Wednesday 28 November 2012

Business Tips: 8 Qualities of Fearless Entrepreneurs

Business Tips: 8 Qualities of Fearless Entrepreneurs: 8 Qualities of Fearless Entrepreneurs You know the type: They do things other business owners only dream of doing--and usually succeed. H...

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Business Tips: Why I--a Serial Entrepreneur--Voted for Obama

Business Tips: Why I--a Serial Entrepreneur--Voted for Obama: Why I--a Serial Entrepreneur--Voted for Obama The 2012 presidential election promises to be a close one. As a small business owner, I sup...

8 Qualities of Fearless Entrepreneurs

You know the type: They do things other business owners only dream of doing--and usually succeed. Here's what sets them apart.

National Geographic/Getty Images

"In my office, the term badass is thrown around a lot," says Dr. Shelley Provost, a partner and director of happiness of the venture incubator Lamp Post Group. "We use it to describe many things: a person's performance or accomplishments or ability to close a sale or turn a profit, or how well they ask someone out on a date--basically their overall potential for awesomeness."
These are the qualities that Provost says set true business badasses apart:
1. They say yes first--then figure out how to deliver.
Badasses are incredibly confident, with good reason. If a job is anywhere near their wheelhouse, they will find a way to get it done or die trying.
Why? They trust their own abilities, but they trust the people around them just as much.
If you're a true badass, you think there's a way to solve every problem. All you have to do is find it.
2. They think differently than everyone else.
Most business problems aren't new. Badasses tackle old problems with a variety of creative solutions.
Instead of designing a corporate newsletter that no one will read to "improve communication," a badass will create a holograph of the CEO that welcomes you to work and gives you the latest news. And a true badass would wear a flowing gown like the one in this video of a Kate Moss hologram.
Tell me that wouldn't improve communication.
3. They speak up.
When badasses have a different opinion, they share it.
But they aren't argumentative--because that would just make them asses.
4. They enthusiastically share their awesome skills.
Badasses never shy away from teaching others.
Inject energy and innovation into your teaching method, and people will flock to learn from you. High Skill + High Confidence + Sharing With Others = True Business Badass.
5. They live by their own code.
They respect authority--but not too much.
Whether their code is to be a creative force in the world, to disrupt technologies, or to challenge others to examine their lives, badasses are unwilling to compromise their principles and beliefs for the comfort or approval of others.
If you're a true badass, you answer to a power deep within you.
6. They do what others only wish they could do.
One of my favorite quotes is, "The Wright brothers never had a pilot's license." Rather than look around for permission or approval, badasses are courageous. They're initiators. They have an idea and they act.
Rather than research and dwell on and discuss a problem to death, badasses find a solution by actually doing things.
7. They never, ever, ever give up.
Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea that it takes 10,000 hours master a complex skill.
But the real key to mastering a complex skill is grit--the ability to stick with something long enough to log those 10,000 hours.
People with grit are like antidilettantes. Rather than flit from thing to thing, gritty people pick something and stick with it. They're tenacious, dogged, persevering, and they absolutely refuse to give up.
The grittiest people don't just work longer and harder, although that is part of the equation. They keep a laser focus on their goal and say, "No, thanks," to anything that gets in their way.
8. They ignore the haters.
There are many reasons to listen to the haters: to save face, to remain comfortable, to be secure, to not look like the fool.
But as Dale Carnegie, the badass of winning friends and influencing people, said, "The person who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore."
Haters try to talk you into--or even scare you into--sticking with the status quo

How to Start a Small Business in a Few Hours

Top 5 Home Business Ideas

Whether you’re looking to supplement your income or transition into the online business sphere, there are tons of home business ideas from which you can choose. Transform your passions into profits with these five home business ideas.

Home Business Ideas #1: Online Coach

You can take your coaching or consulting services online. These services range from spirituality to business. To become an online coach, you must possess in-depth knowledge in the area you’re seeking to provide services. Moreover, you must be capable of uplifting and providing your clients with constructive feedback when necessary. Develop a website with coaching tips, tools, and a blog. Market your business in discussion forums, blogs, and newsgroups related to coaching and consulting. This is one of the more popular home business ideas as people always need coaches

#2: Photography

If you’ve been taking pictures as a hobby, it’s time to showcase your skills on a business level. You can specialize in taking pictures for commercial use, graduation, weddings, architecture, and birthday parties. Offer your services on a contractual basis. Provide your clients with the option of receiving their pictures digitally via disk or CD; regular prints, framed pictures, or a digital frame. You can charge an additional fee for transferring the pictures onto a CD and framing the pictures. Add a photo gallery to your website to promote your work. You can also allow visitors on your site to share your work with others.

#3: Professional Organizer

As a professional organizer, you can provide clients with information, ideas, systems, and solutions to organize their space. These services will help your clients increase their productivity; reduce stress; and take control of their lives. To successfully fulfill the role of a professional organizer, you must lead an organized lifestyle. Furthermore, you must be creative and have the ability to troubleshoot your clients through different situations. You can charge an hourly rate for your services. Promote your services on discussion forums, message boards, and local blogs.

#4: Tutoring Services

With tutoring, you can promote your business online and offer services offline. Your clients can communicate with you by phone, email, or an online chat service. The online aspect of your business can be used to handle inquiries; receive assignments; and provide guidance. You can also offer tutoring services through online meeting platforms. Use testimonials from past clients and create links from sites in the educational arena to market your business.

#5: Virtual Assistant

Virtual Assistants are usually sought when companies are unable to hire a full time in-house staff member. This business is becoming increasingly popular among home-based business owners. To fill this position, you must possess strong oral and written communication skills. Develop a profile on sites such as oDesk, Elance, and Freelancer.com promoting your services. These sites will allow you to establish your name in the field. As you build relationships with clients you’ll gain more references and testimonials. At this point, you can branch out on your own and use these testimonials on your virtual assistant business site. As your business grows, you can hire others to perform these services.

Implementing any of these five home business ideas will allow you to create a supplemental or full time income.

Why I--a Serial Entrepreneur--Voted for Obama

The 2012 presidential election promises to be a close one. As a small business owner, I support keeping President Obama in office for four more years.

EdStock/iStock

As a small business owner, it's important to cut through the partisan rhetoric and pay attention to the political environment, and how it impacts you and your company.
Looking back on what Obama has accomplished during his current term and the impact on small business owners, I don't think it's time for a change in the current administration, and here's why:
Let's allow time for Obama's policies to work.
I believe strongly that you should give new initiatives time to make an impact. When I talk about this in the business world, I advocate allowing a major new initiative or venture at least six months before you make a decision if it's working or not.
When it comes to the government, it takes much longer for results to appear and President Obama had the added complication of taking office during one of the most tumultuous economic periods since the Great Depression. We are just now starting to see the results of his policies and leadership, and they appear to be moving us in the right direction.
The economy's starting to improve.
My company, User Insight, can serve as an early indicator of an improving economy. Based on the type of work I am hired to do, I can tell if other, often larger companies are concentrating on cost savings (and, therefore, the economy is weak) or trying new efforts and cutting edge ideas (the economy is growing). Recently, most of our commissioned client work has focused on looking at new technologies and creative ideas. That's a very positive sign.
In my conversations with other small business owners, I hear about an increase in business activity; they are starting new initiatives, or hiring more. When the economy is faltering, small business owners complain about a lack of demand, and employees stay put.
There has been an 8% increase in the number of business start-ups from 2009 to 2011, according to Obama's web site. Small businesses and start-ups are the backbone of the economy and the best way to create new jobs. Sustained, purposeful job creation is the only way the country can fully recover from the recent economic downturn.
Obama's administration has put into place many policies that benefit small business owners.
1. The health care reform tax benefit will cover 50% of small businesses' health care costs by 2014. This is important because small businesses are at a dramatic disadvantage in securing the same type of insurance rates as large businesses, which can spread risk across a wider employee base. The overall impact of this reform is projected to save small businesses 18%.

2. To incentivize entrepreneurs to spend more money in the process of creating a new enterprise, the Obama administration doubled deducations for start-up expenses. The impact of this spending will be felt across the economy as goods and services are consumed, and then replaced through production.
3. The Start-up America Partnership, which Obama helped launch, invests $1 billion in early-stage seed financing, the most difficult round of funding a small business can secure.
4. It reformed the Small Business Administration loan process. After the financial failures and economic uncertainty in 2008, getting financing for small businesses was a huge hurdle. The SBA loan program, there to fill that void, only works if small businesses understand how to apply for and receive the funds. The SBA loan process was streamlined and 150,000 small businesses have received loans since 2008.
5. The government increased spending with small businesses, just many large commercial businesses stopped. More than $500 billion dollars of government spending was earmarked to be spent directly with small busineses--$300 billion in prime contracts, and $200 billion in subcontracts.
6. As part of this spending, legislation was passed to speed up payments to small businesses. Cash flow is the lifeblood of all small businesses, and receiving payments faster increases the ability to grow, as well as overall confidence.
Other reasons that keeping Obama in office that are good for the country and indirectly good for small business include:
He's ensured a strong manufacturing base in the United States.
While it's important for the U.S. to be a leader in white collar jobs, the country has a strong manufacturing heritage, which we need to maintain to keep jobs here.
Since 2010, 479,000 manufacturing jobs have been created and Obama promises to have 1,000,000 more manufacturing jobs by 2016. He also intends to create 15 to 20 manufacturing innovation institutes that would bring together businesses and research universities to ensure products are invented and made in the U.S.
He's also made a goal to double U.S. exports to other countries by 2014--to help equalize our export position with other countries.
He's looking to provide higher education.
Obama has plans for a program that would train two million people for what are considered "good jobs"--jobs that would allow them to provide for themselves and their families.
He's also proposing college tax credits of $10,000 per family over four years to make the rising costs of college more affordable.
He is a man of his word.
To me, this is the most important reason to keep Obama in office. Obama said he would bring about universal health care, and he did. He said he would track down and kill Osama Bin Laden, and he did. He promised to be there during time of crisis, and he was.
On this last point, I was very impressed with both President Obama's visibility and response during the recent storms in Northeast. He is the kind of leader the greatest nation in the world expects and needs

Why I Voted for Romney

As a businessman and an employer, I'm just more comfortable with Mitt Romney in office.

EdStock/iStock

This past Friday I was at a business event outside of Philadelphia sponsored by a local bank. There were more than 100 business owners there, most of them senior executives at companies that employ 50 people or more. Small--but not mom and pop.
As part of the event, the organizers took a Presidential election secret straw poll and told me the results. Some two-thirds of the executives polled said they were voting for Mitt Romney.
I asked one executive, a very successful business owner, what he thought of the numbers. He wasn't surprised. "The President seems like a good guy," he said. "And I don't agree with all of the Republicans' social policies. I also think that no one knows which man's economic policies are better or worse. There's data, and there's gut. I run my business on both. And as a businessman and an employer, I just feel more comfortable with Mitt Romney in office."
Me too.
Governor Romney has (literally) 500 economists that support his plan for growing the economy and reducing the deficit. President Obama has (literally) 500 economists that support his plan to do the same. Do either of them really know? Do these expert, academic, highly-intelligent economists really know? No, they don't know. No one knows.
So, as a business owner, all I can do is judge by what I know. Governor Romney can live 800 lives without running out of money. Why does he want to be President? He has successfully run businesses. He has governed a state. He grew up in a household watching his father run a large automobile company, and also govern a state. He is older. He has successfully managed organizations with opposing factions. Will he do the same as President? I don't know. But, based on his past, I have to assume he will.
Like the guy at the conference last Friday, I can only judge by what I know, and what my gut tells me. That's how I run my business too. That's how I make decisions.
I like President Obama. I agree with many of his social policies. But whoever wins will not have a mandate. Congress will be divided. The country will remain divided. We need a Governor, not a politician.

24 Things You Can Do With an Extra Hour

Daylight Savings ended and now you have an extra hour every day. Here are 24 things you can do to get the most from that extra hour.

shutterstock images

How odd that so much of life is dependent upon time. Lives are measured in years. We count down the minutes and seconds in a game and measure our productivity by months and quarters. The clock speeds when you're enjoying a project and drags when someone is droning on and on in a meeting. Your ability to control time is nonexistent, which can be frustrating when you really need it. And who doesn't want just a bit more time, an extra hour each day? Well here's your chance.
When daylight savings time ends this weekend you can actually gain the benefit of an extra hour. We'll set the clocks back one hour on Sunday and yet our body clocks will still be on Saturday's rhythm. Instead of waking up at 7 a.m. it will magically be 6 a.m. As long as you maintain the same wake up pattern you now get to start your day with an extra hour. Its like manna from heaven. For the next 126 days you have been granted an additional 60 glorious minutes for whatever you want. So that you don't waste this precious time, I have put together a list of 24 ideas on how to make the most of this gift. If these ideas aren't sufficiently inspiring, by all means share your own hourly activities in the comments.

Catch up on all of your email.
Hand-write and send five thank-you notes to people who support you.
Brainstorm with a couple of colleagues on how to make the office run better.
Plan a romantic evening for your significant other.
Investigate two of your competitors.
Google yourself. If that takes five minutes, Google all your co-workers.
Make a list of pros and cons about yourself as a contributor to the company.
Identify a role model and send them a handwritten invitation to lunch.
Get in that much needed physical work out.
Plan a weekend trip with your family.
Learn a foreign language (This will require all 126 hours).
Have lunch with your boss, partner or colleague.
Call an old friend or relative you have neglected.
Update your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter profiles and your resume.
Sharpen your powers of observation by watching people in a crowded area.
Volunteer for a charity you like.
Make a playlist of inspiring work music.
Meditate.
Clean up the desktop on your computer (or your desk).
Plan the perfect dinner party.
Read that business book that's been waiting.
Write a short story.
Give yourself a clothing makeover. (Yes, that means shopping.)
Read all my previous columns. (If you found value in this one of course.)

Note: Yes, of course I realize that technically you must go to bed later to gain the hour of time each day. But honestly, aren't some of the ideas above worth sacrificing an hour of sleep?

Stop Procrastinating & Plan for 2013

If you're not planning for the coming year then you better believe that your competitors are. Here are three solutions to get you going before it's too late.

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Hooray! The election season is finally done. The holidays are close behind, and 2013 is just around the corner. And yet a good many companies still don't have a formal strategic plan on the books. Many don't even have a meeting scheduled before the end of the year to create a strategic plan and align their team. Often executives will manage for the current quarter with little consideration for three to five year objectives or even a one year plan. Sadly, as the executives of these companies try to navigate uncertain times, they will wonder the following:
Why aren't we hitting our goals?
Why aren't we all on the same page?
Why can't our people execute without having to ask questions at every turn?
Why aren't we more prepared?
The answer is simple... procrastination. That sounds harsh but those of you regularly reading this magazine and website have seen plenty of material about the value of long term strategy. You have heard experts such as Collins and Peters, tout the benefits of long term strategic planning and alignment. Many of you know other successful companies who plan and execute consistently. So there is little question that you are just putting off what you know must be done. But perhaps there are solid reasons for your procrastination. Allow me to identify and resolve some of them for you.

1. Complacency

Maybe things are going well for you. Or at least they seem good enough. I am sure that's exactly what your competitors are thinking too and none of them are developing strategy on how to steal your customers and gain market share. Keep telling yourself that and soon you'll find out the hard way that your business is always vulnerable to others who strategically plan and can out-execute you. This why many businesses fall into what Jim Collins calls the "Doom Loop" as outlined in his book Good to Great. Why be lazy? Taking a long-view approach in your business will insure you are ready for the next disruptor in your industry and can remain competitive.

2. Confusion

Perhaps you would like to execute a strategic plan for the company, but can't focus because you aren't really clear about where you personally want to be in life. Perhaps you spend too much time thinking about what you want to DO in your life, and not enough about who you want to BE. In fact many companies miss their mark because their management team doesn't focus enough on individual objectives beyond the company's goals. If your people are not clear on who they want to be and what motivates them to contribute, the results will suffer and you will likely wander off course. But this is resolvable. Ask everyone "Who are we as a company and where do you see your role in five years?" See if his or her answers align with your perceptions. Taking time to consider your own future might be a good start and better prepare you to lead strategic talks for your executives and your company.

3. Priority

So many executives are constantly battling with competing priorities. As my father always says: "When you are up to your rear end in alligators it's hard to remember that your primary directive is to drain the swamp." It's very difficult to make the transition from working IN the business to working ON the business. But one thing is for sure. If you don't start prioritizing strategic planning you will forever be letting the business run you. The sooner you make your strategy and alignment a priority, the sooner you'll achieve goals effectively and create efficiencies that will free up time and resources in your company. You don't have to be the CEO of a company to raise the priority of strategic planning. Any individual can drive the process and show their value to the company at the same time. Here are the first three steps.

Set a date for a 2-day planning retreat before the end of the year. If you don't do it now, you'll forget. Once the date is set you can figure out all the other details.
Hire a facilitator or a coach. For a successful retreat, you need methodology and objectivity. A good facilitator can provide both of these things and is well worth the money.
Engage your team. Email them this column right now. That way you'll demonstrate your commitment to strategic planning as a priority and get the conversation started. Share the pressure of accountability and you are assured of getting a long term strategic plan in place before year end.

Execute on these actions and you'll surely surpass your procrastinating competitors.

6 Big Reasons Why You Should Quit Your Job And Follow Your Passion

By Joel on October 29, 2012

You are probably not satisfied with your job. You want to be successful and you feel that this can only happen if you draw up a resignation letter, quit your job and follow your passion. Many people in this situation fear to venture out for the simple fear of how things will work out after they quit their jobs.
Quitting your job to follow your passion can have a lot of advantages especially if you put fear of the unknown aside.

It is not easy quitting a job, but it could be well worth it.
The following are 6 good reasons why you should quit your current job and follow your passion.

1. You Will Get Fulfillment

When you pursue your passion, you will most definitely find fulfillment in what you do. You get the satisfaction of doing what you always desired to do. Remember, fulfillment is not only in money. There are many people who earn huge salaries but don’t find any personal fulfillment. This is simply because they are not living their passion.
In order to be successful, you must take immediate action with the sole intention of fulfilling your passion.

2. You Will Always Get Pleasant Surprises

By taking a firm decision of moving out into the world outside your constraining job, you never know what awaits you. But the good thing is that this action opens up immense possibilities, some of which you might not even have thought about. You go to places that you probably never imagined you would. You also meet people who are willing to welcome you and help you on as you pursue your passion. It is never as bad as it seems. But you can never realize the surprises awaiting you if you don’t venture out.

3. You Build Your Own Empire

When you are employed, most of your time and energy goes into building the fortunes of someone else. What you get in return is only a salary. This is not what you desire if you want to be successful. You have to build your own empire. But you cannot achieve this when you dedicate the best of your time and energy to the economic affairs of someone else.
With employment you miss so many opportunities of building your own personal success. There are very many options to be explored if only you dedicate most of your time and energy into it. Your thoughts will be more focused when you are thinking of fulfilling your passion. But your job could be the hindrance preventing you to make this great leap to freedom and success.

4. You Will Not Be Vulnerable

When you get a job, you hope that you will work smoothly until you retire. This is not the case these days. While having a job is good, in the current state of the economy one cannot be guaranteed of job security. Most employees are now at the mercy of the economy and their employers. They are increasingly vulnerable. But by following your passion you are in control of yourself. And with control you will have security and peace of mind.

5. You Will Be Empowered

In order to be successful you need to be empowered. This is may not be possible if you remain in your current job. To be empowered means that you must create your own reality using the immense potential in you. By quitting your job and pursuing your passion you are able to break the monotony of your current job and create your own reality. Taking control of your own life becomes immensely empowering.

6. You Will Be a Great Person One Day

Success does not happen overnight. Most personal success stories speak of people who painstakingly worked hard from humble beginnings without ever giving up or looking back. You do not have to compare yourself to others who have achieved success in your particular field of passion. They most probably did not compare themselves with those who attained success before them. You just need take small steps of faith and confidence and they will lead you to your greatness. Trust the skills you have and work on them. Eventually, you will realize that it was easier than you imagined when you were starting.
By quitting your job you will pursue your passion without distractions, you will meet new people, explore new places and change your life for good.

12 Ways That Marathon & Fitness Training Can Make You A Better Entrepreneur

By Joel on March 29, 2012

A number of experienced and well driven Entrepreneurs have been known to have a great fitness and workout routine. This is believed to give entrepreneurs ‘the edge’ at the same time keeping them fit and well in tune for a busy and balanced lifestyle.
David Feinleib, co-founder of five startups and a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, is a classic example of a fit and driven entrepreneur. He has been training for The Ironman Triathlon for the last 7 months and has used the training to help him become a better entrepreneur.
Here is a run down on what you to can learn from endurance and fitness training as an entrepreneur.

Dedication. “If there’s one thing I hear over and over when I tell friends and colleagues about my training routine, it’s how impressed they are by my dedication. Building the endurance required for an Ironman means putting in the hours every day. Having built five companies, I’ve seen just how much dedication building a startup takes. Ironman training has renewed my ability to dedicate.”

Rhythm. “Entrepreneurs know this as the hum of a high functioning startup. It’s when things are buzzing. Everything is humming. It’s that “It’s working!” feeling. I can feel this rhythm during certain swims, rides and runs. It’s when my legs are moving just right, when I’ve got the right amount of energy, when I’m firing on all cylinders. Things are flowing. When I have that rhythm, I try to memorize what it feels like. It’s what I’m striving for every day as an athlete and as an entrepreneur.”

Go big or go home. “I’ve run marathons before and done some longer triathlons. But I didn’t understand what real training was until I committed to do an Ironman. You can build a little startup, but if you’re going to build, go big. Go really, really big.”

Schedule. ”To train for an ultra-endurance event requires a schedule. It means committing to that schedule and sticking to it. There’s no ‘I’ll just get that workout in tomorrow’ or ‘I’ll reschedule that Saturday ride.’ Because there’s a limited amount of time between now and the race. The same holds for startups. Great pitches, great products, and great teams don’t just appear overnight. They take time to build. It is that commitment to investment of time that creates value.”

Pacing. ”Training for an Ironman is like making deposits in the bank over time–you have to deposit enough so you can make a withdrawal on race day. There’s no cramming. You can’t just put it all off and do it at the last minute. It means hard work every day.”

Inspiration. ”A lot of people comment on my dedication and discipline. Yet training is something I look forward to. I can’t wait till my next workout. I look forward to long Saturday rides around Marin and on the peninsula followed by a run. Hard as they are, I love my long Sunday runs. These are not activities I dread — quite the opposite. I draw inspiration from them, much as I draw inspiration from building great teams and great products.”

Time. ”Training 90 or more minutes a day means time really matters. Lounging around with friends is a great luxury when time is limited. It means that when people are late or fail to deliver on their commitments, I think really hard about whether I want to continue working with them.”

Energy. ”Endurance activities require the right fuel and constant fuel. So do startups. You have to feed the engine at the right time — too much fuel too soon and you’ll bog things down. Wait too long to feed the engine and you’ll run out of energy and bonk.”

Internal drive. ”You might think that training for an Ironman is an external goal — something that requires external validation or motivation. It isn’t. I started training because I wanted to get back in shape. I wanted to be operating at my personal peak. I wanted to push my limits in business and in life. I’m by no means a natural athlete. A commitment of this level cannot come from the outside — it must come from within. The same holds true for building a game-changing startup. It must come from an internal desire to operate at your absolute best.”

Team. ”A lot of people view triathlons as an individual event. That is certainly true on race day, when although there is encouragement from friends and fellow racers, it all comes down to you and how much and the kind of preparation you’ve put in. But every moment leading up to the race is a combination of individual and team effort. Without my friends from the SF Tri Club, the challenge of riding 80-100 miles would be nearly insurmountable, not to mention incredibly lonely. With them, it is social, fun, and inspiring.”

Break things into chunks. ”I don’t think about a hundred mile training ride as a 100 miles. Sometimes I break it into thirds. Or I think in segments — easy first 20 followed by a tough tough hill climb, then an easier 10. Same for startups. You have to build success in steps.”

Confidence. ”The thing about redefining your limits is every time you break a limit and reach a new one, you build more confidence. That confidence lets you break the next limit and the next limit and on and on. Redefining your limits is what makes great athletes — and great entrepreneurs.”

The Top 10 Up And Coming European Startups This Year

By Joel on October 24, 2012

The major up and coming startup companies in Europe will be the driving force supporting the region’s financial upturn.
Within the walls of these companies, innovation is moving, changing, mixing, and creating some of the top startup companies now and of the future. Some articulate that European investor’s do not have enough courage, while others feel that entrepreneurs may not be daring enough. Whether this is true or not, is of no importance. The point is that startups throughout Europe are overflowing with unique ideas and creativity.

Europe’s Top 10 Most Promising Startups

1. Soundcloud – Berlin, Germany

Founded in 2007 by Alex Ljung, Soundcloud is a sound-platform that permits anyone to grab, create, and share sounds throughout the web, somewhat like YouTube but strictly focusing on sound. With more than 8 million users, they broadcast their partnership with Song Kick & Foursquare, winning the media and audio classification of the telegraph-start-up 100 prize. This year of 2012 is said to be an even bigger year for the company.

2. Tradeshift – Copenhagen, Denmark

Tradeshift was Founded in 2009, and introduced in 2010 by Christian Lanng, Mikkel Hippe Brun and Gert Sylvest.
Their trade is an online invoicing feature for businesses to construct a conglomeration of partners on the Internet for sharing invoices. This company has experienced a speedy rise lately as Tradeshift was able to raise $7 million and announced collaborations with both the Italian and French governments in 2011. This year is only getting better for these creative Danes.

3. iZettle – Stockholm, Sweden

iZettle, which is founded by Magnus Nilsson & Jacob De Geer allows anyone to make card payments anyplace, anytime, anywhere with the use of an iPhone-app and mini-chip card-reader that can be linked to a phone. Founded in 2010 in beta form, the company has successfully raised €11.2 million.
What an awesome idea, this could be the hottest thing out of Sweden since IKEA & Skype.

4. LikeOurselves – London, UK

Started by Pardeep Kullar & Steve Lai, This Web and mobile app assists individuals to find people with similar interests while they are out on the town. Users can choose the kind of individuals they would prefer to meet in various categories like hobbies, spontaneous dates, and students. Anything that brings the right people closer must be good right? Join LikeOurselves today.

5. House Trip – Lisbon, Portugal

House Trip was introduced in 2010 by Arnaud Bertrand and Junjun Chen. It is an apartment hunting Internet website were any person can reserve a villa or apartment, and property-owners can also place their accommodations on the site. They have recently expanded beyond London, Berlin, and Paris, making their way around the whole of Europe and a growing number of countries around the globe, with nearly 60,000 properties listed.
With more than 500,000 nights reserved thus far, they have developed from a staff of 20 to 70 full-time staffers.

6. Radionomy – Brussels, Belgium

Radionomy permits individuals to develop and listen-to radio stations on the web gratis, while sharing a tailored radio-show complete with jingles, music programming, and commercials, with bespoke pod casts and reports to share with friends, family, and strangers around the world community. The company has expanded quickly in 2011 since its creation by Van Kan Cedric, Baudechon Yves, Alexandre Saboudijan and Bindets Gilles back in 2008.
Radionomy has the ability to stream 30 million-hours of online radio per month. Presently, they are securing financing of about $15 million with the assistance of a French investment bank.

7. 6wunderkinder – Berlin, Germany

This German start-up is a multi-platform efficiency solutions company for businesses, groups, and individuals. Founded by Serial Entrepreneur Christian Reber. The company’s main product Wunderlist task-management software, has one million users. They raised $4.2 million in support from Atomico, an investment firm from the entrepreneurs of Skype, one of the largest web-based communication companies in the world. Nearly 40% of their users are in the United States.

8. Fon – Madrid, Spain

Martin Varsavsky, the founder of Fon is determined to supply free wifi across the globe. When someone signs up with Fon, they agree to safely share a small amount of their wifi-bandwidth with Fon. The company has 4 million users and 7 million hotspots. They have managed to raise €10 million in backing and obtained various large partnerships like Belgium’s biggest telecommunications business, Belgacom.

9. Shutl – London, UK

Shutl founder Tom Allason wants to offer delivery times for online orders to as little as 90 minutes. Basically, Shutl will propose its service, which combines capability across local-courier businesses into one web-service for retailers.

10. Storific – Paris, France

Many feel that this start-up has the possibility to modify the job of waiters-inside restaurants completely. To make dining-out more convenient, users with Storific’s mobile-app can check the menu-card of the restaurant they are in and place their orders whenever they choose without waiting for staff to come to see them and take their order. Storific states that the app substantially adds to the amount of orders created-by one table and therefore a positive influence on the restaurant’s revenue. I think Storific’s founder Michael Cohen is on to something here.

5 Reasons People Fail (& What to Do Instead)

These barriers to success are easy to overcome, but only when you know they're there.

Why do some people achieve their goals while others fail? I believe it's because successful people manage to overcome five barriers that, in many cases, guarantee failure. Here are those barriers and how to overcome them:

1. Uninspiring Goals

When most people set goals, they envision a "thing," such as a particular amount of money, an object (like a new car), or a specific achievement (like writing a book). Unfortunately, these "things I'm gonna get or do" goals don't appeal to the core of what motivates you, because they miss the point that what you're actually seeking in life and work is the POSITIVE EMOTIONS that you believe those things will produce.
Fix: Rather than envisioning a "thing" as your goal, envision--with all the strength in your imagination--how you will feel when you achieve the goal. That way, you'll be inspired to do whatever it takes (within legal and ethical bounds) to achieve that goal.

2. Fear of Failure

If you're afraid of failing, you won't take the necessary risks required to achieve your goal. For example, you won't make that important phone call, because you're afraid that you'll be rebuffed. Or you won't quit your dead-end job and start your own business because you're afraid that you might end up without any money.
Fix: Decide--right now!--that failure, for you, is a strictly temporary condition. If things don't go the way you'd like, it's only a setback that, at most, delays your eventual success. In other words, accept the fact that you'll sometimes fail, but treat that failure as an unavoidable (yet vital) component in your quest.

3. Fear of Success

In many ways, this fear is even more debilitating than the fear of failure. Suppose you achieved something spectacular, like enormous wealth. What if it didn't make you happy? What then? What if you ended up losing all of it? What then? Would your friends start acting weird? Would your family be envious? Such thoughts (and they're common) can cause even a highly motivated person to self-sabotage.
Fix: Decide that you're going to be happy and grateful today and happy and grateful in the future, no matter what happens. Rather than focus on possible problems, envision how wonderful it would be to be able to help your friends and family achieve THEIR goals. (Hint: Watch the last season of the TV series Entourage!)

4. An Unrealistic Timetable

Most people vastly overestimate what they can do in a week and vastly underestimate what they can do in a year. Because of this, most people try to cram too many action items into the short term rather than spacing out activities over the long term. The inability to get all the short-term steps accomplished creates discouragement and the impression that the final goal is slipping away.
Fix: As you list the activities and steps required to achieve a goal, schedule only the 20% of the activities that will produce 80% of your results. (I explain more about this in the post The Secret of Time Management.) Beyond that, set ambitious long-term timetables, but always leave some "wiggle room" when you plan short term.

5. Worrying About "Dry Spots"

It's easy to get discouraged when you reach a point at which nothing you do seems to advance you toward your goal. For example, suppose you're trying to master a certain skill. You make swift progress at first but then, after a while, it seems as if you're not doing any better, or maybe a little worse. Some people use these "plateaus" or "dry spots" as an excuse to give up and therefore fail.
Fix: Whenever you reach a plateau or dry spot, it's time to celebrate rather than give up. A plateau is almost always a sign that you're on the brink of a major breakthrough, if you just have the patience to stick with it and trust that you'll eventually achieve your goal.

10 Dumb Lies That Lousy Bosses Tell

Telling the simple truth is far more productive than trying to fool your employees.

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By its very nature, managing employees requires a certain amount of discretion. However, there's a fine line between discretion and deception that, when crossed, creates resentment and job dissatisfaction.
This post contains 10 lies that I've heard bosses tell in real life, along with suggested true statements that do the job much better.
Please note that some of these lies would be perfectly reasonable to tell if they were true.

1. "I'm paying you a competitive salary."

Unless your employees are very stupid, the first thing they'll do after you make this statement is hop on the Web and research average salary levels and find out what people in their position generally get paid. If it's less than they're making, they'll assume that either you're lying or (best case) uninformed.
A truth to tell instead: "I'm paying what I can afford to pay."

2. "My job is to make you more successful."

It's always a mistake to set expectations for which you can't really deliver the goods. If you're secretly more concerned with your own advancement rather than in being of service to your employees, you'll inevitably create resentment when your actions don't match your fine words.
A truth to tell instead: "Your job is to make ME more successful."

3. "We're all one big, happy family."

This can only be true if 1) you yourself came from a happy family, and 2) everyone else came from a similar happy family. Chances are, however, that some of your employees come from dysfunctional families, and the last thing you want is for them to bring their family dynamics into the workplace.
A truth to tell instead: "I'd like you to be happy working here."

4. "We are following a five-year plan."

OK, this one's just silly. Take a look at your five-year plan from a couple of years ago. After you've stopped laughing, take a good long look at how you and your organization really make decisions and prioritize activities. In all likelihood, you're using a three- to 18-month window, like everyone else.
A truth to tell instead: "We do our best to adapt."

5. "My brother-in-law was the best person for that job."

Who do you think you're kidding? Everybody, including the brother-in-law, knows that he got that position because (gasp!) he's your brother-in-law. Attempting to sugarcoat obvious nepotism as some kind of planned business strategy is embarrassing to everyone involved.
A truth to tell instead: "It was either that or me sleeping on the couch."

6. "This is a 9-to-5, salaried job."

Yeah, and there's a unicorn eating petunias in my garden. Let's face it: In today's business world, there simply ain't no such creature as a 40-hour workweek for salaried employees. Unpaid overtime has become the norm inside most companies, and it's absurd to pretend otherwise.
A truth to tell instead: "If you meet your goals, you get extra vacation days."

7. "There's no truth to those layoff rumors."

Though you may want to keep people working hard when they're probably soon to be axed, the minute you deny the rumors, anyone with half a brain will be in their office rewriting their résumé. Pretty much all but the most naive workers know that no layoff rumor is true until it has been officially denied.
A truth to tell instead: "Worrying about stuff that might happen is pointless."

8. "Employees are our most valuable asset."

Most employees are intelligent enough to realize that most companies, including yours, have plenty of assets that they value more than their employees. This kind of platitude, rather than reassuring employees, simply convinces them that you can't be trusted to tell them the real truth.
A truth to tell instead: "I value your contribution."

9. "Your participation is entirely voluntary."

Once again, it's fine to say this if it's really true, but most of the time (let's be honest here) what you really mean is that participation is somewhere between "highly encouraged" and "absolutely mandatory." After all, if the activity were truly voluntary, there'd be no need to point it out, right?
A truth to tell instead: "I expect full participation."

10. "I will divorce my wife and marry you."

A recent study of successful men who have affairs found that (despite their promises) only 3 percent divorce their wives and marry their girlfriends. Given that office affairs involving the boss (especially) are a huge distraction and morale killer for everyone involved, why compound the problem by laying a line of BS?
A truth to tell instead: "Let's just not go there."