Entrepreneurness

The PR2 goes to The Tech Museum for Hack the Future 3

2012-02-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was Hack the Future 3 at The Tech Museum in San Jose. Hack The Future is a self-directed hackathon for young future hackers. Mentors from different companies and backgrounds are there with different stations for the kids to participate in. Willow Garage and the PR2 robot were there for kids to go ahead and hack. It was an all day event, and parents and kids arrived early, waiting at the entrance for the museum doors to open.

I've been working at Willow Garage to help organize their education outreach in the community. The company had participated in a previous Hack the Future and was eager to increase their educational impact on the community and simplify their material to allow the youngest of minds to be able to try their hand at hacking and robotics. It's a pretty substantial milestone for a technology when you can finally simplify it enough for novices to be able to use it and gain enough from it to get them interested in the field to then further the entire industry.

We had six mentors from Willow Garage show for the occasion. Because we had the people to support it, we brought two PR2 robots to the event! It was a treat for the kids, because the previous year we had one robot. You know what they say, double the robots, double the fun! (They probably don't say this, but robots are a relatively new invention, so it deserves the new phrase.)

I noticed that the PR2 was particularly skilled in the art of disguise...

So I create a complimentary game that could challenge the kids in programming and also engage observer in participating. I created some charade cards and passed them out to the kids to challenge them to have the other kids guess what the action, object, expression, or animal that they were trying to convey was.

The kids had their choice of two different software interfaces. The first, graphical, and the second was Python code that the kids could write or modify.

Here is a screenshot of the graphical interface, PRpuppet as designed by Andreas:

The head controls rotate the head side to side or to look up or down. The robot grippers can be opened or closed and rotated. The arms could also be moved by telling the robots the coordinates of where you would wish the robot's wrist to be using the sliders. The user could simply hit 'Test Pose' and the robot in the simulator would move to the desired position. By clicking 'Add Pose' a line of code would be created. By adding different lines of code (or robot position snapshots) you could have the robot move through the series of poses.

We noticed that this user interface was easy enough for young kids to be able to use. With the help of Steve, Willow Garages' CEO, a 5 year old was able to program the robot to hug her. Next time they will hopefully remember to program the robot to un-hug afterwards!

For the Python code I had created a tutorial to help written code seem more intuitive. Sarah helped test the robots limits to make sure the numbers we were giving the kids were accurate. She also took on a couple of the charade challenges for user testing before the actual event. We had code that the kids could cut and paste and modify, but it seemed that with the tutorial kids became confident and would start the code from scratch.

Steve and Austin created a nice web interface and queue that allowed kids to submit their programs from a browser on their own computers.

Over the course of the day we were able to make some neat additions to the code's funcation like Caroline's added feature that would have the robot wait until seeing a person's face before doing the next action.

Overall the event was a big success and we had some kids at our station all day, programming some great PR2 charades. Here are a few, can you figure out what they are?

Hint: Action

Hint: Animal

Our big interactive upcoming exhibit will be at The Tech Museum Weekends May 5th-June 10. Come and program the PR2 robot yourself!

Install multiple Wordpress sites on one server

2011-12-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

How to install 2 Wordpress sites on one server, and use your space for multiple domain names, cleanly. (Between 1and1.com and ipage). Where you have the domain name registered with 1and1.com and web hosting with ipage.

Steps:

Go to the control panel, under Domain, click on "Domain Central". Click "Add Existing Domain". Type in the domain that you own through 1and1.com and click "Add".

In a matter of seconds, iPage creates a folder within your public_html directory that’s on your server and writes a script that points that domain to your new domain’s folder.

This may or may not be needed before the next step....FTP to your site using FireFTP a Firefox Add-on, or any other FTP client
- Create a new subfolder in your root directory for your wordpress files to be placed into
Advanced: Instead of creating the folders in the Home Directory, select "Subdirectory" and type a folder name. This will make it so you can host many pages seamlessly and without having to point people towards www.domain.com/folder

You put all of your web page files in the folder and no one can tell you have a hundred other folders serving up a hundred other domains on one single iPage account.

Next
Go to 1and1 where you have your domain name registered

login
Domains
Select the domain name

Click DNS

Click DNS (Not CNAME)
My name server

Enter in name servers received from ipage or other webhost

ns1.(myhost).com
ns2.(myhost).com

It will take 24-72 hours for domain name to propagate through internet

Then:

Now go to ipage (place where you have webspace). Under website click "Wordpress". Click the "Install" button to install another wordpress site.

It asks:

Where would you like WordPress installed?

http://www.yourotherdomain.com/newfoldername (if you did NOT set up a subdirectory pointer)

Advanced: Just select your domain name.

You should see that...

Wordpress will be installed, and now you can go to www.otherdomain.com and see your Wordpress site! Also if you go to www.otherdomain.com/wp-admin you can login and start making edits.

References:

(http://www.dewahost.com/tutorials/changedns/1and1changedns.html).

How to host multiple Domains with one ipage account: http://ipagehostingreview.com/104/host-mutiple-domains-with-one-ipage-account/

Big Ideas Fest

2011-11-21T23:41:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited for the upcoming Big Ideas Fest! Big Ideas Fest is a unique three-day immersion into collaboration and design with a focus on modeling cutting-edge thinking in
K-20 education. There is a great speaker line up from educators in grade schools, Deans from top universities, the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of education, and other great designers and leaders in the education sector. It should be a great conference December 4-7th, 2011 at the Half Moon Bay Ritz Carlton. If you haven't registered yet, here is your chance! Register before it is too late and collaborate with top designers and movers and shakers in the education sector. Let's shake things up and change the world!

The Fine Balance

2011-11-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

Feeling Entrepreneurial?

2011-11-03T22:39:00.000-07:00

This has taken me years to learn...but for you, I've summed it up in a bubble chart.
(Click the image for a larger size)

How to be the Best True You

2011-10-31T02:08:00.000-07:00

Be Beautiful - Beauty is not something surface deep. Beauty is the inner spirit that gets reflected outward. Ever notice those days where you may have changed nothing about yourself but somehow everyone is giving you compliments on what you are wearing, your hair, or smile? These are the days when you emit happiness and people gravitate towards your positive spirit.

Be Happy- Happiness is not determined by what you have or don't have. Happiness is a personal choice. You can choose to be happy at any given moment. It takes a simple shift of thinking. Instead of thinking what you don't have, think of what you do. Why should you smile today? Because it is better than not smiling. Lift your energy see the people you surround's energy also increase. Under the right circumstances you'll see a multiplier effect.

Be Energy Conscious- There is only so much energy in the world. As so, there is only so much energy in you. Exist in environments that fuel you so that you can preserve your energy and emit it to the people and projects that deserve it. Avoid the people who tend to drain you and make you tired. Pick your battles wisely. Use your energy where it can be multiplied and recycled and you'll see more progress being made in your life.

Continuously Improve- Make constant progress in your life. Work towards either incrementally improving your situations, or dramatically changing the situations that do not have a 'light at the end of the tunnel'. If the future of the situation does not excite you and the current situation does not either make the change to the outlook of a brighter today or tomorrow.

Do What you Love- What makes you tick? What makes you smile? What are your most favorite memories, and why were they your favorite? Who are the people you admire most and why? You'll find that answering those questions will help decode what helps make you, you. Explore those elements to help find the true you

Be True to your Values- If there is only one thing that sticks with you until the end...it is yourself. Make sure you keep true to your values. Regrets are only made when you betray yourself and what you believe in. Where do you stand when it comes to work, relationship, beliefs, morals? Your values remain pretty constant over time. Stay true to your values and you'll be staying true to yourself. This will help you stay grounded.

Be Balanced- I know of not one person who is exceptional in only one area in life and is perfectly happy. There is a fine line between the best of worlds and the worst of worlds. The only way to weather all storms and remain centered and grounded is to keep a healthy balance. Balance in the secret of literally everything. Want to be healthy? Eat a balanced meal. Balance exercising with a healthy diet. Balance your time between work and play. Balance the time learning and doing. Balance the time being indoors and outdoors...you get the point. Moderation is key.

In Memory of Steve Jobs, A Brief History, and Invaluable Life Lessons

2011-10-07T02:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, October 5th, Steve Jobs, one of the world's most influential force in design, technology and innovation. He is sure to become immortalized and forever remembered as such. He pioneered the world's first personal computer, feature length 3-d animated film, and combining emotion with computer interaction. He was a believer that design and engineering needed to be blended together from the start, not a two step process.

A brief of history highlights

Imitation is the best form of flattery- During a 1979 visit to the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, Jobs again spotted mass potential in a niche invention: a computer that allowed people to access files and control programs with the click of a mouse, not typed commands. He returned to Apple and ordered the team to copy what he had seen.

User Centered Design- It foreshadowed a propensity to take other people's concepts, improve on them and spin them into wildly successful products. Under Jobs, Apple didn't invent computers, digital music players or smartphones — it reinvented them for people who didn't want to learn computer programming or negotiate the technical hassles of keeping their gadgets working

Open vs. Closed- Meanwhile, Microsoft copied the Mac approach and introduced Windows, outmaneuvering Apple by licensing its software to slews of computer makers while Apple insisted on making its own machines.

Software developers wrote programs first for Windows because it had millions more computers . A Mac version didn't come for months, if at all.

We are Mortal- In 2005, following the bout with cancer, Jobs delivered Stanford University's commencement speech. "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life," he said. "Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."

Here is a summary of some things that Steve has left for us...

Advice from his 2005 Stanford Commencement Address::

Connecting the Dots - Steve didn't graduate from college. Instead he was dropping out of the classes that didn't interest him, and dropping in the classes that did interest him. He followed his curiosity and intuition. He learned about what makes great typography because he enjoyed it. That is why the computer had multiple type faces. It is impossible to connect the dots looking forward (seeing relevancy in the random). You can only connect them looking backwards. You have to trust that the dots will connect in the future, have to trust in something, life, destiny, karma, the belief that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path, and that will make all the difference.

Creativity- Getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to him. "The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life."

Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick, don't lose faith.

You have got to find what you love. The only way to be truly satisfied its to do great work. And the only way to do great work is to do what you love. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart you'll know when you find it. Keep looking, don't settle.

Follow your heart and intution, they truly know what you want to become. Everything else is secondary. Focus on what you have. Focus on the positive.

"Stay hungry, Stay foolish"

Lessons Steve Taught Us:

Enjoy what you do: Steve Jobs talked about how important it is to enjoy the work you do—and if you don’t like the work you are doing, to keep searching for what you love. As children, we all have things we have to do but there is always time to concentrate on what you love as well. What is it? Don’t do something simply because your friend does it, all the kids in the area do it, your brother or sister did it, or your parents played it or participated in it as a child. As parents, that means, we need to step back and allow our children’s passion to emerge rather than forcing them to commit to something because of an outside reason. Support them to trying different things and then, allow them to choose based on what they love.
Encourage experimentation and creativity: Explore the world around you, discoverallow your children to feel, think, take things apart, put them back together, or make something completely different from the materials. Let them believe that there are no wrong answers, just undiscovered ones.
All paths are not conventional: Steve Jobs dropped out of college. He expressed that he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. Then he started taking classes that excited him. Take healthy risks based on insightful thought.
Everyone has the capacity to change the world: Everyone has gifts to share but they must cultivate them and go for it. As parents, that means, we need to see our children in terms of their assets rather than their deficits.
There is success in failure: When Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, he bought Pixar and made a huge splash with the mega-hits Toy Story and Finding Nemo. When things don't go as expected, it may be just the thing that provides the space for greatness.
What goes around comes around: Goodbye doesn’t always mean goodbye forever and that a break from what you always do may mean an opportunity for growth. Hiatus from a relationship can allow perspective. Submerging yourself in new responsibilities can be freeing. Time away doesn’t need to be seen as a time of interruption but rather, room for innovation.
You never know: Don’t be afraid to do something nobody ever did because that is how inventions are created.

References:

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

7 Lessons The Life of Steve Jobs Can Teach Children (and Parents)

Apple Says Company Co-Founder Steve Jobs Has Died

The Kinect - (Unknowingly to Microsoft) Designed to be Hacked

2011-10-05T00:44:00.000-07:00

Last November I became very excited when I saw what was possible with the xbox Kinect. A Kinect is an Xbox accessory that has a bunch of sensors and cameras making 3D vision possible and affordable. I made a post with some of my favorite links in this blog post. Tonight I attended a meetup with presentations of current Kinect hacks, I find it to be an intriguing space as it gives users to be able to control an environment without needing to wear or hold any piece of equipment.

But let me share my favorite take away of tonight:

In order to develop the Microsoft Xbox Kinect, Microsoft hired the guy, Johnny Lee, who hacked the Wii. Apparently Mr. Lee wanted Microsoft to have the platform open to outside developers but the company did not like that idea. When the product was released a private organization, Adafruit, released a $3,000 bounty to hack the Kinect. Within 24 hours it was hacked and the community started to thrive. Microsoft threatened to sue those tampering with their product. Soon enough though, Microsoft backed down. Mr. Lee ended up leaving Microsoft to work for Google. Once Microsoft announced they would (finally) be supporting the open platform and development packages, it was announced on Mr. Lee's blog that he had privately and secretly put up the funds for the bounty after he had no success of convincing them internally.

So there you have it, Microsoft hires the hacker of the Wii. Microsoft does not want their product to be hacked. Mr. Lee hacks the system to hack the Wii and seed a community of hackers for the Kinect. Mr. Lee joins Google and continues to live true to the hacker and creative spirit. The result: extremely expensive equipment is made accessible and affordable to the robotics and hacker community. And now innovation and development is accessible to more people and R&D is put into the hands of anyone with access to a computer. And for that I can say, Kudos, Mr. Lee, my hat goes off to you!

Three Tips to Leading the Atypical Life

2011-09-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

There are many opportunities to select a life path that are prone to living on the schedules of everyone else's but our own. While there are certainly times where this is needed, there are also times where this can be a hinder.

Ask Why- What is your driving motivation for what you do? Does your job/career, location, activities, relationships facilitate what you value?

Live a live of thoughtfulness with Improv- While we may often jump at chances when we see them, it could better our circumstances to first figure out where we are in our lives and how these pieces may play in them. We cannot predict the timing of the world, but there are more than just a few ways to do any one thing. While doing things the 'normal' path may be at times the easier path because it is more clearly lined out and understood it may not be the ideal circumstance for you. What would it look like to instead look from your perspective and see how the opportunities fit into the puzzle of what is right for you. Be ready to constantly adjust to do what feel rights but trust your gut and stay true to what you value.

Keep Progressing- While brainstorming, ideation is great and the time up front can prevent reckless decisions that cost time, money and or motivation, it is important to remember one thing. Keep progressing and continuously improving yourself. Keep talking with people, keep track of your progress, keep going. Action in better than inaction and if you find yourself getting lost in the possibilities rather than being able to converge on a solution ask friends or create a metric for yourself to follow that will lead to better decision making. But remember, it's important to make a decision and keep moving forward.

Considering going to Business School to get your MBA?

2011-09-22T03:47:00.000-07:00

1) What are my chances of getting in?
The following blogs gives your chances of getting in the top schools based on certain people profiles:
http://poetsandquants.com/2011/08/25/what-are-your-odds-of-getting-in/
http://poetsandquants.com/2011/06/23/handicapping-your-shot-at-a-top-school/

2) What would I encounter in the GMAT (the test that you'll need to take before applying)
http://www.bestsamplequestions.com/gmat-sample-questions/gmat-sample-questions.html

3) What are the differences between the 2 top schools, Stanford and Harvard?
http://poetsandquants.com/2010/06/28/harvard-business-school-vs-stanford-graduate-school-of-business/
As of 2011, Stanford seems to have edged out Harvard in the U.S. News & World Report.

4) What do you truly gain from an MBA? Insight from entrepreneur Vinod Khosla.
http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=38

5) How much we talking?
http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/financial_aid/tuition_expenses.html

The best Inventions can also be the most Simplistic

2011-09-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

A great invention has the most amount of positive impact (value) with a great number of people.

In this great video an inventor shows how he is using a single plastic bottle and some water (in an unconventional way) to powerfully improve the lives of people in a third world country.

Why you should Blog...in a handy Chart!

2011-07-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

I like this, so I will share it! (found on http://correiaseminar.com/)

Tools for Life Organization

2011-07-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Having so many individual pieces often leads to clutter, disorganization and confusion. Luckily as software integration across platforms progresses these small pieces become easier to manage.

These tools will help you manage small pieces into bigger chunks by helping you see the bigger picture and track your over all progress.

Finances

For your finances and budget management across multiple financial accounts:

Mint.com

Mint pulls all your financial accounts into one place. Set a budget, track your goals and do more
with your money, for free! Intro Video

File Management

For your clean file management across multiple hardware devices (laptops, computers) and users.

Dropbox.com

Easy Scheduling with People

Poll people on day and times that will work for them, invite participants and confirm date and time. Doodle.com

Marketing Tips for New Businesses

2011-06-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

Marketing will make or break you. Here are some things I've learned:

1) Not a pro coder? Use Wordpress to manage your website. You'll thank me now and later. It is such a popular free service that most companies have written plugins that interface with Wordpress.

SEO optimize your website. Getting into the search engines is key to success. True for local and global businesses. Download the "All in One SEO Pack" to help optimize each page of your site.
Integrate the Facebook Like Button. This works for you in 2 ways. First it shows that people know and support your business giving you credibility. Second, when people click the like button the activity is shown to their friends and is instant and free 'word of mouth' advertising to all of their friends.

"It's one thing to promote your business yourself. It's another to have another person saying good words about your business. The best thing is to get someone's friend to tell them about you..."

2) Get on Google Maps. You want your customers to be able to find you easily, and for people to accidentally come across you.

3) "Check in" to your business. Use Facebook and Four Square. Not only does this show up on your friend's newsfeeds, but also when people go to check in, it shows up on their phone as an option when they are nearby.

4) Yelp review- The best thing is to get a Yelp 'elite' to review you. Maybe offer them a free sample/trial so that they try you out. Those reviews stay on the site and people listen to them. Helps to build a reputation and Yelp elites are more credible.

5) Community groups, list servs, bloggers...etc. Get your information to those sources.

6) When marketing to customers remember..it's not about YOU..it's about THEM.

How to Lead a Good Life: Lessons from the Greeks

2010-12-01T15:04:00.000-08:00

This is a summary of the lessons from Stanford professor Marsh Mccall's lecture. He will be giving it open to the public Wednesday, March 2 2010 at 7:30pm in the Cubberley Auditorium in the School of Education on Stanford's campus. I was able to find it online on iTunes U.

The goal of the lecture is to take you through different schools of thoughts thus add to your life perspective.

Socrates:

1) The unexamined life is not worth living

2) Wisdom begins with knowing what you don't know

'When I talk to someone who professes to be an expert, they are ignorant, because they don't know what they think they know. What makes me superior is that I know that I don't know' - Socrates (loose interpreted)

3) Virtue can be taught, education is virtue. (Virtue means excellence or arete)

No one does wrong or evil willingly (doing so only means ignorance)

Because, to do wrong, to do evil, harms someone else, which harms you, and who would do evil onto oneself?

Plato:

1) Theory of Forms (via wikipedia.org) - the material world as it seems to us is not the real world, but only an image or copy of the real world. Socrates spoke of forms in formulating a solution to the problem of universals. The forms, according to Socrates, are roughly speaking archetypes or abstract representations of the many types of things, and properties we feel and see around us, that can only be perceived by reason (that is, they are universals). In other words, Socrates sometimes seems to recognise two worlds: the apparent world which is constantly changing, and an unchanging and unseen world of forms, which may perhaps be a cause of what is apparent.

2) Everything should be earned based on merit

Aristotle:

1) We know that life is not comprised of absolutes, it is comprised of an ever shifting scale of moral and ethical relative goods and bads so that in one situation is always a sliding scale of courage, recklessness, and cowardice.

Results in having to collect data and come up with the pragmatic solution case by case

Epicurus:

1) Call to action to be part of a small community

2) Take everything in moderations, concentrate on love and friendship and don't worry about the gods or death. Detach yourself from the cares of the world.

3) Pleasure and pain are the measures of what is good and evil

No matter what your take on philosophy is and whether you may agree or disagree, there always does seems to be some kind of value in seeing things from a different perspective.

Life Hacks

2010-11-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

According to Wikipedia: Hacking refers to the re-configuring or re-programming of a system to function in ways not facilitated by the owner, administrator, or designer.

It used to be the hacking had quite a negative connotation, like a hacker trying to get to your personal information. Now there are many kinds of hacking which can actually lead to a better life.

Sugru is a silicon material that sticks to other materials and cures at room temperature, letting you transform items to products that suit your personal needs better.

Microsoft's Kinect for the Xbox is a new gaming device that allows the user to control the system with body motion. Within the first couple days that it was available for customers, the online community hacked the system to allow a multitude of interesting new uses, including digital puppets, controlling a Roomba vaccuum with hand motions, and displaying a normal video in 3D space. Check out one of the hack a guy did for the Wii, which changes any normal television into a 3D experience, Mr. Lee was then hired by Microsoft to develop the Kinect.

Here is my very own hack on a tennis ball to create a fun new way to save money. Once I posted it to the community someone already had new ideas to turn it into a way to store dog treats to keep her pocket free of crumbs.

Or, check out how to can turn Google translator into a beat box, just press listen.

Combine people's creativity and resourcefulness with social community and we are iterating faster than ever on our every day world. With easy to access hacker tools like Sugru and OpenFrameworks, the creation of new products is now in our hands.

Work for a Large Company or Start A Business...financially which is the better option? The Grand Disconnect.

2010-11-02T23:36:00.000-07:00

When I started out on this journey, I had a theory. It was a grand theory, that I had hoped to be true, as I am an idealist. Let's start at the beginning.

I was working at a large corporate America company, making a very reasonable salary. I noticed that we billed out our engineering staff at around $120 an hour to companies. Yet, our take home pay was around $30 an hour. How could this be, I wondered? How is it that a company can bill another company so high for your time, and as the employee you only receive a small fraction of that. That did not seem fair, after all, you were the one doing the work!

So, I extrapolated from this that if you wanted to make your fair share of money it was only reasonable to go off and work for yourself. Thus you could make the amount closer to $120 without giving the 75% to the company for having their name on your business cards.

It's now three years later, and its safe to say that I have new insight to all of this. It's very rare that a solo person can actually go in and actually get paid a huge amount of time for their services. In actuality it's the brand name on the card that's the 'headliner', carrying all the weight and infrastructure, and you are the supporting role.

In most cases, it's actually a financially wiser decision to work for a large company. Even I'm surprised to be writing this. My theory was that if you find what you are good at, all you need to do is do it as a solo act and boom, you are golden. I did not realize how much it involved to even earn the creditability and experience to get to the point that someone would financially invest in you for your services. And the fact of the matter is that large companies deal with large companies, so the money pipelines between them is large. Individuals deal with individuals, and in these cases we watch every penny.

Small business owners have such a strong connection to their cash flow that their knuckles are white from grasping the purse strings. Larger companies have such a division of responsibility that no one person feels the impact, thus they are more loose with spending and can afford greater financial fluctuations.

Actually being a cog in a machine that is already going has great financial advantages.
1) You get paid well from the beginning
2) You get paid regularly
3) You have a good salary that you can say that you've earned, so it's easier to justify getting paid that or more in future jobs
4) Job stability
5) You have money to work with in your job function
6) You receive health benefits, a retirement plan, stock options
7) Financial stability, financial stability, financial stability....

Being an entrepreneur has great financial disadvantages.
1) You get paid nothing in the beginning, for at least months, possibly longer, and with no guarantee that you'll actually ever make anything
2) You have to actually pay out in the beginning. So while you have no income, you are having to pay money to even start up your business
3) You have to pay to set everything up. You have to pay the government to set up your corporate structure, you still need a car for transportations, you have you pay to have bank accounts, web space, payroll, etc...
4) It takes a long time to get yourself credible enough that people will pay you for your services. Even once they start paying you, the cash flow is neither continuous or guaranteed.
5) You are not liable if something goes wrong. To reduce liability, buy insurance. Oh wait, that costs even more money.
6) The sad fact is that only 44% of businesses survive to the four year point.

This post is not meant to discourage you from starting your own venture, it is meant to shed light on the matter. If you want to start a business, you either need to 1) be extremely passionate about something and wanting to start it or 2) be extremely passionate about money and going into a business that you are pretty darn sure you can make a pretty penny on

Money is actually very hard to make as an individual. People work their butts off painting houses and make $10 an hour. What gives an engineer the right to make $120? It's because it's usually not the individual billing, its the company. And we expect companies to charge more. We are more likely to question an individual's quote than a large company's. Especially if it is one company billing another company. A drop in a bucket seems to change people's perception of money tremendously, probably to the point of irrationally. When the numbers are low we look at the pennies closely. There seems to be a point where the numbers don't get looked at as closely, and when that happens, money travels a lot faster!

Wizbots: The Future of Education

2010-09-10T00:47:00.000-07:00

Check out my new venture, http://www.wizbots.com . We are bringing design thinking to kids, and they do it while they build robots. Pretty exciting, the kids learn a ton, and best of all they LOVE it. I'm happy to be a part of such a wonderful cause.

How to Negotiate a Salary

2010-08-04T00:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some valuable tips I found for salary negotiations:

Commandment 1: Be Prepared

Preparation is critical when negotiating the terms of your employment. The more information you have, the more successful you will be. This is so important that I have devoted a full chapter in my book to preparing for employment negotiations. This is the first commandment because it is the most important single thing you can do to ensure that you get the best deal possible.

Commandment 2: Recognize That Employment Negotiations Are Unique

Employment negotiations are different from other types of negotiations. They are not a one-shot deal like buying a house or a car. When the employment negotiations are over, you will have to work with your former "adversary" on a daily basis; more important, your career success may depend on the person with whom you have just finished negotiating. Therefore, even though you want to negotiate the best possible deal, you need to proceed in a way that doesn't tarnish your image.

By the same token, your future boss will want you to feel good about joining the company. Once an employer has decided that you are the person for the job, the primary concern will not be to negotiate the least expensive compensation package the company can get away with. Rather, the main focus will be on getting you to accept the job. As a result, employment negotiations are unusual in that both sides share that same basic goal.

Commandment 3: Understand Your Needs and Those of Your Prospective Employer

Any employment negotiation is going to involve trade-offs. To be successful in this type of negotiation, you need to examine your own priorities. What is it that you want? Are comfortable with a low salary and a large equity stake? Do you feel confident that you can meet the requisite criteria to earn a bonus? Are you able to handle dramatic swings in income from year to year? How important is job security to you?

Understanding your needs will also help you determine what type of company you want to work for. (For example, a family-owned company might offer a larger salary than start-up company, but the same start-up company will offer stock or stock options that a family-owned company typically will not.) Regardless of the type of company you are considering, an employer may not be able to give you exactly what you want. There are numerous institutional constraints on how much a company can pay for a given position or what kinds of benefits it can offer.

Understanding what you want and what a company can do within its own organizational and budgetary constraints will enable you to determine what trade-offs are possible in order to maximize what you get. This knowledge will also enable you to walk away from a job when a company cannot offer the type of compensation package that suits your needs.

Commandment 4: Understand the Dynamics of the Particular Negotiations

Sometimes you will have skills or experience for which there is a great demand. You may be the only qualified candidate to have made it through the interview process, and the company would like to hire someone quickly. Similarly, if you have been able to defer discussing compensation until the company has determined you are the best candidate for the job, your bargaining position will be greatly strengthened. These are enviable positions to be in.

On the other hand, you may in fact be one of several candidates the company is considering, any one of whom it would be happy to hire. Under those circumstances, compensation may be the key factor in determining who gets the job. Sizing up the situation and understanding the relative position of each of the parties to the negotiations will help you determine when to press your advantage and when to back off.

Commandment 5: Never Lie, but Use the Truth to Your Advantage

Honesty is important. If you lie during the negotiations, sooner or later you are likely to be caught. Once you are caught lying, you lose all credibility. Even if you don't lose the job, you will be placed at a tremendous disadvantage, and your future credibility on the job will be undermined.

On the other hand, total candor will not be rewarded. You are not required to answer a specific question directly unless the answer helps your position. You can determine what you want to say and how you want to say it. One element of preparation is to understand those areas which may be problematic so you can rehearse how you will handle them when they come up.

Commandment 6: Understand the Role That Fairness Plays in the Process

The guiding principle for most employers in determining what they will agree to is fairness. Within the constraints of their budget and organization structure, employers will usually agree to anything that is fair and reasonable in order to hire someone they want. Appeals to fairness are the most powerful weapon available in employment negotiations. Sometimes such an appeal may even convince an employer of the need to adjust its salary structure or increase the amount of money budgeted for a position.

You should be able to justify every request in terms of fairness. If the cost of living is higher where you're going, it is only fair to have your salary increased sufficiently to compensate. If comparable executives in similar companies are given one percent of the company's stock, you should be treated no differently. Your prospective employer will want you to accept its offer and to feel that you have been treated fairly. Understanding the importance of fairness as a negotiating principle can make the difference between success and failure.

Commandment 7: Use Uncertainty to Your Advantage

If an employer is not certain what it will take to recruit you , its initial offer is likely to be close to its best offer. If you have divulged too much information, it will likely not offer you as much as it might have otherwise. By not disclosing exactly what your compensation package is or exactly what it would take to get you to leave your current job, you will force a potential employer to give you its best offer.

Commandment 8: Be Creative

You may not be able to get everything you want, but you want to be sure to get everything you can. Focus on the value of the total package. Look for different ways to achieve your objectives. Be willing to make trade-offs to increase the total value of the deal. Limit your "requirements." When you lock yourself into a position, you limit your ability to be creative.

If you are creative, you can package what you want in ways that are acceptable to the company. You will also be able to find creative "trades" that allow you to withdraw requests that might be problematic to the company in return for improvements in areas where the company has more flexibility.

In the end, however, you still must get the company to agree to those elements of the deal that are critical to you. If you are not able to do so, or if have to give up too much to get what you need, perhaps this is the wrong job for you. However, before you insist on any particular term in your employment package, be sure that it is really essential. By insisting on a particular term you may be giving up something of greater value; you may even be giving up your chance to get the job altogether.

Commandment 9: Focus on Your Goals, Not on Winning

Too often in negotiations winning becomes more important than the actual goals that are achieved. This tendency is particularly problematic in employment negotiations. Not only is it important to focus on achieving your goals; it is also important not to make your future boss feel like a loser in the negotiations. Remember, that this person will control you future career. You will have gained little by negotiating a good deal if you alienate your future boss in the process.

Commandment 10: Know When to Quit Bargaining

There comes a point in every negotiation when you have achieved everything that you could gave reasonably expected to achieve. At that point you should thank the person you are dealing with and accept the offer. If you don't recognize when to stop negotiating, you run the risk of having the company decide that it made a mistake by offering you the job in the first place. Most companies will want to treat you fairly and make you happy, but few companies want to hire a prima donna. Being perceived as greedy or unreasonable may cause the deal to fall apart. Even if it does not, you will have done immeasurable harm to your career with your new employer.

Commandment 11: Never Forget That Employment Is an Ongoing Relationship

This is the most important commandment and cannot be overemphasized.

Employment negotiations are the starting point for your career with the company. They set the tone for your employment relationship. Get too little and you are disadvantaged throughout your career; push too hard and you can sour the relationship before it even begins. How you handle the initial negotiations can have an impact, for better or worse, on how successful your tenure with a company will be.

Reference: http://www.acetheinterview.com/interview/salarynego.php

Dan Pink: Why Rewards Don’t Work

2010-07-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

http://lateralaction.com/articles/dan-pink-rewards/

Followup on ENFP=ADHD?

2010-07-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

Of all my posts, it seems to be "ENFP=ADHD?" seems to be the most popular because of people googling similar phrases. Here's a direct link to it: http://entrepreneurness.blogspot.com/2008/11/enfp-adhd.html

I conclude from this that other people must be sensing the relationship. My guess is most people aren't familiar enough with both terms to understand a correlation. But, if you've found your way here through a search engine... then obviously, you aren't most people.

I've had a handful of people in my life like my mom and high school math teacher tell me that I had ADD. Being told that you have "Attention Deficit DISORDER" is not a pleasant thing to hear, so it felt like a kind of insult. No one wants to hear that something is wrong with them, especially when it feels like an insult to your personality and being. But here is the thing, I don't think it's a disorder. I've found someone to agree with me, and she happens to be a psychotherapist with 40 years of experience. Lynn Weiss, Ph.D. is the author of "Attention Deficit Disorder In Adults: A different way of thinking". She explains that the people who decided to label it a disorder were selected mental health professionals and pharmaceutical companies, both of whom have high stakes in the outcome. In short, by labeling it a disorder, people in the industry can make more money.

I think of being an ENFP, which happens to have a strong correlation to ADD to be a different way of thinking. We are lateral thinkers, not sequential thinking. If you are an ENFP and talk to someone of the similar personality type you will know exactly what I'm talking about because you shift from one subject matter to another with ease, following each other's footsteps perfectly. The communication is visual, lively and engaging. Its not about how things are, it's about how things can be. We don't ask what, we ask why. We have different motivations, a different skill set, and a very different way of looking at things. We are big picture people, we are people of passion. We want to do what we love, and we want to love what we do.

We are people who follow our gut instincts, people who make decisions on how things make us FEEL. We see patterns, we see patterns and relationships everywhere. Conversations play out in our head, we see the 10 next steps before we even get started on the first. We move to the beat of our own drum, our schedules are unpredictable, we live in a disorganized way. Sometimes the disorganization gets the best of us and we end up spinning in circles for a while. When we stop spinning and get pointed in the right direction, we can make anything happen. Have faith in yourself that you can do it. Get help from your support system when you need some guidance.

Here is something that'll help you, written by a fellow ENFPer! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQRWeZy-S8Q

Stepping out

2010-07-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

When either taking the jump out on your own, or being pushed there and into a place of self exploration, here are a couple of important things I have learned first hand along the way.

1) Set up time limits and schedule yourself. When you leave time to make decisions open, you may never make a decision because you are afraid of making the wrong decision. There is no 100 percent correct decision, and variable are constantly changing. If it is time you are taking to try and save money, factor in the extra time you are putting in to save this money, and ask yourself if it is worth the possible outcome.

2) Trust the people you talk to before you tell them too much. If you don't feel comfortable with the person or haven't reached the needed level of trust...do not tell the person too much. Yes, there is that possibility that someone may steal your idea or tell others. But, the larger factor in all of this is that they can bomb your idea and self confidence with one quick blow. If you let them in too deep without making sure they are qualified to hold what is most precious to you in their hands you are playing with fire.

3) Use your community. In life you are up and you are down. You are in front and behind. You are novice and you are experienced. The only way to steadily get ahead is by helping and being helped by others.

4) Stick it out. Things don't happen overnight. You need to be serious and persistent. People need to see your dedication to want to help you. There will be waves of good and waves of bad, you need to weather the storm to see the rainbow.

5) It becomes about the small triumphs and achievements. When you step out on your own, everything suddenly becomes very real and very personal. Your stake becomes much higher so the pressure is on to perform. When things don't work out it feels like the weight was on you to make it successful. It is easy to stress out when your goals aren't reached, because you are the one responsible. On the other hand, when things do work out, when things start to click together and make sense...the euphoria takes over.

6) The secret sauce of success. Projects are made up of many components. The main of which are people, ideas, timing, and passion. Most projects will be off balance. But, once you get that projects where these components can work together in a harmonious fashion, the secret sauce is made and you get a taste of what makes the most successful companies and projects in the world succeed.

Any more to add to this? Leave your comment below!

Dealing and Stone Soup

2010-05-26T01:24:00.000-07:00

I went to a conference a year ago, and one of Silicon Valley's most well known venture capitalists, Tim Draper, gave a talk. He mentioned something along the lines of "You can't get anywhere in business without dealing. Creating a business is a series of deals. Dealing to an entrepreneur is like breathing to a person" A light bulb went off when he said that, and since then those words have been rolling around in my head, because I think they carry more usefulness than just the business sense.

First of all, do you know how to make stone soup?

Once upon a time, there was a great famine in which people jealously hoarded whatever food they could find, hiding it even from their friends and neighbors. One day a wandering man came into a village and began asking questions as if he planned to stay for the night.

"There's not a bite to eat in the whole province," he was told. "Better keep moving on."

"Oh, I have everything I need," he said. "In fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you." He took a giant pot, filled it with water, and built a fire under it. Then, with great ceremony, he drew an ordinary-looking stone from a velvet bag and dropped it into the water.

By now, hearing the rumor of food, most of the villagers had come to the square or watched from their windows. As the soldier sniffed the "broth" and licked his lips in anticipation, hunger began to overcome their skepticism.

"Ahh," the soldier said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with cabbage -- that's hard to beat."

Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a cabbage he'd retrieved from its hiding place, and added it to the pot. "You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of onions as well, and it was fit for a king."

The village butcher managed to find some onions . . . and so it went, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and so on, until there was indeed a delicious meal for all.

When the people were unwilling to share what they had, no one had a very appetizing possession. It was only when they began to share did they all jointly benefit. In fact, everyone went in on a deal. They gave up some of their product to collaborate on a greater product that was exponentially better than what they started with. By working together, with everyone contributing what they can, a greater good is achieved.

The way I see it, no one knows or has everything in life. Sometimes we are up, sometimes we are down. You could cope with this by yourself...or you could choose the better option. You could join a community. Joining a community entails contributing what you have for the greater good, and then you'll find that when you are in need of something your community will be there to help you. We are much stronger as a whole than we are as an individual. Use your strengths where you can helping others, and when you need help, don't be afraid to ask for it. We are all be better off when we each contribute what we have to offer...the soup tastes much better that way.

The Basics of Product Design

2010-05-21T00:58:00.000-07:00

A designer must develop a product that by definition has the capabilities to meet some need that is not fully defined

Seven basic actions of Problem Solving:

1. Establish the need or realize that there is a problem to be solved
2. Plan how to solve it
3. Understand the problem by developing requirements and uncovering existing solutions for similar problems
4. General alternative solutions
5. Evaluate the alternatives by comparing them to the design requirements and to each other
6. Decide on acceptable solutions
7. Communicate the results

Planning occurs mainly at the beginning of a project. Plans are always updated because understanding is improved as the process progresses. These are called design iterations.

There are 2 well known methods of design, the over-the-wall design method, and concurrent engineering.

With the over-the-wall method, more often than not the customer is not content with the product that comes out of production. Because, like the children's game 'telephone', there is much important information that gets lost in translation along the way.

The more effective method of design is concurrent engineering. In concurrent engineering the primary focus is on the integration of teams of people, design tools and techniques, and information about the product and the process used to develop and manufacture it.

Ten features of concurrent engineering:

Focus on the entire product life
Use and support of design teams
Realization that the procceses are as imporant as the product
Attention to planning for information centered tasks
Careful product requirements development
Encouragement of multiple concept gerneration and evaluation
Awareness of the decision-making process
Attention to designing in quality during every phase of the design process
Concurrent development of product and manufacturing process
Emphasis on communication of the right information to the right people at the right time

The success of the design process can be measured in the cost of the design effort, the cost of the final product, the quality of the final product, and the time needed to develop the product. In addition, how well the product is received by the end user is a true measure of a successful design process.

The above is just a glimpse at some of the basics of product design. Much of the information above can be found in the book The Mechanical Design Process (Mcgraw-Hill Series in Mechanical Engineering). This is the book that was used in my sophomore design class and is used throughout industry.

My Theories and Lessons Learned

2010-05-05T01:42:00.000-07:00

As I live life I tend to create my own theories/thoughts/guidelines as I start to notice patterns. I like to document them as they come. Here are some thoughts that have hit me lately.

"Just before you begin to get smarter, you first feel really stupid"- SM

The graph below represents the population as a whole. As people mature in their environment they are within one of the brackets and progress from 'dumb' to 'smart' as they understand the world around them better. If they stay in their current environment, less is unknown to them and they maintain in a lower bracket in the pyramid, but at the top of their bracket. If they choose to change their environment or a change is brought on forcing a drastic change, they will break through to a higher bracket , realizing that they knew less than they thought they did, but their potential for learning increases. The pyramid represents the world population, people have a different 'maximum bracket' that they will achieve in their lives. It all depends on how much they decide to explore, discover and learn in their lifetimes. In order to keep progressing up the pyramid one would have to break out of their comfort zone each time they feel like they are quite knowledgeable able their current surrounding environment and no longer being challenged.

"Everything is always changing. Nothing is constant. It's about being flexible and adaptable to your environment"- SM

successful companies are the onces that are constantly changing their business and business model to fit the ever changing needs of their consumers and environment. There is no one business or product that has remained forever constant.
Relationships with people are not always perfect, but the ultimate personal relationship knows how to handle different situations and issues in a constructive manner and the people will evolve and change together.

"There is no ultimate truth. Everything is how we perceive it to be in the moment" /"The only reality that exists is perceived"- SM

Combined with different experience, ages, emotions, view points, i.e., no two people will ever view a situation in the same way, and even one person at different points in time will view a situation differently.
A clear example would be fashion. People will love or hate the same thing. You could love an outfit one day, and then 30 years look back at a picture and think to yourself, "what the heck was I thinking?!"
One second you could think you are in a perfect relationship. The next moment you may only see flaws. In hindsight you will see the same situation very differently again.

"Decide something. It doesn't always need to be perfect. Things are always changing anyway. You just need to be able to adapt to your changing environment"- SM

Don't be afraid to fail. We learn more from failures than we do from success. Indecision which leads to no action is much worse than a wrong decision that can later be corrected or modified.

Why Fail?

1) ENCOURAGES LATERAL THINKING
Failure encourages us to look for other more creative solutions that we ordinarily would not have thought of.
2) GIVES US EXPERIENCE
If we had succeeded immediately without the disappointment associated with failure then we may not get familiar with the full scope of the subject matter.
3) BUILDS CHARACTER / SELF DISCOVERY
We can learn from the experience, gain confidence, build character and become more the person that we ideally wish to be. In the process you'll also find out more about yourself. When you take the time and effort to overcome hardships you'll figure out how badly you actually want it.
4) MAKES ONE MORE THICKSKINNED
Becoming thickskinned is really a by-product of character building with a bit more; it shows the development of the individual and reflects the change in attitude that brings the best out of us all.
5) SUCCESS TOO SOON CAN GIVE FALSE CONFIDENCE
Working hard and trying multiple routes will give someone more knowledge than the person who made a couple of lucky right decisions to start with.
6) FAILURE REVEALS YOUR WEAKNESSES
By being more aware of where you are weak, you can improve yourself or then begin to focus more on your strengths.

"Its never a good thing to seek or expect the approval of everyone, it is impossible to receive it, there will always be critics. Go with your gut, and when you need a more objective view, select a few people which of whom you trust and value their opinions."- SM

Inch by Inch, Step by Step...

2010-03-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Finding your own path instead of taking one already marked out is an interesting thing. If you start yourself working at a company, it is fairly easy to track your progress by annual reviews, title, and salary. When you let go of the security of the known path and decide to venture on your own, things are less defined. I think its personal preference if you are able to handle not having things not as clearly defined.

For me, at first journeying off the path was exhilarating, followed by some apprehension/fear, and once again, exhilarating. Because I've had in idea of what I wanted, ever since I've come out to California I have surrounded myself by the complimentary/nurturing atmosphere. While here I've been taking time to build my networks, go to as many lectures/classes/talks/events that pique my interest, and learn and do as much as possible. By taking such a broad stance on the matter it makes it quite impossible to track my progress incrementally. Getting one more business card, one more contact, one more piece of knowledge doesn't have a clear tangible effect that is easy to keep track. But there is a feeling I have that tells me I'm closer... to ... something.

I'm a big picture person. I see how it all fits together, but the way I do things is by no means linear. I've been improving my networks, business, marketing, technical knowledge, experience, and other ability in such a way that if you were to sit down and converse with me, it'd be clear that I am knowledgeable in various subject areas. I can hold a conversation about pretty much anything. The difficult part in all of this is translating that kind of knowledge into something as static as a resume, the standard document that gets your foot in the door. For nonlinear thinkers such as myself, I recommend putting what you know into more non conventional means... such as a blog or online portfolio. Don't let black and white 12point font be the only way that people find out about you. Make sure to try and express yourself to others in a way that is appropriate for yourself. And hopefully this way, you'll attract the kinds of people who will truly appreciate what you have to offer and it will form a greater connection with those around you.

Put yourself out there. Attend events with the that you want to get closer to. Talk to people you normally wouldn't think to, and you may be able to have a meaningful conversation with someone that you wouldn't have even considered talking with before. This can lead to further introductions or knowledge transfer or possibly even a referral to a person or company. Make sure your intentions are genuine. I'm a believer that most people can sense intention before the words even come out of your mouth. Be yourself, be true, be real...

So far this advice has lead me to great things, and it doesn't gradually happen. You just get yourself closer and closer to what you want, and work hard towards getting there. And, from one moment of not having it, you will go to the next of having a great opportunity. In one day I went from getting step by step closer...to...something... Then suddenly I landed a weekly gig of teaching kids to design with legos and robotics...a scheduled meeting with my personal hero...an interview with a company that I'm extremely interested in, and having a great conversation with a university advisor about their school's Industrial Design program.

When you take the appropriate steps toward your life goals, you may not see your progress incrementally and tangibly, but its something that you 'feel' like you are getting somewhere with. People around you may not completely understand your driving force, but it is imperative to have complete confidence in yourself and be relentless and persistence in your actions. You need to believe in yourself first, and then others will believe in you. It never works the other way around. Be yourself, be something that you believe in, be persistent, get there step by step, and eventually, success will follow.

Finding Your Happy

2010-02-23T12:25:00.000-08:00

Life can get pretty confusing because as you juggle work, relationships, friends, sleep, eating, and errands, time keeps ticking away. It's very easy to either get caught up in the daily grind, or to miss the joys of each day because your focus is kept too far out into the future. With everything in life, moderation is key. It is important to be able to enjoy and live in the now, while keeping the future in check.

Happiness is the key to life. What is the point of life, but to enjoy it and make the most of it? So, while everyday stresses might get in the way, it is important to spend a portion of each day appreciating the things that you enjoy most. If you have a love for friends, take a moment each day to talk to one. If you have a love for activity, make sure to have a spot in your schedule for a run or some tennis. Get energy from the things that you love in order to keep your positive energy flowing. Once you are able to exude your positive energy, other pieces in life tend to fall into place.

Lately when people ask me how I've been doing, the answer is, "Great". Its not very often that one answers so positively, that it takes people by surprise. Too often its a mediocre "Good" so that no more questions can be asked about it. "Great" welcomes the question, "Oh really, why so great?", with often a perk of interest. This interest comes in because everyone wants to be doing "Great", and they are looking for insight to find out how. So, if you are doing great, it actually will improve other people's outlook on life because it shows that being happy is obtainable. People love to be around happiness and happy people because it inspires them to be happier. We have a tendency to mirror each other. Happiness serves as a natural gravitational pull. If you can find your inner happy, naturally more good things will happen. Life is all about finding that happy state of mind, and staying there as long as possible.

The Secret to Life

2010-02-18T10:38:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been so incredibly fortunate to have been meeting the most interesting and intriguing people. I haven't been out specifically to find these people, but somehow they've been just crossing my path. And when I say interesting and intriguing, it means that they've figured out the secret to life. And every time I meet someone who'd figured out the secret, I feel the automatic connection with these people. It has taken me a while to fully understand what attracts me to some people and not others, but finally I'm able to put it into words. So you ask...what's the secret to life? Well keep reading and you'll find out.

Meet Danny. Danny grew up in the Bay Area and went to a couple of different places for college. He ended up working at a children's gym in LA for a couple of years, and loved it. He moved back to the Bay Area and continued working at a children's gym. Then it dawned on him, he could do this for the rest of his life and be happy doing it. So he went and bought his own kid's gym and currently owns and manages it.

Meet Brad. Brad grew up in New Jersey. He went to an Ivy league school, followed by law school, even studying in Japan. He started working for an established law firm, but then crossed over to working for a startup in the Bay Area as both their legal council and Vice President. He has also started his own entrepreneurial venture promoting emerging music artists on the side along with avidly painting, guitar playing, surfing and writing music.

Meet Nathan. Nathan grew up in Virginia. He went to a medium sized college in Virginia and studied a breadth of subjects. He became interested in agriculture and produce, working at the farmers market, and then bartering with other vendors for the freshest ingredients. He found passion in learning how to use these different fresh ingredients in his cooking. He believes that people should only be putting the best of food in their bodies. He moved to LA, and would really get to know the farmers and ask them for insight into the produce that they specialize in. He has turned his interest of food and cooking into a full time. He currently is a host of a TV show called "A Lyon in the Kitchen" that broadcasts on the Discovery Health network.

So, now you ask, what's the secret of life? I'm hoping that I've been able to explain it more in these stories than I would able to flat out saying the answer. The answer is to follow what you love and what will make you happy and BE who YOU are. Find your passion and run with it. Next time someone asks you, "What do you do for fun?" Wouldn't it be nice to hesitate with your response because in your mind you are thinking "Wait, what DON'T I do for fun?"

What Makes a Good Relationship? How do you know if you are in a Good Relationship?

2010-02-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

The following questions are probably questions you've asked yourself in one form or another:

What Makes a Good Relationship? How do you know if I am in a Good Relationship?

I would venture to say that a good relationship can be identified in the same ways no matter the kind of relationship between people. Whether it be parent/child, lovers, friends, business partners, etc.

So, how can you detect a good relationship? Here is my list:

1. The conversation comes easy

2. You feel relaxed

3. You can be yourself

4. You don't have to worry about offending or side stepping

5. It's not a chore to put the person into your schedule

6. You are energized by your interactions

7. You find yourself smiling without even realizing it

8. You find yourself making constant eye contact

9. You gain confidence in yourself and abilities

10. Mutual love/respect/trust

Do you have more to add? Leave your thoughts, we can make this a living list.

A Case for Generalists in a Society that Only Values Specialists

2010-01-25T17:57:00.000-08:00

In the current age there has been an emphasis on people being highly skilled in one area. While this is important for technological developments in specific areas, there is also a great need for generalists- people with a diverse skill set and education in order to help seamlessly blend together the different elements of study. Take for an example a

creation of a simple piece of furniture- a chair. An engineer may design it to be able to hold the weight of a person, but it may not be beautiful or comfortable. An artist could create something pleasing to the eye, but the chair may crumble once sat upon, and may uncomfortable for the user. An ergonomic specialist may know how a user’s body should be supported, but would have no idea how to create a functional or beautiful chair. A generalist may not make the most perfect chair right off the bat, but could be able to create a stable, beautiful, comfortable chair. And then once they have the base line, can give it to the specialists to refine and perfect the drawing.

In product development there needs to be a synergy of the specialties needed to make an object. It’s a blend of cost, beauty, and functionality. If no one exists with general knowledge of areas there is no one to bridge the gap between the people and their views. The budgeters will want the chair to be as inexpensive as possible without care to anything else. The artist would have no problem using the most expensive of material as long as they consider it beautiful. In a kind of scenario where everyone is specialists there is an analogy of the concept that keeps getting ‘thrown over the wall’. Each person will work on it so it fits their specialty’s specific needs without consideration for anything else. By the end a cohesive product does not exist. The engineer might start with a tabletop with for legs. The artist doesn’t like the bulkiness of the legs to they remove material from the legs, and even decide that 3 legs would look better than four. The cost saver then switches the material from hardwood to a flimsy plastic. In the end the marketing guy has one heck of a job because he has a product to sell that the user doesn’t want because it’s structurally unsound, cheap and ugly.

A generalist acts as a liaison. He or she is the voice of reason, always considering the larger picture. When working on a project it is always important to take a couple of steps back for a view of what is really going on. A great analogy is a group of blind men, each touching a part of the elephant to figure out what it is, but no one has a clue because they haven’t seen the bigger picture, or felt the entire elephant. A generalist might not be able to tell you the detail of how long the elephant’s toe nails are, but at least he’ll be able to tell you that it’s an elephant.

Another strength of generalists is their ability to establish patterns and cross-pollinate ideas from one subject to another. A man was walking in a field, and when he returned home he noticed burrs had attached themselves to his clothing. He was amazed how easily they grasped on, could be pulled off, but then could grasp on again. He analyzed them under a microscope and noticed that the burrs had tiny hooks, and his clothing had loops. The hooks of the burrs were attaching themselves to the loops of his clothing. Had he just specifically been a biologist he may have documented a picture of the burr and be content. But the man took this concept to create a new fastener that did not exist at the time. And because of him we now have Velcro. By cross pollination of ideas instead of having to individually invent something completely new for each area of study, a concept that exists somewhere else can be taken and reapplied to a new subject matter. It’s all about understanding the interconnectedness of the world, and in order for that to happen it’s important that we understand the importance than generalists can provide.

Ebay: A seller's nightmare

2009-12-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

I listed a high dollar item, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200413814900 on Ebay. It is a very nice, high definition video camera valued at around $1800. I put it up for aution with a buy it now option. The item sold to the user:

bwxxxk9_123
barbara williams
5749 Twelvemonth Ct
Columbia, MD 21045

The username was suspicious and had zero feedback, so I looked up the address. The address is a foreclosed house. I called the phone number. The phone number was disconnected. The user never paid, and soon after unregistered. So, I relisted the item.

The item was bought again. This time to:
bwxxxk23_123
Barbara williams
3340 Brouse Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46218

If you notice, similar username, same name, but this time they are Indiana. Called the phone number, disconnected again. I contacted Ebay, they told me I should go through with the sale, even though I knew it was a fraud. Surprise, surprise, no payment, and soon after they became unregistered. I relisted.

It was bought again. This time to:
olumi0240
Donald Jones
2054 Wilson Avenue
Dallas, TX 75240

I received an email from this seller after they bought it.

"Enter your question hereDear Seller,i want you to reply me about the condition of this item before you send me an invoice because i want to be sure of want am buying and i want you to get back to me with your PayPal account as soon as possible for payment to be made.
Regards"

The English words of a scammer. Once again, zero feedback, disconnected phone number, no payment. I contacted customer service, and told them scammers kept buying my item. They told me that even though it seemed like a scam that I should send invoice and wait for payment. Invoice sent, and no payment. So, I had to wait 4 days to file a report, and had to wait indefinately for Ebay to credit my account. Eventually other people also complained about him, and he was unregistered. Ironically though, since Ebay no longer lets sellers give negative feedback to buyers, he had 2 "positive" feedback marks, each written with negative comments.

So, I relisted the item. This time it was bought by:

767gclarkx32
Gloria Clark
629 Tiffin Ave
Findlay, OH 45840

Another scammer. I told Ebay. Once again they did NOTHING. I received an invoice for $45 from Ebay. Eventually they credited back $40. They want me to pay $5 in listing fees, although it was because of their unverified buyers that I had to list the same item over and over again. I contacted them through chat trying to get reimbursed, and the customer service rep, "Kevin" was unhelpful, and CLOSED the chat on me! It automatically erased our conversation, and quickly switched to the message, "Thank you for chatting. You can now close this window." I called them, and they were entirely unhelpful on the phone, and refused to credit back my account.

If they would verify users by simply calling the phone number, none of this would happen. But unfortunately Ebay has gone down hill in both their verification of users and their customer service. I'll be closing my account. Thanks Ebay for wasted time, effort and money. And thanks most of all for being rude about the incompetencies of your website.

What would you do, if you knew you couldn't fail?

2009-11-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

I passed a sign the other day that posed an interesting question, "What would you do, if you knew you couldn't fail?" It actually made me take a second to think about it. I wonder why this question provoked such thought when a question like, "What are you going to do with your life?" doesn't give people much of a pause except for a brief shrug and an "I dunno".

Maybe its because when you ask someone "What are you going to do with your life?" the first couple of times they heard it they replied, "an artist", "a professional baseball player", until people started to laugh at them, and told them simply that it was impossible or impractical. So, then they changed their answer to something that was standard and something that could not possibly be shot down. Buy when the question is posed, "What would you do, if you knew you couldn't fail?" you are finally allowed to answer by following your heart. But then it becomes too hard to answer because "I dunno" has finally gotten the best of you.

So, now I ask you: what would you do, if you knew you couldn't fail?

PerfectBusiness.com and the Perfect Pitch

2009-10-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Entrepreneur magazine one Wednesday morning that told me I had "One Week to Submit Your Pitch to Richard Branson‏". Obviously their marketing department had done a good job because I became intrigued, thoroughly read the email and proceeded to sign up for PerfectBusiness.com It was then that I decided that I was going to do it. Even though there was a $60 fee for submitting a pitch, I felt that it was worth the monetary risk because the potential of great success was there. There were just some hurdles involved because I had already committed to a 3 day labor day getaway to Lake Tahoe, and I was just getting the symptoms of cold and allergies. The video pitch was due on the Tuesday after labor day.

We came home from our travels mid day on Monday so I could start working on my speech. On Tuesday I treated my raspy voice by drinking straight up coconut milk, not the most appetizing, but it did help to make my cold stricken hoarse voice sound better. I set up my video camera to capture my pitch. It turns out that I'm just great communicating with people and talking off the cuff, but an elevator pitch in front of a camera where you need to get every word right is much more intimidating. After hours of talking in front of the camera for a minute and a half speech, I finally got a run that I didn't freeze up like a deer in headlights. It's difficult to come to terms that even when you have the opportunity to do your pitch many times over that it's nearly impossible to reach perfection.

I submitted my entry, typed in my payment information, and accept button. This was it, I was submitting the pitch for my 'baby' online for investors to see. It took a couple of weeks, but then we received word on our submissions. I did it, Top 50! They even sent me a little badge to put on my website, so here is it:

It links to the page that announces the Top 50 submissions. There it is, a picture of me and a listing for my company, Juci Inc, "The future of beverages". They'll be announcing the Top 10 on Monday, followed by an announcement of the Top 3 the next week. The Top 3 get to go to the conference for free and pitch to a room full of investors, including Richard Branson. Now, how awesome would that be? Hi, Sir Richard Branson, would you like to invest in my company? An entrepreneur can dream!

Incorporating Your Business

2009-09-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

Incorporating is a big step, and its important to be ready. This is your first official declaration to the world that you are ready to start your business. In addition, this is when your money starts going to the government. There are resources to help you incorporate, and here I'll let you in on what I found.

There is a book by Nolo, "Incorporate your Business" which is quite helpful in understanding the reasoning behind incorporating and the difference between all the different kinds of formations. At the end of the book there are specific state pages which tells you the particulars of how to incorporate in each state and how the laws and fees differ.

Delaware is known as a corporate friendly state. Their courts are experienced and they have more refined and company friendly outcomes than most other states. Also the incorporation fees in Delaware are relatively low and you are able to perform a name search online for free and real time.

Here is a great guide from the state of Delaware of the steps to incorporate in Delaware: http://corp.delaware.gov/howtoform.shtml

Goodluck!

Losing a Business Partner and Moving on

2009-09-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

On July 6th I had written a post about taking on a business partner. Unfortunately that relationship has come untied. But alas, with every life experience comes learning that is best applied later in life.

I had thought my relationship with my business partner was beyond paper. We had trust and understanding, and a passion for entrepreneurship that we shared together. And then one day I receive an email that erased all of it. From happily coasting along, I received an email that single handedly broke down my world. It was an email that dismantled our partnership.

As a full time entrepreneur your work is your passion. If an individual wants to make money, find a good paying job. If an individual wants to create a business and make a difference, they create a company. It's hard to separate your heart from your business at that point. The question still looms of, do you have to? Ask a VC, and the answer will probably be "yes". Investors are out to make money, most of them could care less on whether or not your company is a moral one. In fact, your company may lose some money every once in a while because you choose the happiness of your employees over the bottom line, but how about the end result?

There are companies that have passion burning within them, and you can tell with every product or service they spit out. Apple...IDEO... these are companies with passion. You can tell that their founder put heart into their creation, and although money keeps the company going, it is not what drives the company's existence. And then you have your standard run of the mill companies that are clearly there to increase their profit margins, be mediocre in every aspect, and neither excel or fail. There are more difference between these companies. When a company is built on passion, the employees who apply for positions are filled with passion. I bet if it were tracked you'd have at least 5X the applicant for a passionate company than a money driven company.

If you have a passionate company with 5X the applicants you can pay lower salaries because the demand is high for your positions. If you have a company with a sub-par reputation you need to hike up salary levels to obtain better applicants.

So, in the end my conclusion is that it may be harder to get people on the band wagon of a passionate company, because people will doubt your business's financial health, but if you can make those gems survive, you and your company are golden, and you become a legend. See Oprah, Steve Jobs, & David Kelley for reference.

Now, back to the partnership conversation. Even if you have the trust, love and everything else that you think you need to survive...get yourself a contract. Although you may be good on your word until the end of time, it is unpredictable whether your partner will wake up one day and decide that this is not what they want for themselves. And when and if that unfortunate comes, it is dire that its in black and white how to handle the separation.

Make sure you have guidelines on how to handle equity, files and money. It's important to protect yourself and your venture. I am not one for contracts, but I have quickly learned my lesson. Although you'd like to believe the best in people, that you also need to prepare for the worst.

So, to conclude, I do believe in the formation in a moral and emotional company. I also think that it is more likely for that company to either fail miserably, or fly much higher than other companies. I think mideocraty would be a rare occurance in such a company. I believe it takes more elbow grease to create such a venture, and it's a must to have the help of some good 'old fashioned black and white contracts to keep everyone on the same page.

I got her flowers, now why is she still mad?

2009-07-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

This entry is to explain girls to guys. Because face it, sometimes things just need to be squarely explained. Situation: Girl has been asking Guy for *flowers. Guy finally gets girl *flowers, but Girl is still not happy, in fact, now she is frustrated. Why?

*(Substitute Guy, Girl and Flowers for names and object that fits your situation)

There is a secret about women that you should know. We don't always verbalize exactly what we want, but we still want it. So, every so often we would like unrequested thought put into us. We don't want to nag, and we don't want to ask for it, but we want it. So, in the back of our mind we always have this wistfulness about us. "Man, I kind of wish he would...(buy me flowers); (buy me jewelry); (plan a vacation); (take me out) ; (propose); (give me a compliment); (fill in with anything)." It's not that we particularly really want those things, we just really want to know that you are listening to us, thinking about us, and that you care enough to do it.

If you do or plan something at this point...she is thrilled, and you get the full love treatment.

So, time passes, and it's not happening. The thought is moving from the back of our mind, to the front. And instead of our unsuccessful hoping and hinting, we finally blatantly ask for it. So, you can tell now that it is in your best interest to do it, so you do. You would think she'd be happy and content, but instead she is frustrated and mad. By the time we ask...you better go above and beyond, because its the extra thought that we actually wanted.

If your boy needs a hint, or your girl needs insight, send them this way.

Business Partners and Building a Brand

2009-07-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting time, and as always, I've been learning plenty.

I've recently taken on a business partner, and I'm confident that it was a good move. Finding a business partner is a tricky move, and it is not something you should decide to do overnight. When you have a project, it becomes like your child, and not everyone is equipped to handle such responsibility. Not only does it take someone who has the same vision as you, but it take someone with the same passion for making it happen. Most... if not everyone in the world would like to be rich. It's the world dream: to have at least so much money that you don't need to worry about money. Well, in order to pioneer a real project with a great goal it is important to have people who don't just see the value in money. There is much more, such as building good relationships with employees, consumers, suppliers and investors. It is important to have the belief that your products and company goals are honorable and for the greater good. No one can argue with a company who is out to better everyone's world.

Most companies start with that passion driven person, but over time the business people take over and the focus becomes pure profit, which short term may work wonders, but dooms the company for the long term. Keeping control of cash flow is important, but it should not be the number one. Toyota is a great example of this. After working for Toyota, it has earned my respect in a number of ways. The number one priority of Toyota? Safety 1st. The ironic part of this is that by making safety 1st, the company actually saves tons of money in the areas of lawsuits, health care, and employee downtime. Not to mention that employee satisfaction increases, and that employees now can work for longer without injury.

Not focusing on the green doesn't mean that you aren't going to produce a successful products. It means that you have a greater shot of create a successful company. Build a brand that people can trust and relay on, and you can be sure that your company will generate a stronger consumer base and loyal customers who will pass on your company name and products like wildfire. Customers don't like to just buy products, they enjoy the story. Make sure your company has a good story to tell, and let your customers enjoy it over a nice tall glass of milk and chocolate chip cookies.

Some Links to Helpful Organizations

2009-04-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

All of the websites below are well known resources in SV and host conferences and networking events for entrepreneurs. It's always advised to keep an active network going. Some of these conferences can get pretty expensive, I tend to pick and choose which are worth the time and money based on the possible value of learning and connections it can provide. I'll try and update this list as I come across more worthwhile organizations.

http://www.women2.org/

Women's entrepreneur group.

http://www.astia.org/

Designed for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs who understand the value of extraordinary relationships and believe in the give-back, Astia connects entrepreneurs to investors, industry leaders, advisors, and service providers encircling the entrepreneur with a comprehensive value-ad network. Our role is to facilitate access to the proven pathways to success and deliver results.

http://alwayson.goingon.com/

The AlwaysOn Network is transforming the media business by providing its readers with an open and participatory editorial environment. Borrowing from the underground blogging and social networking traditions, AO was launched in 2003 and has emerged as a leader in the “open media” revolution. The network’s content focuses on the sweet spots in the technology markets where innovation is disrupting behavior and creating new business opportunities.

http://www.tiecon.org

TiEcon is TiE's premier annual event and is the largest convention in the world dedicated to entrepreneurs. TiE is a global, not-for-profit, non-political, and non-religious organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurs across its international network. Since its founding in 1992, TiE has grown to become the world's largest organization for entrepreneurs and professionals, with membership spread across 48 chapters in 11 countries.

Baconnaise?

2009-04-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

So, if you'd like inspiration that you can take basically any idea and take it to company form, here is the proof. 2 guys at a restaurant one day and decided that the taste of bacon was filled with awesomeness. So what did they do? They first developed bacon flavored salt, and now are producing bacon flavored lip balm and mayonnaise. http://www.jdfoods.net/ourstory.php

And based on the post below, you may just remember the above paragraph because it is Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, and a Story. I saw the story today one Oprah. You heard me, two guys who formed a company based on the concept that everything should taste like bacon, had a 10 minute spot on Oprah. Not only that, but now Oprah is tweeting on her show. Wow things have changed. Social Media has now taken control of TV, with the internet and iphone applications being top stories on the news.

Two days ago one of the top stories on the news station was the 'shaking baby' application on the iphone. Why the news would even waste their time talking about a stupid application that someone wrote? I have no idea. You would think that their time would have been better spent on a special interest story, or picking a wedgie. My thought is that there is so much information out there now, that even credible news reporters are having difficulty combing through all the information to come out with a hearty news report.

People are coming across youtube videos, iphone applications, and all the other randomness on their own. To replay all of this as 'news' is ridiculous. Then you end up getting bombarded with the same information over and over again, I guess that is what they mean by recycling.

What happened to the time when people would turn on the news to hear about was happening in the community? Now I turn on the news and they are talking about the latest YouTube video or Britain's Got Talent's, Susan Boyle.

I think TV needs to redefine its purpose. A statistic today said that only 52% think the TV is necessary. Its the lowest percentage since the 70's. No wonder, the TV just tells you everything the internet does...but 8 hours later. Baconnaise, anyone?

SUCCESs

2009-04-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been taking a small break from my major projects and have been concentrating more on the photography and videography business. The way I work I can't be on over drive on one project for months at a time, I like to throw in some other projects, take my mind completely off of what I've been working on, and then return to it once my mind has been cleared. That way I can look at it with a fresh set of eyes. I suppose that's the way many artists work. If you spend your time completely immersed in a painting, and never take a step back to look at it, its easy to get lost along the way.

I've been reading a book called "Made to Stick". It talks about creating concepts that are catchy so they grab the attention of users/consumers/target audience. The thought behind the book is that about 80% of the successful advertisements follow the same rules. While the advertisements that fail, fail in too many ways to mention. They talk about the acronym, "SUCESs".

Simple–the core message that is compact and profound. It functions more like a proverb than a sound bite.
Unexpected–get your audience’s attention and hold it by using surprise and mystery.
Concrete–make your idea understandable and memorable by breaking it down into terms that can be imagined by the senses.
Credible–help your audience believe and agree with your idea by using appropriate testimonies, statistics, and examples.
Emotional–get your audience to care about your idea by using specific examples of someone in need or by appealing the audience’s self-interest or sense of identity.
Stories–get people to take action by telling the right stories.

Apparently, if you follow these rules, you will be well on your way to success!

Andy Spade Presentation- Husband of "Kate Spade" Bags

2009-04-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to a speaker presentation hosted by Stanford's d.school. The speaker was Andy Spade, who helped found "Kate Spade" and "JACK Spade" with his wife Katie. You may have heard of Kate Spade bags before... The following is a small blurb about him.

Spade had over a decade of experience with top advertising agencies Saatchi & Saatchi, Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, and TBWA/Chiat/Day managing accounts with companies such as Coca Cola, Evian, Reebok, Lexus, and Coach. He's the branding and marketing man behind Kate Spade and Jack Spade (the companies that he and his wife created.) He has also been tapped to design the experiences of a number of companies including Delta's Song Airlines and J. Crew retail experiment The Liquor Store. Spade's latest project is Partners & Spade. It includes a highly conceptual retail experience in downtown Manhattan. Beyond all these business ventures, Spade is heavily involved in the art world. He is a patron to emerging artists, co-owner of a gallery, and curator of several exhibitions. Spade's projects merge emotional branding, experience design, brilliant collaboration, and always a touch of surrealism.

Pretty much a lot of what I'd like to get into. So, for the benefit of reinforcing his lecture in my head, and to give you some insight on what Andy had to share, I will share my notes from the lecture.

Keep it interesting.

1. Make the advertising personal. Identify with clients.
-You want to tell the stories behind the products that you are advertising
2. Love your product like your children (When they're well behaved)
-And don't be afraid to add a little wit
3. Have a collection of Boutiques, not a chain of stores
-The Spade stores are each at least 30% different
-And if you are going to hang something, make it mean something, its all about the USER EXPERIENCE
-People want to buy products with an interesting story
4. Don't be afraid to collaborate
5. Continually surprise your customer (they bore easily)
-(Notice how Britney Spears is still interesting??)<-my add in 6. A brand should be like a friend and act accordingly 7. Beware of overbranding (i.e. tommy hilfiger) 8. Everytime you hire an accountant, hire a creative

Now for some of the interesting advertising strategies he helped out with. I LOVE untraditional advertising, it's genius. I've always had room in my heart for creative everything, I'm not a fan of vodka, but I love Absolut's advertising campaign. If I hadn't done Mechanical Engineering, I would have done either industrial design, advertising, art, psychology... I think they are all related, although our society likes to pull them apart. Apart each are OK. Combined, they are amazing.

So, back to examples. J Crew wanted to step up the perceived value and coolness of their men's clothes. So, instead of paying over $10,000 for a page in a magazine, they rented space in an old liquor store. They didn't put their sign outside, just a cool clothes display with vintage feel, and reconnecting the old neon liquor store sign. They received much publicity on this store, and J Crew men's earned a 'cool' factor.

For wit, they made Kate Spade bags for Valentine's Day. On the front it had stitching, "Be mine, forever". Inside, a hidden GPS tracker.
They published a book, "what a man should know", instead of coming out with an ad, because books tend to be more credible than ads.
They sell back dated confidence trophies, for those competitions that you are still bitter about losing, 20 years later.

They had teenagers vandalize one of their stores, by having eggs thrown at the window, and called the news. Free publicity!
Kate Spade brand made: chocolates, bags, books, music, all to make up the user experience, and build the brand.
They made two movies, one about a paper boy, and put their messenger bag in the movie. Then they created a full feature film, "The pleasure of being robbed", with Kate Spade bags. That bag has won much critic acclaim, and most don't even realize it a bag commercial.
At one of the big fashion shows, JACK made hot dog and hamburger shaped cookies, with a note "JACK Cares", and handed them out to the anorexic models.

So, it sounds like Andy Spade is off to some pretty interesting things now. He basically started with a core product of the traditional "Kate Spade" bag, and now that venture is supporting all his other ventures. That's my goal right now. Build one.. and then I'll be able to branch out. Seems that the one core product give you the credibility and money to proceed to the larger picture.

I talked to him after the presentation, and asked if he was familiar with David Kelley, because what he is pursuing now seems very IDEOish. He said he just spent the day with Kelley, and would like to work with IDEO for a year. I'm not jealous or anything... :-)

Blogger becomes casualty of Iran cyber-wars

2009-04-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

I saw this headline today: "Blogger becomes casualty of Iran cyber-wars", and felt it was worth some words. Apparently a Jewish blogger in Iran was arrested for criticizing the Iranian government. He died today in his jail cell. His blog started out talking about freedom, and the desire for it. I find it amazing to think that even today in our modern society, people are still ruled by fear. The story echos what happened in Berlin, Germany during the second world war. First, they make sure people are scared to speak out. By muzzling people, it makes it harder to unify. It's easier to pick off individual 'annoyances' than a powerful unified opponent.

Maybe if we use their thinking, and reverse it on them, we can make sure that we can regain the security of people's freedom. Maybe everyone can unify in the quest for freedom of all people. Its an idealist thought, but with a positive spin on it. Ironic, with even those good intentions, it would have the same outcome, people being persecuted for their beliefs.

But, what if we all held the belief that being good natured was the ultimate right, and that we should allow our moral compasses direct us? I wonder how so many people's moral compasses got so screwed up. I think we should all be raised watching Disney movies, so we can know the difference between Cinderella, and the Evil step mother.

And, to part, I will leave with a quote from blogger, Omidreza Mirsayafi's first blog post.

"I asked: When will we understand the meaning of freedom?

"I answered: When our wisdom can be delivered from ignorance, selfishness and foolishness."

In memory of all who have never had the pleasure of experiencing freedom.

The ABC's Inventing

2009-04-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

If you are thinking of inventing something new for the world, and would like some inspiration, I offer it here.

An invention is any thing, process, or idea that isn't generally and currently known, that can be made tangible in some way.

It is a misconception that the day of the successful solo inventor is over. In fact, billions of dollars in royalties and other compensation are paid each year to individual inventors for their creations. You may be also energized to know that 73% of all inventions that have sparked new industries have come from independent inventors. Now, that's just awesome.

Recognizing a problem is usually about 90% of the act of conceiving the invention. "To be an inventor is to perceive a need". If you can define a problem with a large enough involved market, or a critical enough need for a small market, you could have an idea with great market potential.

The largest piece that leads to a successful outcome for most inventions is defining the real problem. This might seem simple and transparent, but it is often not. For example, when Chrysler came out with the mini van, the customer's biggest complaint was they were always at the gas station, filling up their tanks. Chrysler then spent a lot of money trying to figure out how to achieve a higher mpg rating. The real problem? The gas tank was too small, and all they needed to do was increase the size of the tank to make their customers happy.

Once you get an idea, in order to make a difference you must follow through. Many people have ideas, but few actually follow through. Keep in mind that you may think to yourself, "Man, how can I be the only world to think of this? It must already exist, game over." You won't be getting anywhere. First of all, you may not be the first one in the world to think of it, but you may be the first in the world to follow through with it. Start out by doing a patent search, and see where it takes you from there. As Edison said, inventing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.

If at first your idea doesn't take, take another approach. Before the inventor of the grocery cart came along, shoppers in grocery stores used their own small hand carried wicker baskets. When he first introduced the shopping cart, shoppers wouldn't use them, and stores wouldn't buy them. So why is it that today we see the shopping cart everywhere? Because in order to get his carts accepted by the public... he hired crews of shoppers to wheel the carts about and fill them in his store. In addition, he also hired a woman to offer the carts to entering shoppers. Now, how is that for being resourceful and great marketing strategy?

Maybe you don't have enough time to sit down and think of an invention? Not a problem. History records a large number of important scientific and conceptual breakthroughs occurring during sleep or borderline-sleep states.

Elias Howe solved the basic problem of his sewing machine invention in a dream. Tribal warrior ordered him to come up with a solution or they would kill him. He couldn't come up with an answer, so the warriors threw their spears at him. When the spears were inches away from his face, he noticed that each spear had a hole near its tip. His nightmare awoke him in terror, but with a solution to his most daunting problem!

If none of the above have entertained or inspired you, I have 2 more tricks up my sleeve. One is this quote:

"Everything that can be invented has been invented"-- U.S. Patent Office Director, urging President McKinley to abolish the Patent Office (1899)

And if that didn't do it for you, here is my last kicker. An awesome commercial from the USPTO.

Expanding Entrepreneurness.com

2009-04-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

It's my hope that this site will be able to expand into not just a blog for myself, but a community for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial thinkers. It would be ideal for this place to serve as a site for inspiration and guidance through the complicated journey of creating a start up business.

I know people have different talents, and unfortunately I don't have one in web design. If anyone is interested in helping to grow this website from a technical perspective, I'd be interested in hearing from you. I'd like to have different bloggers on this site, and an easy way to people to post and respond to one another. Are you interested in adding to this site, whether it be technically related, or with information and insight? Just contact me, and we'll figure something out.

Some Important Factoids

2009-03-30T23:51:00.000-07:00

Things are finally becoming clearer, a little more into focus each day. I'll give some information that I've learned this week that is very important if you end up doing any of this stuff.

Patents and Trademarks
Patents are a way to obtain an offensive (and expensive) stance on a utility, design, or plant invention that you may have. There are other ways to protect an invention... like a trade secret, but if your end product is meant to end up in the hands of consumers, it can most likely be reverse engineered. For example, if you are inventing a new bike, and do not file a patent within one year of your first sale or introduction to the public, anyone can create the same bike by "reverse engineering" to figure out how its made, and then sell it.

The Coke formulation is a trade secret, but has worked this way because of the large amount of ingredients used and specified process to produce. However, if Coke had filed a patent for their formulation, their recipe and method of manufacture would be public knowledge, and after 20 years would be open for public use. As it can be seen from these examples there are benefits and drawbacks from each method of protection.

A provisional patent can be filed up to a year before the regular patent. The provisional patent is not published, but merely filed away for safe keeping, and is only referred to again once the regular patent has been filed. In order to file a useful provisional patent that will offer you protection in court, the provisional patent must explain how to use and make your invention. Another important note is that you MUST file the regular patent within one year that the provisional patent is filed. If it is not filed within one year you LOSE your right to patent your invention, and it becomes public domain.

An Idea needs enough sunlight to grow, but not so much that it bakes in the sun

What do I mean by this? It's important that your idea doesn't end up in a closet, hidden away from everyone so that it dies from the lack of light. People can add insight and needed criticism to your project. It needs a healthy amount of attention from people who know about your field of invention and business but are not out to harm it in anyway. It is important that you don't publicly display or publish your invention because then you can lose patent rights, if the paperwork hasn't been filed. If you tell too many people, who can't positively effect your outcome, you could be creating more competition in the space in which you are trying to excel in. It is all a balance, and maintaining the one that is right for you.

So, I have an Idea, now what?

2009-03-19T00:22:00.000-07:00

Do you have the "So, I have an Idea, now what?" syndrome? I've heard this a lot, and all I can respond is there is no easy answer for that. I bet then you've also heard the saying that an idea is a dime a dozen. I know some people consider it "easy" to come up with an idea, though I think it's less trivial to come up with a good idea. In my world a good idea is not just one thought, it is a stream of consciousness built from a problem, followed by a logical solution that is well supported against all sides of argument.

Unfortunately, most of us are not Major Nelson with Jeannie besides us to blink us a finished product. In order for our dreams and ideas to become a reality, it does take time.

There are many carefully set up ploys that will quickly get other companies rich. I don't know of a single company that is out there to get you rich. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. From what I've heard, the resources advertised on TV like inventhelp.com hooks you up with a series of people which of whom you pay for their services, and they are definately not the cream of the crop. So in the end, the services win because they have a steady stream of business, but the inventor... not so lucky.

And then there is the occasional casting call for TV shows such as American Inventor, and Everyday Edisons. Keep in mind that if you show off your product on national television without a patent, your product now becomes public domain and you are no longer eligible for a patent. Funny how that works. So, if you really think you have the next huge idea, it's probably not the best thing to wait in line with 40,000 other contestents. If you want to wave to your mom... then stand in line. If your idea is something you aren't serious about pursuing unless you make it to the finals, then it might be worth it too.

Competitions arrise here and there for products. My sister sent me this one: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/womanofInvention.asp?order_num=-1&?utm_source=e&utm_medium=e&utm_term=e&utm_content=headerfooter&utm_name=springgardening
It's an interesting concept. Smart advertising for bed bath and beyond, similar to Fox's American Idol. They gain publicity just by having this contest, and it costs them practically nothing to run it. Edison makes out because they charge a $25 screening fee per product. For the inventor, it is small risk, a low probability of return, but with a high reward. If you have a good concept but would not go through the trouble of going through the process, it would be good to submit it here and try your hand at success.

Lastly, if you have the energy/passion/stubborness to do it yourself. It is the highest risk and highest reward thing you can do. If it doesn't work out you can say you've tried it, and probably learned a wealth of knowledge. And if you make it big you can look in the mirror and know that you've beaten the odds and can be proud of yourself for having the chutzpah to make it happen.

Progress on the Entrepreneurial Front... Playing the Game

2009-03-16T23:45:00.000-07:00

Being an entrepreneur is definitely not a job of quick rewards. If you are thinking of starting a company, or being your boss, and expect things to happen at a snap of a finger, you'll be disappointed. But, if you are willing to be persistent, stubborn, and combine some naiveness with passion, you may just have a shot.

I've been at this thing seriously for 7 months now. In that time I've taken classes, networked, gotten familiar with the area and what it has to offer, familiarized myself with Stanford, and have taken action with my projects. I feel that I've been setting up my chessboard. I'm getting all my pieces set up so when I really start playing I'll be prepared for any obstacles my opponent throws my way. I've researched and inquired about everything from the patenting process to funding, technical development to marketing. It's less costly and timely to learn from other people's mistakes then making my own.

As a result of doing a large breadth of activity at once, opportunities keep showing their faces like that whack-a-mole game at the arcade. So, at that moment, I need explore the opportunity as it presents itself. The whole thing is a game. The reason why I need to be so vague in my posts is because as in poker, you can never show your full hand and still expect to win.

Right now I'm in stealth mode with a product I'm developing. I cannot tell everyone I come across because much of a competitive edge is in the 'first to market' strategy. That is how Amazon made it big. They were the first on-line book store and they had time to make mistakes so they could get it right, leaving all the brick and mortar stores in the dust. If you are too late in the game, you run the risk of becoming a copycat brand, trying to ride on the coattails of another's success.

The only exception to that rule would be if you can vastly improve upon or redesign what is currently on the market. Apple with its ipod was certainly not first to market with their mp3 player. But they did greatly improve and redesign the industry. They incorporated a music player (itunes), with a store where people could easily buy and download their music onto their uniquie player. The ipod's design along with the buying and listening experience were for the first time streamlined, making their product a total sensation.

Even MORE fate!

2009-03-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

On February 26th 2009 and October 10 2008, I blogged about the bits of fate that brought me out to California that involved IDEO and Tom Kelley's book, "The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm". Then I mentioned how I found out about Tom Kelley speaking, and had the opportunity to meet him. And how I ran into David Kelley, and had the opportunity to meet him.

Yesterday I had lunch with an IDEO employee whom I met through a mutual friend. I met her in Palo Alto and we decided to eat at a local Thai restaurant. The host shows us to our seats, a very small two person booth, right next to one other small two person booth, that is nicely tucked away in a corner of the restaurant. After 10 minutes of sitting down and talking about IDEO and what had brought me out to California...the host seats two people in the booth right next to us. I moved my backpack for the person who would be sharing a bench with me. To my... disbelief, Tom Kelley was sitting next to me. Of all the restaurants, of all the seats, of all the time, Tom Kelley was right next to me. I laughed to myself. Seriously I think it's a bit of 'too much coincidence' at this point. Its fate telling me something, time will only tell what it is!

Building a Sustainable Environment...for yourself

2009-02-28T15:42:00.001-08:00

You may have heard much talk about living a sustainable life in terms of the world and environment. That is a very great thing... and something I believe in. But, that is not what I'll be talking about here.

I love the book "The Little Prince", so we'll pull that in as an example. In the story the little prince lives on a small planet in which not much goes on, and not much grows except the occasional bothersome baobob. And if you don't know what a baobob is, I think it's time for you to take some time and google it. Because baobobs do have the capacity to rip apart any planet, and therefore should be deemed very important by any such standard.

So, back to my point. The little prince saw a little bud come up, and watched it to see if it was a baobob, or something else. He had the patience enough to watch the small bud turn into a rose, the very first and only one on his small and unique planet. He took great care of his rose, would water it, talk to it, place a glass globe over it during the cold nights, and place a screen to protect her from the wind. It was only in this kind of loving environment could this rose blossom, survive and show her true beauty.

Each person needs to find that kind of sustainable environment where they can be properly nutured in order to reach their full potential. If you can't find your full potential where you are in your life, what can you do to better the environment around you? The little prince left his planet to explore the universe around him. In the end he finally realized that his small planet is where he wanted to be and belonged, and yet the only way he was able to realize this, was by exploring other lands.

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

Another Blog Update...with even more Fate!

2009-02-26T00:22:00.000-08:00

October 5, 2008 I wrote the post: ANOTHER BIT OF FATE! :-) . That post told of a series of events that lead me to the website of a Stanford lecture that let me hear Tom Kelley of IDEO lecture, and let me meet with him at the end. Well, I had read about Stanford's d.school (design school) online, and I was interested to explore it. It seemed like a university version of IDEO, because it was founded by David Kelley (Founder of IDEO) himself.

I've been checking out the d.school online periodically, and since I was already planning on checking out the startup job fair on campus on Tuesday I figured it would also be a good opportunity to finally step foot in the d.school. I walked in and asked the receptionist if it was fine to walk around and check it out, and referenced David Kelley and IDEO, and she nonchalantly also mentioned that he happened to be sitting right behind me.

I took the opportunity to talk with him and told him of my IDEO inspired journey out to California, it was pretty cool. So, even if your dreams don't come to you right away, if you get close enough to the positive energy, and take advantage of the opportunities presented, it will happen.

Blog Updates: Intuition 2, Corporate decisions 0

2009-02-24T22:59:00.000-08:00

US Airways

On January 4th, I wrote an entry titled: US Airways- Short term vs Long term decisions , talking about how on a recent US Airways flight I had been charged for water on a 6 hour cross continental domestic flight. My stance was that it was a horrible move for the airline to demand money for water on a cramped flight where there was no readily accessible drinking water. Especially when customers had each paid good money for their flight, and had all of the time in the world to complain to each other during the time in the air. Well, it seems like US Airways have finally gotten the message and have changed their ways. They were hoping the other airlines would follow suite and also decide to charge for drinks, when they didn't, they alone were crouching in the corner in shame. I think if they had thought about their decision a little more before becoming so money hungry they would have avoided the disaster, but I guess better late than never!

US Airways won't charge for sodas after all: US Airways says soda, juice and coffee will be free again for domestic coach passengers

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/US-Airways-wont-charge-for-apf-14436439.html

Tropicana

I hadn't mentioned this one in my blog, but in a conversation with my mom we were commenting on how ugly the new Tropicana packaging was. The printing on the carton was even questionable with faded orange colors, and a glass of orange juice that didn't look more than a faded orange shape on the label. The once decent looking packaging looked more like an unappealing generic container with a major identity crisis. I was surprised the design of the container even made it out the door. Well, it looks like Tropicana finally got the message on that one:

Never Mind! Pepsi Pulls Much-loathed Tropicana Packaging

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/linda-tischler/design-times/never-mind-pepsi-pulls-much-loathed-tropicana-packaging

Acting like you deserve it

2009-02-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

Time is an interesting thing. When one actually has time to think instead of do, a million thoughts can come racing into the mind, and then cause paralysis of the limbs. By thinking too much you can reason yourself in and out of thoughts, and then hesitate at the thought of any action because of all the consequences of actions. But what about the consequence of inaction?

Too many times people get scolded for not thinking abou ttheir actions. Though by not acting nothing, nothing would get done. People with extreme levels of self confidence rarely think much before acting because they are so sure of themselves that they figure, how could they be wrong? So, they take action, before thinking twice of it. Maybe at the lack of their thought, and quickness of their action they are able to succeed by just getting there before everyone else and to be able to make mistakes, and quickly correct them before going too noticed. Failure can only really occur if people can notice before they take action to correct. And, even at that point they are acknowledged for taking action.

When I was a kid, I remember coming home and telling my mom that I was upset because no one would play with me. I would watch kids playing a game, and either ask to play, or wait to get asked to play, and would become upset when they would either ignore or say no. My mom's conclusion? Don't ask, just play. I never truly understood that, I always thought, well what if the other kids don't want me to play with them, and started role reversing in my head, and figured it would not be a good idea. Other kids would just jump in and start playing without asking, just figuring that they already had a spot to play in.

I'm starting to think that my mom is right. Don't ask, just play. Don't think too much, just do. There are a 1,000 reasons why not to do something, maybe life is about finding the 1 reason why to do something. Don't wonder if you deserve something, just keep going and act like you do deserve it. Life actually has no rules, all there are are perceptions of them.

Thinking Big

2009-01-29T05:16:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid in about kindergarten or first grade, cliques were already forming and established. I went to a small school, and had about 15 or 20 kids in the classroom. For some reason to prove that everyone was in some sort of group, we decided to form clubs. Each person who was interested in being a club leader wrote their Mission Statement on a piece of paper. Here was mine:

There was a small one story house-like building within the bounds of our recess area. As you can see in the picture, I wanted to get the whole class together to build a giant slide make a giant slide out of snow. Then we could spend all of recess playing on our creation. I was very excited about my idea. How all the kids would love it too!

Well, as it turns out, I wasn't able to get anyone to join my group. Instead I joined this other more popular girl's 'sticker club'. We went to her house once, and she gave us a sticker. That was OK. But definitely not as cool as my giant snow slide!

Now that I think about it, every kid on earth should think that a giant snow slide would be the coolest thing ever. Why did people not join my club? Maybe by the age of 6 they already started thinking smaller, more 'realistic'. Well, if everyone thought so small and 'realistic', we wouldn't have any of the cool stuff we have today, and would live in huts and be farmers. So, be realistic, think BIG.

Wall of Shame- My Growing List of Product Reviews and Customer Service Experiences

2009-01-26T21:31:00.000-08:00

AT&T

I renewed my 2-year service with AT&T by upgrading my phone at a RadioShack in Delawarec. Normally I would not have gotten a phone so quickly without doing research on it, but the salesman said that I could easily return the phone to RadioShack within 30 days if I was not happy. RadioShack is located near me in Cali, so I went for it. I purchased the...

LG Vu- Which was an ok phone, lots of bells and whistles, which I like the option of having if I ever decide to upgrade packages. But there is one fundamental flaw of the LG VU. The battery life is horrible. One can possibly acheive 180 minutes of talk time if they maybe put it on the lowest volume and talk straight through one conversation. All I know is every two days I need to charge my phone, and I am a pretty casual talker. And if I have to charge the phone that frequently now, what will happen 2 years from now when the battery starts losing life?

So, I went to a RadioShack in Cali and asked about returning the phone. The man said that he could not return the phone, and that I would not even be able to get another phone even if I wanted to, because I was outside the 'region'. Apparently even though AT&T is nationwide, and RadioShack is nationwide...somehow AT&T does not allow the sale and return of phones outside of your specified region. Every other carrier allows this. And the region is determined by the area code of the phone, nothing else. So, if you moved but wanted to keep your cell number you would encounter many-a-problems.

I called AT&T, and they too said there was nothing they could do. I mentioned the fact that I could ship it to the Delaware RadioShack, and then return it, and thus get myself out of the upgrade, canceling my contract... but that didn't seem to phase him either. What is wrong with customer services these days?

LG Customer Service

I was pleasantly pleased at how fast my call was answered, and the woman on the phone was very pleasant. I asked what kind of a microSD card would fit with my phone. She told me to wait a second while she looked it up, and came back with the response of a 8 gb card. So, I did my research and purchased an 8 gb card. I put it in my phone, and it is not recognized. I call customer service. He says the max space it can hold is 4gb. I ask if that is written anywhere in the product manual. He says no. Money for card and time spent researching...wasted. Customer service = frustrating.

Barack Obama

2009-01-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

Today is the Inauguration of Barack Obama into the presidency of the United States of America. A historical day, as this is the end of Bush's 8 years of presidency, and Obama's first. As I type this, Obama is climbing the stairs to give his first speech as president.

An interesting thing that you may not know about Obama is that he is thought to have the personality type of an ENFP. Here is an interesting article about the different politicians and personality types. http://www.slate.com/id/2184696 Obama is an idealist. Many entrepreneurs are idealists. I am an idealist.

So, hopefully this will be the age for entrepreneurs to surface back and repair our fallen economy. With so many people losing their jobs, it is thought that the entrepreneurial types will take it as an opportunity to start their own businesses. Let the upcoming years be of growth, innovation, and sustainability. Let's fix the problems of the past and look to the bright future of tomorrow. Yes, we can! :-)

Understanding the Medical Industry- Bills, Bills, Bills

2009-01-12T11:30:00.001-08:00

The Health Industry makes no sense, and I question why.

The health industry is one of the only industries that make the most money when they misdiagnose, causing the patient more and more useless tests. With most other industries we award efficiency, paying for the end result, and not the waste in between.

The health industry is one of the costliest, the price tags extremely high, but at the same time, a mystery. When was the last time you understood your last medical and insurance bill?

The health industry is one of the only places where you go in, and sign documents that you agree to pay everything they charge you, without having any idea how much the cost will actually be.

Now, what happens if a person without health insurance enters this institution of unforeseen costs, receives unneeded treatments for diagnosis that are inaccurate, and then keeps receiving bills for this? How is this even legal in the U.S.? Shouldn't there be a system where we award efficiency and accuracy instead of misdiagnosis and hardship? I say there should be a better system in place, and the prices should be on the wall. Yelp the process! Reward the good...get rid of the bad. Where are the review systems for the medical industry? Put the prices on the wall like a McDonalds... and people will make better decisions of the treatments and tests they need, and the ones they don't.

And don't send multiple bills months apart. This is America, lets do something about it.

US Airways- Short term vs Long term decisions

2009-01-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

I went home for winter vacation, flying back to the east for winter vacation. I bought my roundtrip ticket from sfo to phl for $400. US Airways now charge $15 for one checked back, and $25 for the second checked back. I decided to save some money and just carry on my luggage. Through security you are not allowed to bring any liquids, so carrying any kind of drink through to the airport or plane, is out of the question. We had a 6 hour flight, to go coast to coast. Now, I did hear of US Airway's new policy of charging for soft drinks on the plane, which was dissapointing, but I did not realize their full policy. US Airways now also charges for WATER. For the 6 hour flight the airliner had also taken off their video equipment to save weight. So for 6 hours no entertainment, being squished in economy class, with not a drop of water to drink...lovely. It used to be that planes would carry large jugs of water and just fill each person who requested a glass. Now that they have switched to their policy of charging for water, they have switched to costlier and more wasteful individual bottles of water in which they sell for $2 on board. They do not even provide the tiny bags of pretzels anymore. So, what is left to do but for everyone aboard the plane to talk of the fact that the airliners now charge people for WATER?

Obviously, this was a decision by somewhere up on the US Air food chain to cut costs. But, in my perspective a move like this is deadly. When you could give customers water for no more than 25 cents additional per passenger, and calm their negative talk for 6 hours, wouldn't you? Even if those extra pennies were added to the ticket, it would make more sense. Instead, flying has turned from a luxury to an inconvenience, where you are no longer 'guests' of an airline, but flying dollars.

I wrote to the airline to hear their opinion on the matter:

I have been flying usair for years, and each time I fly I almost always question why I have chosen this carrier.

Most recently, I am extremely frustrated by the fact that the airline now charges for WATER. I had a 6 hour flight, you are not allowed to bring water through security, each passenger pays good money for their ticket, and still we need to pay for water? So, for the whole flight, every one on the plane has a great conversation piece, how upset they are by the fact that we are on a long flight, with no more movies, paying for a window or aisle seat, the price of tickets, and now we are not even being given water to drink. Even if 25 cents were added on to the beginning fare, that would make more sense then charging 2 dollars per bottle on the plane. If someone becomes dehydrated and decides to sue, or drinks from the bathroom water and gets sick, it'll be an even more negative financial impact.

I've already been hearing of people that will not be flying usair again because of their lack of concern for their customers.

This is in no way a smart move for the future of the company. Short term it may help the books, but long term it will only hurt. I hope usair will consider changing this policy.

Ryan Air may charge for everything, and have ads on their planes (just as you are now doing)..but at least their ticket prices are a true reflection of the cost savings that work for the company AND consumer.

Ryan Air may charge for everything, and have ads on their planes (just as you are now doing)..but at least their ticket prices are a true reflection of the cost savings that work for the company AND consumer.

Here is US Airway's response:

Thank you for caring enough to take the time to write regarding our
beverage fee.  As you are aware, airlines are now finding it necessary
to charge for services and items that were previously considered a part
of the ticketing fee.  Our per passenger average round trip fuel cost
alone is nearly $300. In order to keep our fares reasonably priced, we
have opted to charge for services, such as food, drinks, and bag fees.
Thus passengers have a choice in what they want to receive. Water is
given in emergency situations, such as the need to take medication, etc.


As we are always interested in the opinions of our passengers, your
comments and concerns have been documented and will be shared in a
written report to our executive management team.  This report is a
capsulated record of all passengers' concerns regarding our policies and
procedures.  

We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns and hope you
continue to choose US Airways as your preferred carrier.

Sincerely,

Marilyn Williams
US Airways Customer Relations
Corporate Office

It'll be interesting to see the long and short term effects of this policy. I predict a short term financial increase, long term financial decrease and customer satisfaction decrease.

Ethics and Starting a company

2008-12-12T00:23:00.000-08:00

I recently met with a CEO of one of the most morally ethical companies I have seen in a while. It was great, just by talking to him, you just get a great feeling about what he represents and stands for. The company does each faucet of business well, from utilizing resources, business practices, treatment of people, and even the reason why the company was founded was for good reasons. His actions have reinforced what I know to be true, especially a very important factor. The #1 reason why you do anything should not really be only for money.

It makes sense to work hard and be rewarded financially. And it also makes sense that one needs to earn money to feed and support family and one's self. But, to start a company or business for the sole reason of making money means that there is no product or service that you are selling that is truly meant to benefit anyone but yourself. And once you go down that path, I'm not sure there is a way to turn around. Look at Wall street...there are people on the floors trading everyday. But if you think about it, what good is it really providing society? It is just gambling on the back of other people's efforts.

I think its important to found a morally ethical company, and I think more than ever it is being revealed to the rest of the world that it is the way to be. We are in this crisis because people made stupid decisions for the sole reason of financial gain. And now we are all paying the steep price.

On a brighter note, it was fascinating to hear that he was able to found his company with no venture backing, and by giving away no equity. Fundamentally I thought that was the way to start a business, but from activities and classes I've been taking in SV, it seems like Angels and VC's were the route more commonly taken. It was reassuring to hear that it is more than possible to start a company without losing equity and control along the way. If you are planning on starting a business....just keep taking to people to find which way will work the best for you. There are million different ways to get to the same result...find what works for YOU.

Always on Venture Summit

2008-12-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

This week I went to my first Venture Summit with Always on. It was held at the Ritz Carlton at Half Moon Bay. The summit was a great experience. First, there was a cocktail opening where there was a lot if mingling and passing out of business cards. I think it was easiest to network at this time, it seems like with a drink in hand, everyone could breathe a bit easier. I met a couple of people from Israel, who were very nice, and some people who worked for Always on and were hosting the summit. It was nice to talk to everyone and hear everyone's interesting ideas and what brought time to the conference. There was a diverse skill set of people from bankers, to CEO's, to lawyers, and a handful of venture capitalists.

The presentations the next day were actually pretty interesting to hear, but a lot of the same information did present itself...The effects of the economy on startups. So, ironically, it's supposedly a great time to start a business, but the liquidity to start a business is scarce. Apparently, for many of the venture capitalists the companies they have invested it are doing well. There is just one small problem. No one has the liquidity or faith in the market to buy the businesses from the VC's, and going public on Wall street is just not a viable option anymore. So what then happens is that the venture capitalists cannot free up their money to make any new investments, leaving the chance for start ups to be funded...a vague memory.

Stunting the growths of startups is in my opinion just about the worse thing that could happen. It's frustrating to see the government putting billions of dollars to band-aid up large corporations when instead they could put the money towards the planting of new seeds and new future possibilities. My hope is that people will get tired of putting their money into the downward roulette of stocks and start investing to grow startups. A girl can just hope, can't she? :-)

The Business Plan Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

This thanksgiving, instead of traveling to friends and family, I stayed behind to work on my business plan. Apparently those things take longer than one would think, it's a good thing that our last class was delayed a week! I've been able to gather tons of articles by:

1) Going to my local library and accessing the online resources with my library card
2) Going online and finding industry relevant magazines accessible for free online
3) Taking advantage of my student status at Stanford to access their library resources
4) Google searches

I've been able to gather lots of information and learn many important things about the industry and how my concept would be received and successful on the market. There is one problem though, it's been extremely hard to find industry data. Those cold hard facts that actually attribute an idea to the bottom line, money. There are lots of market research firms out there that do this research, and can provide you with the data, but this reports are from $3,000 to $4,000 each. And for and up and coming business, how can one afford this? These reports are to help someone learn the market and data so they can enter the industry, but to be able to afford these reports before the money starts coming in....?

If anyone know any other options for obtaining great (recent) historical information and trend percentages... post it!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2008-11-26T00:00:00.001-08:00

It has been crazy busy lately. If anyone wonders, "How can a person without a full time job be busy?" Well, it is more than possible. After participating in Stanford's Entrepreneur Week, and brainstorming, writing, producing, and editing a video, we attended Wednesday's session, and won the Creativity award, so now I have 2 packed days in my schedule next week. And I had to move a meeting I had set up with a CEO of a company a day back, so that's 3 packed days. And that Friday I'm supposed to present to a venture capitalist, so that is 4 packed days. And the following Monday I have my business plan due, and quite possibly a presentation, so I need to prepare for that. And we were planning on going to LA that weekend... not going to happen. I think I'll microwave some Lean Cuisine for Thanksgiving.

So, now I'm involved in another startup, and recently presented for literally millions of dollars for funding to a major corporation. Oh how time flies, considering that it was less than 4 months ago that I moved here! Things are going well, very busy, and hopefully something good will come of all this work! If I don't post for a while...please try and understand. :-)

ENFP = ADHD?

2008-11-21T02:33:00.000-08:00

I have a theory. I have a theory that people with the personality type of ENFP (Myers-Briggs Extroverted-Intuition-Feeling-Perceiving) are likely to be seen as people with ADHD. For some background, ADD is a sub-group of ADHD, so people with ADD have ADHD, although the people with ADD aren't hyper-active. (Yes, I know it's a but confusing, but that's how it was explained to me) I read somewhere that only 1-2% of the population are ENFP's. It's funny, because when I meet an ENFP, I know they are an ENFP, it is an indescribable bond of likeness that is formed. So, If I am correct and most ENFP's display the symptoms of ADHD, does that mean that ADHD is really a 'disorder', or merely a personality difference of those who categorized the ENFPs as having ADHD? Could it be that we have a different learning style than most, so have been bored by conventional schooling of the average school teacher who tends to be of the same personality type?

The bottom line is: I don't see ADD as a disorder, I see it as a personality difference. Although I may have a harder time remembering tasks or cannot pay attention to that which disinterests me,I have other strengths. I am an out of the box thinker that can cross-pollinate thoughts and once I do become interested in something I take it all the way, to the point of perfection. Though someone may be different than you, don't look at it as a bad thing, look at it as a learning opportunity.

Here are some great resources to help:

Update 11/19/2010

I have been noticing this post have been receiving many hits via search engines. If you have come across this post, please leave a comment and explain what lead you to seek more information! I am very interested to see if other people have been noticing a possible correlation between ENFP and ADHD. Please leave a comment, and a way to get in touch with you! I am interested in hearing more!

My email address is sharon16f@hotmail.com if you with to contact me personally and receive a response, or if you'd like to get updated with more related information/posts as it becomes available. Unless you actually post your email address in your response, there is no way to reach you.

If you are seeking personalized direction, I can help brainstorm solutions and give you insight on tools and resources that you can use to better your life for $25/half hour on the phone. I've been on a personal quest to find answers, and I'd like to help others do the same. If you are interested, send me a message with "ENFP Coach" in the title and we'll organize a time to speak. Hopefully my life efforts will save you some time and frustration and give you some insight that you are looking for!

See this page for some additional information on the personality type ENFP: http://www.net2.com/mb/enfp.htm

Observations

2008-11-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

So, today I decided to take a walk and ease my brain for a bit of time. Taking the 'think like a traveler route' I just walked around my block and made observations. So, here they are:

I've never noticed it, but right next to my apartment complex there is a fenced area. Through the holes of the fence it looks like someone has made a sort of microcosm of their own. I saw run down cars, old trailers, a different kind of life in the middle of a suburb. Then I noticed this tree with various things hanging on it, and there is was...a parrot. Just sitting on a tree branch, without a care in the world. I've never seen a parrot just chilling in a tree. But I knew right away that that tree was his home, and I could tell that it was an aged parrot, who had similarly like its owner, claimed this microcosm as its home. They made their own retreat, own world in the middle of a suburb.

I continued to walk, I even picked up a leaf from the ground. What was the story of this leaf? It looked withered and old like a person of 100 years who had led a very harsh life. Lines of stories were told on the leaf. The color of the leave when it fell told another story. I decided that the leaf should walk with me for a while, it looked like it had some stories that it needed to tell.

I saw a small tree. It looked like it had roses...and persimmons on it. That was peculiar, I thought. But what a perfect tree, edible beauty. A treat for all senses. We engineer plants all the time, how about an engineered beautiful fruit tree, where you can eat the produce and love how it looks in your yard. Flowers in the winter, fruit in the summer.

Then I came across a larger tree, that was on the land of one house, and the leaves fell on the other. It was like the who houses were sharing the tree. And then I realized that this was probably a point of argument for the neighbors. "The tree is on your land, but the leaves are falling on my ground, get rid of it!!" Then the other neighbor would say "I had no control of how the tree would grow, or where the leaves would fall, and since the tree is on my land, you have no right to tell me to get rid of my tree!" And in all of this argument, the only victim is the tree. Trees are planted where the seeds fall, and grow towards the light. The tree provided the houses with shade in sunny times, and insulation in winter. It prevented flooding of the ground in times of rain. And yet an argument of neighbors could bring this tree to an early demise.

So then I began to think of all the living things in this world. This tree was ALIVE. this tree was probably older than you or I. When this tree began to grow, it knew it was going to live, and be around for many years past that of the human life span. The tree had thousands of years to perfect itself, how to survive the cold winters, the times of low water, the times of hot sun. And to put this tree to shame, people shop down it's brothers and sisters to create an object...a house..an object that does not grow, that leaks when it rains, that does not insulate when it gets cold, that does not add seek constant humidity. The second the house was built it's a task of eternal maintenance. While this tree laughed and thought, "You ignore me, build this house of inferiority, and then scold me for shedding my leaves."

Trees and every other living thing has already gone through hundreds of thousands of design iterations, and they naturally change to suit their environment. I laugh at man who sits down for a minute or two and decide that their design is better than natures. We should learn to work with what we have, instead of always deciding that we know better.

Victory at the Global Innovation Tournament!

2008-11-19T23:55:00.000-08:00

Today was a great day! Our movie, "Soapy Saves the Day!" was selected from more than 100+ Stanford entries for the "Creativity Prize"! Guy Kawasaki even said that he loved the video :-). I'm psyched because the creativity category is the one I most wanted to win, and the prize we won is amazing! I'll be attending this: http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/28346 which will be an excellent opportunity for me to increase my network and learn more about everything going on here in Silicon Valley. I may even be able to get some investors or at least gather some interest in my ideas!

So, as for Tom Kelley's "do what you love"...totally. Even though I'm straying off the path of normality, there is something inside me that is telling me that this is the right path to take. At this point I can't even fathom just asking to be employed at a regular 'ol 9-5 job. Even though people may give me funny looks after they asked me where I work.. and I don't have a good response for them, I'm thinking that things will turn out all right.

Inspiration for your Every Day

2008-11-19T14:34:00.000-08:00

I attended the Tom Kelley talk at Stanford, and took some notes during his lecture. Here are the valuable invaluables :-).

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain and artist once we grow up"

What happened to all the artists? It's OK to be an artist!

1. Think like a traveler

The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands, but in seeing with new eyes - Marcel Proust

2. Treat life as an experiment

"I haven't failed. I've just found ten thousand ways that do not work."

3. Nurture an "Attitude of Wisdom"

"It's not what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that ain't so." - Mark Twain

4. Use your whole brain...and your "tortoise mind"

Take time to daydream.

FIND YOUR OWN MUSE

5. Follow your passions

DO WHAT YOU LOVE <3, you'll be better at it.

Find the happy medium between: Good at, Born to do, Pay you to do

Keep a journal of when you feel at your best.

The Supreme acheivement is to blur the line between work and play.

I hope this information helps your along the way...whenever you lose your way, just go back to these basics!-sharon

Stanford E-Week

2008-11-18T00:21:00.000-08:00

So, Myself and a couple of other people went to Tom Kelley's talk (yay!), and afterwards they presented an object to be used in a 3 minute or less video. The object presented was a water bottled, and the goals was to create as much value out of it as possible. Our submission can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyPvck5O1Hc I would recommend watching it in high quality by clicking the link and clicking "watch in high quality"

It was a pretty fun project, and I probably though up at least 15 different viable concepts for it. We ended up doing a concept I though of while brushing my teeth on Thursday night and putting my 'tortoise brain' to work.

I think the video turned out pretty well, with working on all of these 'big projects' it was nice to actually complete something, as I work the best under pressure with a deadline! If the movie is well received I'm looking into turning it into a children's book with a DVD. That way kids can read the book, and watch the movie, and read the book while listening to the story. I remember books on tape always being the ultimate!

So the moral of this? Find a fun creative competition to enter to stimulate your thinking and add some enthusiasm to your day. When you work on big projects, can can get a bit drawn out, so re-energize yourself with fun little projects along the way!

Finding your Support

2008-11-09T23:52:00.000-08:00

As an Entrepreneur, the same things that seem at first to be exciting, can also be daunting. As an Entrepreneur you are working on your own at first. Meaning: You do the work, you come up with the ideas, you motivate yourself...you, you, you. It can definitely be a hard thing to find your supports that you trust that won't "injure" your idea. It's like finding a babysitter for your new born baby... you wouldn't trust just anyone. With an idea you'll tend to get inventor-paranoia, its not a very happy place to be, but at times it is the only way to be. If you idea is in a fragile state you often can't afford to blab your idea to anyone who asks. You need to tell people strategically, telling those people who can help you in some shape or form, and tell people only the information that they really need to know. I make sure to document in my inventor book the people I tell, just in case, and so I can control who knows what information. There comes a point when an idea is not patentable anymore, once an idea becomes public knowledge, and that would be a very bad thing to put so much work into something with no success to show for it.

With that said, once you can tell some people that you trust and who can help you in some shape or form, you start building your support group. Your support group can consist of friends who you can bounce ideas off of, Family members WHO SUPPORT YOUR DREAMS, significant others, mentors... Basically you want to surround yourself with those who believe in you, have positive energy reverberating off their skin, and who'll tell you the truth once in a while when you need it.

Currently I've found someone else with a similar personality as mine, who is always coming up with fistfuls of viable business ideas. So we have decided to team up, motivate each other, and bounce ideas off each other, its great! It takes the 'alone' out of entrepreneur!

So, if you are an aspiring entrepreneur who is getting down working by yourself all the time, go find an idea partner who is at about the same stage that you are in.. and support each other in your endeavors. And you'll go twice as far as you will alone! The journey is more fun with company!

How to Find a Lawyer

2008-11-04T13:58:00.000-08:00

So, I've been doing a ton of research lately to try and find a good lawyer. Here are some of the methods that I've been attempting that might come in handy. (Not listed in any particular order)

1. The Best Lawyers in America- Book in library that has lawyers listed my specialty and location

2. www.google.com/patents and searching for key words of your idea, pulling up the patent, take note of the attorney who filed the patent, and then research them and contact

3. Blogs- do a search for what you need within the profiles of blogs

4. www.axxiomlegal.com

5. uspto.gov under resources, search for a licensed patent agent or lawyer

6. Look at city records for similar businesses and see what lawyer filed them

7. Call similar businesses and ask who their lawyer is

Putting together the Components of Business

2008-10-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

So in order to be an official 'business woman' appearance is everything. When you are on your own with no company affiliation it comes time to start building your own support resources. With a company everything comes pre-assembled, but when you are your own boss the options are unlimited. The limits of your resources are constrained by the time it takes to do the searching, and the money you have to pay for the resources.

I finally designed business cards for myself to represent my personality and abilities. Here they are! I decided to make them 2 sided, the black side shows some of my CAD designs and projects from college, with a listing of my degree and some past employers. The white side has one of my artworks, and represents my creative and entrepreneurial side. I've known for a while that I didn't want a completely 'standard' business card, because the business card is what you give to people you meet in an effort to represent yourself, and It's always important to give them as fair
of a representation that you can give on a 2X3.5 in piece of paper!

Inventor Resources

2008-10-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

Starting up a business is quite tricky. With so many options ahead there can be doubts along the way. Its impossible to know everything on needs to know initially, so its all about trying to find the resources that can be of help along the way. When joining a company things are easier because usually all the resources you need are already there and pre-paid for. Once you start going out on your own the resources are hidden, and the only paid for services are coming out of your pocket. All of this stated, it can be quite intimidating.

So as I do my search for resources, I'll be sharing them, to start creating a kind of path for others to follow so everything isn't sooo intimidating.

1) http://www.inventionconvention.com/ncio/inventing101/000.html

2) Business plans, are a perceived necessity in starting out, to justify to yourself and others why you are doing this, and to prove that you'll be satisfying a business need. Here are some fee sample business plans:
http://www.bplans.com/Sample_Business_Plans/all_plans.cfm

3) SCORE is a non profit organization comprised of people with business experience and wants to give back to the community, so they volunteer to help out new business owners. They have local chapters around the country and offer mentoring and workshops.

http://www.svscore.org/counseling.htm

There is an Entrepreneur Center in San Jose with Resources for small businesses

http://www.ecenteronline.org/

A list of Networking Events for Women Business Owners

http://www.ecenteronline.org/womens_events.htm

Score has a lot of resources to help you! Look for the list of helpful websites on this page.
http://www.svscore.org/businessResources.htm

4) http://Startupnation.com

5) http://www.siliconvalley-sbdc.org/

6) http://www.sba.gov

7) http://Astia.org - A women entrepreneur's resource

Thats it for now!

A day at Stanford

2008-10-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spent the day on Stanford's campus. I rode my bike to Caltrain, then rode to Stanford. Coming up Palm Drive was amazing, so beautiful, and it takes you straight to the main entrance. It's obvious that Stanford was very well planned. Then I made my way to Green Library, and talked to the guy at the front and showed him evidence of being a continuing education student so I could be allowed to pass through the pearly white gates. Then filled out paperwork to receive a shiny new library card.

The woman in front of me was pratically begging to gain free access to the library because she worked for a non profit, but DENIED. I felt like a golden key was needed to access the premises, but somehow I was able to get by with a temporary and fragile plastic one that can only open certain doors. I asked for some general information, and was guided towards the business school library. Pedaling around campus was like a dream, did these people really appreciate all that they have going for them? Their school is AMAZING. The views are AMAZING. The buildings are AMAZING. At Purdue we had 37X the amount of students on 1/5 of the land. And we were in the middle of INDIANA.

At the business school library I logged onto one of the computers as a visitor (Continuing education students do not have internet privledges or logins). They have similar research databases for market research as Purdue students have access to. I was able to get some good articles from Marketresearch.com through the stanford library website. However, I did realize that I was able to find more relevent articles by searching on Google that pointed me also towards marketresearch.com, but there listed were articles that I had to pay for that were not listed through the Academic version. Very disappointing.

But then I headed over to an Entrepreneurial Leadership Seminar open to the public, and heard a terrific speaker who is a designer and architect, and now a partner in a venture capitalist firm. Much of his lecture was on sustainability with very eye opening themes, and some interested concepts such as 'leasing recyclable carpet'. He is the author of a book titled 'cradle to cradle'. And at the end of the lecture, Stanford had deli meats and cocktail shrimps just waiting to be eaten. AMAZING. The only time we got snacks like that at Purdue was upon graduation. How differently things of the same concept can be...

And then I met a pretty interesting Architect who also attended the lecture. We discussed the lecture and other subjects, and it blended in with the current theme that I've noticed here in Silicon valley, how well educated and free spirited people are here. Its so simple to strike up conversation with someone here and have it full of substance. A quality that I haven't found anywhere else in the US, people here are very educated and worldly, you could learn so much just by wondering the streets and asking questions. (And I'm not talking about the "can you spare some change" kind of questions.

So I rode with my new friend a different route, toured Stanford some more, and their breathtaking campus, and ended up at another Caltrain station. The train was late, so I striked up a conversation with a Biochemist from Holland. And we proceeded to talk about sustainability and energy...and he wasn't even at the lecture...brilliant. Then we crammed our selves onto the packed bus with about 3 times the bikes that should have been, and rode off down the tracks.

Just another day in the sunny valley.

Inspiring Video and Asking the Important Questions

2008-10-09T00:03:00.000-07:00

Today I worked on some video editing to fund my entrepreneur habit. And yesterday we could have picked up a potential job which is exciting. Also, tomorrow I think I'll be meeting with a more experienced videographer and pick up some tips and advice, and potentially some future gigs. Networking is always a good thing.

Today I watched a video featured here: http://etl.stanford.edu/ "Guy Kawasaki, Founder and Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures provides advice about foundation, priorities, financing, key employees, getting the word out, leveraging resources, scope, business development, raison d'etre, and the big picture. For example, a few years ago, cleverness was the priority, he says. Today, expertise in technology is important and entrepreneurs should be thinking of making the world a better place, he adds."

I enjoyed his speech, and I definitely find myself preaching the same values and goals. I like when I come across things that validate what I believe and find that these people are successful. It shows that I may have a shot at this!

I met with my group about the business start up idea. The meeting went well, and we started off by talking about myers briggs personality types, and writing down questions that we will need to answer. We will spend the next day independently answering these questions, such as "who are our customers? what value will we provide to them?"

So far things are going well, busy, and kind of stressful, with all the thoughts of everything I want to accomplish. But, staying on track!

ANOTHER BIT OF FATE! :-)

2008-10-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited, so a pretty huge reason of why I moved to California in the heart of Silicon Valley is due to Tom Kelley's Book, "The Art of Innovation", its a book mostly about IDEO, a company that I deeply respect, and that I could actually see myself working for! So, I did a yahoo search for "Entrepreneurness" to see if my website had been added yet to their search engine, and I came across this result:

Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Forum / Different skills sets for ...
Business Association of Stanford Engineering Students. Stanford Technology ... I guess they have found a role whereby they can satisfy their 'entrepreneurness' ...
etl-forums.stanford.edu/viewtopic.php?id=213

So, I clicked it, because I was curious about the context in which they used 'my' word :-), and I noticed that I was on some kind of Entrepreneurial Website, so I went to the home page, and I noticed it took me to a list of speakers. And I thought to myself, wouldn't it be AWESOME if Tom or David Kelley was a speaker, and I scrolled down, and there Tom's name was!

And there was the time and location listed...and so as I was contemplating standing outside the building anxiously, or emailing someone to sneak me in, there it was, the semenars are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! AMAZING! I'm very much excited now, and it's already on my calendar, and all because of a search for the word "Entrepreneurness"!!! Inspiration can come from anywhere!

Patents Continued...

2008-10-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

So, the book "Patent it Yourself" by David Pressman has been recommended to me by a handful of people already, so I have purchased it, and have recently received it. I'll consider that as a small drop in the bucket of spending towards being an Entrepreneur. I was able to buy the book online for around $30. Another book recommended to me is "Patent Pending in 24 hours", its about provisional patents, I'll wait a bit until I buy that one. Finding a lawyer may still be my 'best' option, but I am still doing more of a patent search before I throw half my savings into a patent lawyer. (ouch.. it pains me to even think of it)

I'm wondering if its really worth it at this point to use uspto.gov as a search engine. The site is divided into two, pre and post 1976, so any work you do, you basically have to do it twice. I'm thinking of sticking with google.com/patents, and then going to uspto.gov as needed. Any advice there?

File management has been getting harder and harder for me. I keep on doing research and creating documents to store my progress, and then I am left with too many documents with scattered information. And transferring between my laptop and desktop leaves me even more confused. Eventually I hope to come across a better system for this.

A product Idea, & a Business Idea

2008-10-03T23:23:00.000-07:00

So, from the entrepreneur class I am taking, our professor has encouraged us to 'partner up' on projects. So, one one side of the room he put every one who had an idea and who was looking for help executing it. So from that, I have met two people who are interested in going into business with me. I have a business concept that I think will be extremely fun to pursue and that will be very beneficial for all who are involved. So, working on this business concept along side working on my product idea will give me a very diverse portfolio on entrepreneur ventures!

If I could get one of the concepts off the ground and running, I could use the income to stronger support the second venture...and then the third.. and the forth... haha. It would be great to be able to first pursue my ideas, jump all the crazy hurdles that have been placed in front of me, get to the point where I can jump the hurdles blindfolded... and then clear them out of the way for other people trying to pursue their dreams.

Its insane how costly patents are. $10,000 for the patent, and $10,000 for legal advice?! Seriously...that's $20,000 just for the rights for your idea. That doesn't even begin to include research and development, and all your time. And I hear they are trying to make patents harder to get. HAHA..WHAT?! If you really want a stronger economy, they should encourage smaller entities to create ideas...instead of just awarding patents to huge compnaies who can afford to jump all the hurdles, then proceed to pay their CEO and VP's millions of dollars. That makes no sense. Less people are happy, and you have such a large pyramid with tons of corruption. Ack. And then award these huge companies with tax breaks in the hopes that the money will somehow trickle down to the people who need it? Umm.. Yeah, makes total sense. Instead of teaching the middle class how to fish, lets just feed the middle class the scraps of the Fishermen (i.e. Corporations).

The $700 billion dollar bailout plan just passed today. I'll be giving my hard earned money to banks who pay their CEO's millions and millions of dollars. For the hope that they'll push me out of the way of the falling piano, that they have decided to drop on me? If we are all lucky, we'll be able to walk out of this with just a FEW scratches and bruises. Great time to be an entrepreneur!

Diving into the Crazy World of Patents

2008-09-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

After a search online, I noticed that uspto.gov offer patent libraries around the US. Here is a link that lists the services the library provides http://www.uspto.gov/go/ptdl/ptdlserv.htm . I found I am fortunate to have one of those libraries close to me, so I drove to it in hopes of gaining more wisdom about the unknown that is patents. I was a bit disappointed to find that the 'patent library' is nothing but about 3 book shelves full of books somehow relating to patents or invention. And where as the website says that you will have knowledgeable staff who will be able to help you along the way, it seems like they have gotten rid of the library, and you might find some left over staff from the 'ol glory days from the library. Supposedly a volunteer comes in 5 days a week, a couple of hours a day to help out, so I'll make a visit to hopefully visit the 'Wizard of OZ'.

I think the hardest part of all of this is tracking down the resources I need to help me along my way. Once I have my resources in place, it'll be smooth sailing. Until then, I still need to do a LOT of figuring out the ropes. But I guess it is this way with any new job or location. You spend the first weeks-months just figuring out where you are and where are the resources that can help you. And, lord knows I've done that more than a few times in my life, so I think I'll be OK. I just know through this journey I'll come out knowing so much more than when I started. If I ever venture into the corporate world again, it'll be an interesting thing trying to 'quantify' my knowledge. Because in the 'real world' it is all about quantitative and not qualitative. But I'm hoping with my quest I'll achieve results that I can happily hold in my hand and exclaim, 'I did this...I did this.'.

The one thing the Patent Depositories have is a computer with a Database called 'PubWest'. 'PubWEST is a collection of patent databases available only at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in Alexandria, VA and at Patent Depository libraries. Searching PubWEST is more flexible and efficient than searching the USPTO Website.'

I have no clue on how to use it today, or if the previous passage is indeed correct.. but I have used the USPTO.gov website before... and after that, I'm thinking that anything can be easier. Luckily for me in a couple of weeks there will be a class offered on PubWEST, and I'll be able to determine the true value of the program.

The Pattent Attorney search continues

2008-09-26T23:48:00.000-07:00

So, spent some time today looking for a lawyer.. I'm still confused. So, you have an idea.. and you need information, but you can't give away any real information because you want your idea to be hush hush. So its this stupid games of asking general questions in the hope that you can find out enough information without disclosing all the information that you have. So that's the first part of the dilemma.

Then, I'm trying to find a patent lawyer with certain expertise, and I want a good lawyer with a certain background... and the people who would know such information would either be companies.. who, if they are big enough would have in house lawyers. Then if they are smaller companies, they may not want to disclose their lawyer. And then if you contact a lawyer for a referral, they just want your business... so how do you find a really good lawyer.. with cold calling?

I guess this is one of those things you figure out along the way. Or.. if anyone has any advice or guidance, I'd love to hear it!

SWF seeking IPL

2008-09-25T00:11:00.000-07:00

So today I did some preliminary research to find an Intellectual Property Lawyer. I was walking around the library today and came across “The Best Lawyers in America 2007” I figured that was a good starting point. First you look up by the state you are in, and then the categories are broken into types of lawyers. There are even little symbols that notate if a lawyer has been appeared in the book for the last 10 or 20 years. I guess tomorrow I will begin my first round of calling.

The other thing I discovered today is that my (and probably your) library subscribes to different online resources that you can access from home with just your library card in hand. So, even if you can't make it to the library, you can still access more credible sites than your standard 'wikipedia'!

Starting up...

2008-09-23T00:16:00.000-07:00

I attended my first class today, the instructor's name is Doug Kelly, he's a pretty smart and cool guy. The class is about 2 hours in length, but he's knowledgeable and entertaining, so the time went by in good time. Its nice to finally be able to attend a class because I want to, and not because I'm required to. There are too many decisions in life that are made for us, and not enough we willingly make for ourselves.

We will be writing a business plan in the course, which is great, because I know I need to learn to write one, and it'll be good to have a guiding hand. It's also really nice to be in a crowded room (minus the crowded) full of people who want success on their own terms. It'll be interesting to see how the dynamics of the course work out. I wonder what will come out of taking this course.

And I must say.. to walk on a college campus again to once again take a course...felt so strange/happy/sad. Stanford's entrance and Main campus is breath taking.... they have SO MUCH MONEY. It felt like I was in Europe, courtyards with groomed landscapes, sculptures, arches, and pillars. I was completely amazed. Today Stanford started classes, and as I walked on campus.. it was...6 years ago that I started college...scary. I definitely miss school and all my great friends. *sigh* But, it was a nice feeling to be back on a college campus, its such a great sense of community.

But out of this course thus far, I've been advised to seek legal help about my idea. Legal help=money *poof*, but I suppose that is an important investment that I will need to make...probably better than putting my money in Wall Street!

It's a Sunday...

2008-09-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

So, today was kind of a lazy day, a very lazy day. But here's an update.

Tomorrow I start my first class after completion of my undergraduate degree. I will be taking a class at Stanford called 'Startups: from Idea to IPO' which hopefully will be completely relevant and awe-inspiring. I'm hoping to work on my product idea in parallel to the course. Hopefully that'll fire me up! Maybe I'll even make some connections to help me along my way. How great it would be to be successful at what I love to do!

I've also again posted the Wedding Photography and Videography ad on Craigslist to get some events on my calendar. Our website is at http://www.sharonandisaac.com , and we are based out of Mountain View, CA.

The Start or End? Of my blog...

2008-09-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

Archived Post. September 11, 2008.

So, I might be starting something new. I'll try to keep some kind of blog, but since I don't really do well with keeping habits up, there is no guarantee that this will be a permanent or even temporary thing.

I quit my job as a Mechanical Engineer at an Industrial gases company August 1st, 2008. Was it because I wasn't making enough money? no. There are many reasons why I quit, but to simplify it, I was bored. I was bored out of my mind. I would sit in my cube and feel the walls close in on me. I would look at that clock, and wish that they day would pass, but at the same time hated that I just waited for the clock to run out. Why spend your life wishing that your youth would just fly by? I wanted to live every minute, not after my 'work' was done. I want to be passionate about my work, and life, even if that means combining the two.

So, that brings me to today. On July 18th, 2008 I printed off and handed in my two weeks notice, and I have this huge grin I could not wipe off my face even if I tried. I felt like that piece of paper was the key to my freedom. On August 1st I had my last day, and inside I was jumping up and down... ok, maybe on the outside too. On that day I felt like the movie Aladdin when the genie gets his cuffs off. August 4th I used my one way ticket to Silicon Valley, CA, on my way to start my new life.

So, today is September 11th, I'm now settled in my new place... you might be wondering what the heck am I doing anyway, and where did I get the nerve to quit my job? I've been doing so many things in my new life, that time is flying flying faster that it has ever before. I'm putting my hands in all kinds of things. I have started a Videography/Photography business, http://www.sharonandisaac.com and I've already done 1 wedding, and have at least a couple more on the horizon. I am now a private tennis teacher twice a week, and enjoy that. I just signed up for a 3 week 'fitness study', so I get a personal trainer 3 times a week, for 3 weeks, full access to the gym, and the best part? Its free. My back has been bothering me for the last 3 years, and I have a chiropractic appointment next week for it. I bike weekly to the farmer's market, buy fresh fruit, and meet interesting people. I've explored a couple of cities around here, talked to the shop owners, met people having lunch... its great.. people live here. Many people are here chasing down their dreams and doing what they WANT to do.. not just want people are telling them they should do.

And.. I'm exploring my ideas and passions. Things are going well here. I have to say though, quitting my job hasn't done away my stress though. While I was 'employed' I was constantly stressed that I wasn't being used for my potential, and that I was wasting my life away. Now I'm stressed that I never have enough time to do all the things I want to get done!

So, for me its a constant battle to find that balance between...everything. I'm out to achieve happiness, and so far I feel I'm pretty damn close.