Technology’s Lure vs. Michael Gerber’s ‘The E(ntrepreneur)-Myth’

Michael Gerber’s then-groundbreaking work, The E-Myth: Why Most Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It, put forth the belief that most businesses are started by ambitious entrepreneurs who are technicians who know and enjoy the hands-on work of their organization. However, he said that having tangible business skills is far more important than being able to personally do the technical work required for a business

In the nearly 30 years since the book’s publication, a lot of evidence backs that belief. At some point, an innovator’s great idea grows into a huge business that requires a new level of managerial skills. More than a few business coaches have counseled their clients to either broaden their management team or sell their company and move on to their next big thing. Otherwise, they say, entrepreneurs may never reap their biggest financial rewards.

What Small/Mid-Size Businesses Can Learn from General Mills’ Community of Fans

There’s trouble in the General Mills community – even as the company had a weekend change of heart. As reported in many, many media outlets late last week, downloading a 50-cent coupon for a box of cereal may have precluded a consumer from suing the food-product giant – which sells a lot more than Cheerios and Fruit Loops.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul (MN) Business Journal, a sister publication of the Atlanta Business Chronicle, reported the company abandoned a controversial new privacy policy that sought to bar consumers from suing the company if they engaged with General Mills online. The reversal came after their new rules sparked a backlash on social media.

Deep Face: Facial Recognition coming to Social Media

Facebook has been making technology news over the past few weeks with Virtual Reality (VR) which could have many exciting applications for marketing. Today, it’s another reason to assess your use social media because you it takes time to create an impact via Social.

Facebook has developed a new capability, called Deep Face, and is reportedly acquiring Oculus VR, a virtual reality company. Deep Face is both fascinating and fearful at the same time.

Need Credibility? Get PR?

As reported in a blog by marketing executive Chad Pollitt, news coverage, termed “earned media,” is 80% more effective than branded content, or owned media, at the consideration and affinity stages of the purchase process. At the familiarity stage, which is closer to the actual purchase, news coverage is 38% more effective.

The study presented 900 consumers with three different types of content: expert content from credible sources (earned media), branded content (owned media), and user-generated content (such as reviews on Amazon).

LinkedIn Changes : If It Doesn’t Matter to You, It Should

For Company Pages, LinkedIn is removing the Products & Services tab, on April 14. If you have a Company Page and use that tab to tell followers about your offerings, you’ll need to move that info to your Company Update or Showcase Pages, which some companies are already doing.

If you don’t have a Company Page, or never used the Products & Services tab, don’t blow off this blog post. Instead, look at how much information is being shared in LinkedIn groups and how often your biz dev folks’ profiles are being viewed each month.