Here is the text of Marty Keller’s goodbye note and it provides some information about they way forward for the California Small Business Advocate’s Office. We’ll miss you, Marty. – Ed.
Posted in News and Views
Tagged banks, branding, business, Deals, Depression, economic crisis, economy, entrepreneurs, financial crisis, financial institutions, funding, jobs, Loans, marketing, money, Recession, sba, sbdc, small business, start ups
Four years later, with more than 120 keynote speeches under my belt to audiences ranging from 30 to 3,000 people, I truly love delivering a presentation. Here are three things that helped me find my strength on stage.
Posted in News and Views, Tools and Information
Tagged entrepreneurs, jobs, marketing, presentations, small business, start ups
Some economists and philosophers have even argued that in cases of environmental preservation 0 percent is the only ethically defensible number. That is, no discounting at all. But this debate over percentages may actually be a distraction from a more serious problem with the formulas used in discounting.
“Smartphones and tablets are so much more mobile than laptops; the idea of someone pulling out a laptop in a store to check email, Facebook or prices — it’s very impractical,” said Sekar. “What we’re seeing with these mobile devices is it’s practical and enjoyable to do that.”
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Tagged advertising, business, economy, entrepreneurs, Facebook, marketing, small business, technology, twitter
We live in a super-cluttered world where no one has time for anything. We’re bombarded with text messages, TV commercials, billboards, and online ads, and so companies need to know what they stand for. It’s a fact that you cannot remember more than three television commercials in a row, let alone recall the design of your average business card unless they manage to rise above the cacophony and stand out in a way that’s completely relevant.
Despite what antigovernment conservatives say, non-defense discretionary spending on areas like foreign aid, education and food safety was not a driving factor in creating the deficits. In fact, such spending, accounting for only 15 percent of the budget, has been basically flat as a share of the economy for decades. Cutting it simply will not fill the deficit hole.
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Tagged bailout, business, Depression, economic crisis, economy, jobs, money, Recession, small business, stimulus bill, stimulus package
Our buddy Paul Thiel publishes a deal sheet for ‘the best of what’s around’ in Southern California. We’re happy to offer it to our readers. Check it out.
Posted in Tools and Information
Tagged business, Deals, economy, entrepreneurs, funding, jobs, small business, start ups
The word content is confusing enough as it’s bantered around these days, but it’s also difficult for many small business owners to come up with a big picture view of the role content plays in the acquisition of clients.
Posted in Tools and Information
Tagged advertising, articles, blogs, branding, content, entrepreneurs, marketing, small business, social networking, start ups
Becky, a consultant, was telling us about a proposal she made a few years ago. The project was big and she needed help so she partnered with company that she had worked with before. They agreed to work as one company to reduce customer concerns about managing multiple contractors. At deal time the partner broke ranks trying to make a separate agreement. The customer declined to work with either company.
Trouble in partnerships generally comes from three things: Poor due diligence by the partners, mismanaged expectations and lack of defined roles and responsibilities.
When picking another company to partner with, you need to decide if they are a good fit with you. For example, a firm that is fastidious about quality will be driven crazy by a sloppy partner. If the firms have different ideas about client relations, there can be mixed messages that cause trouble and false crisis. You’ve decided the partner firm is qualified and shares a compatible management approach, but you also want to check for a cultural fit. Are the work methods compatible? If your company likes slow, steady progress will you be able to work with one that pulls all nighters to deliver a last minute product?
Once you’ve done your homework, set the expectations for the work. Decide with the other team what each one of you wants to get out of the project. Who gets the credit? How is the fee divided? How much effort is required of each of you? Who leads the relationship? Taking the time to learn everyone’s expectations will avoid fumbles in front of the customer and disappointments that can sour the relationship and make for a bad experience for everyone involved.
Posted in Op-ED
Tagged branding, business, Deals, entrepreneurs, ethics, jobs, marketing, partnering, partnerships, small business, start ups, teaming
Posted in News and Views
Tagged drunk, drunks are funny, hilarious, man stuck in storm drain, storm drain, stuck in drain
Like Teach For America, VFA will bring promising college graduates to work in underserved communities for at least two years. Startups that focus on up-and-coming industries (i.e. education innovation, energy, biotechnology) will be offered a VFA fellow for a salary of $32,000 to $38,000 annually. At the end of the two years, the companies can opt to hire fellows under new terms.
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Tagged banks, branding, business, Depression, economic crisis, economy, entrepreneurs, ethics, financial crisis, financial institutions, funding, internet, jobs, meltdown, money, Recession, sba, sbdc, small business
There was nothing difficult about the concept of multiplication — the problem was that numbers, at the time, had a bad user interface.”
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Tagged learning, mathematics, teaching, technology, This is really cool
THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES:Posted in News and Views
Tagged banks, branding, business, Depression, economic crisis, economy, entrepreneurs, ethics, financial crisis, financial institutions, funding, internet, jobs, meltdown, money, Recession, sba, sbdc, small business
Zero Hedge shtfplan Associated Press
