Good Advice: Tips and Advice For Emerging Artists

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 13:43:00 +0000

DMK | WEEK THREE | 5%

Discussion Three: Push vs. Pull Case Studies

Objectives:

Initial Post

1. Find an example of one of the following:

a. A company within your industry that is using display advertising. Note: This will require

you to search sites within your industry that have advertising space.

b. An effective or ineffective marketing email you received.

Take a screen shot of the ad or marketing email, upload the image to Picasa (or similar site), and embed the image into the discussion board. A link to the image will be accepted if the embed feature is not cooperating on FSO (see screen shot tutorial).

2. Provide a link to the landing page the email or display ad directs visitors to on the company’s website. (Note: a landing page is the page you are directed to once you click on the advertisement. This is usually not a home page, but rather a page that relates directly to the advertising message)

Response to (1) and (2)

I opted to use my Gmail account I received on August 14, 2012 from MarketingProfs entitled Email Lessons From Seinfeld | Facebook Promotion Do's, Dont's | Tablets vs. Smartphones. The email is a daily series of messages called “MarketingProfs Today.” The following is the image captured with Grab and uploaded to my Picasa Account. Within the email was a banner add running the whole length of the top “Social Media: The Full Monty.” The call to action announces a new course offered on-line with an opportunity to click to register. Below the ads is a list of various articles offered for that particular day. Content changes somewhat daily while the banner campaign run daily most likely for the duration of the course. I note they use the Seinfeld name. This is not the first time I’ve seen the popular television series used in connection with on-line workshops. I would imagine that this would increase clicks significantly.

Clicking on the banner ad brings me directly to the c course sign-up option for this particular course. I note that MarketingProfs’ main page has many tabs with offerings. However, this click brings me directly to the course in question. The page is very well arranged. To the left are the typical options to create likes and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and Linkedin. G Plus links within main corporate pages has become much more common. In a sense, Facebook and Google Plus seem to be competing for the same KPIs. To be on the safe side I typically use both.

3. Explain why you think this message and landing page were effective or ineffective.

Response to (3)

This email campaign is effective because it runs daily and constantly refreshes the content with information that directly relates to the digital marketer’s concerns and interest. The banner is well set with very little fluff. The call to action is clear; the opportunity to participate is well provided. The contents of the email are consistent with the main page’s layout and themes. Once on the main page the option to join the seminar is directly to the right. Further, it asks if you are already signed-up for the course and then suggests an option to gather material in preparation for that course.

4. How do you think this company is measuring the effectiveness of their campaign (KPI’s)?

Response to (4)

Most likely this company for this particular campaign is measure clicks to the main page and the individuals choice to sign-up for the course. Most likely they are looking at their ROI on their email campaign v. direct searches via keywords on various platforms. I would expect they are also measuring the number of clicks that the keyword ‘Seinfeld’ generates and how many of those click are bounces. Perhaps they are also measuring how many visitors to the site go to other programs and options to see if this particular campaign is generating additional interests in other products and services. I would also expect that they be following how much of the traffic is being generated on hand held devices since this is consistent with the subject of the course. A Google search on my iPhone took me to a stripped down version of the main site of my laptop. It immediately offered me a free download application. They would most likely be measuring how many application downloads are generated by individuals performing a similar search.

Their logo is a white bird with symbols indicating chirping against a blue background. Their tag is ‘Smart Thinking, Pass It On.’

I should note that ‘MarketingProfs ‘ regularly offers downloadable material in the form of. PDFs. A keyword search ‘MarketingProfs’ on YouTube returns 262 returns.

The site also offers a monthly newsletter that requires an email address. Other courses are also on the clicked page with the particular class at the top.

Finally, I notice that the moment I clicked through to the page there was a recommendation from a former participant in their program.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 13:43:00 +0000

Guy Kawasaki speaks on the twelve lessons he learned from Steve Jobs.

Source: (Guy In Action)

Guy Kawasaki Explains The Art of the Start

This post is going to be about the hard work of listening and observing. It sounds easy enough does it not? But it is not and I am here to tell you because I did not know how to listen. I did not know how to observe. Perfectly wonderful lessons were placed at my door and I never bothered to bring them into the house much less open the box. But that was then and this is now.

I want to tell you a bit about why this post came about. It started out innocently enough an assignment that was part of class in business planning. In truth, I jhave been a part of this process for many years, the most intense and enjoyable being the last year or so as a student at Full Sail University taking a masters in business entertainment.

Let me tell you why I chose this area of study. Because for the last 30 or 40 years I have poured endless money, time, and creative spirit into what can only be described as a loosing venture. I was on the Titanic. It was going down. And I was cleaning the deckchairs. Yeah, it was that bad. Not now. But back then it was heavy on my heart and almost killed my spirit. Why? Because I did not listen, I I did not observe, I did move proactively, and I went on making the same mistakes time after time.

And that what this blog is really about. If you are reading this you remember these words: fail to plan and you are planning to fail.

So let’s get started shall we? Let’s look at just some of the great entrepreneurs who know just how much work it takes to develop a solid business plan that works and—more importantly—reflects your passion, your desires, and your vision.

I have selected several on-line resources that—if you don’t know him already—has made a significant impression on me and will do the same for you. His name is Guy Kawasaki. He has an extensive profession business background working with the likes of Steve Jobs back in the early days of the Macintosh. Anyone still remember that bit of creative vision that has turned into one of the most influential businesses of today’s culture? He has run several companies involved in technology and he is presently speaking, touring, writing as well as being a major venture capitalist in his own right.

Guy has an interesting and fun approach to business. He clarifies the tasks of the entrepreneur in a way that is succinct and fun. He is not what I would call a traditional professional. And this is why I read him and view his numerous TED talks and Youtube videos. He is in fact the one who helped me create my mantra—not my tag line, not my mission—my mantra: Creating Today’s Vision Into Tomorrow’s Reality.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 13:42:00 +0000

Guy Kawasaki speaks on the twelve lessons he learned from Steve Jobs.
Source: (Guy In Action)

Guy Kawasaki Explains The Art of the Start

This post is going to be about the hard work of listenting and observing. It sounds easy enough doesn’t it? But it is not and I am here to tell you because I didn’t know how to listen. I didn’t know how to observe. Perfectly wonderful lessons were placed at my door and I never bothered to bring them into the house much less open the box. But that was then and this is now.

I want to tell you a bit about why this post came about. It started out innocently enough an assignment that was part of class in business planning. In truth, I’ve been a part of this process for many years, the most intense and enjoyable being the last year or so as a student at Full Sail University taking a masters in business entertainment.

Let me tell you why I chose this area of study. Because for the last 30 or 40 years I have poured endless money, time, and creative spirit into what can only be descriubed as a loosing venture. I was on the Titanic. It was going down. And I was cleaning the deckchairs. Yeah, it was that bad. Not now. But back then it was heavy on my heart and almost killed my spirit. Why? Because I didn’t listen, I didn’t observe, I did move proactively, and I went on making the same mistakes time after time.

And that what this blog is really about. If you are reading this you rememeber these words: fail to plan and you are planning to fail.

So let’s get started shall we? Let’s look at just some of the great entrpreneurs who know just how much work it takes to develop a solid business plan that works and—more importantly—reflects your passion, your desires, and your vision.

I’ve selected several on-line resources that—if you don’t know him already—has made a significant impression on me and will do the same for you. His name is Guy Kawasaki. He has an extensive profession business background working with the likes of Steve Jobs back in the early days of the Macintosh. Anyone still remember that bit of creative vision that has turned into one of the most influential businesses of today’s culture? He has run several companies involved in technology and he is presently speaking, touring, writing as well as being a major venture capitalist in his own right.

A helpful blog on emerging talent and business startups seeking investors

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 06:26:00 +0000

I thought this might provide some help to those campaigning for new projects seeking investors!

http://someinvestmentopportunities.blogspot.com

An Opportunity for Team Collaboration

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 01:17:00 +0000

Source for YouTube Video

I wrote these words as part of an elevator pitch that summed up my vision of FractureCreations in 30 seconds or less. This is not the entire selection. It is, however, a section that I know all artists driven to success will understand in their own way. Take from this what you will. Use it. And then? Pass it on of course.

What makes me unique is my creativity in both business and creating performance pieces. I am also very driven to stay on task giving all to the project. Finally, I can adapt to new situations in a proactive fashion with an eye towards detail. I have a strong vision and commitment to my professional goals.

My life experience and my Master’s work at Full Sail University has taught me that offering nothing less than my full commitment to my team is out of the question. I can multi-task. My strong communications skills make me an effective team leader/player. retrieving, organizing and analyzing data along with a thorough knowledge of software is natural and fun for me.

Later on I contemplated what sort of team I wanted to create to turn today’s vision into tomorrow’s reality. First I though well they should all be exactly like me. Then I got it. What I want is a team of individuals with the ability to maintain their own vision and share and assist in the visions of others.  Interested in getting in on all of this and more? Email me at William Gerardino.

12 THINGS FOR THE ENTRPRENEUR: ADVICE FROM Guy Kawasaki

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 13:22:00 +0000

Never Outshine The Master -- Robert Greene

Twelve Lessons I Learned From Steve Jobs.

Source: Twelve Things

Here’s an interesting way of looking at developing an emerging company: The goal should not be to make money. Rather make meaning. The profits will follow if you have a solid plan. Find unproven markets for your product and pitch them to investors. One of them will get it with a little patience and persistence on your part. These thoughts and others revisited me while watching Guy Kawasaki discussing what he learned from working twice at different times with Steve Jobs.

I cannot pretend to know precisely how people like Kawasaki and Jobs get to the places they so frequently visit in terms of leadership. But I can assure the reader that I have learned to listen. We all have our special gifts. The real trick is to gain knowledge and then make it your own. Here are some points that I found particularly salient in Guy Kawasaki's presentation “12 Lessons That I learned from Steve Jobs.

Experts are clueless. Rely on yourself.

Customers cannot tell you what you need.

Customers do not create revolutions.

Present yourself with ‘magnificent challenges.’ Employees like challenges and so they rise up.

Design counts. It’s not always about price although ‘experts’ say this is the big one. Don’t put out crap. A lot easier to get customers with high quality product properly designed with the customer in mind.

Anticipate customer needs.

Put up slides with one word at 60 points. Big graphics. 8.5 is out.

Jump curves. Do something ten times better. Guy presents two historical pieces of information that make sense.

Think ice. The harvesting of ice was seasonal. Then technology allowed man to create ice at will. Then someone came up with the refrigerator. The lesson? The trick was not to create a better way of chipping or delivering the ice. The trick was to create a situation where ice could be created at will and then deliver it. The next trick is to create a machine that creates ice in the home. Don’t ride the wave. Find the next wave. Guy calls this jumping the curve.

There was a time when printers used daisy wheels. Jumping the curve? Instead of adding fonts to the daisy wheel create a laser printer that no longer needs the daisy wheel. I come from a generation of daisy wheels. It was an amazing technology at the time. But it still took time to change the wheels. Along comes the laser printer. This is an ample demonstration of jumping the curve.

Something works or it doesn’t work. Apple started with a closed system. In short Apple technology was proprietary. Apple read the market and realized that an open system was the best path. Now 3^rd party apps not permitted (safari plug-in) in the past. Don’t screw around with the phone. Third-party developer.

Guy coaches the listener to take their product home and test it out. Use it. If you want to convince the customer that the product has utility, is unique and has value then you best convince yourself first. The writer adds the notion of ‘utility’.

There are things that overshadow price. It’s about value and productivity. Guy displays 2 by 2 matrix where the optimum position is the upper right hand corner. The product is unique and valuable. Only you produce your product.

Guy points out that Fandango has discovered the upper right. He demonstrates a watch with an antenna that works with satellites. The value. The person who is in a location and gets hurt in some way can now use their phone to get help. Unique, great value, and has utility. Interestingly Guy points out that low price does not assure sales. Focus on the value.

In regard to creating a great team Guy coaches the listener to recruit members better than themselves in various areas of responsibility. To use his term, do not hire Bozos. A players hire a plus players. And so one avoids the Bozo explosion.

They can use the product. If you cannot demonstrate the value and uniqueness of your product/service then you are in serious trouble. I think of Wendy’s in this regard. And now the daughter follows the same example.

Don’t sell total crap for the first version. Be aware there is a bit of ‘crap’ involved. Real entrepreneurship not slip. This does not mean a product/service must wait to ship until it is ‘perfect’. Perfection is the goal not the journey. To add my own thoughts I would say it is important to provide quality consistent service.

The color television in its first inception took time to get to its present level of quality. Ship something that may have challenges that still jumps the curve. Believe in your product/service, ship you product, and your product, and don’t wait for proof. A product can have elements of ‘crap’ to it. That can be fixed and adjusted. The trick is to get the customer to see the product.

Guy answered questions from the audience. I provided some notes on those questions.

Question: What about hiring A++ attitude when hiring?

Learn to let go. Don’t disown them. But let them do their thing. If you are succeeding you cannot handle everything. A++ don’t like micromanage.

Question: So who hires B players? Guy sites Board of Directors. Clearly he is using humor. On the other side of this comment notice his comments on experts.

Question: Jumping curves. What if the investor doesn’t understand this way of creating a company?

Guy compares this to dating. There are two kinds of dynamics. There is on-line dating situations such as eHarmony or a protracted process. This is something to finding soul mate. And then there is the ‘hot or not’ approach. You meet someone or see someone and she/he is ‘hot or not’. Venture capitalist are ‘hot or not’ usually decided in the first 30 seconds. Get in what you do in the first 30 seconds. They are not really interested in a life history.

Question: What about proven markets?

Don’t focus on proven markets. Consider unproven markets. If the investor cannot see this then you are probably in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mostly, don’t give up or accept their judgments without careful consideration. Listen and learn.

Question: What about the pitch?

Give them what you do in the first 30 seconds.

Conclusion

This is the sort of presentation that is meant to be heard multiple times. I draw some new insights from the well with each listen.

Most people never answer the door. Most people are afraid of failing. Most do not ask. I transcribe a Steve Jobs YouTube. I watched Guy Kawasaki on 12 best lessons from Jobs for entrepreneurs. Quite the experience. There is so much for the entrepreneur draw from. Comes down to this: The water is in the well. You going to get some?

Steve Jobs was willing to throw something away and try again when commerce pressing down. He speaks on design and asks the questions ‘does it work’ and is it exceptional.

I hope that this post was of help to you and trust that you will visit me soon.

Inspirational Message on Failure, Risk and Sucess

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:28:00 +0000

Well worth the watch. If you never failed you have never lived.

A Look At The Digital Download Future

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:49:00 +0000

http://www.strategyanalytics.com/default.aspx?mod=pressreleaseviewer&a0=5268

This might be of help to you in your digital planning. Note that the use of handheld devices continues to grow although it still has not dominated the market. I would say this has much to do with the development of the hardware and software in this regard. Legal issues involving patent law also enter into concern. I believe that the numbers will continue to increase as the various issues and effectively addressed.

There is significant competition regarding handheld devices that means we as entrepreneurs must carefully watch how this 'battle for market share' develops. I am looking very carefully at Samsung and Motorola at the moment.

I am also looking for new related products on the horizon.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:37:00 +0000

An interesting article about the various political and military challenges connected to cyber technology.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444657804578051071681887566.html

Full Text Follows:

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday a series of recent electronic attacks that have been tied to Iran, both in the U.S. and abroad, herald a "significant escalation in the cyberthreat," and warned the U.S. would aggressively pursue the perpetrators, in what cybersecurity experts called a veiled warning to Tehran.

The attacks, which have targeted U.S. and foreign banks, demonstrate the need for a more aggressive military role to defend U.S. networks and to retaliate against organized groups or hostile governments, Mr. Panetta said. That is especially the case if electric grids, water systems, transportation networks and other critical functions are targeted, he said.

"This is a pre-9/11 moment," he said in a speech in New York. "The attackers are plotting."

Mr. Panetta's comments represent his most urgent warning to date concerning the security threats, and provide new details about military planning to counter what he and others see as a growing threat in a call-to-arms over the computer-security issue, the first such call from a U.S. defense secretary.

Mr. Panetta didn't name Iran as a perpetrator of any particular plot, but identified Iran, along with China and Russia, as countries active in cyberspace. His address notably included information that had been declassified for his remarks, delivered to the Business Executives for National Security, a trade group.

The declassified material included description of attacks that have taken place, including efforts to disable the websites of U.S. banks, which have affected about 10 banks in the past few weeks. The impact has varied, from slowing website response to disabling websites used for personal and business banking.

The defense secretary also noted a July attack against Saudi Arabia's state oil company, Aramco, in which a virus called Shamoon erased critical files on some 30,000 computers, replacing them with images of burning American flags.

U.S. officials have connected all these attacks to individuals in Iran. Based on these people's capabilities, U.S. agencies suspect they are connected to the Iranian government, according to former officials briefed on the matter. A senior defense official confirmed the U.S. has identified those responsible for the attacks.

Among the declassified information were descriptions of a variety of threats against critical infrastructure in the U.S. Mr. Panetta said the U.S. had learned that intruders gained access to computer control systems that "operate chemical, electricity and water plants and those that guide transportation throughout the country." Officials didn't say whether they had identified who was responsible for those intrusions, and Mr. Panetta didn't indicate there had been any consequences.

Mr. Panetta's public remarks were also more expansive than any other U.S. official's to date on the Pentagon's development of cyberweapons. While defense officials were reluctant to call them "offensive weapons," He said the U.S. had developed capabilities to conduct cyberoperations. "If we detect an imminent threat of attack that will cause significant physical destruction or kill American citizens, we need to have the option to take action to defend the nation when directed by the president," he said.

The speech by Mr. Panetta comes as the U.S. is trying to forge new rules of engagement in cyberspace and create a level of deterrence by talking more openly about America's own capabilities—and showing a willingness to use them.

The Pentagon is spending $3 billion annually to develop cybercapabilities, and officials have said they are trying to build a core of military service members who are adept at defending against cyberattacks and wielding cyberweapons.

"Just as DoD developed the world's finest counterterrorism force over the past decade, we need to build and maintain the finest cyber operators," Mr. Panetta said.

Cybersecurity experts said that while the speech didn't explicitly connect Iran to the attacks, the Iranians will understand that the U.S. is suspicious.

The effect of the speech is a veiled warning to Iran to back off, said James Lewis, a cybersecurity specialist with the Center for Strategic and International Studies who frequently advises the Obama administration. "The purpose is to signal to the Iranians: naughty, naughty," he said.

Defense officials said Mr. Panetta's speech was meant to be a call to arms, and was aimed at deterring others.

"One of the effects of talking about cyber more openly is that we are making clear to anyone who would try to do harm to the nation that we are paying attention and we are not going to take this sitting down," said a U.S. official.

Kristin Lord, an expert at the Center for a New American Security, applauded Mr. Panetta's discussion of cyberweapons and deterrence. But his remarks described the gravest attack Americans might face, not the most likely, she said.

"On 9/11, more than 3,000 people died in a couple hours," she said. "I think that is an unlikely scenario for a cyberthreat. It's not impossible. But it is unlikely, in the near term."

Guy Kawasaki presents 'The Art of the Start' for Informatics Ventures

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:51:00 +0000

There is much information for the entrepreneur in this video. I will be creating some text for you to consider. This guy has a lot to offer.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 21:32:00 +0000

Not quite yet to abandon ship on traditional non-digital services and products.

I have been struggling with this last blog that will mark the end of my participation in the Full Sail University Masters of Science in Business Entertainment. It is not for lack of things to talk about. Quite the opposite. It was more a question of having so much to say. I find it much more easier to write multiple pages than a single page and near impossible to put it in a paragraph. I am learning however.

One of the major components of my Full Sail University experience is taking my theoretical inclinations into the sphere of real world experience. I have since come across a rather interesting subject that began by reading Warner Brothers

Over the last few years, we’ve accomplished a lot. Three years ago,

we put in place a strategy to become the premier global content company while simultaneously improving our returns. Since then, our businesses have remained leaders in their respective industries, and in many cases we’ve gained share. At the same time, we’ve led the digital transition of the industries in which we operate. We’ve added $3.6 billion in annual revenues since 2009, growing even faster internationally than we did in the United States; we’ve more than doubled our adjusted earnings per share (EPS) over the past three years as we grew adjusted operating income at a 12% compounded annual growth rate; and we’ve generated $8 billion in free cash ﬂow, which enabled us to raise our dividend three times and buy back more than 20% of our outstanding stock (Source: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=70972&p=irol-reportsannual).

Note the bolded section that uses the term ‘digital transition and the corresponding increase in sales of $3.6 billion. Some analysts are suggesting over $15 billion dollars in sales projecting into 2015. In this same report Warner Brothers also reports that it has significantly reduced while not abandoning it ‘vinyl’ or ‘hard CD/DVD’ product line. This is evidenced by the company’s website that features an e-commerce page dedicated to said ‘vinyl’ sales (Source: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=70972&p=irol-reportsannual).

I’ve thought long and hard about this sort of information. While FractureCreations has developed a specific marketing plan that makes optimum use of today’s technology including print-on-demand, CD/DVD download, and on-line workshop technology, it is equally clear to FractureCreations that the evidence suggests that the audience has not entirely given up on the ‘hard copy’ such as soft and hard cover books as well as physical CDs. In point of fact there are actually markets where cassettes are still a viable product that generates sales. The same sort of thinking applies to FractureCreations current plans to develop a series of workshops for emerging artists. While employing on-line technology in order to create high accessibility as well as wealth of related material, there is still the live performance element of a truly well-rounded career.

The solution? Balance that reflects a wide range of considerations of that might be metaphorically described as the ‘grey area that exists between black and white. ‘

Warner Brothers has realized that there are great savings that come with the digital phenomena. They are also experiencing great challenges in their ‘advance to artists’ policy. They have in fact noted that the digital sales have to degrees offset advance write-offs. Obviously, their technological requirements along with technological and legal concerns about P2P or ‘piracy’ will most likely offset their download sales by significantly increasing their fixed costs over a sustained period-of-time.

Bottom line? While the trends and hype accurately report an interesting trend towards the technological side of the publishing and entertainment industry, it is not quite the time to put to the side traditional distributing and marketing channels.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:34:00 +0000

Some things to consider for you business plan and pitch.

Source: The Air Guitar Shark Tank Pitch. Come on now, I know I did that sort of thing. How about you?

Shark Tank Tips

1. What makes a good business idea great?   

A good idea must meet numerous criteria. I’ve listed some of those I’ve considered while participating in the Full Sail University program.

Is there a need or pain that my business clearly identifies? Yes there is. Through promoting my CD/DVD, books, cabaret live performance, and workshops that target emerging talent I 1) entertain my audience, 2) provide them with a wide range of music and images through various genres that will expose and expand their musical horizons, 3) by coordinating live performance, CD/DVDs and books I provide emerging talent with highly effective ways of generating income at an affordable price that is in sync with current secondary education institutions. Further, I improve the overall quality of the arts first regionally in Boston, and nationally.

2. What do you think are the traits of a great entrepreneur? 

A great entrepreneur recognizes opportunity in what first appear to be obstacles. He/she adapts to changing environments and creates a business plan that allows for fluctuations in their environment. I great entrepreneur is one who listens to the market and measures their products likelihood of success—in quantifiable terms—of success. A good entrepreneur clearly understands notions of PEST and SWOT analysis and creates responses to these considerations. A great entrepreneur respects and listens to their team, their consumers, and their investors. They pay their bills and they throw in more opportunities to their investors. They live by a code of integrity that is on the level of both personal and professional standards.

3. How do I know if there's a real need for my product or service?  

Listen to the pulse of the market. When someone writes or says something that resonates amongst the larger audience ask yourself, “What is their pain? How can I help? And how can I relieve that pain while making my project profitable so that obligations to investors will not only be met but will exceed.

4. What are the most important first steps a new entrepreneur should take?  

Observe. Listen. Analyze what opportunities exist and then consider what you are good at and what sort of product that would be most likely to succeed in the market. Selling snowshoes in FLA is probably not a real good idea.

Once you have the product and the need—market demand—in alignment start building a business plan that clearly identifies the opportunity. Then run the plan through any contacts you may have before pitching it to major investors. Know the financials. Know how much you need, how you are going to spend it, how much ROI you will realize and how much ROI your investors will realize.

Know your audience. I am pitching to investors, producers, and educational institutions at different points of my strategy. I will ensure that each pitch is tailored according to circumstances.

Research my investors past behaviors. Who do they give money to? How much is typical? Are they potential strategic partners? I constantly ask myself questions such as these.

When you make the pitch answer the questions concisely. Don’t drone on and on. Don’t give them the whole book so to speak. Make them want to know more. Perhaps if you are not sure of an answer you might honestly admit that you have thought about the question but need more research time and ask if they would have any ideas. This is not the greatest idea. It shows you have not prepared properly. But if you get in this jam above all: Don’t make something up just to fill in the gap. Chances are they will admire the fact that you have to say ‘I’m not say’ and they will appreciate the fact that you asked them for a bit of wisdom. Never outshine the master.

5. How do you create a business plan that works?  

Think it through before writing it down. Once you got the basic concepts of the plan start filling in the standard parts that have been addressed in our professional experience and academic experience such as that offered at Full Sail University. Watch for any trends in business plans standards. Change is changeless.

Make sure the information that you provide is easily understood and concise. Don’t give them the details so much as provide details that will leave them wanting more. That’s for the second go around. Use charts and diagrams and provide some background on you analysis and criteria.

If you have aligned with an individual or entity with higher visibility and better reputation makes sure the investors are aware of it.

Watch you sales and related financial numbers. Make sure they are realistic. Showing a short time when profits may even be in the negative in regard to projections is better than creating an overtly optimistic future scenario. Investors understand this and most will see that you’re plan reflects sound business acumen and common sense.

Make it look good but don’t get clever with the final document. This sometimes reflects a sense that you are trying to get something past them by altering format. They’ll figure that out and be even more suspicious.

Get the final plan reviewed by a professional who will objectively suggest strengths and weaknesses.

6. Where can I get help creating a business plan?

Obviously, we have had ample exposure through practical theory and utility through a common sense academic program. It shouldn’t stop there. There are any numbers of books on the subject that are affordable and provide great insights. Small Business organizations often offer ‘coaches’ for this kind of thing. Watch the shark tank show. This is always an interesting experience. Go to blogs on the subject. Experiment a bit in the beginning. Make it your own and then see what others are doing.

7. How do you compete against the big guys?   

You compete against the big guys by first understanding that they are the big guys. And so taking on the big guys really doesn’t work if for no other reason they have more resources. But learn from the big guys. Watch how they are adapting to fluctuations in their market and apply some of that wisdom. I read Warner Brothers yearly financial statements and discovered that they—like many—are adjusting to shifts in downloadable music. They report that they have also cut down and—in some cases—wrote off advance funding to artists. They also are more careful and have developed a much more stringent criteria for signing artists. It is interesting to note that hard copies are still being sold but falling quickly. Additionally, the hand held devices is growing but hardly bulky enough to bolster sales throughout my campaign. In some ways this is a wait and see situation that requires following the metrics. This tells me much. And so the numbers doesn’t overwhelm me. I look at the strategies and apply them.

8. How do you build a great team?   

You build a team by first identifying your needs. What are your strengths? What can you do in those areas? Identify your ‘weaknesses’ and look for team members that can enhance that particular area of your endeavor. Check out business and personal attributes. I don’t care how knowledgeable a potential is. If you will not get along well or have alternative end goals in mind think carefully about this. Perhaps that individual can be useful in a position that is unique to their abilities without necessarily impacting overall all business goals. For instance, if someone has strong financial skills that coincide with your goals but varying notions of your goals this individual may be appropriate for an administrative or accounting position where they are responsible for specific tasks related to those particular needs.

9. What makes an investor put their money into a deal?  

Vision tempered with common sense. Experience. Education. Presentation. Are you the sort of person that will meet their obligations and will it be a positive experience? Having a well-tuned business plan goes a long way. Investors want to work with new businesses that identify and minimize the risks. This is particularly true for equity investors.

10. How do I find investors and business partners and what's most important in my presentation?

Research today’s investors through journals and trade sites. Look for related blogs. Read the financial papers. Ask around and make sure you are ready with your elevator pitch. Follow the latest developments in venture capitalism. What are they investing in? Is it similar to yours? What is their success rate? Also make sure that you understand what you bring to the table. In my case, I bring $25,000 and my long-term experience in entertainment while keeping up with the industry through practical education.

Why should I give you the money? You have no proven track record. I can go out and find someone who has already done this and has proven that they can do it.

You should invest in me because I will work harder and smarter, because I know my audience through practical experience and metrics. I’ll not only pay you back with good ROI but also provide you with greater opportunities to make money as my project grows. I have a diversified line of products that work in an integral fashion meaning my chances of higher return increase exponentially. In the case where one product slacks for reasons, I can hedge my financial situation through the other product lines.

How do I know you are not going to lose interest?

I’ve committed the last five years to this project. I’ve retired from teaching so that I can turn this vision into reality. Because I love the notion of doing business in the entertainment arts and look forward to sharing the benefit of my total experiences with others whether it is through recorded music, live performance, or education.

Projections indicate 2012 downloads at $8.5 billion. Break that down to an average of $1 per download (single) and this suggests that approximately means 8.5 billion units are being distributed. If I assume a very conservative number of the market share (.0015) suggests potential unit sales at 127,500 possible or potential conversions at .65 net minus fixed costs. I onsider .15 represents the unit share of fixed costs and this leaves .50 per unit. This realizes a potential $63,750 projected sales over three years. I then factor into this calculation that some sources are projecting $15 billion in sales by 2015. Consider the shift towards streaming royalties that are significantly less than down loading and I still realize a significant cash flow and profit. The exact amounts of monies earned from streaming are still unclear although present returns suggests that 15K units must be streamed before the artist reaches breakeven. However, one must also consider the branding value in streaming that—properly handled—can increase the number of downloads. While these numbers and statistics must allow for forecasts corrections, the overall future for financial gain even in a troubled economic market means exponential growth and future capitol for expanding my projects. This should keep my interest, don’t you think?

What are you going to do when a competitor sees how successful you are and starts doing exactly the same thing?

One specific method I will use is by first making sure all my legal and contractual areas are in order. I will also encourage potential competitors to form strategic alliances. Keep your friends close. And keep your enemies closer. I will constantly monitor my product line and identify areas where they can be improved and made unique within the market. I have put my own money to the tune of $25,000 into this effort. I am in a sense my own closest investor. Finally, I want to create something that will be passed down to others, to make a genuine difference to the global community.

Noam Chomsky on Education

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:49:00 +0000

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZbM_MIz4RM

https://ondemand.azpm.org/videoshorts/watch/2012/2/10/1154-an-evening-with-noam-chomsky-education-for-whom-and-for-what/

Noam Chomsky On Education

I have long been a reader of Noam Chomsky. My introduction to him started back in the Stone Age days of my work on my literature and philosophy while attending CSU Stanislaus University in California. I was fortunate enough to have several forward thinking professors who were committed to encouraging their students to think outside the box. My first exposure was the Noam Chomsky famous for his revolutionary linguistic theories. I will have to admit that I was unable to fully understand the field of linguistics. That being said, it was an extraordinary period of personal, academic, and professional growth that has continued into the present. Later I started to read and listen to Mr. Chomsky in regards to political and cultural situations. I rapidly realized that in order to be an informed artist and creator of relevant material that such considerations were not only preferable but also mandatory. No man is an island, as the saying goes.

And here I am some 20 years later ready to receive my Master’s in Business Entertainment in the fast passing of one month. Finally, I have the tools to make my vision into a reality. I have sharpened the saw to go Zen for a moment. Part of my vision includes a series of workshops for emerging talent that will assist them in some small way the same way Full Sail University has generously assisted me. I have learned through past experience and education that to be creative is simply not enough to cull a thoughtful, intelligent, and loyal audience. Business is part of that, Marketing is part of that, and technology is a part of that. The eternal trinity of life experience moves on.

Over the years, I have paid much more attention to the ways in which corporations—small, medium, and large—in all periods of the business life cycle operate in terms of function and branding. I have come to understand how important it is to learn through observation and—like a good science experiment—observe the outcome without prejudice and judgment.

At the same time, I’ve come to realize that I must dance to my own music if I am to be successful. I do not define success entirely by bottom line profit although it is certainly a major concern. After all, if I am to carry my project on to its logical conclusion within a capitalist system, this is indeed necessary. Note I say necessary and not necessary evil.

In this speech, Chomsky points out that the best and most solid education does not teach students how to parrot answers to typical questions. Rather the best education comes through by constantly questioning the answers forming new questions. Chomsky amply demonstrates through humor, facts, and observation that the present notion of teaching to a test doesn’t entirely work. He further shows that the notion of too much genuine education was, is, and will be a serious danger to those in power. In essence, they think ‘let’s teach them enough so that they can produce what we need and not so much that they are a threat to our power base.’

I thought of this in regard to future competition. Do I really want to increase the talents of emerging artists to a point where they can create potential market threats? Do I want to create an effort that uses tried and true ‘tricks’ to lure customers in focusing on form rather than content? What am I as an entrepreneur putting at stake and what sort of legacy will I leave once I’ve reached initiation of my exit plan?

There is much in Chomsky’s observations that I believe to be very relevant to the new business owner. Things can change and that skepticism that seems to separate profit from self-created purpose can balance out so long as we as entrepreneurs carefully consider this question.

So, if you see yourself falling into the world of things as they are and the typical pacifism that plagues such notions, think to yourself, what am I going to leave behind for others, will it grow after me, and will it grow in a way that is consistent with my vision.

No, it is not easy to follow the path less taken. But it’s surely going to be the more interesting journey.

Special thanks to Professor Noam Chomsky for providing me with the opportunity to think out my vision and all its implications.

Zappos' Corporate Culture. Good Advice to say the least.`

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 14:12:00 +0000

I am watching with great interest this week’s video about Zappos. In part I admire the individual and corporate mindset that I am witnessing. But here is the really good part of all this. I worked for many companies such as this. In my ‘younger’ days I most contracted myself out to various companies in any number of genres. I can truthfully say that I did and do a little bit of everything throughout my life.

I’ve worked for some very tough companies. But here is the thing. I’ve worked for a whole lot more great companies than weak companies. I say weak only in the sense that the environment did not work for me. There is no subjective evaluation attached to this. It was simply not a very good fit for all concerned.

But enough of that. The bottom line is that Zappos CEO and owner is not near as unique as one might think. We simply don’t hear about some companies that share the same level of awareness as Zappos and those like them.

And now as I watch this video and find myself in the labyrinthine world of business planning, dealing with numbers, deadlines, and possible threats . . .. Well, it sort of refreshing to get reminded of what it is that started this incredible journey into the world of entertainment. I want my audience, my customers, my collaborators, my employees, and my community to benefit from my presence. When I grow in any number of ways—and not just financially—I want all to grow, to feel a bit better about themselves.

This particular has turned this into an incredible success story in more ways than mere dollar signs, hasn’t he?

In a sense it is all very simple. Create a service and/or product that identify a customer’s pain, assist in healing that pain, make them feel good about the transaction. And as important help the employees who help heal that pain feel like they’ve made a genuine contribution and again not in mere dollar signs.

Speaking for my own vision. I am not targeting my art to main stream traffic. This is not because I judge mainstream as something other than art. It is because of who I am as an artist and what brings me joy. It’s about what brings my audience joy. It’s about making someone excited about sharing his or her experience.

And when it does come time to form a team. I have made a quiet promise to myself that I will not micro-manage, that I will listen to my associates, and that we will both learn from our experiences, we celebrate what seem to be failures and transform them into opportunities. In other words? Yes, I want to make money and yes I want a loyal fan base. But as important, I want to play, write, and sing music and create art that brings me a sense that I’ve made a genuine contribution to others along the way. I believe this CEO and I have a great deal in common except maybe my credit card rating. But that will happen in good time.

And so, this sort of viewing tells me that my vision is not near as naïve and unreachable as some have said to me. Now I know it’s not about the naiveté of my vision but the myopic thinking that ties others to the ground. I’d work for this guy in a heartbeat if he was in the business of music and I wish him success.

Want to be Great? Take lessons in the simple. Listen, Learn, Act. And at the end of the day be grateful.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:40:00 +0000

Want to be Great? Take lessons in the simple. Listen, Learn, Act. And at the end of the day be grateful.

A long time back I was living in central California. I was substitute teaching at the time. While I enjoyed the work to degrees it was not enough to meet my financial obligations. I had a roof over my head, a limited resource to health care, and food on the table. But it was not enough to help me move forward on my visions of being a full-time musician. So I signed up with a local temporary business. In fact, I signed up with many temporary agencies. My thinking was to use my administrative skills to improve my situation. What I discovered is that the economy of California was in such a mess that most firms were choosing to adjust their needs, exploit their employees, and hire cheap labor. This particular part of California had a large number of ‘unregistered’ individuals who were willing to work for a substantially meager salary because of their ‘situation.’ I finally understood that my overall objective would never be met unless I changed my strategy.

So I took manual labor jobs with a company that ‘specialized’ in unskilled labor. They paid by the day and asked very few questions. Truth be told, I was never very good with my hands. When I took ‘shop’ in junior high school I almost failed. Every ‘thing,’ every ‘project’ I took on seemed to turn into an uneven ashtray or wood for a warm fire for another day. But I figured I had good health and a willing spirit that would suffice.

I got a long-time temporary position with a construction firm that was building factories and warehouses outside of town. I supplemented my bloodless salary by charging others for transportation back and forth to the job site. My field site supervisor took a liking to me. What I lacked in skill, I made up for in enthusiasm and commitment I suppose. So the assignment was coming to an end and the gentleman was assigning me any number of odd tasks to keep me coming back.

One day the gentleman showed up with a new push broom. He took to the road that was used by trucks delivering dirt, concrete, and various sorts of cargo. The road was in poor condition covered with dirt, scraps of wood, rusted nails, shards of glass, and numerous cigarette butts. My task? Sweep the road and make it look respectable before the keys to the buildings were handed over to their new owner.

So I went about my business. Here’s where it gets interesting. There was quite a lot of road to cover. I divided the area into sections. Each day I would set a goal of completing one section. Great plan but it wasn’t really working very well. I was falling behind my daily goals.

One day my boss brought over a cup of coffee and a 7-11 Big Gulp. He knew these were some of my more minor addictions. I apologized to him because I felt I was not justifying his trust in me. He asked me to show how I was sweeping the road each day. I did so. I moved the broom horizontal to the road, moved a bit to the left and right and did the same. When I reached the other side of the road I repeated the process in reverse. He asked me for the broom and went to the road. He began sweeping. But he did not move horizontal to the road. Rather he worked at 45-degree angles. He covered the same amount of area I had covered in half the time. What was the lesson? By moving at angles more area was covered with each sweep and with better results, less rubble left behind. He smiled at me and told me I was doing a great job and sent me out to get lunch knowing full well I was getting a bit bored with the task. A week later the road was finished, I was way ahead of schedule, and—I thought and feared—the assignment had come to an end.

At the end of the week he led me to the field office. It was a mass of boxes, half installed computers and drawings and schematics. I was in the office about an hour or so and was waiting for the bad news. So I started putting things in order. I managed to show some sign of office space. He walked in and was surprised at best. He asked me how I did all the work without actually knowing what was there? I explained to him that it was a matter of thinking in terms of tasks associated with running an office and filter through all items, create stacks, return to the stacks and breaking them down by their function a bit more. Then rearrange the various storage areas so that they are easily accessible rather than a source of endless obstacles.

I showed him the piles. He grabbled some paper and joined me asking questions along the way. By the end of the day the office was in considerably better order. He actually discovered some schematics that he thought were permanently lost. Any number of receipts and invoices that his accountant had been hounding him to find appeared.

The point is that I learned a valuable lesson in what some would consider the most menial of tasks, sweeping a road. And he had learned by a little bit of time and patience that ordering an office took patience, creativity, and time. We had both learned valuable lessons.

Never, Never, Never assume there isn’t anything to be learned in the simplest of tasks. There is always a lesson to be learned and—more importantly—to be shared. We work from our strengths yes. But we also examine our weakness and seek out the advise of those who would turn those weaknesses into strengths.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:37:00 +0000

Here are some interesting statistics regarding audience behavior in terms of online reading. The information indicates that while hard cover books are still generating revenue, the audience or Y generation as it is called in other articles is gravitating towards on-line purchases. This means new and emerging artists can market their product at a significantly reduced rate while realizing increased royalty profits. This also means that costly storage of material that may or may not go out of demand quickly will no longer be a possible threat or weakness to emerging writers. I also read that the trends in reading 'spy' or 'espionage' or 'mystery' novels rules the day. Meanwhile, more technical books aimed at a non-fiction genre still maintain a healthy share of the market in hard cover and on-line versions.

Source

Mobile Ad Revenue Projections by Company 2011 - 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 13:32:00 +0000

Here are some interesting statistics I noticed on Facebook this morning. It shows projections for ad revenues projected into 2014. These sorts of details will figure prominently in an overall marketing strategy for FractureCreations.

Additional resources for BPD

Source: https://www.facebook.com/socialadstool

Based on the above figures William will consider paid ads later in his marketing strategy within 5 to 6 months of his rollout of his tour that will focus on book sales, workshops, and CD/DVD sales. He will do some research on Millenia Media that appears to be building up a strong internet presence. He notes that the projections for Facebook are not quite as high as other sites.

At the same time Om Malik anticipates that the sales of mobile devices will suffer a serious downward trend due to current economic concerns.

Mobile phone sales are going to decline sharply over the next five years, to the tune of 1.04 billion devices, according to Informa Telecoms & Media. In its new report, “The Financial Crisis: Analyzing the impact on global mobile markets,” the research firm has revised its forecast for device sales over the next five years down by 14 percent.

Some 6.39 billion devices are forecast to purchased between now and 2013, Informa said, vs. its previous expectation that 7.43 billion devices would be bought. For 2009, Informa revised its forecast for the number of mobiles phones that will be purchased down to 1.12 billion devices from 1.32 billion. This is a brutal revision for a business that has always been about furious growth and razor-thin margins.

The downshift in overall device sales is one of the reasons why companies are shifting their attention away from low-cost devices to smartphones and an emerging category of devices I like to call superphones. Devices such as Apple’s iPhone sell fewer units but have higher profit margins. A recent surge in demand for RIM’s BlackBerry devices and more recently, HTC’s Android-based smartphones show that the incumbents such as Samsung, Nokia and LG are lagging in this higher end of the market. No wonder they’re redoubling their energies to focus on it, as evidenced by Nokia introducing a brand new line-up of its higher-end (and higher margin) N and E-Series of devices (Malik 2009).

Reference;

Malik, Om. (2009). Mobile Phone Sales to Decline Over Next 5 Years. Retrieved September 8, 2012 from http://gigaom.com/2009/07/01/mobile-phone-sales-to-decline-over-next-5-years/.

Daniel Cooper’s August 2012 release reporting a downward trend in mobile device sales supports Maliks projections. According to Cooper, sales are down 2.3% this quarter (Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/14/gartner-q2-2012/).

As such, Wiliam will monitor actual revenue reports against GDP, Consumer Price Index, Market Transactions, and inflation trends in order to determine what devices will realize the best ROI on his marketing strategy budget. This will determine the software and internet protocols that will be implemented in his main website infrastructure.

Source: Projected Mobile Device Ad Revenue 2011 - 2014

Learn to Listen, Observe Those Who Know, The Art of Making An Effective Business Plan Shine

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:31:00 +0000

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-8EQPpA4DM)

(Source: http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/gettingstarted/a/guykawasaki.htm)

This post is going to be about the hard work of listening and observing. It sounds easy enough doesn’t it? But it is not and I am here to tell you because I didn’t know how to listen. I didn’t know how to observe. Perfectly wonderful lessons were placed at my door and I never bothered to bring them into the house much less open the box. But that was then and this is now.

Let me tell you why I chose this area of study. Because for the last 30 or 40 years I have poured endless money, time, and creative spirit into what can only be described as a loosing venture. I was on the Titanic. It was going down. And I was cleaning the deckchairs. Yeah, it was that bad. Not now. But back then it was heavy on my heart and almost killed my spirit. Why? Because I didn’t listen, I didn’t observe, I did move proactively, and I went on making the same mistakes time after time.

And that what this blog is really about. If you are reading this you remember these words: fail to plan and you are planning to fail.

I’ve selected several on-line resources that—if you don’t know him already—have made a significant impression on me and will do the same for you. His name is Guy Kawasaki. He has an extensive profession business background working with the likes of Steve Jobs back in the early days of the Macintosh. Anyone still remember that bit of creative vision that has turned into one of the most influential businesses of today’s culture? He has run several companies involved in technology and he is presently speaking, touring, writing as well as being a major venture capitalist in his own right.

Guy has an interesting and fun approach to business. He clarifies the tasks of the entrepreneur in a way that is succinct and fun. He is not what I would call a traditional professional. And this is why I read him and view his numerous TED talks and YouTube videos. He is in fact the one who helped me create my mantra—not my tag line, not my mission—my mantra: Creating Today’s Vision Into Tomorrow’s Reality.

Guy Kawasaki

I have been a fan of Mr. Kawasaki since the days Storytelling at Full Sail University. Part of our assignment was to write a tag and mission statement for our business project. I discovered his presentations through YouTube that ultimately led me to book Enchantment. Guy has built up a reputation as a no-nonsense, no fluff approach to business. His style is one of simplicity working through inspiration along with blood, sweat and tears.

I suppose this choice might not quite fit into the exact category of project planner. Look. However, at the amount of subject matter he includes in his considerable career, as writer and speaker and you will see differently.

In his ‘How to change the world’ article presently on-line he says

Write for all the right reasons. Most people write business plans to attract investors, and while this is necessary to raise money, most venture capitalists have made a “gut level” go/no go decision during the PowerPoint pitch. Receiving (and possibly reading) the business plan is a mechanical step in due diligence. The more relevant and important reason to write is a business plan, whether you are raising money or not, is to force the management team to solidify the objectives (what), strategies (how), and tactics (when, where, who). Even if you have all the capital in the world, you should still write a business plan. Indeed, especially if you have all the capital in the world because too much capital is worse than too little.

More of this article can be read at http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/the_zen_of_busi.html#axzz25HjU2NlF and at http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/the_zen_of_busi.html#ixzz25HnuPAtT.

What I take from this is that I am in part writing a business plan to attract investors. But really, I am also writing this proposal to have something in place to inspire my future team, to provide them with a clear notion of my concept and vision.

Cayenne Consulting

Cayenne Consulting is a more straightforward choice. Akira Hirai owns Cayenne. He’s been in business since 2001. This company has a wide range of success stories in multiple industries including entertainment, gaming, and software design. This is how Akira describes his services. Imagine a young entrepreneur getting ready to face his own shark tank. And further consider what I quoted from Kawasaki above, that most investors have already made a gut decision before you make the actual pitch.

That's where we come in. We can act as an objective partner who can save you a ton of time, helping with things like strategy development, market research and analysis, competitor research and analysis, business plan preparation, financial analysis and forecasting, presentation materials, and developing a capital formation strategy. We can't actually contact investors on your behalf because that activity is highly regulated (see Beware of Finders), but we can help with just about everything else (Source: http://www.caycon.com/about-cayenne-consulting.php).

The thoroughness of this agency is demonstrated by the quality, presentation, and content of their main page. A series of articles are posted on the subject of writing what may consider the most important part of the pitch: the executive summary.

What is equally impressive about this entity is that they follow the mantra of keeping it real or honest if you prefer. Sound advice for any writer of a business proposal is quite simple. Never promise what you can’t deliver. This agency states that they cannot walk you inside the final pitch. Nor can or will they contact the potential investor. These are things that simply do not fall in line with their corporate borders.

This company consists of myriad consultants with extremely impressive professional experience in a wide range of business areas. Several of them have and continue to write for Inc. magazine. I would bet that they have quite a few articles and professional papers to their credit.

Finally, the thing that really impressed me was the way the presented the issue of cost. It is stated with no sorts of avoidance that they are not the most expensive but they are also not the cheapest. This company says straight out that we all know what happens when we think cheap and forget quality. We all know the feeling that we just should have paid the good money to the good business entity up front.

I will be reading from this web page for quite awhile. And I will be listening to the inspirations and theories in regard to my own project. I hope some of you reading this will check out both my choices.

Frankly, I think Kawasaki’s personal style and philosophies applied congruently with Cayenne’s in-depth understanding of how to present myself properly to investors is a powerful one that I look forward to experiencing. I also look forward to reporting to you about my insights and progress in this regard.

I would suggest the reader take a serious look at both these sites. I've provided you with an excellent article by Guy. This is in no way the extent of what he as to offer but it's a great place to start. I look forward to hearing from you and will post more within the next 3 days.

Guy Kawasaki Explains The Art of the Start

Jason Layne

William Starts His Long Journey Home

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 22:12:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 17, 2012

WILLIAM PATRICK ANNOUNCES THE FORMATION OF FRACTURECREATIONS

AND SIGNING JAYSON LAYNE AS THEIR FIRST ARTIST

FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT:

William Patrick Gerardino

617 704 3265

mailto:fracturecreations@gmail.com?subject=Questions and Comments

Visit William at:

Linkedin Twitter FaceBook WordPress

William Patrick Gerardino Announces His Upcoming Tour "The Long Journey Home: Things The Ocean Told Me."

He will be touring the east coast starting in Florida and working his way towards Boston making all stops in-between.

Want to hitch a ride?

William Gerardino will be graduating with his Masters of Science in Business Entertainment from Full Sail University in October. He will be a submitting resume to digital marketing consulting agencies, music companies, and performing in venues and theaters in New Orleans, Louisiana; Atlanta, Georgia; New York City, New York; New Orleans, Louisianna; Atlanta, Georgia;and Boston Massachusetts. His resume is available for perspective employers and collaborators seeking interesting and challenging projects. A calendar of up-coming events including concerts, cabaret, and performance art will soon be appearing on his homepage. William has performed in New York, Boston, Colorado, and New Orleans and looks forward to reacquaintin his audience with his perfomances. William Patrick Gerardino will focus his performance time on Summer outdoor jazz, blues and folk concerts, museum events, theatres for the performing arts, as well as coffeehouse and pub appearances. He thinks of the Long Journey Home Tour and a return to his one true love: the arts. “It’s my own humble version of an east coastal jazz, instrumental, folk and blues journey. This is a long-time in the coming. Please look for me while I’m on the road.

He has created several projects that include a self-published novel, movie and live theatre script, and a book of photography. He also is creating a workshop for emerging artists implementing and exploiting his professional and academic experiences over the past 30 years.

Meanwhile those interested in talking to William about possible collaborations and career opportunities are welcome to review his resume at He hopes to secure teaching opportunities at the College level as an adjunct in Fine Arts in the Boston area.

About Us: FractureCreations is owned and operated by William Gerardino.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 12:50:00 +0000

WHAT IS BRANDING REALLY ABOUT?

Source: Laurie Anderson: Great Thinkers

I just thought of something about branding that Ken from Full Sail shared with me. Branding is about being real Branding is about loving what you do so much that there's nothing you would sacrifice to do what you do best. Branding is about the glorious failures and the bliss accomplishments. Branding is about doing what moves you towards bliss. It's not a widget game. It's about passion and desire. It's about tears of joy and laughter. It's about living a full life and sharing it with others. I truly hope we all find our bliss and we get to share it. After all the analytics and metrics and strategies if it isn't real then all the numbers in the world mean nothing. Be happy all. That's the best branding that I know of.

Please visit me on my FaceBook Page.

Watching the numbers: A new Olympic event? Are you up to train for the SEO Gold?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 17:38:00 +0000

Turning Today’s Vision Into Tomorrow’s Reality

No Height Too Out of Reach

Watching the numbers: A new Olympic event? Are you up to train for the SEO Gold?

My name is is William Patrick Gerardino. I am the owner and operator of FractureCreations, CabaretSolstice Entertainments, and AcornWorkshops; three entities that live and operate by the creed the emerging artist can ‘turn today’s vision into tomorrow’s reality’. I consider the first and most important rule of branding is transparency with integrity. That requires truth. And the truth is I am far from an expert in search engine optimization. For that matter, I have much to learn about a multitude of areas in the entertainment industry.

Than why should you read this blog or seriously consider this blog if you are a fellow emerging artist? Because I promise you that I will share what I have learned in the most accurate way and to the best of my ability. What about what I don’t know? Well, perhaps you may know and will help me along this wonderful journey. Perhaps we can help each other. The word of the day is ‘collaboration’. Welcome to my world. Now let’s get started!

Emerging artists should use every tool at their disposal in order to turn their vision into reality. One of the most powerful tools at their disposal is the Internet. But it is no easy ride. It is a place to sell, a place to collaborate, and a place to launch careers. It’s a tough game that requires patience and perseverance.

Today’s topic is Search Engine Optimization otherwise known as SEO. Essentially it is the arduous task of making nice with the likes of Google and Yahoo in return for website ranking. Don’t worry about the terms. After using them for a bit they’ll become part of your vocabulary. But I already have made the first error in good blogging: using too many words.

This blog presents an analysis of two media companies who are strongly invested in the Summer Olympics: NBC and Oovoo.tv.

The Summer Olympics is a grand time to take a close look at thedemographic[1], psychographic, and geographic metrics for emerging talent who typically must develop on-line marketing strategies on a strict budget. It is a recurring ritual that reveals much about the human condition. The data that is gathered is mere data if the human condition is not considered as its context. The notion of the spectacle brings out the subtleties of that human condition.

Let’s look at the metrics. A long tail keyword search of ‘Summer Olympics’ on Google delivered a whopping 793 billion hits in 23 seconds. The same keyword search on Facebook indicated 28,007‘like this’ and 8,481 ‘talking about this.’ Consider that these numbers developed in a mere two weeks or so prior to the opening of the Summer Olympics on July 27, 2012.

Consider now recent report that Netflix who recently suffered a 25% loss in Summer Olympic streaming viewers. What is the lesson here? That clicks on websites does not necessarily target audience conversion.

The following offers an overview of Alexa’s SEO metrics for NBC’s live Summer Olympics coverage.

An overview of Chart Analysis

The data collected by analytics tools typically uses the overall website activity for a given period of time as the median. In the case of ‘search traffic’, the measurement is the percentage of total activity nationally and internationally distributed by date.

The peak traffic for NBC occurred on July 23 rising since July 2. Opening ceremonies were on July 27^th. The traffic begins diving on the 23^rd. What happened? The key to understanding the implications of this data involves determining possible causes for rises and declines. For instance, perhaps visitors to the site were first reviewing NBC’s coverage of events. By the 23^rd they had accomplished this. An article that will be reviewed in my upcoming blog claims that Netflix’s poor numbers were a consequence of NBC’s livestreaming events without cost to viewer. This may or may not be the case. However, it is common knowledge on Wall Street that Netflix has been having serious challenges with maintaining its market share of the livestreaming media sector.

The chart below measures audience demographics andpsychographics. Here is a general explanation of how to interpret the data. The bars to the left of the mid-range mean that this audience is underrepresented. Bars to the right mean this group is overrepresented. As the bar moves towards the median point this means that the audience visiting the site is proportional to overall Internet activity.

Source: http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/nbcolympics.com.

The demographics suggest that individuals between 18-24 and 35-44 with some college, and viewing at their place of work are overrepresented. Graduate students either holding degrees or working on degrees are substantially underrepresented. A look back at the 25-34 underrepresented age demographic would bear closer scrutiny since it would seem that individuals at this age demographic would represent the bulk of college students. The activity is slightly dominated by females with males being slightly underrepresented. Children demographics suggest their average audience click for this demographic is proportionate to total internet activity over a similar time period. Interestingly the location or place where the activity occurs is at work while home and school being underrepresented. One possible area of interest would be comparing and contrasting the age demographic with the location and gender demographic. The college student or those holding college degrees also show strong activity.

The following charts are for Oovoo.tv. Using what we have already learned what do you think? Consider the fact that Oovoo.tv's under- and over-represented stats are significantly different. By practicing analyzing these charts through contrast and comparison the emerging artist gets a better sense of what they need to consider in their on digital marketing campaign. Leave me a response and see where it leads.

Source: http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/oovoo.tv#

The emerging artist who understands how to reach such demographic charts holds a valuable tool in planning their strategy. Here is an overview of my target groups most likely to generate convertible touchpoints. My research tells me that a visit to my site (traffic) is substantially low. My audience demographic based on similar companies tells me that my best chance to gain an audience is by focusing on the age group 25-44, with some college, no children, and a median salary of $35 to $40,000. They typically live in shared housing situations and are located in urban areas. My business marketing and distribution strategy is presently being adjusted to reach the maximum level of saturation on-line and in the real or organic world, as I like to call it.

I hope this writing has been of benefit to the reader and would now offer a challenge. You will find Alexa’s data for Netflix at Alexa Netflix Data. Additionally, the article reporting a significant 25% drop in Summer Olympics 2012 live streaming will be further discussed in my next blog. See Netflix Traffic Plummets and read my next blog for more analysis. Based on what has been discussed what is your analysis? Ask yourself this: How will I use this tool to my vision today into my reality tomorrow by understanding and interpreting the data from other entities? I will make the same considerations and post another blog in three days. I’d like to read your thoughts, observations, and opinions.. If you wish, you can leave subscribe to the site.

About The Author: William Patrick Gerardino has worked in the field of entertainment professionally since 1970. Presently William Patrick Gerardino is owner and operator of CabaretSolstice Entertainments, FractureCreations, and AcornWorkshops. (More)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 May 2012 23:20:00 +0000

An interesting overview of copyright law from a West Virginia Law School professor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuMzKgO3l-w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuMzKgO3l-w

Collaboration and Competition Sleep In The Same Bed

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:46:00 +0000

While putting together my product pitch it became clear that an essential part of my service involves notions of competition vs. collaboration. For one, collaborative efforts with potential competition potentially creates a win/win strategy. I recall my readings on game theory in this regard. Further, my theatre/music group will involve artists and technical indivduals who are interested in 1) developing their own careers while 2) participating in projects that realize aesthetic gain and satisfaction. Anyone of us who has been part of a theatrical project of any size knows or should know this dynamic by now. If they don't? Well, better look back at your experiences and consider where you were, who you were with, what you were doing and the final results. This is not always about the paycheck is it? We, as artists, educators, and humans are meant to grow in all aspects of our personal and professional life. Loose that inspiration and you loose your edge.

Anyway, I got to thinking about WWii of all things. Consider the situation between the United States, England, and Russia. There was a palpable fear of Communism that pervaded this epochal time. The paranois went all ways however. Russia was equally concerned about possible threats to its ideology post-war. England was concerned that it was loosing it's 'competitive edge' and influence to the Americans. In other words, all three entities that were involved in forming the post-war society had their own agendas and concerns. This is how it should be. And this is hardly unique to this time period. This is an endless human and political concern that shows up in any number of manifestations.

The bottom line is that these three world powers along with ancillary powers understood that in order to end the war and negate the threat of Nazi Germany required collaboration at the expense and for the benefit of future competitive positioning. Yes, they were essentially building or creating a new product extension. And so collaboration and competition are not nearly the polar opposites that they may seem on the surface.

My thoughts and goals involve a deeper and more thoughtful understanding of this concept. To be sure, there is not singular answer to this concept. It is a constantly shiftying dynamic that requires notions of yin/yang (balance). That being said, it stands to create a win/win environment for the businesses and the customer engaged in this process. And make no mistake about it. We are all directly and/or indirectly involved in this dynamic simply because we breath, eat, sleep and communicate.

A look at the Laws of Power that we have read may indeed present a cynical point of view. Temper that with Maxwell's thinking and writing and somewhere between these schools of thought lies an acceptable and negotiated compromise.

Just a few thoughts.

Bill

A Look at Jackie Nalpalm

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:02:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIq23JeSgYI)

(YouTube source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIq23JeSgYI)

Interviewee: Jackie Nalpant, formerly at Monterey Peninsula Artists (MPA). Presently at Paradigm Agency (PA).

I ran into an interesting turn of events while first writing this blog. I found Jackie Nalpant’s video on YouTube and watched it several times. I found it interesting and containing insights that would be helpful to my peers. I then transcribed as best I could what I thought were Ms. Nalpant's most relevant points. I was satisfied with the results.

Then I went to the Monterey Peninsula Artists (MPA) site where I discovered that it no longer existed. I wondered a bit about this and decided to look a little further into it. I discovered through a brief phone conversation that the video was in fact some 10 years old and that Ms. Nalpant and—I assume MPA had merged with Paradigm agency (PA).

It was somewhat of an internal struggle to decide whether to continue to publish this blog. After all, the material was dated. I watched the video again and decided that Ms. Nalpant’s YouTube video still had much to offer both emerging creative talent as well as those wishing to enter the business side of things. I contacted Ms. Nalpant’s office, told them what I was up to and said I would send along the blog site to Ms. Nalpant for her to read, view, and comment if she was inclined.

What you are about to read and view should be taken in this context.

Thanks for your careful attention.

Company: At the time of interview the name of the company was Monterey Peninsula Artists. This interview is 10 years old. Since then Jackie is now associated with the Paradigm Agency that has four offices in Los Angeles, Monterey, Nashville, and New York.

Type of Company: MPA was a Booking agency and talent management.

Paradigm Agency is a full service entity with offices in Los Angeles, Monterey, Nashville, and New York.

Owners of Monterey Peninsula Agency (Please see the introductory paragraphs):

Mr. Fred Bohlander

Co-Founder

Mr. Dan Weiner

Co-Founder

More information about Paradigm Agency provided by Wikipedia:

“Paradigm formed in 1992 after the Gores/Fields Agency merged with STE Representations, Robinson, Weintraub, Gross & Associates, and Shorr, Stille & Associates. The agency's Beverly Hills office is located on the old MCA Inc. campus built in 1932[2] where conference rooms honor the legendary entertainment moguls Jules Stein and Lew Wasserman who occupied the space.

In 2004, Paradigm acquired the literary firm Genesis and the Writers & Artists Agency. [3]

Paradigm is now a full service agency with offices in New York, Monterey and Nashville representating clients in areas such as motion pictures, television, music, artist marketing, motion picture financing, book publishing, literary rights, theatre, physical production, interactive media, stand-up comedy, commercials, personal appearances and corporate events.

Paradigm's clients include Academy Award winning actors; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Adrien Brody and Chris Cooper as well as Katherine Heigl, Gary Oldman, Mariska Hargitay, Mark Harmon and Amanda Righetti. Musical artists include; Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, Toby Keith, Aerosmith, Phish, Will.I.Am, The Dead, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.[4]”

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradigm_Talent_Agency as of May 15, 2012.

Please note that wiki material is not always the most current information regarding their data. They do, however, provide a good overview.

MPA’s roster (Again this material is 10 years old)

Monterey Peninsula Artists [was] a talent management agency that represented and provides support to music artists. The company’s roster of artists including Aerosmith, The Black Crowes, Black Eyed Peas, Dave Matthews Band, Huey Lewis and the News, Steve Miller Band, Trey Anastasio/Phish, Toby Keith, The Dead, Gov't Mule, Chris Isaak, kd lang, Live, Lyle Lovett, Randy Newman, moe. O.A.R., Medeski Martin & Wood, Tracy Chapman, The Doobie Brothers, and Wyclef Jean. It is based in Monterey, California. As of November 2, 2004, Monterey Peninsula Artists is a subsidiary of Paradigm Talent & Literary.

(Source: Bloomberg)

Here is what I consider to be the highlights from the video. The opinions and observations are based on this interview and—as such—subject to analysis and interpretation by the viewer. I would strongly urge that the viewer form their own conclusions and share them on this blog in order to create a meaningful and useful dialogue.

According to Jackie, labels are becoming irrelevant. The focus used for generating money is on live performance. I would be curious to hear Jackie's take on the value of merchandizing in regard to emerging talent. So the final net profit according to this interview lies in how many tickets the band can sell and at what price. She states that one reason the live show has become so important is because it hard to get a record deal. Consequently, the bands do not have the benefit of up front money from the labels. This means the band must develop alternative sources that Jackie feels comes from increased live shows. According to Jackie, “[t]hey [the fans] still buy tickets.” She also suggests that radio play has also lost its impact with the audience in regard to record sales and live events. In essence the Internet has fast replaced the radio. She makes no mention of television although I believe that she does have something to say in this regard. With 10 years passing since the origination of this video, it would be of value to hear how Jackie feels the use of television and radio as a media has changed. Bear in mind that there is a significant number of internet radio shows that somewhat mimes the format--with improvements--on the older formats.

She suggests that being a booking agent/manager is a 24-hour job. She says that there are “more bad calls than good calls.” While Monterey Peninsula Artists held a prestigious place in the most influential-booking agents, they enjoyed a certain amount of autonomy from the typical Los Angeles scene. In fact this company was created in part as a desire to remove themselves to degrees from this scene.

In describing her day she says there are few power lunches. It’s a fast lunch and right back to the desk. Their corporate goal was to make the culture what they think it should be. Each agent worked certain geographic areas with a certain group of artists with a specific roster of clients. She noted that now bands typically book four live shows. She noted that this is in contrast to different times when one to two shows a year was the standard. She suggests a return to the hippy band touring schedules. Again, Jackie's input in regard to what has transpired over a ten-year passage of time would be of great value.

She described the process in the metaphor of an airport traffic controller. She stacks her acts up, find their routes, get the right money and make the right billing that is artistically pleasing.

She gets her tips mostly from musicians and promoters. This is how she discovered Ambulance (Ambulance) and Cold War Kids (Cold War Kids) She also receives CD/DVDs as well as scanning MySpace and YouTube. Cold War Kids has released an album in 2012 while it appears Ambulance has a single album only released in 2003. What happened to each of these bands that would provide some light on how best to develop emerging talent? What are your thoughts?

Jackie talked much about filters. The manager selects their area of interest and gets talent that is consistent with their vision. She says the Indie Rock Mardi Gras was a great opportunity to see new talent without having to get on an airplane. She was able to see 15 minutes of any number of bands who are creating a buzz. In addition she got a chance to shake the hands of many associates and peers. She describes the experience as creating a true sense of community. It is a chance to see 15 minutes of a band avoiding multiple trips to Los Angeles. What sort of filters should the newcomer to this industry develop? Of what benefit would they be and what would be the criteria? Let me know your thoughts.

Her best advice is summed up in the simple statement of create and trust your filters. Be passionate about your talent and work so that they benefit financially and artistically. Trust your filter. Be close to the artist, which is no small challenge in an industry she describes as potentially “them” and “us.” i can't help thinking Pink Floyd world here. She keeps it about the music. I am very much in tune to this philosophy. Music is what it is about. Love music and enjoy the art of the deal. Most importantly be careful and love what you pick. And be aware that most are convinced that they will be the ‘next hit.’

Finally she does admit that a part of the business is about being in the right place at the right time. But then again we do create our own luck by being on the lookout for opportunities. I was encouraged by her when she stated that anyone can do it with the right amounts of desire and passion Of course, gaining the practical skills plays a significant part in this mix. A look at how far Ms. Nalpant has come is indeed encouraging. I have committed myself to an intensive Masters program at Full Sail University that is instrumental in gaining these practical skills. What sort of ways to you use to gain this sort of experience? Share it with this site. Of course, feel free to ask me any questions about my take on this activity at any time.

It would be interesting to hear Ms. Nalpant’s take on the present scene. That having been said, it is a wise individual who looks to the past as a lesson for the future. Perhaps one might consider that those who do not learn from the past are destined to repeat it.