Do you know a young entrepreneur that eats, sleeps, and breathes business? We’ve put together a holiday gift guide for these workaholics that’s sure to put a smile on their faces!

Smarter, Faster, Cheaper

For the bookworms like me. Every businessperson is constantly striving to get a leg up on the competition. There’s no better way than continuing to learn, especially from those that have been successful in their endeavors.

Tickets to a Business Conference

Conferences are some of the best places to meet like-minded business mentors. However, some of these conferences can be pretty pricey!

Magazine Subscriptions

Who doesn’t love a good magazine. This also goes hand-in-hand with staying ahead of the competition. These are some of our favorites.

Apple’s iPad

This is such a great product for those business people that always on the go.

Action Method

Entrepreneurs are constantly juggling multiple projects and wearing many different hats within a busy. Help them stay organized with Behance’s fool proof organization system.

A Loan!

Or just a donation. Many people are bootstrapping their businesses and could always use a little more capital! Crowd sourcing financing has been extremely successful for many companies. Find one that you’d like to help on IndieGoGo.com.

A Flip Video

The easiest way to document and share, the trials and tribulations of staring a business.

A Vacation!

Although they probably won’t take one, getting away from work and clearing your head for a few days is a great way to recharge your batteries.

Problem: DELAYED

This past weekend my fiancé and I  flew jetBlue to NYC. On the way there, everything was smooth sailing, even though we were flying through Tropical Storm Nicole. We even arrived 25 minutes early! On the way back however, our flight was delayed for three hours! When we first arrived at JFK the flight was still on time. Then it switched to a 30 minute delay, then an hour, then two hours, and so on. Needless to say I was getting pretty pissed off! One of jetBlue’s employees came over the loud speaker and informed us that while they apologized for the delay, it was out of their control. The plane was there and on time, however it was an international flight and Airport Authority had it stuck in Customs. Eventually we were able to board the plane.

Resolution: Free Movies & Vouchers

Once on-board, a comical flight attendant apologized for the delay, cracked some jokes, and informed us that they would be showing three premium movies for free. A small conciliation for sitting in airport for five hours… but it did put me in a better mood. The movie choices included: Knight & Day, Prince of Persia, and Karate Kid… being the ninja that I am, I had to go with Karate Kid! As soon as the movie started I forgot all about being delayed. Nice misdirection… jetBlue = Houdini! The staff sincerely apologized again upon landing, indicating to me that they did actually care. I hadn’t really thought any more about the situation until this morning when I received the following email from them.

“We’re sorry that you did not experience the high standard of service we aim to provide every JetBlue customer. Please accept our sincere apologies and this flight credit for the inconvenience you recently experienced with us.”

Conclusion: Satisfied Customer

I’ve always loved jetBlue! I mean what’s not to love… they have the most leg room, tv’s for everyone, super comfortable seats, and very affordable flights! Was I pissed off that I didn’t get home until 2am?? Of course, but I also understand shit happens and in this case it was out of their hands. jetBlue handled the situation like customer service pros and here’s why…

1. They kept us informed of the problem. You need to let your customers know what the problem is and what’s being done to fix it.

2. The staff acknowledged the inconvenience and sincerely apologized. When your company makes a mistake or a customer isn’t completely satisfied, say “We’re sorry.” A simple apology can go a long way.

3. Knowing the passengers were not pleased, they took our minds off the problem by switching our focus to a free movie. The flight was delayed and they couldn’t do anything about that. Instead they gave us something for free. Everyone loves free!

4. The fact that jetBlue followed up with an email apologizing again and issuing me a $25 credit shows me that this company honestly does care about their customers.

The way that jetBlue handled this situation took me from an angry customer that would’ve complained to everyone about being delayed, to a happy customer blogging about their excellent customer service! Good form jetBlue!

Most businesses or startups are always sizing up the competition, striving to do it bigger and better.  Or when starting a business and entering an industry, you look into your barriers of entry and analyze what they do and how to be better.

Stop doing that!  Who wants to see the same things regurgitated over and over again, packaged in a different box?

What are aliens? First of all, some people don’t believe they exist and that’s a whole other conversation I really don’t want to get into.  But really, they are mysterious, maybe advanced and some say threatening.

That is what you want to be to your competition.  The most important thing about it is, by doing this, you create a loyal demographic that is intrigued by what you do.

Instead of focusing on your competition, think of ways to develop your business that will intrigue and attract your demographic.  For instance, if you are opening a sandwich shop, go to your demographics homes and businesses and give out free samples.  That is just a small “non lazy” guerilla marketing tactic that is so obvious.  If the food is good people will absolutely become customers.  If it’s not, tell them to be honest and you can find out right then. Even try giving them a competitors sandwich verses yours and do a taste test.  Start a blog about fun sandwich recipes.  The list goes on…

I just want to applaud Dominos for utilizing customer interaction through the web and transparent marketing to bettering there pizza.  That is how you better a brand.  Check this out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH5R56jILag

It is important when marketing your business or your self to be “the alien” in your industry and not just trying to fit in.  Stand out and be heard!

Posted by derekkohn.com

I always hear the issue deterring an entrepreneur from moving on a business idea is, “there was too much competition in the industry.”

There are BILLIONS of people in the world. BILLIONS! It will be almost impossible to find an idea or business that is completely NEW. Plus, I am going to say it again, there are billions of people. I promise there is room for any industry. Especially if your idea is filling a void or niche.

Competitors in an industry allows you to have a launching pad of what to do and not to do.

Your business idea will never please everyone. It is important to find a group it will please and focus on them. Focusing on the big picture will make no one happy or it will just distance you from your market.

I guarantee if your idea is something you like your not alone. Find those people and you will make a difference.

Don’t have the money or time to make it out to a conference? Well, you’re in luck!

Think Vitamin, presents “100 Things,” an ONLINE business conference. On May 11th, ten extremely successful web entrepreneurs will be discussing ten different business topics and breaking them down into ten steps. I like the idea of broadcasting conferences over the internet for those of us that can’t make it to every conference we would like. Although the cost of a ticket ( $300 )is still a little high, you’ll be saving money on travel, lodging, and eating out! Bringing the conference online allows for unlimited attendees. Hopefully, after a few online conferences, the hosts will realize they can cover costs with a lower ticket price and higher number of online attendees.

What do you think about online conferences? Will you be attending 100 Things?

Have you ever asked yourself this question?  I know I have…

Time is a funny thing.  It never stops.  As an self employed person I find myself always pushing things back or even squeezing things in.

Some of you have a vision or something you want to work on but have a real job that pays you to be there.  I know, it is hard to justify working on something else.  Well if you ever want to stop working for someone else and making them money then you need to figure this out.

I myself have a graphic design and printing company.  I am working on this blog, which you are reading right now and am developing an intense web application all at the same time.

The other day, I went to the doctor and they reminded me I never got my blood work done.  They looked at me like I was out of my mind but to me forgetting about my health is normal. lol

Then I really started thinking about it….

I spend so much time trying to juggle everything that I do.  I forget and drop the ball.  Am I spread to thin or do I just not know how to properly manage my time?

There are so many great tools out there, most even free that help assist you in managing your schedule and tasks.

Here is a list of a few we use ourselves…

Google Cal- Google has created or acquired some amazing tools outside there search engine to truly run our lives.  The best is Google Cal.  You can integrate it into ical, Microsoft…etc.  Create groups and so much more. Best of all it is FREE.

Action Method- Behance Network has created a web, mobil and physical application to better help organize your tasks and lists.  There is a free level to and some paid levels.  It is very good for project management.

37signals- This company I could go on for days about.  In the world of multiple projects and people spanned all over the world 37 signals has created some great applications to improve organization and enhance communication.

Remember the Milk- This is a great application for task management.  Set to-do in levels of priority and share them with others.  They have created a mobile application for both iphone and android which is a plus.  It can be integrated with ical and google calendar as well.  It is free to use but to have RTM you must upgrade and pay for the pro version.

This is just a few examples.  But really, what does it matter if you don’t use them and get into a system of incorporating into your daily life?

That is my problem.  I set them up and don’t use them.  It is truly easier said then done to train an old dog.  Whenever I try to do it before I leave the house in the morning I wake up too late.  If I tried right when I get to work I have too many toys and work in front of me remember.  I’m easily distracted.

So what did I do to overcome this you may wonder.

I decided to consciously analyze my day.  From doing that, I figured out that I do things without thinking in a pattern anyways.  I always get to work and check my email first thing and start falling into the moment of the day instantly.  So, I figured a great way to better organize my day and be productive was to do this before I start my downward spiral.

I create a to do list right away and update my calendar.  It take only 15 min. Then when I begin checking emails I have an organized list to begin fitting things in a prioritizing.

Done Deal!

Try it out and see how it works for you. If you have a method that you do please feel free to share and give advice.

Let’s talk on competitors.  Do you focus on what your competition is doing?  Where they are advertising?  How they are developing?

Why???

If you are striving to be like your competitor then what do you bring to your market?  How are you different and how are you going to stand out?

When starting a new company or growing an established one, we feel it is important to know who your competition is but don’t pay attention to them.

I guess I’m saying the “war” business strategy is crap!  Let’s take a pro hockey team for instance.  If you are trying to win the Stanley Cup would you focus on the best team in the league by watching all there games and obsessing over being like them??  No! You know who they are and play your game and strive to play your game better!  Practice and focus on making your team stronger and not on what other teams are doing.  I’m not saying don’t know who your competition is and what they do.   I’m saying establish that and focus on being you!

I feel that any company that is innovative and successful follows no one.  That is a large key to success.   If you know what you want to be, and focus on what is best for you and your company, that is where innovation happens.  We at MAKEMEALIVE don’t focus on where we can find a niche in the market and try to exploit it.  We focus on stuff that pisses us off and we wish it could be easier and better.  So we make it.  Its that simple.

That is why we are developing impressto.com.  Not out of seeing a profitable market.  We want to make it easier and more fun for creatives to share and market assets and products…etc because we want it.  Basically we are building it for ourselves.

When you are developing your business or coming up with a marketing strategy, don’t pay attention to anything but doing something different.  Being different is what pushes industries and change.  Ignore your surroundings and competitors and push to exploit what you believe in and people will see that and you will be successful.

I bet this title made you think WTF??
Let me explain…
When starting a business or even maintaining a current business it is important to forget about making money. What I mean by this is simple. Ideas and businesses built on making profits are not as successful as ones built on passion and drive to do something positive. Business built on making money have faults and cracks. When money is on the mind of a business especially in early development it shows. If Betty Sue started her cupcake shop just to make the largest profits possible, don’t you think she would be slacking on a few key features which will make her successful? Really good cupcakes? Happy customers?

If you are developing a business and are focused too much on financial projections, profit margins and bottom line profits. First of all I want to say, as a start up, you should not even think about that. Financial projections is guessing and guessing is a waste of time.  We can talk more about that later.

Just start your business or idea and do it with what you have. Be passionate about it and do it well and money will follow.

Some of you are probably thinking a multiple of arguments or questions right now. How do I get financing to start a restaurant or build my spaceship without putting together numbers for investors or banks? BAD IDEA! Scale down your idea to do what you want on your terms or assemble a team to achieve your goal. If you can’t do it with what you have, adjust the idea. For a restaurant, if you want to make the best burgers in town. Start off selling burgers during lunch time in a popular area from a street car. If they are good and do it well, you’ll make enough to grow, promise! If you want to build a spaceship, read my post about no one needs an idea guy and get a skill and a team to build it.

How do I pay myself if I don’t concentrate on making money? If you truly are passionate about something do it on your off time. Are you passionate about tv? I bet you do a lot of that! Build your life around being able to do this and then slowly you will be able to focus on it full time.

Even Lil Wayne after he talks about making money and money is everything.. blah blah. That guy has more passion and dedication to be the best at what he does then anyone. He lives and breaths his passion. So obviously, after years of dedication and practice money will come.

There is no such thing as a guide to making money!  Do not let money deter you from developing your ideas. If your idea is too large at first and can’t be achieved by you and your team. Scale it down. Make it work with what you have and focus on what’s important. It will evolve and grow into something amazing.

Growing up I was criticized for being an impulsive kid.  I did stuff without thinking.  Like for instance, I thought at one point I could fly.  So,  I woke up at 6am in my batman gear and free dove off the arm rest of the couch.  I really committed too because I broke my nose and cracked open my chin.  I ended up like two face. It was a big mess.  But guess what… I know now I definitely can’t fly.  Well at least like that.

I feel like when you are growing up adults tend to try and mold your childish behaviors to be what is know as “proper”.  Personally,  as I have reached adult status,  just had my 27th bday btw,  I tend to try and find my inner kid again.  I was thinking about this and it happens to me a lot.

So this brings me to my point.  As an entrepreneur being impulsive is the BEST way to be.  If you have a good idea. Don’t ponder on it and rationalize it like a good adult.  Go for it!  Use your positive momentum and dive in.  Hopefully you wouldn’t break your face, but if you do, you will absolutely learn something.  It’s better then thinking about your idea until you don’t do anything.

I’ve said it before.  Ideas are the easy part.  Going for it and having the courage and drive to execute is the difficult part and is what sets apart sitting on the bench and scoring the points.

All the success monetary or not has been driven by our groups ability to be impulsive and move on our ideas.  We have swerved all over the road on the way and changed lanes but we have always learned and made better choices as things moved forward.  If you are feeling stuck or doing something you don’t believe in.  Find out what you do believe in and just dive off the armrest.

I promise it is liberating and you will be a better and happier person for it.

“But I came up with the idea.”  How many people creating a startup have heard this line before?  It should be looked at like creating a band.  Who wants a singer that says “We need to sound like Maroon 5 mixed with Incubus.”  but then can’t really sing.  It is more important that all members of your startup team are good and willing to do the work.  There is no need or room for an idea guy!

The idea is such a small part of the actual success of anything.  Everyone is creative and has ideas everyday.  Look at Lucas Films.  What if George Lucas just thought about Star Wars and couldn’t execute.  What is the value in that.  The ability to execute is the value.

I’m not saying that having ideas are a bad thing.  That is what I am on this team, I have so many ideas.  I’m the one who catches myself saying “If only we could capture 1% of the mobile market we will be loaded!” LOL.  I’m here to say there are way too many IFs in that sentence.  Doug is very good at grounding an idea to simple practical achievable and common sense goals. I have already scaled out our current project in my head that could take us another 5 years.  But we all have a practical skill to help execute and fulfill our creation.

So I’m just here to say it is great to have ideas.  Ideas spark the work.  But you need to be able to work.  Make it or do it yourself.