Previous Headlines

The Author’s Dilemma – Why Most Business Books Suck
August 5, 2008 | 12 Comments
Why do most business books suck? In many cases, the relevant content of business books could be summarized in fewer than five pages. In fact, the introduction often covers all of the book’s main points and the remainder of the book is simply an arduous embellishment of the core concepts, replete with a mind-numbing litany of real-world examples and associated gratuitous commentary. The Author’s Dilemma is, “How do I write an insightful business book that is not redundant but is lengthy enough for the publisher to justify the $19.95 list price?”

Continue Reading...
Talent alone is usually not adequate for your adVenture to succeed. A tragic number of young athletes, musicians and scholars who master their sport, instrument...

(Non)Sense of Entitlement – Entrepreneurs Need The Whole Package To Succeed: Talent, Temperament and Tenacity
July 29, 2008 | 7 Comments
Talent alone is usually not adequate for your adVenture to succeed. A tragic number of young athletes, musicians and scholars who master their sport, instrument or area of study are unable to translate their natural gifts into a level of success commensurate with their abilities. In some cases, the relative ease with which they achieve their accomplishments is a handicap that precludes other aspects of their character and personality from developing in an appropriate and healthy manner. Sometimes, when winning comes relatively easy to such prodigies, they develop a poor work ethic, an inability to constructively deal with adversity and a glaring sense of entitlement. An entitlement mentality can lead to a feeling of irreplaceability. However, successful entrepreneurs realize that some people are indispensable but no one is irreplaceable.

Continue Reading...

Joining An adVenture
July 22, 2008 | 2 Comments
Bilbo’s offer letter from Thorin in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit exemplifies the proper attitude that you must have when joining an adVenture. “Thorin and Company to Burglar Bilbo, Greetings! For your hospitality our sincerest thanks, and for your offer of professional assistance our grateful acceptance. Terms: cash on delivery, up to and not exceeding one fourteenth of total profits (if any); all traveling expenses guaranteed in any event; funeral expenses to be defrayed by us or our representatives, if occasion arises and the matter is not otherwise arranged for.”

Continue Reading...

Competitive Sleuthing
July 17, 2008 | 4 Comments
"To let the brain work without sufficient material is like racing an engine. It racks itself to pieces." Sherlock Holmes in "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" Too many entrepreneurs stress about their competition without having enough information to make informed decisions. They need to move beyond the emotional aspects of competing and develop multiple, largely free, sources of competitive information. There is no need to hire an expensive consultant. As noted in, "Competing From the Fringe," dedicate a senior member of your team as your "Watson" (you cannot afford a Sherlock, after all). Watson's role is to diligently and consistently mine the readily available data sources noted below and periodically communicate the state of the competitive landscape to your Core Team.

Continue Reading...

Backmasking Forensics - Uncovering Hidden Messages in Agreements
July 15, 2008 | 4 Comments
According to Wikipedia, Backmasking is, “a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backwards onto a track that is meant to be played forward.” In some instances, seemingly random sounds take on questionable meaning when played backwards. In Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven, Robert Plant seems to say, “Oh here’s to sweet Satan. He’ll give those with him 666.” When the Beatles’ Revoultion 9 is played in reverse, there is a brief passage that sounds something like, “Turn me on dead man,” which heightened the “Paul is dead” rumors of the early 1970s. However, backmasking is often a deliberate process, in which artists send messages to their diehard fans who relish discovering and decoding the hidden communications. It is usually arduous to discover and decipher audio backmasked messages. However, the process of decoding the hidden messages in your partner agreements is much simpler. You can perform such agreement forensics by looking for the clues outlined below. One such clue proved to be worth $20 million to one of my adVentures.

Continue Reading...

Pulp Facts – Entrepreneurial Press Releases Should Generate Revenue
July 8, 2008 | 2 Comments
“When I looked up from the menu, I was staring into the eyes of a man who had been dead for three years.” – Opening sentence from “Time of Terror” by Louis L’Amour “When Speeke came at last to water, he was two days beyond death.” – Opening sentence from “That Man From the Bitter Sands” by Louis L’Amour Successful pulp fiction writers like Louis L’Amour had to grab their readers with their first sentence. They did not have the luxury of hoping readers would warm up to their stories after a few pages. Most pulp fiction fans flipped through the magazines before buying them and purchased the stories that grabbed them by their shirt collars and compelled them to read more. Your startup’s press releases must be as compelling as pulp fiction. If the reader is not engaged at the outset, it is unlikely they will take the time to read the remainder of your release.

Continue Reading...
In the Western movie The Magnificent Seven, the protagonists are escorted out of the town they were hired to defend, unarmed and under gunpoint. Once...

Humble Pride –Steadfast Resolve Is Vital To A Startup’s Success
June 30, 2008 | 10 Comments
In the Western movie The Magnificent Seven, the protagonists are escorted out of the town they were hired to defend, unarmed and under gunpoint. Once they are a few miles out of town, their gun belts are tossed on the ground and the banditos who defeated them ride away. The group’s leader, Chris, played by Yul Brynner, surveys his defeated men, trying to assess his team’s morale. With no preamble, James Coburn’s character, Honest Britt, jumps from his horse and straps on his gun belt while saying, “Nobody throws me my own guns and says, ‘Run.’ Nobody.” Honest makes it clear that he is going back to town, with or without the rest of the group. Several of the other riders dismount and silently strap on their gun belts as well, indicating their intention to join Honest. However, Harry, the Magnificent Seven gunslinger with the most overtly mercenary intentions, derides the group for their willingness to ride to their deaths. He attempts to enlist the support of his friend, Lee, by trying to convince him to abandon the team’s objective. Harry (angrily): “You’re crazy, all of you.” Chris (calmly): “Ride on Harry, it’s alright.” Harry: “Come on Lee.” Chris to Lee: “You don’t owe anything to anybody.” Lee (after a long pause): “Except to myself.” Harry then rides off alone. The remaining riders turn their mounts toward town, despite the risks they face.

Continue Reading...

Pressure – The Mother Of An Entrepreneur’s Motivation
June 24, 2008 | 5 Comments
One evening, early in 1972, a young itinerant truck driver living in a small Pennsylvania farmhouse was told by his wife that she was pregnant. That evening, in a fit of desperation, he wrote one of the best selling songs of the 1970s. By the end of the week, he had written several new songs, which were included on the two Top Ten albums he released the following year. Pressure is good. Every system needs it to properly perform; airplanes, bloodstreams and the earth’s atmosphere. Just as it spurred the young musician, it is also a vital ingredient in a startup’s success.

Continue Reading...

Max Brand – Entrepreneurs’ Branding Maxims
June 19, 2008 | 5 Comments
Frederick Schiller Faust is a nobody. His face evokes no recognition; his name conjures no associations, nor do eighteen of his nineteen pseudonyms. However, one of his aliases elicits widespread recognition. Nearly 65 years after Frederick’s death on the front lines during World War II, his celebrated penname remains an enduring brand that invokes a spirit of adventure and escape. Frederick and his publishers fostered his renowned nom de plume into a vibrant and meaningful brand. Many of the maxims utilized to create that lasting brand can be applied to your startup.

Continue Reading...

Time Wounds All Heels – The Importance Of Honesty To Successful Serial Entrepreneurs
June 9, 2008 | 17 Comments
Standing on the courthouse steps, moments after receiving his permanent residency Green Card, John Lennon was asked if he harbored a grudge against the Nixon Administration for tapping his phone, putting him under surveillance and mounting a multi-year attempt to deport him. Without missing a beat, John smiled and said, “Time wounds all heels.” Given the manner in which history has depicted Nixon and his Administration, truer words were never spoken.

Continue Reading...
Page 25 of 29« First...10...2223242526272829