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23 hours ago
Product of week, Web host provider!
Ok so after watching super bowl I have to comment on a webhost. I have had Go daddy and about 10 others but I only recommend 1and1 anymore. 1and1 is top notch, I must have 100 domains with them across various entities. I have used there virtual and dedicated servers. I have used their exchange and sharepoint features and every web page option they have. They have a great web based email as well as any email checking capability you have and frankly customer service can’t be beat. Just a thought but for what a business needs 1and1 is that service.
Check them out at link below. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions on them.
Product of week, Web host provider for your business. 1and1.com
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3 days ago
Entrepreneurial Event Postponed
The entrepreneurial event has been postponed tomorrow Sat 2/6/10 due to adverse weather. Stay tuned for new date I will still be speaking on using social media to advance your business.
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6 days ago
Funding tips for you business.
How funding works?
Whether you are a new or established business often times expanding or even surviving requires an in fusion of capital. Today I want to briefly list a source that is popular in the media but not always the best approach for every business.
Venture Capital - It is a rare occurrence that Vc funds are slotted for start ups. Traditionally a Vc enters the picture once operations have been established. There are a small number of Vc funds that look at inception funding but most look to the next step of a business. A Vc is a managed capital company that invests for a % of ownership. The validity and demand for your business will determine the Vc’s demand for ownership %. So if you have a very hot product and a hot brand you are in a better position to negotiate ownership than being the guy with the corner store. Be prepared if you are small and new to give up a significant amount of ownership for a Vc’s participation. One of the more prevalent mistakes I have witnessed is business owners thinking that they should maintain significant ownership for sweat equity. Sadly sweat equity isn’t as risky as say a Vc investing $20 million. So be aware of that. Often a Vc will invest in tranches. This happens for a number of reasons but its simply a way for the fund to invest in phases. So as you achieve certain predefined goals it will trigger another phase. So you may receive $1 million in phase 1 and be slated to receive $3 million in phase 2 and so on.
In the end venture capital is the hot term that many business owners think is the answer to funding. However, I would caution against searching for Vc funding until you have been more established and have a company that a Vc is looking for. Otherwise you will waste valuable efforts pursuing funding that has a very little chance of success.
I will post the the next funding source soon. Angel investors. Do they exist? How do you find them? What does a deal look like?
Any questions don’t hesitate to contact me. www.miesse.com
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1 week ago
Gaining the respect of your employees.
Gaining the respect of your employees.
Mid week tips
I know that there are as many management techniques as there are managers throughout the world but I want to talk today regarding a few basic steps that should be part of the approach any manager takes to improve the production of workers.
3. Don’t be their friend but don’t treat them like a piece of equipment.
You would think that this would be easy but far to often managers attempt to stay at arms length to the point of error. Friendship can be done on many levels and it can be done in a way that the employee doesn’t feel that you could care less but they also don’t feel a false sense of favoritism. The key for the manager is to take the time and effort to understand the people under them. Understand their differences and understand how each receives instruction. We are all different and we all receive instruction different. A good manager evolves their own delivery and uses an employees personality to direct instructions that motivate that employee. Motivation is so essential but frankly a lost art. You simply motivate by how you deliver but you can only deliver if you know the employee.
2. Respect them
This is not an easy concept to grasp since respect is earned not purchased. However, if you look at your persona from the employees perspective then how would that persona affect you? In other words if your work ethic, outside life, water cooler talk, etc only gain respect in certain circles then you are alienating others. Your goal should be to earn respect from most of your staff without having to grovel for it. You are the leader so act the leader role but realize that if your staff does not respect you, that they won’t give that extra effort. That extra effort is what puts your production in the upper tier of the company. You cannot nor should ever want to please everyone of your employees but taking the high road and reflecting a strong personal character builds respect.
1. Loyalty
Far to often employees are thrown under the bus when something they do falters. I have witnessed this thousands of times. There is this widespread myth that a good manager is someone who manages all the relationships around them well. Although that sentence is true what most individuals do is say what needs to be said to everyone around them to redirect any resistance somewhere else. My statement is this. If an employee falters, you the manager are to blame. Yes you! Take responsibility, take a leadership role and then go to employee and correct. If the employee falters the same again, take care of the problem with a release. What this does for the surrounding staff is gives them a sense that you are going to bat for them. You are loyal to your people and that sense builds in them a desire to achieve quality results. Without loyalty morale suffers and when morale suffers the lowered output reflects on you the manager.
In the end this has been about employee motivation. Motivation is lacking in half the employees I meet. I personally believe that more than 90% of all people can be motivated but you must first know them, earn their respect, and develop a deep loyalty before the will work 16 hour days and do whatever it takes to see your team succeed.
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2 weeks ago
Security and your business.
With all the confusion about security of browsers and systems I thought I would share my thoughts on the simplest way to give yourself an extra measure of protection. I simply encrypt everything that is important. Its is by no means invincible but these days it is really quite easy.
As I will show throughout the blog, I simply am converting most everything to open source. The advantages to a new business are tremendous. For established businesses I mention caution with a total open source concept but done right it works. Anyway, after using both for purchase and open source I settled on truecrypt. It may take a novice a bit to get their feet wet but what doesn’t. just take it slow and read the beginning concepts of the getting started manual to get a grasp of a few basic ideas. Then encrypt a file first before you encrypt an entire drive.
Then store away. Its a must for flash drives but also a good idea on your hard working pc. http://www.truecrypt.org/
Basic ideas:
You mount and dismount a drive or file to use if encrypted.
You can encrypt a drive which protects entire volume with a pw or encrypt a file and it essentially becomes like a file holder. In other words it looks like a file when viewed but when mounted as a drive and decrypted it opens and can hold files, folders etc.
That’s it. Truecrypt adds a variety of encryption types and most are solid. Create a good pw with letters and numbers and add a upper and lower case letter and you are more secure.
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2 weeks ago from bookmarkletBlog called Shrinkage is Good from billshrink.com.
Very good blog for general finance reading and some very good facts.
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2 weeks ago from bookmarkletGlide OS 4.0 - The First Complete Online Operating System
Start up business product of the week! Periodically I recommend products with no personal gain just to help others make good decisions. Here is one I use professionally and personally.
A great product for startups and existing businesses. Its your 30GB storage/desktop in the cloud. With up to 6 managed users its a slick was to central store important documents and info while you are bringing everything together or looking to have quality remote cross platform access! Highly recommend trying it out.
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2 weeks ago from bookmarkletObama Seen as Anti-Business by 77% of U.S. Investors - Yahoo! News
Again there are ways to implement an agenda that does good and there are ways to alienate everyone in doing it the wrong way….
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2 weeks ago
I just have to comment on this ridiculous show of force. There are ways to enforce bank restrictions and there are ways to fail. This is a fail. First let us focus on why this was done. After the loss in Mass the powers that be felt it necessary to rekindle a dwindling base. By attempting to show force they figure it will regain some lost support by attacking the big bad banks. Problem is this really fails by instilling fear once again in an unstable market. Regardless of your position right or left, we need regulation where irrational speculation thrives but attacking as if its His way or the highway will only cause fear in the markets which could send us back down into the abyss of financial struggle… Come on guys this was a rookie move.
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2 weeks ago
Great Event for entrepreneurs. All the resources you will need to do it right.
Aaron Miesse is an accomplished entrepreneur and professional with over 15 years of business experience as a director, consultant, and officer of various companies.
Online contact information.
http://www.miesse.com
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