August 2011
58 posts
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Wisdom From Apple's New CEO: It's All About... →
Tim Cook offers his wisdom on work, Apple, and life itself.
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“At times, I would go to interviews in armored cars and other times I would go in...”
– Paul von Zielbauer on his life before starting Roadmonkey.
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5 Lessons From Sam Walton
Sam Walton (1918-1992) was a self-made billionaire. In 1945, he bought a Ben Franklin variety store in Newport, Arkansas, and began to put his own innovative retail approach to work. He scoured the area with his pickup truck, buying up goods from anyone with a blowout offer to make. Then he sold them in his store, dirt-cheap. Merchandise flew off the floor. He’d make...
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What’s Happening To Hewlett Packard? →
Why has Hewlett Packard lost half its stock value in recent months? Here are the business lessons to take away.
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How Andy Boose Made It Big In Not Just 1, But 3...
It just isn’t possible for every lounge act to become the next Lady Gaga, or every mixed tape MC to emerge as a Jay-Z. The desire to succeed as an entertainer may be rich, but unless you make it big time, the money is elusive.
There’s more to the entertainment and nightlife industry than being the one on stage. There’s a whole litany of small businesses that come together to make the bright...
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Women Business Owners Buff Up Their Brands By... →
It’s easy to donate a piece of your profits, and finding the right philanthropic fit can buff up your brand.
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“Structured procrastination (procrastination with a purpose) can help me progress...”
– Helen Jane Hearn on making procrastination work for you.
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Why You Should Stay Under The Radar
Every entrepreneur wants to see their business grow. And why wouldn’t you? It means more customers, more sales and ultimately, more money. But there is a risk. If you grow too big or too fast, the competition will catch on. That puts a lot of additional pressure on you, because you no longer need to just woo your customers, you need to fight the competition too.
This puts you in the position...
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Countering: What To Consider Before An Employee... →
The day will come when an employee gets an other offer. Here’s what you should think about before countering.
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Natural Disasters: How To Survive, And Even Thrive
Bill Rau of New Orleans has been described as “the finest antiques gallery in the world.” Its 30,000 square-foot showroom in the heart of the French Quarter boasts such exalted inventory as Renoirs, Monets and Paul Revere sterling bowls. But this treasure trove, and the livelihood of the business itself, faced its greatest challenge when Hurricane Katrina hit the city in...
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Drinking From The Fire Hose: What To Ask Your Best... →
Stop wasting time chasing new customers. Ask your satisfied ones this very simple and profitable question.
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How Jill Dailey McIntosh Helped Launch A Fitness...
Q: What are your secrets to such wild success?
A: The quality of our classes is our success. If people get results, they will come back. We also work hard on customer relationships, helping them modify moves and addressing any needs they have.
Q: What do you wish you would have known in the beginning?
A: Back then, I wish I would have known how important it is to...
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How To Use Social Networks To Generate Leads →
Businesses need to drive monetary results—here is how to social media to generate new leads for your small business:
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The Dark Side Of Viral Content
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is typically a polarizing topic, so when I wrote about it on my site, I created a post with a custom graphic and added a catchy title. The post was then picked up by Hacker News, and the rest, as they say, was history.
For those not in the know, my guide was what’s known as “linkbait,” which is content created...
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“It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our...”
– J. K. Rowling
Check out other entrepreneurial tips from the esteemed author on OPEN Forum.
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Could Your Small Business Survive Without Social... →
Think your small business doesn’t need social media? Here’s why you need to join the conversation.
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“The reason we have so many creative ideas in the shower is that you can’t...”
– - Dharmesh Shah
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4 Lessons From Netflix's Price Hike
Was Netflix’s decision to increase prices wise?
Company execs say, “yes.” Industry analysts say, “no.”
No matter what you think about the wisdom of the price increase, the move is bold. Less than a year ago, the company raised its base price for the “DVD + Streaming” package to $8.99 per month. Now, Netflix is changing its pricing structure so that this...
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Entrepreneurs Dish: 3 Startup Mistakes And How To... →
Every successful small business owner has a slew of war stories—Katie Morell sat down with three to get the scoop.
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“We can’t make fear go away, we just need to teach it to fly in formation.”
– Dale Carnegie
Read how fear is good for business on OPEN Forum.
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The 7 Best Businesses For A Dying Economy →
Entrepreneurs can have thriving businesses in this bad economy. The trick is choosing the right business.
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The Greatest Customer Service Story Ever →
As we were about to take off, I jokingly tweeted the following:
Let’s understand: I was joking. I had absolutely no expectations of anything from that Tweet. It’s like how we Tweet “Dear Winter, please stop, love Peter,” or something similar.
I shut off my phone and we took off.
Two and a half hours later, we landed at EWR. The fact that a flight got into EWR on time during summer...
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8 Ways To Use Your Blog To Improve Your Business →
Blogging is an easy way to increase your business’ internet presence.
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Turning A Hobby Into Your Career
Rachel Schifter Thebault just celebrated her 7th anniversary of leaving the corporate world to pursue a lifelong dream of opening a bakery. Having spent the prior seven years as an investment banker, she has plenty of experience working on both sides of the work-world spectrum.
“My day-to-day job is not glamorous. It can involve washing dishes, bussing tables,...
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Do You Think Like An Employee Or An Entrepreneur?
The way we think about our work and business is crucial. My personal success in business has hinged on understanding that I relate to business like an entrepreneur. I’ve been able to contribute my best work with employers and clients that valued my entrepreneurial view. I’ve learned to recognize that I’ll never quite fit with employers and clients that prefer to work with people who view...
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No Batteries Required: 8 Conflict Resolution Tips →
Learning to deal with emotions in conflict situations helps us be more effective in our professional or personal lives.
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How A 20-Something Prodigy Transformed The U.S....
Back in 1987, Chip Conley was a 26-year-old idealist with a strong vision. A Long Beach, California native and Stanford MBA grad, he was working in San Francisco for a commercial business developer when he inquired about creating a hotel division of the company. His boss quickly answered in the negative.
Conley wasn’t discouraged; he had a backup plan.
“I told him I was going...
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How To Make Your Business Recyclable
When we think of recycling, it is no surprise that most people would immediately think of collecting newspapers and plastic bottles.
What if instead you considered being recyclable a principle that you could apply to many different aspects of your business?
Check out OPEN Forum to see a few examples of how this could work.
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Top 10 Attributes Of Successful Strategic Plans
For all of the attention and focus placed on strategic planning and change initiatives, it’s hard to imagine that roughly 70 percent of strategic plans fail and 73 percent of change initiatives fall short of producing any meaningful or lasting change. Troubled by these figures, Vistage Chairs (former executives turned business mentors) compared notes on initiatives that have succeeded and,...
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The Cost Of Free Publicity: How Much Is Too... →
What exactly are you getting when you hunt for free publicity?
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“Plan B, it turns out, is a lot harder than it seems. But that hasn’t stopped...”
– http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/fashion/maybe-its-time-for-plan-c.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general
The New York Times discusses the tough lifestyle of 9-5ers turned new small business owners - and it turns out it isn’t as easy as one might think.
Was your jump to self employment...
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How 3 Entrepreneurs Used Failure To Successfully... →
Don’t be discouraged by failure. Sometime’s it’s just what you need to launch a successful business.
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The Power Of Small Wins
Earlier this week contributor Matthew E. May reviewed a fascinating new book called The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work, by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer (two of the foremost authorities on creativity in business). Check out his Q&A with Teresa on OPEN Forum.
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Why 11 Stores Launched Online Instead Of With A...
Ever wonder why some businesses choose to nix the brick and mortar? So do we.
To get to the bottom of it, Mashable spoke to 11 businesspeople—in every industry from jarred pickles to online clothing swaps—about their decision to exist entirely online. On OPEN Forum they explain why online storefronts were right for their products and services, and share invaluable advice for fellow business...
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How To Get Celebrities To Promote Your Business →
When your product is promoted by a celebrity, it means an instant boost in sales. Here’s how to get it in their hands.
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“In the era of “reactionary workflow,” when we’re always eager...”
– Scott Belsky on why we need to disconnect to tap into our creative sides
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5 Ways The Kardashian Family Built A $65 Million...
There’s a lot we can learn from the Kardashian family about running a business. Scoff and roll your eyes if you will, but the litany of licensing partnerships netted Kardashian Inc. a staggering $65 million in 2010. That’s more than Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie and Sandra Bullock combined.
Read their success story on OPEN Forum.
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5 Ways To Build Positive, Successful Relationships... →
Managing personal relationships with your employees is critical to creating an effective, positive work environment.
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6 Ways To Improve Your Well-Being At Work
What do an office pet, frequent vacations and a mid-day workout have in common? J.K. Glei says these are three of six ways to improve your well-being at work.
What other workday habits do you find helpful for balance and productivity?
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Behind the Scenes at Big Break: Day Two
Last Friday was Day Two and the conclusion of the American Express OPEN’s Facebook Big Break for Small Business program in Palo Alto. The winning businesses completed their one-on-one consultations with members of the Facebook and American Express OPEN teams. The winners then shared what they learned and how they planned to use the $20,000 they each received. (More on that to come soon on...
7 Survival Strategies From Tomorrow's Talent Wars →
In spite of what the numbers say, business owners are already feeling the pinch and all indications point to a full-on talent squeeze by the end of the decade.
If you have kids around the house, you probably find yourself saying things like “Why do I have to tell you five times before you do what I asked?!”
Or, how about the time you asked someone to do something for you and it didn’t get done?
Then, there are those pesky customers. You place advertising, you send direct mail, you have sales people selling—why aren’t they buying? In other words,...
How To Land The Perfect Space: Advice From A Real... →
Aaron Forster, of Four Star Real Estate Services, gives his advice for small business owners in the market for a new space.
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Behind the Scenes at Big Break
Yesterday was Day One at American OPEN Facebook “Big Break” in Palo Alto. The top five winners from the contest are spending two days at Facebook, sharing their current and future plans for using Facebook for their business. They’re meeting with various members of the Facebook team to learn more about how to use Facebook pages, ads and sponsored stories, and platform tools to drive greater...
