Week 02 2022
Doing a Good Job or Building a Good Business
As Entrepreneurs we all want to do good, be successful. We are self-employed and are responsible for ourselves for those whom we employ. We expect everyone including ourselves to do a good job. Warren Valdmanis a Social impact investor and author of Accountable talks about what makes a good job and the case about investing in people.
Focusing investments on people and good companies that make a meaningful impact is important going forward. Often, we see funds focused only on profitability and scaling at any cost, which lead to unsustainable strategies that may seem to work in the short term, but are a total failure in the long term, and those companies only survive on investor funding and until they are funded. Surely, they are not doing a good job as investors and as entrepreneurs. Thinking about the pareto principle, it seems like only a third of the people and companies are doing a good job.
Chieh Huang an entrepreneur who has done a really good with launching a company in his parent’s garage, raising $300 Million and then taking his public company with a $900 Million listing. Huang’s company Boxed is a membership free online wholesale retailer that offers direct delivery to customers of bulk sized packages. Huang understands the importance to change with the change in the marketplace. He invested heavily in technology, specialised in a niche and ensured employee welfare programs that defined and differentiated his company from other industry payers and also influencing the industry to pick on those strategies. Small Businesses can use some of these tips to Cultivate Loyalty and Increase Employee Retention.
Helen Chukwu founder of Helen Couture is on a journey to build a brand that will make a real impact, improve the lives of future generations and redefine how the fashion industry works in Africa.
Building a good company or being good a job requires one to have a good vision about what one is setting out to achieve. Cameron Herold shares some interesting tips on how to prepare your companies vision statement.
Building a Good City
While we think about doing a good job or building a good business, here’s an important Ted Talk on what it takes to build a Good City. Liu Thai Ker is the architectural master mind who built Singapore into a modern metropolis. Liu shares the three step process in building cities that are modern yet sustainable – a humanist heart, a scientific mind and an artistic eye.
Being Good in Sales
Truly, sales is the most important job in any business, as it’s the only function that generates revenue for the business, helping it meet its costs and overheads and make a profit and sustain. An interesting talk on the topic Jeremy Miner is an internationally recognized sales trainer and speaker, ranked 45 out of 100 million sales people by the Direct Selling Association, earning in high 7 figures every year in commissions only. In selling, right skills are important for success, hard work alone will not get you there. According to Jeremy, within the first 7 to 12 seconds the customer or the prospects subconscious has already connected to your social queues. As a salesperson it is important to find the problems and solve them. One should avoid pushing the product or service. The focus has to be on selling the change that will be less risky than not buying it. Asking right questions at the right time is the key to get the customers to self-persuade themselves in to buying. Use Jeremy’s Neuro Emotional Persuasion Questions (NEPQ) method of asking specific questions and using techniques for the prospects to self-persuade themselves. Join Jeremy’s Sales Revolution Facebook group to get started.
Another interesting conversation on the topic about improving conversions and marketing performance with Justin Christianson cofounder Conversion Fanatics talks about leveraging systems and processes to make your life a whole lot easier. Like I mentioned above that short term thinking is not sustainable in the long run, Justin believes in and validates a long term mentality as a winning mentality. Marketers are increasingly going to be focused on using content marketing to reach their target audience and grow their business.
Doing a good job, building a good business all of it requires on to be in good health to be able to achieve one’s goals and visions. Listen to this interesting talk on achieving and maintaining our health goals. Anthony DiClementi is CEO of Biohacking Secrets. A leader in executive wellness coaching, specializing in nutritional science and functional medicine. He helps CEOs, entrepreneurs, professional athletes, Hollywood celebrities, and clients around the globe to rapidly upgrade their energy, transform their bodies, and enhance mental clarity. DiClementi’s biohacking secret is simple – “the greatest addition in nutrition comes from subtraction.” He finds that for most people cutting out grains, commercial dairy, and alcohol – or at least restricting those foods – will have the biggest impact.
Good Ideas for a Good Future
Entrepreneurs, Executives and businesses preparing for the virtual world ahead. Forever 21 in collaboration with VBG makes meta store launches that will be owned and operated by gamers.
Smart biodegradable packaging that can detect fungi or bacteria and release natural compounds to keep the produce safe and last longer.The packaging is made from non-toxic, naturally-occurring materials that are also biodegradable.
Smart chargers that reduce carbon footprint of EV’s by automating the charging process, turning it on only when the demand is low and electricity from wind and solar farms is available, and reducing the reliance on the grid.
Space factories operated by robots for higher quality products.
Wind power for homes.
Embracing a Wetter Future with Climate change and with almost one third of the country below sea level, the Dutch are turning to Floating Homes
Axel Reinaud cofounder and CEO of NetZero specialises in removing Carbon from the atmosphere. He shares his solution on How biochar removes CO2 from the air — and helps farmers thrive.
European Commission prioritises cyclists and pedestrians in cities for “first time in history” by proposing changes in infrastructure to encourage walking and cycling as part of achieving its goal of becoming a net zero continent by 2050.
Koko Networks a bio technology company from Kenya is using tech to expand from bio fuel to other non bio fuel goods for retail.
Litter lotto – Cash for Trash: The App Enters You Into a Lottery Every Time You Bin Litter.
Air seed technologies an Australian start-up wants to fight deforestation with an army of drones. Having planted 50000 trees, the startup aims to plant 100 million trees by 2024.
Logi Link a startup that is enabling Indian MSMEs to ship directly to consumers halfway across the world.
Getting Banks Ready For Fintech Revolution, offering Decentralised Currency Options and making Investing Easy for The Young.
Little Snippets of Learning
Dancing with status roles – our surroundings influence us and make a difference, make a difference by choosing your surrounding physically and mentally.
Flow (and progress) – true that, being in the flow ensures completion of a lot work, is a success in itself and doesn’t require measuring progress.
Speed limits – anything out of the ordinary, beyond a limit is always noticeable.
CB radio – ever evolving tech, but what about human behaviour.
Personal Project Progress
Seeding to saplings over the week feels good with the green thumb.