Forget “social media”….you need a SOCIAL CORE

May 12, 2010 – 2:39 pm
Social media is associated with some really stupid people selling some really stupid advice.  They'll be back to bar tending in no time....they are of no concern to us. What is of concern is how to use the social TOOLS to enhance our businesses.   I reject the term "social media" because I think it encourages everything that is wrong with the way people typically approach it. You see, it's NOT about "brand building".  It's not about using twitter or using facebook to gain attention for your company.  At this point, you're pretty much just spamming if you're looking at things that way.   Those typical "social media" methods are really just communication tactics of an old strategy book.  Instead of a PR, blog it and twitter it.  Someone complains about your company on twitter, monitor it and respond just like everyone used to do with magazine articles, letters to the editor, ...

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RUNNING a company?

May 11, 2010 – 11:25 pm
10 days ago I ran, and completed my first mini-marathon.  13.1 miles.  It was a big feeling of accomplishment for me, because when I decided to do it 12 weeks prior, I had never run more than five miles...and that was just once (despite 5 years of college basketball LOL) Here are some thoughts on how running a mini paralleled entrepreneurship: Goals are important. I was going to run 13.1 miles.  That's all there was to it...."how do I get there" was just a means to an end that I knew I would make. No shortcut. OK so there are two basic steps to running a mini:  1)  Start running.  2)  There is no step two!  (Hattip to Barney) Keep going. One foot in front of the other.  Keep doing that and you'll make it.  Stop thinking about the end.... Risk and adversity must be dealt with optimistically and with a clear vision. I ...

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Why I invested in Backupify

April 20, 2010 – 10:16 am
Recently I closed an angel investment in backupify.  It's my first investment since last year's move into Member Minded. Both are local, Louisville-based companies run by guys that I know well and trust.  That's about where the similarities stop. Backupify was a pretty easy call for me for the following reasons: Rob May, the CEO and founder, is a good dude.  He works very hard, very smart and is going to have a big win.  I just want to be a part of it when it happens. The concept grows with "social media" and "the cloud".  Both are getting high hype, but their pin-action is just beginning.  Backupify can solve a problem that people have (what happens if....) and more exciting (for me), can solve a problem that companies have (what are our regulated employees saying and how do we stay compliant?) Carbonite needs them to fill in a major, major hole in their product ...

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Price high and EARN it

April 19, 2010 – 8:25 am
Fred has a good story today about how increasing price can often increase value perception and demand. I agree and would add that pricing doesn't effect only the customer's behavior. It can have a significant impact on the members of your team as well. There is an inherent responsibility to produce a superior product, give amazing support, and take the sales process seriously when your product is priced above the competition. Instead of looking only at how to get price down (which is important), the real focus should be on getting value up. I like "Price high and EARN it." Win.

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Three cheers for compassion

April 15, 2010 – 2:05 pm
Three knocks at the door.  Mechanical, almost lifeless in pattern. As soon as I opened it, I knew what this was about.  There is no other reason that he visits me. "Hello....do you know what day it is?"   He stood there, an unimpressive fellow.  His belt was adorned with a gun and handcuffs positioned oddly-- optimized not for function, but for visibility. "Just a minute...I'll get it," I responded. Back in the bedroom, I opened the safe and took out his sum.  It was not as much as I had ever given, but it was certainly the most that I had ever had taken. As I walked back to the open door and his outstretched arm, I couldn't help thinking..... "he has no idea what it took to produce this....nor does he care.  No clue the risks that were taken, and obviously no concern for the use that my expert hands and mind could ...

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Dodd’s bank reform bill is going to crush YOU

April 1, 2010 – 10:05 am
The Dodd Bank Reform Bill working its way through Congress. It has provisions in it that crush startups. Oh, BTW Fred, this isn't "shrapnel"....this, along with this is the result of them taking dead aim at entrepreneurship and the private sector. The most offensive provision is that in order to invest in a private company, you will need to prove that you have a net worth of $2.3 million or make $450k/year of income. That's their definition of a "sophisticated" investor. Until you're to that point....they will "protect" you, from yourself. On the flip side, this means a dramatic reduction in the number of people that are "eligible" to invest in your startup. This is what happens when Statists take the wheel of government. They'll sell 100 lotto tickets to a drunk woman who just cashed her government check and tell you it's for the common good of ...

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The Walk, pt 1

March 29, 2010 – 3:47 pm
The light flickers above my head. A few footsteps shuffle along in the distance, but it's too dark to see their owner. He didn't sound like he had anyplace to go anyway. I've heard bad things about this pathway, but I'm not scared. Those kinds of generalities can only be spoken by the ignorant and timid. Besides, I know I would defeat the looters if they attacked now, in the open. So do they. There won't be anything from them until they have the cover of the crowd and the tyranny of emotion to protect them. My gait is a lie, a habit formed over the years of having a definite direction and purpose. I can't see the end of this path. "There may not be an end", I think. It's the most depressing thought of them all, because I know ...

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Elite Eight for Entrepreneurship

March 23, 2010 – 10:03 am

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New biz card

March 19, 2010 – 10:31 am

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SXSW

March 8, 2010 – 3:23 pm
I'm going to SXSW. Are you? I'm bringing a bottle of Pappy. What are you bringing? If you are going, and you are fun....let me know.

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