Trends: Off = On, On = Off
Saturday September 6, 2008
My favorite trendwatching source, the aptly-named Trendwatching.com, has a particularly insightful briefing this month on the Off = On trend. The briefing looks at how concepts from the online world are being brought into the offline world and vice-versa in so many areas -- art, fashion, home decor, retail displays, et al.
They recommend ways to apply the trend to your own business:
- Incorporate online symbols into one of your next designs.
- Have customers design something from scratch online, then bring it into the real world.
- Add any kind of online functionality or access feature to existing physical products.
- Study and then incorporate winning characteristics of living and doing business online into your offline processes.
- Infuse your campaigns with the language of the online-versed.
- Give your online brand an offline presence.
- Partner with any kind of relevant meet-up venture.
- Introduce a 'warm bodies FEEDER BUSINESS'.
- Hop on the mobile-meets-web bandwagon. Start with introducing an iPhone app. Hey, if British Airways can do it...
- Look beyond the next 6 to 12 months and dive into leading online gurus' visions. After all, even if their exact timing is sometimes off, their predictions so far have all come true.
For more trends, check out some of their recent briefings:
One Place Where Small Business Can Always Beat Big Business
Thursday August 28, 2008
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to switch providers for my home phone/internet/cable from Time Warner Cable to AT&T. AT&T was scheduled to be here Monday morning but didn't show (or didn't try very hard to make their presence known if, say, they rang the doorbell while I was in the shower or something -- no note, no phone call, no voice mail, etc. Plus, my pack of pugs would have been barking their heads off).
I had incredibly busy days Monday and Tuesday, so I just let it slide, figuring I'd take care of it on Wednesday. Only one problem...
Tuesday afternoon, my telephone quit working.
It seems that somehow Time Warner had executed a work order from AT&T (not from me directly) to transfer the phone number. So now, not only do I not have phone service at my house, anyone calling my number gets a disconnect notice, making it look like I didn't pay my phone bill or something.
So what does this have to do with small business? I'm getting there...
Read more...2008 Inc. 5000 Demonstrates Diversity, Stretches Boundaries
Monday August 25, 2008
The Inc. 5000 is an annual listing of the fastest-growing (note: not necessarily the largest, just the fastest-growing) private companies in America. If you think companies can't grow in this sluggish economy, or that only a few industries are hot at the moment, think again. The average three-year growth on this year's list is a whopping 334 percent.
Topping this year's list is Senior Whole Health, a Massachusetts-based managed care provider which posted a whopping 31,525% growth over the past three years (they were founded in 2003).
The list also includes rankings by revenue, employees and longevity. There are also features on the top woman-run companies and minority-run companies. One of the more startling rankings was VIZIO, a California manufacturer of flat panel TV's, which topped the list for revenue per employee at a startling $19.3 million per employee.
Inc. is also heavily touting the diversity of the list. Check out their intro article for highlights of some of the more intriguing entries on the list.
How Much Is Your Blog or Website Worth?
Thursday August 21, 2008
I was reading through my daily newsfeeds and came across a blog post by Calvin Cox at StyleApple entitled How Much Is Your Website or Blog Really Worth? Calvin discovered a website called CubeStat that does an automated valuation of your website, include an estimate of potential ad revenue.
You may not be able to take that valuation to the bank, but it still gives you a good ballpark as to whether your site is living up to its income potential. Or if you have a personal site or blog that you're not earning money from yet, it will give you an idea what you could be earning.
One caveat I discovered -- it doesn't recognize subdomains properly. I put in http://entrepreneurs.about.com as a test, and it told me the site was worth $28 million and capable of generating $38,824 a day in ad revenue. Clearly those numbers are for all of About.com, not just my subdomain (and no, I have no idea how accurate they are, so don't ask!). Still, the valuation methodology does have some basis in reality and is a worthwhile exercise (be patient -- it takes a minute or two, literally).
Related on About.com:
