Internet Marketing | Lead Generation

Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur

In “Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur,” Stuart Skorman recounts the ups and downs of his high-stakes career. Skorman launched the online video store Reel.com in 1997 and sold it three years later for $100 million — but his online learning site Hungryminds.com bombed. More recently he made a come back with Elephant Pharmacy. Skorman takes us to the card table to show how business can be played like a game of poker.

Stuart Skorman’s first point — the arrogance of success — or becoming arrogant because you are successful is one that I have experienced personally. Indeed, these days when I speak in public about business this is one of the main points I make. Arrogance means that you think you can not learn from someone else, that you know it all and more importantly leads to you making “casual” decisions that lead to business failure.

All the points Stuart Skorman makes are spot on - for many of us there will be nothing that NEW here - but for sure, it acts as a great reminder.

One final thought about business - one that has served me well is this.

In running a business there will be good days and there will be bad days. Days when the new orders coming through the door are so many you can hardly keep up, and other days when you keep checking the phones to see if they are working, as there is so little going on out there.

Now I would like to say I have some secret formula that fixes this so that you only ever have good days - but I don’t. What I do know is that business like it or not is a game of averages (not too many business gurus are going to tell you this) and truthfully, as long as you are always doing the right things, making the right number of calls, being productive etc then on “average” the result will be one that you can be happy with.

That is why when some days things are really good and business is booming I do not get too excited and likewise on other days, when things are a bit slower, I do not get depressed.

Of course, if things are continually bad / slow for a long period of time, the above does not apply. In that case, you clearly need to change direction. I am just relating here to the general ups and downs of running a business that happens often in the same 24hr or 7 day period

The Worlds Best Transcription Service | CastingWords.com

A lesson in how to conduct business properly - when a Guarantee really means what it says

I had cause recently to use an online Transcription service and following a recommendation from a friend I went with a site called:
http://castingwords.com

I did shop around a little, and frankly CastingWords was not the least expensive - but they did offer a 24hr Turnaround (i.e. your completed transcription would be with you within 24 hrs)

Now anyone who knows me even half well, knows I am not one of the worlds most patient people so naturally I opted for the 24hr turnaround service:

1 Day Expedited Transcription: Completed in 24 hours or your money back.

Thing is, I uploaded my MP3 - paid my $57.50 via Paypal and to be honest when the 24hrs came around, and I had not received the transcript I was not really thinking about it.

But then I had an email via Paypal that my $57.50 had been refunded - and an apology and an explanation that my completed transcript would be with me with the next 24hrs latest.

As it turns out I had my transcript within the next few hours - well within 30 hrs.

Of course Castingwords.com did the right thing - and I respect that - but we live it times when conducting business in this manner has almost disappeared - so for me this is worth a special HOORAY!

Are they the best Transcription service in the world? Well I don’t know that for sure, but what I do know is that looking at the quality of transcription I will be using them again AND again.

The GOODWILL they have generated with me is honestly worth the $57.50 they have “lost” this time - and is a REMINDER to us all that there is only one way to conduct business, and thats the HONEST WAY.

A Special Thank you to my friend and fellow Yanik Silver Mastermind member - Perry Belcher for suggesting Casting Words

Awesome people - very impressed

FUN First - Work Later

On the 1st January I did a New Year post for the “benefit” of my Children (any you my dear reader - of course!)

See the post at:
New Year Post

I should have known - but No 3 son (Joshua) had an instant reply fo his Dad.

He sent me this link He said: Here is a link I thought was good for you

Temp Hides Fun, Fulfilling Life From Rest Of Office

I understand the point Josh is making - and indeed, it is one many Young People are making today. They are not being “fooled” into a stressful working existance - well at least not without having FUN first!

The other point Josh was making is of course that Dad Works To Hard!

If only I could explain that Work as he calls it is PLAY to me

I say this today - and it quite amused me - not sure about the date order - but the “theory” is good

Once again - an fine example of the CYCLE of LIFE - THE CYCLE of BUSINESS

A Brief History of Medicine:

‘Doctor, I have an ear ache.’

2000 BC - ‘Here, eat this root.’

1000 BC - ‘That root is heathen, say this prayer.’

1800 AD - ‘That prayer is superstition, drink this potion’

1940 AD - ‘That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill.’

1985 AD - ‘That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic.’

2007 AD - ‘That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root!’

Domain Name Help | Signs That You Are A Domainer

Back in 2006 I did a post called what is a domainer

I thought it quite interesting and funny at the time, but Rudy Hernandez has just sent me details of an updated list.

For those of us who just can’t stop buying domain names this is quite funny. It might also be a sign that we should seek help

Rudys post is at:
You Might Be A Domainer If…

Some of the clever additions to the list of “You Might Be A Domainer If” are:

… your Sedo rep sends you holiday cards.

… you can recite GoDaddy promo codes from memory.

… you consider parking nothing to do with an automobile.

…you have a bracelet that says “What would Frank Schilling Do?”

ENJOY and Thank You Rudy!

This amused me, but then as some may say, I’m easily amused

Saw this the other day, I just had to pass it on (Viral Marketing)

I Do Dog Tricks

Could this be the future of dog training? I doubt it, but very amusing none the less

Type in your commands and the Dog Performs

Tell it to sit, Lie Down, Roll Over, Bark or any command you can think of. My favourite was KISS, try that last and see what happens.

Another very interesting use of Video and Flash. The future is here Right Now, are you using it?

Occasionally I find that I come across something or someone whom I have never heard of before, which for some reason or the other strikes a cord with me.

One recent occasion of this has been Bill Hicks. I don’t think I have heard of Bill until this last month, but now I have come across his writing and QUOTES several times. Not sure I would want to be associated with all of them, as some of them will for sure offend some people. Indeed the Bill Hicks website even says:

WARNING: This website contains everything your parents hate, everything the Church preaches against, everything the Government fears. Enjoy. – Bill Hicks

Anyway, the quote that really got my attention and one which I found it easy to resonate with was this:

The world is like a ride at an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it, you think it’s real because that’s how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it’s very brightly coloured and it’s very loud and it’s fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question: Is this real, or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say:

“Hey – don’t worry, don’t be afraid ever, because this is just a ride.”

And we … kill those people.

A bit deep perhaps But like I said, it resonated with me.

For more on Bill Hicks, see this Wikipedia Article

This video has been around for sometime now - and you may have already seen it, but even if you have seen it, it is in my opinion, well worth watching over and over.

Not quite Martin Luther King and the I Have a Dream Speech, but for an Entrepreneur like me, it really gets me, every time. It inspires, it motivates and it touches.

Here we see Steve Jobs delivering his commencement speech to the graduates of Stanford University in 2005. In it he talks about getting fired from Apple in 1985, life & death.

A very funny phone call video / audio. I know I shouldn’t really do this, but I had to share this video on an alternative way to handle a marketing call / telemarketer.

The audio has been viral are around for sometime, but if you have not seen this, prepare to be amused

This caught my eye this week - a “story” that could have perhaps done with a bit more reporting.

The UK government has a whopping 951 websites designed to help the public with information and enquiries. However after a government review more than half of these websites are set to close.

The government plans to close 551 of their websites “to make access to information easier” for web users and save money, which could be as high as £9 million a year.

Only 26 are definitely going to stay with the majority of them being main departmental websites. The rest are to be reviewed more closely and many of them could be shut down.

The UK government’s information online will be focused through two Directgov and Business Link and many of the closed sites will be transferred to the two sites.

Reference for posting The BBC