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Google Has Worldwide Stronghold in Search Arena

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:29:00 +0000

According to AdAge.com: Microsoft and Yahoo's newly forged search deal is about breaking Google's dominance, which is pretty overwhelming in the U.S. by any measure: queries, clicks or ad revenue. But as hard as it will be to dislodge Google in the U.S., it will be even harder overseas.

Google has a 60% share of search queries in the U.S., but that number is 67% worldwide, according to ComScore. In many top and growing internet countries, including Germany, Canada, Brazil, Turkey and Italy, Google has more than 80% of the search market. Conversely, Microsoft has made few inroads abroad, and has 3% or less share in the U.K., Germany and Korea. Yahoo has one pocket of overseas influence: Japan, where its search share is 43%, close to Google's.

Google's dominance in Europe will likely be a strong part of its case when Microsoft and Yahoo seek the blessing of competition officials in Brussels for the deal. How are the search wars playing out abroad? Very well for Google, as the above international data from ComScore show. One caveat: The data do not include China, where Baidu is dominant and Google is frequently blocked by government censors.

Google Remains the Most Searched Website On The Internet For Now

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:02:00 +0000

Google is still the No.1 website in the world when it comes to website traffic for the month of June according to Compete.com. Yet, one has to wonder how long Google can maintain the No.1 spot in light of the recent marriage of Microsoft and Yahoo.

Google which posted nearly 146 million unique visits, and ranked No. 1 in June in the Compete 250, the company’s monthly ranking of the top 250 websites. Yahoo! was second with 142 million visits and social network, Facebook came in third with 122 million unique visits.
Compete.com's survey underscores the fact that search, entertainment and social networking continue to be the biggest traffic drivers on the Internet.

Microsoft’s Bing.com, the web’s newest search engine, saw its traffic skyrocket in June with nearly 50 million visits. It was only the first full month of activity for Bing, as it made good use of an eye-popping, $100 million advertising campaign.

The Google-Yahoo-Bing competition should be fun to watch, and the competition is heating up just as the search engine business is softening a bit. According to Compete, the overall search market declined by 1.7%, and Google lost 0.9% of its query volume. Meanwhile, Bing (and its predecessor, Live.com) served up 19 million more queries than it did in May.

Another Microsoft product, MSN, was fourth at 114 million. Then there was a big drop off to YouTube at No. 5 (78 million), Ebay sixth (73 million), Amazon.com seventh (65 million), Wikipedia eighth (62 million), MySpace ninth (60 million) and Microsoft.com No. 10 (55 million).

Bing’s performance wasn’t the only interesting story. AT&T and Apple both saw surges in traffic after the iPhone 3G S was officially unveiled on June 6th. Consumers flocked to the sites for the latest information on one of the summer’s most eagerly awaited smartphone releases. AT&T’s site traffic grew 8.2 percent and Apple saw a 19.1 percent increase over May traffic numbers. Both sites made Compete’s top 50.

Pew Internet Report: No Digital Divide On Mobile Web?

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:22:00 +0000

African-Americans and Hispanics are leading the way on the mobile web according to a new survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. According to the Pew Report:

56% of adult Americans have accessed the internet by wireless means, such as using a laptop, mobile device, game console, or MP3 player.

The most prevalent way people get online using a wireless network is with a laptop computer; 39% of adults have done this.

One-third of Americans (32%) have used a cell phone or Smartphone to access the internet for emailing, instant-messaging, or information-seeking. This level of mobile internet is up by one-third since December 2007, when 24% of Americans had ever used the internet on a mobile device. On the typical day, nearly one-fifth (19%) of Americans use the internet on a mobile device, up substantially from the 11% level recorded in December 2007. That’s a growth of 73% in the 16 month interval between surveys.

African Americans are the most active users of the mobile internet – and their use of it is also growing the fastest. This means the digital divide between African Americans and white Americans diminishes when mobile use is taken into account.

48% of Africans Americans have at one time used their mobile device to access the internet for information, emailing, or instant-messaging, half again the national average of 32%.
29% of African Americans use the internet on their handheld on an average day, also about half again the national average of 19%.

Compared with 2007, when 12% of African Americans used the internet on their mobile on the average day, use of the mobile internet is up by 141%.

The high level of activity among African Americans on mobile devices helps offset lower levels of access tools that have been traditional onramps to the internet, namely desktop computers, laptops, and home broadband connections.

By a 59% to 45% margin, white Americans are more likely to go online using a computer on a typical day than African Americans.

When mobile devices are included in the mix, the gap is cut in half; 61% of whites go online on the average day when mobile access is included while 54% of African Americans do.

Looking across a range of digital activities – some done online typically using a computer and others being non-voice data activities on a mobile device – African American and white Americans, on average, do the same number of activities.

Tech Crunch: Ning losing U.S. Marketshare, Gets $15 Million From LightSpeed Venture Partners

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:21:00 +0000

Tech Crunch is reporting that do-it-yourself social network Ning despite losing market share in the U.S. social media space added another $15 million to its social media war chest from LightSpeed Venture Partners. To date, Ning has raised $119 million in social media capital. Its other investors include Allen & Co., Legg Mason, chairman and co-founder Marc Andreessen, and Reid Hoffman. Ning allows anyone to create their own social network customized to their particular interest or social group. Earlier this year, Ning passed the one million social network mark (it is now up to 1.3 million). In the U.S., unique visitors actually declined 10 percent from May, 2009 to June, 2009, according to comScore. Ning had 5.1 million visitors in the U.S. in June (its worldwide audience is about three times as large). The company attributes the decline to “some downtime in June as we expand and optimize our infrastructure to support the growth that we are expecting in the next 12 months.” Ning says it is adding 4,000 new Ning Networks every day and one million registered users every 15 days.

Amazon's Big Score: Inks Deal To Acquire Zappos.com For $850 Million

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:18:00 +0000

E-commerce giant Amazon.com is set to acquire e-retailer Zappos.com in a deal worth $850 million. Under the agreement, Amazon will obtain all outstanding shares, options and warrants of the Zappos in exchange for approximately 10 million shares of Amazon common stock along with $40 mil in cash and restricted stocks for Zappos employees. In a statement, Zappos CEO Tony Hseih said the deal went through because "there is a huge opportunity to utilize each [company's] strengths and move even faster towards our vision of delivering happiness to customers, employees and vendors."

MediaJobsDaily.com: The Bureau of Labor and Statistics Says There Are 2.6 Million Jobs in America!?

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:12:00 +0000

According to Rachel Kaufman of MediaJobsDaily.com there are a plethora of jobs available, but unfortunately they're not the jobs that people want (or are qualified for). The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Job Openings and Turnover Survey for May 2009 identifies 2.6 million job openings. Most of the openings were in retail, education, and health, with only 17,000 openings in "arts, entertainment, and recreation." There were 520,000 openings in "professional and business services," which sounds encouraging until you remember exactly how many jobs fit under that category (managers/administrators, accountants, lawyers, scientists, IT professionals, etc.)

Michael Jackson Humanitarian

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:33:00 +0000

Michael Jackson Humanitarian
Video sent by tvguide

So much has been said about Michael Jackson; however, what I haven't seen a lot of coverage on was Michael Jackson's philanthropy and charity work. Well, here's a look at another side of Michael. Hollywood 411 looks at Michael Jackson the philanthropist. He supported 39 charities and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most charitable star, supporting causes such as AIDS, world hunger and children's issues.

On Michael Jackson: Music Icon, Legend, and Pioneer . . . R.I.P

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Much has been said in the aftermath of music and entertainment icon, Michael Jackson's death. Indeed, there will never ever be another King of Pop. I must admit that Michael Jackson appeared to be a bit weirded out to me in recent years with all the rumors and allegations, etc. Nevertheless, I took the time a few days ago to revisit some of Michael's body of work, and it didn't take long to refresh my recollection of why the man is not only beloved on a global scale, but also why Michael Jackson is considered a musical genius by millions. Notwithstanding all that has been mediated about Michael Jackson via the media for public consumption, filtration and discussion--when all is said and done, the truth will resonate even with his detractors that Michael Jackson throughout most of his career has been nothing short of a national treasure.

What will I remember most about Michael Jackson? Let me see . . . how do I count the ways? I will always remember that a good friend of mine was an absolute Michael Jackson fanatic while we were in high school, and loved him immensely after the Thriller album dropped. This wouldn't be significant, but for the fact that I was feeling this certain young lady at the time. Yes, Michael was blocking from afar . . . LOL! I will also remember how I always felt that I was too cool to wear a Thriller jacket or one white glove, and too cool to even want one for that matter . . . but secretly fell in love with the many songs on the Off The Wall album (one of my favorite album's of all time) as an adult. Ok, I said it--LOL!

I will also remember the enjoyment and pleasure that I received when watching the Jackson 5ive cartoon when I was a kid. Even then, Michael was creating an incredible and iconic brand that will forever reign a classic for all those black children growing up in the 70's. Yes, Michael Jackson was not only a musical legend, but also a music and television pioneer. For those who weren't blessed to have spent their childhood growing up in the 70's, or are too young to remember, Michael Jackson and his brother's had their own cartoon. I can recall only one other cartoon with a predominantly black cast of stars during my childhood, and that was Fat Albert which was the creation of another legend and televison pioneer in his own right, Mr. Bill Cosby.

Cosby became the first black man or "Afro-American" to star in a television series when he co-starred with Robert Culp in I Spy in 1965. Ok, I know you are probably wondering why I am talking about Cosby when this post is about Michael Jackson . . . but bear with me, there is a rhyme and a reason to my brand of madness. You see, Bill Cosby, was a grown, accomplished, and intelligent man when he hit the scene in the role that would help transform him into the Jello Pudding Man . . . LOL. (Hmm, I am getting a little hungry as I type this.) While on the other hand, Michael Jackson was a child, a little boy, an unsophisticated pre-adolescent when fame and fortune hit, and while Joe Jackson might receive a lot of credit for keeping the Jackson train on the track--I marvel at the charisma, poise, discipline, resilience, stamina, the list goes on and on that it took for the Michael, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie, Randy and Marlon to display in order to win over the hearts of the multitudes of fans. The fact that Michael Jackson was able to embrace and negotiate being in the public eye for so long as a child was incredible. While most child stars of the 70's eventually imploded and/or fell by the wayside--Michael Jackson kept it together long enough to effectively crown and brand himself the King of Pop--from Pepsi to the musical genre (no pun intended.)

In closing, much has been said about the King of Pop over the past week: about his music, life, family and many other things; however, what prompted me to do what I do, and pimp the keyboard in honor of Michael Jackson today was an article that I peeped online in the Harvard Business Journal. In his article, "How Michael Jackson Became A Brand Icon," Professor John Quelch of the Harvard Business School writes that Michael Jackson did 10 key things that caused his meteoric rise to superstardom. The article is a good and interesting read. Undoubtedly, Michael Jackson will always be to music what Muhammad Ali will always be to boxing . . . "the greatest of all tiiimmmeee!!!

He's Barack Obama - JibJab.com

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:46:00 +0000

He's Barack Obama - JibJab.com
Video sent by JibJab

Its a bird! Its a plane! No, he's Barack Obama and hes come to save the day! JibJab puts the rock in Barack with a new, over-the-top satire that debuted in front of the President himself at the Radio & Television Correspondents Dinner.

I actually peeped this about a week or so ago, and I found it to be absolutely hilarious. I often think about the myriad things that President Obama is trying to accomplish almost simultaneously it seems, and I get concerned that he is taking on too much. I am glad that the guys at JibJab.com found a way to make light of the President's very stressful daily adventures, and I wanted my readers to enjoy this video too!

Entrepreneur Magazine Lists Five Things That Scare Entrepreneurs The Most

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:13:00 +0000

In a recent survey, the good folks over at Entrepreneur Magazine polled small business owners to identify the biggest fears of small biz owners and those who launch start-ups. Not surprisingly, the No. 1 fear on the list is the fear of failure. According to the Entrepreneur's study these are the top five things that scare Entrepreneurs the most:

Failure

Economic Uncertainty

Being Your Own Boss

The Business Consuming Your Life

Keeping the Business Afloat

You can check out Entrepreneur's in-depth report here.

Anchored

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:17:00 +0000

Anchored
Video sent by lindseyolivares

I came across this very inspirational video recently and I had to share with you. You never know when someone's spirit needs a lift! Enjoy!

Choosing a Corporate Form for Your Business: Sole Proprietorships

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 03:04:00 +0000

Congratulations, you have successfully chosen a name for you Small to Medium-size Business (SMB). Now, comes the hard or tricky part, as if choosing a name wasn't difficult enough. Actually, this next step may not be as difficult as I am making it out to be. In fact, choosing what corporate form your business will take can be quite simple depending your goals and objectives, as well as the size of the business, and your mission or plans.

I have decided to discuss the corporate forms segments via a series of blog posts rather than trying to tackle the various forms in one sitting. There are many corporate forms that you can choose to adopt for your business. Each form serves a different purpose, although there may be some overlap in the inherent form or structure of each corporate form. Basically, there are four corporate forms: (1) the Sole Proprietorship (SP); (2) the Partnership; (3) the Corporation; and (4) the Limited Liability Company (LLC).

This post will focus on the simplest of the corporate forms: the Sole Proprietorship or SP. Plain and simple, entrepreneurs usually choose to form their company as a SP because it is the simplest business form, and I do mean simple. Typically, as a SP you just slap a sign on your place of business and start raking in the dough. Yes, it is that simple. Well, not that simple, of course you need the business licenses that your city or town requires you to have to operate your business, but other than that you are flying solo fast if you choose this business form.

Another characteristic of the SP that people either love or hate is that the income generated by the business is treated as personal income, and while this may be cool for the sake of ease of management or seamless tracking, the downside to the SP is that this business form exposes you to personal liability and risk. This means that if someone sues you--you may find yourself in court in the fight of your life to keep your shirt or worse your house. But, don't fret here, as the SP works for some and not for others. But, I will say that the SP is not for the faint of heart. In any case, there are alternative corporate forms to choose from, and the SP is just one. Each corporate form has its own set of advantages and drawbacks which I have highlighted below:

Advantages of the Sole Proprietorship

You are in business pretty much Day 1;

SPs are easy to form;

you control all of your profits;

you call the shots;

flexibility;

you don't have to file a separate tax return for business; and

there is less governmental regulation

Disadvantages of a Sole Proprietorship

As mentioned above, you are personally liable for 100 percent of all business debts and obligations;

Difficulty raising the capital needed to grow and finance the business;

Death or incapacitation of the owner may cause the business to terminate;

Less professional appeal than a partnership or corporation.

Next Up: Partnerships

Choosing A Name For Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:25:00 +0000

Other than the sheer joy of successfully launching a business and reaping the myriad fruits of one’s labor, I would have to say that there is probably no aspect of starting or thinking about starting a business for me that I enjoy more than choosing or selecting the perfect name for the said business enterprise. In fact, my love of language and words has created an affinity in me for the alluring and sexy world of developing and creating names and business brands. Indeed, establishing a brand identity is my favorite part of any venture because I cannot express how much I love creating new monikers and other types of corporate indicia for myself, and others.

To digress, I believe that I discovered my penchant for naming things or creating new names at the tender, young age of 12. It’s funny when I think about it now, but when I was 12, my final year pre-teendom, I created my very own personal brand although at the time, I had no idea that I was creating a "personal brand" per se; however, I did understand that my chosen brand or identity represented me. At that time, my clandestine brand was "TDH" or "Tall, Dark and Handsome." Yes, this was my dirty little secret—in essence, and in today’s branding nomenclature—well, TDH was my personal brand. The funny thing about my chosen word mark was that I never shared this brand with anyone until college, if then. Even more ironic, is that despite the fact that I had my own personal brand—no one else knew about it. I didn’t advertise the letter combination TDH while in high school or during my college days, rather TDH was just my very own personal brand that I believed in very strongly. Back then, TDH represented certain values that I felt were inherently a part of what I felt that my personal brand was all about. These core values manifested in the way that I presented and carried myself, and interacted with others each and everyday.

In summation, TDH represented my core values: confidence, pride and high standards/self-esteem. As it was very important, to maintain my brand’s identity, and recognition in the marketplace. I had to always behave as a gentleman and good citizen for the most part in an effort to maintain and enhance my personal brand equity, rather than diluting my personal brand through lapses in character and conduct that was not reflective of the TDH brand.
Don’t get me wrong here, I was never narcissistic in introducing the TDH brand into the marketplace. As I previously stated, I didn’t really share the brand with others. Instead, the TDH brand was about confidence, being affable, being kind and compassionate, taking care of oneself to a reasonable degree, and feeling good about oneself—all inner-centered attributes that when combined allowed me to become a good citizen when all was said and done.

Anyway, I know you are probably wondering what does what I’ve written so far have to do with you choosing a name for your company, your brand or product, and to you I say a lot. I chose the TDH brand as an example because it is a fairly simple brand concept to talk about, which is often times contrary to the branding and naming process. As a pre-teen and/or teenager, TDH was a good brand concept for me to attach to myself. However, today, I would most likely choose another name for all of the obvious or not so obvious reasons. So, what I am I trying to say here today if you happen to be reading the words that are coming out of mind? Quite simply, what I am intimating here is that there really is no true science when choosing a name for your business; however, sometimes there is method to the naming madness.

I suppose that if you are in search of that coveted business moniker there are a few things you should consider before choosing a name. When choosing a name you want to take your time so that you get it right. Ideally, the name that you choose should be perfect for your business or company. It should not be name that you are not truly excited about, or that is ambiguous. Instead, it should be name that you are enormously proud to have chosen to represent your business. But, how does one go about choosing a name for one’s business endeavors? The answer is: very carefully--no really, choosing a name is certainly not rocket science, but it also isn’t something you should do without careful thought, research and analysis if necessary. There are primarily three major name categories to consider when one is seeking the perfect corporate nomenclature: personal names, descriptive names or brandable generic names, and pure brandable names or pure brandables for short.

First, I guess that you must decide if your business’ name will be a personal name, like Pete’s Produce, or a descriptive name like Midwest Auto Mechanics or (my personal favorite) a brandable name like Google, Yahoo, Apple, or Lenovo, etc. Personally, I am not a fan of using personal names to serve as the brand identity for a business unless it is the name of a famous person like Michael Jordan or Mike Ditka, both famous Chicago sports icons. However, there is nothing inherently wrong in choosing to go that route as the nice alliterative effect of Pete’s Produce seems easy enough for consumers to remember. However, as an aside, just remember that whatever name you choose—you want it to be one that your clients and/or customers will find easy to remember.

Next, going with a descriptive name like Midwest Auto Mechanics for your auto services business is not a bad idea either. After all, descriptive names tend to be very strong and effective in describing the services provided by the business. Ergo Mdwest Auto Mechanics would be a great name for an auto mechanics business that has multiple locations throughout the Midwest. Otherwise, a name like Chicago Auto Mechanics might prove more effective where the business operates solely in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Another reason that a descriptive business name may be a good business name choice is because descriptive names tend to lend themselves to making it easier for those in search of an auto mechanic to find your business via the web.

Moreover, the name Chicago Auto Mechanics is a nice generic word combination that is keyword rich. That is to say, when you search for the company of the same name, the strong keywords: "Chicago," "Auto," and "Mechanics" are sure to be heavily searched for terms in search engines like Google. Therefore, it will be easier for those searching for auto mechanic services to locate your website because Chicago Auto Mechanics is also a great type-in keyword combination. Many internet and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) mavens are very high on such generic, descriptive, type-in, keyword rich combinations that are chosen as business names.

Finally, choosing a brandable business name is also a good choice even though some critics of this branding approach criticize brandable name selections for the opposite reasons that they bestow virtue upon descriptive names. Typically, brandable names require lots of work to create buzz and recognition for the brand in the marketplace. Unlike pure generic names or generic brandables, pure brandables do not readily identify the products or services that the brand represents without more. The more being some type of additional descriptor or tag line that connects the product to the brand in the mind of the consumer. Indeed, this is at times a lot more work; however, the rewards for creating a super-strong pure brandable can seem almost infinite at times.

In addition to this, pure brandable names in some circles are also viewed as not being easy to find on the world wide web and sometimes not easy to remember. However, before I go any further, I must make the distinction between brandable generic names versus pure brandable names. A brandable generic name is a name like cars, trucks, computers, diamonds and money, get my drift. There is nothing that one has to do to enhance the searchability of either of the aforementioned names, or for other similarly situated names. Simply type either of the names listed above into your favorite search engine, and hit your return key, and your search is sure to reveal millions of entries for the same products/services. While on the other hand, pure brandable names, will normally require additional marketing, advertising and often times public relations campaigns in order to effectively create brand awareness in the marketplace. Nevertheless, as I’ve said at least two other times in this post, I love pure brandable names. I think that pure brandable names are great, and represent the essence of what a true corporate brand identity should be: a recognizable, and memorable business designation that burns an indelible mark in the minds of your customers and potential customers. Over the years, hundreds if not thousands of corporate entities have successfully built brand awareness around their corporate brands. Here is a very short list of such companies: IBM, BMW, HP, Lexus, Nissan, Kellogg, Nokia, Apple, Motorola and a host of others.

So, what does this all mean in the final analysis? Simply put, there really is no right or wrong answer when choosing a name for your firm or business, and that people choose certain business names for different reasons that are oftentimes based on personal choice and preference. Other times, the name is selected based on how well the name describes the product or service that the business will sell in the marketplace. Choosing a business name is very important, and should not be taken lightly or for granted because your selection of a business name or brand identity should not cause confusion in the marketplace, but rather it should lead potential customers to your website or business address. In other words, your business should not be called Steve’s Sportsworld if all you sell is ski equipment. Instead it should be called Steve’s Skiworld. Similarly, maybe it is not a good idea to call your business Onomatopoeia or Deoxyribonucleic Acid because after all how many of your potential customers will remember how to spell those names; similar to other business concerns you should also bless your business name with a KISS--KEEP IT SHORT and SWEET, in most cases.

In closing, when all is said and done, your goal in branding your business should be one in which you choose a business name that customers will find memorable, vibrant, exciting, pronounceable and words that they can easily spell.

What's Your Big Idea?

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:23:00 +0000

Does anybody out there in Internet land watch the Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch? I simply love that show, and simply hate the fact that the downward spiral of the American economy has sort of shifted the focus of the show from helping people identify, cultivate and set their individual pursuit of their Big Idea or business dream into motion, to focusing on the financial chaos and negative economic reverberations that have impacted a lot of people particularly small and medium size businesses (SMBs). As a matter of fact, the last time that I watched the show, nearly one month ago, Donnie D. and his crew of all-star panelists were trying to help those who live anywhere from State Street to Main Street America make sense of the economic turmoil that has emanated from Wall Street.

Obviously, this is a noble endeavor, but I guess I am a bit selfish these days. Quite simply, I want the Big Idea to be the Big Idea--a place I used to go to smile, laugh, nod, dream and cheer for those who are farther down the entrepreneurial path than me. To sum it all up in the simplest way that I can, watching Donnie D. and his panel of guests talk business and entrepreneurial strategy was like taking a free (well, almost free) Entrepreneur's Tele-course. Every night I used to sit down for class absorbing every bit of new information and knowledge that I could from that show. And when I couldn't watch it--well, the DVR was programmed to take notes for me. And yet, perhaps that greatest thing that I loved most about the Big Idea was that it was such a great source of motivation; most of the time, I walked away from the television at the conclusion of the show feeling pumped, charged up and reinvigorated . . . ready for action!So, Donnie, if you are out there . . . yawl come back now--you hear. Have a wonderful day or night folks and start working on your Big Idea.

It's June 27, 2009: Do You Know Where Your Dreams Are?

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:19:00 +0000

As a follow-up to my first two blog entries, I thought that I would share a link to a very insightful post that I received via feed from Dumb Little Man. This is a great post to draw off of to get those creative juices flowing and to get those gears going in 2009. In brief, the post discusses and shares 22 things that you can use to help you along your personal dream path and/or entrepreneurship trail. So, if after my first two posts, you find that you are still experiencing cases of brain freeze or mind block--maybe this article will help thaw you out or loosen you up. So, check out Dumb Little Man. I think that you will find the article very insightful.

The First Step In Donning Your Entrepreneurial Hat: Freeing Your Mind.

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:17:00 +0000

So, you decided to subscribe to the blog after all, huh? Good decision because it is going to be an adventure. But more importantly, it lets me know that you are either interested in starting your own business, or learning more about the ins and outs of starting your own business or that you just happen to like me a lot. LOL! But seriously, this is a huge step because to seriously try your hand at creating your company is a huge endeavor that can take months if not years to achieve, and even longer to achieve success. I have been talking about becoming an entrepreneur since my college days, and a couple times I even tried my hand at it, but it was nothing serious though. During the latter part of my undergrad days, I flirted with thoughts of starting my own intellectual property (IP) licensing company. Of course, this was a profound business concept to wrap my undergraduate mind around--I know it was for me because although I knew what IP was I would be lying if I said that I truly understood it.

Starting a business is hardwork and takes tireless dedication. Part of my problem back then was that although I had the vision, I lacked the tireless dedication that was required, and the appropriate skill sets. There were also so many other things at that time in my life that took priority. So, if you are truly serious about your business endeavors one of the first things that you will need to do is reorder or restructure your priorities. If you don't do this, it will be tantamount to running in place with no forward movement--believe me, I know this from personal experience.To give you a more concrete example, let me explain by saying that when I was younger I had a very basic understanding of what a copyright was but that was it. I knew what trademarks were, but didn't have a clue about patents other than they had something to do with inventions.

Anyway, being an avid self-help guy as a college student, I would read a plethora of magazines about business and society at-large to enhance what I was learning as a liberal arts student studying journalism. Due to the fact that I read so many different magazines, I was able to increase my knowledge base about the subjects that were dear to me. So, in order to learn more about IP during undergrad, I had to do some extra reading and research.

In fact, one magazine that was quite helpful to me was Black Enterprise Magazine. Black Enterprise was definitely the beginning for me. I have been a loyal fan for more than 20 years now and I have to say that if you are seriously considering starting a small to medium size business that BE is a must read, as it is usually filled with very informative and insightful business news related stories, articles and exposes. BE for me back then was its own college course; if you read it with frequency I guarantee that it will increase your knowledge base about business. Another great thing about Black Enterprise is that it highlights other African-Americans who have successfully started their own business or businesses.

For me, just reading this was a great source of motivation, and stoked my entrepreneurial fire for years.A few other great business-related magazines for your reading pleasure are: Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc, BusinessWeek, and U.S. News & World Report. Although U.S. News isn't a hard-core business mag per se, it is nevertheless one of my favorites because of its coverage of global and domestic news. Take a peek at any of these magazines when you get a chance. If you don't have the time to take a peek at all of them then definitely check out BE and Entrepreneur Mag. I believe that they both will give you some good insights into the various business ideas and opportunities that you can pursue. Also, don't let the money be a deterrent to peeping these mags; they are all available online for your to review for free as well, just click on the links above.

On a final note, I want to add that many times we are prisoners of our own minds. What I mean by this is that we limit what we are able to accomplish by how and what we think. So, start getting into the habit of thinking positive thoughts and practicing positive thought reinforcement. Identify business ideas that interests you, and make an inventory list of any and all of your special skills and/or talents. After you have done that identify those business ideas and personal skills sets that you enjoy using and are most passionate about. Once you've done that search the web to research those areas of interests that you selected. Identify companies that are successfully conducting business in the areas of business that you are interested in entering. After you have done all of this take the time to mull over your list again, critically thinking about your prospective business choice or choices. Thereafter, try to match your business choices with your skill sets and/or natural talents. Once you have a match or matches rank them in order of preference, and you are ready for the next steps in starting your business. I guarantee that if you free your mind by making up your mind to go for your dreams, success will utlimately have no choice but to follow. It won't be easy, and it may not happen over night, but you will be laying the foundation for a future of personal freedom and satisfaction.

The Best Way To Predict The Future

noreply@blogger.com (Dey Lockett) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:15:00 +0000

One of my favorite quotes is one expressed by the late great business guru, Peter Drucker, who said that "the best way to predict the future is to create it." No, this post is not about Peter Drucker, but it is about one of Mr. Drucker's business principles. That is to say, that this post is about taking control of your life and dreams, setting the ball in motion, predicting your own future and making things happen for yourself in 2009. I figure that since it is still 2008, we all have about four or three days remaining to formulate our very own personal strategy and/or action plans that will allow us to change the course of our lives before the New Year.

Plain and simple, "the best way to predict the future is to create it." In life, there is no greater or quicker way to make things happen for oneself (other than winning the lottery) than to take charge of one's existence, and decide to proactively grab the proverbial bull by the horns and take control of your destiny. Of course, as always, this is easier said than done. And yet, this is exactly the formidable task that I have chosen to pursue, and highlight via this blog in 2009.

The goals of this blog are myriad: to highlight my very own personal entrepreneurial endeavors and journey, while also providing some entrepreneurial insights to others along the way if possible. More to the point, this blog is also for those who are on the come up; those people who are traveling down that winding road trying to find their way down the path to becoming your own boss. With that thought in mind, through my daily and weekly posts, I plan to share personal insights via posts that focus on starting your own business; identifying your niche or business idea(s); reviewing the various types of corporate forms that are available to choose from; and how to actually form your chosen entity, and make your dreams a reality. Furthermore, I will also provide insights concerning one of my favorite topics: choosing a name for your business. Finally, in addition to the aforementioned topics, I also plan to put together posts that discuss creating and protecting your intellectual property, and posts that focus on creating and marketing your personal brand among other things.

So, if you are one of those people interested in taking the entrepreneurial plunge in 2009, or other related entrepreneurial topics, I invite you to take advantage of the content that will be posted here by signing up via my free email subscription service. To sign up, just simply enter your email address at the homepage, and get ready to receive some very timely insights and articles. In closing, please feel free to shoot me your questions via the comment section if you like as well. Or feel free to suggest topics that you'd like to know more about. 2009 is the year to do it big and make it happen; let's take that journey together.

Happy Holidays and Godspeed,

D2XL