Looking Ahead To Windows 9 | TechCrunch

August 18, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A preview of Windows 9 will be made available in either September or October, according to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley. That timeline keeps ‘Threshold’ — Windows 9’s code name — out into the public market as a finished product likely in early 2015.

The Windows 8 era isn’t merely closing, it’s racing to an end.

Last weekend I posited that as Windows 9 appears to be galloping to market, it’s a decent time to start saying goodbye to Windows 8. Now that Foley has revealed that Windows 9’s preview should be open to the public, for a good-sized chunk of the computing world Windows 8 is all but over — they will be able to quickly scoot over to the new code, provided that the preview isn’t too buggy.

Lessons Learned The Hard Way About Running A Virtual Company | Forbes.com

August 18, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The explosion of the virtual business model is rapidly gaining awareness. While the image of a virtual company tempts many entrepreneurs, they must also understand it is a model that – like any business model – involves both pros and cons.

When I started Varsity Tutors in 2007, I had no funding and no outside investors – to put it bluntly, I was a broke college student. Any dollar I saved was another dollar to put toward the growth of this company, so I opted for a virtual business model. Varsity Tutors ultimately succeeded, but it did not reach its current state without weathering its fair share of challenges associated with operating a virtual business. In retrospect, I could have avoided many pitfalls had I been able to learn from someone who had already been through it.

3 Lessons I Learned From Firing Someone | The Muse

August 18, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As a manager, I’ve always dreaded saying the words, “Can I talk to you in my office?”—probably even more than the employee who’s on the other side of the request. The phrase is eerily similar to the relationship-ending “We need to talk”—as soon as those words come out, you know the conversation isn’t going to be a good one.

So, when I used that exact phrase to begin a tough conversation with one of my employees, he instantly knew something wasn’t right. And it wasn’t; I was terminating his employment. It was my first time firing an employee—and as I delivered the news and watched him leave the building, I didn’t feel the way I thought I would. In fact, I learned three unexpected lessons that day, and it’s influenced the way I’ve managed my team ever since.

Ferguson’s New Leader Becomes a Hometown Hero Overnight | Mashable.com

August 15, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A captain in the Missouri highway patrol catapulted to local fame on Thursday after he and officers under his command rolled into Ferguson to take over the security for local protests.

Gov. Jay Nixon ordered Capt. Ron Johnson and the patrol to take the reins from a St. Louis County police force that had responded to protesters this week by wielding assault rifles, firing tear gas and patrolling the streets in military-style vehicles. Unrest in Ferguson began after Darren Wilson, a local police officer, shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed, on Aug. 9.

Photos taken during the six days of demonstrations — the most violent night was on Wednesday when police fired smoke grenades and tear gas into a crowd — of standoffs between police and citizens in Ferguson often seemed eerily similar to war zone photography.

How Entrepreneurs Can Manage Their Personal Finances | Allbusiness.com

August 15, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Compared to other workers, entrepreneurs tend to enjoy an advantage in financial literacy. The know-how required to invest, organize, and save funds for a business often applies well to personal finance management, so these individuals run a “tighter ship” at home.

But this isn’t always the case. Business owners can lose their way financially by going to one of two extremes: Tying their personal finances too closely to their business resources, or running their personal finances quite differently from how they manage company money.

An unbalanced approach in either direction can lead to financial difficulties in the form of squeezed budgets and damaged credit. On the other hand, entrepreneurs who can strike a middle ground between these extremes enjoy greater financial security and success in their business and personal lives.

11 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My Business | Medium.com

August 14, 2014August 13, 2014 ~ lmehit ~ Leave a comment

A lot of people like to fool you and say that you’re not smart if you never went to college, but common sense rules over everything. That’s what I learned from selling crack. -Snoop Dogg

My name is Stephanie St.Claire, and I am an unfunded entrepreneur. I’ve been in business for 4 years, after engaging in my own personal and tenuous renaissance uh…divorce and rediscovering my Divine Core Purpose. In other words, I grew a pair of ladyballs and started living the life I always wanted to while making money doing it.

But there was a LOT to learn, and some of those things weren’t covered in Who Moved My Cheese. Throw these 4 rockstars into a blender, and you’ll have a composite sketch of me in the first three months of my business:

Glitter was literally shooting out of my eye sockets as I quit my PR firm job and started my own business. Full of optimism, living in New York City, and surrounded by a tribe of friends who were also launching businesses, art, and gigs, I felt it was the perfect time to make the bold move to entrepreneurship. I was now officially Living My Dream and Working For Myself which meant that I was In Charge of My Financial Destiny and Captain of My Promising Future.

5 Reasons Your Business Needs Your Story | Getentrepreneurial.com

August 13, 2014August 12, 2014 ~ lmehit ~ Leave a comment

You may have heard it said ‘Stories Sell’. It’s true. We really connect to a good story and it’s a proven marketing and sales tactic. You know this instinctively, you only buy something when you really ‘believe’ it. And you can take any example from your own life. Think about the last purchase you made; what was the pitch? What did you believe when you bought it? I can guarantee you, it was a great story.

However, I’m not writing about new ‘tactics’ here. I want to write about something much more authentic and personal than the latest proven business building gimmick.

And what’s this got to do with your business? Well you can be the very best in the world at what you do but if you can’t sell your services, you simply don’t have a business.

Top Ways To Market Your New Business Idea | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

August 13, 2014August 12, 2014 ~ lmehit ~ Leave a comment

Marketing a new business idea can be a difficult task and should be done with care and precision to target the correct audience in a way that is both effective and affordable. However, with a little planning and an array of effective techniques in your marketing arsenal, you’ll stand a good chance at advertising success – here are some great ways to market your new business idea to get you the exposure you need.

Presentation Packs

Whether you are trying to get some investors on board or are looking to help others gain awareness of your product or service, tailored presentation packs are a great way to do this. They contain all of the relevant information needed on the product or service and you can include a sample depending on what it is, as well as some merchandising goods used to entice clients and investors and establish your brand.

Booking a flight? Save by leaving on a Tuesday | MoneyCnn.com

August 12, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Planning to take a much-needed vacation this summer? Fly out on a Tuesday and you’ll save a chunk of cash. Passengers who schedule flights that depart on summer Tuesdays will pay an average of $77, or 17%, less for a ticket than they would if they fly out on a Sunday, the most expensive day of the week to fly, according to a survey by Cheapair.com.

The booking site compared fares for 900,000 round-trip flights scheduled between June and September and found that the average fare for a Tuesday was $367. That compares with $444 on Sundays, $412 on Fridays and $402 on Saturdays. Wednesdays were also cheap at an average of $368.

5 Things Never to Say On A Sales Call | Inc.com

August 12, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The words we use can make the difference between landing a sale or getting kicked to the curb. When observing salespeople selling, I’ve found many phrases used over and over again causing negative reactions from buyers. Salespeople can ask a question and not get a truthful answer from the buyer–simply because of the way they phrased the question. Here are five examples of what not to say on a sales call. Some of them may surprise you.

Are you the decision maker?

Great question, but it’s worded poorly. Surprisingly, this question actually persuades your prospect to lie to you. Here’s how. The question is closed-ended, meaning it requires either a “yes” or “no” answer. This makes a non-decision-maker feel threatened. They don’t want say “no” and appear unimportant, so they will often answer, “yes”. What they’re not telling you is that their “yes” is a “qualified yes”. What they are really saying is, “Yes, I’m the one who decides who gets to present to my boss–the ultimate decision-maker.” You’re now attempting to sell to the wrong person. This is why so many sales reps lose sales when they discover late in the process that someone else makes the decision.

Better: “Who else is participating with you in making this decision?”