Smart Uses of Space

I love the idea of making maximum use of space.  If done right, I see no reason why a small home, perhaps 1,500 s.f., cant feel two to three times larger.  This innovative furniture is super cool!

Building vs. Buying

I plan to write more as I explore this subject, but to get it started...

As we have been in Colorado for about 9 months, I have been floored by the cost of homes.  Also, every  home we have ever owned we have wanted to make changes to, even if minor.  So, the basic thought has been why not find a piece of land we LOVE and find a design of a home that we LOVE and build it for ourselves?

A quick internet search revealed many floorplans for the taking at pretty inexpensive rates (<$400).  With surprisingly little effort or time invested, I quickly zeroed in on the one below:

As I showed Amanda, she immediately responded favorably, stating something like "THAT is the type of house I want!"  Me too, honey!  Let's do it.   Here's the floorplan:

To be continued...

Average age of successful founders - 39 to 41!

Fun article...  makes me feel excited for the next 5 years.  Now, just to figure out what to "found."  :)

Being niche specific in business is best

I read this short article today and thought it worth posting here.  I think there is some great value to what is being said here.  In my own experience, part of what has been hampering the start-up business I am working in presently is the difficulty the founder has had in letting our niche be a narrow one.  

JDC

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Why Too Many Choices Will Hurt Your Small Business

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StarBucks Coffee (Photo credit: Esparta)

There are a lot of choices for consumers. In fact, the 16,000 Starbucks’ locations in this country serve over 20,000 choices of what to drink. This is why the line moves so slowly!

The American consumer tends to think that more is always better. But, is it really for small business? While this wide variety may be a good thing for Starbucks, it is not a benefit for a growing small business.

It poses these problems for a company:

1. Focus. It does not allow the small business owner to focus on what the company does best. Trying to be all things to all customers just dilutes the company’s effort at excellence, especially in the early growth stages. In order to be the best, companies typically have to do less, not more.
2. Brand. It does not allow the small business to brand itself in the mind of the customer. Early on, it is best to get known by the consumer for doing one thing really well. This allows the company to become distinct from other competitors.
3. Delays. It is actually more difficult for a consumer to choose a product they want to buy if there are more choices rather than less. They easily get overwhelmed and it leads to buying delays.
4. Capital. The more products a company has, the more capital that is usually needed to maintain stock. This also consumes precious cash flow that the company may need in other areas.
5. Competition. In this world without geographic supplier boundaries, the wider the product offering, the more competitors a company will have that are only a click away.

Successful small business owners should develop a niche expertise rather than a “one stop shop” brand. It will give them the reputation for doing one thing extremely well. In this social media connected world, this also activates more sharing with their friends that will drive additional business.

Wednesday Wisdom from an unlikely source

I got this email today and couldn't help see some wisdom in it worth sharing.  Daniel Lawrence Whitney a.k.a. "Larry, the Cable Guy" may have a goofy and, at times, annoying presentation style.  But he makes some simple points that are, in my opinion, hard to refute, and I have always appreciated the "Get 'er done" attitude he is always "selling."  I wouldn't go so far as to call him a "genius" like the forwarded email did; instead, I would call his observations "simply practical."  (Okay, the alligators might not survive well in the parts of the moat that run through the Sonoran Desert... but otherwise, practical!)

JDC

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Direct Quote from "Larry, the Cable Guy":

Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in Our Country lately:  illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida.   Not me -- I concentrate on solutions for the problems -- it's a win-win situation.
• Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.
• Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levees.
• Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.

Any other problems you would like for me to solve today? 

Think about this:
1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments

COWS
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow born in Canada almost three years ago right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow!

THE CONSTITUTION
They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq.  Why don't we just give them ours?
• It was written by a lot of really smart guys
• It has worked for over 200 years
• and we're not using it anymore

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS
The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this --  you cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal,' 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery,' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians.  It creates a hostile work environment!

GET 'ER DONE!

Yeah... that's kinda scary.

I don't intend to make this blog much of a political rag.  But this one I couldn't help sharing as it kinda summarizes how I have felt the past 4+ years and recently with the re-election:

Link dump - business

Mainly for my own benefit.  Several links I have collected over time related to business:

Sir Richard Branson on five top tips to starting a successful business

What the SBA could learn from alternative lenders

Values-Based Business at Barclays

Google's new UK headquarters in London

How a revolution in business lending could transform the British economy

Intuit to enter small business lending?

Going forward, I plan to use my blog here to share links like this and to opine on them.  Again, my purposes are to explore and better my own understanding on the subjects presented.  But I certainly welcome the following and commentary of others interested in chiming in.

JDC