Ideas To Deals

Are You Sharp?

If you are a fan of my LinkedIn profile you may know that I worked for FranklinCovey in the mid to late 1990's.  During that time I was able to attend pretty much every training they offered and I got to be pretty proficient in their principles specifically the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People"    by Stephen Covey.  If you are not familiar with the 7 Habits here are my takes on each: 

• Habit 1: Be Proactive: Base actions on self-chosen values and not on moods, feelings and circumstances.
• Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind: Base actions on mission and vision.
• Habit 3: Put First Things First: Say "no" to the unimportant, regardless how urgent, and" yes" to the most important.
• Habit 4: Think Win/Win: Look for solutions make everyone successful.
• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood: Listen first, talk second
• Habit 6: Synergize: Create solutions that are greater for the whole than the total of the combined parts.
• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Continual improvement/Self renewal

Whether you have read the book or not at one time or another there are probably some of these that you have heard in  corporate communications or trainings but I bet the one you didn't hear a lot about is Habit 7 ~ Sharpen the Saw.  Note...In this post I am discussing the importance of this relating to business but there are a number of ways that you should sharpen the saw in many areas of your life such as physical fitness, time with friends and family, etc.  Sharpening the saw in business is about taking a step back, looking at what is going on around you and how to make your business better.  Many entrepreneurs and business professionals (everyone for that matter) feel they can't stop and always have to keep pushing forward at full speed.  The problem with this is that you are going to miss opportunities for your business and yourself.  Doesn't matter how much you like what you are doing you have to give your mind a chance to catch up.  You must give yourself time to focus on important activities that are not driven by the clock.  Take some time weekly to review your strategic plan, spend time with employees focusing on improvement and look at where you have been and where you are going.  This doesn't have to take the form of an organized strategic planning retreat.  It can be as simple as starting some mornings at your favorite coffee house and taking stock of what is going on around you and your business.  The key is that you take the time to make sure you are on track and making progress toward the outcomes that you started your business to achieve.

So let me ask you...How sharp are you?

 

Google Lost Groupon, But Still Tops Most-Active Acquirer List - Venture Capital Dispatch - WSJ

By Scott Austin

Google Inc. missed out on prized daily discounter Groupon Inc. in 2010, but it still acquired far more start-ups owned by venture capital firms than any other company last year.

Dow Jones VentureSource

In fact, it’s the first time that Google has headed the annual list of most venture-backed acquisitions, according to research firm Dow Jones VentureSource.

Google acquired 10 U.S. venture-backed companies this past year, double the amount of the next most-active acquirers on the list. Its acquisitions ranged from larger land grabs like AdMob Inc., the mobile ad network that sold for $750 million, to small scoops like the acquisition of 15-month-old online travel-guide service Ruba Inc. (VentureSource only counts deals that have closed, so Google’s deal to buy ITA Software Inc. for $700 million - which the Department of Justice is scrutinizing - doesn’t make the cut.)

Google chief Eric Schmidt lived up to his word after telling analysts on a conference call in October 2009, “We’re open for business, making strategic acquisitions, both large and small.”

The Internet is certainly bankers’ heaven right now - three of the top four most-active acquirers are all Web companies. The other two are themselves backed by venture firms: Google’s fast-growing foe Facebook Inc. placed second in 2010 with five deals, tying it with the venerable International Business Machines Inc., while four-year-old Zynga Game Network Inc. is fourth with four deals.

Expect Facebook to step up its acquisition pace, now that it has raised hundreds of millions in more capital from Goldman Sachs. Its executives say the company plans to acquire more than 10 companies this year.

The top acquirer of 2009, Oracle Corp., which bought five venture-backed companies that year, only made two deals in 2010. But we’ll cut Oracle some slack since it spent $7.4 billion in January to buy Sun Microsystems while also acquiring several other non-venture-backed companies.

Google made three acquisitions in 2009, good for third place, and ranked ninth overall from 2000 to 2009. It has now vaulted to fourth place on the most-active acquirer list with 25 deals since 2000. Cisco Systems Inc. remains king with 51 venture-backed acquisitions since 2000, though it only made three deals in 2010 and two in 2009.

via blogs.wsj.com

Blogging In The New Year?

I found this post from Susan Young of Get In Front Communications and thought is might be helpful to those of you that are looking to launch a blog in the new year.  I recently launched my running blog "26.2 & Stuff" and restructured my "MichaelBowers On-Line" blog to conical my year in a Project 365 photo style.  I hope I'm doing some of these things.

Enjoy

~ Mike

Your A-Z Guide to Successful Business Blogging — Get In Front Communication

Are you ready to launch a blog or ramp up your existing one? 

Here are 26 tips to help you on your blogging  journey:

Add pictures, visuals, and images to your posts to communicate with readers on different levels.   

Be the solution.  Help people solve their problems. Solve, don’t sell.

Consider all multimedia platforms such as video blogs, podcasts, and audio clips.  

Define who you are, who your audience is, and what benefits blogging may bring you.  The bottom line: Why are you blogging?  

Eavesdrop on conversations to help you develop new content. 

Forget the word count. Be clear and make your point. That’s it. 

Grab people’s attention from the get-go with compelling and punchy headlines. 

Highlight text, subheads, key phrases, and lists to emphasize important points and make your posts more reader-friendly.

Interact with your readers by asking them questions in your posts and responding to comments.  

Jump into the fray. Don’t be afraid to take a stand on an issue or controversy in your niche or field. Boldness counts. 

Kill the negative self-talk and judgment. You don’t have to be a professional writer to be a great blogger.    

Listen to the conversations in chats and groups to determine what people are “stuck” on. There’s your content.

Move people emotionally through your words, language, metaphors, real-life experiences, and humanity.

Notice what other bloggers are doing. Get ideas on layout, colors, design, content, and self-promotion.

Open your eyes, heart, and mind. We’re in uncharted waters.

Position yourself as a credible resource in your field. Become the “go-to” guy (or gal) 

Quit taking it personally (Q-TIP) if no one comments on your blog. Comments do not equal readers. 

Remember we are in a real-time world. Post often so your blog doesn’t become static and stale. 

Simplify your words. Blogging is not business writing, even though you’re probably writing about business. Be conversational. Consider yourself a creative artist. 

Try using patience. You may get frustrated or overwhelmed with the pressures that come along with a blog. This isn’t a short-term commitment with fast results. 

Understand the analytics, metrics, search engine optimization, keywords, and other important tools to help you determine content, audience, readership, and more.

Vary your posts but not your expertise. Stick with what you know without painting yourself into a corner.  

Write when you have something to say. Your readers will appreciate it.

X-ray your life. Take a close look into the body and soul of your professional career and personal experiences.  Shine a light on them to diagnose your”lessons learned.”   The result: Content. Lots of it.

Yearn for more. Your curiosity and willingness to learn about new trends in your industry, technology, and life in general will serve you well in your blogging endeavors. 

Zero in on your readers. Write as if you’re speaking directly to them. A blog is merely the medium (vehicle) to reach mass amounts of people.  Make each one feel special and connected to you. 

Now I know my ABCs…

One final note: Here’s a free resource for you. Take advantage of my 21-day video series “Speaking of Communication.” It focuses on Social Media, blogging, PR, writing, and communication themes. Click on this link now for instant access http://www.getinfrontcommunications.com/

via www.getinfrontcommunications.com