Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:23:34 GMT

Getting out before you want out

© heathbrandon
There are entrepreneurs who are in it for the dream, who foster their business because they believe it's going to be the next big thing and want to rule the world. Those with the big dreams and the drive are important to our economy and our culture, and you have to give them props and stand back as they take off for the stars.

Then there are the rest of us, who think we have a good idea or two, a way to bring it to market, and some chance of worldly success. We may be attached to our ideas, and they probably wouldn't ever amount to much if we weren't, but maybe not so much that the right company with a large enough check couldn't come along to take them off our hands.

What happens when the dreamers are forced into the same box with the rest of us? Tony Hsieh of Zappos explains how he was forced by his board of directors to sell the company to Amazon for $1.2 billion. Hsieh is philosophical and optimistic about the deal, but clearly would have preferred to continue building Zappos toward his own goals.

You might read this as another cautionary tale about accepting VC funding and giving up control of your business (and it is an interesting story in that respect, illustrating how even deal structured to retain control don't always work out that way) but I see it as a deeper lesson in building alliances. The fundamental issue is that whoever you are in business with has to share the vision. A VC falls into the second camp, and is usually better at it than the entrepreneur from the first camp, but it needn't be VCs that cause the problems.... employees, other partners, suppliers, all of them can introduce obstacles if they don't share the same vision. If you don't want to get out of your business before you're ready, make sure you choose wisely. Posted by: Mattew      Read more     Source

March 18, 2010, 11:00 AM CT

5 Tips for Efficient Employee Recognition

So you had been thinking that the workforce in your firm have been working like robots for the bonuses right? Wrong! Recent surveys have concluded that the single crucial factor that drives employees in an organization towards betterment and increased productivity, apart from money, is recognition. We have always had this inherent instinct of being regarded as the better among the best, and employee recognition is one of the best ways to kill two birds with one stone for the employers - please this craving and improve productivity in tandem!

Here are 5 tips to help improve employee recognition within your organization:

1. Set fixed standards and treat all employees as equal and eligible to be rewarded.
2. Make sure that the rewarded employee and the ones who had been in contention know why you have chosen him/her. Don't let choices remain ambiguous.
3. Identify drawbacks of the winning employee and mention ways to correct the same. (Achieving perfection is near-impossible!)
4. Try not to pick a single employee, as this may give rise to favoritism remarks among the ones who lost out on the opportunity.
5. Make sure you let your team know what you would be looking for the next year's (or a similar timeline) award set!
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Posted by: Ethen      Read more         Source

February 27, 2010, 9:48 PM CT

Wireless Headsets: Advantage and Uses

The advancement of technology has resulted in an increased use of wireless headsets over the past several years. These help you in operating a radio, an Ipod, a cellular phone, and even a standard telephone. They simplify communication and also provide mobility. Convenience is one of their major advantages. With the elimination of the cords you can move about freely. Also they are incorporated with a wide signal range which is being increased frequently with all the advancements in technology.

Customer service and call center sectors are the most benefited areas of business which use these wireless headsets. Also there are several other offices are using them for their employees who have to use telephones frequently. These devices are apt for office environments because they allow both hands to be free. Hence, the employee can feed any information in the computer while on a call without disrupting the telephonic conversation. Moreover there are no cables strewn all over the floor. Hence, there are fewer chances of people tripping over the floor all the time. On the other hand the office also looks neat and impressive.

There are several other physical; benefits too. With the increase in use of wireless headsets less people are falling sick due to tiredness and work pressure. These devices allow people to stretch a while even during an important call. With the advent of the wireless Bluetooth headsets you can also walk down to the nearest printer to take a print out while going through a business conversation over phone. Studies have shown that with the increase in use of these devices over the past few years fewer people have complained of muscle strains. These devices actually help to reduce muscle tension up to 41 percent than what had been when people used a telephone. ........ Posted by: Ethen      Read more         Source

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:08:44 GMT

Latest Digital Photography News

If you're like me, when you really get into something, such as digital cameras and photography, you can't get enough of it.

Unfortunately, for me, that also includes food.

Well, I found a place on the net that has a plethora of digital photography information, and it's free and non-fattening.

Check out "Imaging Resource" and be prepared to spend lots of time there.

Take a camera with you whenever possible, and look around, you'll find a picture somewhere.

Photo Source:www.jimippolito.com Posted by: Karen      Read more     Source

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:33:50 GMT

LGBT Capital Launch

Galileo Capital Management has launched LGBT Capital, a specialist Corporate Advisory and Investment Management Unit focused on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) consumer market.

LGBT Capital provides corporate advisory and business development services for companies that serve the LGBT consumer sector. In addition, LGBT Capital is preparing to launch a fund that will invest in companies worldwide that provide products and services to the LGBT community.

The power of the 'pink dollar' is now well understood by mainstream global marketers. LGBT Capital believes that as LGBT freedoms continue to develop, growing companies will increasingly look to raise capital, merge and acquire, which will require specialist advice and capital raising options.

Read Complete Article
Posted by: Aaron      Read more     Source

February 12, 2010, 6:07 PM CT

Hotel Booking: Most Hotels Are Coming Up With a Website to Cater To Online Customers

Most of must have experienced how to book a hotel online and it must have been quite an easy task. It gives you a sense of satisfaction when you are able to do such an uphill task at such a short time. This has become very popular trend and hence people prefer to do it themselves rather than going in for a middleman or a travel agent. In fact, to stay ahead in the world of competition, most hotels are coming up with a new website to cater to their customers online.

The best time to get hotel bookings done is during the off season. During peak season when all the hotels are full, the charges are high even if you book 6 to 8 months in advance. On the contrary if you book rooms for the off season you can avail of discounts up to 40% or even 50%. Many hotels will also offer you complimentary packages during off peak seasons since they do not have many visitors and guests. These complimentary packages may include a free spa therapy, complimentary wine, or even pick and drop from the airport.

In case you have missed out on the off season, do not be disheartened since discounts are available throughout the year if your book your tickets well in advance. The discounts for hotel booking are even higher if you book a non-refundable room. This is applicable since most hotels are looking forward to fill in their rooms as quickly as possible. Another way of finding a discount hotel is to go in for a no frills hotel. These hotels do not have as many facilities as luxury hotels do, but they offer a comfortable accommodation for their guests. These hotels do not have a big budget with which they advertise everywhere. So they have a tie up with the travel websites which help them in attracting customers......... Posted by: Ethen      Read more         Source

January 28, 2010, 0:23 AM CT

Bullying among adolescents

The act and victimization of bullying continues to be a problem among today's youth. While a number of children are experiencing this form of violence, it is more prevalent in children that are different from the social norm. As medical professionals continue to further their understanding of bullying, research shows a high rate of sexual minority youth who experience this harmful activity.

A newly released study conducted by doctors at Nationwide Children's Hospital observed that sexual minority youth, or teens that identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, are bullied two to three times more than heterosexuals.

As per the study that is now available online in the Journal of Adolescent Health, sexual minority youth are more vulnerable to a variety of physical and mental domains such as bullying or suicidal thoughts. Plus, the study observed that a number of older adolescents reported being bullied.

"There is a need for health care professionals, and others who work with children, to be aware that sexual minority youth are more likely to be victims of bullying and other forms of violence," said Elise Berlan, MD, main author and doctor in Adolescent Medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital. "Parents should also take time to communicate with their children about sensitive topics such as sexuality, peer relations and violence"......... Posted by: Ethen      Read more         Source

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:06:11 GMT

Aniston in a raunchy photoshoot

After sparking rumours of revived romance, Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston and Scottish actor Gerard Butler have set tongues wagging with a raunchy photo-shoot together.

The pair will appear on the cover of US fashion magazine W in its future edition. The pics, taken in the desert outside LA, reveal slender Aniston in skimpy underwear while burly Butler poses as a leather-clad New York policeman.

The 40-year-old former Friends star and The Ugly Truth star Gerard, also 40, put on a flirty display at the Golden Globes last weekend, fuelling speculation that time spent filming upcoming thriller The Bounty Hunter together has led to an off-screen affair.

And the images are sure to provoke yet more comparisons between Aniston and Jolie, who posed with Brad Pitt for the magazine in 2008.

"For two days Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler were in the desert outside LA -creating these really hot pictures. The result is the raciest cover in the history of W. Those pictures of Brad and Angelina? Forget it," the Daily Express quoted a source at the magazine as saying.

"Jen has a natural and effortless sexiness compared to Angelina"s very stylised look. And you have Gerry who is just the epitome of a manly man, dressed in a cop uniform. These photos will do nothing to quell the rumours of their romance - quite the opposite in fact," the source added. Posted by: Melissa      Read more     Source

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:04:05 GMT

Do Not Pass Go

Sorry I"m a little behind with my photocapping duties. Last week"s double episode of Jersey Shore was a lot for me to take in. Granted, it was sort of the usual stuff: fist fights, booty calls, wide-scale butchering of the English language. This time, however, we got the added bonus of an Israeli stalker, and let me tell you something: no one hunts down people better than the Israelis. You ever see Munich? Exactly.

Poor Pauly D was the unlucky recipient of this psycho beach prowler -- a humorless woman who adamantly insisted she didn"t want to be made to look the fool. Her first mistake: trolling after a guy with a giant Italian flag on his back and a blow-out on his head. I"m not sure she"ll ever be able to live this one down, especially when Pauly finally told her off on the insufferable duck phone. He laid it out to her pretty harshly, and you"d think she would have taken the hint when he up and hung up on her, but alas, she sought him out once again at a club (Karma? Bamboo? Pepperoni?) and again insisted she was NOT a stalker. Pauly probably should have simply marched away, but instead he humored her presence, seemingly acquiescing to her demands that they continue to hang out. Kind of poor form on his part. You can"t complain about a stalker if you"re willing to string her along.... Posted by: B-Side      Read more     Source

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:57:51 GMT

Wine Resolutions for 2010

© Stewart


Its a new year, I'm a year older (and hopefully wiser) and as I drank a cheap White Merlot in a Vegas hotel with a group of girl friends, I thought, "Maybe I should make some resolutions besides the old stand-bys." Every year we want to be better, look better and feel better. But what about drinking better?

It may say a lot about me, or at least a lot about me in Las Vegas, that I thought about this but I thought it might be a fun exercise. So here are my wine resolutions for 2010:

1. Try new things. Every year I try to pick crazy looking bottles or labels as my way of being adventurous. But I stick to the same kinds of wine. My safety-net wines if you will. For me its Riesling and Pinot Noir. This year I want to experiment with wine types that I've never heard of.

2. Savor More. I don't know about you, but sometimes I rush my wine. I buy a glass and drink it with savoring all the little nuances that make each glass unique. I consider how it blends with my food, but only for the first few sips.

3. Write it down. Sometimes I try a new wine, or test a wine with a meal (I love to pair wines and foods together), and its fantastic. Or maybe not so fantastic. And then I forget. Later I'll make the dish again and rack my brains trying to remember the label I loved so much. I bought a book over a year ago to take wine-tasting notes in. I plan to actually use it this year.

4. Drink with friends. I buy bottles of wine just to have on hand for myself, or to take to a party or share with a date. Rarely do I share a wine with a group of friends that are all interested in wine. But when I do, I love it. I enjoy everyone's thoughts and opinions and pairing suggestions. Something about a group of people all experiencing the same thing but throwing in their opinions creates an energizing atmosphere for me.

Do you have any wine resolutions for the new year?
Posted by: Doreen      Read more     Source