Up Market |
- LIFEYO Tells Your Story
- Book Recommendation: The Accidental Creative
- There’s No Such Thing As Competition Anymore
- 5 Critical Dangers That Could Mean Business Failure
| Posted: 18 Jan 2012 08:30 AM PST In between a couple computer monitors and a contraption that crushes pecans sits Mike Kai, CEO and Founder of the new website design company, LIFEYO. Launched at South by Southwest in 2010, LIFEYO aims to reinvent the web design experience. No more messing with cranky CSS code, Kai and his partner, Wiwat Ruengmee have created a service that according to Kai, "lets people build and manage their website without having to know anything about computers." With a strong emphasis on simplicity, design, and easy drag and drop functionality, LIFEYO has served over 30,000 users so far. LIFEYO's business model is grounded in a core principle that flows through all their services, they boldly declare: "We believe everyone has a valuable story to tell." And, they are ready to help you tell it. From small businesses to blogs to nonprofit organizations, LIFEYO makes the storytelling experience creative and positive. Asked why they chose to enter the fray of CMS website design, Kai reflected on a fundamental choice at the start of the firm, "Do we create a company that is really sales driven and focused on that kind of client or do we try to create something that really could be meaningful for a lot of people?" They chose the path of meaning. Kai goes on to explain, "I built it for my friends and I tested it with my friends." With so many people choosing to reinvent themselves, Kai found an audience in his own network that needed the kind of support LIFEYO could provide. It is in watching people use the platform to get their stories out and to launch and run their businesses that Kai finds the most reward. Kai is a third generation entrepreneur, he grew up in his family's farming business and is now striking out to grow something of his own in the tech space (the pecan crusher gets used regularly to open the incredibly tasty harvest from the farm.) A wicked smart Yale grad with a charming demeanor and significant tech chops, Kai is a guy with options. He could easily nab a gig inside a big company but the 29-year-old has chosen the risk and reward of entrepreneurship. Discussing the anxiety of building his company from scratch, Kai said, "It's a constant fear. Just trying to make sure you don't run out of money and time." He also talked about the exposure of being a small team and not having a lot of people to fall back on. When it's your thing, every decision you make can feel bigger and that in turn creates anxiety but he quickly adds, "You learn to live with it though." LIFEYO is an exciting young player in the web design market. It meets a gigantic need for bootstrapping businesses and entrepreneurs trying to get their work off the ground in an economy where every dollar is spoken for twice. I asked Kai what advice he had for others considering the entrepreneurial path, he thoughtfully offered, "Think about what kind of value you are creating in your business or in your product." Spending time with LIFEYO, it's incredibly clear that these guys took that advice to heart. The entire company is about adding value and making a meaningful impact by helping individuals, businesses and organizations of all kinds tell their stories. Photo Credit: LIFEYO.  |
| Book Recommendation: The Accidental Creative Posted: 18 Jan 2012 04:30 AM PST
Todd Henry has a great podcast called the Accidental Creative. I discovered it while looking for business podcasts in iTunes and it is one of my favorites. Todd's advice is geared to all those people who have to be creative for a living, which if you are starting a new business would be you. He helps listeners find a balance between being prolific, being brilliant, and being healthy. If you can balance all three of these things then you will find success in your work. Short-change any one or two of them and success will be very difficult, if not impossible. While listening to the podcasts is a great way to learn something it is hard to reference back to past information so Todd has put all his ideas on being creative at a moment's notice into a book. The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice walks you through the Todd's steps so you can stop being a frantic, stressed out person, and become a creative, productive person. Some authors tell you to read their book in whatever order you want. Todd recommends that you read The Accidental Creative from beginning to end. He starts Part 1 by explaining how creative work is achieved and how it can be disrupted. He then explains how the ideas of accidental creativity apply to a team setting and what to do when people on the team disturb the creative process. In Part 2 he gives concrete ideas on how to acquire a creative rhythm. Each chapter teaches you a different strategy to increase your creative productivity without burning out. From focus to energy to hours worked, each chapter is its own mini class. You will come away with some great ideas to apply to your workday. The last chapters put all the ideas and strategies together and show you how to do the best work you have ever done without stress. He truly believes that we all have original, brilliant ideas brewing inside of us. We are all accidental creatives. Check out Todd's website www.accidentalcreative.com to learn more about his approach to becoming more creative more often. Photo Credit: penguin.com.au  |
| There’s No Such Thing As Competition Anymore Posted: 17 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST
While it’s true that you can look around and still see plenty of people and companies conducting themselves on a competitive playing field, my point is that it’s no longer necessary to play that way, and many people have already eliminated competition from their experience altogether. Let me give you an example from my own business. I am obsessed with people who do what they love and have created a thriving business around that. I want to share as many stories and examples I can of people who’ve done that, to inspire and educate others that it’s possible for them too – hence this column and the other things I do, and plan to do. One person I’ve admired and who I’ve watched as he’s grown his business is David Siteman Garland. David is the creator and host of The Rise To The Top, a highly successful web TV show where he conducts (as he says on his ‘About Rise’ page) “candid, uncensored interviews with successful entrepreneurs discussing not only business but also lifestyle and lifestyle design. Business. Money. Fun. Living Life.” Sounds a lot like people in their Sweet Spots, doesn’t it? Sure does, that’s why I love the show and listen to it regularly. It uplifts, inspires and educates me. Pretty much the same thing I want to do for others. Yet, I have no problem sharing what David does with you. I tell people about him and his show all the time, totally celebrating David and how he’s doing what he’s doing. He’s got infectiously high energy, a goofy sense of humor, he loves hockey, and he tells his stories and conducts his interviews in his own way – with a huge dallop of “David-ness.” He focuses a lot on the specifics of the businesses themselves, business models, marketing and promotional strategies, and how to do things ‘Smarter, Faster, Cheaper” (which happens to be the title of his book). I am a totally different person. Even if I interviewed some of the same people as David (and I intend to), the lens I use will be uniquely my own, with my own dallop of “Lisa-ness.” I focus a lot on the specifics of the transition people made from what they did before to what they’re doing now, how they made it happen internally (the inner game) and externally (the actions they took) so others can break down their own limiting beliefs about that kind of transition being possible for them, apply what resonates to their own choices, and carve their own paths into their Sweet Spots. I can’t replicate David and no one else can replicate me. The right people will be people drawn to listen to David’s interviews, and the right people will be drawn to listen to mine. Some of those people are likely to overlap because they’ll get different things out of what we each offer. More goodness for everyone. When you choose to create from the standpoint of the remarkably unique expression of who you really are and what most lights you up, no one can possibly compete with you. You will offer something so vibrant, so alive, so embedded with the passion you feel for your favorite subject matter, it will draw to you the people, the resources and everything else you need to bring your vision to life. You will be in your Sweet Spot, and you will have no competition.
Photo: Ariana Jordan
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| 5 Critical Dangers That Could Mean Business Failure Posted: 17 Jan 2012 12:00 PM PST Okay, I don't want to scare you but this isn't good: Research sponsored by AdviCoach cites a short but compelling list of dangers that typically cause business failure and that are prevalent across the board, in all businesses — independent of industry or sector. Prevalent, you say? Failure?! Gulp. Let's try to change that. Here's the list of dangers: 1. Financial Management (Cash Flow) Cash flow restrictions — even seemingly minor bottlenecks — are responsible for over 70 percent of business failures with their first year. 2. Human Capital (Selection, Retention and Training) The mismanagement of human capital is the main reason that “good” companies never become great. These issues are actually amplified in situations with high unemployment. 3. Planning (Business and Marketing) The majority of companies pursue projects that are incompatible or inappropriate for their resources and capabilities. 4. Sales and Sales Management Under-performing salespeople bring in at minimum 50 percent less revenue than top performers. Many companies do not have defined sales processes in place. 5. Communications Leadership The beginning and end of all failure in business lies with the people who make the decisions every day. Read the full press release provided by AdviCoach here. Okay, guys. Let's discuss specific strategies for how to overcome these issues. Ready, set, go (in the comments)!  |
How can I say such a thing, you might ask? No such thing as competition – that’s ridiculous!
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