Secrets to Apple's success

Interesting take on why Apple is successful. Guy is a colorful, well, guy in the entrepreneurial space.

Your Culture Is Your Brand

An interesting post from Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh claiming culture is your brand. I agree with how you get to "the brand" but I believe more emphasis needs to be placed on the culture. Question: Can company culture be defined by an executive team, a mandate of sorts? No. In my mind it has to come from within the entire organization and in an organic sort of way, else it will seem forced or contrived. Zappos has proven "if you build it, they will come". People want to work for great companies and customers buy from great companies.

Tony's take:

So what's a company to do if you can't just buy your way into building the brand you want? What's the best way to build a brand for the long term?

In a word: culture.

At Zappos, our belief is that if you get the culture right, most of the other stuff -- like great customer service, or building a great long-term brand, or passionate employees and customers -- will happen naturally on its own.

8 myths that haunt online marketers

Sure, you've heard it all before -- but is everything we hear right? We asked digital media experts to go against the grain and debunk some commonly held wisdom about the business. Some of these truisms used to be true but are no longer; others are legacies of the traditional advertising world. And one of them might depend on whether you're on the client or agency side of the table.

My love affair with Zappos continues...

I will say it again the best customer service I have ever had from any retail store or web site is Zappos. I came across the 10 Core Values Zappos employs the other day and thought I would list them. If every company/service followed such practices the world would be a better place.

Zappos Core Values:
1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble

Any business owner should appreciate the above

What happens on Main Street affects Wall Street

In an attempt to find humor in our current economic state

With our economy in crisis, the US Government is scrambling to rescue our banks by purchasing their "distressed assets", i.e., assets that no one else wants to buy from them. We figured that instead of protesting this plan, we'd give regular Americans the same opportunity to sell their bad assets to the government. We need your help and you need the Government's help!

I wonder if someone will take my Michael Jackson red leather jacket from the 1980's.

Managing "Unproductive" Meetings

Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures writes a great blog called "A VC". Today Fred posted a piece called "Managing 'Unproductive' Meetings" that breaks out 6 tips for meeting management. #3 seems so obvious but most meetings lack an agenda and can be a big waste of time. An agenda is critical.

Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good

I am currently reading "Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good". This book is a great read. I really enjoyed going down memory lane of the dotcom days. Sarah is a great writer and injects her internet spirit throughout.

The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0
The captivating story of the mavericks who emerged from the dotcom rubble to found the multi-billion-dollar companies taking the Web into the 21st century.

Everyone has heard the story of the Internet Bubble. Beginning with Netscape's blockbuster IPO in 1996, billions of dollars flowed into Internet startups, and companies with no revenues and shaky business plans earned sky-high valuations on Wall Street. It was the era of paper millionaires, $800 office chairs, and Super Bowl ads for dotcoms that no one had ever heard of. Then in 2000 the Bubble burst, with the Nasdaq losing 75% of its value and hundreds of companies closing up shop. It was all written off to "irrational exuberance," and everyone moved on. Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good is the story of the entrepreneurs who never gave up on the Internet dream.

I highly recommend this book.