Photos: 10 tech disappointments...with cool names

2007-07-20T08:43:00.000-04:00

Fridays at Tech Republic are always a lot of fun. That is the day they send out the emails that include topics like this; 10 tech disappointments...with cool names.

The list includes some new items such as the Microsoft Zune and the LG Chocolate (which surprises me, but I hate the clunky controls) and older tech toys like the Sega Dreamcast and the Apple Newton.

Click here for the full article.

Rebel with a Cause - Three C Body Shop

2007-07-06T11:05:00.000-04:00

Although this article was originally published back in 1996 in Inc. Magazine, I still think there is much that can be leaned from Bob Juniper, owner of Three C Body Shop.

It is interesting to see how he took on a mammoth industry and won.

Bob Juniper's radio attacks on the car-insurance industry raised hell -- and made his body shop the market leader

Back in 1992 Bob Juniper Jr. was just another bright, hardworking guy in a tough industry -- in this case, the unsexy, nonillustrious auto-body-repair business. "Then one day it hit me like a piano," he says. "I wouldn't be able to stay in business."

Consulting

2007-06-27T11:01:00.000-04:00

Consulting - If you're not a part of the solution,there's good money to be made in prolonging the problem.

If you have never heard of these hilarious posters, they are called Demotivators created by Despair, Inc :-( and I think they are hilarious.

TechRepublic just posted pics of each one here.

Also, you can purchase them from Despair by clicking here.

Remember this about cluelessness; There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots.

:-)

Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur

2007-06-26T15:51:00.000-04:00

In the newest article published in BusinessWeek magazine, serial entrepreneur Stuart Skorman offers his take on what it is like to be addicted to the startup of a business. Very good read.

If you don't know who Skorman is, he started the original online movie rental store, reel.com. 3 years after founding the company he sold it for $100 million, so not a bad start! Since then he has started several other companies, a few of which are doing very, very well.

Here is an except of the interview, conducted by Stacy Perman of BusinessWeek.

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What would you say are the three biggest lessons you've learned from starting up that you have carried with you?

First, don't be afraid to make mistakes. Second, focus on learning from the mistakes. I maybe have made more than most. I am attracted to leading-edge new paradigms. I am good at thinking out of the box but not being in the box. [I learned] when I was younger I was more of a pioneer than a manager. Third, don't tie your ego to one decision. Do what's right for the business.

You say that you must harness the terror, joy, and greed involved in a startup in your favor. How?

Entrepreneurs are idealists. A mathematician wants to get results; he makes logical decisions and mistakes and corrects them, but emotions like greed, fear, etc. are part of the math if you want to succeed.

I like to help people. I want to feel that I am doing something good for the world. Hungryminds.com was a big failure [because] the business model was bad. It was too early. It came from the emotion of wanting to help people, but it didn't help people. I spent a lot of money and did not help anyone. It's important that you get beyond the emotion and make logical decisions.

What was the biggest mistake that you made?

In my own life, it was continuing on with Elephant Pharmacy, a huge project. It was a pharmacy with classrooms, organic cosmetics, a bookstore, and a free clinic with free classes. It was wonderful, and it was going to help people. But I had to learn the lesson that I am no superman and that I could start something too big. The lesson was that we bite off more than we can chew, and this is a true part of passion and honesty. I [learned] to transition to helping other people start businesses rather than starting my own. Lots of entrepreneurs have hard heads and they have to learn lessons the hard way.

Why do most startups fail?

Because they don't get launched with the right oomph to break into a busy world. There's more competition. For example, you hear about YouTube (GOOG), but you don't hear about all of the YouTube-like businesses that failed. But few succeed, and most fail. The bigger, the sexier the idea, the more people all over world who are trying to do it, too. Sometimes it takes luck, especially in the really big projects.

In your book, you say that most people start in the wrong business. Why?

It's hard to distinguish the difference between being arrogant and naive. Most [entrepreneurs] would not start if they knew how hard it was. That's why there are so many young CEO superstars. The young don't understand the risk or if they do, they don't care, because they are young enough that it's not a problem.

You say mentors are important. How so, and what did you get from your mentors along the way?

Everything started with my father, who was a successful entrepreneur. He was a great role model. He enjoyed his career. That is the biggest reason I am a success. That was luck.

There was also my psychotherapist, who is now 80 and was unbelievably helpful with all of my relationships, including business. She was crucial in my getting out of the small-town world and into Big Business. I had a tough time the first part of life. I had a lot to learn, and I sought out people. A big part of my success was learning from people who knew more than me. There were so many, and I'm here because of my mentors.

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Skorman has written a book titled "Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur: Why I can't Stop Starting Over and you can purchase it from Amazon. I highly recommend the book as it documents painful entrepreneurial lessons in very good humor.

Mark Bebout Blog

2006-06-22T10:33:00.000-04:00

I mainly grabbed this particular blog to serve as a starting page for myself. Also, I couldn't resist getting the URL markbebout.blogspot.com.