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From the desk of Bob Meyer...
04/15/2014
Internet Ad Revenue
Surpasses Broadcast TV
For the first time,
marketers spent more to advertise on the Internet than they
did for broadcast television in 2013. Investments in U.S.
interactive advertising reached $42.8 billion in Internet
advertising last year, up 17% from 2012, according to the
Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).
Trading A Favor ...
For A Favor
At
www.OweYaa.com,
a web based skills exchange, users will be able to leverage
their expertise and conduct business by doing one another a
favor. The founder of this new site (now in beta) is a cadet
at the U.S. West Point Military Academy, currently studying
Engineering Management. (He's also a member of the Division
1 hockey team.)
Detwiler Says It's Time To
Expand Inter-Trading
Fred Detwiler, founder and president
of
www.TradeFirst.com,
says this year's focus at the NATE convention will be on how
to expand trading among individual exchanges. Among the
veterans in the industry, Detwiler will be remembered for
his strong views and assertions at the 2000 IRTA Convention
in Vancouver.
It was there the venture
capitalists (VCs) descended upon the commercial barter
industry, telling everyone they had the money and the
business model to take the industry to the next, higher
level. Detwiler was the brash one — the only outspoken
person who, confidently and defiantly said BS. He pointed
out that not only did they not understand the trade exchange
business, but their business model was flawed.
The VCs moved forward anyway,
operating on the golden rule: "We have the gold and we will
make the rules." Unfortunately, the exchange business is
more complex than the VCs first observations. And since they
were unwilling to listen to those with experience, they blew
tens-of-millions of dollars for naught — and vanished within
a decade.
Night Owls Take
Bigger Risks Than Early Birds
An extensive report
from researchers at the University of Chicago found that
there is a correlation between personal sleeping habits and
the propensity to take risks, with night owls being higher
risk takers than the early birds. Night owls have greater
cortisol levels and higher levels have been connected with
greater cognitive function.
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See you next week...) |
(The following article was submitted by Casewise CEO,
Alexandre Wentzo.)
Want
Your Business to Last?
Here Are Seven Lessons You Should Learn
This year, Casewise has joined the
"25-years-in-business" club.
You've probably read that 9 out of 10 businesses
fail, but we've beaten the odds. And we're holding our heads high
next to some pretty impressive, founded-in-the-80's, organizations
such as Adobe Systems, Cisco, Electronic Arts and Autodesk, to name
a few.
So, as we approach our anniversary date, we began
assessing our accomplishments and experiences along the way. What
have we learned over the past 25 years? And, more importantly, what
pieces of advice can we offer to young companies hoping to reach the
quarter-century mark?
Here are the results we netted out; and here's to
adding to this post in another 25 years!
Get Clear on Your Mission
You must be able to communicate your mission in a
single sentence, and it must get heads nodding. In our case, it's
about helping businesses make better strategic decisions by offering
a 360-degree view of your company through analyzing hard data and
human behavior. It's a mission that communicates value to our
customers, but also drives our company culture: "When You Can See
More, You Can Do More."
Evolve Your Execution
Your mission may stay the same over the years, but
your execution must change with the times. In our case, we've
evolved from a company that developed the first software to
graphically represent business processes in the 1990s, to a
collaborative enterprise architecture tool in the 2000's, and
finally, to a social, web-based communication platform that includes
integrated social media tools today.
Pay Attention to the Trends
To be successful in business you must stay ahead
of the trends, such as social media. Read voraciously and pay
attention to the tools and processes that are becoming popular in
everyday life. Our latest platform was developed because we realized
that social media and "gamification" tools are here to stay, and
that they are a great way to involve all levels of an organization
in strategic planning.
The Right Product-Market Fit Takes Time
According to American entrepreneur and investor
Marc Andreessen, product-market fit can be defined as "being in a
good market, with a product that can satisfy that market." Yet what
many companies don't realize is that finding product-market fit can
take time — often between 6 to 12 months. It also takes energy and
devotion to testing your idea with real people. You must
continuously test new products with existing customers before
launching the product to the world.
Don't Ignore Your Biggest Asset
One of the biggest mistakes we see our clients
make, is making strategic decisions solely based on data, while
ignoring their biggest asset: their people. Keep in mind that there
are two types of intelligence: business intelligence and emotional
intelligence, and that it's only by combining the two that you'll
make the best strategic decisions.
User Experience is Key
You may have the best tech team in the world, but
your solution is only as good as the experience your customers have
with it. So as soon as you can, test your products with real people,
get their reactions, and use this information to improve the user
experience and ultimately increase the adoption rate of your
product.
And Finally, Have Fun!
Running a company can be taxing so just remember —
look up once in a while, take stock of how far you have come, and
make sure to reward your employees for all their hard work.
For more information on this company,
click here.
An International Reciprocal Trade Association
Announcement.)
Industry Alert:
IRTA Investigation Concludes Daniel Evans & Ormita Fraudulent
The Ormita Report, released on March 26, 2014, reveals a long
history of misinformation and fraudulent activities by Daniel Evans
and his company Ormita. The report was well researched and written
by New Zealand author and blogger Dennis Smith, and it provides
credible evidence that Ormita is an international con.
The findings of The Ormita Report are consistent with IRTA's
knowledge of Mr. Evan's deceptive business practices and Ormita as a
fraudulent organization. According to the author, Ormita is "little
more than a one-man-band using smoke and mirrors" and its claimed
trade volume figures are a "total fabrication."
IRTA highly recommends that you read the report, and then inform any
barter companies or organizations that are considering doing
business with Daniel Evans or Ormita, as well as any victims of Mr.
Evans and Ormita.
IRTA was founded in 1979 to foster the common interests of the
worldwide barter industry and to uphold high standards of ethical
business practices within the industry.
Over the last thirty-five years IRTA has taken a proactive role in
preserving, protecting and enhancing the global barter industry.
We believe that IRTA has a responsibility to expose and confront
dubious barter operators so as to protect the public and fellow
barter industry members from harm.
Widespread dissemination of this comprehensive report will be of
benefit to the international business community.
The Ormita Report can be found at www.theormitareport.com.
For further information, please contact Ron Whitney, IRTA's
Executive Director, at ron@irta.com or 757-393-2292 (U.S.).
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