One of my good friends (www.aseriousjeff.com) replied with a pretty insightful answer:

“…because they can’t hang on to them long enough to realize the possibility of reaching them”

Check Jeff out on Twitter @jeffreyryanwho

Here we are again.  Another tired post claiming to unlock the secret behind calculating ROI (return on investment) for Social Media.  μ

The holy grail of web 2.0 analytics that companies like Klout and Twitalyzer claim to provide.

My problem with these companies?  They measure influence only through Twitter.  Yes, Twitter, just like everyone else.  The problem with that?  It only represents 10% of all the sharing across the web.  Let me say that again.  Effing TEN PERCENT!  Oh, so you’re thinking about Facebook’s new like button.  Guess how much sharing happens on Facebook?  Yup, still a fraction.  Try 15%.

So where is the rest of it you ask?  Email.  A Whopping 75% of sharing happens through good ole faithful email.

What if we told you we could show you specifically who (by name!) is providing the most influence not only for your website homepage, but every other page on your site (it’s not always the same person).  What if we went a step further and showed you the same information, but for online ads (e.g., banner ads).  Ok, what if we went even FURTHER and gave all this information to you auto-magically without you have to do absolutely anything or learn any software.  Yah, made it all simple-like.

Well, that would be pretty great.  Sure, we can do that for you.  It’s called Evolyte Analytics and we’ve spent all of 2010 developing it, and we’re still not done because we create perfection, nothing less.  Sign up for our beta using the link above.  We’re still working on our coming soon page.  here’s a potential design we’re considering.

See y’all in the twitter-sphere, or maybe email in this case…

You should follow @seanMeverett or @evolyte on Twitter here but only if you want to.

I haven’t written a blog post in awhile and its because we’ve been furiously working on launching our latest startup.  μ

I can’t yet tell you what we tried to build over the past 10 bajillion (I’ve lost count) sleepless nights, but I may drop a few hints along the way…so, off to the name game!

In the very beginning, this can be the most agonizing process a startup team will go through, so prepare yourself for the following furious five factors:

1. Cooks in the Kitchen — how many people have to agree on the name? In our case, we have a handful of stakeholders.
2. B2C – we’re  a business-to-consumer, disruptive technology company, not B2B, so it helps that the name be descriptive, easy to spell, and make sense. If we were a B2B company, we could basically name it whatever we want and build the service brand around it.
3. Double Entendre — Jay Z likes to brag that he writes lyrics that can be understood from multiple levels (sometimes 3 like on Drake’s new album). I don’t think he’s the best at it but he tries.  In the startup world, it’s akin to DropBox.  I mean, what a perfect name for their auto-syncing, file sharing, “networked server” consumer & small business service. You physically drop files into their digital box and it syncs auto-magically across multiple computers, mobile devices, friends computers, etc.
4. Coke Vs Pepsi — no, we’re not competing in the CPG (consumer products group) industry, but we are competing in an area that’s been around since the mid 80s and one that marketers have used nearly since that time.  Good luck finding literally any available keywords in these circumstances, let alone the available domain to go with it.  In 2010, “.com” availability is going to be BY FAR your biggest hurdle; it was certainly ours.
5. Verbs — notice how people use the term Google both as a company name AND as a verb, as in “I’m going to google that”?  Yah, incorporating the same concept was something we hoped to do as well, but is one of those difficulty 9.5 sorta things where the stars have to align just right to work.

So given these limitations, how did we possibly come up with a name you ask?  Well, it sure wasn’t easy.  We scoured the internet, thesaurus, dictionary, wikipedia, and google for keyword ideas.  We thought in terms of physical and intangible objects, we thought of scientific names, the periodic table of elements, space, quarks and quasars, verbs, and on and on, ad infinitum.

After logging hundreds of flight hours on domain.com searching for available .com keyword phrases, we finally settled on one with the mission critical keyword in it.   We came up with some other really catchy names, but they simply weren’t available as a .com and we simply weren’t willing to settle on that 4th factor.

In the end, we’re satisfied with our choice, as we now have to build the identity, brand, and service to support it, which are much more important than the name in the end anyways.

The problem however, quickly became a numbers game.  We simply couldn’t overcome with variable costs associated with building out this revolutionary new consumer-to-consumer communication technology.  Note:  I realize that revolutionary is probably the most over-used word in the dictionary, and something that comes with every single startup on the planet.  However, this truly required no change in user behavior, has a 97% usage rate, and has a glaring flaw that everyone seems to miss, which we corrected.

Thus, and sadly, you’ll probably never get to hear the creative name we came up with (unless some technology changes in the short term).  However, I will say that naming and branding is another specialty of ours so if you need help, just give the Branding Experts at Evolyte a shout.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here but only if you want to

You may not have heard of SEO but you darn sure have experienced it.  Let Evolyte show you the light.  μ

Download the attached Search Engine Optimization two-page guide that explains just one area that Evolyte has been tirelessly working on over the last year.

We have an 80% client re-order rate due to the amazingly high customer service and ROI (up to +300% website traffic increases)!

Evolyte Search Engine Optimization Backlinking Guide
You should follow @seanMeverett or @evolyte on Twitter here but only if you want to

We’re continually running into people who are looking for very specific expertise (e.g., Rails development, Adobe Aftereffects, VC/funding sources), but either have no clue where to start looking or are overwhelmed by options.  μ

Instead of prescribing a vitamin, we’re going to start offering pain pills.  Through our network, we’ve managed to identify, organize, and catalog an entire spectrum of extreme expertise in a breadth of areas, whether intangible like business strategy or extremely tangible like development and design.

For lack of a better phrase, we’ve been calling this our “Vouched Referral Database”.  As such, if you’re looking for say, the best of the best logo designer, we can put you in touch with extremely high-quality individuals whose work we’ve either paid for in the past or have extremely close personal relationships with others who have.  The participants have been vetted multiple times, inclusion is by invite only, and only after an arduous application process.

Thus, you no longer have to spend months on an RFP or search process.  You can simply come to Evolyte and ask us for explicitly what and who you need, whether you’re a brand new startup or a small to medium-sized business.

We’re in the process of transferring this database to an online portal and are discussing whether to open a bit more broadly.  In the meantime, however, if you’re interesting in including yourself or your business in our database, or just need someone with niche expertise, feel free to contact me or shoot me a message on Twitter: @seanMeverett.

This post is meant to give people a little more transparency into my past, what I’m up to now, and where I’m headed in the future.  μ

Past

I’ve spent the last 29 years of my life preparing for 2010.  I started at 8 with my first business (a paper route, duh) and have been hooked on entrepreneurship ever since.  I didn’t know it then but the unending supply of nervous energy I had was meant to be directed specifically into the area of my own startups and helping others run theirs.

I double majored in Mathematics and Actuarial Science in undergrad at the University of Iowa (also had two minors in Business and Statistics), spent all four years with my head buried in a book or behind a computer screen. I didn’t go on spring break, I barely went out. I saw what I wanted and thankfully had the maturity not to waste time on silly endeavors. I studied, worked, read, ran 4 student organizations (including the largest ever at the University of Iowa), was in the President’s campaign plane, and wrote business plans in my spare time, from 8am to 10pm or later, every night.

My parents got married at 18 right after high school and moved into a trailer with nothing to their names but close friends. They worked hard and loved me probably more than I can ever comprehend.  Now they live in Dallas in a brick house.  That’s where my work ethic stems from.  If something needs to get done, you don’t wait, you don’t try to convince someone else to do it, you just finish it.

After working in strategy/management and consulting to companies of all sizes (from startups and small businesses to middle-market companies, and even to enormous, global brand name corporations you visit or buy from on a daily basis…hint: one of them is in the Fortune 2), I started various businesses, one of which is in the process of being sold.

I also applied to and matriculated into one of the top 5 business schools in the nation, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where I’ve met and become close friends with some of the brightest leaders that will be running our country in the next 30 years.

Present

The puzzle pieces have been arduously coming together for the last three decades.  You only see 5% of what’s actually been happening with me and our team.  The number of meetings have accelerated to the point where we can barely keep track of them in our calendars, web apps, phones, etc.

We’ve also spent the last few months visiting the retail, bar and restaurant scene to gather competitive intelligence not only for these brick and mortar Chicago-based businesses, but also to get a deeper understanding of the consumer’s behavioral interaction in these areas.  Like I said, you only ever see 5% of the entire story…

Our team includes a former professional athlete, real estate developer, comedian, attorney, mathematician, entrepreneurs, trader, financial analysts, two MBAs from top 5 schools, and a track record of involvement, relationships, and success that we’d put up against any other team on the planet.

And the best part?  We’ve been friends since we were kids growing up in Iowa.  Family doesn’t even begin to describe our connection.  I am absolutely proud to stand and shout it from the rooftops: no monetary transaction could ever break us up, and we will stand up for our family and our ethics even if it costs us on financial statements.

For the Evolyte team, relationships (both internal and external) define us.  It isn’t always about dollars and cents, it’s first and foremost about establishing lasting relationships.

If you disagree, the conversation stops there.

Future

Some people can talk a huge game and never back it up, or what I like to call “empty suits”.  In contrast, we put our money where our mouth is.  We source deals and invest our time, sweat, and money into only those projects with the highest returns.  We will scrap on our knees, down in the filth in order to win.  We will sell things we don’t use anymore on eBay to compile more cash than you.  We will take on the smallest clients with the smallest budgets if we see potential, and we will still treat them like they’re the only client in our portfolio.

Did you know that the number one reason small businesses fail is due to low or negative cash flow?  The phrase, “cash is king” is an understatement.  I prefer the phrase, “cash is freedom”.  Freedom to follow the return.  And that’s exactly where we’re headed:

Google’s 20% time, 100% of the time.

Every person on the Evolyte team is working on side projects that could potentially be the next Gmail.  Stay tuned, things are about to get interesting.

Here’s one teaser:  we’re currently working on developing a huge network of entrepreneurs in Chicago, partnering with the city’s 15-year-old program that’s collecting dust.  The goal is to provide connections, resources, and money so we can lift the entire startup scene on Chicago’s collective entrepreneurial shoulders.

You may not have heard of us, but you’re damn sure going to feel us.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here but only if you want to

This is our culture, how we work, and what we believe in.  μ

1. There is no hierarchy, no titles, and no ego (though the phrase “raised in Iowa” is an ongoing source of pride).
2. No matter how much sweat we’ve put into something, if it’s not working, we trash it or shift it, no questions asked.
3. We look for business opportunities everywhere and try to establish lasting relationships wherever we can.
4. We despise meetings, but love action.  Action breeds more action.
5. We either all end up in a mansion or in a cardboard box, but either way we’re going to have a blast doing it.
6. We work our asses off.
7. Complexity is actually where the dollars are at, simplicity is only a marketing ploy.
8. There are only two functions of any business:  manufacturing and marketing.  Build the product, then sell the product.
9. We will fight for what we believe in, and for that “inch”, but if you propose a more logical argument, you will win.
10. Most importantly, friendship and relationships supersede any monetary endeavors.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here but only if you want to

• In stock news today, $AAPL is up $17 on surging iPad demand & Goldman Sachs is up $3 on first perfect trading quarter ever (no day w/ loss)
• Facebook status updates? RT @ABF22: can anyone think of an analogy to something really lengthy but it says nothing?
• #FACT RT @chrisguillebeau: Entrepreneur = someone who will work 24 hrs a day for themselves to avoid working 1 hr a day for someone else
• Wow! check out http://gethuman.com for phone numbers of cust svc reps at largest companies & how to bypass auto prompts #Sweet
• this is a really cool design discussion of Basecamp’s new “blank slate” design, peep it: http://bit.ly/9mioWp #Startup
• RT @ChiBoys: Use code ‘ASAP’ at http://ChiBoys.com when spending $100 get a FREE spectator ticket to the @ASAPfoundation Poker event 5/19
• Does anyone else love this ish as much as I do? #Physics RT @ScienceChannel: Astronomers hunt for the unseen in space. http://ow.ly/1J28h
• There are some gems in here folks: Photoshop Text Tips You Probably Don’t Know http://j.mp/9yRezf #Photoshop #Design
• Big ups to peeps born/raised in Iowa cuz we’d die for u & ask nothing in return @JeffreyRyanWho @akMontufar @bradez11 @kt1grand @allysonjoy5
• difficulty level on this is thru the roof!! Goldman COO: Over Last Year Lost Money On Trading On 11 Days http://bit.ly/cuYOFI #Trading
• I wuld invest! RT @johnkoht: working on it now! @j_mcnally @seanMeverett there should be a place were for $50 u can break shit for 1/2 hr
• Did u know I can tell u optimal pricing strategy for ur product w/out u ever producing 1, tell u customer demand & profit? #YupGetOnMyLevel
• Sweet!! RT @Starbucks: *Hey!* We just updated our iPhone mobile card app. Now check your *stars* from your phone – http://bit.ly/cXf1um
• Learning of the Day: only “bundle” items when valuation of product 1 is NEGATIVELY correlated to valuation of product 2 #Pricing #Strategy
• Savin this pic til the day I die, thanks fellas u saved my life @kmkent @Stealx @kt1grand @JeffreyRyanWho http://yfrog.com/6eakaj
• What if it wasnt a question of when but of if & every opportunity u passed made it worse.Would you risk everything every day & stop waiting?
• LOL this is awesome, I’m up +35% on $AAPL over the last year & I’m not running any algos: fundamental 4 decisions, technical for entry/exits
• why lists of numbers start w/ 1 30% of time & 9 only 5%: Benford’s Law & Theory of Everything http://bit.ly/dfAdKo #Trading #Physics
• This guy’s legit, apply if ur ninja/guru/baller RT @Stealx: I’m hiring an Internet Marketing Rockstar lookin for a job? http://bit.ly/bbjhSx
• Couple things brewin in the kettle. Can’t stop, get it get it. #DoBigDeals #MakeBabiesCry
• Don’t ever stop bettering yourself. The minute u do is the moment u start dying. #DieForThatInch (@ University of Chicago – Gleacher Center)
• the first 1/3 of my life was defined by acquiring knowledge, I think the next 1/3 will be aimed at strengthening relationships #Truth
• Learning of the Day: order ur products from highest to lowest price. Consumers are unable to price adjust & willingness to pay is always higher!
• funny how the subtlest of words can echo through the mind much greater than the most blatant statements #Prose #
• Our pleasure! RT @Kt_Go: Thanks @SeanMEverett @Kt1Grand for letting me pick your brain! See u both Wed for @JerryAzumah‘s Poker tournament!
• Thx everybody for the Emotion Decision Making post RTs! http://bit.ly/cSj7g8 @kt1grand @kmkent @ronakJeffreyRyanWho @Stealx @soniyamonga @
• Great guy who knows his stuff, former CEO of 2 VC funded & sold cos RT @craigwortmann: Check out http://www.entrepx.com! #Startup
• CYC, ya you know me!!! Chicago youth center fundraiser. Helpin kids do work since 1956. #
• Money mayweather makin moves on the raffle! We got a crazy crowd #GoinNuclear http://yfrog.com/j8s66ej
• Look at @kt1grand on the deck at @lasallepowerco #DJHizzle we comin for u @djrockcity http://yfrog.com/0v63uxj
• #FF the newest & baddest chick on Twitter @SamiAug she might “teach” u somethin, literally #NikkiMinaj #
• Getting ur teeth cleaned is prob the greatest thing ever. Well that plus seeing 2am Club perform live in concert #
• #FF the autotune sisters @gioiagioia @justineash cuz they just can’t get enough T Pizzle in their lizzle #
• #FF @kt1grand cuz he won’t go by the Stacks monicker & refuses to join @foursquare even tho he’s in NYC right now where it all started #
• #FF @2amclub cuz it’s the best live performance probably ever. Ever. #
• All black aviators, Fiddy get rich or die tryin, grindin through the streets of chi & 3 hours of sleep #ShoutOutToTheGrinders #
• #FF @loveboo cuz I’m still cracking up about some guy askin for her digits & instead of giving it to him sayin “I’m on Twitter” #
• Dippin thru! RT @undergroundchi: sun is out!! who is coming to @AhmedBraimah_UG amazing appreciation party tonight @undergroundchi?
• U already know #MakinBabiesCry RT @AhmedBraimah_UG: http://tweetphoto.com/22376242 Celebrate @undergroundchi tnt for my Appreciation Party!
• This is a genius way to snag that new dream job: Man Uses Google Ads to Get a Job http://bit.ly/cAcH04JobSearch #
• Coolest thing ever, Sean Combs meet Sean Everett RT @kt1grand: This one is for you @seanmeverett. http://tweetphoto.com/22396854
• #FF @ChiBoys because I love the tees, but after hearing the stories behind each one from Shawn & @Kt_Go they’ve become my favorite
• Oh. It’s on sale. Nice. http://yfrog.com/69fl9j
• My Chi nightlife mashup of the day: @ladylepassage + @lasallepowerco = LePasalle #MomentOfTroof
• Great vid from Twitter founder: Draw Your Ideas http://j.mp/9Lqqjc #Startup
• Sweeeet! Wireless iTunes syncing makes it to jailbroken iPhones http://j.mp/bIc88e #iPhone #Jailbreak
• THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING! Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic http://tweetphoto.com/22774327
• What happens when you have everything in life you ever wanted? Are your motivations pure or material/physical? #
• I feel like picking a fight w/ a few large, slow companies that are doing it wrong & people are frustrated with #CampaignOfChange #Underdog
• Set up my @Square account today, free adapter on it’s way. About to get paiiiiiiiiiiid on the go! Ur all in big, big trouble.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here but only if you want to

As part of my ongoing interest in behavioral science (see my previous post on Behavioral Decision Making), I’m doing a brief research study to understand the attitudes towards Tiger Woods & Nike.  μ

I’ll publish the results of the findings following the study.  I’m only looking for approximately 20 to 30 people, but anything above 30 would make for a nice Normal probability distribution! (see Central Limit Theorem…doy).

Background

I’m not going into the Tiger Woods scandalous back story because if you haven’t heard about it, you likely have more pressing concerns than participating in this research.  However, please watch this 30 second Nike commercial of Tiger’s late father asking some pretty emotional questions of the athlete.  Then fill out the ten questions below by clicking the radial button next to the best response (please do so as accurately and quickly as possible).

Don’t forget to click the SUBMIT button after you’re finished, and thanks for participating!  I will compile results and post within 2 days. Be sure to scroll down below the video, there are some artifacts I’m having trouble removing due to optimizing for mobile devices (iPhone & Android)…

UPDATE: IF YOU CAN’T SEE THE SURVEY BELOW, IT MEANS YOU’RE USING THE WORLD’S WORST BROWSER (INTERNET EXPLORER), EITHER UPGRADE TO FIREFOX/SAFARI OR CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK FOR THE UNSTYLED VERSION OF THE SURVEY:  TIGER WOODS & NIKE

< !DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
“http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd”>

Online Surveys powered by SurveyGizmo

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here but only if you want to

After analyzing the very specific individual actions of a group of people over the last two weeks from a variety of perspectives, I’ve come to realize a few things about myself, about others, and about emotional interactions.  μ

Note that there is no sarcasm, comedy, or ill will present in any of these statements, just a few things I’ve discovered in my own journey through life.

1. Act with integrity. Always.
2. Even if you act with integrity, there will always be people who try to undermine it. Some people even hated Martin Luther King Jr, Gandhi and Mother Theresa.
3. If you try pleasing all the people all of the time, you’ll end up pleasing no one.
4. Give love to everyone.  Always. Even those with unfavorable motivation towards you and others.
5. Your parents are the only two people that will always give you more love than you could ever give them.
6. Always be the bigger person, second chances are only the beginning.  Your greatest friend may make more than one mistake; be humble enough to realize we are all human.
7. The more you give, the more people will take:  in life, love, and money.  But it’s okay, they may need it more than you.
8. You deserve to make yourself happy. Always. Try to hurt as few as people as possible in the process (the sad truth is that it’s sometimes unavoidable but do the best you can).
9. Everyone has their own perspective. If you can see all others and forget about yours, you’ll always know the answer and right path to choose.
10. Go back and read Letters To My Future Son.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here but only if you want to

I’ve been thinking about the human decision making process lately, especially as it relates to influencing actions in sales situations.  I’m specifically interested in the non-logical, subconscious drivers and how businesses can exploit this knowledge for their own profit.

In layman terms, how do you get someone to spend more money on your product or service without him/her realizing it?

Note:  I’ve left much of the technical and scientific background out of this post for the sake of simplicity and conciseness. If you’re curious about digging deeper in this area, feel free to give me a shout on twitter or through the contact form and I can send you the relevant academic research.

First, The Background

If you’ve ever seen print ads from 50 or 100 years ago, you’ve seen the direct (e.g., “Eat at Joes”), and often less effective, methods that were used.  They started to get better by tying in spokespeople and/or expertise.  Painfully inaccurate comes to mind…

The real insight came when FMRI studies were conducted (basically MRI scans of your brain to see which areas were activated while decisions are made).  Researchers in behavioral marketing found that while people will give logical reasons for explaining purchases, it’s actually the subconscious, emotional reasoning that drove their behavior.

Second, The Emotional Drivers

Take, for instance, the marketing for Coca-Cola.  If they simply showed you the features and benefits of Coke, you would never buy it:

“Buy new coke featuring brown food coloring, sugar water, and carbonation!”

Instead they focus on the experience of drinking Coke.  A major example you’re likely familiar with is the “Coke Side of Life” campaigns that play before movies showing three teens drinking Coke while their environment changes from a movie theater to a forest, consistent with the movie they’re watching. In a nutshell, Coke is saying subconsciously that if you’re going to watch a movie, you need to drink Coke to get the best experience.  Smart, eh?

Ok, that’s an obvious example, but what about a more subtle example?  Enter the genius of Alka-Seltzer.  Yah, who’d of thought…

Introducing The Champ:  Alka-Seltzer

The marketing/sales Money Mayweather wizards that got everything right:  Alka-Seltzer.  Let’s break down their tagline for a minute, which, by the way, is only peeling back one layer of this perfectly marketed onion:

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, what a relief it is!

• Sound: this is so genius I need about an hour to describe all the nuances…I’ll keep it brief.  Studies have shown that consistent sounds exponentially increase consumer awareness and therefore sales (think of the Intel Inside 5-tone dings at the end of all their commercials).  Alka-Seltzer’s genius was to translate the sound into print (and they did it before scientific evidence was ever produced)!
• Usage: the tagline also showed consumers how to use their product. Plop ‘em in, watch ‘em fizz, and boom goes the dynamite.
• 2 Versus 1: did you notice how each of the tag line, print ads, and tv ads always show two tablets being used, not just one?  Guess what, this simple move made consumers think that it required two tablets for relief and subsequently doubled their sales overnight!
• Emotional Tie-In: finally, note the last part of the tagline. They directly tie their product to the emotional and physical benefit of relieving heart burn so you can relax again. Who doesn’t like relaxing?  What other product can you think of with this strong of a tie to heart burn?

The lesson is pick one emotional attribute your product solves and create a tie so strong that when anyone thinks of that emotion, they immediately think of your product!

The Now:  Current Behavioral Ads

If you’ve been following the huge internet/tech battle between Adobe and Apple, you may have come across the Ad adobe published today (from Engadget post):

If you’re reading Engadget today (and let’s be honest, you’re reading it right now), then you might have noticed that Adobe has launched a pretty full-force campaign to call out Apple on its anti-Flash mission. If you don’t know what we’re talking about, it’s the advertisements that start with “We [heart] Apple.” Along with the web ads, the company has also snagged a full page in today’s Washington Post to address the battle in which the two companies have been engaged. All of this links back to a new statement from Adobe, as well as an open letter from founders Chuck Geschke and John Warnock (“Our thoughts on open markets”), addressing Apple’s recent spate of clear and direct attacks against the company and its products.

Mel Gibson, He Likes Freedom

Now, what Adobe has done is pretty clever.  They’ve actually thrown Steve Jobs open letter back in his (and Apple’s) face using an emotional response. They’re relating to customers to who love Apple (not trying to compete against the brand) to get these customers on Adobe’s side.  THEN, they go on to tug at our “freedom” heart strings circa Mel Gibson’s Braveheart (though he looks a little constipated)…

Anyways, the lesson here is that you need to connect with your customers on an emotional level and express empathy for their concerns (or maybe educate them on what some of those concerns should be).  If you’re successful at this, then slowly, over time, you can even convert the most die hard competing fans to come to your side.

Don’t believe me?  Let’s put it this way.  Only a few short years ago, most of the US population was referring to Apple as Mac-in-trash. Now they’re the darling of Wall Street with a market cap bigger than Microsoft, and have produced the two most innovative products probably ever.

Million Dollar Question: How Can I Use This Info?

This is the place where damn near every blog post stop shorts or fails, and it f*ing continues to piss me off.  I’m going to do my best to describe in three simple and actionable, yet detailed steps how you should use this information to drive your own top-line revenue growth (i.e., make it rain and make babies cry <– duh).

First, a disclaimer.  As you can see from the various real-world examples I outlined above, much of the detail for why these things work are extremely situational dependent (see: Alka-Seltzer discussion).  Unfortunately, I can only give you the somewhat theoretical next steps since I don’t know your company, brand, or product/service as intimately as you, so I’m going to continue to use The Champ Alka-Seltzer (“AK”) as an example.  Here we go…

1. Features, Benefits, & Use Cases — sit down with your business partners and brainstorm the various features and benefits of your product and relate them to actual use cases.  For AK, this is reducing the negative symptoms associated with heartburn and indigestion from eating triggering foods, like an entire Lou Malnatis deep dish pizza (Chi town!).
2. Emotional Aspects – now, brainstorm all the emotional aspects of your product solving those specific use cases and rank according to prevalence in the marketplace from highest to lowest.  For AK, this is the relaxation and relief feeling after the burning sensation is reduced or removed.  There are also sub-emotional benefits like knowing you can eat an entire deep dish pizza without worrying about the awful side effects (aside from the high cholesterol, obvs).
3. Sensory Overload — finally, you want to bring each of the above together in the most simple explanation possible for your customers.  Be sure to use an unused or very low prevalence emotional tie-in so your customers relate that emotion only to your brand.  For AK, this was the “plop, plop, fizz, fizz oh what a relief it is” tagline.  This jingle included the sound effects too, which you get extra bonus points for doing, but is often extremely difficult to execute effectively.

I promise that if you do these things, you’re going to be lightyears beyond your competition, especially if you’re running a startup or small business.  Most of these folks simply don’t have the resources, mental capacity, or see the value in emotional decision making. But you do, don’t you, cuz all you do is win!  So go put your hands up, and make em stay there! (Please note the horrible DJ Khaled reference.  Kthanks.)

Oh, one last thing: you should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here

Chicago’s Youth

Your time is often more valuable than your money, and supporting those less fortunate with fundraisers isn’t drudgery, we have a blast doing it. We’d love you see you all there (introduce yourself, twitter or otherwise, and I’ll buy you a drink at the after party!)

Food, Drinks & Raffle for 3 Hours

The annual Chicago Youth Centers “College Bound” Fundraiser is Thursday, May 12th at LaSalle Power Company!  You can buy your tickets for $30 at www.cycmetropolitan.com.  Tickets will also be available at the door, but the price increases to $35 if you wait until then.  The price of tickets includes food and drinks for 3 hours and one raffle ticket.

Prizes, Prizes, Prizes

We will be giving away some amazing prizes this year.  Raffle tickets can be purchased in advance or at the event and you need not be present to enter, so if you cannot attend but would like to buy raffle tickets please let me know.  Raffle tickets are 1 for $5 or 5 for $20.  I may just buy a few stacks with prizes like these!

Gift Certificates

1)    ($25) gift certificates to Branch 27
2)    ($25) gift certificate to Branch 27
3)    ($25) gift certificate to Branch 27
4)    ($25) gift certificate to Branch 27
5)    ($50) gift certificate for Volare
6)    ($50) gift certificate for Franconellos
7)    ($50) gift certificate for Salpicon
8)    ($100) gift certificate from Rosebud

Events
9)    Wine tasting for 6 people @WineStyles South Loop (1240 South Michigan Ave in Chicago) ($90 Value)
10)    Spa certificates
11)    20 yoga classes at “Bikram Yoga in the City” ($200 value)
12)    4 tickets to the B96 Bash at Toyota Park
13)    4 tickets to the B96 Bash at Toyota Park
Sports

14)    2 tickets to the Cubs game (Aisle 114, Row 6) vs. PIT, Tuesday, June 29, 7:05pm
15)    Entry into Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Chicago Marathon gear, hat and shirt ($145 value)
16)    2 tickets to the Cubs game (Aisle 114, Row 6) vs. MIL, Tuesday, August 3,  7:05pm
17)    2 tickets to the Cubs game (Aisle 114, Row 6) vs. HOU, Wednesday, September 8,  7:05pm
18)    White Sox prize package
19)    Autographed Ryne Sandberg jersey
20)    Blackhawks Goalie Mask signed by the 2009-2010 Blackhawks Team

Other

21)    Morningstar gift package ($200 value)
22)    Dyson DC25 Animal Vacuum

We’re looking to get more prize donations, so if you know anyone that would be interested, please let me know!  Also, the first 100 people through the door will receive a $10 gift card to Rockit Wrigley.

My good friend serves on the Metropolitan Board of CYC, and is leading the effort this year.

Chicago Youth Centers — Background

CYC is the largest, independent youth services organization in Chicago and is dedicated to investing in Chicago’s youth in underprivileged communities to help them realize their full potential from early childhood education to and through college.  CYC welcomes at-risk, low-income youth ages 3-18 into neighborhood-based centers and a residential camp where they receive one-on-one and small group guidance from well-trained CYC volunteers. All proceeds go to CYC to help fund college tours, cultural events, and field trips.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

• Hypocrites: mortgaging their relationships one word at a time. #Priceless
• U ever do that thing where u try to walk faster than the person next to u on way to work? #Competitive http://yfrog.com/59kowaj
• yo @Stealx ur boy shoemoney & Mayweather in a photo wearing an @trainsignal tee, u doing some undercover marketing? http://bit.ly/dsLhwl
• The Life of a Startup Founder’s Significant Other http://bit.ly/9Txrzo #Startup
• Finally, a new jailbreak for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch & it’s untethered! http://bit.ly/93oZew #Jailbreak #iPhoneOS
• Essentials of Metaheuristics [PDF] http://bit.ly/dhxb6A #Algorithm #
• If you’ve got a blackberry & use Gmail, then two-way sync may finally be live http://bit.ly/c7tIZl #Blackberry #Gmail
• #LeanStartup movement is just a vocabulary term for things some people have been doing for a long time. It’s like coming up w/ “open source”
• Connery, Combs, Carter, Everett #GetFamiliar
• Introduction To Online Payments – TL;DR: It’s A Total Bitch http://bit.ly/dic8jx #Startup
• Bit.ly hopes new features will help fend off competition from Twitter’s own URL shortening service http://bit.ly/acwUeS #Twitter
• An update on the search for dark matter http://ow.ly/1GHBk #PhysicsKid
• anyone watch the latest @dropbox vid? Great example of simple analogy, problem & solution in layman’s terms http://bit.ly/bOn4NMStartup #
• the glory, the story, the chain, the polo, the night, the grindin, the empty bottle of no-doze #WorkLikeABoxer #Startups
• Jailbreaking Your iPad: How You Can and Why You Should http://bit.ly/9hONch #iPad
• lol it’s a paridoxically enigmatic tweet RT @j_mcnally: @seanMeverett you made a tweet of the week list by retweeting. lol thats pretty epic
• Who needs google adsense when you’ve got dividends, get familiar @shoemoney #CashinChecks http://yfrog.com/5zu0cvj
• Great #startup & #VC intelligence: VCs in seed clothing: Chris Dixon, Mark Suster, and Naval Ravikant interviewed http://bit.ly/cNqP7W
• Spent the entire day researching the answer to a question so granular that I’m now an expert in an area deeper than the Miriana Trench
• #CognitiveDissonance
• It’s so cookie dough bro
• some “magical” things happening at @Evolyte today. My one piece of advice? Stop thinking status quo is relevant & TEST EVERYTHING U KNOW!
• oh, remember when I said short $AAPL at $262, welp, you would have made $14/share today…looking like time to buy long again
• just bought a bunch more $AAPL at $247 go getcha self some and make some more easy money with me (this is a long-term play folks)
• Oh snap, $AAPL down to $240, go buy BUY BUY BUY!!!
• The dow is down over 400 points today!!
• damn! now down 555 points!
• holy shit, this crash took down google finance!!!
• Wow, I put my limit order out there literally 2 minutes before the crash. Hope y’all started buyin on way down
• welp a ton of algo trading shops just made bank in the last 30 mins
• if you want a lesson on trading algo’s positioned above “halting trading” floor, give me a shout
• just heard: speculation that the huge market plunge was a trader error: someone typed ‘b’ for billions instead of ‘m’ for millions #Duh #
• Oh my f-ing G!!! I come out of the gym to this?!!! And about a billion retweets. Lol. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ALL OF U!!! http://yfrog.com/5maqgj
• #TRUTH RT @Kt_Go: #FF @LadyLePassage takes pride in customer service & making sure u have the best possible time, EVERY time you visit us
• Me & @kt1grand runnin thru the streets of Chi makin business happen today. Give us a shout if ur out & about. We’ll do some more big deals. #
• Chicago Youth Centers & @lasallepowerco teaming up to get kids “College Bound” Get ur tix now! http://bit.ly/cn5dpa http://yfrog.com/4rfbwej #
• Just copped hancock tower, xtra medium! RT @kt1grand: Follow @ChiBoys get urself fly ChiBoys shirts at Akira http://tweetphoto.com/21459521
• This new St Alfred’s joint @sixpoints is yuuuuuck! Custom Mr Cartoon tees, gettin mine worked up now. Check the pic http://yfrog.com/jkqm4j
• I f-ing love Apple, they’re hookin me up with a brand spankin new phone. The ees & customer service is aweeesome. More biz needs lessons
• thx to the best friends a guy could have for my bday bash! No matter what I got ur back for life. @kt1grand @Stealx @kmkent @JeffreyRyanWho

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Two great resources for startups looking to get venture capital (VC) funding, both a pitch deck and financial model.

I came across during my daily startup treks around the internet.  I can attest after looking at McClure’s startup viagra deck and other “how to” pitch decks.  While most say 10 slides max (and I agree this version can be condensed a bit), there is something to be said for moving through slides quickly (this is how CEOs/CFOs do investor presentations).

Big thanks to youphonics, see link below:

FREE Startup Toolkit, Vol. 1 (Startup Week 2010 edition) — Financial Model + VC Pitch Deck

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

I’m what some call an “early adopter”, and true to form I’m thinking of selling my brand-spanking new iPad in exchange for the new 3G version.  It’s obviously in pristine condition (I don’t even let fingerprints get on it) and it’s only 28 days old.  μ

Before I throw it up on eBay I’m willing to sell to my friends for $100 off retail plus no tax.

That’s a total savings of $170 (over 20%)!

Bonus: if you respond and retweet this (Twitter > Facebook) before Cinco de Mayo (that’s May 5th for you non-Spanish speaking readers), I’ll even throw in the hard-to-find Apple iPad case that protects and props it up while watching movies on the Netflix app.

Finally, if you’ve been living in some sort of Amish commune over the last few months, here’s a picture:

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

If you could only tell your future son ten things, what would they be?  μ

1. Above all, act with integrity.
2. Wear your heart on your sleeve.
3. Everything you do, do it with passion. Celebrate the small successes and get angry at the failures.
4. Value relationships over financial gain.
5. Speak from your heart, always tell the truth, and even leaders will follow you into the breach.
6. Take note of those who visit or message you while in the hospital. This is your true family.
7. The human spirit is built on hope and even the most ghastly atrocities cannot sway it for some.  Give people a reason to hope.
8. If you had 24 hours to live, what would you regret?  This is your life’s priority.
9. Treat women with respect, especially the one you love. Her soft touch can quiet the largest storm.
10. Find your dream, and follow it regardless of the cost.  It’s easy to find, it’s the thing you can’t get enough of, go to sleep thinking about, and wake up thinking about, and are proud to be involved in.

Follow these principles in business and in life.  Surround yourself with friends and family who feel the same.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

• Gotta give a shout to both @JeffreyRyanWho @akMontufar for making me laugh harder this weekend than I can ever remember #WereDoinComedy
• great analogy for calculating internet value: Quid pro quo (santa math) http://bit.ly/bfzIVY
• 40 Entrepreneurs. 1 Weekend. 1 New Startup. #VentureWeekend http://bit.ly/9QWchH #Startup
• just got some flowers & goodies for my mom’s birthday! Love you moms, sorry I don’t get to spend it with you! #Family
• It’s like 3 things I love all wrapped into one geeky goodness: Advanced Mathematics for iPad and the iPhone http://bit.ly/a7mczt #Math #iPad
• #HowToMakeItInChicago
• childhood friend @JeffreyRyanWho is too humble to say: he produced/directed show & Jeremy Piven/Joel McHale may show up, hit me up for deets
• Speak from the heart, tell the truth & even leaders will follow u into the breach.
• Iowa folk know better RT @cfalb: it’s official, chivalry is dead. offer ur seat to a pregnant lady people, it amazes me how rude people are
• ALT+E+S+V+Enter RT @loveboo copy, paste special, values
• it’s my mom’s birthday today, happy birthday sal-gal, enjoy y our gifts!!!!
• Just got texted by @akMontufar “this song Flickin is cookie dough bro”. I need to get back up on my hiphop lingo #CookieMonster
• Can’t skip biz school even when ur a bit undet the weather & rather watch a movie. Too freakin expensive http://4sq.com/8tXzMB
• Wow 90% of smokers use more than 6 packs a week (nearly a pack/day) and represents approx 20% of US population. #SadStatOfTheDay
• You Dont Have To Leave by @mikeposner. Best. Song. Ever. Been on repeat for last 3 weeks #ill
• Beatin up that work hustle like I’m chris brown #Grindin
• how #Twitter was dreamed up: When Jack Dorsey Met Fred Wilson, And Other Twitter Tales (Book Excerpt) http://tcrn.ch/9s0h1u
• #PetPeeve people who spend more time writing emails about how something should be done than the time it’d take to actually do that thing
• hardest lesson for any business person to learn is that you need to FIRE some of your clients. Namely the “bad” ones. Will post why later…
• I think there are 2 kinds of stress: perf anxiety & ineptitude. Entrepreneurs likely have to contend with latter more often than former.
• On hiring: give me poor, smart & hungry over school, experience & network. But, call me if you’ve got all 6.
• Don’t ever stop trying to better yourself folks. The moment you stop is the moment you start digging ur own grave. #Grindin
• Consumer behavior finding: don’t link ur brand to generic consumer goals like Save $ or Healthy, but unique instead (eg Alka Seltzer)
• Final Tweetie 2 Update Teases Twitter For iPhone Coming Soon http://tcrn.ch/cfnmw6 #Twitter #iPhone
• Would u download mobile app combining Twitter, foursquare & facebook that looked/felt like tweetie 2 (not messy like tweetdeck)? How much?
• What if u trained for business/startup as hard as boxers train for a match. Who would win, u or ur competitors? #TrainLikeUrPoor
• Long useful post, took entire class on this: How Sales Complexity Impacts Startup Viability http://j.mp/bsJ7f6 #Startup #Sales
• How to Win the Hearts of Investors http://bit.ly/aQ3iS8 #Angel #VC #Startup
• Getting absolutely sick of @foursquare iPhone app showing every other location than the one I’m at. Going to build my own #FAIL!!!!
• not sure how much cowbell you like, but you can add more here: http://morecowbell.dj/ #Cowbell
• As an #entrepreneur u get beat up, rejected, put down & brushed off on a regular basis. That’s why ur called an entrepreneur, not a drone.
• I don’t like “sales” or “marketing”, I prefer listening & solving problems
• Microsoft’s corporate guide to Humor, yes a f*cking policies & practices on HUMOR. This is why Apple’s winning http://bit.ly/a7onO7 #Comedy
• If u do anything enough times it becomes easy. Perfect practice makes perfect.
• #FF The Wolfpack @kt1grand @kmkent @Stealx <– duh
• #FF rookies to Twitter but not to the game @BCNeal @GrantNiewinski
• #FF the timeline hijackers & most genuine besties I know @loveboo @Toni23
• #FF the gut busters, ya they’re doin comedy & are cookie dough bro @akMontufar @JeffreyRyanWho
• #FF one of the coolest cats I know: craziest lexicon, biggest learner, dream catcher & gold chains @holaratcha
• Together all these folks make up only a fraction of the real #ATeam What are u waitin for #GetFamiliar more to cone…
• #FF white dudes who wear thugged out high tops w/ tongues out @akMontufar @mklgnd @holaratcha @seanMeverett <– yah, me too!
• #FF Chi Ladies @loveboo @Toni23 @giannascatchell @allysonjoy5 @cfalb @Chi_Mist @la_le @leyla_a @justineash @gioiagioia @jaynoe @elletwits
• #FF super awesome/hot ladies of @LadyLePassage if u don’t know Get Familiar! @heatherLPvip @Kt_Go @Anastasia243 @kerryberry4you
• #FF the cat with the hottest t-shirt line in Chi City, get familiar @ChiBoys
• #FF @JoelDavidBarnes for inadvertently providing business contacts by RTing me, thanks man! @johnkoht
• Verified RT @Kt_Go: #FF @LadyLePassge If u dont know now ya know! ask @seanMeverett @ChrisGardnerJr @JerryAzumah @ChiBoys verify awesomeness
• I wonder if Twitter had to partition another server for all the #FF Chicago love happening today. #GetFamiliar #ChiCity #WeGoinIn
• Headed to pitch a potential P/E investor w/ @kt1grand Snappin necks & cashin checks
• http://www.beeonthelist.com launch party. Go Gia!! (@ The Underground w/ @dimepromotions) http://4sq.com/4ykCLi
• anything for yall! RT @heatherLPvip: @Stealx @seanMeverett @Kt1grand the best guys I know 4 bringing Berrychill @LadyLePassage last night!
• Filthy…mmmkay RT @Stealx: @kt1grand @seanMeverett @HustleSimmons @ChiBoys Whose up for some Club 2am tonight @LadyLePassage?
• Happy May Day everyone! Where’s moms at with popcorn & candy cups to take to school?
• puttin in work right now, runnin regressions & tryin to exploit this customer demand so I can get as much of their cash as possible #Stats
• At the @mikeposner concert! RT @ChiBoys: @StealX @SeanMeverett @kt1grand <– Check out these guys at http://ChiBoys.com ‘In the scene’
• Just a couple folks supporting @giannascatchell http://www.beeonthelist.com launch party @kt1grand @yuliya2009 http://yfrog.com/49wxqj
• iPhone > Blackberry
• Check out @kt1grand @jaynoe swaggin thru da roof…and doin work on reflective surfaces #SummerChi http://yfrog.com/897q3j
• Blackhawks, money mayweather, sugar Shane (@ Kerry Wood) http://4sq.com/9JKvOA
• rewriting a VC pitch deck to line up w/ their philosophy, operating principles, culture & personality; harder than creating value from air
• the perfect billboard http://ow.ly/1G3XV #AmericanPsycho #Design
• just spent 2 intense hrs on 1 slide & still more to go; as Pascal said, “I would’ve made it shorter but didn’t have enough time” #PutInWork
• Ask someone to look up & tell u what he/she sees. The answer will tell u a lot about the person’s intelligence & belief system.

• Wow Apple must be pissed their new iPhone got leaked months ahead of anncmnt: This Is Apple’s Next iPhone http://bit.ly/byEClr #iPhone
• How I took my web-app to market in 3 days thanks to common services in the cloud http://bit.ly/99Z9oj #LeanStartup #Startup
• I don’t wear a jacket in the spring cuz I spit hot fire #ImDylanMahn
• Businesses are expendable, not people. Corporate America has it backwards.
• yet another conf call, tonight’s agenda: multi-product price elasticity controlling for “sale” marketing variables #YoureGoingToLose
• #OnSameLevel @JoelDavidBarnes: were u at my staff meeting?? RT @seanMeverett: Businesses are expendable not people
  Corpo has it backwards
• this works for custom work, not web apps: The scariest pricing idea ever. That works. http://bit.ly/cOD7mF #Pricing
• BlackBerry OS 6.0 screenshots and details leak out http://bit.ly/aJZW1D #Blackberry
• I’m competitive…when it counts, but never at cost of sacrificing relationships
• Go get it people!!! Foursquare for BlackBerry Beta v1.8.2 Now Available http://bit.ly/bucICq #Blackberry #Foursquare #
• More I learn the more I realize consumers are being constantly exploited analytically, emotionally & behaviorally. Glad I’m on informed side
• Our startup team is so fucking amazing. U may not have heard of us, but ur damn sure gonna feel us. Save emotional/fincl costs, just give up
• one week can turn your world inside out
• thanks $AAPL for breaking a new all-time high at $260 & making all my dreams come true. My $300 price target doesn’t seem so silly now
• I’ve never understood the utter obsession w celebrity in this country. Vast majority of them provide absolutely no value to me or my country
• U can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she treats those who “don’t matter”. Have U ever chatted w/ ur janitor? #BeReal
• change clothes, all black everything, and on to the next one
• I’m all out of paradigm shifts, dynamic innovation, & merger synergies for the day
• Money isn’t real. It doesn’t matter. It only seems like it does.
• Some decisions are made w ur mind, some w ur heart. It’s the ones made w ur mind that conflict w ur heart that are the hardest.
• still a bit in awe that $AAPL’s share price more than doubled in the last yr from $118 to $260, most of that gain coming in the last 2 mths
• Meanwhile back at stately Wayne Manor…
• FREAKING AWESOME! How to Pitch an Investor in 90 seconds http://bit.ly/aYLcOw #VC #Startup (via @staghaddos)
• STACKS!!! RT @holaratcha: epic brain grenades @potbelly today with @kt1grand aka STACKS n @seanmeverett + @jeffreyryanwho FOLLOWTHEFUTURE
• I’d short $AAPL stock right now.Too much irrational exuberance; will dip again this quarter &when it does buy back ur short & buy long hard!
• my name, Sean, in binary code (capitalization matters!): 01010011 01100101 01100001 01101110 #Binary
• Lol hilarious RT @holaratcha: a photo of me when i grow up to be a preacher http://bit.ly/cQfnh3 #Comedy
• #ATEAM that’s just how we roll @kmkent @Stealx @heatherLPvip http://tweetphoto.com/19524342
• Foursquare just broke 1 million users, twice as fast as twitter. Go get ‘em kids http://bit.ly/civuRA #Foursquare
• I do not bite my thumb at u sir, but i do bite my thumb RT @la_le: Happy 446th birthday, Shakespeare!
• #FF @kt1grand the man, the myth, the legend. He goes by #STACKS folks, make it trend
• #FF all my friends that push it to the limit every single day, to my friends that push for their dreams, that quit the safe & embrace risk
• Just keepin it light RT @goodyheather: My one #FF is @seanMeverett Love your VERVE!!
• haha, that’s one way to #FF someone, @LadyLePassage it is! RT @kerryberry4you: I Lovvvve @seanMeverett!!!
• just deactivated it. #TeamTwitter RT @gioiagioia: RT @sarascar: RT @VincentScar28: Fuck facebook I’ll Tweet all week.
• Were comin to kidnap u RT @kmkent: Ur killin me RT @kt1grand: Calling all A-Team members,specifically @kmkent who needs to hike up his skirt
• the million & 1st member. welcome. RT @Toni23: My first check in! (@ Social 25) http://4sq.com/3tgacJ
• Ur damn right! RT @mklgnd: Chi guys, y’all doing @undergroundchi tonight? @kt1grand @seanMeverett @kmkent @Stealx
• Party in the USA!!!
• “we don’t count money, we weigh that sh!t” — @kt1grand aka STACKS
• All out again. Apparently the kangaroo’s on back order. RT @Stealx: @seanMeverett Don’t forget to order the kangaroo
• triple threat, place a bet, u’ll win RT @bradez11: @seanMeverett got Golden Ticket, got Dark Lord & got Swarm Badge. Today is a good day
• For all u nexus one/android users (@kmkent): Dropbox Android Beta App http://j.mp/cfoRRu
• watching blackhawks game & @kt1grand says “I’m gonna f*ck up that back kitchen tonight!” referring to @LadyLePassage LOL
• we’re also thinking about having a church-style lockin some night at Kerry Wood’s #WeDoBigThings
• This is what the #ATeam does on the weekends @kmkent @kt1grand http://yfrog.com/49lz5j
• And @JeffreyRyanWho just showed up to the crib. Watch the vid #EveryDayImHustlin http://yfrog.us/5n572z
• Oh my god. @JeffreyRyanWho just made an off the dome guitar song: the most hilarious thing ever @kmkent caught it all on vid. Will post soon
• Will finally meet the shadow! RT @Kt_Go: @seanMeverett oh, and @ChiBoys Shawn will probably stop in tonight
• Cuz i rocked fubu jargos RT @JeffreyRyanWho: Hey, @seanmeverett: who got best dressed in high school again? I forget.
• #ATeam preparing flammable items to burn down Chi city tonight. DM Stacks, Turtle, Andy Samberg, Ari, or Drama for us to burn down ur event!
• Gully Drop: to raise one’s arm vertically in an up & down motion whilst listening to hip hop at @undergroundchi or @LadyLePassage
• And for those of u keeping score at home, @kt1grand repped the gully drop term & I repped the def
• Hacker News: Eric Ries and Steve Blank discuss minimum viable product http://ericri.es/cduApM #Startup
• #ATeam has arrived. The the burnin begin. Stacks, Samberg, Ari, Drama (@ Le Passage) http://4sq.com/8VdTPE
• Passage treats people like GODS!!!! stark contrast from nameless club @LadyLePassage @JoelDavidBarnes @kerryberry4you @Kt_Go @Anastasia243 #
• Great seeing u gals run it back again! RT @elletwits: I’m at Le Passage w/ @joeldavidbarnes @seanmeverett. http://4sq.com/8VdTPE #
• We made the big board at @LadyLePassage @kt1grand @Stealx & meverett! get iiiiiiiit! http://yfrog.com/2mqkrmj
• Wow I love @LadyLePassage so official hit u like a scud missile
• Who needs pro NFL players when u finally get to meet The Shadow, aka @ChiBoys last night @LadyLePassage #Chi Work
• So far: conf call on Manhatten hedge fund’s investment in @BlueStoneInvest, emails, Twiiter, now hungry for brunch! Who’s with me?
• “duh” arrow pointing at comment, right side up smiley face RT @Toni23: @seanMeverett hiiiiii! brunch?!!
• With the other #ATeam we’ll be coming up with celebrity character nicknames while we brunch (@ Hub 51 w/ @cfalb) http://4sq.com/ChTNT
• Uh oh, let the following party begin welcome buddy!! RT @Ndoca: Welcoming @BCNeal to twitter!
• OMG this works on so many levels #Comedy RT @loveboo: Paul’s new shirt. http://tweetphoto.com/19933621
• Was doing something on my iPhone, realized I own an iPad & it would be much easier & more fun on that. Jobs was right, changing my behavior.
• A physicist argues that information is at the root of everything http://bit.ly/aNO8A1 #Physics
• brewing? It’s been #ManDate since ’88! RT @TheMissQ: @JeffreyRyanWho Dare I say that you and @seanMEverett have a torrid #bromance brewing?!
• Reppin the crisp white @ChiBoys tee to the @mikeposner concert #GetFamiliar http://yfrog.com/855rwj
• #ATeam + Mexican + Posner = #GullyDrop (@ Fuego Mexican Grill w/ @akmontufar) http://4sq.com/bNlSoO
• Hahah throw ur rollies in the sky! RT @Chi_Mist: @seanMeverett he also doesn’t wear big watches. #lame
• I already know he’s gonna kill it RT @ChiBoys: @seanMeverett let me know how hard @mikeposner kill ‘cooler than me’
• We’ll teach u witty hashtag strategy next #YungBlood RT @BCNeal: Thanks for the welcome boys. Feels good to be on…..nothing compares
• They count $ not weigh it RT @Stealx: Stacks @kt1grand demanded his food be comp’d at Fuego they looked at him funny and said no bueno señor
• Wow impressed at the crowd so far at @mikeposner concert. #ThisCouldGetDangerous (@ V Live w/ @akmontufar) http://4sq.com/81KXJk
• Get it Chi! RT @giannascatchell: Check out this hot Event, BeeOnTheList.com – Official Launch Party http://bit.ly/akq27R @ BeeOnTheList.com! #
• Chi city’s burnin down RT @kmkent: Holla @chiboys @stealx @kt1grand @seanmeverett http://tweetphoto.com/19971941
• We don’t count money we weigh that sh!t http://yfrog.com/cblxrzj

The best and most concise write-up I’ve ever seen on the subject, written by Siamak Taghaddos, the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Grasshopper:

You have 90 seconds to pitch an investor about your new, incredible business idea that’s going to change the world and make millions of dollars. How do you do it? Simply break your story into five parts using this guideline of how I’d want to be pitched:

• What is it, who’s your target and what’s the value? (20 seconds)

Get me excited. Focus on the value of your service rather than the features. Tell me quickly what it is, who your target market is, and tell me how it’s going to help them do something better, faster, or more easily. Focus on value and the void you’ll be filling.

• Pricing model? (10 seconds)

How much does it cost and how do you plan on making money? Recurring revenue or one-time fee?

• Why is it unique or buzzworthy? (20 seconds)

What makes your product or service unique? Why will anyone care? What are you going to do to get people talking about it?

• Funding requirements? (15 seconds)

How much money do you need to get started and why? Very high level overview.

• The team? (25 seconds)

Who makes up your team and how are you going to make it happen? Why should I invest in you? Why are you the best person for the job? This is the most important section so take your time and remember, investors will be investing in you and your team, not your idea.

Now, if you are reading this wondering…where should I be pitching next?  Where can I gain buzz and raise awareness?  Easy…check out http://web20show.com/pitch.This is an opportunity Grasshopper is involved in that allows anyone to give us their best 90 second pitch.  Each month Grasshopper and Adam (the Host of the Web 2.0 Show) will pick the best 2 pitches and create a separate podcast episode devoted to you, your pitch, and your business.  We love helping entrepreneurs, and this is a fun way to give all of you an opportunity to hype your business.

Good luck.

I’d take Siamak’s advice to heart, he obviously knows what he’s doing, and Grasshopper is a runaway success because they 1) meet startup needs and 2) market to the startup by providing relevant advice, content, and assistance to help entrepreneur’s succeed (take for example their web 2.0 show, which lets you make a 90 second pitch on their radio show, just call 1-888-WEB20SHOW, or click the link above for more info).

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

It’s easy to install on your own website, just head on over to Facebook’s Developer Page and edit your choices accordingly, then grab the iframe HTML code and paste into your WordPress blog via the “HTML” tab of posts and pages.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

• Happy birthday grandpa, we miss you #RIP
• Haven’t had coffee in 5 days. Gotta be some kind of personal record (@ Starbucks) http://4sq.com/6qC3HB
• Today’s Chi news anncment just shows comparing biz people is hard, infinitesimally small mistakes can ruin u, & theres never enough analysis
• Just ordered two @ChiBoys tees, can’t wait to rock them puppies this weekend. #GoHard
• well written & humble RT @YogiJones: Dear Berry Chill fan, – As you may have heard, Berry Chill filed for Chapter 11 http://bit.ly/9xK3ZB
• Beautiful redesign of Puma’s shoebox, now with fossil fuel saving crunchy granola! http://bit.ly/doUwTt #Design
• if you’re an #entrepreneur & looking for #startup events in your city, be sure to sign up for StartupDigest: http://bit.ly/aYm5m5
• My parents have been happily married for 38 years today. Says alot, especially when the divorce rate is so high. Something to look up to
• Umm yah i want royalties RT @Stealx: @SeanMeverett Creepy if you’re in school right now & this was my captcha http://twitpic.com/1flwus
• 80 degrees in the chi, still choosing not to skip class (@ University of Chicago – Gleacher Center) http://4sq.com/8tXzMB
• Book w/ actual algorithms to mine entire web: Machine Learning and Web2.0 http://j.mp/9TncIH #MachineLearning #DataMining
• Twitter Confirms It Will Launch Its Own Link Shortener http://bit.ly/aUTjQc
• $AAPL stock is at a new record high, $245.69. Glad I started buying at $165. Suckers!!!
• We’d rather suffer visible costs of few bad decisions than many invisible costs from slow or no decisions from stifling bureaucracy -Buffet
• LOL yup RT @akMontufar: @seanMeverett remember when you asked what my dream car was on Sat? Well, pick one http://tweetphoto.com/18543093
• just had chance to listen to @rockiefresh album, check “Feelin Good” & “Go Get Um” if you find urself missing real hip hop #ChiCity bay-by!
• I hope this is it cuz this design is sick, love aluminum!: Images of 4th generation iPhone emerge? http://bit.ly/dsVWqs #iPhone
• ok tweeps, need some help. My mom’s birthday is in a few weeks and need ideas. I’m all out!
• wow @GiltGroupe standard shipping is blazing fast! Only took 2 days from order to door. These girls “get it” #Entrepreneurs
• Happy @4sqday! 4/16
• #FF 4sq mayors: @JeffreyRyanWho @kmkent @Stealx @akMontufar @Brad_Nolan @loveboo @la_le @cfalb @Chi_Mist @asecrest @Platinumevent #4sqday #
• #FF @foursquare mayors: @allysonjoy5 @elletwits @GOchris @giannascatchell @CedricConstant @justineash @leyla_a @4sqday #4sqday #
• I could really go for a tropical beach right now…have to settle for a vacation of the mind instead #Someday
• wow, $GS Goldman Sachs plunged nearly 25 bucks (-13%) today on today’s announced SEC suit. You guys are killing my returns!
• just got my 2 tees yesterday, watch out wkend Chi! RT @ChiBoys: #FF @Kt1Grand @StealX @akMontufar @seanMeverett @kmkent <-ChiTown guys
• HOW TO: Boost Your SEO with a YouTube Channel http://bit.ly/cSrdXR #SEO #YouTube
• Oh, thanks mint.com for my weekly financial update.
• Potentially but no, iPhone! RT @kt1grand: Rumored stock split? RT @seanMeverett: @kt1grand one word: apple just wait til June 22
• doing a bit of work before my 130pm conf call with Barcelona #WeGlobal
• check out GoodReader, app’s amazing! RT @Gizmodo: How To: Access Your Entire Computer From an iPad http://bit.ly/cRmLml
• I just unlocked the “I’m on a boat!” badge on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/cJi2n0
• I’m fly like time & my juice so fresh comin straight off da vine, turn water into wine, like hay-soos christo, feed the line
• I’ve been earnin and burnin, snappin necks and cashin checks
• Rockin my @ChiBoys tee cuz I’m down to clown & run Chi town like @LadyLePassage or Underground #FreshToDef
• #CantMakeThisUp RT @Stealx: So @SeanMeverett just tried ordering kangaroo and apparently they’re out…Yes a fuckin kangaroo #
• This is kinda scary: Moral judgments can be altered … by magnets http://j.mp/dei4TB #MIT #Science
• The bar crawl continues. Dudes. Sausage. Wrigleyville. College. (@ Red Ivy w/ @kmkent) http://4sq.com/7CRXKG
• Chi Boys, Chi City (@ Le Passage w/ 3 others) http://4sq.com/8VdTPE
• Forgot abt this, legit RT @Stealx: Apparently @djRockCity was ready to fix the damage the Bears did @LadyLePassage http://twitpic.com/1gn3zt
• Thats the only reason im going to the hockey game RT @Stealx: @seanMeverett Cross your fingers, you might earn a swarm badge tonight!
• Extra medium shirts. It’s not a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. #PaintedOn
• Let’s get this business started! http://yfrog.com/9f6oij
• Wow the blackhawks game was amazing. My first NHL playoff game and I’m hooked! Great idea @Stealx
• So @Stealx & I are plotting a @ChiBoys theme party next weekend. Who’s in to rock the tees with us? I need to get that turquoise number too
• Is there anywhere else? RT @Kt_Go: RT @Stealx: @ChiBoys @seanmeverett Saturday night sound good for all? <- has to be @LadyLePassage then!

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

There’s no such thing as overnight success.  μ

Kanye West

As Kanye said in his debut album, off the “Spaceship” track:

Y’all don’t know my struggle,

Y’all can’t match my hustle,

You can’t catch my hustle,

You can’t fathom my love, dude

Lock yourself in a room doin five beats a day for three summers,

That’s A Different World like Cree Summers,

I deserve to do these numbers!

Passion & Snuggies

There’s days, weeks, months, years, and sometimes decades of struggle before someone “makes it”.  Malcolm Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours.  Whether your chosen field is acting, music, business, or athletics, you can’t just show up one day and expect to blow the world away.

You shouldn’t have a problem if there’s a burning desire to surround yourself in this field like a maroon-colored Snuggie.  Shove your arms through the sleeves of perseverance and cover your legs with the warmth of passion.

In the end, even if you are the only person that believes in your vision, you’ll still have the respect of your friends and family for taking a risk, pushing it to the limit every single day, and embracing the breaths of disdain from your detractors.

A Marathon…of Art & Emotions

It’s a marathon, but people only see the successful sprint at the end.  Don’t give up at mile 10, 15, or 20.  Persevere, push, and finish.  Winning isn’t always a fame or monetary thing.  If you create something from nothing, that’s not negligible, that’s a work of art.  Believe.  It will happen.

I believe you don’t truly become a man until you’ve lost someone so close to you that you die a bit inside and are forever changed.  Similarly, you don’t become an entrepreneur until you fail.  The more you die, the closer you get.  It’s not about the end game, it’s about the journey.

Live.  Push.  Persevere.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Have you looked at your business model from EVERY possible angle?  What have you left on the table? Because whatever it is you slacked on is the exact same thing that’s going to kill your business.  μ

We’re talking vertically, horizontally, and diagonally from a customer, operations, investment, communications, and management perspective.  Your competitors are smarter, faster, and richer than you, and you better believe they’re going to exploit any weakness you have.  Or maybe you’ve just gotten the customer fit wrong and they won’t even show up at your door.

Pringles, Pivots, & Brad Pitt

So what do Pringles have to do with angles besides their shape?  Well, lets journey back to P&G’s creation in 1968.  It took until the mid 1970s before they decided to release broadly throughout America.  So what did they do all those years?  The issue was P&G tried to market these new “chips” in much the same way as classic potato chips — to the moms and pops of the home.  But there was a problem, which wasn’t uncovered until performing in-depth market research techniques such as laddering that uncovered the mismatch between consumer perceptions and the appropriate target market.

Because the Pringles chip was standardized (not chaotic like most chips) and came in a surgically precise tin can, the “old” consumer felt that the chips tasted “bland and generic”, echoing the design of the product and packaging, even though blind taste tests found Pringles preferable to classic chips due to less breakage and less grease.  What Pringles finally realized was they were marketing to the wrong customer segment.  They needed to pivot to find one that embraced being different and preferred bucking authority.  So who fit the bill?  Teens, of course.  Have a look at the following commercial to see where they landed:

Little known fact: Brad Pitt starred in one of the early Pringles television commercials in the 1980s.

Epiphany

The rest, as they say, is history, and Pringles now enjoys over $1 billion in annual sales.  To think, it all started because they didn’t just run to market with something they “hoped” would work, but tested it, got feedback, and refined the message so the product fit the customer, not the other way around.

You can call this customer development, a lean startup, pivoting, or whatever you want.  But at the end of the day, it’s about spending the brute force time to think through your business from every possible angle, talking it over with your associates, advisors, and customers, then making a decision.

Be prepared to change or pivot in a moment’s notice.  Your customers will.

Build.  Test.  Iterate.  Rules to live by, methinks.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Was Gekko right?  Is business war?  And if so, is Sun Tsu’s Art of War still the answer?  μ

Old Mantra:  Profit Maximization

It’s true that the only goal of business is to maximize profit.  However, businesses are led, operated, and funded by people.  Yet it’s these same people that have emotions.  If you squeeze every last nickel out of your suppliers, bring emotional artifacts into negotiations for financial gain, and correlate the level of service for your customers only by wallet size, you may have a financially successful business in the short-term, but you also may be mortgaging your reputation and long-term prospects in the process.  And your reputation, my friends, is the only thing you truly have in this life.

Eventually, every company becomes a buggy-whip business (i.e., obsolete); the large turnover in the Dow Jones over the last century is testament to that fact.  Your business won’t last forever either, so it begs the question:  in your next endeavor, will the people you marginalized for short-term profit be willing to go to bat for you again?

Here’s an example. I was talking to a friend this weekend about a real estate “startup” (they’ve been around for a number of years, growing rapidly, and may not be classified as this any longer) he is part of.  He told me a story of a potential client they did some work for, closed a deal, and were arguably owed a significant fee.  Now, instead of operating with integrity and keeping the relationship at the forefront of their operating protocols, this company decided to play the business is war card, never paid a fee, and leveraged the information received to broker a deal with a competitor.  My friend then told me how they’ve blacklisted this company internally and tell other acquaintances in the industry not to touch this company with a 10-foot pole.

To me, the long-term loss far outweighs the short-term gain.

New Mantra:  Relationships

I say nay to operating any of my businesses solely for the almighty dollar. I’d rather create meaningful relationships with my internal team, outside advisors, Board members, clients (I don’t like the word “customer”), partners, and suppliers.  In the end, it’s these folks that will go to battle with you, fight with you, and help you when you need it most (i.e., not when you’re on top).

Now, time is a valuable commodity, so how do you prioritize?  I take the following approach to the entire team:

1. Co-workers come first. Many people will say customers, but if the folks on the front line aren’t happy, engaged, and aligned, why will they treat our clients well?  In terms of a startup, you may have some external partnerships, but may be core to what you’re building.  For example, if you’re building an iPhone app, an agreement with an outside development team is critical to the success of your business, so clearly these folks come first.
2. Clients are next. Some reasons are obvious (e.g., they pay the bills), but I tend to think of it in different terms.  These are truly your brand ambassadors. You know the old story, a customer with a negative experience is 10x more likely to talk about your company than a customer with a positive experience. Start treating every customer like a client. They won’t care how big, profitable, or famous you or your company is.  They will, however, care a great deal about how genuine you are.  Be genuine!
3. Everyone else. This includes other external consulting, partnerships, and outsourcing arrangements you may have that are not central to the business (e.g., outsourcing accounting isn’t as critical as a partnership with an iPhone app developer).

Karma, Perhaps?

Lets put it this way.  Don’t talk down to the janitor because someday he may be your boss.  You can’t always value a business (or a person for that matter) strictly by what’s on the financial statements.  Many times, the selfless assistance of others can reap far greater returns than any capital investment, whether internal or external to the business.  Call it what you will, but karma plays a much larger role in our success or failure than many of us would like to acknowledge.

As for me?  I choose giving One Hour and building relationships any day of the week, and twice on Sundays, over sticking it to someone for a few extra shekels.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

• Easiest money ive ever made…Successful iPad debut expected to propel Apple stock past $300 http://j.mp/bm5R0w $AAPL
• faster than twitter, 300% growth in last 2 months RT @Stealx: Foursquare confirmed at 750k users… growing VERY quickly!
• My #startup approach: throw 100 stones 1 of them is bound to make a big splash, problem is u can’t tell which one before throwing
• Wow, probably the most amazing twitpic yet http://bit.ly/bYoFKx
• My boy @KentWashington throwing HUGE event in Dallas for bday/#JDRF; 1000 confirms. Holler if u want to market ur goods http://bit.ly/9Mvdzs
• Gotta pull an all-nighter but spent the last 2 hrs helping others; my “One Hour” initiative may be getting overwhelming http://bit.ly/9CK4Y2
• Well said RT @asecrest: I’ll foget this Duke team by next week, I’ll never forget this Butler team.
• Ooh just uncovered a hidden @foursquare badge that’s RIGHT up my alley. Gonna be tough to unlock tho… #Work
• I’m glad I was raised in Iowa where men still hold doors & we care more about the content of ur character than the car you drive
• So freakin cool! RT @CarbonRabbit: How to Turn an iPhone Into a Wireless iPad Camera http://j.mp/bz9G27 #iPad
• Looking for devs w/ experience in Cocoa Touch (iPhone/iPad) & other mobile OS, ping if inter VERY generous equity #iPhoneDev #AndroidDev
• +1 RT @holaratcha: tastemakers take UrShoesOff @billydec @seanmeverett @jeffreyryanwho @mancowmuller @beenguyen (cont) http://tl.gd/pbpar
• holy crap my boy @JeffreyRyanWho was in a music video & never told me!!! http://bit.ly/9nRwYG <– leanin in to kiss girl w/ pony at 7 sec in
• #MovieStar RT @JeffreyRyanWho: @seanMeverett u should see my extra work in Gilmore Girls & Summerland among others! Broke in LA at 23 LOL!
• Best RSS reader for iPhone. Period. RT @instantvoodoo: #Newsie 1.2.2 is out. Please upgrade as gReader will soon change its login system
• funny site 2 RT @JeffreyRyanWho: I’m swimming hard to find a new job in 4 wks! Help me make it happen! More via http://tinyurl.com/yamnozl
• Wow tonight’s class is fascinating, current subliminal messaging, emotional priming, and political behavior activation. #MindGames
• 2010 is getting redic! RT @hnshah: “For entrepreneurs it’s just opportunity, opportunity, opportunity” #leanstartup http://bit.ly/cqG1CD
• I LOVE APPLE! New iPhone OS 4.0 offers multitasking, folders, homescreen wallpaper, and more to be announced…#Apple #iPhone
• EXTREMELY smart biz decision by #Apple for only allowing newest phones to get all software features, creates need 4 customers to upgrade = $
• Apple’s really pushing HTML5 for their iAds & with HTML5 finally comes a reason for websites to stop using Flash, thank freaking GOD
• Twitter for BlackBerry (Beta) Application Available to Public Tonight at 9PM EST! http://bit.ly/aKZams #blackberry #twitter
• I just became the mayor of iPad on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/9x0Hoo
• Streaming the iPhone OS4.0 keynote on my iPad. Freaking amaaaaaazing!!! (@ iPad) http://4sq.com/9x0Hoo
• Telling a Blackberry user why an iPhone is better is like trying to describe a sunset to a blind man #LostInTranslation
• Be glad friends like you for you and not what u can do, cuz that’s #Love
• Wow thx! Will check others RT @holaratcha: If u don’t know, now u know @SeanMEverett is a #business wizard BLOG IS LIVE http://bit.ly/9rFqmD
• People spend the first 1/3 of their lives on attainment of knowledge, next 1/3 on things, & last 1/3 on family. Seems middle part is broken.
• Wow! Best twitter client. Period.RT @ev: Tweetie has been acquired by Twitter, it will be renamed to Twitter for iPhone http://bit.ly/9IoWDl
• We were right next to em, they know how to party! RT @JoelDavidBarnes: The whole Boston Celtics team is @LadyLePassage right now
• Thx @lasallepowerco @LadyLePassage @heatherLPvip @JoelDavidBarnes 4 treating ur customers as friends & w respect.Simple things go a long way

April 16th is the big day, so hurry you’ve got less than two weeks!

Kent Washington, a close friend, all-around good guy, and a major force in the Dallas community is throwing a huge fundraising event to benefit juvenile diabetes and also celebrate his birthday.  Everyone in the city is going to be there, with nearly 1,000 confirmed attendees via Facebook with a promotional online mailer going out in a few days.

If you want to reach the movers and shakers in the Dallas community, this is your time.  Have a look at the press kit and promotion information below.  Feel free to contact Kent via Twitter or contact me and I can put you in touch.

Highly recommended marketing (and note that this post is in no way sponsored by Kent and his team)!

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

• Facebook: mafia wars puppy farmville, puppy, kitten, farmville, bar, farmville, attempted witty comment, mafia wars, bar, puppy #TeamTwitter
• Any lawyers out there with experience in treatment of tuition reimbursement contract following a change-in-control? #Law
• So @jasonfried founder @37signals speaking at Univ of Chi Booth tonight. Debating whether I should go since I live at Gleacher, interested?
• Just upgraded the blackberry. Carrying around two phones doesn’t make me feel important, rather wildly inefficient http://yfrog.com/ccoxlj
• George Orwell’s advice is great for biz: The Art of Great Writing: 60 Writing Tips from 6 Great Writers http://bit.ly/9QcvRA #Writing
• Geeking out so hard now I’m about to pull up like Urkel waist: Squaring Two Digit Numbers In Your Head Easily http://bit.ly/aYbWbO #Math
• Tweets of the Week Four: the saga continues… http://bit.ly/cZ6wZS #TeamTwitter
• Google’s apparently working on file transfer in Gmail. Wonder if they’re going to try to compete with @dropbox? http://bit.ly/a2Au6K #Gmail
• Cuz entrep. are visionaries, they see opportunities market isn’t ready to accept & labeled eccentric or discounted http://huff.to/bRSlEk
• Just listened to CEO of @foursquare chat about commoditizing “check-ins”; surprisingly articulate & well spoken chap http://bit.ly/ak4NUT
• saw 5 yr old girl skipping tonight like it was happiest shes ever been, if people didnt care about perception so bad we’d all be that happy.
• Chaos, Fractal Nightclubs, and the Glamour of Math http://bit.ly/c98nax Little known fact: my BS was in Mathematics & Actuarial Science
• Time is the most valuable commodity I know so I’m devoting 1 hr/day to anyone who needs help: mental or physical http://bit.ly/9CK4Y2
• I just became the mayor of Twitter on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/c5VcE2
• I wouldn’t do much for a Klondike bar and I’m fairly certain Folgers is not the best part of waking up
• $AAPL opened up $4 today and is trading at another all-time high, around $236. I’m still buying, it’s called dollar-cost averaging folks!
• for all you crackberry lovers: LinkedIn for BlackBerry now available http://bit.ly/aB90Gv #Blackberry #LinkedIn
• Large Hadron Collider (LHC) happening! RT @ScienceChannel: The high energy collisions record has officially been broken!! http://ow.ly/1sGuB
• was sketching something out on paper and just caught myself wanting to hit CNTRL/CMND + S to save. I spend too much time on a computer.
• Ladies: if I can tell ur makeup is painted on & I can smell ur perfume in an elevator but ur nowhere to be seen, ur trying too hard
• the hardest thing to do is create. Anyone can edit, few can create.
• #NowPlaying nothing…
• I now have @twitter @facebook @foursquare Google Talk installed on my iPhone & Blackberry. This should get interesting…
• Classes start again tonight, this quarter: Pricing Strategy and Consumer Behavior. Relevant to super secret project? I think so.
• Who? Mike Jones.
• greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th RT @anildash: Seems like everyone I know is listening to a lot of Biggie Smalls these days
• The @vaultpress mad libs style invite page is awesome for so many reasons http://vaultpress.com/signup/ #custdev #webdesign /via @hnshah
• This follower churning is beginning to get annoying. Just because u follow me doesn’t mean I’m gonna follow u back so u can unfollowed me
• Problem w #SEO huge gap of knowledge between novices & experts. Like most subjects if u write fr novice you’ll get more traction.
• Men: if u treat women the way you’d treat ur future daughter, my guess is they would love & respect you similarly
• Love it, make it trend! RT @allysonjoy5: got on Facebook and was immediately annoyed with the news feed. #teamtwitter
• As I get older the less patience I have for ineptitude. Thx @specialtys for a consistently great customer experience. http://4sq.com/4Xcdt5
• “peruse” actually means to read in detail, not skim. Remember that the next time you tell someone you’ll peruse their report #TheMoreYouKnow
• If u haven’t seen, yet another reason to switch to iPhone: Starbucks Now Accepting iPhone Payments In Over 1,000 Stores http://bit.ly/bLRcps
• first you shake….and then…you BAKE! #ThatJustHappened
• chugging the last third of your grande coffee is how you get things done in this world #GTD
• This is by far the coolest off-the-shelf @wordpress theme I’ve seen yet: http://bit.ly/aYT9cp #WordPress
• this is called storytelling (adults learn through experiences): “Shoes & Software” http://bit.ly/9xBQ0B good read for #startup
• Considering becoming the mayor of @foursquare on @foursquare. I’m already the mayor of @twitter, maybe a social media hat trick w @facebook?
• Talking, meeting & discussing ad infinitum is slow, painful & breeds hostility. Create it, edit it, send it back out. Build, Test, Iterate.
• art is hard, editing easy RT @kt1grand: Its amazing how difficult it can be to put an idea into clear, concise words on paper
• the new @simplegeoinc site is up (out of beta) with plans/pricing, if you’re a mobile dev, get on it! http://bit.ly/dgsxvF #iPhoneDev
• Parable is wrong: give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, he still wants u to give him a fish. Sounds like opportunity
• Hmm, the roof at the Wit or learning how to exploit consumer behavior for profit? Think I’ll spend tonight like Ive spent the rest of my 20s
• Key finding: most prevalent reason for purchasing behavior is self esteem, but people have trouble explaining emotional aspects. Duh.
• Insight: Americans have a right-hand bias, where people will prefer product on right side when aligned left to right. best buy store layout
• What sets univ of chi apart from other bschools? Were now looking at brain slices/scans, indexed by section in a behavior class. Go maroons!
• Try prioritizing the people you know based on compassion and friendship rather than how much they have or what they can do for you.
• Definition of the day: “droptop” someone who name drops & story tops. STOP IT!
• Holy crap, @Starbucks is releasing 128oz size called Plenta this fall. Do you understand how much coffee that is?!! #CaffeineOverload
• Predicted this in a blog post 6 mths ago on pricing, don’t F with me people:The $50 Wolfram Alpha iPhone App Will Be $2 http://bit.ly/53G7Od
• This is super exciting. Checking out the very first alpha build of our super secret project. Online operations about to change forever…
• P.S. why doesn’t @foursquare have a “check out” feature, like if a place is lame? Maybe you’d get the #NotJUICE badge…
• I’m working from home today so the Internet April fools jokes can’t find me. Wait…
• Computing systems are great at statistical uncertainty but horrible at logical complexity #AI
• Who needs help with something today? Give me a shout! http://bit.ly/9CK4Y2
• The TI-85 is the best part: RT @Stealx: Check out @Trainsignal newest release Windows 3.1: The Future of Computing http://bit.ly/92s83v
• Gully: something from the streets, gutter, gangsta: “That hotel we laid up in was so gully. No TV, no towels, just a bed & a lightbulb”
• Who needs a beach and sand when you’ve got a patio bed and a view. #SummerChi http://yfrog.com/1rqg3j
• doin work like it’s my job #DoWork
• 4sq died today at CVS, is survived by B Nolan RT @Brad_Nolan: I’m at CVS # 8698 (1165 N Clark St, Division, Chicago). http://4sq.com/95EBsG #
• If ur gonna do a thing, give everything, life’s too short to give half of something
• oooh, whiteboarding app for iPad, gimme! iPad App Preview: Instaviz http://bit.ly/daDG3P #Instaviz #iPad
• #FF to my parents for teaching me work ethic, kindness & how to be a man. You set an example for us all, nearly 40 yrs & still going strong
• Call w devs on super secret project went awesome.Said it before but multiple disciplines thinking thru same issues is best way to do it
• In case anyone’s wondering where I’m at… (@ Twitter) http://4sq.com/c5VcE2
• #ATeam is here! (@ LaSalle Power Company w/ @la_le @brad_nolan) http://4sq.com/4OK0t4 #
• Somebody bump my fist. I’m on foursquare. #ImDylanMayn
• UG DONE RT @BillyDec: Gonna be nut tnite!! RT @seanMeverett: @gioiagioia headed to underground.Come meet up were rolling deeep.Tweetup style
• Lol!RT @kt1grand:@seanmeverett turned on his music & was halfway into Party in the USA. Last song he was listening b4 going out last night.
• http://evolyte.com looks awesome on the #iPad
• do I smell a tweetup brewing? RT @kmkent: We were thinking the same thing. RT @Brad_Nolan: @YogiJones Ill B-Cin ya soon with @Chi_Mist! #
• SWARM!!! (@ Berry Chill w/ @chi_mist @brad_nolan) http://4sq.com/27COcV #
• New #startup idea from @kmkent teams in @foursquare as in challenges, competitions, & pages like businesses. Create ur own badges. API integ #
• They teach work ethic in Iowa. Extends beyond the classroom, the board roomCatch what I’m spittin #Work #
• You can call me Meverett. I’m on Twitter. Hi.
• Hookin up the @evolyte team with iPads. That’s just how we roll (@ Apple Store w/ 4 others) http://4sq.com/55gjWK
• Congrats to @kt1grand on the iPad purchase. Thanks for doing your part to lift my portfolio’s annualized return $AAPL
• Still cracking up on this tweet! Just faved #ill RT @akMontufar: Oh, we’re not doing comedy? Sorry I thought we were doing comedy.
• Been here all day (@ iPad) http://4sq.com/9x0Hoo
• Just need to say that @Twitter has seriously changed my life.Ive met so many great people in the last few months & laughed so hard its sick
• care abt exper/progress/traction RT @venturehacks: No sophisticated investor impressed by titles in early stage startup http://j.mp/bqJaOE
• Look at @kmkent with all that change #Dimes RT @la_le: Some sexiness courtesy of @Brad_Nolan http://tweetphoto.com/17203927
• Selling something you don’t have is hustlin #LeanStartup #
• Love the subtle plug for Trainsignal, that’s why ur head of mktg! RT @Stealx: @seanMeverett it’s ghetto tonight http://twitpic.com/1dbq83
• This is amazing, algo must be nuts @DougHof #photoshop RT @Stealx: @seanMeverett http://bit.ly/cFZpcj #geekporn
• The difference between Apple and every other company on the planet #ItJustWorks http://yfrog.com/ebuzgj
• “the secret is not to get rich quick, it’s to get rich slow…and enjoy it” Crispy Crisp, Clinky Clink

Disclaimer:  this is one of my clients, but I think their service is amazing and provides REAL value to anyone with prescription drugs, whether seniors, middle-aged, or even folks in their 20s.

So, what is it?  Well, for $20 to $90, Rx Savings will tell you exactly where to find and purchase your prescriptions at a huge discount.  Their clients have saved anywhere from $200 to $4,000 in one year. And for the price, that return on investment is sick!!!

Check it out for yourself or pass it along if you know someone spending way too much on their prescription drugs (who needs the Health Care bill, we’ll do it ourselves!):

Rx Savings Solutions: Your Prescription for Drug Savings!

Rx Savings Solutions: Your Prescription for Drug Savings!

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Can one hour change the world?  μ

Aside from information, time is the most valuable commodity I know of, so I’m devoting one hour per day to anyone who needs help, whether mental, physical, or introductory.

I heard a quote once that went something like, “The human race is capable of such breathtaking compassion yet also such horrific terror.”  If we each gave up one hour (or even 15 minutes) of our own time to help another human being, wouldn’t we all be happier, feel more connected, and grow faster as a society?  Could we end war, famine, and genocide?

Sometimes the hardest step is the first step, but it starts with caring, and I want to contribute.

• Need help lifting a box?  I have a strong back.
• Need expertise in a specific area?  I have friends who have friends.
• Just need to chat?  I love Starbucks.

You have my time, and my attention.  You decide how you want to use it.

1. Email me:  contact form
2. Tweet me:  @seanMeverett

The saga continues…  μ

• The Ultimate WordPress Theme Tutorial http://cli.gs/1ZMHzy – how to build your own #WordPress theme
• Anybody else feel like 2010 is the year of wholesale change? Feelin like huge things are coming from friends and family this year. #LoveIt
• Harvard Biz Review: The Startup’s Rules of Speed http://bit.ly/aINHTS #Startup
• I think this guy’s been mining my brain…or my blog posts, either way, I like: Profits = Freedom http://bit.ly/9tAewh #Startup
• I want to have a top gun party this summer and play beach volleyball in champion sweatpants. Who’s in?
• super secret project conference call time. Collective heads begin exploding this summer.
• Top Gmail Tricks (You’ve Never Heard Of) http://j.mp/d0IJSJ #Gmail
• Anytime buddy RT @JeffreyRyanWho: @seanmeverett Thanks for the huge help on the website front! Looking forward to connecting in person soon.
• 5 ways startups can slay giants http://bit.ly/cOTMgh #Startup
• love this: sphere simplest 3D shape RT @looselytyped: man turns down $1M prize after solving math’s greatest puzzles – http://bit.ly/cr9MIl
• bought 2 mediums cuz great cause & cool tee (who wants xtra), please check out & help Haiti if u can http://bit.ly/agerkB thx to @holaratcha
• two kinds of VC investors (I say dream big or don’t even bother): The Perils of Being Outside the Valley http://bit.ly/cTLzh5 #Startup
• lol, Jersey Shore guy is first?? Foursquare Lets You “Follow” Celebrities http://bit.ly/95kdYS #Foursquare
• if u ever had the desire to email Steve Jobs, here’s his email address: steve-at-apple.com
• dont want to say told u so but could have made $20-$40/shr in 2 mths if u listened: Apple stock at all-time high http://j.mp/9jz88d $AAPL
• thanks for the RTs! @HeleenThomas @Webcopyplus “Writing” http://bit.ly/cse4G3 #Entrepreneur #Startup #Web #Site #Writing
• just benchmarked my tweets & there’s only 3 hours a day I don’t: 3am-7am. Methinks sleep is in order
• #thankful that I’ve known my biz partners since I could barely walk. Team is an understatement.
• Speak the truth, say it with passion, and you will always have my ear
• My love for pure mathematics is matched only by that for the stars: The Mandlebrot Monk http://j.mp/ajUwYM
• 6 critical tips for launching a startup while holding a day job http://j.mp/dtLGwD #Startup
• Shawtaaaiey! RT @seanMeverett: I just unlocked the “Barista” badge on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/981oxP #
• ok, somebody follow @allysonjoy5 the fact that she has 99 followers and is following 199 people is bothering me!
• can’t wait to wear my heart on my sleeve! RT @iHateChurch: Shipping @seanmeverett Haiti relief tees (@ Tinley Park Post Office)
• Chris Rock: Shaq is rich, the man who signs his check is wealthy. Be the man who signs the check, not the baller who takes it. (@37signals)
• Im the topic of conversation its a celebration lez toast 2 the fact I moved out my moms basement 2 a condo downtown cuz its all abt location
• I think I need a vacation #DoWork http://yfrog.com/1qpcawj
• I just unlocked the “Overshare” badge on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/blg2IX
• And that’s how u simultaneously unlock 3 badges in 1 day @foursquare & annoy ur @twitter followers #SociallyAwkward
• Thx for letting me get all the way to the airport before cancelling my flight AA. May ur stock price plummet & my freq flier miles increase
• I’m on a plane! (not quite as fun as a boat) RT @loveboo: @toni23 the thought of just being on a plane is making me feel a little better
• GoGo inflight internet is how I roll. Is SXSW in Austin still happening? If so, I need to go grab about 15 @foursquare badges. #DoWork
• writing a 10-page ppt pitch deck for a few VC opportunities. This will represent the culmination of the last 12 yrs of planning. #DreamBig
• A-freaking-men to that! RT @kmkent: U guys talk more than any 2 people on Twitter RT @loveboo: @kmkent @toni23 & i have whole convos
• please tell me somebody knows Rigoletto La Donna
• Twitter: helping people meet up, hook up, and break up since 2006. #TwimpinAintEasy
• Build an Awesome Status Board: New Premium Tutorial http://bit.ly/cE9qKk
• I’m at On A Plane!!. http://4sq.com/dlhZ6k
• Love the surprise, this is how u market apps!! Highrise for iPhone: http://✪df.ws/evg /via @daringfireball
• yes let us proceed currently RT @gioiagioia lets gooooo
• Don’t make goals, set tasks. You’ll accomplish more, faster. #GTD
• saw last wk, Rob Cordry is hilar, highly recomm: Hot Tub Time Machine Review: Don’t Change a Thing http://j.mp/dhdxtt
• need some walkin around cash?: 12 Seed Funds You Should Know in NYC http://j.mp/ao3zPc #VC #Starup #Angel
• K.I.M. buddy, K.I.M. RT @GOchris: Keep – It – Moving – #positivevibes @chicagoscene @dimepromotions @focusSM
• my mom bought me 2-in-1 axe body wash & spray. Didn’t have heart to tell her those commercials don’t translate to real life #JerseyShore
• The PR bashing fr @TechCrunch is pissing me off. Startups just spreading awareness. They bashed Twitter at 1st; u were new once too TC #Weak
• holy crap I need like 8 of these, like NOW people! WhiteyBoard: An Instant Whiteboard For Your Instant Office http://tcrn.ch/9C5s6M #Startup
• INCORRECT! scrolling easier than clicking! RT @smashingmag: users do scroll but only 20% of their attention below fold http://bit.ly/by1E4K
• How to fix politics & BS lobbyists: make the voting completely anonymous and erase voting record #IHatePolitics
• Imagine if the US was as crazy about high school academics as it is about football. China may not own all our debt & be overtaking us…
• Drinking Moet champage out of a plastic, cactus themed margarita glass & eating ritz crackers w/ spray cheese #DichotomousDissillusionment
• Untethered jailbreak!! RT @geohot: A video some of you might enjoy http://bit.ly/cBmwKK and new blog post http://bit.ly/cXCToD #iPhone #
• Courage: only in the face of adversity. Accomplishment: only after perseverance. Kindness: only when it doesn’t count.
• ok, all you people using the “web” to tweet need to go download @tweetdeck right now. It’ll change your life, like Big Pun #StillNotAPlayer
• Listen. Don’t just wait for your turn to talk.
• I’ve had the pleasure of mtg w some SWA execs. Herb K “got it”: The Southwest Airlines Baggage Strategy. Smart: http://bit.ly/bFsD0d
• This week’s #FF goes to @akMontufar for outstanding tweets in the line of duty: non-mainstream music, wit, & a marathoner’s mentality
• Good overview of why and what jailbreaking is tho I have other reasons: RT @rww: Why Jailbreak an iPad? http://bit.ly/bMUke0 #iPad #iPhone
• Facebook tries to be all things to all people, Twitter let’s users decide. #TeamTwitter
• AWESOME!! Big thx to @iHateChurch @holaratcha for Haiti tees, look & feel amazing (thx for xtra!) http://yfrog.com/1xlgdj
• I have 1 xtra Mens medium tee for anyone who wants to support Haiti w/ us, a great cause. Urs free, lemme know! http://yfrog.com/1x9ovhj #
• My simile is like your metaphor #
• Mornings represent possibilities while nights reflect accomplishment. What about weekends?
• Nice view http://yfrog.com/5m807j #
• Wish you were a genius? Just practice, says geneticist David Shenk http://bit.ly/aGph2o #Genius
• Wear ur heart on ur sleeve, even when it’s not popular or media coverage halts #Haiti http://yfrog.com/0dqkqj
• “You multiply Moore’s Law by Murphy’s Law, which means the number of things that go wrong will double every year.” – CEO @evernote
• Twitter’s power: serendipitous connections #TeamTwitter
• Simplifying an entire business into one sentence is hard. I think we nailed it…
• Somebody bump my fist
• How To Make It In America is like Entourage for entrepreneurs. Everyday I’m hustlin, hustlin, hustlin! #Startup #HBO
• I love entrepreneurship because it’s the highest highs & the lowest lows. It’s the rollercoaster ride that makes you feel truly alive.
• A man with a goal & over a decade of preparation is a powerful force. I suggest you get out of the way.
• I’m all over this for capturing ideas: Sketchnotes app for iPad first look: http://j.mp/948yfv #iPad
• Anybody have an @quora invite they can send me? Quora Has The Magic: BenchMark Invests at $86 Million Valuation http://tcrn.ch/cBxq00

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Status of every startup incubated by Y Combinator and other seed accelerators.   μ

Excel Database: Seed Accelerators & Their Companies

Full Thesis:  Copying Y Combinator — Why & How

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Arguably THE most important aspect of any startup.  μ

The answer is easy, though admittedly, the implementation is a bit more difficult:

• Design: both graphic designers (Photoshop experts) and developers (experts in HTML, the code that runs the website, and CSS, which identifies the look and feel such as colors, placement, font, etc).  These folks should also be experienced in UX and UI (user experience and user interface).  This team member’s value is extremely important, yet also the most easily critiqued (cut your designers some slack!).  Compare the Google homepage to Yahoo’s and you’ll recognize the value.
• Engineering: these folks engineer the algorithm/code and develop it into a workable application.  If your idea is technology-based (e.g., mobile apps, web apps, software), then this will be the most critical team member in the beginning.
• Business: obvious.  Someone with the expertise to manage cash flow (i.e., the number 1 reason new businesses fail), establish pricing strategy, sales/marketing/advertising, legal issues, and most importantly, customer development (i.e., establishing market fit).

I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by a great team covering each of these specialties.

Oh, and one last thing.  While most people believe that going into business with friends can be troublesome, I disagree if it’s with the right group.  The team needs to have a thick skin so when the heated arguments arise (and trust me, they will), egos are not bruised and the team becomes closer, not further away.  Again, I’m lucky in this area as I’ve known a few of my team members for a few decades (and one since I could barely walk!).

If you need help finding the right person, feel free to contact me and I may be able to set you up with someone in my network that can fill in your professional gaps.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

What is an influencer, and how do you measure the level of influence?  μ

Identifying Influencers

So what is an influencer?  I define it as someone that can drive action in others.  The simplest example is a celebrity testimonial.  If Brad Pitt endorses a new product, it’s likely more people are going to buy it than if I endorsed it (guys want to be like him and girls want to be with him.  Shaft.  John Shaft.).

This is a good read on How To Get An Influencer’s Attention, and also shows you who a few of the current influencers on the internet are.

We’ve determined identifying celebrities as influencers is easy, but what about the typical folks in your peer group, at your office, or on social media?  How do you identify the influencers there?

For example, if you own a website (e.g., blog, e-Commerce, services, etc) and send out a promotional link to your site via email, Facebook, or Twitter, how do you identify specific individuals who visit?  Or, imagine one of your customers, brand ambassadors, super fans, or advocates talks about your brand and recommends it to others by sharing it via the same mediums, how do you identify these important people?

Google Analytics is worthless, as are social sentiment trackers.  While URL shorteners like bit.ly show you who is talking about your brand, it doesn’t order or rank these people, nor do they show the inter-connectedness of these influencers to other influencers or to other folks.

Measuring Influence

This is exactly the question that we are in the process of answering, and the functionality we’re building.  The technical terminology (and a remnant of Google’s Search Algorithm) is the Hub & Authority or HITs Algorithm of social networks.

We are combining our own version of this connecting and ranking algorithm, URL shorteners, social scraping, and social sharing to provide the most comprehensive measurement of your brand’s influencers.

You can then use this information for targeted marketing and selling, online advertising (PPC campaigns), and even to measure Social Media ROI.

If you’d like to stay up-to-date and get on the free trial, beta testing list, feel free to sign up at Evolyte Analytics.

Finally, we’re building this to provide the most value to you as users, so ANY and ALL feedback is welcome.  What questions are you struggling to answer about how to leverage your current customers and promote further awareness of your brand?

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

“Immersion” Merriam-Webster Definition: instruction based on extensive exposure to surroundings or conditions that are native or pertinent to the object of study.  μ

Take a page from Lil Wayne’s playbook.  Say what you will about him as a person, but in terms of immersion I doubt there’s anyone on the planet (other than maybe pre-scandal Tiger Woods) that’s more intensely focused on his or her craft.

“Weezy” records music.  All day.  Everyday.  He carries a large black bag around with his recording gear (a mic, mic stand, simple CD player, etc) and records, whether on the bus traveling or in a hotel (he’s never at home).  He’s rumored to have recorded over 100,000 tracks.

You can now imagine how, after this intense immersion for over a decade, he can recognize an issue with one of his songs as second nature.  His ear is so finely tuned and requires such perfection that he burns through Producers faster than…(well, that’s NSFW).

Translate this level of immersion into sports, your business, or your startup, and you begin to get a picture of how Steve Jobs has made Apple so successful, or how Shawn White or Michael Phelps can make the best in the world look like novices.

Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers calls it the 10,000 Hour Rule, but I just call it Immersion.  If you’re truly passionate about and love the subject, hobby, or business you’re involved in, this should happen naturally.  It shouldn’t be work, it should be exciting.  So go ahead, immerse yourself in something you love and see what happens…

As a bonus, here’s a free download from one of Lil Wayne’s unreleased mixtapes.  As Weezy so eloquently put it, “this is just a mixtape, it don’t have titles, man” so the internet took it upon itself to title it either “Pepto Bismol” or “Let Me Do Me”.  I prefer the latter, enjoy:

Lil Wayne ft Gudda Gudda “Let Me Do Me”

Keep it dirty like I’m lyin in a ditch

Like Eli I’m from New Orlean’s I’m a giant in this b*tch

Move the ‘G’ and add an ‘S’ and put the ‘I’ before the ‘N’

And put the ‘A’ in front of that, and that’s what I am til the end.

That’s a SAINT motherf*cker, simplify it for them

With a funeral comes with a second line at the end.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

I came across this great post today about how many businesses blow the prose written for their website by targeting the wrong reader, especially startups.  μ

Web Writing: The Good, Bad and Ugly

If you don’t have time to read the full post (it’s not that long), this excerpt about sums it up:

Take a page from psychologist Abraham Maslow, who spent his life researching and compiling the human hierarchy of needs. Here’s a breakdown of the needs and desires people try to fulfill, as compiled neatly in the New York Times bestseller Made to Stick:

• Transcendence: help others realize their potential
• Self-actualization: realize your own potential, self-fulfillment, peak experiences
• Aesthetic: symmetry, order, beauty, balance
• Learning: know, understand, mentally connect
• Esteem: achieve, be competent, gain approval, independence, status
• Belonging: love, family, friends, affection
• Security: protection, safety, stability
• Physical: hunger, thirst, bodily comfort

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

• Beware the ides of March. Et tu brute. #Shakespear #JuliusCaesar
• Outside Gmail, best web app ever! Instapaper Adds Email Functionality for Easy Article Saving [Updates] http://j.mp/a5SE2V
• hmm may actually give this a try: Check.in: finally, a unified check-in for Foursquare, Gowalla and Brightkite http://j.mp/92YGrr #Location
• For Startups, Ask the Attorney: The M&A Risk (Part one) http://bit.ly/923dkY #Startup #Legal
• apparently, only way tto get @Starbucks “Barista” badge is to checkin to 5 diff locations on @foursquare, anyone unlock yet??
• Love that Chi is getting some startup love! @groupon Directors Establish $100mil Fund To Invest In Midwest http://bit.ly/aAOGcM #Startup
• Live coverage happening now!!!: Twitter CEO Evan Williams Speaks at SXSW http://bit.ly/9FUIzC #Twitter
• Ok so twitter’s new @anywhere functionality looks promising but how/when can I install it? #Twitter
• if u could work for Twitter, would u (here’s an opening)? Product Marketing Manager – Monetization http://bit.ly/bgJE8Z
• more details on Twitter’s new @anywhere platform straight from the horse’s mouth: http://bit.ly/dj3KKm #Twitter
• Damn, I freaking LOVE entrepreneurship, especially w/ the exciting things happening in the Chi lately: Excelerate Labs http://bit.ly/byTZ9h
• SxSW: Can neuroscience trump creativity in marketing? http://bit.ly/cBNIg8 Discussion about new tools for marketing analysis
• I’m on Twitter and I’m a celebrity!
• seems appropriate since I’m looking for a buyer: How to Build a Company You Can Sell http://bit.ly/9xviB7 #Startup
• Startup Company Lawyer: How do sample Series Seed financing docs differ from Series A financing docs? http://bit.ly/bdzpBW #Startup #Law
• Using Bit.ly for Spying, Link Building and Happiness http://bit.ly/c8Kkm6 #Bitly #Twitter
• K.I.M. keep it movin’
• Be sure to watch the “Boobies & Kitties” video, lol: Live from SXSW: Viral Video How-Tos From the Pros http://bit.ly/8Y5YKH #Video
• holy crap, have you guys seen this?! Play Of The Day: High Schooler Trey Starks Dunking Over 6’6″ Opponent http://bit.ly/aJS6ks #Nutz
• Bagpipes in office lobby = awesome #StPats http://yfrog.com/0z35afj
• If you’re not at least 10% outside your comfort zone on a daily basis, you’re not livin’, you’re already dyin’ #DoWork
• Social Buzz Icon Pack http://bit.ly/9RRKhA #Icons
• I especially like the last bullet on “tracking”: How to Ask for an Introduction http://bit.ly/biJrEg
• The problem w/ corporate America is they measure progress by the level of administrative burden & number of meetings produced as a result
• Push for Gmail on iPhone http://bit.ly/cIANSJ #Gmail #iPhone
• How would you describe the “wheel” to someone before it had been invented?
• if you’re looking to get funding for your #startup over $100mil to give at @venturehacks @angellist http://bit.ly/cvtqoe
• #FF @Stealx great Internet Marketer & a friend
• #FF @doughof @samschrup best web design & dev team hands down. Use for all my biz includ @Evolyte @BlueStoneInvest & super secret new proj
• #FF @bsbodden @looselytyped if ur looking for best-in-class Ruby on Rails devs (among other languages), you’ve found ‘em here. Great guys!
• Well-written scientific paper on the science of Influence on Twitter (headline obvious; other insights) [PDF] http://bit.ly/bdfLdo #Twitter
• Stop producing the same content: Twitter, Biz, Life. Be different, get creative & innovative. Apply fundamentals from other disciplines.
• Wow, this “Push for Gmail” #iPhone app is awesome. Works just like RIM, shows up on device before webmail! Highly rec: http://bit.ly/cPbRII
• wow thx man RT @Stealx: #FF @seanMeverett One of the smartest guys I know, rare for me to say so it must be true and funny ass friend
• Used to use xmind, free and good RT @looselytyped: Mind-mapping tools – FreeMind vs. XMind – Anyone recommend one over the other?
• wow, this guy produces some AMAZING work for huge brands. Our super secret project just got upgraded http://bit.ly/cux1x6
• thx for all the RTs! @abalonedesigns @ccsimmonds @77ent @profitmart @SEOHattery http://bit.ly/9hVVIi #SEM #Marketing #Startup #SEO
• ur going to have to out-smart, out-work, out-simplify & out-innovate us. We welcome competition but I’m willing to die for that inch. Are u?
• Thx @lasallepowerco for treating your customers with respect. U run a business the way it’s supposed to be. Others will remain unamed.
• The tweetup last night was “legit” @kt1grand @kmkent @la_le @Brad_Nolan @loveboo @toni23 @lasallepowerco @giannascatchell
• Most amazing opening sequence in cinematic history, not ashamed to say I teared up RT @kmkent: @la_le think I’m gonna watch Up & get Subway
• Just downloaded literally awesome app for google analytics: Analytics Pro, the app that Google forgot http://j.mp/cJucO4 #Analytics
• I wish I could send a tweet and @starbucks would deliver. That’s a biz I would invest in.
• chatting w/ founder may apply RT @om: Chicago has early stage #startup accelerator Excelerate:10 early stage cos wanted http://bit.ly/9252Ek
• super smart guy, reminds me of U of C MBA: market share irrelevant: growth w/o returns destroys value http://bit.ly/c9v7Qg via @Stealx
• Where oh where did the great startup launch go? (Startup events have killed it) http://bit.ly/deO16u #Startup #Marketing

This is just a sample of my tweets.  I would love to connect with you, if you’re interested:

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a way to increase exposure for your website.  μ

Those Google ads you see specific to your search query is an example.  I came across this definite guide, which explains nearly everything you need to know:

Complete Search Engine Marketing

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Your marketing strategy should incorporate at least one of the seven deadly sins.  μ

1. Wrath — from Sun Tsu’s The Art of War: if angry, then provoke.  An example is Southwest Airlines’s Triple Crown advertisement in which they called out Northwest Airlines for “lying”:
2. Greed — save money or make money (if you’re having trouble with this one, make checks payable to Sean Everett, contact me for the address)
3. Sloth — the strategy to use for laziness is simple — show how easy the product/service is to use.  This sin also helps determine a monetization tactic:  subscription-based payments come to mind.
4. Pride — ah, the ego, which is likely the easiest to exploit.  Just give someone a reason to feel important, and they will throw their time and money at you.  Thanks Foursquare for allowing me to check into the hottest place in the city.
5. Lust – sex sells.  The panel on creating viral videos at SXSW 2010 made this video called Boobies & Kittens to prove a point: sex + cute = marketing juju
6. Envy — greed is a subset of envy, which is a more emotional than material state.  Exploit this sin by using the others-have-it-why-don’t-you tactic.
7. Gluttony — mmm, delicious.  Try watching the Food Network on an empty stomach and you’ll understand this one.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

It all starts with the problem.  If you don’t know what problem you’re addressing, then you can’t hope to know how to solve it.  μ

• bit.ly solved the problem of sharing long links on Twitter (i.e., 140 character limit) by shortening them
• Gmail solved the problem of finding specific emails years later by using their advanced search algorithm
• Facebook solved the problem of the need for human connection by exploiting the laws of 6 degrees of separation and by incorporating picture uploading and tagging

Your “start”-up should start with the customer problem and build out from there.  The closer your problem is to the top of the pyramid below (the classic Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs), the better off your business prospects.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

If you’re not operating at least 10% outside your comfort zone, you’re not living, you’re already dying.  μ

Whether you’re about to give a presentation in front of a large audience or just accepted a new project that you have no clue how to do, that knot in the pit of your stomach means one thing:  this isn’t a typical day.  Instead of fearing this feeling, try turning it on its head and realizing that it’s making you feel more alive than normal.

I’ve tried living my life over the past 5 years using this one fundamental methodology and it hasn’t failed me yet.  It’s allowed me to meet incredible new people, learn extremely complex and diverse topics, and accomplish things that my 21-year-old self would have balked at.

In the end, it’s not about taking a huge leap into the unknown.  Instead, it’s about small moves.  Push yourself.  Stop living your life looking in the rearview and start living it like a rock star.

As Jay-Z says, on to the next one…

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

There are 9 main business models you can choose from as an entrepreneur.  This guide gives you a succinct definition, example, success factors, and monetization tactic for each.

If you don’t know your business model’s strategy, then you don’t know what it takes to win.

Geographic

• Definition:  a brick-and-mortar business with physical location(s)
• Example:  a retail store
• Success Factors:  site selection (i.e., who can move next door and how can you block competitors?)
• Monetization Tactic:  sales

Channel

• Definition:  eliminate or add a middleman
• Example:  Apple eliminated the chip manufacturer middle-man when they built the iPad (they manufactured their own A4 chip)
• Success Factors:  need extra capital or extra expertise
• Monetization Tactic:  margin

New Technology

• Definition:  any scalable technology (i.e., most of the technology companies that Silicon Valley VC’s fund)
• Example:  Evolyte Analytics, any web app or mobile app
• Success Factors:  does it work and can you protect it?  does the market care?
• Monetization Tactic:  sales (the hockey stick curve)

Image Marketing

• Definition:  luxury goods or services
• Example:  Louis Vuitton, Rolex, Armani
• Success Factors:  better, cheaper different (always choose better & cheaper); how do you create & maintain it in the face of a fickle public?
• Monetization Tactic:  margin

Brand = Awareness + Positive Meaning

Your brand must represent uniqueness and offer value to customers.  In addition, it should meet all four of the following criteria:

1. True
2. Good
3. Beautiful
4. Simple

Low-Cost Producer

• Definition:  produce a high volume of a product at a cost lower than competitors
• Example:  the off brands of products you find at the grocery store
• Success Factors:  how are you cheaper? remove waste (anything not adding value to customer, like Toyota’s jidoka system of continuous improvement); commit to high volume; how easy is it to leapfrog competitor?
• Monetization Tactic:  margin

Social Network

• Definition:  social structure made of individuals or organizations connected by one or more specific types of interdependency (i.e., friendship,  financial exchange, beliefs, knowledge, hobbies, etc.)
• Example:  Twitter, Facebook
• Success Factors:   get big fast; must establish a trusted peer-to-peer relationship network; can you monetize it?
• Monetization Tactic:  margin

High-Performance Image

• Definition:  a premium product or service that needs a “standard” competitor to establish “high-performance” value in customer’s mind
• Example:  Rolex Submariner vs Seiko 100 meter diving watch in 1950s (Seiko’s release a few years after Rolex allowed Rolex to be viewed as a premium and high-performance product)
• Success Factors:  objective measures; committed to low volume (high margin); patient capital (need time to build)
• Monetization Tactic:  margin

Commodity Producer

• Definition:  a product that is exactly the same no matter who produces it (i.e., lacks qualitative differentiation)
• Example:  paper, coal, copper
• Success Factors:  control input or output prices
• Monetization Tactic:  sales

Be A Crook

• Definition:  performing any act that’s against the law
• Example:  white collar crime
• Success Factors:  none, just ask yourself “when do I go to jail?”
• Monetization Tactict:  sales

Important Note:  for any type of fad or inherently unpredictable business (e.g., fashion, financial services, etc.), these strategies reach their limits

Special thanks to Greg Bunch for compiling some of this information.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

The second installment of Tweets of the Week.  Enjoy.

• Ask the attorney: What’s the best way to split equity? http://j.mp/dezfyw #Startup #Equity
• coffee, check. Blazing fast internet, check. Tweetdeck, check. Anybody need help with anything today?
• unfortunate internet marketers sell svcs w/ terms lk SEO/SEM yet customers clueless. Try positioning on value/use cases not technical terms
• Sorry TechCrunch – FaceBook is NOT the Biggest Driver of Social Sharing on the Web! (Its e-mail at 70%) http://bit.ly/anyobQ #SocialMedia
• midVentures25 is the first Chicago-based tech startup demo day http://bit.ly/dgvgqi #mv25 #Startup
• Anybody else picking up a copy of 37 Signals new book “Rework”? Sounds intriguing w/ ton of testimonials (Bezos/Cuban): http://bit.ly/av8TCR
• problem w/ to-do & proj mgmt software (basecamp) is they don’t move fast enough & admin burden. Integrate tools I already use like Twitter!
• This. Is. F*cking. Awesome. http://bit.ly/cYpjZn #Status
• The greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th. RIP Notorious BIG…13 years ago today http://bit.ly/aFSj2T#Dreams
• just donated $30 to @melissapierce Life In Perpetual Beta entrepreneurship documentary, good luck Melissa! http://bit.ly/d1fts9 #Startup
• Nice to meet! How can I help u? RT @JeffreyRyanWho: #entrepreneurs unite: @holaratcha meet @kt1grand & @seanmeverett
• Been waiting for this to go live for awhile @MediaLoot Premium Graphic Design Resources http://bit.ly/b4QTli #Design
• Tweetie 2 Gaining Native Foursquare Support http://bit.ly/cpZVyt #Twitter
• The power of the media has never been what they report, but rather what they don’t
• looked at last 100 tweets from @radian6 over 2 weeks & only 4 were regular, 96 were @ replies. They’re doing something right #SocialMedia
• Getting lots of resumes lately for @BlueStoneInvest u gotta be a dev/coding & mathematical wizard, come w/ something unique folks!
• Presenting at F500 Board meeting today, time to prepare…
• Need mktg ninjas 4 CEO Chi tech co (Adeptia) to dev new sexy campaign DM w/ email if inter @Stealx @kt1grand @GOchris @Brad_Nolan others?
• Unbelievable. Even after a $300mil grant to rename the bschool “Booth”, they’re still raising tuition. So much for NFP #FAIL
• The Truth About the Average Twitter User http://bit.ly/a1p1Df #Twitter
• What is a Twitter Landing Page? http://bit.ly/26FZz4 #lLndingPages #Twitter
• “The first version of Gmail was literally written in a day” http://bit.ly/dvq3m0 #LeanStartup #MVP
• or more importantly, customer. customer. customer. RT @hnshah: I would add: Focus. focus. focus. RT @danmartell Product. product. product.
• Thx! RT @kt1grand: Check out @SeanMEverett‘s post “The Ultimate Entrepreneur & Small Business Toolbox” Great resource! http://bit.ly/bulmp9
• My dream is to one day live in a room where all the walls are dry erase boards #GTD
• can’t get enough of this stuff #Physics RT @ScienceChannel: Here’s a cross section of the LHC. http://ow.ly/1h6IN
• Earn the ‘Barista Badge’ on @Foursquare!! http://nyti.ms/BaristaBadge who will be first? /via @Starbucks I have a date w/ destiny!
• Firefox 3.6 is live! http://ow.ly/1hrSn #Firefox #
• Simply STUNNING! Visualize your business plan with Plancruncher http://j.mp/dDusLj #Startup #Simplicity
• #mv25 happening now. Love the Chi startup scene!
• I like @JoeMetric their presentation had energy, simple concept, and testimonials. Real-time company surveys built atoms the iPhone #mv25
• Tweetie 2 update for #iPhone has gone live. Get it now it’s AMAZIIIIING! lol
• congrats to @wmexpress winning top 5 at #mv25 tonight. Good guys, great slides, and seriously sick sales numbers!
• Pre-order or reserve your Apple iPad NOW!! http://bit.ly/cD8Qvb #iPad
• BTW, I’ll be camping out at the Apple Store on Michigan Ave in Chi April 3 if any of u geeks want to do a little day drinkin and join me!
• An angel investor’s advice for startups http://j.mp/9jouUU #Startup #VC
• As of this morning $AAPL passed Wal-Mart as America’s 3rd largest company, in terms of mkt cap. Glad I dollar-cost averaged all the way up!
• #FF hottest Chi club @undergroundchi @AhmedBraimah_UG @giannascatchell @travisUGVIP #ATeam @kt1grand @Stealx @kmkent @akMontufar @Brad_Nolan
• booyah, just got paid from @spontwts great way to make a bit of extra cash so you can pop them bottles manana!
• I follow Buffet’s advice & put all my eggs in (almost) 1 basket: 50% of portfolio in 3 out of 21 invstmnts, each up +23%, +25%, +27% #Gecko
• Hey sore throat you weren’t invited to the st party’s party. I suggest you show yourself out.
• Trying to name your new business and check if domain already registered http://bit.ly/bGjoub #Startup
• Be yourself people. I’d much rather talk & friend someone broke & down on his/her luck than someone constantly name dropping & story topping
• Count me in, I was a Math major in undergrad! Pi Day: Google Doodle Celebrates Math Nerds Everywhere http://bit.ly/d3DPbz #Math #PiDay
• Hope everyone realized it was daylight savings time early this morning. “spring forward” one hour. 2am became 3am. Just like that.
• Great read! Notes on Leadership:Be Like Steve Jobs, & Bill Campbell & Andy Grove http://j.mp/99i0zJ #Leadership
• If u write a blog u need to read this: Inside the New Digg: An Interview with CEO Jay Adelson http://j.mp/bN5mi2 #Digg #Blog
• Funny Or Die Outtake Reunites SNL’s George W. and Bush Sr. [VIDEO] http://bit.ly/dbmrsN #Comedy

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

So you want to become an entrepreneur and are intrigued by the supposed “freedom” it allows you.  First, read my other post, Dreams, and if you’re still convinced, then keep reading.  Now, you just need to figure out an appropriate idea that you can exploit profitably.  The few steps below will show you how to do just that.

The Idea

1. First you need to pick an industry or a field.  This shouldn’t be too difficult because it should be an area you’re already passionate about (e.g., Apple products, fashion, music, etc).
2. Then, immerse yourself in this area.  Find the most relevant blog posts, comment on them, and start tweeting about it.  Join a few of the most popular Facebook fan pages and take notice of the strategies and conversations taking place.
3. Next, you need to start expanding your knowledge from the most popular sites, blogs, and fan pages to the more obscure yet still highly touted experts in the area.  If you’re not following at least 50 blogs and 100 twitters in your specific niche area, and reading most of the information, then you’re not fully immersed yet.
4. By now you should be auto-magically identifying shortfalls, holes, and gaps in the industry.  These areas will soon become your playground because you’ve just found the un-tapped niches containing no competition.
5. Now all you have to do is find the one that most appeals to you and you believe you can create an impact in.
6. The rest is just details and execution.

The Rest

One piece of advice, though.  As you start to explore your new found idea, figure out a plan that gets you to the end goal as efficiently and cost effectively as possible.  You will not have the time or energy to go down side paths.  That’s not to say your idea will not change, however.  I have iterated multiple times before finally finding the appropriate idea that resonates with the market.  For more detail in this area, read my other post, Entrepreneurship, which will show you how to develop the customer fit.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Selling isn’t about telling.

Selling has become a dirty word because the mind’s eye instantly sees some old, fat and grungy guy trying to hard-sell you on a VW Beetle from 1978.  Um, no thanks, and no I don’t want to shake your hand.

The key isn’t practicing your pitch a million times and have a file-o-facts of how to answer objections.  No, it’s much, much simpler than that.  Ask questions.  That’s it.

If you know the product or service you’re promoting, then it’s much easier to let the conversation happen naturally.  Besides, people like to talk about themselves and their problems even more, so let them.  Then, when  you hear an opening where your product/service can solve one of these problems, they’re much more willing to listen for two reasons:

1. They’re already engaged in the conversation
2. The context has already been established (their problem, your solution)

And boom goes the dynamite.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

The timeliness question:  do you give up equity in your startup in exchange for some cash?  Well, the facts show that the number one reason new businesses fail is due to a lack of cash flow so that points to yes if you can’t fund it yourself.  I take a contrarian approach.

Some people say the irony of funding is that you can’t get it until you don’t need it anymore.

I believe that the vast majority of startups, especially those that are not capital intensive, should not spent the ridiculous amount of time trying to woo potential investors for two reasons:

1. Spend the time and money investing in your business and talking to customers about what they want in your product/service
2. Money isn’t the answer and it makes you lazy.  Instead of finding creative solutions to your problems, you’ll just throw money at them and burn through the cash (and therefore equity) much faster than you would otherwise.

I believe that the best businesses are those that create recurring revenue streams.  Things that you spend the time setting up once, then the marginal cost for selling an additional unit is zero.  An example is a subscription-based web app.  You sign up and until you cancel, they continue to charge your credit card every month.

You keep leveraging past successes in this area (in terms of profits, experience, and reputation) to build your next venture and so on, and so forth.  Here’s the theory I use:

• I like to start one type of business:  low barriers to entry
• I compete and win based on two basic principles:  simplicity and exponentially better execution

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Simplicity

Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!  I feel like I’m beating a dead horse to death, but there’s so much complexity still out there I feel it’s my mission to keep breakin’ it down like a fraction.

Executive Summary

If you do decide to go the VC roadshow route (and that’s a post for another time), they do NOT want yet another 80-page plan to slog through.  Try boiling everything down to 10 slides, and better yet, into one page.  Below is a great example of an easy to use one-pager, in web app form.  It’s called plancruncher and was created by a division of Lunatech Ventures.

Ten Slides Maximum

Courtesy of the man Dave McClure (@DaveMcClure), an early investor in Twitter among other famous startups you’ve heard of, here’s what should be in your ten slides:

1. Elevator Pitch
2. The Problem
3. Your Solution
4. Market Size
5. Business Model
6. Proprietary Technology
7. Competition
8. Marketing Plan
9. Team/Hires
10. Money Milestones

Here’s his famous “How To Pitch A VC” slide deck if you want more details.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

The Problem

My problem with the various to-do and project management apps out there (read: Basecamp), is that they don’t move as fast as your brain or the real world. They quickly become an administrative burden requiring you to constantly log into the app (whether web or mobile) in order to update status, comment, or crossing things off. So how do you fix this? I think I may have a solution…and it has to do with integration.

The Idea

First, consider the things most people are plugged into all day. In descending order of prevalence, it’s likely the following web apps:

• Gmail
• Facebook
• Twitter

Next, instead of having people logging into your own native app constantly, why not leverage those technologies that people are already using.  If they don’t have to leave these places to interact with your solution, then it’s more likely your rate of usage (and therefore value in the customer’s mind) will be higher.  It all comes down to integration.

The Solution

If I was to build a simple web app to track my to-do list, I would do the following:

1. Build the simple web app (something like Teux Deux)
2. Next, integrate Twitter’s O-Auth and API
3. Develop a Twitter syntax to allowing the user to send tweets to add and cross things off the list
4. Finally, and this is key, provide daily DM (direct message), showing the status of the current and most pressing to-do list items

One company that does integrate with Twitter using 3 of the 4 techniques is  Evernote.

Note:  I realize that Basecamp and some others have integrated email replies to post comments, but you can’t send or reply to an email to add an item or cross something off.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Take a look at the chart below for a high-level overview of that often used, yet often misunderstood term, Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

If you have further questions, feel free to contact me directly or through Evolyte.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Selling products or services online is difficult.  There’s a LOT of competition.  However, here’s a few best practices from the master Frank Kern himself (you may have never heard of him, but he’s made a killing and focuses on building customer email lists, then how to exploit them into sales).

You can check out a few of his how-to videos here.  Or get the synopsis below:

1.  Know your customer’s desired outcome (so you can figure out a way to help them)

2.  Overcome skepticism by providing some valuable aspect of your product or service for free up front

3.  Demonstrate that the customer can achieve their desired outcome (get past their own self-doubt) by showing successes of others using your service/product

4.  Give the potential customer the tools and show these people how to use them

5.  Give them a reason to take action and sign up now

Here’s a link to his how-to use the proper email structure in PDF format for the 4 Day Cash Machine.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Sometimes you just need a break and need to get a little creative.  I made the picture below using the latest web markup language in about 2 minutes so don’t judge me, I’m no artist (I just like to play with my etch-a-sketch from time-to-time).

It was built with an HTML5 drawing tool called Harmony.  Check it out, it’s completely user friendly.

HTML is the code that tells websites what to do and how to work (CSS code, on the other hand, tells websites what to look like, and sometimes how to create movement).

The current web is built on HTML4 and the evolution to version 5 is poised to make Flash irrelevant.  Flash, by the way, is that thing where you go to view a video or website on your iPhone and it gives you that little blue box error.  Mr. Steve Jobs hates flash, but I’m sure he’s okay with HTML5.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

From the bottom of my heart.  Thank you.  It’s you that make the 18 hour days fly by.

In one month, you visited my brand new site over 1,600 times and stayed almost a minute.  I added a blog only 6 days ago, representing 20% of visits, and already 8 of you have subscribed to my RSS feed.

I performed no SEO (search engine optimization), no SEM (search engine marketing, read: did not advertise) and never planned for this to be anything more than a “diary” of my life and thoughts that my kids could someday read and get to know me.  I only tweeted out new blog posts.

I would rather help others than help myself.  To that end, if I can repay you and help you in some way, I’m only a tweet away @seanMeverett.

As an entrepreneur myself for many years, I understand the struggle of maintaining your vision in the face of adversity, whether that represents bold-faced rejection or simply someone ignoring you.  I want to pass along a bit of the love for someone who “gets it”.

Life In Perpetual Beta

Melissa Pierce is a Chicago native who I stumbled upon (no pun intended) today.  She is creating a documentary on Entrepreneurs  and she needs your support. I donated $30 dollars, check out her trailer video in the link below and donate any amount, if you’re able. Thanks Melissa for “getting it”.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

The Story

You stumble upon a dark cave lit only by faint, flickering torch light.  As your eyes start to adjust, you notice a group of people shackled to the wall, and discover they’ve been here their entire lives, never experiencing natural sunlight.

You feel it’s your duty to unshackle these men and women so they can escape the confines of the darkness.  You move towards the man closest to you as he’s the only one making eye contact and furiously try to unshackle him from the wall while excitedly telling the group about the “outside”.  He, as well as the group, is a bit startled by your strange, confusing descriptions.

After much struggling, you’re finally able to un-cuff the man and start beckoning him to follow you out of the dimly lit, dank cave.  He says no one’s ever been away from this wall and would rather just stay.  Not one to give up easily, you continue telling him about the beautiful landscape, the sunrises and sunsets, and the fields of green.  You realize fairly quickly that something’s being lost in translation and think, “How do I explain something so majestic and awe-inspiring to someone who’s never even seen a sunset before?”.

Luckily this man is a bit more fearless than the rest, you discover he has always taken a few more risks than the others (or so he tells you).  You’ve found your man.  As you woo him about the benefits of the “outside”, he asks curious questions like, “What will people think of me if I go to this “outside” world?”, and “Why should I go when I’m perfectly comfortable here?”.  You stumble through a few answers but manage to bring him to the mouth of the cave as you talk.

As the man rounds the corner to the exterior of the cave, he shrieks “My eyes, they’re burning from this fire!”.  You tell him soothingly to calm his nerves and let his eyes adjust to the light.  He rubs his eyes and begins to blink.  Then something magical happens.  You witness him begin to experience the “outside” and can tell he’s in absolute shock.  “I can’t believe I’ve been in that cave my entire life and have never seen this!”.  You want to give him the I-told-you-so bit, but remain silent.  “We need to tell everyone about this and get them out here!”, he proclaims.  You think to yourself that this isn’t going to be easy, remembering the struggle it to just to get the most fearless of the bunch “outside”.

Just then, the man races back inside to where his friends are, but he hasn’t had time to let his eyes re-adjust to the darkness, so he’s stumbling, frantically feeling the walls to lead him back.  As he enters, talking excitedly and appearing blind, the group wonders what horrible things could have happened “outside” to make him like this.  The man prods them to join us “outside” as we furiously unbind the rest of the group’s shackles.  They are now more skeptical, however, due to this curious behavior.  Most are reluctant to join us, but a few of the braver souls begin to creep towards the “outside”…

The Analogy

As an entrepreneur, the most difficult job you have is leading people satisfied with the status quo into the light, explaining something as beautiful as a sunset to a blind person, and getting them to do the same.

A wise man once said, “There are only two functions in a business: manufacturing and marketing”.  They both never end, and adults learn through stories.  You don’t think the Odyssey and Illiad were just for entertainment, do you?

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Simplicity

Simplicity you get, so I’m not going to over-complicate a simple subject.

+ Achievements

Achievements, however, are a somewhat recent development in the web app space, most of the recent press being thrust on Foursquare.  You didn’t think it blew up because people wanted to just “check in”, did you?  And with a few other features being released in the next week or so, they may fix some of my gripes (a post for  a different day).

However, the latest inspiration came by way of a small development shop, Panic, that spits out some of the best web design coding software out there.  They said it best in their blog post today, The Panic Status Board, referencing the internal and visually simplistic app they just streamed to a TV mounted to their office wall:

Les, one of our support guys, said it best after a week: “That board is like magic.” Our support turnaround time is faster than it’s ever been. Just the simple act of “publicizing” those numbers — not in a cruel way, but a “where are we at as a group?” way — has kept the support process on-task and, I think, made it a bit more like a video game. (It helps that when all the boxes are at “zero”, a virtual bottle of champagne appears on-screen, and a physical one is likely removed from the fridge.)

= Powerful

Stop and read those last two sentences again.  Powerful.  Then study this pic again.  Then click through to their blog and read the post in it’s entirety (it’s short).

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

UPDATE: if you want to hack one of these achievement boards together yourself, you can find a tutorial on Dashboard Confessional.

PowerPoint often adds complexity rather than taking it away.  Similarly, the charts and graphs most “practitioners” produce require a PhD to decipher.

Why not make it easy on the reader and add a “call out” box detailing exactly what you want him or her to take away from the chart.  A few examples are shown below for inspiration.

Compare Variables Across Different Categories

Compare Amount of Change in Variable Over Time

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Inches:  “The margin for error is so small…”

“On this team we fight for that inch.  On this team we tear ourselves and everyone around us to pieces for that inch.  We claw with our fingernails for that inch.  Because we know that when we add up all those inches, that’s the difference between winning and losing, between living and dying!”

“In any fight, the guy who wins is the one who’s willing to die for that inch.”

The parallels to entrepreneurship are striking.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

• crazy, even Google doesn’t do SEO correctly, & THEY BUILT THE ALGO! Google’s SEO Report Card [PDF] http://bit.ly/cdMFok #Google #SEO
• Tues nights on @ScienceChannel are magical #Physics
• Holla the new @macheist nanoBundle2 is out, and only 7 days left (7 apps $240 off) http://bit.ly/c1IlZz #Mac
• yesss, finally got my beta invite to @simplegeoinc
• I call it analysis paralysis, but a rose by any other name…”Death by Competitive Analysis” http://bit.ly/cEWom9 #Analysis
• this is sorta scary: Do A Total Background Check On Yourself http://bit.ly/aK6937
• spent a week on 5 slides for an F500 client; the devil truly is in the details…
• Faster, better, or cheaper? Choose two.
• NEW BLOG POST: “Measuring Performance” http://bit.ly/bNliiP #Measure
• sweet, just got my @shortbord beta invite, I’ve got invite codes if others are interested!
• NEW BLOG POST: “Entrepreneurship” http://bit.ly/bzBorY #LeanStartup #Entrepreneur
• now here’s something up my optimization alley (alluded to yesterday) Split Testing with a Genetic Algorithm http://bit.ly/a7b9LU #ABtest
• This post is taking forever, literally longer than any other I’ve ever written, hundreds of pieces of info for #SmallBiz & #Entrepreneurs
• Berkshire Hathaway’s 2009 Annual Report [PDF] http://bit.ly/a6aKM8 #Investing
• How To Easily Create Your Own URL Shortener With WordPress http://bit.ly/al6rLd #WordPress #
• buddy just text me: “I was looking thru old pics of us & in every one there’s either grey goose, clubs or dumbbells. We knew how to roll.”
• thanks to @undergroundchi I just downloaded “Party in the USA”; for the same reason, this is unlikely to get RTed
• Looks like we just passed 10,000,000,000 (that’s billion) tweets folks http://bit.ly/a8CpVT #Twitter
• just found the cure to my to-do list! “How To Hack Your Brain” and sleep only 2 hrs/night http://bit.ly/b7Pu6N #GTD #Sleep
• Thx, quite a good read! RT @looselytyped: @SeanMEverett Steve Pavlina ran experiment & blogged about polyphasic sleep http://bit.ly/3oYjN9
• yesss! RT @undergroundchi: haha! RT@SeanMEverett thx @undergroundchi DLed Party in the USA for same reason, this is unlikely to get RTed
• iPad Will Be Available In The U.S. Starting On April 3 http://tcrn.ch/9xWBnl #iPad
• Wow never seen State St bridge up before http://yfrog.com/i3qrhj
• love this but the UI seems complex (watch first vid): Microsoft’s Courier ‘digital journal’: exclusive pics & details http://bit.ly/aumBqe
• my addiction RT @undergroundchi: would u like to have a party tonight @undergroundchi? @SeanMEverett @Toni23 @Nikki_ps for all your support!
• None just free/better apps RT @akMontufar: Downside to this? RT @SeanMEverett: @akMontufar I got it fo freezy.Just jailbreak using blackra1n
• thanks for the FF & RT love: @akMontufar @mauriliobarreto @SMBNews @TM_StartUps http://bit.ly/aQkuh9
• I gotta come see u ringgenburger before u blow up SNL RT @akMontufar: Catching @jeffreyryanwho tearing up some improv at Second City
• Rev run. It’s tricky!! http://yfrog.com/101qvxj
• holy cr*p, Apple stock jumped to almost $220 on Friday, missed that one. Glad I dollar-cost averaged all the way up b4 iPad anncmnt $AAPL
• 2010 is going to be exciting: The Spark That Could Ignite Web M&A http://bit.ly/aShIu2 #Startup
• We’re comin for u @djrockcity my buddy @kt1grand and I puttin in work on the 1/2s DJ Hero style http://yfrog.com/jnjwtaj
• conf call with Dallas, then Barcelona. Looks like we’re goin global people!
• Pleasure meeting you guys last night @GOchris @la_le Quite the tweetup
• One of the best podcast on being a #startup CEO! @MarkPinc (Zynga) + Bing Gordon (Kleiner Perkins) (cont) http://tl.gd/eh2b7
• Still amazed so-called experts continue to confuse than/then & there/their/they’re. You have just undermined “you’re” credibility “to”
• do urself a favor & go to @abduzeedo site, most stunning iPhone/Desktop wallpapers you’ve ever seen (+more!) http://bit.ly/csEaUz #Design
• great chat @CedricConstant if u figure out the location app in Brussells & Barcelona I’m betting the US will be more than happy to tag along
• Tableau Public Brings Your Boring Data to Life http://bit.ly/9MBNxA #Data #Visualization
• Time for an inspiration break: athletic inspired threads, Boston blackies burgers, and yet another trippy Johnny Depp flick #GoHard

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

These hundreds of links are the culmination of years spent on the web researching, reading, and saving the absolute best of the best resources for anyone looking to start or grow a business, whether that’s freelancing, building an app, or selling a product/service.

The topics covered are as follows: Entrepreneurship, Small Business, Web Design, SEO, Social Media, Advertising, Analytics, WordPress, Data Visualization, Videos, Negotiation, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pitching, iPhone Development, PR, Blogging, Photoshop, Pricing, Icons, Usability, Email Campaign, Textures, Landing Page, User Interfaces, Web App Building, A/B Testing, Logo, and Internet Marketing.

I’m going to stop right here and tell you to start using Instapaper (on the web, your iPhone, and even your Kindle), and creating “subject” folders to manage all your intellectual capital.  If you already have Instapaper, then it’s as easy as following each of these links, then clicking the “Read Later” button you installed to your browser.  Or, you could just bookmark this post!

UPDATE:  if you don’t have an instapaper account and are not logged in, y ou will not be able to use these links. If you want something super portable, here is my entire download-able account (an HTML file, which you can either follow the link to or right click and ‘Save As’):

seanMeverett Ultimate Entrepreneurship & Small Business Toolbox

Web Design

Even if you’re not a web designer, understanding the tiny details that separate good from great design can make all the difference in the world when it comes to increasing your sales.  How often have you left a website because it was too confusing or how often have you stuck around on another website because it was visually appealing and did things you’d never seen before?  When all it takes is a split second for someone to get distracted on the web, can you afford not to practice good design principles?

• Designing for Visibility: Redirect URL Mapping | iCrossing Digital Marketing Blog, Search Engine Advertising Blog: iCrossing
• Forget About Photoshop: 5 More Ways to Stop Using Images in Your Designs - Cherrysave
• Say NO to boring sidebars! « CreativityDen
• Newsletter Design: 50+ Great Examples | designrfix.com
• Design Proposal Software | Web Design Proposal Software | Bidsketch
• Web forms design guidelines: an eyetracking study | cxpartners
• 25 Awesome Tools for Choosing a Website Color Scheme | Design Shack
• 15 Tips for Designing Terrific Tables | Design Shack
• 20 (More) Daily Sources for Design and Dev News, Tips & Tricks | Inspired Magazine
• Convert PSD to WordPress with Divine. Convert Photoshop to WordPress theme
• 30-handy-blank-templates-for-designers
• Resources – Places to Sell Your Designs Online For Extra Income | Think Design
• 20+ Must have documents for Designers and Developers | Creative Repository
• Radial Pack – 50 Elements (Vectors & Brushes) « Media Militia
• Designing “Coming Soon” Pages – Smashing Magazine
• Applying Mathematics To Web Design – Smashing Magazine
• 50 Free UI and Web Design Wireframing Kits, Resources and Source Files – Smashing Magazine
• Free Apple iPad Icon Set for Your Website Designs
• 25 Color Combination Tools for Designers | Pro Blog Design
• Mockingbird | Wireframes on the fly
• MediaLoot Blog
• The Best of Error 404 Pages | Web Design Tutorials | Creating a Website | Learn Adobe Flash, Photoshop and Dreamweaver
• 90 Creative Coming Soon Page Designs and Resources | Showcases | instantShift
• 10-completely-free-wireframe-and-mockup-applications
• Adding Depth with Pixel Perfect Line Work | Web Design Ledger
• Free vector logos | Logo Design Love
• 30 Amazing Web Design Interfaces From DeviantArt | Web Design Tutorials | Creating a Website | Learn Adobe Flash, Photoshop and Dreamweaver
• 30 Website Navigations that Make You Wanna Click It | Web Design Ledger
• Interface Design Inspiration | 30 Impressive Ways to Design Sign-Up Page/Form | Dzine Blog
• 83 Crazy/Beautiful Letterhead and Logo Designs
• 50 Best Web Design Blog Posts In 2009 | Web Design Tutorials | Creating a Website | Learn Adobe Flash, Photoshop and Dreamweaver
• 50 Useful Tools and Generators for Easy CSS Development : Speckyboy Design Magazine
• 20 Design Features That Will Make Your Blog Stand Out From The Crowd! | Make Money Online
• The Most Important Design Real Estate on Your Site | Inspired Magazine
• Browser Size
• How to Design a Print-Ready Flier with Photoshop and Illustrator | Psdtuts+
• 60 Best Icon Sets From 2009 | Creative Nerds
• Breakdown of Great Web App Homepage Design – Inspect Element
• Why Your Next Website Should be Designed with Wireframes | Build Internet!
• 20 Beautiful Website Design Tutorials
• Visual Hierarchy: How Well Does Your Design Communicate? | Van SEO Design
• 10 Social Bookmarking Websites for Non-Stop Visual Inspiration | Inspired Magazine
• Showcase of Excerpts in Blog Design | Vandelay Design Blog
• App Sites – Showcase of great iPhone & Mac app websites
• 35 Websites that use transparency effectively « CreativityDen
• 50 Beautiful Free Icon Sets For Your Next Design
• Styling HTML Lists with CSS: Techniques and Resources – Smashing Magazine
• A Collection of Useful Web Design Wireframing Resources : Speckyboy Design Magazine
• Design View / Andy Rutledge – Where Wireframes Are Concerned
• The Smashing Book Is Released: Buy Now!
• Tips For Designing An Awesome Site For Your iPhone Apps
• A Guide to Mobile Web Design Tips and Tricks
• TechCrunch Homepage Design Gets Deconstructed By ZURB

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

If you read any of these links on SEO, you’ll quickly realize that I’m definitely NOT performing best practice adding all these links to my website (which I’m not “no following”).  Thus, I’m giving this website’s “authority” to all these wonderful blogs and authors because I truly value their content.  Not to mention the fact that Google and the other search engine’s are probably going to flag my site as a “link farm”.  Oh well, it’s not always about link building.  Sometimes it’s about giving credit where credit’s due.

• WordPress Tip: Remove nofollow Attributes from Post Content | Digging into WordPress
• Bing - Toolbox
• How Web Video SEO is Finally Coming of Age
• New Image SEO tool
• SEOmoz | Senior Marketers Need Greater Accountability
• Link building case study
• Meaningful SEO metrics and where to find them | Analytics Advice
• 10 Goals For Link Building Campaigns: Moving Beyond “Get More Links”
• Code Snippets To Implement 301 Redirect – woorkup.com
• WordPress SEO: The Only Guide You Need
• SEOmoz | 30 SEO Bookmarklets to Save You Time
• 10 Professional Development Tips to Boost Your SEO Career
• small-business-seo-search-engine-submission-scam
• WordCamp Atlanta 2010 Advanced SEO for Wordpress
• Keyword research and mapping | SEO Chicks
• SEOmoz | Keyword Targeting: How to Employ Multiple Keywords for SEO & Conversions
• Get More Traffic: an SEO Guide for WordPress | WPblogger
• Microsoft SEO toolkit (and two other resources) — Explicitly Me – Rishi Lakhani’s Home on the Web
• Peer Review: SEO Best Practices for Duplicate Content
• 12 Ways to Improve PPC Landing Page Conversion Rates – by Christine Churchill
• SEO 101 Common Mistakes
• SEO 101: Everything You Need to Know About SEO (But Were Afraid to Ask) – Part 1 – Search Engine Guide Blog
• SEOmoz | Whiteboard Friday – Domain Authority & Page Authority Metrics
• 30 Black Hat SEO Techniques You Can Use Ethically | SEOptimise
• How to Build Links Fast: 101 Tips & Strategies | SEO Book.com
• Justin Freid – SEO and Social Media Marketing
• SEOmoz | 11 Conversion Rate Optimization Lessons Learned in 2009 (and annual moz traffic stats)
• SEOmoz | Peer Review – SEO Best Practices; Title Tags, URLs and External Links
• Huge List of Over 250 Social Media Websites | Graphic SEO Free SEO Tutorials
• SEOmoz | 7 Ways to Use the Web Developer Toolbar for SEO
• How to Use Feedburner for SEO
• Increase Search Engine Traffic
• Affordable Backlinking Packages and SEO Services CompeteSEO | ShoeMoney Marketplace
• Link Building Trends For 2010
• The Little Known Secret to Getting Page 1 Google Rankings : Marketing :: American Express OPEN Forum
• Your Free SEO Book Tool Suite
• Blog – SEO Link Wheelers | Link wheel backlinks
• SEO Basics – a knol by aaron wall
• Google’s Search-based Keyword Tool: Monetize The Long Tail of Search | Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik
• SEOmoz | The Web Developer’s SEO Cheat Sheet
• linkable-asset-inventory-a-starting-point-for-new-link-building-campaigns-31574
• My Link Baiting Idea Generation Process | Wiep.net
• Let’s Try to Find All 200 Parameters in Google Algorithm | Search Engine Journal
• Search Engine Ranking Factors | SEOmoz
• Search-based keyword tool
• Seven sensational SEO tips for ecommerce sites | Blog | Econsultancy
• 20 of the Best SEO Plugins for WordPress
• Official Google Blog: The top ten ways to get your business ready for the holidays
• SEO is dead, long live SEO | Blog | Econsultancy
• Search Engine Optimization Services: Top 5 Reasons – Online Marketing Blog

Social Media

The most over-used term in 2009 is back for more in 2010.  Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Stumble, Reddit, FriendFeed, and…the…list…keeps…going.  Fortunately, these links represent those posts that have risen to the top of the over-written and reported pile.

• 7 Ways Posterous Improves Your Social Media Presence | Social Media Examiner
• Social Media Today | Max Your Brand With 4 Social Media Optimization Tips
• Practical Social Media Measurement: Awareness, Attention, Reach | Brand Elevation Through Social Media and Social Business | Altitude Branding
• Article:: New Chart: What Social Metrics are Organizations Monitoring and Measuring?
• Laying Out A Framework for Social Media Strategy « Social Media Musings by Tom Humbarger
• What’s Working for Social Media Marketers?
• 20 Amazing social media blogs that you may not have heard of
• Social Media Power Profiles: Is Google In Your Mix?
• Social Media Secrets and Resources Revealed - ReadWriteStart
• How to: Build a Social Media Cheat Sheet for Any Topic
• Great video showing ROI on social media
• The Maturation of Social Media ROI
• How To Measure Social Media ROI | DreamGrow Social Media
• MarketingProfs Store: The State of Social Media Marketing
• The Medium Is No Longer The Message, . . . You Are
• 5 Advanced Social Media Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses
• HOW TO: Make Social Media Work for Non-Consumer Brands
• Showing CPGs How to Socialize
• Mashable’s Social Media Guide for Small Businesses
• free-science-of-social-media-marketing-webinar.html
• 35 Must-Read Articles for Social Media Marketers | Traffikd
• Fluent: The Razorfish Social Influence Marketing Report Fluent: The Razorfish Social Influence Marketing Report

Online Advertising

Sometimes you have to spend money to make money.  It’s called arbitrage.

• MIT Study Debunks Online Ad Advantages
• Bad news for creatives: Ad quality does not dictate sales | Blog | Econsultancy
• Are Microsoft Users More Gullible When It Comes To Online Advertising?
• Ad Avoidance Up
• iPhone analytics, iPhone apps, iPhone advertising: Mobclix | How to Increase Your Advertising Revenue

Analytics

A subject close to my heart.  The more numbers the better.  The problem lies in mis-interpreting the data or over-analyzing to the point of creating optimization bias.  We’re also building an analytics web app that’s going to finally bridge the gap between on-site and off-site analytics, something never done before.  Read a bit more about it at Evolyte Analytics.

• Vanity Metrics vs. Actionable Metrics – Guest Post by Eric Ries
• ClickHeat | Clicks heatmap
• Using Click Heatmaps to Understand Your Viewers | Tutorial9
• A First Look at Some Metrics Numbers
• 3 New Ways to Measure the Social Web
• DAYTUM
• The Google Analytics Cheatsheet | Internet Marketing Strategy: Conversation Marketing
• Google Analytics Hack For Export All Your Keywords | SEO Addicted
• Free Web Analytics Books: Web Analytics Demystified and The Big Book of Key Performance Indicators | Web Analytics Demystified
• Social media analytics
• Bringing Enterprise Analytics to WordPress
• Defining A Web Analytics Strategy: A Manifesto | John Lovett at Web Analytics Demystified
• HOW TO: Track Social Media Analytics
• Social Media Metrics Superlist: Measurement, ROI, & Key Statistics Resources
• SEOmoz | How To Get Past Last-Touch Attribution With Google Analytics
• Track Social Media Engagement for Any Website With PostRank
• µStat – Website value calculator, SEO and traffic estimator
• Ad.ly Launches Analytics For Sponsored Tweets
• ClickTale | Web Analytics by ClickTale | Visitor Movies, Heatmaps & Form Analytics
• Eureqa | Cornell Computational Synthesis Laboratory
• Machine Learning with Quantum Algorithms
• Searching for Benchmark

WordPress

Easy to use and infinitely customizable.  This site is built on it, you should probably have a couple built on it too.

• 15 Resources for Setting Up an E-Commerce Site with WordPress – DesignM.ag
• 10-new-wordpress-wanted-hacks-and-powerful-techniques.html
• The 15 Best WordPress Plugins to Use in 2010
• 7 Superb Social Plugins for WordPress
• Theme switch and preview plugin
• Digital Goodies Shopping Guide #2 – 25 New WordPress Themes, Under Construction Templates & Domain Names | Inspired Magazine
• 55+ Most Wanted WordPress Tips, Tricks, and Hacks
• best-wordpress-themes-2009
• How to Speed up Wordpress
• 31 Rare WordPress Themes | TutZone
• Sneak Peek at Soon to be Released Social Life WordPress Theme | Lifestream Blog
• 29 Free WordPress Themes That Kick Ass « Beyond Random
• Press75.com | Professional WordPress Themes by Jason Schuller
• For Your Clients: How to Use Wordpress
• 8 Great Blogs All About WordPress « The Communications Strategist
• Free WordPress Themes and WordPress Tutorials at Theme Lab
• Do it yourself: 12 WordPress Solutions Without Using Plugins- WebAnthology.net
• WordPress 2.9 Upgrade And Simple Tags Solution
• Best WordPress Tutorials of 2009
• My 45 must have WordPress plugins. Any to add to the list? — A View from the Isle
• Add Chat and Drag & Drop Sharing to Your Site With Meebo Bar
• 10 Outstanding Corporate WordPress Themes for Freelancers and Small Business Owners | Inspired Magazine
• Use WordPress to Create Amazing Sites – WordPress Arena
• The Coolest Blogazine WordPress Themes of 2009 | Inspired Magazine
• WordPress Themes with Unusual Uses – Web.AppStorm
• Extravagant WordPress Themes & Under Construction Templates Out in September | Inspired Magazine
• 10 Absolutely New & Stunning Portfolio WordPress Themes for Non-Designers | Inspired Magazine
• 30 Fresh & Priceless WordPress Themes Out in Octomber | Inspired Magazine
• Socialize, Connect, Share and Promote using Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Yahoo and Open ID
• 100 Premium Like But Free, Fresh WordPress Themes: Year 2009 | Graphic and Web Design Blog -Resources And Tutorials
• 100 Excellent Free WordPress Themes – Smashing Magazine
• 10 Ways to Make WordPress More Useful : Marketing :: American Express OPEN Forum

Data Visualization

A picture is worth a thousand words.

• Cool Infographics – Cool Infographics – 16 Infographic Resumes, A Visual Trend
• 15 Awesome Free JavaScript Charts / JavaScripts / SPLASHnology – Web Design & Web Technology Community
• 28 Rich Data Visualization Tools - InsideRIA
• An In-Depth Look At Pivot, Microsoft’s Newest Data Visualization Tool
• 20 Essential Infographics & Data Visualization Blogs | Inspired Magazine
• Tableau Public Brings Your Boring Data to Life – Charts - Lifehacker

Videos

YouTube didn’t blow up for nothin’ and it takes significantly less backlinks to get a better page 1 Google PageRank (i.e., SEO) than text.

• animoto – the end of slideshows
• TubeMogul.com | In-Depth Tracking, Analytics for Online Video | Web Video Syndication
• HOW TO: Add Captions To Your YouTube Videos
• 10 Youtube URL Tricks You Should Know About
• 9 Secrets of A Successful Online Video Social Media Marketing Strategy « Jeffbullas’s Blog
• How To:: Create Product Demo Videos that Get Social Media Attention: 6 Strategies to Increase Sales
• Best Screencasting Tool: CamStudio [Hive Five Followup]
• Five Tips for Producing a Demo Video for Your iPhone App

Negotiation

You negotiate every day, whether you realize it or not, with your significant other, your friends, at the workplace, even with your family.  Why not get a little better?  The secret, in one phrase, is care…but not too much.

• How to be a better negotiator | VentureBeat
• You Can Negotiate Anything * Get Rich Slowly

Entrepreneurship

This is what it’s all about.  Follow your dreams and change the world in a big way.  Believe it or not, networking is probably the most under-appreciated yet most important aspect of entrepreneurship.

• Perfection By Subtraction – The Minimum Feature Set « Steve Blank
• The Ultimate List: 40 Social Networking Sites Specifically for Small Business, Entrepreneurs, and Startups
• The Essential Startup Reader: 10 Lessons In Entrepreneurship
• » Blog Archive » Calculate This! 100 Financial Calculators Every Entrepreneur Needs
• A VC’s tips on securing seed and series A financing
• Top Ten VC Firm Websites By Traffic
• The Venture Hacks StartupList Helps Fledgling Startups Pitch Top Angel Investors
• Platforms and Networks: A Compilation of the Web’s Best Advice for Entrepreneurs
• Bizmore Adds A Blog Network To Go After The Small Business Reader

Twitter

I love twitter.  Seriously.  And the reason I love it is two-fold.  First, you can steepen your learning curve on any subject faster than any other method, and second, because I love sharing interesting things with others (hence the reason this post is ridiculously long with links).  If you’re interested in keeping up with links like these, you should follow me on twitter here:  @seanMeverett

• Rails Template: Create a Twitter Application in Seconds – Intridea Company Blog
• This Weeks Twitter Design News Roundup N.20 – Speckyboy Design Magazine
• The Best of Twitter 2009: Graphic Design Edition
• 15 Free Services to Schedule Tweets on Twitter
• HOW TO: Create Custom Backgrounds for Twitter, YouTube, & MySpace
• Twitter Cheat Sheet.pdf on iPaper By Scribd – powered by Box.net
• 12 best tools to raise your Twitter profile | News | TechRadar UK
• How to Place the TweetMeme Button Directly Into Your WordPress Blog | Anthony Licari
• New Twitter Client for Mac Packs a Powerful Punch
• Twitter Comes To Pearltrees, The Visual Social System
• Follow the Tweets – Business Insight – Wall Street Journal / MIT Sloan – MIT Sloan Management Review
• 35 Web Analytics & Internet Marketing Experts You Should Be Following (on Twitter)
• How @Flipbooks Hit 80,000 RTs : TruAction Flipbooks – marketing, event and tradeshow promotion
• HOW TO: Start and Run a Successful Twitter Chat

Facebook

Ah, the bane of my existence.  Where Farmville and Mafia Wars updates continually spam my feed, and people who think they’re sarcastically witty start their status updates with “Dear ___”, followed by unoriginal dribble or upload risque pics like they’re still on MySpace.  I’m not mad at you though, just keep uploading pictures of your cats and we’ll be kosher.

• New Study Reveals Facebook Better Than Twitter for Marketers | Social Media Examiner
• How To Create An Incentive For Visitors To Fan Your Facebook Page (Day 17) – Social media and inbound marketing for non-profits
• NutshellMail Lets Users Create Simple Email Newsletters For Facebook Fan Pages
• Facebook Fan Pages « ShoeMoney System
• Facebook Marketing: Everything You Need to Know | Social Media Examiner
• Facebook Guide Book: Mashable Launches Hub for Facebook Resources
• Ten Steps for Creating a FANtastic Facebook Fan Page : MarketingProfs
• How To Develop A Facebook Page That Attracts Millions of Fans
• The 4 Types of Branded Facebook Campaigns
• What Do Seniors Do Online? Visit Facebook and YouTube, of Course [STATS]
• Apple Brings iTunes Gift Cards To Its Facebook Fans, With Help From GroupCard

LinkedIn

Yah, I know, not much content.  I do have a few videos, however, that I can’t share due to copyright constraints.

• 8 Tips for Managing a LinkedIn Group

Pitching

If you’ve never given a presentation, or if you plan to ask a VC or Angel Investor for a bit of cash flow, then you should take a look at the link below.  I’d also recommend searching for Dragon’s Den on YouTube, which is somewhat similar to the American Idle concept, but replaces singers with entrepreneurs and Simon, Paula, and Randy with VCs.

• A VC’s Advice On How To Pitch VCs
• 17 Awesome PowerPoint & Keynote Presentation Templates – WorkAwesome

iPhone & iPad Development

Self explanatory.

• The Complete iPhone Development Toolbox | iPhone.AppStorm
• iPhoneFlow : iPhone Development Community Link Blog

Blogging & PR

If you don’t know what a blog is, you should probably just call it a day.

• 7 Simple Steps For Growing Your Blog From Scratch – SimplyZesty
• Be Your Own Publicist

Photoshop

This is a graphic designer’s greatest tool.  I don’t pretend to be anything of the sort, but I have been known to hack around with it from time to time.

• Photoshop Cheatsheets & Our Must Know Shortcuts - slodive
• Tutorial9 | Photoshop Tutorials, Photography Tuts, and Resources
• Free PSD: Facebook Fanpage Template | Fuel Your Creativity
• Free PSD Twitter Background Template | Fuel Your Creativity
• Create a Slick and Minimalist Web Layout in Photoshop
• 40 Free PSD Website Templates - slodive
• 27-must-have-starter-kits-for-web-designers
• Design an Ecommerce Website in Photoshop

Pricing

This is one of those art-and-a-science sort of things.  It’s the single “easiest” way to impact your revenue (positively or negatively).  Pricing is hard, especially dynamic pricing where you charge the highest price possible for each unique customer.  Fortunately, a few of the guides below will help you in your quest.

• dontjustrollthedice.pdf (application/pdf Object) (eBook)
• Creately Blog » How much to charge for your Web App?
• How to Price Your App – Learning from Basecamp
• What We Can Learn About Pricing From Menu Engineers – GigaOM
• Pricing Strategy, Monetization and Value Marketing Solutions for Profit & Growth – PricingWire – PricingWire – Understanding Freemium – How to Create and Grow Paying Customers
• Customers are always right, except when they are wrong

Icons

You’d be surprised how many things can be represented with a simple icon, and how these basic icons can impact behavior on the web.  For example, I recently reviewed a sign-up section of a landing page that asked for the typical information (name, email, address, etc).  The goal was to determine a way to increase the conversion rate of folks signing up.  By adding a simple lock icon with a green checkmark next to the 5 information fields, it increased the conversion rate by a staggering +50%.  That.  Is.  Insane.  Like I said, a picture’s worth a thousand words, and perception often outweighs reality.

• 11 Great Resources to Find Free Icons – DesignM.ag
• Vector Social Media Icons
• Elegant Themes Icon Pack, For Free!- Elegant Themes Blog
• 20 Free Payment Option Icons | The Roxor | Design blog for resources and inspiration
• The Best Icon Sets for Minimal Style Web Design | Freebies
• Iconfinder | Search through 122,683 icons or browse 296 icon sets
• 365icon.com – A Collection of The Web’s Highest Quality Free Icons
• 35 (Really) Incredible Free Icon Sets – Smashing Magazine
• Professional icons, web icons and stock vista icons
• 30 High Quality Free Icon Sets for Designer
• InterfaceLIFT: Mac OS X icons (by date)

Usability

You may have never heard this term before.  That’s okay, it’s a little web design specific.  Think of it like the UI (user interface) of Apple’s iPhone.  There was a ridiculous amount of thought and human interaction testing that went into the final design of how to actually use it.  For example, most phones make you push the “menu” button, followed by navigating through a hierarchy of confusing folders in order to accomplish a task.  Apple, on the other hand, transferred the most used items into apps and allowed for easy navigation throughout these apps, which included forwards/backwards arrows, consistent placing of buttons, etc. In basic terms, usability is the difference between Google’s homepage and Yahoo’s.  Google’s minimalism allows you to only do one thing, search, and not get distracted by any other tasks, which is in stark contrast to Yahoo’s over-engineered homepage.

• 20 Fantastic Usability & Conversion Analysis Tools | Spyre Studios
• Guide to Low-cost Usability Tools
• Usabilla – Transparent Usability: Lean and mean testing
• Usability Testing Toolkit: Resources, Articles, and Techniques - Noupe
• Anybody Can Do Usability (Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox)

Email Marketing

If you have an email account, chances are pretty high that you’ve received an HTML email asking you to sign up to something, buy something, or informing you of something.  There are a few best practices to understand that produce higher conversion and sharing rates, without being obtrusive/annoying to current or potential customers.

• MarketingSherpa: Email Makeover: 7 Email Optimization Tactics to Boost Revenue
• Design and Build Email Newsletters Without Losing Your Mind (and Soul) – Smashing Magazine
• How to Take Advantage of Social Media in Your Email Marketing : Technology :: American Express OPEN Forum
• 15 Clean & Effective Email / Newsletter Designs - slodive
• Small Biz Corner: Email Campaign Software

Textures

And we’re back to web design.  You’ve likely seen these during your travels across the inter-web and typically represent background details on a page or the “skin” on a specific website element.  For example, this site uses a simple intersecting line box design (not something that would traditionally be described as a texture, but same concept).  Other concepts include a wood or stone “feel”.  Just click through some of the links already!

• 7 High Resolution Stone Textures | MyInkBlog
• 100-free-stunning-bokeh-textures.html
• 100 Beautiful Free Textures – Smashing Magazine
• Smashing Texture Contest Results – Smashing Magazine

Landing Pages

If you have any sort of online presence, then a landing page becomes extremely important because it is designed to push a visitor to perform some action, whether that means signing up for a newsletter or blog RSS feed, inputting contact and demographic information, or paying for a product or service.  See the “A/B Testing” section below for more information on optimizing your landing page to increase conversion rates.

• 7 Types of Landing Page | Unbounce
• Landing Page Optimization Silver Bullets – by Tim Ash
• Conversion University Help
• How we increased the conversion rate of Voices.com by over 400% | Conversion Rate Experts
• Store That Landing Page « Grockit Blog
• 30+ principles to a better landing page design | Landing Page Optimization
• Landing Page Templates, Review Site Templates, and Graphics Made For Internet Marketers | Landing Page Authority | Landing Page Authority
• 95 Fresh Examples Of Single Page Website Designs | Inspiration | instantShift
• How To Build Your Own Single Page Portfolio Website

User Interfaces

Akin to usability, the UI is the more technical aspect of the wireframe/layout of buttons, navigation, etc.

• Showcase of Great Web App Interfaces | Webdesigner Depot
• A UI Design and Prototyping Treasure Chest | Web Design Ledger
• Product Planner – View and Create User Flows, Viral Loops, and More.
• A shorthand for designing UI flows - (37signals)

Web App Building

Basecamp from 37 Signals is the classic case study in how to build a web app.  As an example, Gmail is a web app.

• Customer Development Survey
• A simple subscription billing service made just for developers | Recurly
• Load Impact – Free web site load test
• Make Your Web Applications Addictive 5 Lessons To Learn from Foursquare
• Ruby Frameworks: What Are They And Why Should You Choose One (Which One?)
• What Second Life can teach your datacenter about scaling Web apps
• 10 Awesome Websites That Help You Discover the Best Web Apps | Inspired Magazine
• 2010 02 19 the lean startup – webstock 2010
• An exploration of the Basecamp Account (Upgrade/Billing) Screen
• Creating a Web App from Scratch
• thoughtbot : Web application development and design services
• 21 Tips to Decrease Website Server Load
• How To: Build & Launch a Design Centric Web App | Inspired Magazine

A/B & Multivariate Testing

This type of testing is extremely important as  you develop a landing page, but is also essential for your website’s design, usability, and user interface.

Conceptually, an A/B test is the most simple test you can perform.  It involves changing one specific element of a web design (e.g., color of a “sign up now” button) and sending 50% of traffic to the old design and 50% of the traffic to the new design.  Then, you calculate the difference in conversion rates and choose the final design based on the highest conversion rate.

Multivariate testing is just like it sounds, instead of testing two elements at one time, you test more than two.  Google’s Website Optimizer allows you to do both A/B and multivariate testing somewhat easily, but also for free.  Then things get really cool, because there are some services (i.e., GitHub) that allow you to optimize multiple variables in real-time so you’re constantly getting the highest conversion rate with your web design.

• 35 Resources for Getting the Most out of Google Website Optimizer
• Anne Holland’s Which Test Won? – A/B split & Multivariate Testing Know-how for marketers
• Home – genetify - GitHub
• Visual Website Optimizer – World’s easiest to use A/B, Split and Multivariate testing tool
• 55 Google Website Optimizer Tips and Tricks | Conversion Rate Optimization
• How To Segment Google Website Optimizer Tests
• An Introduction to Website Split Testing
• ABtests.com – Share A/B Testing Results. Improve your conversion today.

Logo

My suggestion is to hire a professional so you don’t get a cheesy, self-explanatory or ugly logo.  This is the first thing a customer sees…’nuff said.   Feel free to contact me and I’ll set you up with our web designer and developers, who do all our work (though not this site).

• 15 Top Logo Inspiration Galleries | Web Design Tutorials | Creating a Website | Learn Adobe Flash, Photoshop and Dreamweaver
• Logo Design A to Z

Internet Marketing

Marketing…but on the internet!  This includes things like Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Pay-Per Click (PPC) advertising, Social Media, web design, branding, pricing strategy, and the list goes on.  I co-founded Evolyte, which specializes in these services, feel free to contact us if you have questions about your strategy and efforts in this area.

• MarketingSherpa: Six Scientifically Proven Ways to Succeed in Office Politics
• The 8 Elements of Contagious Ideas | Dan Zarrella
• MarketingSherpa: Multichannel Testimonial Campaign Lifts Retiree Leads 267%
• Privacy: Managing the New Currency of the Social Web
• From the bleeding edge: 10 must-read scientific research papers on conversion rate optimization « Wingify Conversion Optimization Blog
• Attribution modelling: the value of a view | Blog | Econsultancy
• DiscoveryBeat videos: The masters explain how to get your app noticed
• popsugar-media-gen-y-women-trust-online-reviews-peers-more-gen-x-september-2009.jpg
• 10 Must-Do Marketing Tips for 2010 : Innovation :: American Express OPEN Forum
• The “Good Enough” Formula for Segmenting an Existing Market | The Experience is the Product | Better product management and products
• MarketingSherpa: Product Q&A Emails Get 7.5% Conversion Rate: 5 Steps to Turn Visitors into Buyers
• Article:: EmailSherpa 2009 in Review: Social Sharing, Segmentation, Optimizing Autoresponders, and More
• 11 Ways to Influence People Online and Make Them Take Action
• How to convert email addresses into name, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation – This is so Meta
• Show Adsense Only to Search Engine Visitors | TutZone
• Tracking Your Every Move on Social Media: Are You An Influencer? – Eilene Zimmerman – Selling Science - True/Slant
• Search Engine Marketing Agency | Radium
• Online Marketing Guides From TopRank
• Learning From the Best of the Best in Online Marketing - ClickZ
• Derek Perez – Call To Action; You need to have me at hello.
• White Papers #1 Info Source for Tech Buyers
• 12 Techniques to Increase White Paper Leads | Conversion Rate Optimization & Marketing Blog | FutureNow, Inc
• How To Optimize Pay Per Click Advertising & Control Costs
• MarketingSherpa: New Chart: Social Marketers Preparing for the Challenges Ahead
• Really smart marketing email – Chris Neumann
• 4 Terrific Tools for Creating Business Web Forms
• Build Hot Promotions with Wildfire | Web.AppStorm
• Internet Marketing Tools for SEO, Social Media & Online Public Relations by Raven
• ShoeMoney Internet Marketing Tools
• How To:: Improve Affiliate Performance: 5 Tips

Whew, that took a ton of time.  My goal is going to keep updating this list if folks are interested.  I’d love to hear your thoughts about these links (too many? too few?).  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about any of this or follow me and ask me on twitter here: @seanMeverett.

The Notorious B.I.G. said it best in Juicy:

It was all a dream
I used to read Word Up magazine
Salt’n'Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine
Hangin’ pictures on my wall
Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl
I let my tape rock ’til my tape popped…

Dream big.  Dream bigger than big.  Nothing great ever came from mediocre ideas.  The gap between dreams and achievement, however, can only be bridged with two things:  surrounding yourself in the idea and doing.

Idea

The very first question you need to ask yourself is are you passionate about your idea?  And I don’t mean as a passing hobby.

Do you lay awake at night thinking about every possible angle?  Do you have internal debates about the pros and cons of specific aspects of the idea?  Do you read everything you can get your hands on relating to the idea, whether through blog posts, news articles, or academic research papers?  Does it fill you with so much excitement that time starts to slip away (instead of dreading the time commitment)?  Do you find yourself giving up things other people find “important” and not really caring?

If you answered yes to all these questions, then keep reading…

Just Do It

Having lofty goals and being an expert in a subject is great, but you need to start somewhere.  Get off the internet, out of the house, and talk to a real life, breathing human being.  Talk to him or her about your idea and actually listen to what he or she says, both the words and the unspoken subtext.  If you do this enough times, you’ll understand whether your idea has legs.

Legs

If you feel confident about the idea, then it’s time to start sprinting.  Do whatever is necessary to make it work.  Take small steps and keep making progress.  Let me repeat that so you understand:  KEEP MAKING PROGRESS.  As soon as you stop, your dream is dead.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

If you’re on a team, whether business, social, or athletic, the only time “I” should ever be used instead of “we” is when expressing your personal opinion or accepting fault:

Don’t:

“I did this awesome thing.”

Do:

“We did this awesome thing.”

“I think that this is the process we should use, but we will need to all agree.”

“I apologize for not meeting your expectations.”

Respect

As an aside, I respect people much more who are quick to accept blame, but slow to accept praise.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

After years of strategizing, doing, failing, iterating, and finally succeeding, this is the most concise yet accurate way to approach any startup I’ve found to date.

Via skmurphy:

Get the Product Right

• Find 30 prospects.  Set up meetings.
• Demo your idea / alpha / beta / product.
• Ask questions (lots of questions).
• Take copious notes.  Score your results.

Ask Critical Questions

• Do you have this problem?
• Does this solve your problem?
• How much would you pay for this?
• Base hit or home run?
• How would you spend $100 of our money?

Some call this the new Lean Startup religion based on building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

I just call it efficiency.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Evolyte Analytics identifies which networks, advertisements, and people generate the highest word-of-mouth traffic to your website.  Watch the teaser video for a bit more information.

Evolyte Analytics

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Social Media ROI   |   Brand Influencers   |   Ad & Marketing Optimization   |   e-Commerce Lift

Of people:

Don’t measure number of meetings, or time commitment, but value added.

Of debt:

If you can borrow at a lower rate than you’re earning, then that’s positive arbitrage.

Of efficiency:

Producing the highest quality output with the least number of iterations (but only if you do it faster).

Of athletics:

The reaction of the loser.

Of life:

The number of people crying at your funeral.

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.

Lets kick things off by posting the most popular tweets measured by the number of included link clicks:

• The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Web 2.0: Top 25 Applications to Grow Your Business bit.ly/bFQsqu
• How to Earn Money on Twitter | The Social Media Guide bit.ly/bPgSYq
• Anne Holland’s Which Test Won – A/B Test & Multivariate Testing Education for Marketing Professionals bit.ly/9KAAlN
• Marketers: ‘Twitter is your small forward, Facebook is the point guard’ bit.ly/cp1BLQ
• No Apple stock split…for now. bit.ly/aR3Iiu
• MarketingSherpa: New Chart: What Social Metrics are Organizations Monitoring and Measuring? bit.ly/9HUX4x
• 9 Tactics for Rapid Learning (That Most People Have Never Heard Of) bit.ly/cD9X9H
• Naps Can Seriously Improve All-Day Learning Abilities bit.ly/9HywRM
• Are You Making These Business Mistakes? bit.ly/9o8rdz
• 20 Social media blog posts that are well worth bookmarking bit.ly/c93KDK
• Teaser video for Evolyte Analytics: Social Media ROI, Identifies Influencers, Online Ad Optimization, eCommerce Lift bit.ly/9owY2y

You should follow me on Twitter

I follow people because they teach me something, are my friends, or are funny, but hopefully all three.

If you’re new to Twitter, then be sure to read my post on the Evolyte blog called How To Use Twitter Syntax Like A Novice & Pro

You should follow @seanMeverett on Twitter here.