Posts tagged as:

Innovation

What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Google Glass

by Daria Steigman on March 21, 2013

Building BlocksGoogle Glass is very cool. And if you can hook me up with a tangerine pair, that would be nice. But it’s really just a smartphone, minus the ability to make phone calls.

It’s iterative technology.

I love that Google explores boundaries and pushes the innovation envelope. And with glass, the company has come up with a wearable way to keep you on its platforms. Sergey Brin and Larry Page are very rich for a reason.

Thinking about glass evoked an episode of  Shark Tank where a man with multiple patents for running wires through clothing (think iPod headphones) came seeking investors. He was also incredibly greedy and arrogant. Which is kind of funny, because his business model involves wired technology.

Mark Cuban pointed out the obvious: wired is going the way of the dinosaur.

The business landscape doesn’t stand still.

The best entrepreneurs aren’t focused on what they have now. They’re looking ahead to what’s next.

Most companies aren’t billion-dollar ventures. But all businesses need to be constantly innovating–rethinking a product, redesigning manufacturing processes, tweaking marketing approaches, testing productivity tools and technologies. And solving tomorrow’s problems.

How is your business looking ahead?

Photo by Raul Hernandez Gonzalez (Flickr).

Have you grabbed a free copy of Your Social Media Checklist? Download it today to get 9 tips for being findable and attracting the right customers for your business.

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Does Your Corporate Culture Make Sense?

by Daria Steigman on April 10, 2012

Evernote's CEO Talks Corporate Culture and Common SenseDoes your corporate culture make sense?

There was a terrific interview with Evernote founder Phil Libin recently in which he said, in part:

We always try to ask whether a particular policy exists because it’s a default piece of corporate stupidity that everyone expects you to have, or does it actually help you accomplish something?

Libin was talking specifically about days off (Evernote now allows employees to take unlimited vacation), but his remarks are equally applicable to other corporate policies and processes.

The New York Times interview covers managing employees (something Libin admits isn’t his strong suit), having a flat organizational structure, training employees to know everybody’s job, eliminating landlines, and more. It’s great stuff and well worth the read.

Photo by whatleydude (Flickr). 

Have you grabbed a free copy of Your Social Media Checklist? Download it today to get 9 tips for being findable and attracting the right customers for your business.

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Why the Small Business Haters Have It All Wrong

by Daria Steigman on January 19, 2012

Small Business Hidden Treasures, Independent ThinkingHave you noticed a trend lately disparaging small businesses (especially solo-owned ones)?

It’s a bit ironic that the people who are taking chances, thinking creatively, and testing out new products and services are getting slammed for not creating  jobs at a time when the economy is mired in inactivity.

The haters have it all wrong.

We’re not too big to fail. But we’re small enough to succeed.

One big thread in this conversation seems to revolve around employment. At one level, the naysayers have it absolutely right: I’m not hiring.

But that’s not my business model. My model is to partner. Which, last time I checked, generates income for other people so that they can pay bills, buy groceries, and shop at the mall–all the same stuff that salaried jobs enable, albeit at a much smaller scale. But I’m just one small business among many.

It’s not just about jobs.

There is a jobs crisis. But don’t blame small businesses for it.

I’m not an economist, but jobs don’t spring from nowhere. We need a reboot, and that’s going to require innovation, creativity, research and development, and risk-taking. (These and a bunch of other things too.)

Ashvini Saxena had a terrific post recently on how Entrepreneurship Benefits the Economy More Than Just Generating Jobs. In it, he talks about four other factors:

  • Entrepreneurs invent.
  • Entrepreneurs optimize.
  • Entrepreneurs find hidden demand (and create plans to exploit it).
  • Entrepreneurs hire people with skills.

Read Saxena’s post as well as the smart conversation in the comments.

Have you noticed an attack on small business? What’s your take?

Photo by Jan Tik (Flickr).

Have you grabbed a free copy of Your Social Media Checklist? Download it today to get 9 tips for being findable and attracting the right customers for your business.

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Books, Velcro, and Celebrating Success

by Daria Steigman on December 27, 2011

12 Candles for 12 Books on Business, Entrepreneurship, and Social MediaHow do you measure success?

There’s a lot of conversation around business success, what it means, and how to measure it. (And we probably talk even more sometimes about lazy metrics and poor measurement.)

I’m not going to talk about measurement at all today. Just success. Because sometimes you need to celebrate the small victories.

One of my 2011 goals was to read more business books. I set two goals: (1) to read at least one book a month about business, entrepreneurship, and/or marketing communications; and (2) to review a book a month.

Velcro helps.

Velcro was one of my three little words for 2011. In a blog post to start the year, I wrote:

I’m good at coming up with ideas, but sometimes I need more focus to see them come to fruition… I need to keep the velcro handy to keep me locked in.

It worked. I started the year thinking about how 21st century businesses are putting the power of collaboration and openness to work. I also read about what makes a good entrepreneur and how to tap into your entrepreneurial DNA, received tips on how businesses can leverage social media to thrive, and ended the year thinking about being weird.

12 Books for 12 Months

Here’s what was on my 2011 reading list:

As for 2012? I have four books in the queue, including Mastering Uncertainty and The Introvert’s Guide to Business. Stay tuned.

What successes are you celebrating as 2011 draws to a close?

Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt (Flickr).

Have you grabbed a free copy of Your Social Media Checklist? Download it today to get 9 tips for being findable and attracting the right customers for your business.

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Is Groupon the Next Lycos?

by Daria Steigman on October 28, 2011

Groupon, Lycos, Mistaking First for Innovative, Independent ThinkingLycos used to be a big deal.

Lycos was one of the first ad-supported search engines. It completed one of the fastest IPOs in history. It was one of the first profitable Internet companies. And it barely exists today.

Look at the home page, and you see a flashback to the old Web.

Lycos developed a model, then other companies came into the space. They did it better. They saw opportunities. They innovated.

Which brings us to Groupon, which has been hemorrhaging for months.

Groupon’s founders never understood that the $6 billion offer from Google was never about Groupon’s business value. It was about buying an infrastructure that Google could build out.

Being the first on your block to do something doesn’t make you special. Or gifted. Or the best. It just makes you first.

What do you think: Is Groupon the next Lycos?

Photo by blathlean (Flickr).

Have you grabbed a free copy of Your Social Media Checklist? Download it today to get 9 tips for being findable and attracting the right customers for your business.

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