Innovation and Entrepreneurship
by Paul Mobley, MBA
From the category archives:
The little that I know about photography is that you’re goal is to capture good light in a way that tells a great story. As mentioned in the previous post I purchased a Canon G10. This camera has got me excited again about photography because it’s basically a professional’s point-an-shoot. David Studarus recommended that I [...]
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This post is dedicated to [b]ecker and all of the other great photographers who always out play me in Texas Hold’em. The short list also includes: Jessica Claire, Mike Colon, Dane Sanders, and many more. Paul Mobley had the cover image and a feature article in Rangefinder Magazine in July 2009. How do you like [...]
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David Studarus and I went out a week ago Friday to get some images for the Live Near The Beach and Live Near Work brands. The light wasn’t very good that day but we did happen upon the US Open of Surfing with some really nice waves. Then we went back down PCH and up [...]
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Yesterday Microsoft launched is new search engine Bing with an expensive advertising campaign. I bet the owners of bling.com are super exited as the value of their domain has increased the chance that they can convert that domain into real bling. Of course the first search that I completed was for “Paul Mobley”. I’m happy [...]
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Advanta has announced that they will be no longer offering small business credit cards. With only 3 days of warning they have indicated via e-mail and on their website they are no longer able to fund activity due to their own financing problems. Small Business owners have appreciated the focus that Advanta has given them. [...]
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Back in August 2008 I wrote an article about Pandora. I mentioned that while the service was currently free they would likely go to a subscription format in the future. That day has arrived. (insert I told you so). You can now subscribe to Pandora for $36/year and enjoy an ad-free experience. Previously they only [...]
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Coldplay :: Good Idea – Provide a free album as a thank you to the fans. Coldplay :: Bad Idea – Failure to test your system. Online album unavailable due to a technical glitch. It’s a wonderful idea to give a free album every once and a while. However, you need to test the system [...]
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Things might be tough for your small business right now but it could be worse. Imagine if your ownership and board of directors was 90% union and government. That would really suck. So if you’re feeling down, take heart, you’re not GM.
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American Express is continuing it’s attack on small business owners. The latest battlefield is the credit lines of small businesses who have never been late on a payment or gone over their limit. It’s understanding that the risks have increased for AMEX but you would think they would try to keep the best customers instead [...]
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Small business has been told they’re going to be financing a portion of the most recent stimulus package. Any business that offers health care and is subject to federal COBRA or simular requirments under state law is required to pay 65 percent of the premium on behalf of the COBRA participants. To recover the subsidy [...]
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Steve summed up my point from yesterday in this wonderful political cartoon from the San Diego Union-Tribune. Thanks for sending it to me Julie!
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On April 1st California will have another 1% added to the state sales tax. This additional tax comes at a very bad time as small businesses are struggling to survive the economic uncertainty. The last thing we need is to have higher prices that don’t result in higher profits. California is taking money out of [...]
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Kurt Daradics, a social catalyst, had an overwhelming success last night at the Skirball. Digital Family Reunion is something that he mentioned to me months ago while it was still in the planning phases. To see this annual event take root, and both watch and participate in the creation of community, was amazing. I think [...]
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Today, Thursday, December 11th from 5:00pm to 10:00pm, the Digital Family Reunion (DFR) is bringing the Southern California technology and business communities together for the holidays at the Skirball Cultural Center. In association with some of the region’s top trade associations and social networking groups, the DFR is throwing a major holiday party. The DFR’s [...]
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American Express has taken a step backwards in it’s small business focus. In recent years, American Express OPEN has significantly expanded the range of card products that [they] provide to small business owners, and those products are at the core of how [they] meet the purchasing needs of [their] customers. As a result of our [...]
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There is a lot of fear and confusion right now. This is often made worse by the media. What is the cure for this sickness? CONNECT WITH REAL PEOPLE. A dear friend of mine, Kurt Daradics, is one of the social catalysts who has been critical to my success in business. He, along with some [...]
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Today is election day in the U.S. As I was waiting in line at my polling place it occurred to me that there is something really nice about having an official day that ends the decision process. No matter if you agree with the outcome of the various races, bond measures, etc we will have completed the [...]
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Doesn’t this so eloquently capture how we are all feeling about the current state of the financial markets? It would be even better if the Economist actually had published this cover. With these types of spoofs floating around the internet it’s clear that the market(s) have changed!! You’ll most likely have to make changes to [...]
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We’re in an amazing time right now. Some have said that this is once in a lifetime economic event. It’s scary when Fortune 500 companies and governments (like the State of CA) are struggling to get financing and having major consequences as a result. What does that mean for small business owners who even in [...]
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Recently, I received an e-mail that appeared to come from Bank of America Commercial Accounts. It appeared to me to be an attempt to gain private information. So it was forwarded to BofA and received back an e-mail saying they were investigating. They also provided some good tips that I thought would be useful to [...]
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The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to lower its target for the federal funds rate 75 basis points to 2-1/4 percent. Recent information indicates that the outlook for economic activity has weakened further. Growth in consumer spending has slowed and labor markets have softened. Financial markets remain under considerable stress, and the tightening of [...]
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