Tag Archives: entrepreneurs

5 Quotes That Can Profoundly Change Your Business

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As a business owner, it’s way too easy to get bogged down in the day to day challenges. Sure it’s important to put out fires but it’s equally (or more) important to think about the big picture and where you’re taking things.

One way to get inspired and to challenge your thinking – or at least get a different perspective, is to find a quote that resonates with you. Often someone else can put into words those ideas that are bouncing around in your head.

These 5 quotes that get to the heart of business success: Continue reading →

CBI Wins Prize!

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Cumberland Business Incubator receives $50,000 prize to create Tinker Space

The Cumberland Business Incubator, located on Roane State Community College’s Cumberland County campus, has received a $50,000 prize to create a space where entrepreneurs can turn their ideas into working prototypes.

The incubator was one of 50 organizations nationwide to receive a prize through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund competition. Continue reading →

Big Small Business

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You are in a group called “big, small business” if you employ at least five people (other than yourself), do over $500,000 per year in annual sales, and have been in business for at least two years. That’s the smallest of the “big, small businesses”. The “large, small businesses” employ 15 or more people (all the way to 500), with annual sales between $2 million and $25 million. That’s a huge range, but according to the Small Business Administration anything under 500 employees is a small business. Continue reading →

Focus on the 80%

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I enjoy meeting with clients that come in with invention ideas. I get to put on my engineering hat and talk about engineering and design and manufacturing as well as all the typical business aspects. I met with a group last week that brought in their product idea. In this first meeting they were eager and excited to tell me about what they were going to build and what great ideas they had for packages and versions and the future of the product. There is a battery required to power their product. Within the same conversation they shared their ideas of how to build a better battery. They were full of ideas! Continue reading →

MAKE Camp 2014 a Huge Success

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18 campers, 11 volunteers and 3 Make camp staff spent 5 days at the CBI learning how to make things from soldering led lights and battery holders on a flashing robot pin to making a mini-hovercraft to woodworking projects, making paracord bracelets to learning how to write computer code and dozens of art and craft projects including learning how to sew. Continue reading →

Buy Local

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Consumers like to buy locally made things. The July 21-July 27, 2014 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek contains an interesting article about a potential new local trend. The owners of Absolut vodka, the French group Pernod Ricard, are looking to profit from those buyers who will pay a premium for small-batch locally made vodka. They are franchising. Pernod supplies the distilling equipment and the vodka recipe, but the production, sales and marketing and some profits are the entrepreneur’s. Continue reading →

The Eiffel Tower & Your Ideas

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In celebration of Bastille Day, Seth Godin’s blog included the following about the Eiffel Tower:

  • It was designed at home on the kitchen table
  • By someone who didn’t get their name on it
  • It had never been done before, not guaranteed to get built or to work
  • It was criticized by hundreds of leading intellectuals and cultural experts
  • It wasn’t supposed to last very long
  • It’s designed to be an icon, it’s not an accident
  • People flock to it because it’s famous
  • You can sketch a recognizable version of it on a napkin

I did a bit more research. In May of 1884, working at his kitchen table at home, Maurice Koechlin made an outline drawing of the scheme he and Emile Nouguier, both engineers with the Eiffel firm, had conceived of as the centerpiece for the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris, coinciding with the centennial of the French Revolution. Initially the owner of the company, Mr Eiffel himself, was not enthusiastic about the concept. Continue reading →

Considering Crowdfunding?

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Crowdfunding data changes as quickly as you look it up.  As of Monday May 26th 2014 at 6:30pm, the numbers across all categories of Kickstarter showed:

$1,131,653,455 total $’s pledged                        62,426 successfully funded projects

6,246,534 total backers                                      1,858,760 repeat backers

15,390,660 total pledges                              Overall:  43.47% success rate of campaigns

Kickstarter is not the only option for crowdfunding.  There are many choices for some of the categories, some better than others.  Regardless of the platform you are considering there are a number of factors involved in a successful campaign. Continue reading →

Sometimes the Answer is in the Question

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INC magazine compiled a list of questions across management thinkers, blogs and business books.  Here are 35 of those questions.  There are 65 more questions available on the Inc.com website.

Questions ignite imagination, avert catastrophes and reveal unexpected paths to growth.  Pose these questions to yourself and your team members.  The right questions require reflection followed by action. Continue reading →

Is It Time to Move Your Business Out of the Spare Bedroom?

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I found this article from Doug and Polly White to be right on target.

Moving from a home office, where occupancy costs are effectively zero, to rented space is a big decision.

Obviously, monthly expenses will increase. You’ll have to pay rent. If it’s not included in the rent, you’ll have to cover utility costs. In some circumstances, there may be other monthly fees for services such as cleaning and grounds maintenance. There will also be one-time costs. You may need to hire movers or purchase furniture, office equipment, or phone systems. Continue reading →