© @MSG


I heard a piece recently on National Public Radio on efforts in California to social entrepreneurs. It was enlightening. I hadn't realized the dilemma they face.

The situation is relatively simple. If you own a private company you can carry out your business as you see fit. But at the point in time that you go public and take on stock holders, that changes. Profit becomes a guiding legal motive. And your can be sued if your actions in managing a company don't mazimize profits.

But what if you have a reason not to mazimize profits? What if there were a cheaper way to make your product, but you wanted to use organic materials because even if that wasn't the best thing for profits, it was good for the world? Answer: It doesn't matter. Stockholders have rights.

The NY Times had a piece a couple of years ago that looked closely at efforts to establish legal protection for a new type of company: the for-benefit company. While those behind the efforts see the most promise in California, it looks as though Vermont may become the first state to past such a law.

© tom.arthur


When you consider ways to cut down on stress you really have to think in two different directions. On the one hand, there are ways to releive stress after it has occurred. On the other hand there are ways to prevent stress. You need to work in both directions if you want to survive the stress involved in starting a new business.

My favorite ways to relieve stress involve setting aside time to relax (preferably at a beach) and regular physical activity. Nothing makes you feel quite as good as time away from the job. My wife and I spent time regularly on the South Carolina coast - walking in the sand on the beach, eating at nice restaurants, and having cocktails by the pool. But we can't do that every month. So I jog most days. I play tennis. And I golf a little.

One of the biggest causes of stress in many business environments is facilities management. If you can outsource that to a company like Glendale property management it becomes one less source of stress for you. Outsourcing and delegating your responsibilities to competent people will reduce the strss of managing a new business.

Focus on India and China TJ's Weblog

Edward has pointed me to his media venture that maintains the LivingIn sites like LivingInIndia and LivingInChina. Dozens of freelance contributors from these countries provide insight into cultural and economic issues. If you interested in these emerging markets bookmark it. [...] Read More


Entrepreneurship in India TJ's Weblog

Knowledge@Wharton has a special report about India developing as R&D hub. One of the contributions has been an interview with Vivek Paul - ex-CEO of Wipro. He has some good insights into what works and what not for aspiring entrepreneurs in India. "Aron: In the absence of such an entrepreneurial ecosystem, would funds such as yours be looking to incubate businesses in India? Paul: I talked about the fact that pharmaceuticals are [...] Read More


Terrorism's Shadow on VC in India TJ's Weblog

When terrorists attacked The Taj Mahal Palace and the Oberoi-Trident in Mumbai, they struck at the heart of venture capitalism in India. As Ken Schachter pointed out over at Red Herring late last month, some of the most prominent firms in U.S. venture capitalism have offices in Mumbai, including Sequoia Capital, Battery Ventures and Matrix Partners. The two hotels that were hit are among the favorite places for firm employees [...] Read More


The US's Reverse Brain Drain Will Benefit China, India Global Mobility Report

Vinod Wadhwa had a insightful and informative piece in TechCrunch recently on what he called reverse brain drain. Large numbers of Chinese and Indians in the tech sector are going home - to Shanghai and Mumbai, Beijing and Delhi.Why would such talented people voluntarily leave Silicon Valley, a place that remains the hottest hotbed of technology innovation on Earth? Or to leave other promising locales such as New York City, [...] Read More


India instability may drive offshoring to China The CIO Weblog

With the recent spurt of growth in the Chinese IT industry already poised to encroach on India's undisputed position atop the global offshoring dogpile, the latest developments in Bangalore are sure to be unwelcome news to Indian offshore outsourcers. While unrest and terrorism have not been unknown in India over the past decades, to this point little of the disturbance has touched in Bangalore, the center of the Indian high-tech industry. [...] Read More

© danperry.com


If starting a new business isn't stressful enough for you, well it's tax time again. Don't do them yourself. You'll probably miss schedules L & M since there are new credits and deductions there. Get some tax preparation coupons and go see a professional.

Of course, the most effective way to cut down on stress is to do something recreational with the time you wold have devoted to do your own taxes. Maybe golf.

Of course, one of the biggest stress relievers is to delegate responsibilities and get them off your own plate. Facilities management is among the biggest stressers for a new business owner - and it has very little payback involved. Hiring a property management team to keep your business building in shape means one less thing for you personally to worry about.

Help Guide has some other stress management tips.

© shlomif2


Entrepreneurs today have enough to do without sitting around staring at data on potential customers for hours each week. That's why every new business needs to consider some useful tools for generation and scoring leads..

Business success is about smart allocation of your own mental energy. You could use a lot of brain power sitting around generating leads the old fashioned way. That's pretty dumb to do, if you don't have to do it that way. Using marketing automation software is a much smarter approach, and the software is so common and affordable today that there's really no excuse for not using it.

Marketing automation software makes life simpler by computerizing the tedious and repetitive tasks involved in generating leads and in lead scoring. You can then dedicate your time to lead management, focusing more of your energy on prospective clients and customers. That should mean your time and energy are spent on the most productive part of your job, and that you end up closing more sales and making more money.

If you really want to see your business succeed, don't make your sales staff spend half their time looking at paperwork Free them up to deal with people.