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We are so far down the road of technology we often forget how expensive, hard and bug-laden custom software projects used to be. We could hire a developer, and without truly being accurate on our requirements, they would code and miss the mark repeatedly. Regardless, their billable time reflected our
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Spending time designing a system, message or business requires getting clear about how something should work, flow or connect. I have not found that this can be done in isolation. I need to bounce ideas off of others and work to get insights to integrate into the design. Socially, we
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There is an irony about free markets that the collective participates in. On the one hand, we have massive choice in many categories. On the other hand, over time, we have a winner-take-all outcome. Over time, people consolidate and choose the best. We don't have all these phones.
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We can laugh at the paper shuffling reference as a bygone era, however, you would not be hard-pressed to see manual processes still being run today. Regardless of the efficiencies, cost-savings and better customer experience of digitization, old habits can die hard, especially in businesses. Never mind if your livelihood
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If you are sitting comfortably, there's not much incentive to improve your systems. However, disruptors such as technology, competition and atrophy (i.e., Groupon), may force your hand to get your systems more efficient. I've been sharing out various books around the area of business growth
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Part of living in reality is accepting all its shortcomings and inefficiencies. All the inputs you may work hard to put into a system - materials, technology, talent, management, etc. - will not work at maximum efficiency or ever be balanced. When your systems become more complex, there is going
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I enjoy drama, action and suspense when I watch a movie to relax and let my mind and emotions wander. However, I don't find heroics and craziness entertaining or useful in business. In fact, my goal with entrepreneurs and business owners is to build a boring business based
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I cannot overstate the value and pleasure of an unburdened life and clear mind. It's too easy to overcomplicate our lives with so many things that simply do not matter. I have observed the reality that Robert Ringer puts forth about human nature: Human beings, by nature, tend
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When life was hard and we had to shovel dirt with a stick, welcoming innovation in technology allowed for large jumps in productivity and happiness. Maybe people then were thinking about how to make a better stick and work harder with it. The task at hand was pretty simple -
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Just because something is working on a small scale does not mean it will work on a larger scale. You might be able to buy and sell a few computers or hardware but running a division of Hewlett-Packard or Dell is a different game altogether. The amount of resources to
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If you are an entrepreneur or investor in a business, it is so critical to heed the advice and framework that Robert Kiyosaki shares in his appeal that systems, not products, need your focus. Simply put, "Money always follows management." It's takes a special person to
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It's delicate. You can't annoy people and expect them to like you. Pushing ads in people's faces only creates a repelling effect. You will be ignored. Yet, out of desperation, businesses sell hard today. They see all the shiny new tools available for marketing