construct facilities incorporating energy saving technologies or retrofit existing facilities resulting in a 10% decrease in energy consumption, they are now eligible to obtain SBA financing of up to $4 million for the project. The total cost of a “green project” can go as high as $9 million using the new public policy goal since the $4 million cap on the SBA 504 loan represents only 40% of the project cost. Some of the most common ways to achieve a 10% decrease in energy consumption now include improved insulation and lighting, improved HVAC, energy efficient windows and a number of other design features. New energy conservation technologies continue to be developed to make buildings and businesses more energy efficient so even more options will no doubt become available in the future.

In addition, small businesses generating renewable energy such as solar, biomass, hydropower, ocean thermal, geothermal and wind are also eligible to finance their real estate purchase or construction project with up to $4 million from the SBA 504 loan program. Generating renewable energy does not need to be the company’s primary business activity, just a method of meeting its own energy needs. Projects in any industry could, for example, purchase solar panels for their own use and qualify for an SBA 504 loan of up to $4 million.

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Silicon Valley going through Innovation crisis?

Posted on April 13, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

By Steve Hamm

Transmeta Corp. (TMTA) once embodied the Silicon Valley dream. Starting in 1995, the company raised more than $300 million in a nervy bid to reinvent the market for chips powering portable computers. Yet Transmeta struggled in recent years, and the grand hopes officially ended on Nov. 17, when the Santa Clara (Calif.) company agreed to be acquired by a little-known rival. In the empty lobby of the company’s headquarters shortly before the sale was announced, a note on the reception desk told visitors to call an extension and “ask for Mary Anne.” Incoming and outgoing mail bins on the wall were both empty.

Meteoric rises and catastrophic collapses are the norm in Silicon Valley, of course. It’s all part of the process of creative destruction that’s one of the Valley’s strengths. But for some tech industry veterans Transmeta’s fall is a lesson in how dramatically things have changed in the information technology capital. Venture firms are shying away from the kind of large and risky bets they made in the 1990s, and some experts say a company like Transmeta could never get off the ground today. “If it takes more than $100 million to get a company started, you probably can’t get the returns VCs want,” says Navin Chaddha, managing director of Mayfield Fund, which has backed standouts such as Compaq Computer and Genentech. The venture model for capital-intensive companies is “broken,” he says.

Venture capitalists’ taste for risk has changed for a number of reasons, including the difficulty of taking tech companies public or selling them for lucrative paydays. The result is that venture firms are putting much less money into tech startups than in the past, and the money they do invest goes into less expensive, less risky deals, including social networking startups such as Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and Digg. These so-called Web 2.0 companies are creating exciting new forms of socialization, information sharing, and entertainment. But some of the Valley’s old guard are skeptical they’ll grow big and important enough to deliver sizable productivity gains for business and the nation or to produce an upswell in new core technologies. Today’s startups “give us refinements, not breakthroughs,” says Andy Grove, former chief executive of Intel (INTC).

RESEARCH CUTBACKS

Startups and venture capital are just part of the issue. Federal funding of advanced computer science and electrical engineering research has dropped off sharply since the late 1990s, as has the number of Americans pursuing computer science degrees. And large technology companies are putting less emphasis on basic research in favor of development work with quicker payoffs. “We’re off-balance. Everybody is thinking short-term,” warns Judy Estrin, former chief technology officer at networking giant Cisco Systems (CSCO). She just came out with a book, Closing the Innovation Gap, that’s a call to arms for the U.S. technology sector.

For more than 40 years, Silicon Valley has been the world’s most prolific laboratory for information technology innovation. But Estrin, Grove, and others are growing concerned that the vitality of the Valley, and, indeed, that of the entire U.S. tech industry, is at risk. That could have huge consequences for the future of American productivity, job growth, and national competitiveness. These problems have been brewing for years, but they’ve been amplified by the economic downturn.

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Resources for Freelancers

Posted on April 12, 2009
Filed Under resource for freelancers | 4 Comments

by Sean P. Aune ( from mashable.com )

Deciding to become a freelance worker can be a scary proposition. Sure there is an allure to picking what projects you work on, but it can also be stressful not knowing where your next paycheck will come from. Luckily there are numerous resources out there that not only help you find more work, but also loads of tools to help you do your job more efficiently with a professional edge.

We’ve gathered over 85 tools and job sites for a variety of freelancers and web workers. While a lot of these items are focused on web design elements such as photography, programming and writing, we made sure to include something for everyone.

Have more resources to recommend? Tell us about them in the comments.

Work Tools

It’s important for freelance workers to be as organized as possible. After all, it’s up to you to track your time, individual projects, create your own invoices, and more. There are tons of great tools to simplify this for you. For example, GetHarvest.com can help you keep track of your time spent on projects in differing locations, and Zoho Invoices can help you create professional looking invoices to send to clients.

Adobe AIR Apps

AgileTracker - Allows you to keep track of time spent on projects by client, and if you are using AgileAgenda, you can sync them with each other.Google Calendar Invoice Creator - Allows you to use Google Calendar as a way to keep track of your hours and then import that data into this app to automatically generate invoices.Klok - Klok allows you to easily keep track of your time spent on multiple projects. You can easily start and stop tracking by just clicking a button for each project. You’re able to generate multiple reports based off of this information.Ora Time and Expense - Ora allows you to track expenses, keep a list of your tasks, run a timer on your tasks and more.Sundial - Keeps track of time spent on multiple projects & clients and allows you to generate reports based on any time period.Timeloc - Offers multiple features such as running several clients with different billing rates per account, setting different timing intervals, audible alerts and much more.

Vertabase Timer - You can track time on projects for various clients and then export that data to other systems so you can generate reports and invoices.

Invoicing

BillMyClients.com - Has import & export capabilities, allows you to save invoices locally at any time, HTML customization for better branding, recurring invoicing, PayPal integration and other features.Blinksale.com - Create invoices from their templates, or you can use your own CSS to custom design one of your own. Also allows you to import clients from Basecamp, create tags for better organization, set up recurring invoices and more.CannyBill.com - CannyBill can help you accept credit cards, export data to QuickBooks, automate invoicing and late payment notices and a host of other tools.CitrusBill.com - You can automate late payment notices as well as customize the look and feel of your invoices while managing all of your payments.CurdBee.com - A simple and straightforward invoicing solution that also integrates with PayPal and Google Checkout.Endeve.com - Endeve allows you to customize invoices, import clients from Outlook, track which clients owe you money and a whole lot more.

Fluttervoice.co.uk - A UK-based invoicing service that allows you to generate new invoices and keep track of your payments. Your clients can also login to see all of their invoices with you at a glance.

FreeAgentCentral.com - Helps you to invoice your clients, keep track of billing, prepare your taxes, and more. Focused on freelancers in the UK.

FreshBooks.com - FreshBooks allows you to automate late payment reminders, track your time and expenses, customize the look of your tools for a full branded experience and more.

GoToBilling.com - Get paid from an emailed invoice, keep track of your clients, use marketing tools to gain new ones and more.

InLattice.net - Give your clients web access to their invoices and receive confirmation that your customer has viewed an invoice. InLattice integrates with major online payment systems and other tools.

InvoiceJournal.com - InvoiceJournal allows you to send invoices for free via email or print them out to be sent by snail mail. Also allows you to use multiple currencies.

InvoiceMachine.com - Customize your invoices with logos and colors, use their built-in timer to track your billable hours, create PDFs of your invoices and more.

InvoicePlace.com - InvoicePlace lets you send invoices, track all payments, generate reports, export to Word & Excel and more.

Invoicera.com - Invoicera offers you several time saving features such as automatic repeating invoices for frequent clients, integration with multiple payment gateways, printing, management and more.

InvoicesMadeEasy.com - This service allows you to email or physically mail invoices yourself, or you can pay as little as a $1.00 each to have them mail invoices for you. Offers all of the usual features to boot.Invotrak.com - Allows you to track your time sheets, generate invoices, see who has paid you, generate various reports to see how you are performing and more.LiteAccounting.com - Create invoices you can send via email, save them as PDFs, set up recurring invoices, and more features.SimplyBill.com - Save your invoices as PDFs, create quotes for work that you can later convert to invoices, get alerted when an invoice is overdue and numerous other features.SimplyInvoices.com - SimplyInvoices integrates with the Basecamp API to give you full integration with your account and allow for easy invoicing based on your Basecamp activities.Winkbill.com - Set up recurring billing, export invoices as PDFs, accept payments via PayPal, multiple templates to choose from and more features.

Zoho Invoices - The popular Zoho online office suite has an invoicing feature that can be used for free for a few invoices a month, but you’ll have to pay if you have numerous payment requests to make. Allows you to import and export data, set up templates, set up recurring billing and more.

Time Tracking

GetHarvest.com - Harvest offers pricing plans from free to premium, but offers an amazing array of platform integrations such as iPhone, Basecamp, Beanstalk, a WordPress plugin and more. Offers both time tracking and invoicing.MyClientSpot.com - Helps you keep track of your billable hours, staying organized, tracking leads and numerous other features.Tickspot.com - Allows you to keep track of your time spent on a project and even see how close you are to using up your client’s allotted budget. Also offers a free iPhone application.Time59.com - Keep track of your time and expenses and generate invoices that you can send to your clients.TimeIQ.com - Keep track of your billable hours. Allows for exporting of data, generating reports at your own specified intervals, and several more features.Toggl.com - Toogl allows you to manually keep track of your time or use their timer. They also offer both an online version or a Windows-based download that you can use on your desktop.

Miscellaneous Tools

Bizzvo.com - Allows you to import contacts, keep to-do lists, take notes, log phone calls with clients, create invoices and more.Cashboard -A Basecamp compatible tool that allows you to use Mac OSX, Windows and iPhone applications to update your customers on projects, send invoices, accept payments and more.CreativeProOffice.com - CreativePro Office allows you to manage your clients, projects, tasks, invoicing and more all in one easy web application.FreelanceSwitch.com Rates Calculator - Have no clue what you should be charging for your hourly rate as a freelancer? This rates calculator asks you a series of questions about your working situation, how much you want to make and so on, and then gives you a suggestion of how much to charge per hour.Homecourtx.com - Gives you a customer management system as well as the ability to pass files back and forth and invoice.SimplifyThis.com - SimplifyThis is both an appointment book for keeping track of your meetings, and any of those that might be billable, as well as a full invoicing service with payment gateway integrations.

Job Listings & Opportunities

So you’ve got the tools to do your job, but do you have the work to do? Photographers have tons of places like iStockphoto where they can open an account and sell their images with little to no hassle. For writers there are places such as Helium.com, where you can write any time you’d like, on any subject. While places like FreelanceWriting.com will help you find steadier work. And if you’re a programmer, there are sites like GetAFreelancer.com, where it seems people will always need workers for more highly technical jobs.

Freelance Photography

123rf.com - 123 Royalty Free pays you a 50% commission on downloaded images, and also allows you to earn money for referring subscribers and new photographers alike.BigStockPhoto.com - BigStockPhoto pays you between $.50 and $3.00 per download for your photos, and even higher for special requests.Dreamstime.com - Photographers can place their images here for a sale and receive between 50% and 80% commission.Fotolia.com - Commissions range from 33% to 64% depending on your exclusivity and your ranking based on the total number of downloads you’ve sold.FreelancePhotoJobs.com - Find all sorts of freelance photography jobs for magazines, weddings, websites and more.ImageCatalog.com - Depending on licensing, ImageCatalog pays photographers anywhere from $.40 to $40.00 per download.

iStockphoto - Photographers can earn from 20 - 40% commissions on each photo they sell through this royalty free site. (Disclosure: Mashable has a partnership with iStockphoto)

PhotoStockPlus.com - You can earn commissions up to 85% with a 3.25% processing fee for both photos you sell as well as products you put your images on such as mugs and other products.

Shutterstock.com - Shutterstock pays a flat rate of $.25 a download and increases it to $.30 per download when you hit $500 in a pay period. You can also earn commissions for referring others to the service.

Freelance Programmers & Web Designers

DesignQuote.net - Potential clients with design and graphic art work post jobs that freelancers can browse through and post bids on to win contracts.FreelanceAuction.com - Allows you to bid on listed jobs for all aspects of programming and design. Numerous listings for Web coding and design work such as logos.GetAFreelancer.com - Focused on a wide selection of computer related work from basic site design to developing full sites for Joomla, OsCommerce, WordPress and more.LimeExchange.com - Offers jobs that freelancers can bid on, and then you can continue to use the service to check in with one another throughout the lifespan of the project.oDesk.com - A marketplace for freelancers to meet up with clients and look for work. Clients can leave ratings and reviews for any freelancers they hire to help them get future work.ozLance.com.au - Focused on Australia, ozLance has listings for Web development, content writing, audio/visual work and more.

Project4Hire.com - Contractors post technical programming or blogging jobs they have available and freelancers bid for the work.

RentACoder.com - Has thousands of open coding projects and a newsletter you can subscribe to so that you receive daily notifications of new projects as they come available.

ScriptLance.com - ScriptLance focuses heavily on programming assignments, but also features some listings for blog content creation.

SearchWebJobs.com - A job site focused on Web related jobs with a section dedicated to freelance engagements that indicate if you must live near the office or if you can work from anywhere.

Freelance Writers

BloggerJobs.biz - Numerous blogging jobs from all different styles of blogs that range from freelance to full-time.FreelancePortfolios.com -A resource allowing writers to set up portfolios to show off their work and skills to potential employers. Also has some job listings for people looking for work.FreelanceWriting.com - FreelanceWriting.com features a mixture of articles and resources to help people break into freelance writing, and also offers some job listings and links to other resources.Helium.com - While not so much freelance writing as writing “on spec,” you are free to write articles on any subject and then you can earn revenue from a portion of their advertising sales related to your articles.Jobs.ProBlogger.net - A jobs board over at the well known ProBlogger for freelance and full-time bloggers looking for work.JournalismJobs.com - Features job listings for blogs, newspapers, magazines, newswires and other forms of print and online media.

Online-Writing-Jobs.com - Offers all sorts of freelance writing job listings for magazines, reviews, resume writing, blogs and more.

Suite101.com - Freelance writers of all stripes can write articles on just about any subject of their choice and get paid a share of the advertising for the entire life of the article.

WritersWeekly.com - A weekly ezine dedicated to freelance writing that features articles and some listings for jobs.

WritingBids.com - A site that allows various online and offline publishers to post writing gigs that freelancers can bid on in an attempt to win.

WritingCareer.com - Features listings of freelance writing jobs as well as guides and advice for aspiring writers.

Miscellaneous Freelancers

AllFreelanceWork.com - AllFreelanceWork offers a support community as well as a jobs board for people looking for work in web design, sales, marketing and more.Amazon Mechanical Turk - Run by Amazon.com, Mechanical Turk offers all sorts of quick freelance work from simple things such as doing searches for Creative Commons licensed photography to writing full articles for web sites.BizReef.com - Contractors post their jobs and freelancers bid on the work in a number of fields such as graphic design, marketing, photography and more.ContractedWork.com - Businesses needing work done post their projects and then freelancers can bid for the work. Has a heavy concentration on web site related work, but does also have listings for other fields.Elance.com -A well known freelancing website with just about every type of job you can think of from high end coding projects to engineering, finance, copy writing and a lot more. Freelancers can set up profile pages listing all of their skills and what services they offer.FreelanceJobs.org - Freelancers can set up a profile explaining their background while employers can post jobs for computer workers, Web designers, writers, translators and many more fields.

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What one CEO looks for in resumes

Posted on April 11, 2009
Filed Under resume | Leave a Comment

“Life,” William James once said, “is in the transitions.” He wasn’t talking about weddings and graduations, but the lonely moments before, when a decision still hangs in the balance, and irrelevant details are so vivid that they’ll stick in your mind for years to come: the melted-plastic smell of a U-Haul cab; the iron sound of a public mailbox swinging shut; a paper hospital cup; a flight of stairs; a metal door-knob; a sealed envelope.

“What Are You Typing There, Wes?”
Perhaps the most terrifying transition is the one between jobs. It embarrasses us all. I still remember, at 22, printing my resume in Kinko’s after midnight so no one would see me doing it. The resume felt like a letter to Kafka’s Castle: What is it, I always wondered, that these people want?

The answer, I fervently believed, was parchment-colored stock. While I picked out resume paper that was probably designed for D&D scrolls, my twin brother Wes – our mom told him to go with me for moral support — got on a clacky IBM Selectric and filled a page with the sentence “I am the Anti-Christ.”

We were caught out by a lovely, deeply Christian high-school classmate who had once asked me to a dance but was now coming into Kinko’s to get last-minute brunch inserts printed for her wedding. She learned I was unemployed & living with my parents. Then she changed the subject: “What are you typing there Wes?”

Premature Obituaries
Now when a friend sends over a resume for proofreading, which happens nearly every week these days, I remember how completely defenseless I felt at that moment.

Resumes are horrible documents, premature and unsentimental obituaries: our lives are rarely reduced to such a small number of facts. And writing a resume is a balancing act between feeling outrageously boastful and unimpressive. Some, like Seth Godin, have questioned whether you should even have a resume. I know many people who take whatever dreadful job happens their way just to avoid writing one.

That’s silly. No one has much experience preparing a resume, but it isn’t that hard: you just have to get out of the way of yourself so your accomplishments can speak for themselves. Having reviewed thousands of resumes, I now have a better idea of what the folks in Kafka’s Castle like to see:

Here’s What I Like:

A direct style: use blunt, short words. Most resumes are scanned, not read.
Looks: like a middle-aged man’s apartment. Nice and tidy.
Objective: be direct; your objective is the job you’re applying for.
Verbs ending in “d”: shipped, launched, built, sold.
Results: not responsibilities or experience — but what responsibilities and experience helped you accomplish.
Bullets: 3 – 4 results per job.
Numbers: traffic from Google 230%, ¯ ad spending 40%.
Grades: your GPA, even if it was ten years ago, if it’s over 3.5.
Reviews: ratings from your last review, especially useful for Microsofties
Honors: we’ll interview an employee-of-the-quarter, every time.
Promotions: if your role changes, highlight that as two jobs.
LinkedIn endorsements: persuasive, even from your friends.
A Link to Your Blog: a blog gives you online street cred. For some, it is your resume.
Themes: whether you care about customer service or agile software, tell a consistent story from job to job.
Hobbies: I always want to meet people with fun hobbies. And that’s all a resume is: a request for a meeting. At Plumtree, we received a resume from a Playboy model. A colleague forwarded it to me with a note reading, “I’ve never asked you for anything before…” I feel the same way about cyclists.
Two page-max: if you’re under 30, one page.
Anything you did that showed initiative or passion. Eagle Scout. Math Olympics.
Email to the CEO: it takes chutzpah & resourcefulness to go straight to the top.
Customization: tailor your resume & especially the cover letter to the job.
Completed degrees: I’ve hired plenty of folks a few credits shy of a degree. Some were great; many couldn’t finish what they started. If you have time now, finish your degree.
Gmail address: or your own domain. Nothing says “totally out of it” like an AOL address.

Here’s What I Don’t Like:

Churn: stints at 2 or more employers of less than 2 years.
List of generic skills: just show what you actually accomplished at each job.
Typos or misspellings: About half the resumes I get are addressed to “RedFin.” For the other words, spell-check!
Photos: my favorite was of a candidate in tennis whites with a racket.
“Proven”: as in “proven leadership.” We all still have something to prove.
Printed resumes: email a Word document, web page or PDF.
Buzzwords: search bots love it, actual people don’t.