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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 the ‘Online & Small Business Resources’ Category

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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Small Biz Interview with Try Toys Direct's David Taylor

We came across David Taylor and Try Toys Direct on Twitter, just before the holidays.  David actually gave us a call and we spent about 30 minutes discussing the small business experience.  We also had a very interesting discussion on being a small business in the adult industry.  Now, please do not judge and we know this post may spark some controversy.  But what really resonated with us is that Try Toys Direct is living the small business dream.  They are fighting to establish themselves against the “big guys” in the adult toy industry.  Everyone can learn from David and his experience of getting a small business off the ground  while striving to be classy, mature and discreet in an industry that is not really known for any of those characteristics is really helpful and informative.

1. Tell us about Try Toys Direct and who you focus on serving?

Try Toys Direct is the premier adult playground where quality and discretion matters. Our mission is to provide a safe and sexy place for people to shop for adult sex toys that will enhance their sexual experience. They can shop knowing that our products were preselected for their comfort and various tastes. Although we do sell many products to single people, we designed our site to be warm and inviting in hopes that couples will feel comfortable shopping together within our store.

2. How did you get your started selling online?
We started selling on-line about three years ago when we opened up our first eBay store. From there we expanded to other auctions sites and eventually to our own website. We choose eBay as a starting point for two reasons:

A. It has a steady stream of shoppers.

B. It afforded us an opportunity to create our branding (Try Toys Direct) and assisted us with becoming an established on-line seller (reputation and recognition). 

3. What are you focusing on for 2010?

In 2010 Try Toys Direct will continue to focus first on customer satisfaction and then expansion. We list them in this order because it is extremely important to have satisfied customers in order to expand. About 30% of our sales come from repeat customers and those whom have been referred by our customers. Lastly, we will focus on growing our product line while keeping cost down for our customers.

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

A. Research, Commitment and Patience. Know your product, know your customers and stay focused. This has been the backbone of our growth. As a small business we have learned that it is important to keep learning. We have also learned that it is very necessary to continue developing your business plan.

B. It is important as a small business to keep overhead down. There are a lot of free resources to help build and promote you business. Take advantage of them. One good source for creating back links to you site is to utilize free on line classifieds. When you first open a website, tons of companies will contact you offering to build you the stars. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

5. As 2009 just closed, what do you see as 2 new trends in your business for 2010?

A. More and more couples are utilizing adult toys to enhance their intimacy.

B. People are becoming more liberal in discussing their preferences.

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

Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. This movie depicts a couple who is in love and shares the same interest in their profession “but”, because they failed to communicate and kept their jobs a secret from each other, it almost destroyed their marriage. The point being, in our business we see people who want more in their sex lives but often fail to express their likes and dislikes with their partner. This often leads to dissatisfaction in a relationship. People should be able to feel comfortable expressing themselves to their partner and respecting each others boundaries.

7. If Try Toys Direct could have a dream spokesperson for your company who would it be and why?

Marilyn Monroe because she was both sexy and smart!

8. How do the folks at Try Toys Direct let loose after a busy day working?

I can’t speak for everyone but I let loose by going home and enjoying my family. My greatest satisfaction in life is spending quality time with those I love.

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

We would tell others, “don’t believe the hype”. You hear all these good stories about people getting rich quick on the Internet. It has probably happened for some, but for most, you will have as much chance of getting rich quick as you do of being drafted by the NFL or hitting the lottery. On line selling is like any other business, you only get out, what you put in. Do not become discouraged, building a business takes a lot of hard work and time. We have been selling on the internet about three years and have found it to be hard, challenging and rewarding. I do not know who wrote this but my favorite quote that inspires me is: “The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams”.

Also please swing by our new Try Toys Direct blog that we launched.

On behalf of www.TryToysDirect.com I would like to thank the folks at KikScore for this interview and acknowledge Mr Rajeev Malik from KikScore for working with us for the interview. We at Try Toys Direct wish you and the KikScore team much success and growth in your business.

We would love your thoughts on the interview.

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Diary of a Start-Up: The Challenge to Keep Your Business Focused

As we at KikScore roll into 2010, we are proud of everything we were able to accomplish in 2009.  We launched KikScore. (See Diary of a Start-Up I)  Our blog went live. People actually visited our site!  Actually a lot more than we expected and from some interesting parts of the world.  And we really took the big plunge into social media.  Simultaneously, we are constantly working on gathering feedback from our customers and making changes and enhancements based on that feedback.

So what is the issue facing us in 2010? One word – FOCUS – or better yet the challenge to focus.

We have a lot going on at KikScore.  For example, we are in the process of developing an exciting extension to the KikScore product that we hope to launch in the next 30 days, we are fixing and enhancing the KikScore product based on customer feedback,  we are dealing with customer service issues, we are in partnership discussions and we are redesigning our marketing site at www.kikscore.com. We also have multiple tracks of product enhancements that are being prioritized and slotted in for development. And this list is not even near exhaustive of what we have going on.

So as we began 2010, we took our heads out of the weeds and said its time to climb to that proverbial mountain at 30,000 feet so we could take a broader view of KikScore, our product, all of the activity and the daily grind so we could figure out what do we need to focus on.  In all honestly, this was probably the first time in a while where we did the “focus” analysis.  The reason is as a start-up, especially an early stage one, you keep focusing on getting your product out to the market. Once the product goes live, then you are just overwhelmed to some degree with enhancements, customer and market feedback, service issues etc that can test your start-up’s ability to focus.

So this is what we have begun to do and I would recommend that if you are a start-up you may want to do something similar. Also the key is to periodically update, measure and track progress of your focus against each of these items below.

1. Goals. As a team, set your near-term and long term goals. Near term can be 30-90 days.  Long term is 1-3 years.  Keep them in a place where the entire team can review them.

2. Activities. Then create a list of the activities that flow up to the goals.  Make sure every activity can be tied to the goals otherwise that activity should be eliminated.

3. Turbo Activities. From the list of activities try to determine which activities do you get the most out of and that with all things being equal get you closer to that goal at a faster rate.  I call these Turbo Activities because they can really turbocharge you to achieve your goals faster. So for example, we at KikScore recently uncovered an approach that may really help us with customer acquisition.  Customer Acquisition is a very important near and long term goal of ours and we have various activities that help us with customer acquisition. But this method stood out and so just this week we thought lets really focus our efforts using this method and see where that gets us for acquiring more customers.

4. Regular Update. As a startup works through these turbo activities and regular activities, while also dealing with new issues that come up each day, it is critical that the team on a regular and periodic basis assess where the business is at in regards to the goals.  As the activities, objectives and goals change over time, your start-ups focus may have to adapt and be flexible.  But while I say that, you must also be careful to not have the red herrings pop up and that push you to focus on the wrong things or to lose your focus.  This is a delicate dance that each start up needs to be careful to balance so they maintain the right focus to meet their goals.

5. Team Accountability.  Each team member needs to also dedicate themselves to keeping themselves honest and other team members true to focusing the start-up.  Without team members acting as a check for themselves and other team members, a start-up runs the risk of losing that focus. One of the ways to help ensure that team members are keeping each other focused is asking a simple question during internal discussions: Do you think that activity will get us closer to accomplishing one or more of our goals?

In the end, so much of focus for a start-up can be boiled down to the 80/20 rule.  So often 20% of your activities and work, will end up getting your startup 80% of the results that you need.  Remember this when you try to keep your focus to growing your start-up!

How do you keep your business focused?

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Solicit and Listen – Customer Feedback is critical to business success

Social media was the craze of 2009 and will only continue to gain ground in 2010. Blogging about your product and/or service is an incredible way to promote your business or product. While customers and passersby can comment on blog entries or Tweet their favorites, how do you convert the blog commenter into a devoted and loyal customer for future success?

As a business owner, you need to provide easy to use feedback tools to ensure that you are in touch with your customers (and would-be customers) and frequently and consistently responding to their needs. This entails listening to comments and being able to categorize them and REACT. There are a variety of tools available (some such asCrowdsound, RatePoint, Yelp) but do these sites bring traffic back to your site? Some do, but some are a link off with minimal options to react to comments. In a previouspost by DojoMike:  customers are sometimes reluctant to provide feedback (positive or negative).

To maintain an open dialog with customers and encourage feedback, the comment avenue needs to be easy to use and promote responses from the merchant/business owner. As a business owner, you also need to be able to solicit feedback and react to it, professionally. If a negative comment comes through, don’t ignore it, you need to respond and make changes that address the issue. At a minimum, sending an email to a customer who recently bought an item from your online store is an easy avenue to inquire if the ordering process was seamless and also to ask for website suggested changes or product improvements. The more you ask a customer for their input, the more likely they will become a repeat customer AND tell their friends about your site and excellent customer service.

At KikScore, we have created a feedback tool within the KikScore seal itself. Comments that are posted here are sent directly to merchants to review and respond. These comments are also available for all to see that are reviewing that site’s KikScore Seal.

How do you solicit feedback from customers? What do you do with the feedback you get? Do you have any feedback/suggestions for KikScore? Please share with us!

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SmallBiz Conversation with KKBB Apparel's Michael Banos & Tom Prince

Today’s KikScore small business interview is with Michael Banos and Tom Prince from the super hip KKBB Apparel.  Michael, Tom and KKBB caught Kikscore’s eye for a number of reasons as you will see from their uniqueness and creativity that comes through in the interview.  But everyone should check out KKBB’s About Us page is very cool and follows from what we often talk about at KikScore that every small business should have a unique personality that your customers can relate to.  Kikscore is not even a customer of KKBB’s but their culture, vibe and approach is refreshing!

1. Tell us about KKBB and who you focuses on serving?

KKBB is an apparel company specializing in vibrant, off-the-wall designs. It’s pretty hard to ignore a piece from our catalog. Our target demographic is the 13-24 year old crowd. Young trendsetters who have an affinity for music and action sports. We went out on the Vans Warped Tour last year and pretty much hit the nail on the head with who we were trying to reach with our product.

2. How did you get your started selling online?

We’ve had an online store from the very beginning. When we launched the brand our website was up right away and we featured the online store from day one. Right now we’re in the process of creating a section of the store that is wholesaler specific. Our hope is to give each of our wholesale clients their own login which will grant them access to the wholesale prices and ordering forms. This should make the process of ordering wholesale from us easier on both ends.

3. Where will KKBB focus most of its energy in 2010?

Hopefully we’ll be able to maintain the solid customer base we’ve created by engaging them with interesting and funny content through our various web incarnations (website, Facebook, etc.). We’ll be working hard on bringing the brand to people who’ve yet to hear of it and taking steps to acquire more wholesale accounts, both big and small. We’re also looking to sponsor bands and extreme athletes.

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

1. Be aware of all the various fees you’ll be encountering through online sales, such as PayPal or fees applied by your store’s host. They can add up very quickly.

2. Make sure to have a solid shipping method setup. That way when the orders begin coming in you can keep up with the volume.

5. As 2009 just closed, what do you see as 2 new trends in your business this year?

We’re going to be getting more involved with sunglasses and other accessories. Also, by the end of 2010 we should be making the transition into cut-and-sew pieces. It wont be long before you’re seeing KKBB jeans, jackets, button-ups and much more.

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

The first thing that comes to mind is Chuck Norris but he’s been a bit of a cop-out as of late so we’ll go with King Leonidas from the movie 300. While on tour last summer we adopted the call and response of “KKBB… What is your occupation?!”, “HUH HUH HUH!!” Warped Tour is no joke and it is not for the weak of heart. The KKBB crew never backs down, never gives up, and never surrenders. We are willing to push our bodies to the brink to reach whatever goals we’ve set for ourselves.

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

Christopher Walken would make the absolute perfect spokesperson for KKBB. If he was going to shoot a commercial or something for us I don’t even think we would give him any lines. I think we would just hand him a shirt to hold up while he spoke into the camera. We could just let this go on for an hour or so and then go into the editing room and splice the gems together. I’m confident it would turn out to be the most brilliant ad campaign ever.

8. How do the folks at KKBB let loose after a busy day working?

We usually find ourselves at the local watering holes with friends, playing 9-ball and shooting darts. We just try and relax because we rarely get any days off. When we do it’s a ton of lounging.

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

When you’re greeted with the opportunity for a business meeting, take it, regardless of who it is or what company they represent. Just because a company/product seems unrelated to your own doesn’t mean you wont pick up a great piece of advice, an amazing new contact, or hear about a product that may be useful to you in the future. But always keep in mind, everyone is playing an angle and you have to know what it is.

Thanks to Michael for taking the time for this interview.  If you have questions, please post them in our comment section and we will get Michael to answer them!

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2010 Is Here: 10 Rules for Killer Business Card By Steven Fisher

We all use business cards.  Can you tell me the last one that made an impact on you?  Some people would say that cards are just supposed to convey basic contact information.  But think about it.  A business card is the first item that a business contact sees that conveys your personality and creativity after a conversation.  So why not actually use your business card to make that impression?

As 2010 gets rolling, we at KikScore thought this would be a good 10 minute, highly enjoyable video of  a presentation from the GrownSmartBiz Conference that Steve Fisher gave on business cards (the presentation starts a little after the 5 minute mark).  Check it out and let us know if you are going to make a change to your business cards in 2010 so you can start making an impression.

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This Just In: Marketing to Your Own Social Network Works and it's Cheap!

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Small Business Interview with Simply Astro Founder Shiv Verma

Today’s KikScore Small Business interview is with Shiv Verma, the  founder of SimplyAstro.com. Shiv is a serious entrepreneur and runs multiple websites including the SimplayAstro.com website.  He is also a nights and weekend entpreneur so KikScore has a special bond with Shiv because we know the long hours that he pulls on a regular basis.  Shiv has just recently launched a very cool iPhone app and has received a lot of media coverage about that.

Tell us about “SimplyAstro.com – Your AstroSwami” and who you focuses on serving?

AstroSwami is the Brand Identity of SimplyAstro.com. AstroSwami Pro & AstroSwami Lite are the first every iPhone App bringing your personalized horoscope predictions AND remedies at just a click away! Merging today’s most popular technology and the ancient, scientific knowledge of Vedic Astrology, a pioneering concept “ASTROSWAMI PRO” offers solutions to your life’s problems on your iPhone. SimplyAstro.com is an online portal for astrological services providing the widest range of astrological and divination services in India and in western countries. SimplyAstro.com provides services to the people who believe in astrology as the science that may guide their path in life. All products and services offered by SimplyAstro.com reflect the philosophy that the purpose of Astrology is to stimulate the personal growth of individuals and create inter-personal harmony. Our services include online consultations and counseling built around Western Astrology, Vedic Astrology, Tarot, Numerology, Chinese Astrology, Vastu, Feng Shui, etc. backed by an internationally renowned panel of astrologers from across the world. SimplyAstro.com is a full fledged online astrology service provider and a platform for astrologers to export their services to Indians as well as Western people and all other people worldwide who believe in astrology as the science that may guide their path in life.

How did you get your started selling online?

The objective of the flagship company Vital Acts Inc., is to provide an easy, simple and user-centric online service that touches people’s Vital Acts of life! Keeping that in mind, SimplyAstro.com was started with our valuable and vital set of online services that is driving to create a community in itself. Vital Acts Inc. is growing to become the leader in service oriented online services catering to the needs of people through Internet and mobile. Our Series of website services ensures that an average individual is able to use the internet in the most effective, affordable and easy way! What we mean by that is well demonstrated by our website product services, product quality, customer service and one of the key items that are most affordable and beating the competition in regards to pricing that we have to offer or the amount of FREE services we have to offer!

Where will “SimplyAstro.com – Your AstroSwami” focus most of its energy in 2010?

SimplyAstro.com is growing to become the leader in service oriented online products & consulting catering to the needs of people through Internet and mobile.

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

1. Get clear understanding of what market segment you want to focus  on and determine if  you want to start by having a local or global focus.
2. Have a marketing game plan lined-up to test the market via at-least five different marketing strategies. Don’t spend put all your resources in 1 marketing strategy. Instead divide your resources between the 5 strategies and have a way to track the effectiveness of each.

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

1. Like any other business, more players are entering the market although they may not be mature businesses and also do not deliver the same value!
2. People have become more and more price sensitive due to the economy and needless to say no other site providing similar values can beat our pricing!

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

Can I pick 2 here? Star Wars & Star Track (Trek), well for one simple reason, SimplyAstro.com – Your AstroSwami, guides your path in life towards success by means of predictions and remedial suggestions using the ancient science of Vedic Astrology, Western Astrology, Numerology & lot more! As you can see Astrology is all about Tracking the Stars (Star Track!) and giving solutions to the problems of your life by means of remedial measures which is like fighting the Star Wars!  And yes, both these movies have been very popular and highly successful, so you can see where I am going with this!

If “SimplyAstro.com – Your AstroSwami” could have a dream spokesperson for your company who would it be and why?

Our own customers & community, because their word of mouth is what creates the difference!

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

Absolutely, pursuing your hobby or passion in the form of a business is the best thing one can do in life and make a difference, so go for it! But always keep a good check on your budget and always apply a formula of multiply by 4 for any initially estimates when it comes to budgeting and time required for an activity/initiative. And yes, hurdles are part of the game, learn and adopt to get passed them and even if you hit couple of them, it’s ok, don’t stop or give up! Believing is achieving half the goal!

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Your Holiday Gift: 30 Second MBA from Fast Company

One of the truly creative and ingenious ideas I saw this year to help small, medium and large business was Fast Company’s 30 second MBA.  What is it?  Fast Company gets industry and business leaders from Digg, Accenture, Ford, Pandora and many other companies to give tips and guidance on key areas of business such as Making Better Decisions, How to Change a Company’s Culture, How Should You Think about Failure, How Do You Retain and Nurture Talent, and many other topics.  Its really a top notch faculty covering key business areas in a short period of time!  Each week there is a new subject matter and five leaders speak on the subect Monday through Friday.  Here is just one excellent 30 second clip from the CEO of Digg, Jay Adelson on making better decisions.

So spend your holidays learning with these 30 second clips.  A great gift to all of us from Fast Company.

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