Young people getting their entrepreneurship on in the college in a real cool way; here are a few of there profiles. Like most college students, Dickerson, a junior at Syracuse University, found himself wedged into a small dorm room that fit little more than a bed and a desk. The son of an interior designer, he set out to optimize that space. The idea? Turn the bed into a couch during nonsleeping hours. And, in 2009, the Rylaxer was born. The ergonomic, “bed transforming pillow” is made of foam, with lumbar support, and it comes in two sizes and a variety of colors, plus a cheetah print. Rylaxing has an online store, but for now the company is Syracuse-centric: The pillows are made in town and sold primarily on campus. A year from now, though, Dickerson hopes to be selling them at colleges nationwide, through an army of brand ambassadors. Click Here For More
Here is a bit of food for thought from Forbes for the entrepreneur in you; Check it Out!
From the day we start kindergarten we fear the teacher’s call to our parents saying, “Hello Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I’m sorry to tell you that Mary has been disruptive in class.” We are taught, trained and indoctrinated to go along and get along, to not disrupt. In fact we’re constantly told to seek harmony. But in business that can destroy your entire value.
Sun Microsystems was a very successful company that sold computer workstations and servers. It had many people developing software, but less than 5% of that software was sold in any way other than installed in a Sun hardware box. In the mid-1990s Sun’s engineers developed Java, a powerful new language that was destined to rapidly increase use of the Internet. The problem for Sun was how to sell Java. Sun was a hardware company.
As the executives at Sun considered the problem, they pointed out that Sun had a great hardware business. Selling software would disrupt their product line development, their distribution channels and possibly their pricing schemes. The marketers, hearing the direction the execs were taking, quickly and quietly fell in line. Although the revenue potential was great and the product was far superior to a comparable one being released by Microsoft, nobody spoke up to say that Sun should disrupt its business model and get into software sales.
Within weeks the decision was made to simply give Java away. Rather than change what Sun did and how the company did it, the rationalization was that Java would make more people use the Internet, and that would lead to more box sales. Sun’s business would remain unaltered, and the new product would simply be free.
Sun’s value fell from a peak of more than $200 billion a decade ago to about $5 billion in 2009, as the company became largely irrelevant. In early 2010 Sun disappeared, acquired by the software giant Oracle, which is spinning off its hardware business and only keeping its operating system and other software products. In the end, Sun was worth only what software it had left–which didn’t include Java. It’s too bad for investors that nobody was able to disrupt Sun, perhaps pushing the company into the software business 10 or 15 years earlier and before 95% of its value disappeared.
More recently, look at Toyota. Toyota demonstrated great skill in rising to the top in the automobile industry. But along the way it lost its willingness to disrupt. Employees and managers, once famous for their ability to stop entire plants at the slightest sign of quality problems, became tentative and unwilling to do anything to disrupt the flow of product and sales. We now know, from recent congressional testimony, that the company’s managers were aware of problems that needed attention but kept acting as if nothing was wrong. Everyone worked to get along. Because nobody inside Toyota disrupted the status quo, its reputation and value have taken a severe blow. Click Here To Read More
Inc.com put together a great step by step how to for writing a business plan; no matter the type of business this how to can be very beneficial if implemented right. Check It Out!
A great business plan is a living, breathing blueprint for your business that can help you navigate and manage your company while also helping potential investors, partners, lenders, and others understand your business strategy and your chances at success. A business plan is never quite finished because you’re always revising it, reviewing it, and building upon it. In fact, more important to your business’ future than having a written, 30-page, coil-bound plan to distribute is the business planning process that you undertake on a regular basis to hopefully keep your ship headed in the right direction without losing sight of your long-term destination.
“In my company, we’ve been working on the same plan for more than 20 years — we review it every month and revise it every year. We’ve printed it out a dozen times and shined and polished it. We share it with the team constantly, but it is never done,” says Tim Berry, president and founder of Palo Alto Software, maker of Business Plan Pro software, who blogs at bplans.com. “When your business plan is finished, your company is finished.”
The following pages will help you understand why you should write a business plan, components to include in a business plan, and how to use the plan internally to meet your business goals.
Dig Deeper: Setting Company Goals
How to Write a Great Business Plan: Reasons to Write a Business Plan
For those of you just starting a business, writing a business plan is a crucial first step. It can help you describe your product or service, detail your marketing strategy, and lay out your sales and operational forecasts — including the ever important cash-flow projection so as to keep your business on track for profits. Putting these plans in writing can hopefully start a healthy business planning process that your business revisits on a regular basis, updates, and revises.
The Kardashian continue to build the brand, with theirclothing line for bebe set to hit stores in two days, the Kardashian sisters aren’t letting you forget about their other soon-to-launch fashion project: an Armenian-inspired jewelry line for L.A.-based brand Virgin Saints and Angels. Though the baubles won’t hit stores until April, Khloe Kardashian is already offering up a sneak peek. Taking to her official website she writes, “Well I’m very excited to finally be able to share some of the fab pieces from the collection with you. The design was inspired by our Armenian heritage and there’s a great deal of symbolism behind each piece. We’ve all worked very hard on this project and my sisters and I are absolutely thrilled with the way the line turned out! I can’t wait to hear what you guys think and which are your favorite pieces.”
The NBA and Hip Hop love affair continues as Amare Stoudemire reveals to The Fusion Magazine launch a new record label “Hypocalypto” and perps first artist Juice new album which will be a joint deal with rapper Game’s Black Wall Street label, check it out:
There are two sides to every coin, two sides to every story, at least two paths to every fork in the road, and two choices to every decision made. But what happens when two dreams pull equally at your heart strings? Do you give up one? Or go balls to the wall in an effort to achieve greatness, twice over?
Amar’e Stoudemire didn’t start playing basketball until he was 14, but his passion for music has been lifelong. The teen prodigy played two years of high school ball, then declared for the NBA. He was drafted 9th in the 02 Draft, was 03’s Rookie of the Year, is a 5 time NBA All Star, and Olympic Bronze Medal winner.
So what could be left? Besides the ever elusive NBA championship ring? Why not a Record Label, maybe even a Grammy, by way of his Hypocalypto Artist: Juice.
How did you make the transition from the basketball court to the hip hop side of the industry and what prompted it?
I have a huge passion for music. I wanted an opportunity to explore that side of it, so I started the record label to see if I could be successful at it. There are a lot of quality artists out there who just don’t get the opportunity to prosper, so I started it as a way to help, for one, and secondly to fill my passion for hip hop music.
How did you come across Juice and how did that develop into the business relationship that you have now?
I knew Juice before we actually signed him. The situation he was in prior to me wasn’t working out well for him so I invited him over to Hypocalypto. We sat down and came up with an idea together of what we wanted to do with him as a project. Now he’s Hypocalypto and we go from there.
Is it wise to start up a new business now? That’s a question family and friends have been asking me lately, and my answer is absolutely! Yes I know, in a time where its difficult to maintain sales, raise profit margins, and compete with rival companies that would sell their souls to the devil to get rid of stock at an unreasonable discounted price. But hold on there is a method to this madness, no recession lasts for ever and when the economy is back on the up and up , you’ll have a good advantage.
Imagine this, you’ve somehow manage to survive the hard times and withstand the adversity of a soaring economy; so the good times should be much easier and very successful. If you start up in a difficult market, you will be so much more cost aware and very frugal. Spending unnecessary can single-handedly kill a business, you would have already mastered techniques to cutting cost without compromising quality.
For all of my young money moguls on the making here is a great outline of ten key resolutions for 2010 that can help take you and your business to the next level, some items may work for you and some may not but over all the advice is pretty good; check it out:
1. Give 1 percent
Great brands leave lasting impressions on those who meet them. One dynamic way to make yourself memorable is to help someone in need. We know your schedule is jam-packed and resources are tight, but even a small can make a difference. Instead of making a vague resolution to volunteer…set a more specific goal based on the idea of giving at least one percent of your time and salary for the year. There are 365 days in a year, so carve out at least 3.5 days to do good before the year is up. If you make $50,000 donate at least $500 to a good cause as your one percent commitment for the year. Not only is giving the right thing to do, but it builds character and makes you feel good about yourself in the process. Whether you call it karma, law of reciprocation, sowing seeds or just plain doing good– helping others opens you up to receive more, so do it. We can all spare one percent.
2. Organize, Organize, Organize
To make 2010 better than last year you have to do more in less time. There’s never going to be 25 hours in a day, so you have to find ways to save the precious time you have. One easy way to do that is to de-clutter your home and workspace. We spend so much time searching for things that are buried in stacks of paper, crowded closets and unorganized files. Get rid of the junk drawer, clean out your inbox, delete your voicemail messages, and focus on clearing out old and unnecessary baggage, so you can think clearly and easily navigate through all the new stuff that’s coming your way. Being organized gives you more time to do your thing.
3. Make a Standing Appointment with Your Hairstylist/Barber.
Man, few things can compare to the feeling of leaving the hair salon with a fresh new do (or a fresh haircut for the fellas). When you look good, you automatically feel good. You’re more confident, energized, and ready to hit the scene. In 2010 make a commitment to give yourself that confident, unstoppable feeling on a regular basis. Don’t just say you’ll go more often. Actually make a standing appointment. Tell your stylist that you need to book a regular appointment every Friday, every other Saturday… or whatever time works for you. Take care of you, so you can present your best to the world. Your fresh look and confidence stride are critical to your brand.
4. Travel More
Vacations are not only a great gift to yourself, but they give you a chance to explore new places, meet new people and gather fresh ideas. Traveling also gives you memorable experiences that can make you a more interesting person to talk to. Carve out more time to travel this year. Even if your pockets are lighter this year, you can local attractions, spas, hotels and landmarks to explore close to home. Allow yourself to be a tourist. Take a road trip down the coast. Ride a tour bus. Mingle with out-of-towners. Traveling doesn’t have to be far or expensive. Just get away from your normal routine and experience life from a different perspective. Pull out your calendar and start planning your 2010 getaway.
What you can learn from James Cameron and Avatar. With Avatar recently becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time, Hollywood is looking to learn what it can from the mystical blue people of the Na’vi. Entrepreneurs, however, might want to look at the film’s director, James Cameron, for some business advice. Finance blog, BloggingStocks, has an interesting post about the business lessons entrepreneurs can learn from James Cameron. In their words, “Cameron is a New Age entrepreneur–that is, combining creativity, unconventional wisdom, over-the-top optimism and good business sense.” They advise entrepreneurs to find a way to charge a premium. By making a 3D film, Cameron was able to charge 30 percent more than a regular movie ticket. It also took Cameron 10 years to make the film, which BloggingStocks says proves that “while some entrepreneurs can make a quick fortune, this is rare. Instead, building real value takes time.” Read More Here
Alexis Diaz has always been a natural born Actress. From the start of a young age she had participated in plays and competed in talent shows. Always driven she had attended Temple university in Philadelphia, where she received her Bachelors of Arts Degree in theater.MORE
Brent Blair is a young enthusiastic entrepreneur on his way to super stardom in the blogoshere. Writing is his talent, music is his passion, and let's not forget the fashion.
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Jimi is a young business owner and at the brink of entrepreneurial status, he grew up with a family of entrepreneurs and caught the bug early. He acquired most of , if not all his business skills working with both parents.MORE
Young people getting their entrepreneurship on in the college in a real cool way; here are a few of there profiles. Like most college students, Dickerson, a junior at Syracuse University, found himself wedged into a small dorm room that fit little more than a bed and a desk. The son of an interior designer, he set out to optimize that space. The idea? Turn the bed into a couch during nonsleeping hours. And, in 2009, the Rylaxer was born. The ergonomic, “bed transforming pillow” is made of foam, with lumbar support, and it comes in two sizes and a variety of colors, plus a cheetah print. Rylaxing has an online store, but for now the company is Syracuse-centric: The pillows are made in town and sold primarily on campus. A year from now, though, Dickerson hopes to be selling them at colleges nationwide, through an army of brand ambassadors. Click Here For More 
