|
|
||
|
|
Share Just finished Jim Collins’ latest work, Great by Choice. Astounding! I love his work, and this is sure to engage you as well. I just finished the audiobook version, and his narration is the best of any business book I’ve listened to. The book challenges assumptions about how great companies operate in chaos. What he [Continue reading Great by Choice] 
Share (Photo by Charles Gupton) I am constantly humbled by the energy, passion, and drive that people with ideas can muster. I saw half-baked ideas turned into viable concepts in a matter of seven weeks, with the final being a 10-minute venture pitch to judges and fellow classmates. I just finished teaching an entrepreneurship course [Continue reading Mentors Contribute to Entrepreneurial Success] 
Share (Photo by Cain and Todd Benson) Steve Jobs stepped down yesterday as Apple’s CEO. This is a big deal for Apple, which saw tremendous growth and became one of the world’s largest companies with Jobs’ leadership. He will remain Chairman of the Board, but drop his duties as CEO due to his health. Jobs [Continue reading Well Done, Steve Jobs!] 
Share One of the companies I work with recently introduced me to a website that I think is totally cool. CrowdSpring.com is a crowdsourcing application that lets companies post a project that they want done in the creative arena (visual design), and have multiple parties submit their concepts. Another I just found is LogoTournament.com. For startups, [Continue reading Crowdsourcing for Startups] 
Share Positioning is something many people have heard about, but haven’t properly implemented in their companies. Positioning is determining how you fit into the overall market, and has the following characteristics: Who you are What you sell Who you sell to (specifically) Your value proposition (why will people buy from you?) How you compare to competitors [Continue reading What’s Your Position?] 
Share I was thinking about the state of American business owners yesterday and came to the conclusion that there is a general paradigm that business owners seem to have fallen into that I call the 50 x 5 Trap.
Here it is:
We work 50 hours per week For 50 weeks a year For [Continue reading Escaping the 50 x 5 Trap] 
Share (Photo by Siddharth Pedarkar) In other words, do you focus on bringing in the big kill? The large contract? The Fortune 500 account? If so, you may want to start hunting something new. If we call the big account an elephant, there are lots of elephant hunters in the world. However, why not hunt [Continue reading Are You an Elephant Hunter?] 
Share (image by ivanpw) I have people ask me all the time about their company name. And then there are the folks that I have to pull to the side and tell them that their company name is killing their business. Either way, your name is important. It either adds value, or detracts from your [Continue reading What’s in a Name?] 
Share (photo by Omer Unlu) Thinking hourly is thinking small. Take these scenarios as fodder for the No More Hourly Arsenal. When you think hourly, you: Are thinking in terms of your cost, not the value to your client. Lose perspective on the bigger picture and instead focus on getting things done within budget – [Continue reading Death to Hourly Work] 
Share BHAGs. Sounds nasty. But it’s a great way to get your thinking out of yourself and into a compelling vision. Jim Collins talked about Big Hairy Audacious Goals in his book Good to Great. This can also be part or all of your vision for your life and company. Here is a great slide show [Continue reading BHAGs: Big, Hairy Audacious Goals] |
|
|
© 2000-2012 Craig Mathews. All Rights Reserved. |
||
