Solopreneurs

Doing Business in a New Way

2009-07-08T12:42:00.002-04:00

Supportive Notes (for the show notes - click the rutter)Photo 1: Competitive Advantage of Market DominatorsCreation of New Markets - 57% of the fast growth companies made this choice. Examples - eBay, Google, Amgen, CiscoRedefine Existing Markets - 33% of fast growth companies made this choice. Examples - Starbucks, Siebel SystemsOptimize the Existing Markets - 10% of fast growth companies made

Profiles in Success - Entrepreneurial Competence Part 2

2009-06-24T20:02:00.001-04:00

Given the constraints of time, we couldn't pursue these additional traits with any degree of detail. What follows are the remaining characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. We will weave a more detailed description of each over the next two weeks as we discuss the ownership demands of each growth stage. Planning Orientation - what are the components? Information SeekingGoal SettingSystematic

Profiles in Success - Entrepreneurial Competence

2009-06-24T14:06:00.001-04:00

Good Day, this is rutter radio – your guide to fast and sustainable business growth. It is 0600 eastern or -4 GMT on 24JUN09 and the show is about Profiles for Success – Entrepreneurial Competence. I am William Eastman, your host and Managing Partner for US Operations at Applied KnowledgeLabs, the show is hosted from our Atlantic Regional Office located in Richmond, Virginia. You can join the

Laws of Business and Gravity

2009-06-24T11:14:00.000-04:00

the rutter Program Notes – 23JUN09 0600 (-4UTC) This is the rutter radio live on BlogTalkRadio, I am William Eastman, Managing Partner for US Operations at Applied KnowledgeLabs. Today's show is the first in a series of 8 shows based upon our upcoming book - the code4growth – the revolution of business ownership. You talk with us directly by clicking “chat now” or dial in at 347.215.7471.

BlogTalkRadio

2009-06-22T10:01:00.001-04:00

AKLabs is happy to announce it's latest knowledge service to our readers, clients, and partners - BlogTalkRadio. We are adding to audio our media platform, click on the link above and check it out. Currently we broadcasting live @0600 USEastern (-4 UCT) to test out the service and our platform. You can tune in live or download the mp3 for listening at your convenience.Here is our scheduled

Thoughts on Startups - Especially in Todays Economy

2009-03-04T15:26:00.008-05:00

Where to start?Try this analogy. Have you ever seen a house that probably started as a small starter home and was expanded as the owners either earned more income or added children? Most of these homes are probably functional, not optimal and certainly not pretty. This is how most companies grow - organically. You start with a basic need and build what is demanded next. Usually functional but

New Direction, Same Best Practices

2009-03-01T17:57:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to our readers. We have changed the focus of our blog dedicated to misc. ramblings from living in the corporate consulting world. We will continue to skewer stupidity when ever and where ever it is encountered, however dealing with the governments mismanagement of the economy requires we add economic insights to one of our blogs.The current government induced economic

The 20/20 Solution - What is Your End Game?

2008-12-03T11:01:00.016-05:00

A couple of quick notes – check out our news service from YouTube. This week we are featuring the true US monetary problems. My apologies to our non-American readers but given the size of the US economy, we want to supplement the main stream news services because they don't deal with the root cause behind issues. Additionally all developed and developing countries are experiencing the same

Welcome Inc bloggers

2008-11-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

Poll Directions – on the left side of the page are two polls important to next weeks Inc's blog. The first poll asks about your end game – when the time comes for you to leave the business, how will that happen? The second poll asks about your current stage of growth - what are the real priorities demanding immediate attention and what can be postponed to a later date? We intend to build next

You Must See This Movie - IOUSA

2008-08-25T09:08:00.004-04:00

We typically don't involve these blogs into the world of politics. However, occasionally there are issues that transcend politics because of its potential impact on the economy. As entrepreneurs, there are 26 million solopreneurs and small business (under $50m in revenue) in the United States representing 40% of the jobs, there are issues that cannot go unnoticed. We have been on this story for

5 Disciplines of Harp Corps

2008-05-12T22:16:00.012-04:00

Although I wrote this 3 years ago while building an entrepreneur's version to the Franklin Covey self-management system, I thought a brief review is in order (see link above for the entire article).I once said that being an entrepreneur was a calling, like perhaps a priest – rabbi – imam. That was not a flip

Cant' Self Motivate - Can't Self Manage?

2008-04-24T11:18:00.003-04:00

Wasted 3 days this week, can't seem to self motivate and therefor self manage. One big transition for me is the move toward becoming a survivalist in preparation for the coming disaster of America's suicide. Given the countries political incompetence, we have created a government and society that is not sustainable. A government that makes the wrong promises is having two unacceptable

Starting Smart, Starting Cheap

2008-02-06T23:52:00.000-05:00

I am writing this for all of our colleagues in the startup mode that either haven`t purchased their computer systems or are thinking of upgrading. If you are a subscriber or a casual observer of our blogs, you know our commitment to open source. However, don`t view this as a recommendation for moving to a linuxOS, see it as putting your toe in the water. For all of my MAC users, sorry this

sticking to the knitting

2008-01-13T12:08:00.000-05:00

Something to consider when the business is young and short of mothers milk - cash, there is a tendency to say yes to anything that will generate revenue. Think twice before grabbing for the cash. We took on a project that demanded operating outside established procedures and that caused several uncommon errors. We have now threatened the revenue, but more importantly we risk our reputation and 11

The Quick or the Dead

2007-11-19T20:27:00.000-05:00

I was reviewing my personal “rutter” last night and came across an article I wrote several years ago about how to start a business fast.; and what I meant by fast was moving from conception (Stage I) to cash flow neutral (Stage II) in the shortest period of time. The following was my research and the script we are currently using to grow the company.Executive RollCreate Thought Leadership through

Having a Bad Day

2005-11-28T10:04:00.000-05:00

The days simply pile up, all of the normal frustrations of solopreneurship focused on a single event – I must know everything because I must do everything therefore mistakes are many and costly.Because of being beguiled by new (free) software from Microsoft and the inadvertent installation of server software, the entire system was reinstalled costing over a week in time, $400 in direct costs (

It’s All About You (and the laws of business)

2005-09-14T09:59:00.000-04:00

Summary. Given all the factors used to predict success when starting and growing a business - the personality and talent of the founding solopreneur is the most critical, far more significant than the original business idea. You must know the laws of nature to work in the sciences and the same is true here – what are the universal laws of business demanding accommodation like gravity. Businesses

rule of hard corps

2005-09-13T16:34:00.000-04:00

Another excerpt from my upcoming book ‘hard corps – the order of entrepreneurship’ and how this Type 1 TRIES to liveI once said that being an entrepreneur was a calling, like perhaps a priest – rabbi – imam. That was not a flip remark; I have great respect the people who answer that call.Staying with this analogy because of the shared ‘nakedness’ of the roles – your personality, traits, strengths

Hard Corps #2

2005-09-13T09:13:00.000-04:00

I am in the process of finishing a book on self-management for the startup entrepreneur called ‘hard corps’. The following is a second article I wrote on the subject last year. Being ‘hard corps’ is about trying to be a Type 1 person and not the bumbler. However, none of us is born to it and if we do not dedicate considerable attention to ‘owning our life’; falling into the Type 3 is inevitable

Wacko People

2005-09-13T08:59:00.000-04:00

The following is a reprint of an article I wrote last year base upon a book by Robert Ringer. I have been in the people business for a long time and there exist many different models for describing human behavior; Myers-Briggs (MBTI), DiSC, and the Harrison InnerView are assessments that I have used in the past. However, I love Ringer’s work because it is easy to follow and practical in its

"Are We Stupid?" or just bad business poetry

2005-09-12T12:33:00.000-04:00

Are we stupid? Why not take the path most traveled; get a job, eat dinner at the appointed time, cut the grass on the weekend, and perhaps if good at the chores find a sexual reward once week, a forgettable 10 minute sweat. Ok, feeling better now having answered my own question - what was I thinking? I would rather have everything bet on the turn of friendly card. I would rather be screaming at

the Invisible Hand

2005-09-11T23:17:00.000-04:00

Nothing heats my blood more than the blind indifference I feel from society, government, and large organizations. Although there is an awakening occurring in the country as exemplified by Tom Peter's "Brand You,” Daniel Pink's "Free Agent Nation", and Mary Foley’s “Bodacious Women”, we are the most underappreciated segment of the country, and the world. I do not mean the occasional lip service

The Club of Terror - Part 2

2005-09-11T22:41:00.000-04:00

(continuation from Serial Entrepreneur) I recognized these people as my brothers and sisters.” What happened in my thought process to recognize these Ghanaian’s as my spiritual family? It was the "terror" to quote Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.Rewind the tape, its 1990 - Accra Ghana. The class was enjoying the sessions but on this third Monday, I sensed restlessness. The unofficial

Serial Entrepreneur - Part 1

2005-09-11T22:36:00.000-04:00

Like some 12 step program, I first must admit, "I'm an addict.” I do not know if it is the adrenaline rush of risking everything or the satisfaction of achieving against significant odds, but I must admit an addiction and then understand its roots. Nothing in my life (I thought) prepared me for the last 18 years. Raised in a gypsy blue-collar family, my father did have a go at his own business