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Competition is Everywhere
1/27/2010

Great post by Seth Godin. We couldn’t agree more! Competition is everywhere and it’s when people see it that they are pushed to excel. Competitions give an artificial sense of urgency — in reality there is urgency everywhere all the time, people just need to see it.

Sure, there are playoffs in football, but competition is everywhere, we just forget to notice it.

There are three hundred photographers looking for work in a particular specialty. One puts a creative commons license on his shots in Flickr and they start showing up in many places, from presentations to brochures. Which of the 300 photographers has won the competition for attention? Which one of the three hundred has shared his ideas enough to be noticed?

There are twenty towns you can choose for your family’s new home. One invests in its schools, has a focus on inquiry, AP courses and community, while the others are muddling through, arguing about their future. Which one commands a higher premium for its houses?

There are a hundred new kinds of snacks and energy bars at the checkout of the supermarket. One is a little bigger, a little more exciting and a little closer to eye level. Which one of the hundred wins the battle for your impulse buy?

There are fifty people applying for a job. Forty nine have great credentials and beautifully standard layouts on their resumes. One resume was hand delivered to the CEO by his best friend, together with a glowing recommendation about a project the applicant did for the friend’s non-profit. Who gets the interview?

There are ten great jobs for the superstar programmer who is looking for a new challenge. One offers offices not cubes, free lunch, great customer support and the freedom to work on interesting projects. Where does she choose to apply?

There are 30 places that sell bumper stickers. One shows up first in the Google ads when I do a search. Which one gets my business?

There are seventy houses for sale in town. One of them is represented by a broker who is a pillar of the community, a friend of many and a role model for the industry. Which one gets more people to its open house?

….

You don’t have to like competition in order to understand that it exists. Your fair share isn’t going to be yours unless you give the public a reason to pick you.

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StartUp America
1/26/2010

Great post from Andrew Hyde. A startup enthusiast and TechStars employee.

To all my startup friends: you inspire me.

There was a fantastic op ed this morning in the NYTimes More (Steve) Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.

What the country needs most now is not more government stimulus, but more stimulation. We need to get millions of American kids, not just the geniuses, excited about innovation and entrepreneurship again. We need to make 2010 what Obama should have made 2009: the year of innovation, the year of making our pie bigger, the year of “Start-Up America.”

I would change it should be Startup America, because startup is a word, in my mind at least.

The people I’m around in the startup world could make a damn good run to change the world on $100,000. The banks couldn’t give a mid level manager a bonus that low.

Reject that mentality. I wonder if we took an ounce of that money and seeded Matt to start a bank, or perhaps not fund, but enable them to compete against those that have failed, and will continue to fail, if we just keep propping them up.

We would have a better country, that is what.

To all my startup friends: you inspire me.

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5 Entrepreneurship Trends to Watch Out for in 2010
1/8/2010

What entrepreneurship trends do you anticipate in Massachusetts in 2010?

Blog post from Ben Parr on the upcoming entrepreneurship trends in 2010. What do you expect for 2010? Do you anticipate that Massachusetts will follow the same trends?

2009 started out as a hard year for entrepreneurs. Consumer spending, venture capital funding, and bank loans were all down due to the global recession, making it harder for small businesses to grow. Yet as the economy has recovered, positive signs have emerged for the startup world. Venture capital is bouncing back and holiday spending seems to be recovering.

What can entrepreneurs and small businesses expect to see in 2010? The last twelve months have been an economic roller coaster, but startups can look forward to a brighter 365 days ahead. Here are some trends you’ll likely see emerge in 2010:

1. There will more IPOs in 2010: In terms of exits, the initial public offering is often the granddaddy of them all. It is what turns a few innovative entrepreneurs into millionaires and billionaires. With the market recovering, you can expect more of them to occur this year, including several high profile ones. The big IPO highlight this year could be none other than Facebook.

2. Venture capital will continue to flow: As I said before, venture capital is recovering, but it’s nowhere near its previous peaks. $4.8 billion was invested in startups in Q3 2009, up from $3.32 billion in Q1, but still well shy of the $7.16 billion in Q3 2008. Several VC firms are already predicting that 2010 will be a buyer’s market, and unless we have another economic collapse, I tend to agree with that assertion.

3. More social media starts will find ways to be profitable: Profitability in social media and the web has always been a problem. In the last few months though, companies such as Twitter, Facebook, and Zynga have found ways to become profitable. This is a good sign for the rest of the industry: the online ad market is recovering and social media companies are finding innovative ways to earn revenue.

4. Industries to watch: Biotech, Clean Tech, Energy, Media/Entertainment: These four industries were some of the most-funded and rapidly-growing industries this year. Biotech raised $905 million in venture capital last quarter, while clean tech grew by 89% from Q2 to Q3 2009 alone.

5. More economic turmoil: While I’ve painted an overall rosy picture for 2010 (especially compared to the economic abyss of 2009), entrepreneurs are not out of the woods yet. While the stock market has made a comeback in 2009, banks are still closing and the U.S. federal deficit is still rising.

While the recovery should still continue into 2010, there are likely going to be more bumps in the road. Entrepreneurs need to continue to be vigilant, find innovative ways to sustain positive cash flow, and create long-lasting companies.

Please visit OPEN Forum to view the article in its original format.

 

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