As I wrote a while ago here in my blog about the Twitter squatter who was trying to extort StartupNation, there are definitely systems in place at the social media companies that support ethical companies and certainly intellectual property rights of individuals and companies. Twitter worked on our behalf to wrestle away the /startupnation account for us given that it was a registered trademark owned by our business and was obviously strategic to us as well as a source of confusion in the marketplace under the squatter’s control. They quickly moved the account into our control.

Now through the encouragement of Daliah Saper of Saper Law, we’ve done the same thing at Facebook. In less than 24 hours, by following their simple, clear instructions, we were able to pull www.facebook.com/startupnation away from the squatter and now have that username as our own, appropriately so.

Here’s the simple, step-by-step process we followed in case you have a squatter issue and/or trademark issue as it relates to a Facebook username:

1. Go to the bottom of any Facebook page. Click on the link called “Terms.”
   For your convenience, that link is here.
2. Scroll down to #5, “Protecting Other People’s Rights,” and select “How to Report Claims of Intellectual Property Infringement”.
   For your convenience that link is here.
3. For copyright infringement, scroll down to “How to report claims of copyright infringement by users” and select the link.
   For your convenience, that link is here.
4. For trademark (or other intellectual property concerns), which was what applied to our situation given our registered trademark for StartupNation that the squatter was unethically using for their benefit, scroll down to “How to report other claims of intellectual property infringement by users” and select the link.
   For your convenience, that link is here.

We are always looking out for you and hope that you find similar success and satisfaction in the process, which is set up and well enforced by Facebook.

We hope that you can soon make your own blog entry titled, “Me 1, Facebook Squatter 0″!

Rich

The “It’s Been Done Before” Myth
Every time someone comes to me and tells me they have an idea for a business that “has never been done before”, I start to worry. There’s a reason some things have never been done before. Let’s say you want to sell a square car. It has never been done before. That doesn’t mean there’s a market for it. Actually, the fact that it has never been done before leads me to think there’s no market for square cars.

But the real problem is when people give up on business ideas because they have been done already. Don’t do this.

Don’t Look for the “Perfect” Idea
Look at McDonalds. They didn’t invent burgers; they came up with a system for delivering food fast at a low cost. Look at Starbucks. They weren’t the first people to open a coffee shop; they created a great way to enhance the coffee drinking experience. Look at Zappos. They weren’t the first online shoe store, but because of their amazing customer service and policy of free return shipping, they became the largest online shoe store.

These businesses didn’t re-invent the wheel. They found something that could be done better and did it. Don’t look for the “perfect” idea. There are hundreds of ways you can create a better world and make a lot of money doing it.

So, How Do You Come Up with Great Business Ideas?
The answer is this: “Keep your eyes open for things that you want and can’t get, or things you can’t get in a convenient way.” I’ll give you a few examples:

• Sara, a woman I know, moved from Costa Rica to the US five years ago. She was craving Costa Rican food and she couldn’t get it anywhere. She then realized that the Latino population in the US is huge and those people missed the food they could get in their countries but wasn’t available in the US. Sara decided to import Latino foods into the US and sell them online. She does over $2M now.
• A friend of mine used to live in an isolated mountain town the US Postal Service, FedEx and UPS wouldn’t deliver to. They dropped all the packages at a central location in town and people had to drive 15 miles to pick up their mail. Everyone was annoyed with this fact and started saying that they’d be willing to pay a little extra to get the packages delivered to their homes. My friend listened to them and started charging each family $10 a month to pick up their packages and deliver them daily to their homes. He had 200 clients and paid for his college working two hours a day.
• Last week I got a grill that I had to assemble myself. It was a pain in the butt and made me waste four valuable hours that I could have spent helping my clients. I would have loved to pay someone $50 to put it together for me. That store also had beautiful furniture that I wanted to buy too, but there’s no way I’ll spend two entire days assembling all those tables, chairs, beds and closets. What if someone approached this store and offered them this service for their clients? The store would increase their sales, the clients would be happier and this person would have a business.

The bottom line is this: Every time you’re frustrated about something, think about how you can make it better. Once you automate this process, I guarantee that you’ll get at least one great business idea per day.

Zeke Camusio is a serial entrepreneur, online marketing expert, author of Google Rocketship and founder of an Internet Marketing Agency in Portland, OR.

Rieva Lesonsky was Editor of that magazine at that time, and so, it’s an incredible thrill and honor when StartupNation collaborates today with Rieva on new and helpful advice for entrepreneurs.

I’m writing today to share with you that Rieva–now running her own business–and StartupNation have just released a new eBook for 2011.

26 Hot Businesses To Start Right Now! is the second annual kick-start, jump-start, fire-you-up, open-your-mind, take-action-now, whip-crackin’, break-on-through, fertilize-your-mind, start-it-up, breeze-to-read downloadable eBook that will leave you rich with ideas and inspiration for a business that fits you perfectly and equips you with the specifics to get started.

By reading this eBook, [click the image to see it] you will learn 11 hot trends and 26 hot businesses that you can start today. For example, you’ll gain insights like:

• Make it personal. Millennials (60% of all weddings by 2012) are demanding their wedding experience be more distinctive, opening opportunities for personalized wedding décor & accessories businesses.
• Make the world come together. Open a translation services business, and capitalize on a market that has experienced average annual growth of 22% since 2004.
• Sell plus-sizes. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of all U.S. adults (age 20+) are overweight and about half of those are obese. Make their lives easier by selling plus-sized products and apparel.

The download is jam-packed with a simple, easy-to-understand analysis of the market landscape and specific recommendations for businesses you can start now that have the highest probability of success in 2011.

The great thing about 26 Hot Businesses to Start Right Now! is that it can be read in a day, immediately empowering you to select a new business to start and to take the first steps in building your future as a business owner.

The eBook is a launching pad for your business with links to more than 20 additional resources.

By reading this eBook, you’ll tap into the insights necessary to create a small business blockbuster.

About Rieva, the author: Rieva Lesonsky, CEO and president of GrowBiz Media (www.growbizmedia.com), a content and consulting company specializing in small businesses and entrepreneurship, and SmallBizDaily.com, her daily blog. Lesonsky has been covering America’s entrepreneurs for nearly 30 years. She has appeared on hundreds of TV programs and radio shows, including the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, The Martha Stewart Show and Oprah, and can be seen regularly on MSNBC’s Your Business.

LEARN MORE HERE

… and START IT UP!!!

I can’t help but laugh since I was asked those exact same questions when I launched Glamajama. People thought I was crazy when I admitted to wanting to do more than just local craft shows. I guess I couldn’t blame them. After all, I had no experience, no support, and no financial resources. All I had was my hopes, dreams, and a fierce desire to fulfill my passion.

Seven years later, Glamajama is a leader in the childrens industry with national distribution in retailers such as Target and JCPenney. I’ve received thank you letters from Halle Berry, seen our clothes grace countless magazines, watched the hosts of the Today Show excitedly introduce the line on live TV, and helped the design team of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition build a house on primetime.

I could go on for hours with all the amazing things I’ve been able to see, share, and accomplish as the CEO of Glamajama, but I won’t. What I will say, however, is that all those things were possible because of my PASSION. Nothing more, nothing less.

I never had a silver platter, rich Uncle, or even a clue at a few critical moments along that journey. What I did have, however, was a vision for my ideal personal and professional life. Instead of focusing on what I couldn’t do to make it happen, I focused on what I could. I may have gotten knocked down, discouraged, and even doubted my sanity at times (many times), but that’s natural. At the end of the day…

It’s not how many times you get knocked down that count, it’s how many times you get up that matter.

I’m reminding myself of this today as I hear the doubts in people’s voices when I talk about FitandFearLESS, miss my “video view counts” goal for the day, or fail to get a response from a media pitch. The best things in life aren’t easy and it just makes winning that much sweeter. The joy is always in the journey, not the end.

So what does all this really mean? Does passion pay? I say YES. Our passions might not always pay dividends to our bank accounts, but they will always pay dividends to our heart and soul.

Are you losing HOPE in your small business? Hire me. I will FIGHT for your company’s success. Click here to learn more.

Sorry, that institution got among the lowest ratings in a Pew Research Center study that was recently released. The Pew Center polled Americans to determine who they trusted least and who they trusted most.

Small business owners - you should be proud. America trusts YOU most.

More than churches, our President, labor unions, the Federal Government, small businesses reign supreme in the eyes of the American public.

Here’s a ratings chart that shows the results:

	Positive	Negative	Other/ Don’t know
Small business	71	19	10
Technology companies	68	18	14
Churches & religious orgs	63	22	15
Colleges & universities	61	26	13
Obama administration	45	45	10
Entertainment industry	33	51	16
Labor unions	32	49	18
Federal agencies and depts	31	54	16
National news media	31	57	12
Large corporations	25	64	12
Federal government	25	65	9
Congress	24	65	12
Banks & financial inst	22	69	10
Pew Research Center March 11-21. Figures may not add to 100% because of rounding

Just edging out Congress as the least trusted institution are banks and financial institutions. I figure it’s the mortgage crisis and recent bail-out ballyhoo that has so terribly tarnished the perception of banks, coupled with the lack of lending at this critical juncture for Americans.

It’s good to be SOLID when it comes to reputation and perception on the street. It’s a big help when us little guys and gals go toe to toe with the behemoth corporations and compete with our service and product offerings.

Be proud to carry the small business torch, folks - not only do you live it, but America “gets it.”

It may not be part of your life plan but that’s okay. Today, the rigors of entrepreneurship are no longer restricted to the young and restless. More and more senior citizens are turning into entrepreneurs and making their mark too. However, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Again, life planning comes to the fore as starting a business after retirement. It requires careful planning in order to build a good foundation. Consider all the skills and experience you have acquired in the profession you committed yourself over the years and identify a niche market where they are applicable. The key to your life plan at this point is to think about the things you love to do and have a passion for. These will determine the type of business you are likely to commit your time and energy. It is therefore imperative that you pursue an activity or an interest where you have ample skill and expertise as your business in order to serve the purpose of using your free time in an enjoyable way.

The first step in life planning is to determine what you really want out of life. The same can be said about starting a business. What do you want out of your business venture? Are you simply fascinated by the idea of being an entrepreneur or do you love the business to the level of passion and are driven to make a new career out of it? Either way, a life plan is needed otherwise your business is more likely to hit rock bottom. Most people have the notion that all they have to do is to come up with a concept, secure a location, display the products or offer their services, put a sign out front, and people will start beating their door down. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.

Bear in mind that starting out is one thing and running the business is another. Regardless of when you start, any business venture requires a solid client base in order to survive. At this juncture, your life planning process must involve leveraging your connections. Contact your friends, family, former colleagues and acquaintances to help you with your first orders. Then figure out what sets your product or service apart from the rest, how you intend to beat competition, how you can attract more clients, and other such business essentials.

All in all, starting a business after retirement can be challenging and exciting at the same time. The key to a minimum-stress start up is to muster all your experience and previous learning. Come up with a new life plan, stick to it and enjoy the ride. As Harry Emerson Fosdick aptly stated, “Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to”.

Employees want to do a good job. And what the boss often needs to do is get out of the way and let them perform. Of course, when I became a business owner, I fell prey to the kind of thinking that trips up so many entrepreneurs: You have to work endless hours, you have to micromanage every aspect of the business, you have to make every decision. Ack!

I don’t know if my businesses would have survived if I hadn’t come up with what I call Go Theory. (”Go” as in “just go away”.) Go Theory is not about where you go or what you do while you go away from the office. Go Theory is all about what you don’t do:

• Don’t send your employees lots of little reminders by email.
• Don’t keep checking your smart phone.
• Don’t miss the spectacular view or the interesting presentation or the quality time with friends because you were stressing out about what might be going on back at the office.

Instead, enjoy your time away. Because you’ve got great people taking care of the business while you’re gone. If that last sentence just sent a chill up your spine (“But…no one can possibly take care of my business except me!”), read on.

The first element of Go theory, its absolute essence, is hiring great people to work in your business:

• Fire quick and hire slow. Invest the time and money required to make the best choices. I don’t rely on just myself to spot the right person — I make sure that at least two other people whose opinions I respect interview the candidates.
• Hire smart. I hire people who are smarter than me.
• Pick people with a track record for doing their tasks and accomplishing their goals. You don’t want to deal with excuses.

The second element of Go theory involves what you do with those great employees once you have them:

• Give people a great place to work, including real benefits.
• Trust them to handle problems and give them room to succeed or fail.
• Get in the habit of throwing issues back to employees — otherwise, you’ll be chained to your business 24/7.
• Make your business a vibrant and healthy system and you’ll find that employees work better when you’re gone.

The third element of Go theory is at once the easiest — and the hardest:

• Give employees clear directions or goals, and leave them alone to do their jobs. A quick check-in early in the project to make sure they are on track is OK, but then…go away!

The idea is for you to work on your business instead of in your business. This forces you and your staff to create good systems that can run without you. As the CEO, you want to be useless in the day-to-day business activities so you can be proactive and reactive to markets and opportunities. Keep in mind that what puts your business ahead of the competition is not logging lots of hours at the office — it’s creativity. Ask yourself: How can you be creative if you’re spending all your time making sales calls?

Go Theory provides a lot of rewards, including a “real life” for the CEO and a stronger, healthier bottom line for the company. I find that in my absence my business thrives. Projects move forward, problems get solved, and new ideas emerge. All this — just because I learned to get out of the way and work from a beachside cafe two hours a day.

Click here or on the image below to view that advice.

Let me know if you have a cool story you’d like to share with ABC News Now or if you have a burning question to ask. Just send me a personal message at my profile.

This just in from the NBC Nightly News producer:

“We finally have an airdate. July 13th. I’ve been scrambling with other projects in the meantime. Scott is out til next week so after the holiday we’ll get serious about shooting someone starting a business. I haven’t had a chance to go thru all the candidates you sent, but a few look really promising.

Thanks.”

Cross your fingers, folks - i’ve submitted many of you for their consideration.

—
PREVIOUS POST ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 19, 2009

Here’s the deal: I am appearing on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams on June 29 (most likely). They’re doing a cool feature about what happens if you lose or leave your job in this market and how to start a successfull business.

Don’t you love it! And kudos to NBC for focusing on this subject. As i mentioned to them in my taping for the feature, I truly believe that it will be small business and solopreneurs who help America dig out of this slump.

OPPORTUNITY: If you are one of those heroes who has left a job and started up a brick-and-mortar business in this economy, please email me at PR@startupnation.com.

Please add to the email subject line the following so I’ll know to treat it with urgency:  “NBC Story - I Started a Brick-and-Mortar Business”

Deadline: Tuesday, June 23.

I will then share your email with the NBC Nightly News producer.

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.