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37 Signals has a new, excellent podcast. I highly recommend it. Simply a group of entrepreneurs discussing interesting topics. The latest piece (as of this post, episode 2) found here, addresses the interesting actions and valuations of tech 2.0 companies. That is, they often forgo revenue for massive growth, tons of venture capital and astronomical valuations that make you question “Is the value really there?” This is interesting as I’ve asked this many times, only to be scorned for questioning the all-seeing powers at be, whoever they are… Is Twitter really worth $1 BILLION? If they began seeing revenues, would this valuation actually drop? Interesting stuff… go check out the podcast here. and decide for yourself… are they over-kill on pessimism or right on the money? I personally like twitter (as do they) among other services but do I like them $1Billion?
Google Wave is a forthcoming service that appears to be quite revolutionary in communication methodology. It is a combination of email, message boards, and instant messaging mashed together in an intuitive fashion that heightens the efficiency and, ultimately, the productivity of communication. Watching the video and checking out the post found here at bizzia.com gives you introduction to wave. It may become a replacement for email, especially internally and beyond as its popularity grows and competitors adopt similar concepts. I love seeing advancement in technology, more so when it will affect entrepreneurs and you can bet new ventures will pop up utilizing such new services and offering extensions thereof, just as you’ve seen with simple services like twitter. Cool stuff! Check the vid out below. It’s kind of long but the first 20 min. or so give you the simple idea.
Being empathetic seems like one of the most intuitive and obvious necessities in business (that is empathy with your customer). Obviously this is not the case as books are being written to help businesses see this point. I recently read “Wired to Care” by
, which centers on the concept of empathy regarding your “end user.” One of the biggest issues in business today is the focus on profits, particularly short-term profits. This is especially difficult with publicly traded companies as the reputation and stock price often lives and dies by quarterly results, thanks to a fickle, impatient, and often uneducated public response. This creates corporate actions opting for short-term, short-lived results over long-term growth when it may require short-term “sacrifices” (how much of a sacrifice is it if the long term result is so much better!). I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone looking to improve their “connection” with their client, which is about everyone. I definitely buy into the philosophy that a customer-centered business is and/or will be the most successful (especially for the long-haul). In fact, the Business Blueprint model is entirely centered in the “value exchange” with your customer and empathy is one of the keys to optimizing it. Empathy has many auxiliary benefits, not just improved products and services but brand loyalty, and customer retention.
One of my favorite examples given in the book was of a company called Zildjian which was founded 400 years ago (that’s right, 4 centuries!). You’ve gotta love an American company that is older than the U.S. of A! (it was founded in Constantinople by Avedis Zildjian, an Armenian Alchemist. Check them out …) The company has been officially recognized as the oldest continually family-owned biz in America. Some of the companies current success as the worlds best cymbal maker is attributed to the fact that Armand Zildjian played drums himself and had very close friendship with many of the best drummers of the time. This relationship with the drums allowed him to create a better, more innovative product that continues to lead the “pack” today in cymbal quality. A company that old requires some open mindedness (obviously it was not founded on “drum” products) and empathy-driven innovations. The ability to adapt to the variations and evolution of customer demand is a large part of this empathy that innovators must embrace in order to create 400 year old successful companies.
How will your company get to age 400? What strategies and core values can you implement now that will drive long term success?
In an economy such as this, I may be beating a dead horse in discussing job security but for those who hang on to certain notions of this myth, my goal is to rewire thinking. The millenial generation (we’ll call them genYers) is developing far different thought processes than their baby boomer parents and older generations. During the first half of the 20th century, the key to the good life was putting in 30+ years at a company and retiring with the gold watch and a pension. As Donna Fenn puts it in her book “Upstarts”, entrepreneurship was compared to hocking watches on a street corner, essentially, looked down upon. One of the biggest arguments put forth is regarding job security. Ideas such as “better safe than sorry” permeate the discussions. A big strong company will take care of you and the whims of the market can’t take down the big boys like they can a small business. Being self employed is dangerous and risky. As the market has marched on, the truth has been quite different. Not that the small businesses are surviving any more than others but simply that the big boys can and do fail, leaving many unemployed. Even if complete failure isn’t the issue, cutbacks and downsizing lead equally to lost jobs. What I find very interesting is the fact that job security is basically lost when it is needed most. You might work for a large company for years with all this great security. Suddenly, the economy takes a turn for the worst and the word at the water cooler is big downsizing and your position is on the chopping block! The fact is, when you actually had job security is when everyone is doing well, including the small “risky” business.
The Business Blueprint is hosting a contest for free marketing plans & assistance. All you have to do is comment on the contest blog post. Simply go here and leave a comment sharing the biggest challenge you have in business right now… just do it!
I'm Billy Bush - an entrepreneurship junkie, foodie, and family man. I write about business and other stuff. I host a podcast as well. check out more details on about page...
One of my favorite examples given in the book was of a company called Zildjian which was founded 400 years ago (that’s right, 4 centuries!). You’ve gotta love an American company that is older than the U.S. of A! (it was founded in Constantinople by Avedis Zildjian, an Armenian Alchemist. 
In an economy such as this, I may be beating a dead horse in discussing job security but for those who hang on to certain notions of this myth, my goal is to rewire thinking. The millenial generation (we’ll call them genYers) is developing far different thought processes than their baby boomer parents and older generations. During the first half of the 20th century, the key to the good life was putting in 30+ years at a company and retiring with the gold watch and a pension. As Donna Fenn puts it in her book “Upstarts”, entrepreneurship was compared to hocking watches on a street corner, essentially, looked down upon. One of the biggest arguments put forth is regarding job security. Ideas such as “better safe than sorry” permeate the discussions. A big strong company will take care of you and the whims of the market can’t take down the big boys like they can a small business. Being self employed is dangerous and risky. As the market has marched on, the truth has been quite different. Not that the small businesses are surviving any more than others but simply that the big boys can and do fail, leaving many unemployed. Even if complete failure isn’t the issue, cutbacks and downsizing lead equally to lost jobs. What I find very interesting is the fact that job security is basically lost when it is needed most. You might work for a large company for years with all this great security. Suddenly, the economy takes a turn for the worst and the word at the water cooler is big downsizing and your position is on the chopping block! The fact is, when you actually had job security is when everyone is doing well, including the small “risky” business.
I'm Billy Bush - an entrepreneurship junkie, foodie, and family man. I write about business and other stuff. I host a podcast as well. check out more details on about page... 
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