Nov 15
Wil Shroter is a successful entrepreneur out of Columbus and the Founder of the Go Big Network. I have used Go Big in the past and think it’s a pretty neat concept. Yesterday I received their newsletter and took a chance to read it as it is about something important to Koyono, my life and all people at large - Social Networks (AKA Web 2.0). Just the other day I was explaining to a client that traditional advertising needs to change and agencies are behind the times. Like Go Big’s newsletter points out, this could not be more true namely because Web 2.0 is still in its infancy and there are few expert/schmexperts to be hired by agencies. The only agency that I am aware of that really gets is it Undercurrent. Well, I’m sure there are more, but they are few and far between. So what do you do in the meantime? Jump in, try to find the right people who get it, and learn it on your own (or hire Undercurrent). After all, it’s free, cheap and available to the world; most importantly, once people claim they are “experts” on Social Networks, it’s time to figure out what’s next!
Aug 01
biznass, originally uploaded by richietown.
Okay, this little write up on an “international” survey comparing CEOs and Entrepreneurs tickled my belief on whether or not Entrepreneurs are born or can be made. Are Entrepreneurs and CEO similar? Sure, but one is a way of being (Entrepreneur) and the other (CEO) is a position. Some CEOs were or are entrepreneurs, but not all of them. Can a CEO be taught to be an Entrepreneur? I’m afraid not unless they are already that way.
I believe that people are mostly born (2/3) that way (as Entrepreneurs) and life presents itself in edifying ways that allow him or her to choose (the other third) whether or not to fully play out the role. Making the choice is nothing more than deciding to take extraordinary risk (being willing to bet everything on a vision) for extraordinary gain (changing the world, making gobs of money, etc.).
It’s funny how “Entrepreneur” has become so en vogue, and ironic at the same time. Just about every business school now has an entrepreneurial program and every company in the world wants to be “Entrepreneurial,” yet many Entrepreneurs (i.e Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison) left or never went to college and most companies are designed to manage risk, rather than taking it. Oh, the irony. Having worked in Corporate America for a decade, I can assure you that Entrepreneurs are mostly a pain in the ass because they are stubborn about their beliefs in the future and will do just about anything to see there vision through. They simply can not help themselves and will work around the system (cajoling bored engineers and willing customers to develop their project without management approval). Is this what companies really want? Most don’t, I’m afraid, and are reluctant to hire and retain impatient individuals that naturally ask questions, challenge status quo and take risk. Is this the case in every company?
Getting back to teaching people to Entrepreneurs for moment, I have not heard any business schools offering courses on persuasion, gumption, “working around the system,” being creative and a little insane. What? Well, isn’t that what Entrepreneurs are? These are born traits that are further developed through life circumstances. Trying to get people to take on these common Entrepreneurial ways of being is a waste of time in my opinion. It’s like teaching an artist how to master QuickBooks or accountants how to sculpt. Unless they already have a sense or urge to do these things, they will most likely “hate” the experience and not do it well. Sure business schools and companies a like can teach Entrepreneurial people how to be better Entrepreneurs through management and financial training, but they can not teach them to suddenly have chuztpah and do something with it (take extraordinary risk for extraordinary gain). They would be better off identifying the “right people,” asking them what they think, and giving them 1/4 the resources to try something new. Please – no more studies.
Need a definition of Entrepreneur? Grab a Webster’s dictionary or just click here.
Jun 20
This is one of my favorite hot couture stores in Cleveland. Check out their new video and certainly check out their store in Beachwood Mall, OH:
Apr 16
Here is e-mail I just got from the Founder of Pandora Internet Radio about a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington DC to nearly triple the licensing fees for Internet radio sites.
“The new royalty rates are irrationally high, more than four times what satellite radio pays and broadcast radio doesn’t pay these at all. Left unchanged, these new royalties will kill every Internet radio site, including Pandora.”
You can go here to sign a petition that will go to your local Congressional representative to “save Internet Radio.” If you believe in the cause and love the variety and freedom of Internet Radio, here’s a way you can make a difference. It takes less than a minute and your petition is directed instantly to your respective congress person.
I just got a response back from my congress person, so it is the real deal.
Here is what your message will look like:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thank you for using Save Internet Radio Mail System
Message sent to the following recipients:
Representative Jones
Senator Brown
Senator Voinovich
Message text follows:
[your name address get embedded here]
April 16, 2007
[recipient address was inserted here]
Dear [recipient name was inserted here],
As a fan of Internet radio, I was alarmed to learn that the Copyright
Royalty Board has decided to raise music royalty rates by 300 to 1200
percent. For most webcasters the new royalties exceed their revenue and
they simply will go bankrupt and stop webcasting.
[your special message goes here - optional of course]
I respectfully request that Congress look into this matter and take action
to prevent it. Please understand that time is of the essence since the
new royalty rates are retroactive to January 1, 2006 so they will cause
immediate bankruptcies if they become effective for even one day. Please
don’t let the music die.
Sincerely,
Jay
