While you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, that’s all that I have for now…

In working towards the release of my new book, The Entrepreneur Equation, I was faced with the opportunity of either taking- or not taking- my own advice. My publisher conceptualized the cover and finally I can share the first look at the cover art for the book (note, the coloring is a bit off in the upload, but you can get the gist):

[Duplicate, since the first one wasn't showing in Explorer for some reason]

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I am very honored to be a part of Escape Velocity, a new project by Chris Brogan, with Chris Gillebeau, Chris Garrett, Jonathan Fields, Liz Strauss and me contributing.

The blog is about improvement in various areas and of course my contributions will have a business slant.

My first post on the site is Why Passion & Creativity Are Not Enough- You Need Goals, Too.  I hope you will enjoy this new project.

And we’re not talking GTL, baby

If you haven’t been exposed to the pop-culture phenomenon, the Jersey Shore, you are probably more sane than I am (not a tough accomplishment, actually). But the kids that made “GTL” (Gym-Tan-Laundry) the catch phrase of the year can also teach you some lessons about your business (seriously).

Here are three things your business can learn from the Jersey Shore:

A focused, rabid audience can trump a broad, unfocused one

In TV, like business, niches rule. Just because it’s not everyone’s cup of tea (or perhaps, more appropriately, canteen of vodka), doesn’t mean that there isn’t a market for it.
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Remember that commercial from the 70s- I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV- well, I kind of feel like that when it comes to blogging. I have recently been asked to participate as a featured blogger/member of the press for the prestigious World Business Forum in New York City. Many major business and other media news outlets have asked me to guest blog for them, blog part time for them and give them content.

And this confuses me on some level, because in my mind, I am not a “blogger”.

Now technically, I suppose I am a “blogger”. What leads me to that conclusion is:
- I have a blog, which has been up for just over a year
- I post to it consistently (around four times a week)
- People read it, tweet it, “Like” it and comment to it
- It’s been recognized by other media with some pretty substantial accolades
- And I have “blogged” for other outlets
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People are often quick to complain when they have a less than stellar customer service experience, but are not quite as vocal when a business goes above and beyond their customer service expectations. So, I thought it would be fun to reach out to my network of respected experts and entrepreneurs to find out what business they think has the BEST customer service and why. Their answers range from huge corporations to mom-and-pop stores and are presented below in no particular order.

You may notice the same business mentioned multiple times. I kept each recommendation separate, as those businesses are obviously doing a great job to get multiple favorable comments!
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Basic blocking and tackling is what wins games

As we are several weeks into my favorite season of the year, “football season”, I wanted to talk about what businesses can learn from football.

If you study the pro teams over the course of any given year, while there may be some glitzy, special or “trick” plays along the way, those are not what account for a winning season.  Football teams win because of the good old everyday “blocking and tackling”.

The winning team:

• Doesn’t turn over the ball- they limit the dropped passes, fumbles and protect the ball with every fiber of their being;
• They don’t miss easy tackles- they stop the defender and protect the quarterback;
• They don’t have communication mishaps- if the play is called by the quarterback as “64 green”, everyone knows what that means. 

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What is the early struggle to start and run a business really like? We hear a lot of “hindsight” stories, but in reality, the more time that passes, the harder it is to remember the pain.

I thought it would be interesting to interview an entrepreneur around the one year anniversary of being in business to find out, with a fresh perspective, what worked, what didn’t, what he would do differently and what advice he would give to future entrepreneurs.

I hope you will enjoy this time capsule video with Rich Wolfson of 2BU Studios and 2BU Professional, where he candidly shares his one-year experiences. 2BU is where I shoot my professional videos (such as Not Fit To Print- the ones that look professionally done!)

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You can visit 2BU Professional here and 2BU Studios here. Thanks to Rich for candidly sharing his journey!

Don’t build your business under the influence.

I don’t know what it is with “new”, but new things are highly intoxicating. This is particularly the case with new ideas. Whether it is for a new product, a new location or a new business altogether, new ideas are often pursued without the best clarity in judgment. I call this “Business Beer Goggling”- the idea looks a whole lot better to you than it is in reality.

When you have a new idea, the temptation may be to keep it a secret. But you are doing yourself a disservice to do so. When you are business beer goggling, you are too close to the idea. You have some kind of weird chemical reaction going on and your judgment is impaired because you are so enamored with your idea. You need to find trusted advisors that will give you candid feedback to evaluate, improve and even implement your idea- if it has merits. Think of it as having a business “wingman” of sorts. Let someone talk you through the pros and cons, the issues and opportunities, and potential refinements.
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So, we’ve all heard the phrase “time is money” ad nauseam, but really, nothing is more true. Well, I have again reached out to my network of valued experts and entrepreneurs to find out the secret (and in some cases, not so secret) ways that entrepreneurs most waste their precious time during their business day so that you can avoid the same fate. Their answers are presented below in no particular order. But read them fast; time is money!

You may notice some similar concepts, but I kept the insights separate, as something in the way one is framed may resonate differently with you.
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Focus on What Your Customers are Saying, Not on the Noise

Ronald McDonald is one of the most recognized characters in the entire world, even if he is a clown (literally).  While it may be hard to believe that a kind of homely, redheaded clown dressed in – how the hell do you even describe what he wears?- is that popular (especially with kids), but the fact is, he IS.

Ronald has been McDonald’s brand ambassador for decades, and kids and their families like Ronald.  So, when a group of so-called “advocates”- Corporate Accountability International- called for the retirement of Ronald during a shareholder meeting a few months back, McDonald’s CEO, Jim Skinner, basically told them to take a hike.  And you know what, that makes a heck of a lot of sense, because those people are not his customers.  [As side commentary, it is my opinion that those lobbyists would be better served to start a parent accountability group and leave the damn corporations alone.]
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