Hendy Irawan on Small Business Ideas

How to Survive Competing against The Big Guys

2010-02-18T07:30:06Z

How to compete against companies with: …more power? …more money? …more market share? …less price?

*Market Your Product to a Niche of Passionate Customers.*

‘Nuff said.

Crowdsourcing in Practice: Making It Work and Profitable

2010-02-08T18:57:15Z

I just love the story of Nathan Eagle and txtEagle so much, that I’d be doing you and yours truly a disservice if I don’t post a followup.

Check out this video on crowd-sourcing by Nathan Eagle:

Quote from The story of txtEagle and the networked organisation | SMLXL – Engagement Marketing and Communication principles from Alan Moore

We posted about txtEagle recently here Nathan Eagle, explains his extraordinary story, and, the extraordinary story of how our world is being transformed by mobile communications. Nathan’s personal fascination is the African continent he talks about how Mpesa and SMS Media are transforming society. 30% of Rawandians pay for their electricity by the mobile device, and many more water pumps can be bought as they can be bought via the mobile. And he then goes onto talk about his company txtEagle.

txtEagle is about to become the largest employer in Kenya. Imagine that.

It’s really happening and this makes me excited and sad at the same time.

Excited because there is indeed solutions to every difficult problem out there. Sad because I haven’t yet done my part. (I’m still doing the part to keep myself survive.)

Are you excited enough?

How About Solving The Poverty Problem in A Brilliant Way?

How About Solving The Poverty Problem in A Brilliant Way?

2010-02-08T18:45:53Z

Many of us are thinking of how to end world poverty as we know it. Especially for people living in poor or developing countries such as Indonesia (like me), where we can see it everyday.

Nathan Eagle and his company TxtEagle managed to solve the poverty problem in a very elegant and direct way.

Quote from The future of work=TxtEagle | SMLXL – Engagement Marketing and Communication principles from Alan Moore :

The thought also came to me that this grassroots approach to tackling poverty, to help lift populations out of poverty by making small but dramatic changes in wage income should both enervate and inspire us all. Txteagle has a fascinating story, and often its the smallest things that can inspire us to do something remarkable.

Brilliant, isn’t it?

Building a real, profitable business while serving good to the poor people. In my mind, Nathan Eagle is just as spectacular as Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank.

What do you think? I’d like to know what you have in mind.

Using CRM to Build Relationship with Your Customers

2010-01-29T13:59:45Z

CRM Software aka Customer Relationship Management helps you to build and maintain relationship with your leads, potential customers, and current clients, as well as manage your sales pipeline.

Here’s my review of the CRM software I’ve tested.

BatchBook
Network Hippo
Highrise
Zoho CRM
Salesforce.com
vTiger
SugarCRM

The three most interesting CRM solutions to me are: BatchBook, Network Hippo, and Highrise.
You probably never even heard of them.

Here’s why I picked them: they are suited to small business owners. Network Hippo and Batchbook has good integration with social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

BatchBook
The “Social CRM”.
Intuitive to use and looks good. Contacts display their Facebook and Twitter. Has SuperTags which is tags on steroids, customizable fields.

Network Hippo
Personal network management.
Unlike existing CRMs that focus exclusively on sales data and basic contact information, Network Hippo evaluates the strength and influence of individual relationships with contacts to find new opportunities, strengthen relationships, and learn more about key people in their ‘network’.

Highrise
Easy to use, cut-to-the-chase CRM, from 37signals.
Email integration just by CC-ing to a special address.

Zoho CRM
Good offer with plenty of features. Free account for 3 users.
E-mail integration requires paid Zoho Mail addon. UI clunky, like Salesforce.

Salesforce
A popular SaaS CRM, which plenty of third-party apps that enhance its features.
I think the UI is clunky and slow. Average small business owners may feel it’s too complex.

vTiger CRM
Open source CRM in PHP.
Lots of features. UI is pretty okay. You can install it on your webhosting account.

SugarCRM
The open source but somewhat crippled open source CRM software.
You need the commercial package or addons to experience the full functionality.

oDesk Review for Outsourcing Work

2010-01-25T05:38:17Z

Outsourcing has always been a struggle for me since starting my business online. In fact, I feel that almost every mastermind group that I belong to discusses the infamous “outsourcing” topic on a regular basis.

In the past, I have used eLance and Rent-a-Code rather exclusively. Both have lots of freelancers ready to do your work and my experience has been rather hit and miss. Both are good company, though.

But a few month ago, I was recommended oDesk and now it is the first place I go for any new outsourcing task.

Just like the eLance and Rent-A-Coder, it does not cost anything to join oDesk. You can go there, create an account and start browsing around.

One thing I first really like about oDesk is the amount of preliminary information about the candidates that it provides to you.

Sign Up an ODesk Account for Free

PROS:

I love this outsourcing website! First, the job posting process is very simple. Then, the evaluation process is even better. They provide you with tons of details about each applicant for the task. This includes their past history, work ratings, and current assignments. Further, the applicants can take online skills tests which you can view the test results. This can include English literacy tests (great from when outsourcing overseas), technical tests (for programming assignments), even SEO tests for those looking for link builders and social media buzz generators. Payments are made onto your credit card on a weekly basis. This is a single payment to the sum of all jobs that are currently active (making multiple-job management a breeze). The other great thing about oDesk (maybe the greatest) is that freelancers must log-in to the system, which takes random screen shots during their charged time. This monitoring also provides activity levels during their charging times.

CONS:

Like any freelancing/outsourcing website, oDesk has their “dud” users. Mind you, I have had more success finding good workers on oDesk than any other site, but I have also had problems finding the “right” applicant for certain jobs. Some skill sets are not well represented here, where I have had successes elsewhere. The project management software is above average. The logging diary is great…if you can find it. Managing the jobs once you start them (and even stopping then) requires a bit of playing around. Also, they put a lot of protection on your account (which is good!), but remember all of the security answers when you sign up…you will need them regularly!

Sign Up an ODesk Account for Free

Source

Make It WORK FOR YOU

2010-01-10T20:00:05Z

Tabbed Browsing is normally touted as one of the Internet breakthroughs of the 21st century. I beg to differ.

Yes, tabbed browsing was cool in its infancy. But now, we have much better operating systems than a few years ago.

My Ubuntu system live previews open windows during app switching (the Alt+Tab). I’m so grateful for “Show all windows” (Expose?), that makes it easy for me to pick a window visually (not a tab). I’m using Dockbar X, with superior grouping & window switching capabilities.

And I like juggling windows around in my dual monitor setup for best productivity.

Windows 7 also does these almost equally well.

Firefox tabs does none, at least not without some additional add-ons… that slow Firefox. But this applies for all browsers.

So I love windows better than tabs, for browsing purposes.

Along these lines though… is that sometimes we take innovation for granted, that we forgot why it was invented in the first place.

Tabbed browsing was not invented to solve a computer performance problem. Users are who needed it most, to manage their browsing activity, back in the day. What about now? Perhaps a bit, but not so much.

Phones, chat, and text messages also get overused these days. They are innovations in COMMUNICATION.

When these tools actually hamper your communication, something is wrong: Either the tool or how you use the tool.

Smartphones (PDAs?) should be easier to use than your agenda… Or is it? If you feel more productive with your agenda, by all means use it and ignore your smartphone’s features!

While it’s true that just because you can doesn’t meant you have to use it… it’s also true that just because you don’t use something means you can’t have it. I’m not suggesting to be lavish of course, just being practical.

Whatever tools, technology, or method you use: Make sure it WORKS FOR YOU.

You may or may not follow the crowd. You may or may not up to the latest trend. But NEVER FIGHT AGAINST YOURSELF.

By all means, if I can live happily without a smartphone, a laptop, and the Internet, I will not miss them at all. *shrugs* Not yet, though, but I hope one day I can forego all of these things. Seriously. Not even TV.

What’s YOUR OWN preference: good ole’ school grandpa’s sleek tricks… OR latest & shiniest Iron Man-style new tech?

What Do You Want for New Year?

2009-12-31T21:50:04Z

Better love & romance in life?

More money?

Fancier car / cars?

Do you want your girl to be more beautiful? (or do you want more beautiful girls?)

. . . . .

What Do You Want to *Give* for New Year…?

Will you donate more for charity?

Will you spend more time with your loved ones?

Will you smile more?

Will you complain less?

Will you help others more sincerely?

. . . . . .

You can be uncertain about many things in life.

But you must be sure of one thing :

What You Become.

Happy New Year 2010 Everyone!!! Love ya!

What Gets You Excited and Educated At The Same Time

2009-12-21T18:39:15Z

Sometimes you feel you’re already good at something and get bored… or worse, you’re no good and still bored!

If that ever happens to you, it means you need something to excite and educate you at the same time!

The answer is surprisingly simple…

Do Something Out of Your World.

Since you’re a smart person, I’m sure you know a lot of things. From magazines, radio, TV, friends, and oh, I forgot a few things… the Internet, blogs, social media, Twitter, and all that stuff.

And things you know but you’re never too interested in doing… the things that are “beyond your field.”

The problem lies in not how many things you knew. But how much of those things that you never had actually done.

Examples:

Bob, an engineer, knows how to cook fried rice.
Jane, a doctor, sees salespeople offering goods everyday.
Travis, a kindergarten teacher, hears that investing more is better than reducing expenses.

Neither Bob, Jane, nor Travis… did what they know.

What Happens When You Step Out of Your World… for A Moment?

You feel uncomfortable… at first. — “I must suck at this!”
You’re doing it badly… at first. — “Yeah, this is expected. But I never do this anyway, so let’s keep doing it while I’m on it.”
Naturally, you improve… — “Hey, I’m pretty good at this! I’m likin’ it!”
You learned new knowledge and got excited! – at the same time.

Bob thinks “I’m definitely the only engineer who can cook fried rice in the world!!!”

Jane thinks “I guess I earned a new title, the SalesDoctor!”

Travis thinks “I should start teaching those kids some financial awareness!”

You’ve got yourself a huge bunch of Ego Boost !

There’s no better time to become a “freak” with more knowledge and power…

“Alien” Stuff? Smashing!

No related posts.

Why Superstars Become Even More Successful After Screwing Up

2009-11-27T18:45:46Z

Have you ever wondered why some successful people tend to have some ’supranatural’ ability to spring back even when the worst happens to them?

Take Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson, a superstar with the capacity to spring back after countless failures.

He’s virtually the best damn pop artist ever! His 1982 album Thriller alone got a combined sales of an estimated 110 million worlwide. He topped more music charts than all the singers in the world combined could ever dream of.

Now Jackson isn’t all flawless. He’s got numerous failures during his journey, even got hit by a nasty bunch of scandals. His fortune was some whopping 750 million dollars, but they say all that’s left of it was 200 million in debts. Great irony, I know.

But guess what?

Even after his dramatic death, he became the first artist to sell more than TWO MILLION downloads in a week! That’s a constant 200 HUNDRED downloads PER MINUTE for a whole week!

How did he do it?

EMBRACE FAILURE

Ordinary people would stop after a failure. Most people avoid failure, so much that they tend to avoid the path to success altogether.

Superstars know that failure is inevitable. When it happens, they LEARN a precious lesson from it that allows them be even better.

So failure is a great learning experience. The faster you learn from it and recover, the closer you’ll be to master whatever it is you’re doing.

TAME FAILURE. FAIL FAST, RECOVER FASTER.

Top 9 Habits of Highly Successful Entrepreneurs

How to Make Yourself Interesting to Virtually Anyone

2009-10-18T11:08:09Z

A lot of my friends ask me how to introduce themselves, their business or their product to a prospective customer (read: everyone). I found out that it’s surprisingly simple, but not intuitive.

Now, if you want someone to know you or what you’re offering, you just have to BE one thing: BE INTERESTING.

But how?

Let me share a little story…

Today, I was having a haircut. When the stylist came, I promptly put down my mobile. Then I asked him a very simple question:

“How are you?”

He replied very pleasantly, then several minutes later he’s been telling stories about his teen life, how he met his wife, and various things I thoroughly enjoy!

What’s not obvious, is that I also had many chances to tell him about myself.

It takes two to tango. It wasn’t a lecture, it was a CONVERSATION.

And the best way to start an interesting conversation is by GETTING INTERESTED in what they have to say: Just ASK!

When you’re genuinely interesting in other people, you’ll instantly become an interesting person to them.

Stop crafting words to woo ‘em!

Simply ask and listen… You’ll get your turn and you don’t even have to ask for it.

Have your own experience? Share your stories in the comments.

Unique, Interesting, Amusing, Or…?