Malcolm Red

50 cent vs Robert Greene

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:12:51 +0000

Complementary Opposites: The Balancing of Forces

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:43:13 +0000

3 Voices: What is Entrepreneurship anyway?

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:50:09 +0000

Todd McFarlane, 48, is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn.

Dr. Steve Gedeon of Ryerson University talks about Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneur.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director of Biocon, views entrepreneurship in simplistic terms – pursing an opportunity, creating a job for yourself and building a business.

Entrepreneur’s Belief System

admin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:20:26 +0000

Vinod Khosla is a Indian-American venture capitalist billionaire. He is an influential personality in Silicon Valley. He was one of the co-founders of Sun Microsystems and became a general partner of the venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers in 1986. In 2004 Khosla formed his own firm, Khosla Ventures.

Winning without Conflict

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:27:17 +0000

Conflict is too costly to lead to success. While good strategy can help succeeding in conflict, the best strategy is always avoiding it. No matter what its outcome, competitive success is judged by its rewards and the costs of conflict always decrease those rewards. Over time, conflict has a low-probability of leading toward any type of success.

Definition: Conflict has a very specific definition in the science of strategy. The term “conflict” describes all situations where the primarily goal is to damage the opponent. Conflict is not merely the lack of cooperation. Conflict means seeking confrontations that are meant to damage, as in a war of attrition. While all competitive acts, even those that are primarily creative, can destroy opposing positions as a byproduct, conflict is purposeful destructive action for its own safe.

Since competition is a comparison of alternative positions, conflict can seem to make sense in contest for rewards. Our positions seems comparatively better if our opponent’s position damaged. However, ranking alone doesn’t define competition. Any comprehensive definition of competition must factor in the rewards gained. The reality is that we are rewarded for being cooperative much more frequently that we are rewarded for being belligerent.

Economics: The logical argument against conflict is economic rather than moral. If we try to damage others, they will try to damage us. It doesn’t matter how the rewards are defined: physical, emotional or social. If the battle is one of attrition, costs must be extracted from both parties. This exchange is always costly to both parties.

Though we cannot know the costs or benefits of any strategic move in advance, but we can know that any move that brings us into conflict with others will be more costly than any move that avoids conflict. Since the goal of strategy is not merely to win a victory but to make victory pay, conflict is conceptually counterproductive. In a war of attrition, both parties lose more often than not.

Goal Oriented: The logic of conflict is myopic. It focuses on an opponent instead of a mission. As two parties try to damage each other, the positions of both decline. If we are artificially forced to choose between them, as we are in a single political election, for example, one party can “win” through conflict, but over time, these victories are Pyrrhic. In judging such conflict, most people eventually decide for “a plague on both their houses.” In real life, a smart boss is more likely to fire rivals who work on damaging each other’s careers. Just because some games can designed as a war of attrition like chess, this doesn’t mean that the lessons from such games can be applied more generally to good strategy.

The impulse to fight, like the impulse to run away, is instinctual and reflexive. Sun Tzu taught that anger, hate, and demonizing our enemies are all strategic traps. These mindsets weaken positions rather than strengthening them.

Enmity: Understood correctly, the heart of any competition is always dueling philosophies. Positioning is a battle to win supporters and discourage opponents. When we demonize opponents, we undermine our chances of success by attracting supporters are looking for someone to hate rather than a goal to support. The character of these supporters will lead us inevitably in costly conflict. Positions built on philosophies of enmity inherently weak. Positions built on mutual rewards are inherently strong. Groups bound together by mutual enemies are, to quote Shakespeare, “full of sound and fury signifying nothing” and have been shown throughout history to fall apart once the enemy is defeated.

Establishing winning positions isn’t based on fighting others but in finding common ground with them. Strategy is based on positioning, which requires us to see how others think and feel. This requires seeing the world from the perspective of others, empathizing with them.

The Art of Public Speaking (E-Book)

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:50:38 +0000

This book will show you how to overscome the natural fear of public speaking and even learn to enjoy it. Drawing on Dale Carnegie’s years of experience as a business trainer, this practical book will help you to become a successful speaker. His invaluable advice includes ways to: * Develop poise * Gain self-confidence * Improve your memory * Make your meaning clear * Begin and end a talk effectively * Interest and charm your audience * Improve your diction * Win an argument without making enemies. * Dale Carnegie’s methods have helped millions of people worldwide. Make sure you have the advantage, and make them work for you too. Read Here.

Obama: Too Explicit a Use of Power?

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:50:33 +0000

PRESIDENT Barack Obama has triggered controversy across the US by announcing he will give a live TV address to children today to mark their first day back at school.

Conservative Republicans have accused him of bringing politics into the classroom and school boards across the nation have been inundated with calls from parents planning to keep their children at home.

“Thinking about my kids in school, having to listen to that, just really upsets me,” said Colorado mother Shanneen Barron. “I feel very scared to be in this country with our leadership right now.”

Chairman of the Florida Republican Party Jim Greer accused Obama of “bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power”.

Mr Obama will make his address, to be streamed on the internet, at noon today at a high school in Arlington Virginia. Virginia’s education department spokeswoman Julie Grimes said: “The phones are ringing off the hook.”

7 Rare Copies Left

Boards in almost every state have announced they will either not show the broadcast or not compel children to watch it. “It is a good idea gone astray,” said Arizona school district superintendent Kevin Kapp.

The White House insists the 18-minute speech is apolitical, focussing on encouraging children to work hard.

“No matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it,” Mr Obama will say, according to a script released to parents yesterday.

“This isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country.”

White House sources point out that similar speeches have been given by other presidents.

Some of the controversy focused on a package to accompany the broadcast, from the education department, which originally asked students to tell the White House “what they can do to help the president”.

After criticism, this was rephrased, and children are now asked to tell Mr Obama how they will “achieve their short-term and long-term educational goals.”

This has drawn the ire of many leading Republicans, among them Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, whom many consider a front-runner for the next presidential election. “I don’t think he needs to force it upon the nation’s school children,” he said. “At a minimum it’s disruptive. Number two, it’s uninvited.”

But others are supportive. Governor of Texas Rick Perry, a Republican, said he was “certainly not going to advise anybody not to send their kids to school that day. Hearing the president speak is always a memorable moment.”

New York parent Lenore Michaels said she would have “no problem” with her 15-year-old son watching. “He’s elected as the head of our country, the fact that they would not want him broadcasting is ridiculous.”

President George H Bush, made a similar speech in 1991 after which Democrats accused him of bringing politics into the classroom.

Chris Stephen

The Perfect Suit in 4 Steps

admin — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:56:23 +0000

1. Buy the Best Suit You Can Afford

Most professional clothiers will tell you it is better to own 1 good suit than 2 cheaper ones. Why? Because the better the suit, the more enjoyable and longer the wearing experience. The two biggest factors in the quality of a suit are cloth and construction. Cloth used for making suits varies dramatically in appearance, performance and cost. Construction is a continuum from completely hand-made to completely machine-made. Hand-made suits offer unrivaled comfort and suppleness, but at a premium price. Most suits today are predominantly machine-made. Clothing companies typically offer several collections, or labels, to provide a range of fabric and construction options. Moss Bros offer the most luxary for a sub-luxary company.

2. Pick a Cloth that Fits Your Needs

The perfect cloth for a road warrior is entirely different from the perfect cloth for an audit partner or an NBA star. If you travel regularly, a highly durable fabric such as a three season weight sharkskin will serve you better than a very lightweight Super 180’s. Similarly, if you throw the strap of a laptop bag over your shoulder every day, then you are going to need a suit made from more durable cloth than someone who does not. Also keep in mind how often you plan to wear the garment. If you plan to wear it once or twice a week, keep the pattern simple – more dramatic patterns are best reserved for garments worn infrequently.

3. Make Sure It Fits Properly

OK, you’ve picked the right quality and cloth for your suit, but what difference does it make if it doesn’t fit? Proper fit is essential to your enjoyment of your new suit – and how you look in it. First and foremost, the shoulders of the coat must fit your shoulders. This allows for the most freedom of movement and the most flattering lines. Next comes proper fit in the waist and seat, critical for both comfort and proper appearance of pleats, waistbands and other pant features. As you would expect, custom suits have a clear advantage over off-the-rack suits: a properly-measured custom suit will always provide superior fit and comfort.

4. Style It The Way You Want It

Now that you’ve addressed quality, cloth and fit, finish off your suit with the details that you want. First off: 1, 2 or 3 buttons? A matter of style in most cases, but 3 buttons on a shorter person won’t work so well. What about vent style? Side vents are suave and elegant, while the center vent is more traditional. For the lapels, notch or peak? A notch lapel is more conventional, but can be updated as well: consider a higher notch lapel for a more current look. Peak lapels are usually associated with double-breasted jackets, but can be used to raise the elegance and sophistication of single-breasted jackets as well. For the trousers, pleats or flat front? Flat fronts have been extremely popular in recent years. Cuffs or plain bottoms? Your call. Here again, custom suits offer a range of styling options that off-the-rack suits can never match.

Be sure to check out Moss Bros who have a sweet Spring-Summer Final Clearance SALE now on! Up 70% Off RRP.

SuitsMen.co.uk have some cool and sophisticated apparel going with a ‘110% Price Match:’ If you see an equivalent product for sale, that is cheaper, with FREE delivery, FREE POST returns, and offering FREE redelivery of a different size, within two weeks after the date they dispatch your order, let them know and they’ll credit your original payment method for 110% of the difference.

Your Business Card is Crap!

admin — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:32:50 +0000

Don’t underestimate the power of the business card and what it can do for you. It portrays the personality and image of your company and can be the difference between success and failure

The following tips explain how to design a business card that will serve as an effective sales and marketing tool, while properly conveying your company’s mission. Be sure to check out Optimalprint UK and Moo.com for more ideas.

1. Customise and create
Professionals and consumers see numerous business cards during their travels so make your card a memorable one. Put on your creative thinking cap and customise every detail of your card according to the audience you are marketing to and the services you are marketing. Anyone can hand out a standard business card but the professional who expresses their organisation’s message and personality through their card will have the edge on the competition. Unlike the old days, cards can be customised easily online so you won’t have to leave your home or office.

2. Avoid flimsy cards
The weight and texture of your card is the first thing someone notices when it is handed to them. Handing out a thin, flimsy card will signal that you put little thought and even less effort into the development it. Use high-quality cards with a glossy or matte finish for a sharp look that will call your audience to action. You can also use vertical business cards to stand out among your competitors.

3. Use the back of your card
It’s important to give your business card as much leverage as possible, so use all available space, including the back. While the back content should be secondary in importance to contact information, options include coupons, calendars, appointment cards, product information, customer testimonials or quotes from your company’s leader. Business cards are small and supply us with limited space but it is important space. Don’t waste it.

4. Add a face to the name
Adding your photo to a business card can be a great way to build professional relationships, especially if you’re working in an industry such as real estate where a personal touch is important. Trust is the key to a lasting and profitable business relationship and giving your organisation a face can help this along.

5. Don’t forget the basics
It may seem obvious, but some professionals fail to list all the necessary information on their business cards. The basic elements of a business card include name, title, company name and website address, and all relevant contact information, including fax number. Try not to list more than one phone number on your card as too much information can cause confusion. Lead with your company’s name and, space permitting, include a clear, concise positioning statement or tagline.

Moo.com

Customised Business Cards from £12.99
• Premium Cards – no hidden costs
• Full colour printing on both sides
• Thick 350gsm card (as standard)
• Easy photo and logo upload
• FREE Business Card case

Optimalprint UK

•100 free businesscards
•full colour print
•300 gram paper
•they do not print their logo on your card!

Eben Pagan: Money Vs Wealth?

admin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:49:17 +0000

Eben Pagan, Founder of the Altitude Training Program, speaks with Drew Kossoff about the lessons he learned while building an 8-figure business. For more information and to get more valuable free training videos, go to www.GetAltitude.com