Archive for 2010

Are Successful Entrepreneurs Really Risk Takers? Malcom Gladwell Doesn't Think So

By nature, I’m a contrarian.  It could be that I just like to argue, but if the conventional wisdom is one way, I’m inclined to believe the opposite.  Since “Blink” and “Tipping Point” became the reference points for almost everyone in the business world, I started to heavily discount any theory or research posited by Malcom Gladwell.  The great thing about being a contrarian, you don’t even need to read the work or understand the position that you’re disagreeing with — you just take the opposite side.  So, of course, I had a very good handle on Mr. Gladwell’s work without actually reading it.  Unfortunately, my intentional ignorance didn’t last long.  As a reader of the The New Yorker, I kept coming across articles that I really enjoyed.  The problem: these articles were written by Malcom Gladwell.  When does this guys sleep?  He’s everywhere.  I wouldn’t be surprised if shows up on Sesame Street, explaining  supply side economics in a child-friendly way. 

Why this long explanation?  Because I’ve completely abandoned by dim view of Mr. Gladwell, and repeat every single thing he writes as gospel.  I sicken myself.  Today will be no different.  In a recent New Yorker article, Malcom takes on the widely held belief that successful entrepreneurs are risk takers and mavericks.  In his view, that may be true for many entrepreneurs, it just isn’t so for successful ones.

Instead of being risk-takers, successful entrepreneurs are those with unique insight or information that see the value in something that others do not, and strike.  These individuals don’t risk their own money (or if they do, very little of it) and act more as predators than as free-wheeling mavericks.  He profiles Ted Turner and John Paulson to make these points.  And ends the with the results of a survey of individual business owners — where it establishes that this group is much more willing to settle for less monetary compensation so long as it is more certain.

So what’s your view?  Do you agree with Malcom, or are entrepreneurs risk takers?

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Archive for 2010

Small Biz interview with Little Duck Organics owner Zak Normandin

Today’s KikScore interview is with Zak Normandin, owner of Little Duck Organicsa unique and tasty organic snack food for infants and toddlers – and adults too!  We came across Zak and Little Duck Organics on Twitter where Zak and team are actively promoting their yummy organic treats.  Little Duck Organics is relatively new to the online community and shares a passion for the world of small business and bringing a much needed product to the organic conscious community.  I had the pleasure of talking for awhile with Zak and sharing startup ideas and promotional concepts.  Thanks for your insight Zak and for being a KikScore customer!

1. Tell us about Little Duck Organics and who you focus on serving?

Little Duck Organics is a business that I started developing in February of 2009. My wife and I have always been a fan of all natural/organic/locally produced products, and when we went food shopping for our daughters we really didn’t see anything like that available in the baby aisle. Most of the products that were available contained added sugars, artificial flavors, and preservatives which we preferred not to feed to our kids. When we talked to other parents, they agreed that there was definitely a lack of wholesome, nutritious products available for babies. At the time, I was looking for a new venture to invest in, so I started researching what it would take to bring an organic line of baby products to market. It took me about 10 months to design our first line of products and arrange to have it manufactured and packaged. In December of 2009, we formally launched on Amazon.com and at independent grocery stores in New Hampshire.

2. How did you get started with selling online?

One of our first customers was Amazon.com. They started buying products from us in December to sell through their online grocery division. This was the first experience that we had with selling products online. At the beginning of this month (January), we set up our own online store to begin selling Little Duck snacks directly to customers through our website. This allowed us to have a little bit more control over product placement, descriptions, Etc. Overall, the experience has been great. We’re focusing now on increasing our conversion rate and finding new ways to advertise to potential customers.

3. Where will Little Duck Organics focus most of its energy in 2010?

In 2010, our goals will be to expand our retail and online distribution channels and develop the Little Duck Organics brand. One of our main focuses will be to build customer loyalty and awareness within the baby products niche. We will be working closely with the blogging community, and plan to do a lot of traveling to sample our products at retail stores. In addition, we’re planning on introducing two new products later this year that will compliment our current line of products.

4. If you had 1 lesson that you learned from your business that you could pass on to others about selling online, what would it be?

The biggest lesson that I have learned so far since we set up our online store is that you need to be very aware and organized with all of the external costs associated with selling a product through a website. Credit card fees, boxes, packing materials & shipping costs all add up with you are selling a product with a low retail price. You need to keep these things in mind and adjust your prices accordingly so that what you are offering to customers is still attractively priced.

5. As 2010 begins, what trends do you see in your business this year?

As far as trending goes in the organic baby sector, I think that there will be more of a shift from the conventional baby food companies to upgrade their product lines to incorporate more natural/organic options. Fortunately for us, Gerber will always be Gerber and Beech-Nut will always be Beech-Nut. No matter how they market their products, they will always have the same brand-association in the mind of most consumers. Our advantage is that we were able to start from ground zero and build a brand around a mindset (Creating delicious organic baby snacks with no preservatives or additives).

6. If your business could be any movie or movie character, what movie/movie character would it be and why?

I’ve always loved the movie “Click” with Adam Sandler. I really relate to his character, and although the movie does not directly relate to Little Duck Organics, I can see a lot of similarities between the story-line and our business. For anyone who has not seen the film, the main character is an architect who has the ability to fast forward his life to critical points of success. Basically, he does not want to have to go through the mundane and only wants to experience the promotions, bonuses, success Etc. I don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone who has not seen it, but at the end Sandler learns to appreciate his family, friends, and the journey of life more than he previously had. I’m making a big effort to do the same in my life and at Little Duck Organics this year. I need to enjoy the process of building the business and everything that comes along with it. We’re doing something that most people only dream of , and that in itself should be viewed as an accomplishment.

7. If Little Duck Organics could have a dream spokesperson for your company who would it be and why?

I can’t think of anyone specific off the top of my head, but it would have to be a celebrity or someone famous who has the same mindset as our company. I would prefer a mom who understands the value in feeding wholesome organic foods to their children.

8. How do the folks at Little Duck Organics let loose after a busy day working?

Although most of my time is spent building the business, It is nice to wind down after a long day at work. At home, I enjoy spending time with my wife and daughters. We love trying out new foods and traveling. In the summer, we usually go for a walk every night with our dog. My older daughter loves helping me cook, so I try to do that with her whenever I can. At three years old, she can already make a mean Alfredo sauce 🙂

9. Do you have any parting thoughts for our readers and the small business community?

Know your competition, Work your butt off, Pray for luck.  Cheers!

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Archive for 2010

Use More Cowbells to Keep Your Business Focused

If you run a small business, we all have the challenge of staying focused.  We are pulled in a hundred different directions.  You have customers calling you, that new product or service you want to launch, your accountant keeps calling you about this year’s taxes and oh yeah that employee you hired that is just driving you nuts because they are jamming to Lady Gaga’s Poker Face all day at work and not helping you at all.

This Saturday Night Live skit has a good lesson for all of us.  Christopher Walken plays THE Bruce Dickinson during the taping of one of the 1970’s classic songs by Blue Oyster Cult, “Dont Fear The Reaper.”  Walken playing Dickinson implores the band to focus on one critical element to make the song successful.  You will have to watch the video to really see.

What can small businesses learn from the video?

1. Every day make sure you are focusing on the central pillars of your business.  If its marketing to a niche, make sure you are doing everything possible to support your efforts doing that. If it is creating a consistent and coherent brand and then building it. Make sure you have laser focus on this pillar.

2. Eliminate or reduce the distractions of other tasks throughout the day so you can focus on the tasks that grow your business. Here is a great post on how to eliminate distractions in your business.

3. Try, and try again.  Even if you do get distracted.  Stop just like Dickinson does when he interrupts the band’s jam sessions and he makes the band focus on what he sees as the critical element!  If you get distracted, acknowledge it and get back to your core tasks. Yes, that means stay off TMZ and WaitingforNextYear (side note: great Cleveland blog – everyone growing up in CLE knows the refrain with our sports teams…”There is always next year.”)

4.  In the video, learn from Will Ferrell, that even if focusing on a critical element makes you look odd in your business or you have to anger some people by telling them to take a back seat while you focus on More Cowbell go ahead and do it. That focus will only help you and your business to grow, even if it has lots of cowbells.

5. At the end of every rehearsal (i.e. after you end a business day) look back and do a post-mortum: did you focus on the areas of your business that were most important? If not, figure out what you will do to refocus tomorrow.  If so, go celebrate and have a margarita – just dont spill it on your pants!

Did you learn anything from The Bruce Dickinson’s demand for “More Cowbell!” Please tell us in our comments section.

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Archive for 2010

My Favorite iPhone Apps: Business Related (generally)

I won’t get into the Smart Phone wars…Google vs. Sprint vs. Apple.  I own an iPhone.  The phone aspect is truly horrible…unless you enjoy the excitement of wondering whether you’ll get through an entire conversation without have the call drop on you.  But the Apps on the iPhone are great.  As I was on a business trip, I was noticing how often I used certain Apps to get through the day. 

There are plenty of other reviews of Apps for business uses.  A good one is the one done by Inc. — they list out 10 very good business Apps, inlcuding Jott (which transcribes your notes that you verbally take).  Thought there are other lists, that shouldn’t stop me from sharing.  And as you’ll see, mine include some fun ones (as all business and now play make Jack…wealthy, but really no fun).  Here we go.  My favorite (mostly business related) Apps:

1.  WSJ/CNBC — This is a bit of a cop-out…having a tie on the first choice.  But there is a reason.  The Wall Street Journal is a great App, but you have to be a subscriber to access it.  So if you don’t subscribe, CNBC’s App is a great alternative.  Of course, they both keep you up on the latest business news.

2.  WordPress:  A great App for mobile blogging.  I don’t mobile blog as much as I should, but I’ve done it a few times on this App and it is really slick.

3.  Touchlytics:  This App lets you track your site traffic/visits…just ties into your Google analytics account.  They have a good lite version of this App.

4.  iVideoCamera:  I was going to buy a iPhone 3GS — mainly for the video capability.  But then the new iPhone comes out later this year…what to do?  I found this App and for $.99, I have video capability and can instantly share it on our blog, YouTube and Twitter.

5.  AroundMe:  I have the Chipotle, Starbucks, and Target Apps, but if you need to find other stores (it’s hard to imagine that you would need to) you can find it easily on AroundMe.  You can also find a Chipotle on AroundMe.

6.  RingCentral:  Once you have a RingCentral account, you can manage your calls and call out from your RingCentral 800 number. 

7.  TweetDeck:  There are a lot of Twitter Apps, but this one, in my opinion, is the best.

8.  TextsFromLastNight:  Not a lot of business function, but it makes any meeting very tolerable.

Send us your favorite and we’ll reconsider this list.

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Archive for 2010

What Sparks a Small Business Venture?

When starting a small business, what drives and motivates you? Is it passion for a cause or the imminent proof that there is a vacancy for a certain need? In talking with a variety of small business owners for our KikScore blog, the desires and drive to start their own venture vary as much as the different products and services they offer such as KKBB and SimplyAstro

If I were to have followed true passion in where I could be doing the daily equivalent of a comforting and true cause past time, I would have opened a No-Kill Cat shelter… however, this was a very difficult venture to get past my husband Lou, who has more of a passion for golfthan rescuing cats. Add the fact that neither of us has the building space or other means to house so many furry friends. Plus the overhead of running a shelter can be very costly and you need to ensure you have ample vet care on site and plenty of other key resources.

The general thought is you will find happiness doing what you love, it takes the ‘work’ out of ‘work’.   So what you need to find is a viable product, service, or solution that people need — or something that you can convince the general populous they can’t live without.

So how did my KikScore business partners and I end up here?

Another key element in launching a successful start up is to tap into the inner expertise of yourself to uncover a passion that had been slighted due to mundane day job activities, or inability (not to mention lack of desire) to climb the corporate ladder.   All of us at KikScore have vastly different backgrounds, yet a strong desire to not only be our own bosses eventually, but also to provide a product that is cutting edge.

Technology became a strong passion of mine, having launched my career shortly after college working for one of the most accredited entrepreneurs out there, Bob Parsons at Parsons Technology.  As technology and the Internet have migrated over time, running in stride and identifying the gaps are what caused KikScore to come to fruition.

How do I feed that need to own a cat shelter someday? Well… we do have multipe cats running about our home which reminds me I’ve saved some great lives. I frequently volunteer at the local shelter to share the warmth and experience some excess purring.

Back to the original question, when starting a small business, what drives and motivates you? Share your stories and ideas with us. We’d love to showcase your small business story for the next KikScore blog!

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Archive for 2010

Diary of a Start-Up: Is this Business Making Me Fat?

Most of us on the KikScore team work day-time jobs. Working on nights and weekends is very reminiscent of grad school — your days are filled up and then you do your homework at night. Not a big deal. We are all thankful for our jobs as well as having a growing side business.

But this weekend, after watching Brett Favre put a hurt on the Dallas Cowboys, I thought about working out. Now mind you, I’m not a fitness buff (Raj, please stop laughing). It doesn’t take much to convince me to put off a work out — I just thought about some KikScore business that needed attention and that was that. It did get me to think about other small business owners, however, who have an erratic schedule. Does owning your own business make you fat(ter)?

Take my Dad…please. No, I’m kidding. He’s a great guy and has owned his own businesses for 30 years. But exercise came after raising a family and bulding a business. So, in other words, he could drop some pounds. Of course, there are plenty of examples of successful small owners who are in terrific shape. But are they the except to the rule? Most Americans are heavy by definition. But controlling for other factors, are small business owners in worse shape than most? After spending some time Googling some rather offensive search queries (‘are small business owners fat’, ‘are entrepreneurs in worse shape?’) I still can’t find a good answer. I did see that most small business owners are against the latest health care bill — but that has to do with the fatness of their wallets, not waistline.

So, any anectodal information or actual research on this would be appreciated. My wife is particularly interested in any information you may have.

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Archive for 2010

Small Business Interview with Sitemakers's Geoff Jackson

Geoff Jackson is the Social Media Strategist & Web Marketer for the UK based ecommerce solutions provider, Sitemakers.  We came across Geoff and Sitemakers on Twitter in mid-December.  Geoff and Sitemakers can bring small businesses and the Kikscore community a unique and more global perspective on ecommerce and online business trends.

1. Tell us about Sitemakers and who it focuses on serving?

Sitemakers is a UK based company specializing in ecommerce services. We work with independent retailers to help them to become successful online retailers. We have our own ecommerce platform, LiquidShop, and we provide our clients with a full service including the software they need to run their website, a full design service, ongoing support and marketing services.

2. Where will Sitemakers focus most of its energy in 2010?

We will be dividing our energy between making sure our existing clients continue to grow their businesses and seeking out new clients who can benefit from our services. Existing website owners who move to LiquidShop invariably see an increase in their online sales and we want to help more retailers enjoy this growth during these difficult trading conditions.

3. If you had one key lesson learned from your online selling experience that you could pass on to others, what is that?

Something we notice regularly is that it is existing retailers who often do best when they branch out into selling online. They know their business, they know their market and have existing relationships with suppliers. We bring the technical knowledge and the specific retailing knowledge that relates to the internet and it is this partnership that lead to a successful online shop.

4.  As the new decade begins, what do you see as main new trend in 2010?

New technology that has really caught consumers’ imagination is the smartphone. Led by the iPhone, and now followed by Google’s own Nexus, these devices have changed the way that users think of the internet and their relationship with it. An easy-to-use device with intuitive applications, large clear screen and instant on-all-the-time internet connection all lead to the expectation that information is available whenever and wherever you want it. Barcode scanning apps such as Shop Savvy mean that consumers can do their price comparison in-store just by scanning a barcode and looking up competitive prices there and then. The number of people who have bought something using these devices has started to grow, and it is expected that more than half of users will have bought something using their smartphone by the end of this year. It’s been dubbed ‘m-commerce’ – but whatever it’s called it’s coming fast in 2010.

5. Do you have any parting thoughts?

Yes. Retailers who don’t have an online strategy in place are being left behind. Christmas sales show again that it is the multichannel retailers who did best. All retailers need to adopt a strategy that lets consumers decide when, how and where they will do business with them. This may mean starting a transaction in-store and completing online, or researching online and buying instore or even on the phone. Give consumers the options they want and they will stay loyal to you.

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below on this interview.

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Archive for 2010

Art of Innovation in 10 Steps – Video Flashback

On a Friday before the long, Martin Luther King weekend,  we thought we would change things up a bit here.  We would hit you with a 2009 masterpiece from the startup master, Guy Kawasaki.  If you do not already know, Guy is a venture capitalist who did a couple of early tours at Apple and is the author of a start-up must read, the Art of the Start.  He is now the Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures, is running his latest company, Alltop, and continues to give speeches and talks across the country on startups, innovation, entrepreneurship, social media and small business success.

This video is a (well) sliced version of a presentation he gave last year where he discusses in about 8 minutes the 10 steps (plus a bonus one) for innovation and making your startup a great company.  Since KikScore is a startup we pay particular attention to the guidance, like Guy’s presentation, that is given on startups. In fact, you can see that in our series where we narrate some of the issues we face building our startup into a viable business.

Please check out the video of Guy’s presentation below so you get context for these ten steps that he covers:

1. Make Meaning

2. Make Mantra

3. Jump to the Next Curve

4. Roll the Dice

5. Don’t Worry be Crappy (no that is not a typo)

6. Let 100 Flowers Bloom

7. Polarize People

8. Churn Baby Churn

9. Niche Yourself

10. Follow the 10/20/30 Rule

11. (Bonus) – Don’t Let Bozos Grind You Down

Please tell us what your thoughts are on the 10 steps.

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Archive for 2010

Do You Protect Your Business Brand From Your Personal Brand?

Small and start-up businesses need to build an identity in the marketplace.  With or without using our KikScore service, a newer or lesser-known business needs to establish a brand that is recognized and trusted.  But newer and smaller businesses are often just the reflection of the individual owners, so what do you do as a business owner so as to not offend a possible customer or partner?

As most bloggers, I have a personal example to share.  Of the KikScore team, I think I’m the only one to have voted for McCain…I know how to pick a winner (I hated Palin, but would have loved to see Johnny Mac in the White House).  But when we officially launched KikScore, as I was putting on the business bumper sticker, I removed the “John McCain 2008”.  Why?  Because as an entrepreneur, I don’t want to offend a potential customer and I don’t want to link the KikScore brand with my personal ideology.  In other words, I’d rather have a successful business than let the world know my political leanings.  But does it matter?  Maybe it could help your business, as your personal beliefs could align your business with customers with similar positions. 

Right or wrong, the marketplace assigns values to businesses that may or may not be intended by the owners.  Think about Walmart and Costco. Each provide a bulk/warehouse shopping experience, located in the suburbs.  But Walmart is deemed to be “Republican” and Costco is “Democrat”.  I seriously doubt either business wants to cater only to half of voting public, but some people will only shop at the bulk warehouse that is more in line with their political affiliation.

The question now remains is do you tone down your personal activities to avoid turning off your customers, continue as-is, or assign you personal affiliations to business in an effort to win business?

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Archive for 2010

Small Business Interview with Trackpack Coolers' Andrew Shelton

 I connected with Andrew Shelton from Trackpack Coolers through LinkedIn a few weeks ago when I first approached him about this interview.  In the interview below Andrew shares with us his unique insight and advice on everything from NASCAR to the best type of shopping cart to put on your small business website!

Tell us about Trackpack Coolers and who you focus on serving?

TrackPack Coolers LLC manufactures a unique backpack style beverage cooler that is capable of chilling and dispensing 20 “beverages” of your choice! Each TrackPack® Cooler includes three reusable freezer gel-packs, our proprietary dispensing frame, and a waterproof liner insert – so the frame can be removed and the cooler can be filled with just about anything, including ice. Our customers include tailgaters, race fans, music festival attendees, and many more…

How did you get started selling online?

The company was founded in 2006 and began retailing in early 2007; in the very beginning, our website retail channel was our ONLY point of sale. It was through our website that we were able to introduce our product to the consumer AND retail markets. We now have 5 different sales channels including retail, promotional, direct to customer, website drop-ship, and our own web retail site.

Where will Trackpack Coolers focus most of its energy in 2010?

2010 is going to be a significant growth year for our company. We are currently focused on a few key additions to our core product line, and we are also looking forward to announcing some important marketing and distribution partnerships.

If you had 2 lessons learned from your business that you could pass on to others about selling online, what are those?

Consider your customers at all times. We are constantly running tests on which landing pages, ad-words, or page layouts yield the best conversion ratings. We have found (through trial and error) that:

1. Retail sites should be as dynamic and tactical as possible – Less copy, more images and bullets.

2. Make checkout processes as convenient and easy as possible. The more pages someone has to click through, the greater the chances that you’ll end up with an abandoned cart!

As 2009 closes, what do you see as 2 new trends in your business this year?

1. There has been a considerable tightening in the competitiveness in the retail market model.

2. We quickly rebounded against traditional retail market constraints through more effective use of internet marketing– which has proven effective as we have seen a significant growth in our web-related sales model.

If your business/store could be any movie or movie character, what movie/movie character would it be and why?

Bob Mapplethorpe from Bottle Rocket (1996).

Dignan: Bob Mapplethorpe, potential get-away driver: go!
Bob: Well, I think there’s a real air of mystery about me.
Dignan: Don’t complicate it. Your number one strength is you have a car you can provide. Sell yourself! Start over. Ready, go!
Bob: Okay, alright. I’m a risk taker! I’m growin’ an entire crop of marijuana plants in my parents back yard! I think that shows…
Dignan: Wait, you’re growing an entire crop of marijuana in your back yard?
Bob: Dignan, look. I’m just not very good at this selling-yourself stuff, okay? So, I’m just gonna tell you the truth. I really wanna be a part of this team. And I’m the only one with a car.
Dignan: That’s good. That’s good. ‘Cause that hits me right here.

If Trackpack Coolers could have a dream spokesperson for your company who would it be and why?

That’s a tough question. We’ve put in a lot of time into marketing within the racing community (NASCAR) because many of the venues allow our coolers to be taken into the events. Additionally, the NASCAR fan base is consistently noted as one of the most brand-loyal followings in all of sporting events. Also, a race car driver is relatable to the function and uses of our product… cold beverages at a NASCAR race that can be accessed quickly.  So really, we’d have to say any of the major drivers… 

How do the folks at TrackPack Coolers let loose after a busy day working?

Let’s get serious; we make a cooler that dispenses 20 drinks… what’s a workday?

Do you have any parting thoughts for our readers and the small business community?

Ultimately, initiative is what distinguishes a successful business from someone with a great idea. The initiative to implement your idea comes from creativity, determination, and incremental goal setting. Ideas come to fruition through a series of small steps—it doesn’t all happen in a day. You just chip away, each daya little  at a time, while keeping the overall objective in mind. To keep the long-term goal in perspective, you can’t ride roller coasters…there are ups and downs, but consistency and tenacity is ultimately what gets you through. Most importantly: Don’t let anyone tell you no. You are your own best advocate and no one is going to do the work for you. Don’t let obstacles prevent your idea from ever being tested – you have to go out and do it.

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