Add-Options Blog

According to Time Magazine…that is.

The full list of inventions includes the $10 million dollar light bulb, Tank-Bred Tuna, Teleportation, The AIDS Vaccine, Dandelion Rubber, and The Edible Race Car.  It’s an interesting list full of potential that might change your life someday.  If you are an entrepreneur looking for an idea for a technology to commercialize into your own successful business, it might be a great start for you.  For more patents, check out http://www.google.com/patents.  It’s a great place to find ideas past and present.

It’s always interesting to see what people think will happen in the coming year.  The predictions are coming out and they are about as useful as they ever are.  Nobody knows for sure, but here are some ideas.

Let’s start with Entrepreneur Magazine’s predictions.  Leading off they predict Economic Turmoil, Green Power, and The Senior Market are going to be important.  It’s probably a safe bet you would have picked these as well.  They also threw in Health and Wellness too.  If you have been watching the news lately, then the only real surprise is number 9.  Read the whole list and you will see what I mean.  But it’s a good reminder of what is going on in case you have been too busy working to notice.

For consumer trends, TrendWatching.com predicts their Top 10.  Things like Business As Usual, Urbany, (F)luxury, and Mass Mingling cause me to wonder if the people that come up with these lists have ever left the Urban Jungle.  I guess if that’s where you are doing business, then the list makes sense.  My prediction is that you are going to assess what the market for whatever you are selling is doing and react to them.  It’s not rocket science, but pay attention anyway.  You may find something that strikes your fancy.

Entrepreneurs are the real trend setters.  We create the things that others write about.  Don’t forget that new products and services can’t always be predicted.  Whatever 2010 brings, it promises to be an adventure.  Enjoy it.

An article about being the boss by entrepreneur Jay Gould in the New York Times on what it’s like to lead the life of an entrepreneur.  Often we get so busy thinking about what we want to build and dealing with crises that we miss out on things.  This is a great read and reminder that we need to put the same amount of effort into planning and organizing our personal lives as we do our professional ones.

Ever wondered what the difference between a strategy and a tactic is?  How do goals relate to strategy and tactics?  Understanding the top down vs bottom up nature of marketing will help you figure it out.  And sometimes tactics can turn into a strategy.  I’ve asked this question of dozens of web marketing “experts” and you would be surprised how many of them just don’t know the difference.  Most internet marketing strategies are actually just tactics.  It’s true.

Well if you find the definitions out there confusing, then the post on Strategy vs Tactics by John Furgurson on the Brand Insight Blog is the perfect explanation.  I especially like the “what-if” test as a way to tell the difference.  It’s a great way to understand goals, strategies, and tactics.  Read it and never make that mistake again.

Entrepreneurs often agree to do things they have no idea how to do.  The automatic answer of “Yes” comes out before we even know what we agreed to.  Then we have to go figure out how to do what we said we would do and how to still make a profit from it.

Knowing how to ask for help without giving away that you have no idea what is going on is a key entrepreneurial skill.  HarvardBusiness.org has an article by Jodi Glickman Brown on how to ask for help the smart way.

She states that there are three key principles: 1) start with what you know, 2) state the direction you want to take and ask for feedback, and 3) ask for tangible guidance if you don’t know where to go.  Read the rest of her post to understand how this works.  It’s great advice.

On June 18 at Noah’s in Lindon, there will be a training event for all sorts of people who want to learn more about social media.

SmartMedia training events are designed to teach PR agencies, marketing professionals, corporate and independent media specialists, and technology evangelists of all stripes, the fundamental principles, concepts, and skills to effectively employ new media as a communication tool.

The all day event is $154.95 and you can register at the Smart Media 2009 website

Tomorrow, April 21st, I will be speaking to the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce member luncheon.  The subject is Web Marketing Demystified: The Internet from an Entrepreneur’s Perspective.  All too often, we hear that we must have an internet strategy as entrepreneurs, but there is so much information out there that it’s hard to figure out what to do.  How does it all fit with traditional marketing?  If all the things that web marketers are true, then why aren’t we richer, happier, sexier, and just darn better?  This presentation will help figure out what is buzz and what is real so that entrepreneurs can make better decisions.

Yep, it’s been a while.  But things are moving again.  There have been many updates of the links here on the site.   And we have started a facebook group called Add-Options, appropriately enough.  If you are on facebook, join the group and share your insights, resources and ideas about entrepreneurship and running a small business.

I had the opportunity to meet Dian Thomas over a year ago and to chat with her about her career.  She spent many years presenting ideas for camping and crafts on various TV shows, including the Today Show.  Dian is a force of nature when it comes to promotion and publicity.  And she is sharing her knowledge and experience with entrepreneurs in Utah.

She offers a day long course called “How to Get a Million Dollars’ Worth of Free Publicity” with the next course to be offered on January 31, 2008 at the Larry Miller Campus of SLCC.  The cost of the course is $169 and includes resources for helping you become a pro at public relations for your small business.  You can call 800-846-6355 or email her at dian@DianThomas.com to register for the course.   It’s well worth the money and time to learn from Dian.

For those of you who have been waiting for this, AddOptions.org has finally been updated with all the links from the various courses being taught.  Resources for marketing and market research as well as website development and many other business topics have been added for your use.  Since there is plenty of useless information on the internet, only the best resources (like always) have been chosen.  If you think we should add something, please don’t hesitate to suggest them.