1. MARKETING
Ok this I am truly, truly excited about! This app will be on my tablet the minute they have a version for android. If, however, you have an Ipad, today is your lucky day! You get access to it right now!
As many of you may know, video marketing is the wave of the future. Well, Adobe has just released a FREE storytelling app for the iPad. As Geoff Weiss explains, this app “allows users to combine their own recorded voiceovers with images, animation, music and special effects.” Not only that, you can create these amazing videos without the need for filming or editing.
Seriously, to see how truly amazing this product is, you must watch the video embedded in Mr. Weiss’s article. I can already see how this thing will be a boon to my business on Youtube. Can you imagine the same for yours?
2. FINANCE
Have you seen the trailer for the new movie Chef? If you haven’t, this movie has tapped into the gourmet food truck craze that has been sweeping the country for the past few years. Now maybe you are one of those people who is secretly harboring thoughts of entering into the food service industry. (I have been pressuring my cousin, who is an amazing chef, to go ahead and take the plunge!) However, regardless of passion, you have to decide which approach to food delivery makes the most financial sense for you. Thankfully, Rich Mintzer is here to help you compare the costs and issues associated with owning a “food truck, cart, trailer, kiosk or other on-the-go food business.”
3. SOCIAL MEDIA
I have mentioned on quite a few occasions that I am a social media noob. I have deliberately chosen this path because I hate the idea of my private information being plastered all over the internet for time immemorial. Snapchat, however, tries to address this issue by deleting photos and other still media from their servers and recipients' devices within 10 seconds after delivery. Essentially, for the recipient, “you snooze, you lose”.
As Mark O'Neill explains, Snapchat is now expanding the services it offers to include messaging and video chats. As usual, the information in each session will be deleted after you are done communicating. Of course, there are already other providers out there offering these services. But, if you are concerned about not leaving bits of your life all over the internet, then this is something to be excited about!
4. EMPLOYEES
I am a big subscriber to the Golden Rule of customer service: “do onto others as you will have them do onto you.” And this is the attitude that I generally use while working with clients. I have to admit, however, that these are not skills that came naturally to me; they were developed over the course of my part-time jobs in college and my early days of working in a law firm.
That being said, anyone in customer service can attest to the fact that working with the public is not easy. But, if you follow the advice in Laura Montini’s infographic, you will be able to develop a workforce that will give you an advantage over your competitors.
5. MOTIVATION
I am an adventurer at heart. I am able to do things that make other people quiver without batting an eye. Despite all of this, my Achilles heel is the way in which I handle rejection. I am always in awe of people who can simply brush it off and move on…another cousin is always saying to me, “it’s only ‘no’ who cares?” Well, I care! I always internalize and analyze each rejection as if it is the end of the world.
As you can imagine, this is a huge drawback when you are a startup entrepreneur. That is why I really appreciate Jenna Goudreau’s very practical tips on how to deal with these situations. If you fear rejection the way I do, then I think you will find them useful too!
