High School dropout builds a billion dollar business.

When you have a skill and you spot an opportunity. more often than not it is your own imagination that is the limit. So many books write about what makes an entrepreneur. In a nut shell, it is the opportunity and having the tenacity to go after it and achieve. Kudos to Ben Nash, who did just that. He realized his skill set, spotted and opportunity and did not let go.

Winners and Losers

Entrepreneurship is a gamble. You win some and you lose some. Generally the gamble however is well thought out and sometimes, you just get it wrong. Lance Armstrong has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons. In his time, he was viewed as a great cyclist , a survivor of cancer and an inspiration for a lot of people. He raised a lot of money for charity, and although he was tagged as a cheat by some, it was denied and his persona and public profile was of doing great things as opposed to cheating on his bike. Recently he finally admitted to cheating and his world has come crashing down around him. In recent posts, I mentioned that every Action has a Reaction and therefore a Consequence. Outside of Lance Armstrong's world, others have won and lost. Other cyclists will win because they may get the sponsorship deals, cycling should become a cleaner sport and therefore the more talented actually win the races. Drug testing companies also win because more money is spent on making things right. However there are losers and one was an Entrepreneur who bought 10 000 videos about Lance Armstrong. Since the revelations, he cannot sell them and has therefore been left holding the stock and not being able to redeem his investment. However you have to laugh in some ways because where there is an Action, there is a Reaction and in this case an Australian Library decided to put a spin on how they lent out their videos by moving the video from the non fiction section into the fiction section. Winners and Losers

To all those doubters!

Like most Entrepreneurs, they may have come across their fair share of doubters. It is easy to  believe everything you hear and stop before you even start. Some ideas, agreed are misguided, however if you believe in your idea and follow it through with all your might, then good things should happen. Belief, tenacity, research and determination will see your idea succeed. See how this Entrepreneur turned the tables on his doubters.

Traits of and Entrepreneur

I'll be honest with you, I generally buy biographies of people to find out what makes them tick. Why are they successful and what do I need to be successful. I think it is human nature. We are led to believe that by buying expensive sports shoes, we too can emulate that persons success but it never once refers to the fact that there is hard work attached.  As some of you might know or have worked out, I was a Business Studies school teacher who really loved his job, but felt it was the right time to set up my own business and run with it. I could Talk the Talk, but can I Walk the Walk?
I guess over time I will find out. I found this article that might interest you on the traits that an Entrepreneur has.

The secret to success

There are literally thousands of business theory books on shelves worldwide, sprouting about the 4Ps, cash flow, budgets, distribution, human resources etc....  More often than not the real reason why there is success in any venture is the commitment and hard work. I am not saying that the other areas are not relevant as they definitely are, but having the commitment to see the idea through, showing strength and determination in terms of time and effort is the real secret to the success of a business.So combine that with working Smart in terms of being determined, focused and using the knowledge gained in text books should increase the chances of success. If you are thinking about setting up your business and you want inspiration, then read this.

Bloggers Success

I love a good success story and Pete Cashmore is one of those stories that should be publicized in order to inspire others. He took something like being in hospital and using that situation for his own gain in terms of making his time spent there work for him.

He began blogging about his interest which is technology and wanted to explain to others how to use the technology such as Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and YouTube. His company is called Mashable and it has 50 million page views and 20 million different visitors a month to his site. He is now worth in the region of $100 million and his business Mashable has been valued in the region of $300million. He and his company have won many different awards and is definitely someone to watch in the future.

Entrepreneurship is about interest, passion, using the skills you have and being determined. Pete Cashmore has this in buckets. Read more about Pete

Bamboo Smartphone

Phones are very much a part of our lives.Like everything, there are those who buy the product for function, fashion or both. When we buy a phone there are many considerations and it is not new to customise our latest purchase.  Ringtones, phone covers and jewellery have all been used. But how about a Smartphone made from wood? A designer called  Kieron-Scott Woodhouse, a final year Product & Design student at the Middlesex University in London has done such a thing. He is someone to watch who clearly knows what he wants to do and how he is going to do it. Wannabe Entrepreneurs need to take note. Will you be a new owner of one of these phones?