ShawnHessinger commented on the following stories on BizSugar
Eight Tips To Successfully Bootstrap Your Business
"The idea of bootstrapping a business, a favorite subject of mine since I once edited a blog on the topic, is critically important in today's economy. In fact, I'm often amazed how ideas like using a virtual office, especially in the case of an online business, is not simply a given. Businesses need to learn to do more with less. Bootstrapping is not a new idea. It's been used to build highly successful companies. And it is a great strategy to build a strong business in a time when resources are limited. "5 Tips for rockin' your first media interview
"Thanks, Kay. I would add one more important tip...RELAX! As somebody who's given many interviews and done plenty of them with others, I can tell you that while some effort should be made to prepare and get a good outcome from any interview, it is also important to understand that you do not control the interview process...or the outcome. Do your best and don't become uptight during the interview or after about the results. Being known as an easy interview attracts others to you and will multiply your opportunities to get your ideas out there. Being known as a temperamental interview who tries to control the process and complains afterwards about the results will, of course, have the opposite effect. "The 8 Personality Traits of a Successful Start-Up Entrepreneur
"Laura, Thanks for this awesome list which we'll go ahead and take at face value. It kind of raises the question of whether entrepreneurs are born or made. Can you develop these traits over time or strengthen some that you are weak in? I've always believed we're more able to make changes in our lives than many people realize, that we don't need to look at a list and say, 'OK, that's it. I guess I can't be an entrepreneur." We can always work on the traits we lack."The 8 Personality Traits of a Successful Start-Up Entrepreneur
"Laura, Just to play devil's advocate, I think I'm probably not entirely satisfied with the "it takes a special kind of person" argument. I'd like to accept this point of view because it makes entrepreneurs special people and I think they are, but not because of how they are natured. It's rather because of what they have worked to become. We are facing a radically changing economy that may well alter the way many or most people work...forever. (Or at least for the foreseeable future.) Already the term "accidental entrepreneur" has been coined to describe a person who started a business for themselves during the recession because they couldn't find anything in the job market. If there are more people out there who want 9-5 jobs than there are 9-5 jobs and they cannot change, I would say we are in an awful lot of trouble. I'm not certain our ancestors wanted to climb out of the sea, but the consequences of remaining in the water may have been the more negative choice. Just my two cents. "The 25 Urban Entrepreneurs To Follow
"Wow, thanks for the great list. Always nice to have more entrepreneurs to follow. It's an amazing resource like getting to spend time in the same room with other entrepreneurs just like you but ones who may have experiences you lack. I always find it a fantastic learning experience."Silicon Valley Angels Accused of Collusion and Price-fixing
"I suspect I'm in the minority on this one, but the problem, in my view, isn't so much that this kind of nonsense goes on but that government officials are quite likely to overreact to it impacting smaller businesses in ways not yet imagined. Price fixing and collusion occurred in many small markets across the U.S., and elsewhere I'm sure, in times past, even before the growth of big business as we know it today. In those days, when communications and resources may have been more limited, this may have actually been a problem. Today, in the age of the Internet, the idea of a couple of guys sitting together in a room in San Francisco and deciding how to manipulate the future of tech business is kind of laughable...no matter who they are. Regrettably, the Fed is almost certain not to think so and instead will likely pass, or try to pass, a bunch of invasive legislation that will further curtail much needed cooperation and collaboration among smaller businesses who cannot hope to ever control the market in the way these angels are allegedly proposing. (There other option would be to simply investigate to determine whether, in this instance, a crime was committed, but I hold out little hope that this will be the end of it.) Just my two cents, but any kind of collusion intended to control markets is largely a horse and buggy strategy in an age of instant communication and rapid networking. And so, probably, is the notion that government legislation is needed to prevent it. "How to Confuse Your Customers in One Easy Step
"Great thoughts about branding, Susan, and I think the opposite is also true. If you have a completely different product or several that make sense and fit together for your business but aren't necessarily targeting the same client or customer, you can distance these by slightly different or significantly different branding and really build them for those different customers. Don't assume that just because you've already built a customer or client relationship with one group of people they will automatically be interested in a very different product. Sure, there might be some spill over and there is a connection for you and your business, (maybe you are creating one site on small business blogging and another on corporate blogging) but don't expect your audience to see that connection. Build your branding accordingly and don't confuse your customers by trying to build a connection between products aimed at very different audiences. "Subscribe
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Have You Tried Google's Updated Keyword Tool? It's out of beta
"Interesting you should bring it up. I'm not particularly keen on the new tool though it may grow on me. My objection has to do with the difficulty of locating what are called high value keywords on the new tool which, while possible, seems a bit more complicated on the new Google keyword tool. However, this may be simply because I'm still getting used to the filtering system. The old tool made it easier to refine a search for high value keywords related to a more general search term by bracketing and used recommended bid rather than average CPC as the default in valuing these keywords. In theory, using average CPC should actually improve results because it is based on real costs per click being paid, but this has not yet been shown in our keyword testing. I'd welcome anyone else's experiences with the tool in this regard and would love to get a discussion started."