Control Your Business or It Will Control You
Controlling your business has more to do with how the business is structured and managed as well as how the management team in place thinks about the company. Overwhelmed management can lead to rushed decisions which can result in poor choices, money lost, and loss of market share. To really control your business, you must be able to step back from it and see it from an overall perspective. You must be able to assess and measure the systems that are in place to understand how they are operating and where improvement can occur.
Watson, Jeopardy Champion
Have you heard of the latest competitor on Jeopardy? I’ll give you a hint: they are not human. The contestant’s name is Watson, a super computer who has been built and trained byIBMers for the past four years. Able to understand words and dates, Watson scours his memory, finding patterns and systematically and statistically coming up with the right answer. Most of the time.
Focus on What You Can Control
Too often, people tend to try and change things that are out of their control. By focusing on what they cannot control, they miss out on opportunities that they can control. As an entrepreneur, it is easy to get caught up on what outside forces did to put you into a certain situation. The only thing you can do is to keep working towards your goals and achieving your company’s mission.
Fiat Empire
Here is a fact that may surprise you. The Federal Reserve is, in fact, not a Federal agency and has absolutely no reserves. The closest thing to “reserves” that this private corporation has is a printing press. Alarming, no? As entrepreneurs, it is important to have an understanding of economics and how the economic system works. Having a general idea is better than being in the dark, but having a more detailed understanding can help you position your company better, strategically set your company up to be more protected, and utilize the system to your advantage.
Objectified
As someone who has a background in various aspects of design, my mind and imagination are very visual. I recently discovered a documentary film that discusses industrial design of everyday items that we use and experience. The idea behind those items is that people may not realize that they had even been designed. They are what they are. But there much deeper thought into these everyday products. The film looks at the experience that the product will offer, how people will become attached to the product emotionally, and how and why people are attached to these material products. It is a fascinating look at design, at the thoughts and processes that designers go through, and those designers are influencing our lives with their products.
Work Life Balance A Health Risk
Earlier in the month, I came across an article on CNN which talked about something that I have been all too familiar with. And I am sure you may have had periods where this has happened to you as well. Late nights, early mornings and too much on your plate. Find out how to create a healthy work/life balance by streamlining your work and processes.
Begin With the End in Mind
“Begin With the End in Mind” is one of my favorite phrases, as it packs so much meaning to me. Being very imaginative, I naturally see things as I want them to be, and then work backwards, breaking down that vision to make it a reality.
Suncadia, WA: A Branded Community Case Study
There are so many different kinds of branding, be it personal, corporate, products, or location. Branded communities interest me because it physically uses all five senses to design an experience for the end user, the home owner, the restaurant goer, the golf clubhouse member. Having worked on a number of planned communities throughout the world, it is a topic I am familiar with. On top of branding and planned communities, there is the economic engine part that really fascinates me. Combine all of these together and you get an amazing experience. While resort communities are being built around the world, some more than others have a unique feel to them. Suncadia is one of the few.
Overcoming Blogger’s Block
Writing can be a form of relaxation, a powerful marketing tool, and/or a huge ball of stress. Many people choose not to write simply because they don’t know what to write about. Or maybe they don’t enjoy writing. However, if they choose to blog, if they choose to have a presence in the online world, and if they have not hired these services out to others, then it is their responsibility to write. Other people may enjoy writing, see how it can be powerful in marketing, and don’t find it stressful- except they get stuck.
Refzip.com – A New Way to Surf the Net
Watch out Google, step aside Yahoo and Bing, there is a new player making their name known in the search engine market. The website is refzip.com, a new site and brand by entrepreneur and webmaster Cheru Jackson of AlphaInventions.com. Refzip delivers search in a way that none of the other major search engines do: without clicking.
