I want to share three comments from Jeff Bezos today, because tomorrow’s post is about him.
They all focus on the financial side and point up the great difference between Bezos and many other CEOs when it comes to money and stock.
If Bezos is anything he is pragmatic and real—no BS. And that is just as true when he is talking about entrepreneurial topics as about his business.
The truth in this comment has only increased over the years and will continue into the future. “Good ideas will always get funded, so that’s not going to be a problem. But you will …read more

I came across an old article I’d saved and thought it would be of great value during these trying times.
Thinking about and understanding risk is important whether you consider yourself a risk-taker or not.
Last year, Bill Buxton, researcher, professor, and author wrote a great column on risk in Business Week.
“Entrepreneurs, like ice climbers, are often said to risk their necks. But there are ways to cut danger to sane levels—and some very good reasons to try.”
People often comment that both groups are, politely speaking, nuts.
After offering up a detailed explanation of ice climbing Buxton says, “…the four considerations employed by …read more

One of the hardest things that growing companies face is the need to stop shooting from the hip.
I hear the reasons not to all the time, from startups, small biz, entrepreneurs, et al:

It will ruin our culture.
It stifles creativity. It’s for larger companies.
It’s bureaucratic. It’s too time consuming.

“It” refers to the underpinnings of all successful companies. “It” includes the following in order of importance:

Financial controls that include

monthly statements of revenues by product;
discounts;
costs by department;
cost of goods sold;
inventory;
receivables aging;
stock issuance;
cash flow;
manufacturing yields;
hiring by department

Annual operating plan …read more

Today is all about innovation, so grab your coffee and settle in. Only one to read and the rest you can listen to or watch. Enjoy!
First, check out how Mark King, CEO of TaylorMade drives “relentless innovation” that has doubled revenue since 2003.
Now listen to Always On CEO Tony Perkins, Tim Draper, Founder and Managing Director of venture capital company Draper Fisher Jurvetson and founding partner of ThinkEquity and author of Finding the Next Starbucks talk about What is the Next Big Thing?

Then click over and explore the bonanza of innovation inspiration in the form of podcasts and videos at …read more

I keep files of interesting stuff I read and reorganize them each year; some are deleted, but most hold their value. Today’s choices include some of the oldies.
First up is a terrific article showing why leading isn’t about “fixing people” (neither is managing) and what you should do.
“People are not machines. They don’t need fixing. Using the “4 A´s” – awareness, acceptance, ask, and acknowledge…”
I highly recommend Front Line Manager. Scott says that he is a “relatively new manager” and he writes from his own experience and efforts. He’s a pleasure to read (I’m a writing snob:) and seems to …read more

Post from Leadership Turn  Image credit: Liquid Scenarios
I was unable to attend the Stanford Summit this year, so I prevailed on Emanio CEO and M3 Foundation founder KG Charles-Harris to go and share a story or two about the people he met.
From KG:
At the Stanford Summit I met a Lorenzo Carver, who impressed me quite a bit.  He’s 40 years old, plays base and studied music at Berkeley as a film score major.  His working to pay for school was affecting his playing and studies and as a consequence he started a business that did well and sold it …read more

Post from Leadership Turn Image credit: brahim-tnw
Not all innovation yields the next big thing, nor is that necessary to be a success, but entrepreneurs who can see around corners should be careful to whom they listen. If their experts/advisors can only see ahead, no matter how far, the revolution won’t happen.
“A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make.” –Response to Debbi Fields’ idea of starting Mrs. Fields’ Cookies.
“The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ …read more

I am pleased to present for your education and reading enjoyment The Carnival of Entrepreneurs that is being held today at Start Up Spark. I was lucky enough to to learn about this carnival in time to participate, but there are 34 other blogs as well, so make sure not to miss the wealth of information you will find there.