...on This Week In Start-Up History: iPod.:
15:14, October 21st, 2008: HAL has that sort of creepy fisheye, and then, Dave Bowman is inside the EVA pod ...
"I'm afraid, Dave ..."
...on Top Five Worst Small Business Survival Tips.:
15:42, October 14th, 2008: This probably applies more to the consumer side of things, but the annoying, "know the difference between needs and wants!" could also applied to businesses from various "gurus."
...on The Best Things In Life May Not Be Free - You Just Wish They Were.:
13:34, October 10th, 2008: I do think that marketing to concierge services would be a prudent plan if you're peddling high-end, luxury goods.
...on The Best Things In Life Cost A Ton Of Money.:
11:58, October 10th, 2008: From the standpoint of an end user, I'd say, "yes, that's awesome," and I wouldn't really think less of the product. It makes more sense to keep high-end items priced the same, if anything to maintain appearances. It would also probably make sense for these companies to lobby harder at concierge services who cater to the ultra-wealthy. According to a TravelPulse article, if you're worth $22 million you are essentially "recession-proof." (http://www.travelpulse.com/Resources/Article.aspx?n=15
...on Week In Review: Our Week As Slackers:
0:38, September 27th, 2008: *holds lighter in the air*
...on Does Wall Street's Melt Down Matter To Entrepreneurs?:
13:55, September 17th, 2008: I agree with benpirie. A business that begins during times of turbulence can be stronger for it. Being efficient, avoiding excess, and knowing your market's desires is certainly critical. I'll share an anecdotal story. I co-owned a small retail business a few years back, and for the first eighteen months of its existence, the arterial road in front was shut down. People walked through the mud to come inside. The road was finally fixed ... (wait for it) ... in August 2001. We survived the next few tumultuous months by staying conservative, and we had a good liquidity that saw us through less-than-stellar months. The majority owner (hi Mom!) also had a good pulse on her target market, and was able to remain nimble, and the store eventually became profitable. But we managed to stay the course because of the adversity. So, don't despair!
...on One More Reason To Hate Google.:
15:45, August 25th, 2008: The dinner and "snack attack," I can understand, that is probably spendy. But taking away the tea trolley?! That's just cold. Give them back their caffeine!
...on Whole Foods Goes Cheap. Stop Laughing.:
13:41, August 12th, 2008: You know, to be perfectly honest, the food I buy there isn't (barring the deli) much more expensive than the stuff I'd buy at Fred Meyer. So I'll shop there regardless. The new PR campaign will hopefully help erase the "Whole Paycheck" stigma the store has, but the damage there might already have been done.
...on Google 4 Eva?:
16:05, July 28th, 2008: Yeah, Cuil is nothing special, and from what I can tell, not all that user-friendly. I admit that I've gotten used to Google, and I never found Yahoo to be user-friendly in how it presents its information. But Google will eventually fall prey to online entropy. I used to search Altavista and Snap.com, and they're long gone. So when Google stagnates, I'll gladly switch my allegiance to an engine that beats the champ for user friendliness, ease of search, and overall simplicity.
...on The Sky Is Falling - Or At Least Bank Lending Is.:
15:55, July 28th, 2008: Honestly, this reminds me of Randy Pausch's Last Lecture:
"But remember, the brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the *other* people."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Pausch
Or, to paraphrase Journey, "Don't stop! Believin'!"
...on BBB: Google's No Angel.:
18:59, July 21st, 2008: I am, somehow, not surprised by this. Google is certainly not always equitable.
BBB ratings do matter to me, and are often part of what I use when deciding which service provider to use. But I might be part of a shrinking demographic.
...on Starbucks Closures Inspires Hysteria. Surprised?:
15:38, July 21st, 2008: I'd be pretty disappointed if the Starbucks near my workplace closed, because I like the people that work there and the coffee is pretty good (either that, or I'm used to the way Starbucks brews its beans). However, there's a Starbucks not too far away that has terrible service and less-than-stellar coffee. I would shed not a tear if it went away. So basically, I'm more loyal to the nice coffee-slinging folks than the brand itself. This essentially makes me a faux-hipster if you swap out "Starbucks" for "locally owned coffee shop."
...on The Airline Industry May Be Melting Down, But Seaport Just Wants To Fly!:
14:38, June 17th, 2008: I guess this has value for the SeaTac/Portland-based businessperson that regularly does business in the other city. Although, not to be too paranoid, I would hope there is some type of security. And I personally hate turbo props, so the amenities would have to be really sweet indeed.
...on Looking For Start-Up Capital? The SBA's Got Your Back.:
13:12, June 17th, 2008: That is excellent news, indeed. Good find, Brittany!
...on Are You Getting A 3G?:
15:59, June 9th, 2008: If Apple had AT&T donate 1% of all charges to nonprofits, like my current provider Credo Mobile does, I would seriously consider it. But otherwise, I'm happy staying where I'm at, :)
...on Sure It's Green, But Is It Profitable?:
15:15, June 6th, 2008: Now *that's* sweat equity!
*badumtish*
...on Got Funding? Get Ready To Lose Control.:
1:15, June 5th, 2008: It also seems to me that in the "courting" phase, you can still negotiate if you're worried about getting stepped on.
I'm reminded of an article (http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/11/smbusiness/geek_squad.fsb/index.htm?section=money_latest)
about The Geek Squad, where founder Robert Stephens said he should have "put my foot down more," because The Geek Squad got a reputation for shoddier service after being bought out by Best Buy.
Of course, he goes on to say that he probably couldn't have persuaded them from rolling out The Geek Squad so aggressively. And so it goes. Risks versus rewards.
...on Is Amazon's Kindle A Threat to Small Booksellers?:
20:12, June 2nd, 2008: For super-savvy early adopters, the Kindle and all such widgets will always have appeal. But I think Doctorow has a point. Since reading for pleasure is declining in general (if the NEA is to be believed), and most folks prefer to play Wii than read, the Kindle will likely not be produced in amounts that will threaten the ubiquity of the good ol' fashioned paperback. For the Joe and Jane Americans who still read out there, a $7.99 Grisham will still beat a $360 piece of pretty plastic.
18:11, June 2nd, 2008: The mass market paperback (and even trade and hardcover editions) still have the same price, portability, and convenience edge that they've enjoyed for ages, particularly over the $360 Kindle. I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon. Plus, this article by Cory Doctorow kinda puts Kindle into perspective: http://www.locusmag.com/Features/2008/03/cory-doctorow-put-not-your-faith-in.html
...on Why Your Ideas Are Safe With VCs:
20:09, May 19th, 2008: Great article. I think these two points are crucial:
"Even if a VC had the desire to steal an idea from an unsuspecting entrepreneur, most don't have the ability, time, or resources to see it through—particularly in the realms of science and technology."
and
"These guys don't wear the lab coats for a reason—it's the entrepreneur's job."
Like earndt said, that should give some peace of mind!
...on Success Stories: Proclivity Systems:
14:06, May 19th, 2008: It's a smart idea, and 3-5 e-mails a week for stuff you'd be interested is manageable, but methinks that eventually the need to "innovate" (read: bombard) is likely going to kick in (even when it isn't the holiday season), and this company will need to take care not to be overtaken by a high signal-to-noise ratio.
...on A Synergistic Analysis of Re-Engineered Paradigms:
19:15, May 14th, 2008: This has always been a pet peeve of mine. Give me precise and to-the-point over convolution any day.
