I recently wrote an Entrepreneur Evangelist post on WorkingPoint called Canines, Trains and Really Great Parties. The post was a response to an article by Daniel Kehrer of Business.com about the new trends of hobbyists-turned-entrepreneurs, and their increasingly noteworthy impact on the small business space.
In reading the original article, the notion specifically reminded me of three friends who have been on this same hobby-turned-entrepreneur journey, in some cases for several years before they even realized it.
There is nothing harder for a non-salesperson than building a sales pipeline. In Bagging the Elephant I highlight a post about a recent event in NYC, in which entrepreneurs discussed how to build strong enough relationships with larger businesses in order to be taken seriously enough to close deals with them.
This is part of a much broader issue, though, and it's one that is a constant struggle for most small businesses: how do we keep new sales coming in the door, when that's not our background?
Jonas sits down with Andy Salo, founder and CEO of Yigdigs (http://www.yigdigs.com). Yigdigs is a Real Estate For Sale by Owner webservice. Andy discusses his journey from executive to entrepreneur.
In Deck the Halls with Pink Slips I discuss the November round of layoffs at several big companies, including RealNetworks, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Time Warner / AOL, Sprint Nextel, Electronic Arts and Pfizer. Of course, part of what brought these to my attention is that a dear friend of mine got caught in the pre-holidays cut-backs that also took place at Adobe.
Even worse, however, was the fact that my friend loved working at Adobe. It was the first time she'd worked for a large company, so some of the perks that big company people take for granted -- training, resources, perks, etc. -- were all relatively new to her, and she was taking advantage of as many of them as possible.
I have recently started writing a blog series as part of my work with online small business management client, WorkingPoint.
Aside from the fact that I think WorkingPoint has the best solution for small businesses, the reason I really like this series is because WorkingPoint is really making a strong statement about being a true advocate for small businesses.
Jonas talks with Brian Massey - the Conversion Scientist. They discuss the art and science of turning browsers into buyers.
Let's be honest, a great business plan alone is not sufficient for you to land a deal but it sure helps! For a start-up that is going through the fund raising process the first impression of the company is often conveyed by the business plan. So how do you as an entrepreneur make sure that your business plan makes it past the first screen?
You know the cliche: husband is driving, wife is in the passenger seat. Husband is lost, but trying to pretend he's got it under control. Wife is getting frustrated, they are running late. She points out a gas station where they can ask for directions. Husband scoffs. Wife shakes her head and sighs, annoyed, but not surprised.
Jonas introduces Cristi Jakubik – the newest Partner at Tech Ranch Austin. Cristi is a marketing expert who recently migrated to Austin from Silicon Valley. She ran marketing programs at several Bay Area startups and received an MBA from Stanford. You can contact her at cristi@techranchaustin.com.
In case you haven't seen it yet, the Austin Business Journal has an article this week on the new Barn Builders program at Tech Ranch.
Can't make it by The Ranch? Check out Tech Ranch content for free 24/7 on our official Tech Ranch TV page!
