I run this joint. Don’t know where to start? Let me show you around:
The American Red Cross as well as local religious and civil groups are now taking donations for relief efforts in the gulf coast. The New York Times is reporting that Hurricane Katrina is the most devastating natural disaster in US history. Thousands are said to be without a home for several months in New Orleans. Our help, even if a little, goes a long way.
DONATE NOW! (Red Cross)
You can get your name sent on the first voyager mission to Pluto. Although it’s not scheduled until 2015 (who schedules stuff 10 years in advance?) the flight will send a compact disc full of submitted names to Pluto.
I hope we’re not still using CD’s in 2015 but I’m sure NASA still will be. They’ve been using the same suites, jets, and food since like the 80’s. High Tech!
My thoughts and prayers go out to all those in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and any others that have suffered or experienced personal loss due to Hurricane Katrina. We look forward to having you back up and running and wish you the best.
Thanks also to the US Coast Guard and other rescue teams.
Project Management is a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling time, resources, and people. It’s basically either a manual or computerized process that a company or individual uses to deliver a product or service on time. This could be completing a task at work, building a house, or developing a large database.
Project management is ideal and extremely useful for projects that take two months to several years to complete. Its primary goal is to better track and save on scarce resources such as time and money.
This is an area that has a lot of potential for us. Especially in the IT sector given that roughly 95% of IT projects are overdue and over budget.
If I still can’t have a Labrador retriever, this will have to do. Nintendo just released a new video game/ simulation where the player takes care of a pet puppy. Sounds straightforward enough (Tamagotchi anyone?). But the real enjoyment comes from the interaction you take with man’s “digital best friend” in the form of voice commands. You can give you dog a name, call it by name, and on cue, it will “roll over” “lie down” and “sit.” Very clever and fun.
I’ve never interacted with software quite like I have with Nintendogs. The creators of Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and Zelda really make the game come “alive” and it is a pleasure to play.
Now if I can only get that real dog… Honey?….
Designing sites differently for men and women may strike some as sexist or old-fashioned. Choosing designs or designers based on gender raises even more issues. Nevertheless, gender differences play a large role in the way men and women design and view websites.
Researchers at the UK’s University of Glamorgan have identified many differences in the website design preferences of men and women.
Men prefer:
Women prefer:
Good to know for designers and psychologists around the world.
(Source: IT World)
What is it with companies renaming things? I know my company has been guilty. Why not just keep phrases the way they used to be?
For example, no one is a salesman anymore. You are either a consultant, account manager, or the very long VP of Business Development. I’ve recently starting telling people in a concise manner what I really do for a living: “I am a database salesman.” Does it sound unexciting and bland? Yes. Does it matter? No. Because by telling people what I really do, they are more likely to cut through the ambiguity, remember what I do, and maybe even send a referral!
Need another? Brand management. You mean you design logos? It’s not like logo design is rocket science and needs a fancy name. Apple’s logo is an apple with a bite in it. Clean and simple just like the definition of logo.
What examples can you think of?
Google has launched a new instant messaging system called talk. I think the market is doing fine with AIM, IM, and Skype though so I’m displeased Google thinks they need to get involved. It does fit with their obvious strategy of “owning” all the content on the internet.
“Don’t be evil.” Just get insanely huge and eventually become less good.
(Download: GoogleTalk)
And buyers are proving that. For those who don’t know what CRM means, it stands for customer relationship management. It’s basically a fancy name for some type of client database. It can be developed as a standard “installed” program or hosted as web software on a website. The hosted kind has more than doubled over the past year due to cheaper costs and easier implementation.
Griffio has developed several CRM’s for companies like Thomasville and ADT, but you don’t have to be a big company to see the benefits. CRM’s make a company run smoother and cheaper. They are definitely a great business tool for keeping your customers happy.
(Source: Red Herring)
My wife Lindsey comes from a great family. I recently was talking with her entrepreneurial aunt that runs her own candy factory. I have been running Griffio for over 2 years now and she couldn’t have been more excited to know that we are still going strong (95% of all new businesses fail within the first year). She offered words of encouragement and was very supportive, something a growing entrepreneur doesn’t get too often.
Here’s to all those who have supported Robert and I over the past couple of years. Your support is golden and we hope to be around for many more years. So if I may echo my aunt’s thoughts: “Go for it!” or “Keep it up!”
As you may know, Lindsey and I our expecting our first child this October. We attended a prenatal class on Saturday and during the break decided to turn in our pre-admittance form. This was so we wouldn’t have to do it the day of the delivery.
On the form, there is a question that asks if you have a preference for a pediatric (kid) doctor. Since this is our first baby, I decided to ask the nurse if she might recommend an MD. She said “Legally I’m not allowed.” How does that work? You can’t recommend someone who does good work? That’s what the business world is based on. If someone does good work, they’ll get recommended. How did bad doctors luck out in the medical world from good competition?
And by the way, I’m still taking recommendations for pediatricians in Provo, Utah.
Robert and I have recently set some development goals to learn new web technologies. First on the list, AJAX. What’s that you ask? It stands for “asynchronous JavaScript and XML.” You’ve probably seen it used on Google Maps and a few other sites.
AJAX basically lets you load data or new page results without refreshing the page (i.e. what takes place when the screen flashes to load new content. You can also incorporate graphics and motion, hence it’s a great replacement for that sticky and sometimes annoying flash you see.
Robert is already off to a great start, so we look forward to including this useful technology on our upcoming projects.
Need a good product, service, or company name? Head on over to Igor’s site and download their name guide for some good ideas and proper techniques. It could be very useful if you’re not going to end your company with Inc., Co., Enterprise, or even Vandalay Industries.
Tell me where that last one comes from and you’ll have yourself a good Friday.
Robert and I have just wrapped up a prototype web application that automates search engine marketing. It’s very nifty and we’re really pleased with how it’s turning out.
With that said, I’d like to give thanks to my partner, friend, and lead developer at Griffio, Robert Bradford. He was trained as an accountant at BYU and learned programming the practical way to make his accounting tasks easier. He takes the same approach with all our clients and it truly shows in his work. Not a programmer, but a “make-things-easier” guy…
When you can’t do it alone, get resourceful. As some of you may know, Keane is one of my favorite bands. They are a trio but when playing live have the fullness of an ensemble. After their guitarist left, they relied on software to pick up the slack rather than bring on more hands. The result? A non-watered down, enhanced live performance.
Good technology can do the same in the business world too.
(Read The Power of Three)
My business partner’s computer kicked the bucket recently. Rather than trashing it, we played baseball with it. I’m pitching the laptop and my partner Robert is swinging for the fences. Photo taken on a beautiful Utah afternoon in his backyard.
Here is a sampling of attitudes and attendant behaviors that can promote good customer service within a company. It’s even good for life occurrences.
Hopefully the above attitudes will take your customer service policy off your wall and put it to action. It takes work, but those around you will reap the benefits and will reward you for the added effort.
[Source: CMO Magazine]
Chief marketing officer’s say the top two skills they will be looking to hire over the next 12 months will be the always number one “sales force” positions at 34% of all new hires and “creative graphic designers” at a close second with 33%. Designers, get those resumes ready.
Businesses will always need good design to sell their products and services but it’s still nice to see them give it more attention.
(Source: CMO Magazine)
Pure Vida, an online retailer, opted to invest in a custom online database for it’s information system. It cost around $40,000, almost six times the cost of the best off-the-shelf package priced at $6,500.
However, the system helped increase the company’s sales from $100,000 to nearly $4 million in under five years. Talk about ROI. To be fair, custom software isn’t for everyone, but if you are serious about your business, the above example could easily become a reality through a custom software solution.
Griffio is currently helping a local firm cut their total process time of just one application by 95%. I know it sounds like drummed up marketing numbers, but it’s the truth. From 20 hours to 1 hour with good, made-to-order software. It’s those results that make our work meaningful.
(Source: Technology Review, July 2005)
I guess I’ve been living in a cave for the past year, but apparently Google released a text-message search system for your cell phone about a year ago. Called “Google SMS” the service allows you to search and get a reply within 1 minute via text message. Want to know what movies are playing but not around your trusty computer? Just plug in your zip code and type
“movies” and you’ll get instant results.
Just send a text message to 46645 (googl) with your search term as the message and you’ll get what you need. Wa-la.
Growing up, I had a good friend named Rob Hugo. We called him “Bab” but he was also known as “Sausage” ’cause he got sick once after eating and that’s what came up. Anyway, he was a rambunctious, bright, and very funny kid. I owe it to Rob for one of my all time favorite synonyms for less-than-smart individuals: Schaef (pronounced “shafe”).
Legend has it that Rob had an not-so-bright friend with the last name Schaefer. Anytime someone screwed up or did something unruly, they were dubbed a Schaef. So the next time someone does something to make you mad, frustrated, or upset, take it out on them by calling them a schaef. It will feel good, be less offensive, and hopefully after this, add a little history to your vocabulary.
How fast does information move now? I get pop-ups from my RSS reader when news breaks, to the second. News moves too fast for TV networks now, as more and more people switch to the internet as their primary source of news.
It’s a great time to live and be in business, and the internet makes it all the easier.
How does the sound work?
What is yield management? Well, it’s the process of understanding through the use of computers and the internet how to anticipate consumer behavior to maximize revenues. It’s starting to be used by dicount airline companies and other perishable goods.
I wonder how this could be used in the B2B software sales world…
It’s official. We know have 10 planets in our solar system. Dubbed Xena, the new planet is said to be much bigger than Pluto. That makes it 75 years since we last discovered a planet which is pretty amazing. (Pluto was discovered in 1930)
(Source: NASA)
Of the top 100 private companies listed in the May 2005 Utah Business magazine, 71% were not listed for their main keywords on Google. It must be worse in other states due to the fact that Utah is extremely ahead of it’s time in the tech sector.
That’s a sad thing given that 84% of internet users use search engines to find the goods and services they are looking for. Guess what else these companies lack. A performing website and database to track, save data, close sales, and increase productivity. I guess it can’t get any worse.
Check out www.zopa.com. Apparently you can bank with other people now. 6% return for good credit lenders, 9% for the riskier ones. Seems like it makes sense, but it will be interesting to see if it can take off.
I’m all for cutting out the middle men.
Want to get your hands on a copy of the “CEO’s Secret Handbook?” We’ll, you can’t buy it in stores, but you can order it FREE at Raytheon’s website.
I’ve read through it, and it provides some very good and useful insights into good business management. While most of the 40 some suggestions are in fact common sense, they are great reminders and maybe even some new things you’ve overlooked in your career.
This is amazing. A Danish company has started selling hologram advertising to several European countries. The ads have gathered huge crowds to catch a glimpse of the oh so catchy and un-cluttered entertainment while simultaneously being pitched to.
See the ad here by clicking on the first video.
A lot of companies are merging these days. I was taught in business school that this is bad for competition. In the old world I agree. In the new world of peer-to-peer networking, I think the idea is outdated.
The eBay’s, Amazon’s, and even the Kazaa’s of the world will make sure that merging companies stay in check. No more monopolistic pricing and lack of innovation. We the consumers will stay connected in a peer-to-peer environment and force them to behave.
What makes all this possible? The internet. It changes how we access information, run businesses, and even work. Griffio is currently developing a web application for a new client that will cut their operational costs by 95%. It sounds crazy I know, but it’s true. From 20 hours to 1 hour of work time. That alone will help us compete with the big boys.
Who does the sports media work for? Here’s a hint. The fan. And that’s a problem because it’s seems like sports writers, broadcasters, and other media outlets always sympathize with athletes. A majority of ESPN writers even say they would still vote Mark MacGuire into the hall of fame knowing he took steroids. What? Yeah, and Ben Johnson should still hold the world record in the 100m dash even though he was juiced at the time.
I recently read an article in which the author compared athletes that use steroids to rock stars that are under the influence while writing songs. He cites that the Beatles are widely believed to have been high while writing many of their songs. Here’s the problem with that horrible analogy: there’s no evidence that being high allows a musician to write a better song. On the contrary, pumping steroids into your bloodstream will increase your strength, allow you to run faster, and even time a 95mph fastball more precisely.
Mass media along with their archaic writers drive me crazy. Long live internet news via weblogs.
For all you salesman out there (which is just about anyone who tries to influence others), here are three of the most consistent prospecting methods:
There are lots of other ways to build your pipelines, but hopefully this will prioritize them and remind you of what works.
[Source: Power Prospecting by Patrick Hansen]
Tradition is back and hopefully with a little luck, so is a good football team. Let’s see if these new BYU uniforms, along with a new coach, can get the team out of it’s recent funk. At least it’s looking like it could be good year for college football.
Long live the bowls!
This documentary was a surprise to me. It is extremely well done and the cinematography is fantastic. It’s a heart-felt story of how Empire Penguins migrate and breed during the cold winter months in Antarctica. You will be amazed and impressed upon seeing what it takes to give birth to a baby chick and how family oriented Penguins can be. Very good story and it helps to have Morgan Freeman narrate.
Overall: B+
Forget the Cola Wars, search wars should really be interesting when Microsoft releases their new Operating System dubbed Vista next year. I’m guessing MSN search will be tightly integrated.
Funny how Microsoft are just following everything Google and Yahoo does though. I guess their strategy is just to bank on their next operating system.
A weblog can be an excellent tool for business. However, it must be done in an effective manner if you wish to impress your prospects, clients, and vendors and maybe even gain their trust. Here’s some helpful hints.
There you have it. Take a different approach and have fun with your writing. If you do that, “they will come.”
Jared Hess, writer and director of Napoleon Dynamite, has announced his new comedy featuring Jack Black. Dubbed Nacho Livre, the movie is about a priest (Black) that tries to save his orphanage from closure by becoming a Mexican wrestler by night. The film is set to be released in 2006. Hopefully Hess can overcome the oh so famous sophomore jinx.
I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Heinz. I believe that all great companies do just that. They take something that’s common, and just do it right. Microsoft didn’t invent Windows or even DOS. They made the operating system easy to use for the consumer. Google was about 4 years late after Yahoo in the search engine market. However, they developed better search technology and the rest is history.
I can rarely think of a different case, and it’s the same with our company. We sell databases. Those are very common and have been around for a long time. But if we develop them in an intuitive way, we’ll continue to find success and hopefully one day become great.
I recently stumbled upon this ad while perusing craigslist.org:
“Average looking women needed for Photography this Summer $$$ “
This has to be the least flattering thing I’ve ever seen. Average looking women? Who in their right mind is going to respond to that… “I guess I’m only average looking. Sure, I’ll apply and make $$$.”
Hats off to Lance Armstrong and his current lead in the Tour de France. We shall see if he can win his 7th consecutive title this Sunday as he looks again to make history.
The US Men’s Soccer team has just been bumped up to 6th place in the overall FIFA world soccer rankings their best ever position. This means the governing soccer body deems the US group a better team than France, England, Spain, and Portugal based on current performance. It should be noted, however, than on many foreign clubs, the big boys don’t show up to play unless it’s the World Cup. None-the-less, it’s signs of improvement.
[Source: ESPN]
Why can’t web companies make up their minds? Far too often they try to be everything to everyone. They do hosting, graphic design, print media, cd’s, multi-media, websites, business cards, manufacturing… Okay, maybe not the last one, but c’mon. What do you really do?
If a web company, or any company for that matter cites multiple areas of expertise, that should be a red flag. You’re better off doing business with a company that is willing to commit to one area of focus that it does well.
Business Week has an interesting article on how companies with good IT have revenue growth upwards of 30% better than their competitors. Not that these companies necessarily spend more money on IT, but they consistently have many more IT projects going on. These include mobile technologies, internet, and web services that increase productivity and cut costs.
This is great news for Griffio as that is our main focus: increasing productivity and cutting costs through web services.
You know what I would do if I had a billion dollars and magical powers? I would reform the US health insurance industry. Lofty? Yes. Possible? You bet. Here’s how:
Until then, back to making billions and working on acquiring magical powers…
I found the below pick at Russell Davies’ Blog. He’s always posting fascinating pictures like this one from a while back. He claims it is real, and it looks incredible.
There sure are a lot of good candies and sweets out in the world. Very few are better than the simple goodness that are Tootsie Rolls. I like the usual treats, but as far as shear consumption goes, I could tare through a whole bag of the chocolate chews in one sitting.
I also hear they’re a healthy candy, if that’s even possible. Regardless, keep ’em coming.
Now there’s a question that has been answered in a million different ways. Here’s my take:
Most small businesses fail because owners overextend their personal payroll. They pay themselves too much when the first few checks start coming in. Now some may argue that “No, if you don’t have a good product or have poor management skills, that will doom a company.” While this is true, I believe staying conservative in your payroll can buy you time to learn anything, be it improving/changing your product, and learning better management skills.
Robert (my partner) and I don’t pay ourselves as much as we could. We’ll start once we are sure the company has hit the growth stage and we can cover all our expenses over an extended period.
Did you know that not too long ago Microsoft and Dell claimed that Apple Computer would die out? Guess again. The company has been tearing up the computer industry for a solid year now thanks to the beloved iPod. (I love my Mini.)
Guess what happens when people buy iPods? They start buying Macs, thus taking away precious dollars from BillSoft and Dell.
When you deliver a product that just works and is exactly what the public wants, wonders take place. Parabens Apple! Now if we can only get you to design a two-button mouse…
File this one under who knows, but apparently this toilet bar is found in Taiwan. It’s interesting to see the types of restaurants and businesses that actually get started. Any other weird ones you’ve come across in your day?
(Thanks to Chris for sending the image)
Have any of you ever seen those SlimFast drinks? While the chocolate shakes sure are delicious, I find the near indestructible cans rather odd. I wonder why they just don’t use standard aluminum ones.
Do they think overweight individuals will inadvertently crush the cans until they loose some weight?
