Small Business Boomers

When I first became aware of culture and then business someone told me to keep an eye on what happens in California.  What ever goes on there will eventually make its way across the country.  Over the past 20 years or so there have been ups and downs in that theory.  The dot com bubble and the rise of social conservatism over business conservatism put a big dent in that theory up until now.
The defeat of the immigration bill this week has renewed my faith in the old saw, Look to California.  Remember when Pete Wilson was Governor of California.  Maybe not.  …read more

No Comments

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll get to it on the weekend.  I say it.  You’ve said it.  Our lives are too full of choices and distractions.  If you have kids of a certain age just driving them around to cover their choices and distractions can be a full life.  But, you have to do this. 
You are a responsible adult and mistakes have real consequences.  For example, ever forget to pay a charge card bill.  I have and I had to pay the interest and late fee.  Painful?  Yes, but I’ve never done it again.
Now for the big responsibilities.  Do you have a …read more

No Comments

My experience has taught me that the simplest thing about putting up a web page is the mechanics.  The hardest thing is deciding what should be on the page.  I’ve cut code and I’ve done marketing.  Marketing is much more difficult, because you have to think like someone you are not.
Physically, or virtually, putting a web page up on the net is not easy, but it is a lot like changing the break-pads on your car.  It is mechanical.  There are a limited number of right ways to do it.  If you run into a problem changes are you can …read more

No Comments

You can’t believe the things that get in the way of a start-up.
I’m going to try and shoot a take or two of the new testimonial video Thursday.  A faulty water-heater blower is causing too much noise in the location I want to use for the shoot.  The plumber can’t get to it until Wednesday morning.   Anyway it gives me a little more time to plan out the yoga exercise I’ll do during the shoot and do some rehearsal.
I know that working with a franchise is supposed to be easier.  They’ve gone through the implementation of their plan many times …read more

No Comments

Action Plans

Determine the need for incorporation and do so if necessary by July1st.
Establish a website capable of distributing yoga exercise videos via streaming video or download by July 15th.
Establish a payment relationship with PayPal by July 1st. – Done
Secure equipment and software needed to make reasonable quality video for the website June 15th. – Problem the free site we have available does not offer streaming video.  I will have to develop another action plan.
Establish a pricing policy by July 15th.
Write a disclaimer by June 30th.
Shoot the introductory and pricing videos by July 1st.
Shoot 3 videos by July 31st.
Shoot 2 additional …read more

No Comments

I went to 3 graduations in the past two weeks; 2 high school and 1 college.  The college graduation was for my niece who is a performance flute player.  All the people graduating at her ceremony were musicians or theater people from DePaul University in Chicago.  The guy who gave the speech was the retired head of the Musician’s Union.  He made 3 points which cover the ground nicely.

Remember your passion
Remember your worth
Remember your friends

He did it in under ten minutes.  All and all an impressive performance.
I might add remember your family, but hopefully they are your friends, also.  If …read more

1 Comment

We are going to try an experiment with the video clips.  Instead of me sitting and talking I’m going to do a yoga workout and give my testimonial.  After all the best thing about moving pictures is that they move.  You might as well look at a still picture and read the damn thing.
My AV specialist doesn’t think much of it, but we will see what it looks like on the screen.
Experimentation is what start-ups are all about.

No Comments

My Audio/Visual specialist, my daughter, pointed out sever short comings of my current video tape.  The lighting is wrong.  It needs to be shot in all sun or all shade.  The framing is off-center.   The shot needs to me more full bodied or tighter on my upper body.  The picture could be tighter.  The color is good. 
Okay, so we’ll re-shoot when she can run the camera.
Listen to the experts you consult even if they are relatives.

No Comments

The real trick for all of this is to keep in mind that this is a plan.  You should stick to your “A” plan, but given good cause you should also change it.  Just so you know two of the goals below were changed between my fiirst writing and this posting because of the combination of technological and financial considerations.
The Objective

To assist men 50 and older in regaining their physical vigor by helping them reduce their pain.
To achieve the first objective in a profitable manner.
The project will be self-financing.

Objectives are broad without dates.  They tell what portion of the situation …read more

No Comments

I shot several takes of a video I want to use as an opening for my website. It’s my personal testimonial to the impact yoga exercises have had on my life. All well and good, but my Audio/Video consultant and I are having a disagreement about the approach. That she happens to be my daughter raises an entirely different set of issues.
My philosophy has always to hire experts and then follow their advice.  Why should it make a difference if the expert is my daughter?  After all she has a degree in communications, another one in psychology and is about …read more

No Comments