Archive for the 'Business' category

Music is the virus and the virus is Airborne

Dec 01 2011 Published by Tyron Bache under Business, Music, Video

It’s not everyday that something remarkable comes along… I just really hope they can pull off what they say.

The big boys (Facebook, Google, Spotify et al) have played their hands. Now for something completely different. #131211 #musicisthevirus

Justin R. Melville

Outbreaks Detected #131211 #musicisthevirus

Outbreaks Detected

“what if you could get your most dedicated fans to pay you $1 a month in exchange for upfront exclusives, a direct stream of music, and other benefits? Just another theoretical possibility, or a potentially winning idea?

Digital Music News

www.airbornemusic.com.
You can follow Airborne on Twitter – @airbornemusic.
You can see what the Airborne Crew are up to on Tumblr – airbornecrewblog.tumblr.com.
#musicisthevirus
#131211

I don’t know about you but I am looking forward to what Justin and his crew are going to release.

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A Conversation with Sean Parker

Oct 19 2011 Published by Tyron Bache under Business, Social Media, Video

A very insightful half an hour interview with Sean Parker, talking about Spotify, Facebook and not talking about Airtime at the Web 2.0 Summit 2011.

“Online, the best content floats to the top… because we want to look good to our friends.”

~ Sean Parker (paraphrased)

video link

via Tyler Reed

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Online Checkout – In Real Life

Oct 18 2011 Published by Tyron Bache under Business, Video

Brilliant parody about online shopping done in real life. Made by Google Analytics.

via @sqroot

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How to win in the service industry

Jul 19 2011 Published by Tyron Bache under Business

Let me just clarify the industry that I am currently in.
I am a web developer, I develop websites for my company Smashing Web Development. I can say without a doubt that I run a service business. Yes I code and build websites, edit CSS and create lines and lines of HTML but at the end of the day my business sinks and floats on how well I serve my clients.

So if you are starting out in the “service” industry (any industry in which you deal with clients) here is some advice to make sure you win.

Answer every email briefly, positively and honestly. No one likes to read a negative email, heck, very few people like to read email at all so keep it short. People may not remember what you said on the phone or in a meeting but they can always go back and check an email. Don’t lie.

Under promise and over deliver. Easy to say but hard do. When trying to win a client I know you try and put your best foot forward and you tell them all of the lovely things you can do for them but don’t promise them the world and then give them the moon. No one can eat that much cheese.

So now you know. Go on, go be awesome.

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The importance of working on your best idea

Jun 14 2011 Published by Tyron Bache under Business, Inspiration, Quotes

This post has been a long time coming and was inspired by David Heinemeier Hansson or DHH‘s blog post, Work on your best idea.

I shall share my two favourite quotes from that post below:

Why would you want to pour so much of yourself into anything less than your best idea? Other ideas might seem more achievable or convenient, but if your heart and mind is elsewhere it’s all for naught.

So what is my best idea right now? It has to be my business, Smashing Web Development. Am I working on it as much as I should? The short answer is no. What needs to change? That is something I am trying to answer.

Are you working on your best idea right now?

Does your best idea keep you awake at night? Does it keep you occupied all through out the day? Are you so passionate about it that everything else becomes second? These are some of the questions I am asking myself.

Life is short. Stop playing Angry Birds. Go work on your best idea.

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So what happened in April & May?

May 26 2011 Published by Tyron Bache under Blogging, Business, Web Development

To answer the question in the title very briefly… lots.

I know a post like this can be quite clichéd and I have even tweeted about it while writing it.

I have been a busy boy blogging, creating videos, developing websites and being awesome.

I have started blogging for the company I work for, The BlueBox. I usually blog about web development on The BlueBox platform. You can check it out here – http://blueboxwebdev.tumblr.com/ – if you are interested in that sort of thing.

Unfortunately I haven’t done much reading although I am slowly working my way through, The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. I was sold when I saw the trailer for this book.


Direct link.

I also took a much needed family vacation at the end of April down the lovely south coast of KZN, South Africa, that was a real treat and I even went to the Waffle House.

During the past two months, I have launched 2 more websites for my business Smashing Web Development. I completed the Wesley Methodist Church and the AHvR websites, and I am very proud of them both.

I have done some awesome work with Julie Patrick and I am really looking forward to getting stuck into the new ARISEFEST website for this year. By the way Julie is amazing at taking photo’s. Below is the new design/poster for this years festival.

That’s it for now, hopefully it won’t be another two months until my next post.

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Opening Doors

Mar 24 2011 Published by Tyron Bache under Business, Inspiration, Video

This documentary follows 3 South African businesses, with an in-depth look at the strategies, the struggles and the behind-the-scenes stories leading up to their ultimate success.

1 out of 10 businesses survive the first five years. How do we keep the doors open? Opening Doors is a new documentary focusing on small business, the challenges, the successes and the people behind them. Entrepreneurship is the life blood of a healthy economy, and ‘Opening Doors’ is a must-see for all entrepreneurs in South Africa. ‘Opening Doors’ is showing 1 day only: 31 March 2011 – book at www.sterkinekor.com or call Ticketline 082 1 6789.

You can join the discussion and win!
In the lead up to the screening, Ideate asking their readers, business owners, managers and dreamers to enter the conversation around entrepreneurship in South Africa. What are their goals? What are their hurdles? Where do they find inspiration? Exclus1ves will be awarding one book away per day to contributors in these discussions. Ideate will continue the conversations on the Opening Doors Facebook page and the Ideate Twitter profile. Ideate also has 50 Opening Doors tickets to give away.

source

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Infinity Themes

Mar 22 2011 Published by Tyron Bache under Business

Introducing my latest project.

Infinity Themes

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A lesson from Jason

Mar 01 2011 Published by Tyron Bache under Business, Inspiration, Quotes

This is a quote from a post by Jason FriedHow to Make Money in 6 Easy Steps

The lesson: People are happy to pay for things that work well. Never be afraid to put a price on something. If you pour your heart into something and make it great, sell it. For real money. Even if there are free options, even if the market is flooded with free. People will pay for things they love.

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A brief guide to world domination – Cheat Sheet

Jan 25 2011 Published by Tyron Bache under Books, Business, Inspiration, Quotes

I was greeted by neat and tidy typography on the home page that read as follows, “How to Live a Remarkable Life in a Conventional World.” By Chris Guillebeau

That was two nights ago, I am now going to sharing some thoughts and extracts from this marvelous manifesto that you can download below

A Brief Guide to World Domination.

How is this for an introduction:
“If you want it badly enough, and are willing to make some changes in your life to cause it to happen, you too can take over the world… or do anything else you really want to do. Yes, you really can have it all. The only things you’ll need to give up are assumptions, expectations, and the comfort zone that holds you back from greatness.”

Chris also provided a disclaimer:
“Who Should Read This Report? I should warn you now that this report is not for everyone. In fact, it’s probably not for most people.”

“It’s a lonely road for those of us who choose to be remarkable, and the path of convention can sometimes be appealing.”

Live the life you want:
“What you need to know first: You don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to.”

Brilliant advice:
“Here’s a quick side lesson: if you want to know who your real friends are, start telling your craziest idea to everyone you meet. Some people will slowly back away from you as if you really are crazy, but others will latch on to your idea and help you any way they can. The people in the second group are your real friends.”

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
-martin luther king, jr.

Here are the two most important questions in the universe: (According to Chris)
1: What do you really want to get out of life?
2: What can you offer the world that no one else can?

More brilliant advice:
“Another side note: the fascinating thing about setting long-term goals is that once you get serious about planning for them, you may find that you fulfill them much faster than expected. This is because we tend to overestimate what we can complete in a single day, and underestimate what we can complete over longer periods of time.”

“Your relentless passion can do more than just help you take over the world for yourself. You can also use it to radically improve the lives of other people.”

“Contrary to what you may hear from the latest self-help book, true success does not come from passive visualization or wishful thinking. It takes action, planning, and sacrifice. Like surfer-turned-songwriter Jack Johnson says in one of his coolest songs, “Don’t let your dreams be dreams.” Make them real.”

“Remember that it’s far easier to stand back and criticize someone else than it is to put your own beliefs forward.”

Critics:
“Critics are not happy people by nature,but they seemingly enjoy putting other people down. You need a strategy to deal with them, but in the end, don’t give up. You’re not working for them, and critics will never change the world.”

Here is Chris’ toolkit for world domination:

  • Relentless Passion – By far the most important thing you need in the toolkit is an intense passion for your cause that can not be hindered by critics or your own shortcomings. You have to be willing to give it your all, and for a long time with potentially few rewards. In the short run, few people will notice, but in the long run, everyone will. Or at least, everyone you need to influ­ence in your campaign will notice.
  • A Compelling Story – I went to West Africa in 2002 because I heard the story of how a hospital ship needed volunteers to come work in desperate countries like Sierra Leone. It was a compelling story that profoundly affected my life, and my wife and I made a two-year commitment to work for free without even visiting first.
  • One-Way Communication – Yes, social networking is here to stay, but you also need some kind of pulpit. You need to be able to speak to your army directly. This can be done through a web site, a blog, a newsletter, an email list, a phone broadcast, or something else.
  • Enough Time – You have to be able to devote significant time to improving your skills. You don’t just want to be good enough; you want to be remarkable. What this means is different for everyone – some people are able to pursue world domination in their off hours, while others will need more time.
  • Enough Money – Your goal will probably require some amount of money. How much do you need? Simply put, you need enough money to accomplish the goal—no more, no less. Figure out what the true cost is and then figure out how to get it. Work the math out backwards.
  • Friends of Friends – A small army is critical, but in the long run, the friends of your friends may end up helping even more.
  • A Small Army – You need to recruit a small army of com­mitted believers who will support your cause and add their own resources in support of it. How many people do you need? Well, obviously it varies, but 1,000 true fans is a great start. In fact, a small, devoted army is far better than a large, uncommitted mob.
  • Expert Status in Skills that Help Others – As we’ve seen here, you can’t just take over the world for yourself. You have to add value to others, or no one will want to help you. Therefore, you need to have skills that will radically improve the lives of others. Does your world domination plan have an educational component?
  • A Very Specific Goal – In the modern-day classic Good To Great, Jim Collins tells the story of his wife deciding to compete in the 1985 Ironman race. One day she looks up at the break­fast table and says, “I think if I give up everything else—grad school offers, the full-time job, most of my other hobbies—I can actually win the Ironman.” Just like that. And then she makes it her very specific goal, devotes every day for three years to achieving it, and comes in first place despite a severe hamstring injury that caused her a lot of pain on the 26.2 mile run.

“By the way, planning is great, but when it comes to acting, I prefer the ready-fire-aim method, and I prefer to start sooner rather than later. You can always make changes later on, but if you never begin, you’ll never know what could have hap­pened if you tried.”

Visit http://chrisguillebeau.com/ for more inspiration.

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