Startups and Web Business
Ignite is a set of events where speakers are given exactly 5 minutes to speak on a topic of their choice with slides that auto-forward whether you’re ready or not. It’s a pretty cool format because it forces you to get to the point very quickly. I gave a presentation at Ignite Melbourne a couple of nights ago about how you can use iteration to build a business, even if you don’t have a ton of experience. (more…)
As I sit and type this, it’s nearly three in the morning. Working late, once again.
Or am I? What IS working late? Is working late just working past 5:00 pm – or is it working for a certain amount of consecutive hours in a row? Or is “working late” just a term we often use when we think we should be elsewhere, i.e. with the family?
In today’s day, business happens 24/7. If you’re a startup company – or any company for that matter, you probably can’t get away with 9-to-5 hours.
They may not be aliens, but they aren’t your next-door neighbor either.
So how do you go about contacting a new media contact for the first time? Do you follow them on Twitter and send them a DM? Do you email them? Make a cold call? Or do you simply just show up in person, and knock on their door?
Depending on the industry you’re in, the first medium of contact can differ. If you’re contacting someone in the web or tech industry, chances are an electronic form of contact will work best. Sometimes though, an old-fashioned handshake can work best.
Dealing with fast growth can be tricky, just ask Bruce Banner. One moment he’s a regular comic book uber scientist, then someone has the bad judgment to make him angry and next thing you know he’s a 10 foot green monster who uses guns for toothpicks and likes smashing things. That sort of growth always comes with consequences. In Bruce’s case, it’s his clothes that suffer. Inevitably we see the Hulk burst out of his shirt as he transforms, all the while counting ourselves lucky that his pants managed to hold on for dear life.
And so do you.
Whether you’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or Joe Schmo starting your first business, you’ll need the right tools to do your job effectively. This is obvious, right? Well, not so much. Oftentimes a business owner will only buy what they need – not what they should have.
A mechanic could work this way as well – instead of buying a (more expensive) ratchet set, they COULD get by with just an open wrench. If mechanics worked this way, they’d take twice as long to get the job done. And no, this doesn’t mean they’d make twice as much money – soon the customer will realize they can go elsewhere, and pay half as much for labor costs. Does an oil change shop really need that fancy (expensive) drive-in setup to change your oil? No. Do they make more money because of it? Yes.
