Tom founded Lead411 in the summer of 2001 and is mainly focused on marketing and management of the overall business. Prior to Lead411, he co-founded BlueChip Resources, a tech recruiting firm serving Silicon Valley and Southern California. Follow him on Twitter!  

Tom uses several components to create his online strategy:

Public Relations: Twitter and blogging to be part of the greater community connect with other bloggers/columnists about topics he cares about. In particular, Tom has taken a lesson from the Zappos CEO (who several years ago resolved a customer support issue through his blog and won a lot of free press); Tom resolves several support requests via twitter and enjoys the close contact with customers.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) highlighting a “Freemium” business model à where part of our content is free so that search engine and people can find them more easily, AND part of their content is behind a paid subscription. Using Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the BTS411 blog is able to get traffic into their site which brings in more awareness of their products/services.

The Challenge?

The idea for starting his business come came to Tom when he ran a recruiting company. He was in charge of finding partners to work with and instead of cold calling, Tom went to press releases and business articles to find companies that had just got venture capital funding, announced they were hiring, or opened a new office. 

The Opportunity?

After that he found the right executive to contact and connected with them to see if they were interested in recruiting services.  He knew that other sales people were doing the same thing in different industries in order to find new business so in 2001 he built a website which provides all of this data in one place.

Here is a little more from my conversation with Tom.

What do you do? 

I am the CEO/Founder of Lead411 so I basically oversee all operations.  I also handle a lot of marketing efforts.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome to start your business? 

The biggest challenge was not having any money when I started.  That was the toughest time. But it has huge benefits.  This is when I learned the most and it is also forced us to be profitable immediately which is definitely a “great” thing.  I knew within 4 months whether or not we had a viable business.  Venture funded companies are flying blind.  Also, I never considered venture capital financing at that time.  I didn’t want anyone controlling where my company was headed and I knew I could make it on my own.  That might have made it harder, but I learned so much from it and I still own the company. I think the other “challenges” have to do with me personally.  I needed to learn how to move faster and make quicker & better decisions.

What’s the most satisfying thing about running your business? 

Knowing that I provide a quality service at an inexpensive price.  Users need our service which makes me and my company desirable.

How do you define success? 

Being extremely good at what you are responsible for.  That is for me though… The definition of success is personal.

What are your sources of inspiration? 

Other bootstrappers.  I love hearing stories of other businesses that came from zero starting capital.

What’s the worst thing about running your own business? 

You can never pass the buck.  You cannot leave on a vacation and expect people to run the company just as you do.

Has running your business been what you expected it would be? How? 

For the most part.  The only difference is that when I was younger and was just about to start my company I had so many doubts.  I thought it was going to be much harder than it was.

How did you fund your business in the beginning? 

I had about 3 month’s pay saved up so that is how I funded it.  After that I needed it to be profitable.

What’s the biggest dream you have for your business? 

I would like to own multiple web properties.  Lead411 should be the primary business, but I plan on starting a number of other sites/companies that will be subsidiaries of Lead411.  We should be able to fund them internally.

What’s the happiest moment you’ve ever had in your business? 

Probably the first payment we ever received.  I felt like it was actually going to work.

What’s the darkest moment you’ve had? 

Overextending myself financially the second year. This lead to very little cash and some self reflection.

Do you think of yourself as an entrepreneur? 

I used to hear that entrepreneurs were born not made.  I don’t believe that.  I had some qualities that gave me a head start, but most was learned.  Yes, I think I am an entrepreneur now.

What can large businesses learn from a small business like yours? 

Accountability.  If every middle manager had more accountability there would be so much less waste.  I think that so many times expend

Where will your business be in a year? In 10 years? 

Who knows?  I would really like to keep Lead411 forever and just have it grow and fund other businesses, but you never know if someone comes in and offers you something in which you should not refuse…

If someone who was about to start a business asked you for advice, what would you say? 

This is a loaded question, but here are a couple suggestions.  1. Start as early as possible.  The younger you are the more risk you can take.  If it isn’t a success you are still young enough to get another job or start another company.  2. Just keep trucking. Like any job, you are going to make mistakes.  Don’t beat yourself up or spend too much time thinking about the “correct” decision.  Just make up your mind and keep going.

What makes you get up in the morning?

The ability to make 1% improvement in my company that day.  Over a year period that will improve a company 250%.

When or how did you know that this is what you wanted to do? 

Pretty early in college.  That is why I majored in Entrpreneurship at USC.

Have you ever failed?

Of course.  Too many times to note here.

What have you learned from failure?

It is really true that the more you fail the better you become.  You definite learn from these experiences.  That being said, I have learned just about everything from failure.  Every time we add a new feature and our customers hate it they tell us.  From there we know more of what they like and what to avoid in the future.

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The nonprofit organization was founded in 1945 by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale and his wife, Ruth Stafford Peale. GUIDEPOSTS is involved in a number of activities including award-winning magazines, best-selling books, websites and outreach services such as free distribution of GUIDEPOSTS materials to hospitals, the military and families in need; comfort kits for children in hospitals; and coordination of the Knit for Kids project that has sent over 600,000 sweaters to needy children abroad.

Primarily a print medium, GUIDEPOSTS is enjoying their foray into technology and social media, which has expanded its audience and enabled direct dialogue with their customers.  

Being able to build a site that truly can and does inspire people is a great part of my job. — Philip Charles-Pierre, VP Digital Media

The biggest challenge their VP of digital media is dealing with right now is incorporating all the new technologies. Having roots in print and adding in new things (online publishing, social media can be quite the cold shower for many organizations). Charles-Pierre says that social media and online initiatives have allowed his publication to reach a broader audience.

“There are still a lot of people in our target audience that don’t quite understand why Guideposts and Guideposts.com are relevant to them. We are merely using the tools they use to let them know about relevant content,” Charles-Pierre says, including such tools as Facebook, Twitter, and widgets.

He adds that it is important to reach readers wherever they are gathering online.

Charles-Pierre enjoys the challenge of helping to reshape the business at a time when publishers are struggling. Guideposts continues to adapt its approach to ensure it is serving key audiences while attracting new pockets of readers. “We fundamentally believe our content appeals to both the devout and those who do not consider themselves spiritual, in nature. Good advice and guidance – as well as compelling content – appeals to all people, and we strive to make that case to the public at large.” 

 A little bit about the original founders: 

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

One of the foremost motivational speakers of the 20th century, Dr. Peale wrote 46 books, including the inspirational best-seller The Power of Positive Thinking, which was on the New York Times best-seller list for 186 consecutive weeks. Still available today, the book has sold more than 20 million copies in 42 languages.

For more than five decades, Dr. Peale was the pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. He spoke to an average of 100 groups a year until he was 93, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan.

Books by Vincent Peale

Ruth Stafford Peale

The daughter of a minister, Ruth Stafford graduated from Syracuse University and taught mathematics before her marriage in 1930. Although she worked closely with her husband in all aspects of his ministry, she also established a separate identity as a religious leader, public speaker and author. She was cofounder, publisher and chairman of the board of GUIDEPOSTS and a member of the board of directors of American Bible Society, Interchurch Center, Blanton-Peale Institute and Laymen’s National Bible Committee.

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Lisa believes that the Night Helper Watch is the answer that millions of sufferers need now more than ever, since it is the only device like it in the world.  Worn like a watch, the wearer can set the alarm for multiple times during the day and night, not just once or twice, but as many times as needed. This design patented ability is important as it draws the wearer’s attention. When the alarm goes off, a special customized tune can be programmed to play. It also vibrates, while the multi-colored display lights up the watch face. The Night Helper Watch isn’t just for children and adults who suffer from Nocturnal Enuresis.

The Night Helper Watch gives back the user’s dignity, peace of mind, self sufficiency and control over bed-wetting problems. Used as a training medium, Nocturnal Enuresis can be completely eliminated. That is Lisa’s and Carl’s vision, to free sufferers from a life of worry and indignity. As a long time health care worker and a caring individual, Lisa Charleston has a strong desire to aid and support sufferers from a disturbingly frequent malady (that will become more widespread as the LIS population grows). More than seven million children are born every year and with Americans living longer than ever before the need for a real solution is now, and the answer is the Night Helper Watch Time Pieces, for both Medication Reminders and the Potty Watch system.

Two asks Lisa has of the community:
-          Marketing How To’s
-          Funding How To’s; She is currently accepting donations through paypal

EMAIL: charleston@netzero.net
WEB: www.nighthelperwatches.com
BLOG: www.nighthelper.blogspot.com/

Here is a bit from my interview with Lisa from NightHelpWatchers.com….

How do you define success?
Setting up goals and achieving them would be defining success.

How did you fund your business in the beginning?
Seeking funding help now. 

What’s the happiest moment you’ve ever had in your business?
Seeing my business reach certain goals. Websites, CAD drawings ,  product animations etc.

Do you ever think about giving up and getting a job?
Never…giving up would be to easy… You see A Dream Is Only As Big As The Dreamer, I’m A Big Dreamer!

Are you happy?
Yes, Even when days look bad I still carry a positive attitude for having positive energy helps to bring positive results.

Where will your business be in a year? In 10 years?
In many retail stores serving all the millions of users who suffers from incontinence. 

If someone who was about to start a business asked you for advice, what would you say?
Never give up no matter what the challenges may be, always seek professional advice from many sources.

What makes you get up in the morning?
Determination and the Grace of God!

Tell me about a time when what you do made a difference in someone’s life?
When many parents email me seeking advice about bed wetting  and I’m able to help.

What’s important about that to YOU?
Well knowing that I can  give a parent and a child a little comfort about bed wetting is Priceless to me!

When or how did you know that this is what you wanted to do?
I knew this business was what I wanted to do after I became disabled from a serve back injury. As they say God may close one door but he always opens up another!

What have you learned from failure?
To just get back up and start again seeking better ways to improve in my life and business.

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Before starting his own business, Spalding worked as the online marketing director at Grooveshark, a music streaming company out of Gainesville, FL. He met co-founders Quang Tran and Nathan Thompson. Nate was his first intern and Quang and Steve had been working on various entrepreneurial projects for about a year before they buckled down and decided to throw themselves into Crossing Gaps. The opportunity to work in a startup helped prepare him for the challenges he could expect to see in his own endeavor.

“Blogging about entrepreneurs before joining Grooveshark gave me some idea of what having my own business might be like, but there is nothing quite like being in trenches. ” – Steven Spalding

Enjoying the coaching aspect of consulting the most, Spalding enjoys seeing his clients move to the next level in their marketing. He works with large and small organizations but the most satisfying work he does is with their smaller clients. “To see people who didn’t know anything about marketing on the web three months before be able to do effective, creative things without any prompting from us is really fantastic.”

Spalding recently authored a book named All The Little Things. Centered on creativity, building great ideas on the web and keeping yourself sane in the process. He is releasing a version for free, (http://atltbook.com) and selling a PDF “Final Edition.” For some inspiration, give it a read.

Here is a little more of my conversation with Steven:

What is the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome to start your business?
We started our little enterprise right in the middle of the economic downturn. We have had to deal with everything that entails. No one has money, everyone is tightening their belts and you have to work better and smarter to survive. When I reflect on it, I know it has made us a stronger firm. We’ve needed to be really realistic and really -good- to push through and when things turn around it will pay dividends.

What would you do over again, if you could?
I would be better organized. The biggest issue you have when you get three entrepreneurs in a room is that everyone is working on 50 projects at once and no one wants to write anything down. This is a fantastic way to create ideas, but when you start dealing with schedules and deadlines it gets to be really stressful. Over time we’ve built up systems to deal with that problem but it has been a lot of trial and error.

Has running your business been what you expected it would be? How?
It has been harder than even I expected it to be, and I had no delusions going into it. What it boils down to is responsibility, responsibility for people other than yourself. What I didn’t expect was that it never really “turns off.” When you run your own business, you live it, 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Are you happy?
I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t. I am extraordinarily happy because I get to do something few people ever get to, wake up every day and know that I have control over what is happening next. Sure, we deal with clients, deadlines and all the other stuff that comes along with working with people but we make those choices and accept the consequences of them. It’s a great feeling. 

What makes you get up in the morning?
Before I gave up caffeine I would have told you three cups of coffee and a migraine . . . Really, what makes me get up in the morning is knowing that I am one step closer to accomplishing my goals. As important as tangible success is to me, I know the most important

Have you ever failed?
I fail everyday and I think that’s a part of the point. If you aren’t failing you aren’t growing, and you can’t survive entrepreneurship without growth. The trick to failure, if there is one, is to admit it to yourself and try to take the lesson from it. It’s absolutely fine to fail, but it’s not if you are constantly failing and not learning from the scratches and bruises.

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Before opening Visible Logic, Emily worked at several successful studios in the Chicago & Boston area. At these full-service studios she completed a broad range of design work, including B-to-B marketing collateral, annual reports and identity projects. Early in her career Emily worked in print production and as a print buyer in the book publishing industry. This foundation in print management allows her to troubleshoot the production side of projects.

“I always knew I’d start my own design firm, but I had to get the right experience before going out on my own. I got laid off in the summer of 2001 and decided it would be better in the long run to start my own business rather than search for another design job.” – Emily Brackett

What interested me most about my interview with Emily is her authenticity in reflecting that she didn’t start out with a plan to land where she did. She had always enjoyed art, color and type—but didn’t know what to do with it. Like many people, she wasn’t really aware of what a graphic designer did. So, I took the long route getting to where I am. I have a liberal arts degree, then I worked in book publishing. That’s where I realized exactly what graphic designers did and finally figured out where I belonged. Then, I went back to school at Massachusetts College of Art to get a degree in graphic design. Best decision!

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A new project by California eco-urban design firm LJ Urban aims to make giving more concrete—quite literally—by matching its sales of homes domestically with funds to build homes in the impoverished African nation of Burkina Faso.

Urban has designed a new eco-urban community of 35 LEED ND Certified homes in the urban core of Sacramento, its home town. The community is suggestively named Good, and for each home within it that gets sold, LJ Urban has committed to funding the complete training of a West African mason to build sustainable homes for families in Burkina Faso. By partnering with the Association La Voûte Nubienne (AVN), which has already trained about 60 local masons to build durable homes out of earth bricks and mortar, LJ Urban aims to go beyond just providing homes to impart enduring skills and jobs to the local community. Taking the notion a step further, LJ Urban has also opted to skip the expensive marketing campaign to promote its Good community, and to use that money to train more African masons instead. So, for every 100,000 people who visit LJ Urban’s new, dedicated website by July 1st, the company will fund the complete training of another local Burkina Faso mason—up to 20 in all through this viral approach.

The Good project was inspired by Toms Shoes, a project that donates a pair of shoes for every one it sells. “[That] approach captivated us because it broke through the ‘charity fatigue’ all of us have felt at one time or another,” LJ Urban’s team explains. “The question then became: ‘What if we could do something like that with our houses?’…” The project is also reminiscent of One Laptop Per Child’s (OLPC’s) “Give One Get One” campaign last year through which consumers could donate a laptop and get one for their own use at the same time.

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“As three women in a male-dominated industry, we took a risk by starting a company together. My partner Rae is a single mom of three children (one severely handicapped) and I have a speech disorder that makes it difficult for me to communicate, statistics say we probably should have kept day jobs.” — Lisa Barone

Starting a business during a recession is a risky thing to do, but also the optimal time for new ideas, better services and plucky folks to connect. Top of mind for this crew is empowering others to take smart risks. “We did it and we want others to know they can do that too.”

Behind The Scenes

Rae Hoffman	Rhea Drysdale	Lisa Barone
Rae Hoffman is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Outspoken Media, Inc. In 1997 Rae started a small website about her son and his medical condition that became one of the first international support groups on the topic. It earned national media coverage and helped further medical research in the field… More about Rae Hoffman	Rhea Drysdale is Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outspoken Media, Inc. Since 2004 Rhea has grown her understanding of on-page optimization, online reputation management and social media with both in-house and agency positions. Rhea loves working with clients… More about Rhea Drysdale	Lisa Barone is Co-Founder and Chief Branding Officer of Outspoken Media, Inc. Lisa has been involved in the SEO community since 2006 and is widely known for her honest industry observations, her inability to not say exactly what she’s thinking, and her excessive on-the-clock Twittering… More about Lisa Barone

OutspokenMedia works with clients to develop marketing strategies that encourage them to do great things and to care about their niche communities. The Outspoken blog was developed to prompt action in the community as well as teach. Outspoken presents How Tos to small business owners helping them market their own businesses and get more from online.  The recession has given entrepreneurs an even larger opportunity to go out on their own and succeed. It hasn’t taken it away.

Here is a bit from my interview with Lisa from OutspokenMedia.com…

When did the idea for starting your business come to you?
Having my own business was never something I was aspiring to. I was very much content in the stability of being an employee and receiving a steady paycheck. However, in January I was three months into a new job (a job I had moved from CA to NY to take) and came to a point where I knew in my heart it wasn’t going to work out. So the decision was to stay in a job I wasn’t comfortable in to keep a paycheck or venture out on my own in a bad economy.  It may seem crazy to some but, I chose the latter option.

Luckily, it didn’t take more than a few chats with my then-friends, now business partners, Rae Hoffman and Rhea Drysdale to be confident that we could do something together. So really just like that, we formed Outspoken Media, a new kind of Internet marketing company.  Deciding to start the company was probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. Committing to myself to something that huge was an enormous undertaking for me. But I’m very glad I did it.

What do you do?
My official role at Outspoken is that of Chief Branding Officer, which to me means that I’m responsible for starting conversations. Whether that’s for us or for clients, through the blog or on Twitter, or through any other medium, my job really is to build brands and conversation through communities on the Web.  I help people their evangelists and build bridges.

What’s the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome to start your business?
Learning how to wear so many hats.  Before I’ve always had very specific job descriptions. When the business is your own, you find yourself taking on tasks you never imagined.  There’s a constant learning curve.

What’s the most satisfying thing about running your business?
The freedom to do what I feel is right.  I’m a blogger and a bit mouthy, so working for someone else always meant that I had to temper that. I had to watch what I wrote, watch what I said, pick my battles, etc.  Now I get to blog as me and for me, which I think makes my blogging more genuine and more engaging for readers. It probably doesn’t sound like that big of a change, but to me it’s been night and day and something I’m incredibly grateful for.  I can’t always say what I want to in real life due to my speech difficulties, so having total freedom of my written voice means everything to me.  It’s empowered me.

Has running your business been what you expected it would be? How?
There’s a lot more to it than I ever thought. I knew that it would be long hours and that it’d grueling at times…I just thought at some point that would stop and that I’d have a day to catch my breath. That day hasn’t hit yet. My biggest lesson has been that it just never stops. There’s always something to do, something more than needs tweaking, an email to respond to, a blog post to write, someone to reach out to, etc.  I’ve learned that running your own business really is a 247 job. I love it. It’s been great and incredibly rewarding, but there’s so much more to it than I ever knew.  Every so often a crisis will break out and I’ll turn to one of my partners and say, “someone should really take care of that!”, and then I remember that I’m that person. If I want something done, I’m the person to do it.

How did you fund your business in the beginning?
I think that’s the beauty of the Internet, you can start a business with very low capital.  Because we’re a service-based company, the only initial costs we had were those involved with skinning the Web site. The domain was already bought, we had hosting, etc. From there the “cost” really is time. It’s been working to build the brand, getting our name out, letting people know we exist, and taking on clients.

What is your passion?
Using my voice in a way that helps others.  I love that the blog allows me to share advice, concerns, issues, etc, with people and to have an impact on their day or to touch them in some way. There’s no greater feeling than that.

What makes you get up in the morning?
My business partners and knowing that we’re capable of doing great things for clients, in a style that’s true to us.  It’s nice believing in what you do and the way you do it.

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Chicken –> Meet Egg

Padosa’s goal has been to prove that sustainability does not jeopardize profitability. In a position to see many opportunities in the sustainable space, these consultants wanted to have even greater impact by reaching a larger audience. A web based business based on this premise hatched.  

Here is a bit from my interview with Jennifer from Padosa.com… 

What do you do? 

Padosa.com helps small businesses get started with their sustainability efforts. We focus on initiatives that improve, profitability in the short term, and long term. We provide practical information and a community to get our members personalized answers. Many companies don’t know where to begin and we want to make it easy for them. Our goal is to build a community of business people and make it easy for them to go green, profitably.

What’s the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome to start your business? 

The biggest hurdle is getting site visitors to contribute content to a site that looks empty. People tend to ignore a community until it looks populated; we are overcoming this by making sure every visitor gets lots of personal attention. We are also giving out Amazon gift certificates to people who contribute substantive posts – that helps!

What would you do over again, if you could?

We are learning as we go which is what is exciting about this process. There is nothing particular I can think of in terms of changing our strategy.

What’s the most satisfying thing about running your business? 

It is great when we connect people to each other. Recently we referred a solar energy company to a member who is interested in installing solar panels and he hired them. The member was really satisfied and the firm we recommended was thrilled to get the business. It feels great to help people accomplish their goals and earn revenue!

How did you fund your business in the beginning? 

Our consulting company, A2X Consulting, funds our business. We have a small staff and low operating costs at this point.

What’s the biggest dream you have for your business? 

We would love to grow Padosa.com to be the Linked In for Sustainability - a place where people connect and help each other with their sustainability efforts. We also want to provide best practices on sustainability initiatives from around the world and have a global presence.

What is your passion?

Making it easy for people to go green! And, making sure each visitor feels welcome and gets the answers he or she needs.

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Here is a bit from my interview with Matt… 

When or how did you know that this is what you wanted to do? 

Funny question, I actually studied journalism and political science in school, then found myself in a PR job soon after graduating.  As I worked through PR, then tactical elements of marketing, then learning sales and business development and beyond, I kept realizing more and more that a complete picture of a company’s go-to-market strategy – not just individual components – was necessary to truly understand and capitalize on growth opportunities.  I wanted to be able to see that entire picture, and help my employer – and now my customers – take advantage of market opportunities in the most leveraged, successful way possible.

What is your passion? 

I love learning, discovering new things, and applying those ideas to both my business and to my customers.  There are so many sources of great ideas all around us every day – the trick is finding enough time to listen, filter what’s important, and taking the time to apply those ideas in a testable, measurable manner to foster growth.

hat’s the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome to start your business? 

It’s probably a similar learning curve to many small businesses – balancing the need to 1) work with existing customers; 2) constantly look for prospective new customers, and 3) run my own business.  Over time I’ve figured out how to balance these more effectively, but doing these three things while still prioritizing my growing family (first child was born April 29^th) is an ongoing challenge.

What would you do over again, if you could?

I absolutely would have started actively networking as early as I did, if not earlier.  Over two years ago, I figured I would start my own marketing agency some day.  I immediately started better tracking and keeping in touch with everyone I met professionally.  One of the tools I’ve used is a monthly newsletter, Heinz Marketing Insights.  It started with just 60 or so recipients, but now goes out to ~1,700 recipients each month and growing.  It’s been a great way to stay in touch with a lot of people at once, and now also keep Heinz Marketing’s name in front of them whenever they’re ready for help.

Any regrets? 

None.  I love what I do, love working with my clients, and love the freedom of running my own game.

How do you define success? 

For Heinz Marketing, I have specific goals for annual revenue and client retention.  But with clients specifically, I define success by how well I’m able to help them grow revenue.  Sometimes that’s by increasing customer loyalty and purchase frequency.  Sometimes it’s about accelerating new customer growth, opening into new markets, researching and launching new products, etc.  But if the client is happy and growing their business, that’s success for me.

What are your sources of inspiration? 

In life, it’s my family and my faith that underline everything.  For the business, I’m constantly inspired by people I talk to, read about and hear from every day.  Sometimes it’s industry leaders such as Seth Godin (permission.com) and Andy Sernovitz (damniwish.com/).  Oftentimes, it’s fellow entrepreneurs, business leaders and innovators who are taking risks, trying new things, and achieving their own success. 

What’s the worst thing about running your own business? 

Anything that takes me away from focusing on my customers, which basically means the operations of running the business.  As a small agency, I can run things pretty lean which is nice, but I still have vendors, taxes, legal things to attend to, etc.  Those are all important, but I’m happiest when I’m wrestling with a customer problem or opportunity.

What’s the biggest dream you have for your business? 

It’s too early for me to accurately define that.  I know what I want the business to look like at the end of this year, and have a few different visions for where it could be in 2-3 years.  The methodology I use for helping customers think about, define and execute their go-to-market strategies has been relatively consistent across different customers – size, industry, etc. – so I’ve been exploring ways to better productize and expand the impact of that methodology.

What’s the happiest moment you’ve ever had in your business? 

I wake up every day so excited to be doing what I’m doing.  That may sound cheesy, but I love my job and the impact it has on our customers.  The happiest moment may have been my earliest, literally waking up that first day I was making Heinz Marketing my full-time focus.  The freedom and unpaved path in front of me was exhilarating.

Do you ever think about giving up and getting a job? 

Not really.  There are days when I wonder if the steadiness of a regular job might be less stressful and more predictable, but those moments are fleeting and infrequent. 

What can large businesses learn from a small business like yours? 

I think any business – big or small – needs to be able to constantly listen to customers, re-evaluate their business, and make nimble, quick decisions that can quickly drive greater innovation and growth.  This is often organizationally harder for larger organizations, but there are plenty who do it and do it well.

Every company who gets big has, at some point, done the right things organizationally to be nimble enough to listen to and respond to customers, and do the right things to cross the chasm from small to large enterprise.  Those who stick with the values and culture that got them big typically continue to grow and thrive.

If someone who was about to start a business asked you for advice, what would you say? 

Make sure you have enough cash and/or funding to operate without revenue for at least 6-8 months, likely a year depending on what you’re trying to do.  Cash flow is the single largest problem for most small businesses.  Beyond that, I’d recommend creating a plan for at least the first year, but keep your eyes open to the opportunities you hadn’t anticipated that could help you deviate from the plan, but still maintain focus on your overall vision for the business.

Have you ever failed?

Absolutely.  I actually think failure is a requirement for innovation.  I’ve written about it many times.

“Look over your past month of work.  How often have you failed?  What have you learned from that failure?

If you can’t come up with many examples, think of things you might have done, or tried, but were afraid to do so.

Are they worth trying now?”

More…

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Maybe I should pick up some Obama Red to wash down my Freedom Fries…

From Speigel Online:

French Vintner Creates ‘Obama Cuvée’

While Germany opted for creating the dubious Obama Fingers, France has gone a more tasteful route. A female vintner, originally from Africa, has created an Obama wine — and is donating all the profits to an NGO in Darfur.

France has come up with a brand new Obama wine.

The culinary world decided to celebrate the election of Barack Obama as United States president with some strange and possibly questionable products, including the Obama Fingers fried chicken snack, but now the rarefied world of wine is trying to get in on the act.

French winemaker Angela Bousquet-Keita, who hails originally from Guinea in Africa, has created the Obama cuvée (or vintage wine) to celebrate the election of the first African-American to the White House.

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