David Carter - Small Business Resources

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This is a fascinating report on the current trend of Social Marketing and it’s impact on business.

From TrendWatching:

While the notion of consumers establishing and (passionately) tending to their online presences is no longer a source of wonder, the sheer scale and scope of the phenomenon is still astounding. Hundreds of millions of personal pages, feeds, status updates, tweets, profiles, blogs—courtesy of the Facebooks, the mySpaces, the Twitters, the LinkedIns—are building up to an eternally up-to-date encyclopedia of individuals that defies even the most futuristic predictions back in the early days of the web.

These profiles (and billions of other digital crumbs scattered across cyberspace), will live on forever. Not just because the web is a massive caching machine, but more importantly, because younger generations will never want to dispose of their groomed online presence to begin with. Some (obligatory) figures:       Read More…

How do you see Social Media benefiting you and your business?

Census data can really help in your marketing campaign.   This link give you census data by state, county or city.  Take a look.

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html

A few months ago,  I began the life long process of learning Argentine Tango.  I attended a Milonga, which is an Argentine Tango party, and immediately fell in love with this unique dance.   I couldn’t stop watching these people,  locked in a close embrace,  staring off into nowhere and competely oblivous to what was going on around them.   Their movements were at times slow and sweet and at other times bold and dramatic but always connected to one another in a way I couldn’t see or understand.  I had to experience this for myself.

 As I was learning this wonderful dance, my teacher would occasionally make the statment “In Tango, As in Life…..  .   The most important one :  “In Tango, As in Life,  where you put your feet is very important”.     These were funny at first, but the more I heard them the more I realized that Tango is not only a dance,  but a lesson in life as well. 

So thanks to Louie (my teacher) for the following lessons:

In Tango, As in Life…..

1.  where you put your feet is very important - Every step offers countless possibilites and a few traps.  Choose your path carefully and with much thought.  Make each step precise and confident.

2.  you must listen to the music - Listen for the subtle changes that can have great impact.   React appropriately to what you hear.

3.   without passion, you are just moving -  Nobody ever succeeded at anything without passion.  Be passionate about everything you do and success will come.

4.  to lead you must think three steps ahead - Constantly dwell on the possibilites of tomorrow and the decisions you face.  Always know where your next steps will take you.

5.  no connection means no communication  - Everything grinds to a halt if you have no way to communicate your intentions,  desires or your response.  Creating something beautiful, meaningful and positive in life,  family or business requires constant, and unbroken, communication and connection.

5.  is a journey - The time never comes when you say ” I have learned Tango”.   There are countless possibilities to persue and a lesson to learn with each possibility

6.   it takes two to Tango -  Tango can be a beautiful expression, a fiery war between lovers, a sensual seduction or an inept mess between two people who are unable to communicate.    You can’t Tango alone so connect with people.  You can’t fight alone so admit your faults.  You can’t succeed alone so celebrate you successes together. 

I know there are many more and I will happily add to this list as I continue on my journey through life and Tango.

You’ve come up with a great idea for a new product, but how do you know for sure.  Ask yourself these question:

1. What problem are we trying to solve?

2. How does the product solve the problem? ( most only solve 90% of the problem)( the last 10 % is the key) 3. Who are the end users? (individuals or group) who are you selling to?   (individual or group) can be different

4. Is there a clear business model? Who are the economic buyers?

5. Does the product solve the end users problem?

6. Are you sure that what your building is a product and not just a feature?

7. Does your Product/Idea fit into the way people work?

8. Are you too involved in how you are building something rather than what you are building?

9. Who are the required partners and who are the potential partners? Prioritize them!

10. What is the go to market strategy? - who has the money? target a market 11. What is your sustainable competitive advantage?

12. Are you to early?

13. Can you be number 1 or number 2? who is your competition?

14. Is there a team formed/identified that has a record of success with ventures?

15. Is there someone who is the soal of the team and knows the product direction for the next 5 years?

16. Is anyone on the team insane? passionate but unfocused 17. are there product, technology or operational barriers to your success? can they be overcome?

18. Are there marketing or sales barriers? can they be overcome?

19. Are there any legal barriers? can they be overcome?

20. Is there an exit strategy?