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	<title>Entrepreneurial Goldmine &#187; start up</title>
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	<link>http://heathanthony.org</link>
	<description>Educating, Empowering and Enabling Entrepreneurs</description>
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		<title>&#8220;YOU&#8221;:2010 Business Opportunity #1</title>
		<link>http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/you2010-business-opportunity-1/</link>
		<comments>http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/you2010-business-opportunity-1/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:45:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heath</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Flat World Effect]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Triangle System]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Franchises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[multi-level marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Outliers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[start up]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[strengths & weaknesses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Flat World]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathanthony.org/?p=547</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
 
The #1 Business Opportunity for you in 2010 is the business of YOU.  As we enter this new decade, the only way YOU will be able to achieve a sustainable level of success is to embrace the convergence of technology, social media and your domain expertise.  So whether you want to pursue opportunity #3 or [...]]]></description>
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<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">The #1 Business Opportunity for you in 2010 is the business of YOU.  As we enter this new decade, the only way YOU will be able to achieve a sustainable level of success is to embrace the convergence of technology, social media and your domain expertise.  So whether you want to pursue opportunity #3 or opportunity #8, you must understand how to operate your business in the new world.  How do the external factors that are influencing global business change impact how YOU will drive success in the 21st century differently than previous generations achieved success three decades earlier? </h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">As my friend and colleague, George Benckenstein points out in his post, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.benckenstein.com/social-media/welcome-to-our-flat-world/">Welcome to Our Flat World</a></span>, we now live in a world without barriers.  George says &#8220;So why do we call it a “Flat World?”  The world is being referred as a flat world, thanks to <a id="aptureLink_Bx1tcb5fuT" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas%20Friedman">Tom Friedman’s </a> book <a id="aptureLink_KjA6WjfMvh" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312425074?tag=apture-20"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The World Is Flat</span></a>. The world is now so well connected with the ubiquity of technology in all areas which gives you, me, all of us, the power to collaborate, coordinate, produce and distribute seamlessly across borders, and cultural and language divides. In a flat world, everything of value is now connected — no more barriers.&#8221;  You see my friends, if you want your business to be successful, YOU must learn how to compete in this new world.  With opportunity #1, I try to focus on the critical elements that will help you prepare for success, no matter what opportunity YOU choose to grab! <span id="more-547"></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Discover Your Strengths</span></h3>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">First and foremost, if you are going to pursue any business opportunity it is imperative that you either align your skill-set with the critical path elements of the opportunity or acquire the skill-set that aligns (whether it’s you or someone you hire).  For example, you can’t start an accounting practice without understanding accounting.  By understanding what your strengths are, you’ll be in a better position to understand where your domain expertise can be best applied. </h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Should you only focus on your strengths, what about your weaknesses?  We all need to understand what we are good at and where we need help.  I am a strong believer that greater success can be achieved by fine tuning your strengths and leveraging a team to cover your weaknesses, as opposed to spending a significant amount time plugging the holes that are our weaknesses.  If we tried to plug the holes, we’d never get anything done.  Don’t get me wrong, some weaknesses prohibit progress on anything and in some cases, too much of any strength is not a good thing, so there are some weaknesses that must be addressed, but in the grand scheme of spending time on developing strengths or plugging holes, I’d recommend discovering your strengths and mastering them!</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">So, how do YOU discover your strengths?  The opportunities are unlimited!  Here are my favorite discovery paths:</h3>
<ol>
<li>
<h3><a id="aptureLink_CbkW9cHSu9" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743201140?tag=apture-20">Now, </a><a id="aptureLink_hI9e3Xrr2y" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743201140?tag=apture-20">Discover Your Strengths</a>  :  This is a book by Marcus Buckingham that further influenced the aforementioned thoughts I shared about strengths and weaknesses.  It fully describes 34 positive personality themes the two have formulated (such as Achiever, Developer, Learner, and Maximizer) and explains how to build a &#8220;strengths-based organization&#8221; by capitalizing on the fact that such traits are already present among those within it.</h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3>Personality Test</h3>
<ul>
<li>
<h3><a id="aptureLink_6WUsC4VGQC" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018E5AJS?tag=heatha-20">Birkman Method</a> :  The Birkman Method® is not simply a personality assessment. Instead, it is a powerful tool to gain critical answers to how we lead, learn, think, decide and relate to othersThe Birkman® creates a four-dimensional portrait of individuals and team members within organizations by outlining their interests and goals, operating styles, motivational needs and behavior under stress, all of which are factors that impact individual, team and organization-wide productivity.</h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3><a id="aptureLink_81NDTa17v2" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014026941X?tag=heatha-20">Myers-Brigg</a>:  The <strong>Myers-Brigg Type Indicator</strong> (MBTI) assessment is a psychometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions</h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3><a id="aptureLink_7BGTPO4J7N" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743273265?tag=heatha-20">Emotional Intelligence Test</a> :  <strong>Emotional Intelligence</strong> (<strong>EI</strong>) describes the ability, capacity, skill or, in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability, to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of one&#8217;s self, of others, and of groups.  Different models have been proposed for the definition of EI and disagreement exists as to how the term should be used. Despite these disagreements, which are often highly technical, the ability EI and trait EI models (but not the mixed models) enjoy support in the literature and have successful applications in different domains.</h3>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<h3>Informal Survey of Peers: Find 10 people that you trust who know you well enough to answer the question and ask them to identify 2-3 strengths that are your best attributes and 2-3 things you can improve to be more successful.  Don&#8217;t forget to include yourself, you know what comes easy to you and is difficult for others.  And you also know the things you don&#8217;t do well or procrastinate to do &#8211; areas you can improve.</h3>
</li>
</ol>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">After you’ve gone through one of the methods to discover your strengths, think about the things you like that leverage this strength or think about the things you’d do for free if you were financially independent.  For example, if your strengths are that you are good at helping others see the big picture or if you’ve been told that you are inspirational and you like to talk – maybe you should consider teaching or writing a book and getting on the speaking circuit.  The point is that you have to find, create or develop the natural alignment between your opportunities and your strengths.  Once you get a handle on this component of the convergence you need to understand how technology is influencing the space you want to conquer.</h3>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Technology is the Competition</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a id="aptureLink_8kSkY9cGsz" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; cssfloat: left;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/techbirmingham/76169852/"><img style="border: 0px;" title="&quot;Technology&quot; -- A gift that keeps on giving" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/41/76169852_f8de484fb8.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a></p>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">I once told a very successful sales consultant of an enterprise-sized business services company, “Your biggest competition in the next 3 – 5 years will be technology”.  Given my age, his lack of knowledge about me and his level of success, he totally dismissed the perspective.  Sure enough, 6 years later, internal (back-office) and external (customer facing) technology have become the dominant focus of the company’s growth path.  Unfortunately, the work to turn their ship around didn&#8217;t start 6 years ago.  The point isn’t that I was right, the real issue is that you MUST assess and anticipate the trends of the external environment and build them into your long-range plan.  If you just focus on profiting this year, you’ll find yourself losing market share or for a startup, never gaining traction.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">So, I say to you today – based on the trends occurring in every industry across the globe, if you don’t assess and anticipate how technology is changing or shaping the industry you choose to operate within, your competitor will.  And when that happens, you won’t be competing against the company, you’ll be competing against his technology.  Why? Because the competitor&#8217;s technology will be systematic, scalable and provide the business with operating leverage which enables reduced operating costs and more competitive pricing to the customer, while still achieving highly profitable margins, thus killing your business – regardless of your domain expertise.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">I recently had an opportunity to assess a transactional business services industry where the two dominant players have controlled the industry for decades.  Within the past 10 years, the advent of technology has revolutionized this industry, allowing hundreds of startups to essentially change the operational paradigm of the industry.  By leveraging technology, the new players were able to lower their operating cost by 50-80% thus, allowing them to reduce their price by 20-30% and still enjoy profit margins at 20-30% above the industry average.  These businesses have created a unique niche within highly competitive environment, where they are competing in a way that makes the competition irrelevant.  How did these startups create a blue ocean in their industry and how do you find a blue ocean within your industry?  YOU must first understand the flat world, best outlined by Thomas Friedman in his 21st century manifest, The World is Flat. </h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">After gaining an understanding of the flat world, the best-selling strategy book, <a id="aptureLink_DqNxgjXoMA" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591396190?tag=heatha-20">Blue Ocean Strategy</a>  can help you work through practical methods and exercises that enable implementation of true impact-riveting strategy to take your business to the next level.  The aim of Blue Ocean Strategy is not to out-perform the competition in the existing industry, but to create new market space or a blue ocean, thereby making the competition irrelevant.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">You might be saying to me, look – all I want to do is open a McDonald’s franchise or start a tutoring business, why do I need all of this stuff.  Well, did you know that there are some fast-food franchises out there that have someone in India or China taking the orders for $8/day as opposed to $8 an hour!  If you were the franchise owner, wouldn’t you at least want to know what’s out there?  For the tutoring startup, did you know that the fastest growing education service in the world is online tutoring, where the student is in the US and the tutor isn’t, he/she is in China/India and has mastered the English language (so there’s little to no dialect issue).  The point isn’t that these businesses won’t be successful unless they adopt the aforementioned practices, it’s that you need to do the research to figure out how you’ll compete against them, thus where is your blue ocean.</h3>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Join the Conversation</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a id="aptureLink_xYVGbDEVeU" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; cssfloat: left;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/damienbasile/3629544077/"><img style="border: 0px;" title="Social Media Process v. 1.0" src="http://static.flickr.com/3375/3629544077_77d44bcbd8.jpg" alt="" width="485" height="375" /></a></p>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Last, but definitely not least, you need to engage what will become the most important shift in marketing within the last 100 years – Social Media.  I say “will become” only because the naysayers, the pundits and the traditional media kings want you to believe social media is a fad, so I guess you can say they are from Missouri – History will have to show them!</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Social media enables the kind of 1-to-1 marketing that was the only way to do business 100 years ago, but this time around the 1-to-1 relationship can be global.  Now you can connect to anyone in the world in a scalable, systematic and effective way.  For a marketer, it’s about as close to the Holy Grail as you can get.  Social media has ushered us in to the trust economy, where you do business with the people you trust.  So how do you build trust?  You have to join the conversation!  How?  Let me count the ways:</h3>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>
<h3>Join <a id="aptureLink_iAeaEBcO9h" href="http://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</a> : the premier professional network.  Go to the Q&amp;A and engage by answering questions that fit your domain expertise.</h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3>Join <a id="aptureLink_W5A8e6KxuO" href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a> : the ultimate social network.  At a minimum, Facebook will allow you to keep up with what’s going on out there.</h3>
</li>
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<h3>Join <a id="aptureLink_gCeNPS52Ui" href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter</a> : the status update network.  Learn how Dell earned $3mm in revenue.</h3>
</li>
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<h3>Join your local and national industry trade association:  By engaging in the previous three opportunities, you are on path to gain rock star status within your industry.</h3>
</li>
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<h3><a id="aptureLink_Jerrx8nOe2" href="http://wordpress.com/">Start a blog</a> :  This path can lead to a great deal of trust building because your “fans” can build a direct path to listen to what you have to say.  If done properly, it is not unrealistic for you to carve out a niche within your space within 18-24 months.  Be persistent, consistent and relevant with your post.</h3>
</li>
</ol>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">I could give you the top 20 things to do, but then you wouldn’t do anything.  Once you conquer these, you can find the others on your own.  The key is to leverage these channels in an offline and online manner to create a voice – a voice that people learn to trust, engage and look to for advice, direction and perspective. </h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">You&#8217;ve probably heard of <a id="aptureLink_WAnfqLlRgp" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471716766?tag=heatha-20">multi-level marketing</a> and you probably have a negative connotation of the pratice.  The reality is that if you allow currency to equal trust, when you layer your business model on top of successful social media you essentially build a multi-level marketing network, referred to as your social network.  In this case, you aren’t selling products to your down-line (social network), you are providing them with value (your perspective) and receiving trust (the currency) in return.  As the trust builds, your network builds and when someone within the network needs something that you can provide, you’ll be in the right place, at the right time with the right level of influence to satisfy their need.  YOU didn’t sell anything.  In the world of social networking, your product or service is irrelevant, you’re in the trust-building business!</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Now YOU understand how to conquer the convergence of your domain expertise, technology and social media to benefit whatever business opportunity you choose to pursue.  Good Luck and stay connected.  I hope you&#8217;ve enjoyed this 10 part-series on 2010 business opportunities and that you&#8217;ve been able to extract value from my perspectives.  I am looking forward to a great 2010 for me and for YOU!  Enjoy!</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">If you missed the other nine opportunities, here they are: <a href="http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/ten-2010-business-opportunities-for-christmas/">Ten – Entertainment</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/franchises-2010-business-opportunity-9/">Nine – Franchises</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/home-schooling-2010-business-opportunity-8/">Eight – Home Schooling</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/digital-signage-2010-business-opportunity-7/">Seven – Digital Signage</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/baby-boomers-2010-business-opportunity-6/">Six – Baby Boomers</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/business-process-improvement-2010-business-opportunity-5/">Five &#8211; Business Process Improvement</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/international-trade-the-panama-canal-expansion-2010-business-opportunity-4/">Four &#8211; International Trade</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/the-power-of-green-2010-business-opportunty-3/">Three – The Power of Green</a> and <a href="http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/texas-2010-business-opportunity-2/">Two &#8211; Texas</a>.</h3>
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		<title>Texas: 2010 Business Opportunity #2</title>
		<link>http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/texas-2010-business-opportunity-2/</link>
		<comments>http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/texas-2010-business-opportunity-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:03:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heath</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Get It Factor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Austin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dallas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[El Paso]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fort Worth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Houston]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[San Antonio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[start up]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Texas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Texas Brags]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathanthony.org/?p=443</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
As a native New Orleanian, I know what a warm, friendly city feels like and can see the stark contrast when I visit beautiful, but cold-shoulder transient cities like Atlanta, LA or New York.  I’ve been living in Texas for almost 10 years and as weird as it feels to write this, there is this [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3 style="text-align: left;"><a id="aptureLink_t4jDaEkFaD" style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; display: block; padding-top: 0px;" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3164/2651594793_56739efb38.jpg"><img style="border: 0px;" title="Texas Flag" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3164/2651594793_56739efb38.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="309" /></a></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">As a native New Orleanian, I know what a warm, friendly city feels like and can see the stark contrast when I visit beautiful, but cold-shoulder transient cities like Atlanta, LA or New York.  I’ve been living in Texas for almost 10 years and as weird as it feels to write this, there is this undeniable attraction about the entire state of Texas.  And I am not the only one who seems to think so. Texas boasts <a href="http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763098.html">3 top 10 cities and 5 top 20 cities</a> (with El Paso sitting at #21, Texas would have 6 cities in the top 20 if you consider that Dallas and Fort Worth are one in the same), with the population growth of the state growing faster than any other state in the union.  So What?  Let’s peel the onion back and figure out if you were going to start a business tomorrow, why should you do it in the secessionist state. </h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">If you haven’t read my top 8 opportunities, this would be a good time to review.  There will be a test later! (<a href="http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/ten-2010-business-opportunities-for-christmas/">Ten – Entertainment</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/franchises-2010-business-opportunity-9/">Nine – Franchises</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/home-schooling-2010-business-opportunity-8/">Eight – Home Schooling</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/digital-signage-2010-business-opportunity-7/">Seven – Digital Signage</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/baby-boomers-2010-business-opportunity-6/">Six – Baby Boomers</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/business-process-improvement-2010-business-opportunity-5/">Five &#8211; Business Process Improvement</a>, <a href="http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/international-trade-the-panama-canal-expansion-2010-business-opportunity-4/">Four &#8211; International Trade</a> and <a href="http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/the-power-of-green-2010-business-opportunty-3/">Three – The Power of Green</a>)</h3>
<p><span id="more-443"></span></p>
<h2>Kicking Butt &amp; Taking Names</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">According to Entrepreneur magazine, the “Texaplex” cities &#8211; Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Fort Worth, are in one of the top 3 spots, if not all three top spots of most of the economic rankings for 2009.  Consider this:</h3>
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<h3>The Brookings Institution’s top 10 strongest US metro areas: <a href="(http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/12579/)">Texas cities took five of the ten spots </a></h3>
</li>
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<h3>The Wall Street Journal’s top Youth Magnet cities: <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703787204574442912720525316.html">Austin and Dallas made the list</a></h3>
</li>
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<h3>Best relocation destination (career and business):  <a href="(http://www.texaswideopenforbusiness.com/news/Video-CNBC-Texas-is-the-1-State-for-Business.html)">Texas cities dominated the list </a></h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3>Best home-building markets: <a href="(http://www.texaswideopenforbusiness.com/news/Texas-wins-the-Silver-Shovel-Award-for-Success-in-Job-Creation-and-Positive-Economic-Impact.html)">Texas cities made the cut  </a></h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3>Best job-creation cities: <a href="(http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/13234/ ) Entrepreneur Magazine’s Best Cities for Small Business: Austin made the cut">Texas cities were at the top  </a></h3>
</li>
</ul>
<h2>The Perfect Storm</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">So maybe acknowledgements from some of the nation’s most credible sources isn’t enough, let’s get a better understanding of what helps Texas to brag about their budget surplus and what has allowed the region to weather the recession better than most major cities:</h3>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>
<h3>Great for Families: Why are families from California heading east &#8211; selling their $1mm 1500 square foot homes and moving to Texas?  The cost of living is amongst the lowest of the top 5 most populated states, state income tax is zero and the higher property tax is off-set by the size and quality of the asset, so it’s worth it! </h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3>Diversification: Not only does Texas claim to be the energy capital, but it also has the #1 cancer research center in the world.  What does that mean?  Well, this little concept called convergence is allowing Texas to leverage its medical research, technological innovation and engineering infrastructure to be a major player in the 21st century life sciences movement.  Austin has turned into one of the top music cities in the country, with the Annual SXSW music/technology festival becoming one of the hottest tickets to kick off spring.  Dallas has rebounded from the telecommunications downfall to become a major transportation hub for East Asian goods moving through California to the mid-west and east coast. And San Antonio is one of the fastest growing large cities in the country.</h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3>Business Environment: Texas is home to approximately 10% of the Fortune 500, more than any other state in the union.  According to Entrepreneur, Texas companies accounted for 59% of all new jobs created in the US in 2008 and it’s 2009 unemployment was below the nation’s average.  Texas is Bush Country and with it comes a low-tax, pro-business climate that encourages investment, innovation and yes, it disproportionately rewards the wealthy.  Think what you might – it’s working for Texas.</h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Promotes Entrepreneurship: From Dallas to Austin through San Antonio to Houston, all of Texas’ major universities boast highly competitive business training grounds that encourage entrepreneurs to Get Started!  While the McCombs School of Business at UT has a long history of producing success, it’s Houston’s one-two punch of the University of Houston’s undergraduate program and the Jones School of Management at Rice University that are kicking butt and taking names.  In 2009 UH’s Entrepreneurship program was recognized as a top program in the country and the Jones School is ranked amongst the top 5 in the country.  The Jones School also hosts the largest and richest business plan competition in the country each year, with over 40 teams from all parts of the world competing for the winning prize of over $300k in cash and prizes.  Now that’s startup funding!</h3>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"> </h3>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">So What?</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Still not convinced?  “So What?”, you still say?  Why is Texas a business opportunity?  <a href="http://governor.state.tx.us/texas_brags/">See what Texas has to say!</a></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">At the beginning, I suggested reviewing my previous opportunities because, Texas is ripe for all of them.  Due the growing population and continued building in a place where land is overly abundant, opportunities to build busiensses in areas that don&#8217;t exist yet are many!  If I were starting a company tomorrow, and I were looking out at the 5 year to 10 year trends to decide where to focus, Texas is a breeding ground for success. </h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">A pro-business, entrepreneurship supportive, F500 rich prospect base with deep tier 1 and 2 vendors, place to raise a family is what you’ll find in Texas.  From there, it’s up to you to figure out which of the major cities best fits your style.  If you like LA, Dallas is for you and if you like Chicago, Houston is the place to be.  But if you like New Orleans, Austin is the healthier version, with a proud character that provides the same down home feeling.  As the migrants say in Texas, I wasn’t born here, but I got here as fast as I could!  Until next time…</h3>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Home Schooling: 2010 Business Opportunity #8</title>
		<link>http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/home-schooling-2010-business-opportunity-8/</link>
		<comments>http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/home-schooling-2010-business-opportunity-8/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:28:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heath</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Flat World Effect]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Get It Factor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Franchises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Outliers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Outsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[start up]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Art of the Start]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathanthony.org/?p=349</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Did you know you could outsource the implementation of your decision to home school?  I knew education had become big business, but I primarily associated that big business with higher education or adult education – a la, University of Phoenix (UP), the godfather of online college degrees.  Since UP came on the scene, over 2500 traditional [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Did you know you could outsource the implementation of your decision to home school?<a id="aptureLink_lZ52fyv5aM" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; cssfloat: left;" href="http://www.wingsofparadise.com/admin/sources/editor/assets/homeSchool.jpg"><img style="border: 0px;" title="BugQuest PD DAY CAMPS Little ... " src="http://www.wingsofparadise.com/admin/sources/editor/assets/homeSchool.jpg" alt="" width="336" height="272" /></a>  I knew education had become big business, but I primarily associated that big business with higher education or adult education – a la, University of Phoenix (UP), the godfather of online college degrees.  Since UP came on the scene, over 2500 traditional colleges and universities have joined them in leveraging technology to offer higher education programs, taking the total non-traditional educational programs to over 5000 accredited and non-accredited schools that help men and women achieve their educational requirements, desires and dreams.</h3>
<h3 style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">The remote and non-traditional education model has been so successful that within the past 36 months, a non-traditional model for elementary and secondary level education has become extremely popular.  <span id="more-349"></span>I recently helped a client leverage technology to support their client’s growth and expansion of offices (I guess schools in this case).  The company provides home schooling programs in target profile areas, where the teachers go to the kids’ house to help the home schooling parent layout the program (lesson plan) and provides weekly and/or frequent checks to ensure the process is going well and to audit/test the kids’ progress.  The teacher can use the local office as a meeting place and parents can bring their kids to the facility for group activity (play dates).  </h3>
<h3 style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Yes, I know the concept is not new.   I am aware that any group of parents can get together and organize this infrastructure; however, not many of them are making a multi-million dollar business out of it – a la UP.  Here’s the reality…this is an opportunity because in the complex, busy world we live in, we Americans are outsourcing everything to make life easier or more simple.  How many of you have a house keeper/helper/person?  Do you outsource the tutoring for kids, household repairs or cooking? How many of you still cut your own grass?  Some of you may have even paid someone to put up your Christmas lights cause you were so busy….and I ain’t mad at you!</h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Home School Opportunity</span></h3>
<h3 style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Over the past 10 years thousands of parents in the United States have made a decision to remove their children from the public school system in favor of home schooling their children.  The fact that parents want to home school doesn’t mean that they will be the best teacher.  The increasing trend combined with the question of who does the teaching creates a fantastic opportunity for an individual with a teaching or education background to start a new consulting business that assists parents in establishing a home-schooling educational program for their children.  According to Entrepreneur Magazine, “The home-schooling programs can be designed to specifically meet the educational needs of children at various stages of development and age, as well as feature subject testing, suggested educational field trips, and recreational and social interaction activities. The business can focus on developing and marketing home-schooling programs for children and parents. Or, the business can focus on in-home consulting on a one-on-one basis with parents to specially design a home-schooling program for their individual children.” </h3>
<h3> </h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Who’s Doing This?</span></h3>
<h3>1. <a href="http://www.zionacademy.com/index.html?gclid=CN2z_ryI454CFQLxDAodSx-TMA">Zion Academy</a>:  Looks like they’ve been at this quite a while…20 years! </h3>
<h3>2.<a href="http://www.k12.com"> K12</a>: Primarily in Texas and growing like CRAZY!</h3>
<h3>3. <a href="http://www.firstclasshomeschool.org/pages/">First Class Home School Ministries</a>: Marketed as a Co-op  </h3>
<h3> </h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Is This For Me?</span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">I don’t know…What I know for sure is this: While home schooling and even structured, multi-location home schooling has been around for a long time, the current trends associated with this  industry suggest it’s on the ground floor.  Current Trends (home schooling, families outsourcing, success w/non-traditional education at the higher education level and technology ease of use) </h3>
<ul>
<li>
<h3>If you are a business person or desiring entrepreneur, this could be for you.</h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3>If you are looking for a different kind of franchise opportunity, this could be for you.</h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3>If you are a teacher and looking for something different, the consulting option could be for you.</h3>
</li>
</ul>
<h3> </h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;">How Do I Get Started?</span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">This type of unique consulting service is best marketed directly to parents who are presently home schooling their children or who are considering it in the near future.  The best way to gain access to this market is to join home-schooling associations and utilize the associations&#8217; memberships or roster lists as a basis for a direct mail campaign for your home-schooling consulting business. The following are two such home schooling associations:</h3>
<h3>United States National Home Schooling Association<br />
P.O. Box 327 Webster, New York 14580<br />
Telephone:               513-772-9580         513-772-9580<br />
Web site: <a href="http://www.n-h-a.org">www.n-h-a.org</a></h3>
<h3>Canada The Association of Canadian Homebased Education<br />
P.O. Box 34148, RPO Fort Richmond Winnipeg, MB R3T 5T5<br />
Telephone:               815-366-5342         815-366-5342<br />
E-mail: <a href="mailto:homeschool-ca-admin@flore">homeschool-ca-admin@flore</a>.</h3>
<h3>If you get this going, ping me, I may decide to outsource the education of my kids!!!  Opportunity #7 is coming soon!  If you missed Opportunities <a href="http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/ten-2010-business-opportunities-for-christmas/">#10</a> and <a href="http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/franchises-2010-business-opportunity-9/">#9</a>, be sure to go back and review&#8230;it may be the game breaking info you need!</h3>
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		<title>Franchises: 2010 Business Opportunity #9</title>
		<link>http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/franchises-2010-business-opportunity-9/</link>
		<comments>http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/franchises-2010-business-opportunity-9/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Dec 2009 07:40:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heath</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Abstract Perspectives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Get It Factor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Franchise System]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Franchises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ROI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[start up]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Art of the Start]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathanthony.org/?p=322</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Go into business for yourself, but not by yourself!  That&#8217;s the basic MO of the Franchise Industry.  According to the International Franchise Association,  (IFA) there are almost 1 million franchised small businesses in the country and they&#8217;ve generated more jobs between 2001 and 2005 than several of the nations major economic sectors.  This option is a great entry [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><strong></strong><a id="aptureLink_pta9awnPnN" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; cssfloat: left;" href="http://franchisetalk.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/franchise-business-opportunity.jpg"><img style="border: 0px;" title="franchise business opportunity jpg" src="http://franchisetalk.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/franchise-business-opportunity.jpg" alt="" width="258" height="161" /></a>Go into business for yourself, but not by yourself!</strong>  That&#8217;s the basic MO of the Franchise Industry.  According to the International Franchise Association,  (IFA) there are almost 1 million franchised small businesses in the country and they&#8217;ve generated more jobs between 2001 and 2005 than several of the nations major economic sectors.  This option is a great entry level route to fulfill your entrepreneurship dreams. For the right personality type, franchising represents an awesome opportunity to earn an income and increase your net worth, but it won&#8217;t come easy. </p>
<p>What do you need to know before buying a franchise?  You need a SHERPA.  Someone to guide you through the maze and help you navigate the tough terrain of &#8216;the devil in the details&#8217;.   <a id="aptureLink_jgwwlK8c9P" href="http://www.franchise.org/">IFA provides a guide</a>  that outlines the following research requirements to buying a franchise:<span id="more-322"></span></p>
<p><strong><strong></strong><a id="aptureLink_pnfmrCmX4i" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; cssfloat: right;" href="http://apture.s3.amazonaws.com/00000125a43788134d428a00007f000000000001.Top%2010.png"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" title="Top 10" src="http://apture.s3.amazonaws.com/00000125a43788134d428a00007f000000000001.Top%2010.png" alt="" width="242" height="442" /></a>Pre-Work for Buying a Franchise</strong></p>
<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.franchise.org/franchiseesecondary.aspx?amp;langtype=1033&amp;id=10002">Understand the Benefits &amp; Responsibilities of Franchise Ownership</a></li>
<li>Know your situation before you select: Your assets, your credit, your skills &amp; your goals</li>
<li>Selecting a Franchise: Assess demand, competition, growth and franchisor support</li>
<li>Finding the right opportunity: Go to <a href="http://www.franchise.org/convention.aspx">Franchise Expositons</a> or Use a <a href="http://www.franchise.org/franchiseesecondary.aspx?id=3192">Broker</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.franchise.org/faq.aspx">Investigate before you Invest</a>: Research the Franchisor, Get an Attorney and an Accountant</li>
</ol>
<p> <a id="aptureLink_N2WFReuzSN" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; cssfloat: right;" href="http://apture.s3.amazonaws.com/00000125a435d3159f7c80af007f000000000001.Top%2010.png"></a></p>
<p><strong><strong></strong><a id="aptureLink_ujRwgTW5KJ" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; cssfloat: right;" href="http://apture.s3.amazonaws.com/00000125a434a64e2139b30d007f000000000001.Top%2010.png"></a>Not sure if you are cut-out for Franchising, here are a couple of self-test:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://canada.franchiseopportunities.com/selftest.asp">Success Probability</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.franchise.org/FranchiseeSecondary.aspx?id=10010">Is Franchising Right for You</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/buyingafranchise/franchisecolumnistjeffelgin/article50588.html">Is the ROI Enough for You</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>3 &#8221;Up &amp; Coming&#8221; Franchise Opportunities to Consider</strong></p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Healthy Fast Food:</strong> <a href="http://living.health.com/2009/02/19/americas-healthiest-fast-food-restaurants/">America’s Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants</a></li>
<li><strong>Tax Services: </strong><a href="http://www.consumersearch.com/tax-preparation-services">Consumer Reports Best Tax Preparation Service</a> (Get Full Report)</li>
<li><strong>Consignment/Resale Stores:<a href="http://www.platoscloset.com/own.html"> </a></strong><a href="http://www.platoscloset.com/own.html">Plato&#8217;s Closet</a></li>
</ol>
<p> </p>
<p>For more franchise opportunities, search the <a href="http://www.franchise.org/SearchFranchise.aspx">IFA database</a>.    Get <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2010/january/204364.html">more information </a>on Entrepreneur Magazine&#8217;s Ultra Low Franchise opportunities!</p>
<p><strong>Good Luck, and remember if you fail to plan, you plan to fail!   If you missed </strong><a href="http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/ten-2010-business-opportunities-for-christmas/"><strong>opportunity#10</strong></a><strong>, find out if Louisiana&#8217;s Entertainment Industry is for you.</strong> <strong> Stay tuned for opportunity #8</strong>                          </p>
<p>-hb</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Ten 2010 Business Opportunities for the New Year</title>
		<link>http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/ten-2010-business-opportunities-for-christmas/</link>
		<comments>http://heathanthony.org/flat-world-effect/ten-2010-business-opportunities-for-christmas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:07:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heath</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Flat World Effect]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Get It Factor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ashton Kutcher]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entertainment Industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[film tax credits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new idea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seed capital]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[start up]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Art of the Start]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathanthony.org/?p=278</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As I prepare for the holiday season, I again find myself committed to my annual planning routine.  Each October I start the evaluation process of assessing how I have executed on my goals and objectives for the year and predicting where I&#8217;ll land by the end of the year.  By Thanksgiving, I have usually also [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><a id="aptureLink_xUTPCCtscg" style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; display: block; padding-top: 0px;" href="http://www.louisianaentertainment.gov/film/content/NightShootGuardian1.jpg"></a><a id="aptureLink_s31kuOiWcK" style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; display: block; padding-top: 0px;" href="http://res.sys-con.com/story/oct09/1137365/social-video-media-226.jpg"></a><a id="aptureLink_A4mKgL4vxv" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; cssfloat: left;" href="http://www.goodfinancialcents.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/2010-roth-ira-conversion-rules-limits.jpg"><img style="border: 0px;" title="2010-roth-ira-conversion ... " src="http://www.goodfinancialcents.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/2010-roth-ira-conversion-rules-limits.jpg" alt="" width="390" height="325" /></a>As I prepare for the holiday season, I again find myself committed to my annual planning routine.  Each October I start the evaluation process of assessing how I have executed on my goals and objectives for the year and predicting where I&#8217;ll land by the end of the year.  By Thanksgiving, I have usually also assessed how the external environment around me has changed and what my goals and objectives should be for the coming year.  This is a great process for me and if you&#8217;re not a planner &#8211; something like it can definitely help drive results.  But here&#8217;s the rub&#8230;.with each passing year, I find myself with too many opportunities.  While some might say that&#8217;s a great problem to have, it&#8217;s extremely painful to let a really great business opportunity go by the wayside.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">So now that I am <span style="text-decoration: underline;">trying</span>to use this blog as my contribution to the entrepreneurial community, this Christmas I am going to offer 10 compelling business ideas that could make you some &#8216;Mad Money&#8217;! (a la Cramer for the CNBC fans).  Hopefully you&#8217;re not looking for the 12 step program to make a million and retire tomorrow&#8230;.that&#8217;s in my back yard on my money tree!  I&#8217;ll tell you the general opportunity, provide perspective about why it&#8217;s a good concept, and suggest how to approach  it and where to locate more resources.    The entrepreneur in you must carve out the exact business &#8211; that&#8217;s the fun part, this merely puts you on an opportunistic path.  Unfortunately, you can&#8217;t have them all at once&#8230;; but I do want you to follow me, you never know when something might resonate. </p>
<p>In no particular order (although I am saving the best for last), <strong>Opportunity#10: The Entertainment Industry.</strong>  DID YOU KNOW LOUISIANA IS THE #3 FILM-MAKING DESTINATION IN THE COUNTRY?  BELIEVE IT!</p>
<p><span id="more-278"></span></p>
<p>To take advantage of Louisiana&#8217;s status here are three components that present a great opportunity when combined and may offer something of interest to the true entrepreneurs:</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a id="aptureLink_fYja5buQWI" style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; display: block; padding-top: 0px;" href="http://www.louisianaentertainment.gov/film/content/NightShootGuardian1.jpg"><img style="border: 0px;" title="The Robert E. Nims Center ... " src="http://www.louisianaentertainment.gov/film/content/NightShootGuardian1.jpg" alt="" width="382" height="233" /></a><strong>Component 1<span> </span></strong></span><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>New Infrastructure &amp; Tax Credits.</strong>  According to a LA state agency I follow,  &#8220;A recently announced $3 million federal grant will be paired with state funding to expand the region&#8217;s sole full service film production facility.   The new federal grant will be combined with a $1.5 million grant from the State of Louisiana to further develop the <a id="aptureLink_dnECAc1R6W" href="http://www.nimscenter.com/">Nims Center Studios for Entertainment Arts</a>  in Jefferson Parish.   The money will be used to build a 10,000-square-foot sound stage and an additional office building at the facility.  The expansion of the Nims Center will allow the region to capitalize on Louisiana&#8217;s successful film tax incentives program that has put the state on the cutting edge of film production. The Nims Center has become a hub of film production and economic activity in the region, providing studio space for major films, television commercials, and music videos.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Louisiana is now the number three film-making destination in the country, behind only Hollywood and New York,&#8221; says GNO, Inc. President and CEO Michael Hecht, &#8220;and the Nims Center is one of the main reasons why. While the rest of the country is retrenching, Greater New Orleans continues to expand its production capacity, positioning our region to be a major film force in the future.  The design and construction phase of the Nims Center expansion should provide an additional immediate boost to the region&#8217;s economy. The <a id="aptureLink_gVdSNQRDJl" href="http://business.uno.edu/dber/">Division of Economic Research at the University of New Orleans</a>  reports that the infrastructure project will generate 400 new jobs and $132 million in private investment.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a id="aptureLink_B72cDCNede" style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; display: block; padding-top: 0px;" href="http://res.sys-con.com/story/oct09/1137365/social-video-media-226.jpg"><img style="border: 0px;" title="Social Media Chatter for ... " src="http://res.sys-con.com/story/oct09/1137365/social-video-media-226.jpg" alt="" width="326" height="203" /></a><strong>Component 2<span> </span></strong></span><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Innovation with a new approach.</strong>  So we are all on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc&#8230;but how do you combine these social tools with the ability to make money?   Go get the December/January issue of <em><a id="aptureLink_RXNWdI7nZZ" href="http://www.fastcompany.com/"><em>Fast Company</em> </a> </em>magazine.   You know that <em>Punk&#8217;d </em>guy &#8211; Ashton Kuther, the one married to the cougar; well, he may be on to something.  He&#8217;s using his film and media production business to add social media  components to traditional projects for brands making commercials and film companies making movies.  His company is called <a href="http://www.katalystmedia.com" target="_blank">Katalyst Media </a>and you can get more info on what their doing at the website (but don&#8217;t forget to get the magazine &#8211; they put a different spin on it).</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a id="aptureLink_giBmHULZO3" style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; display: block; padding-top: 0px;" href="http://www.waynoscatering.com/images/left_film3.jpg"><img style="border: 0px;" title=" ... the Entertainment Industry" src="http://www.waynoscatering.com/images/left_film3.jpg" alt="" width="353" height="239" /></a><strong>Component 3<span> </span></strong></span><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>The beginning of a new frontier.</strong>  What are the DIRECT &amp; INDIRECT service businesses that will be created with this expansion?  Whether you are in business now and want to expand or you simply have the desire to own your own business, this could be an opportunity.  If you are currntly in the film business or desire to be in the business, there might be opportunities within the expansion.  That franchise idea you have&#8230;.looks like there might be a lot more people in the area or at the very least there may be real estate available for a new location for something different in the new building.  Reach out to the University of New Orleans&#8217; Division of Economic Research for more information (BTW&#8230;proud alum here!!!).</p>
<p>Hollywood and New York have made the entertainment industry a significant part of their city&#8217;s economic engine and it took a lot of time to get there.  Although New Orleans didn&#8217;t start the film business yesterday, we are still babies compared to Hollywood and New York.  Find your niche,  there are still a lot of opportunities to take advantage of in the metro New Orleans area.  I haven&#8217;t done the research, but if I did a thorough assessment of the top 25 businesses that service any film, commercial or video project, we&#8217;d find several opportunities in New Orleans.  <a href="http://http://www.business.com/directory/media_and_entertainment/film/">Click here </a>to get a start on your research.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that when you combine new infrastructure with innovation on a new frontier the sky is the limit.  Enjoy!   If the entertainment industry isn&#8217;t your thing&#8230;stay tuned, opportunity #9 is coming soon!</p>
<p>-Heath</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Buckle Your Seatbelt and Take the Ride of Your Life</title>
		<link>http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/buckle-your-seatbelt-and-take-the-ride-of-your-life/</link>
		<comments>http://heathanthony.org/get-it-factor/buckle-your-seatbelt-and-take-the-ride-of-your-life/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:08:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heath</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Get It Factor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bootcamp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[linked-in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mentors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seed capital]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[start up]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://eydahz.com/enable/buckle-your-seatbelt-and-take-the-ride-of-your-life/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Entrepreneurs are you ready?  Or as Cramer would say, &#8220;Are you ready skee-daddy?&#8221;.  I was recently sent the following question by a friend in my linked-in network (first level &#8211; I do know him!):
&#8220;Do you know any entrepreneurs who could use $20k in cash, $20k in free stuff and 20 mentors for their startup?&#8221;
As it [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a id="aptureLink_J8yogpY1gT" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneur">Entrepreneurs</a> are you ready?  Or as <a id="aptureLink_NjAhnfeVQU" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim%20Cramer">Cramer</a> would say, &#8220;Are you ready skee-daddy?&#8221;.  I was recently sent the following question by a friend in my linked-in network (first level &#8211; I do know him!):</p>
<p>&#8220;Do you know any entrepreneurs who could use $20k in cash, $20k in free stuff and 20 mentors for their startup?&#8221;</p>
<p>As it turns out, he and his partners are looking to help 10 entrepreneurs launch their <a id="aptureLink_LBGHRufD1V" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koZdr5UGQkQ">startup in bootcamp </a>mode.<span id="more-133"></span></p>
<p>Here is the rest of his post to me:</p>
<p>&#8220;I am a mentor and investor in Capital Factory, a new seed capital and mentorship program in Austin. We&#8217;re choosing 3 startups to spend 10 weeks here to build their company. They receive $20k in cash, $20k in free stuff, and 20 successful mentors as investors. The 10 weeks end in August with a Demo Day to potential investors. It&#8217;s the mentor&#8217;s job to ensure they head in the right direction, and introduce them to potential customers and investors.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.eydahz.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcapitalfactory%2Ecom&amp;urlhash=mc-e&amp;_t=mbox_aynm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #003399;">http://capitalfactory.com</span></a></p>
<p>This is an unbeatable opportunity for a technology-based entrepreneur to get an accelerated start, especially in tough times. The reason I&#8217;m emailing you is the deadline of April 3 to apply is fast approaching. I want any entrepreneur in your network to have the opportunity to consider this program.&#8221;</p>
<p><span class="text">If you follow up with capital factory, keep me in the loop on your success!</span></p>
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		<title>Founder&#8217;s Equity: How to Split the Pie</title>
		<link>http://heathanthony.org/triangle-system/founders-equity/</link>
		<comments>http://heathanthony.org/triangle-system/founders-equity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:49:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heath</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Triangle System]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[founders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new idea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[start up]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://eydahz.com/?p=83</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently came across an interesting tool that can help founders of a start-up put logic and science behind the art referred to as their new idea.  Trying to determine how to split the founder&#8217;s equity can be extremely painful for some entrepreneurs, but I would advise that if you have difficulty with the equity [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I recently came across an interesting tool that can help founders of a <a id="aptureLink_lIE4XzmzvB" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startup%20company">start-up</a> put logic and science behind the art referred to as their new idea.  Trying to determine how to split the founder&#8217;s equity can be extremely painful for some entrepreneurs, but I would advise that if you have difficulty with the equity conversation, you&#8217;re going to have bigger problems later.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34427466731@N01/8580051"><img class="alignright" title="flickr live ~ renovated {notes}" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/7/8580051_5354696391_m.jpg" border="0" alt="flickr live ~ renovated {notes}" hspace="5" /></a></p>
<p><a id="aptureLink_FhetCvWpWS" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneur">Entrepreneurs</a>, especially those who are bootstrapped, must make tough choices and participate in difficult conversations if they hope to succeed.  However, it always helps when you can use a model that provides the framework and structure to apply sound logic to that tough conversation.  If you are the one with the idea or if you hold one of the critical keys to success, you don&#8217;t want to blow the deal up before it gets started, but you also don&#8217;t want the deal to be unfair.  This tool gives you the framework to SPEAK NOW, so you don&#8217;t regret not speaking up later&#8230;because when it comes to money, we&#8217;re all sensible and logical right!</p>
<p>Okay, here is the tool: <a title="Founder's Equity Tool" href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p31EKMUDQFEY399vFr6QQag" target="_blank">Founder&#8217;s Equity Tool</a><a class="alignleft" title="Founder's Equity Tool" href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p31EKMUDQFEY399vFr6QQag" target="_blank"></a></p>
<p>The best part about the tool is that it allows the user to account for the different critical components of the business by allocating a  <a id="aptureLink_Z2WVJj3Vhk" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value%20%28economics%29">value</a> to each component (see the first part in the table below).  The next piece of the tool weighs each component through multiple considerations applied to each person&#8217;s involvement to ultimately come up with a value that should be representative of each person&#8217;s equity.  This prevents the founder who came up with the &#8220;original idea&#8221; or the developer who wrote a major piece of the code from trying to take the lion&#8217;s share of the equity.  While I don&#8217;t totally agree with the categories provided in the tool,  it&#8217;s an alternative with a logical approach.  If you don&#8217;t like the default categories you can always just come up with your own.  Enjoy!</p>
<table style="width: 261pt; border-collapse: collapse;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="347">
<colgroup span="1">
<col style="width: 89pt;" span="1" width="119"></col>
<col style="width: 43pt;" span="4" width="57"></col>
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17">
<td class="xl65" style="width: 89pt; height: 12.75pt;" width="119" height="17"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Core Components</span></td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17">
<td class="xl63" style="width: 89pt; height: 12.75pt;" width="119" height="17"> </td>
<td class="xl63" style="width: 172pt;" colspan="4" width="228">Relative Importance (1 to 10)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12pt;" height="16">
<td class="xl67" style="width: 89pt; height: 12pt;" width="119" height="16">Idea</td>
<td class="xl68" style="width: 43pt;" width="57" align="right">2.</td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12pt;" height="16">
<td class="xl67" style="width: 89pt; height: 12pt;" width="119" height="16">Business Plan</td>
<td class="xl68" style="width: 43pt;" width="57" align="right">7.</td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12pt;" height="16">
<td class="xl67" style="width: 89pt; height: 12pt;" width="119" height="16">Domain Expertise</td>
<td class="xl68" style="width: 43pt;" width="57" align="right">6.</td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12pt;" height="16">
<td class="xl67" style="width: 89pt; height: 12pt;" width="119" height="16">Commitment &amp; Risk</td>
<td class="xl68" style="width: 43pt;" width="57" align="right">8.</td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12pt;" height="16">
<td class="xl67" style="width: 89pt; height: 12pt;" width="119" height="16">Responsibilities</td>
<td class="xl68" style="width: 43pt;" width="57" align="right">8.</td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12pt;" height="16">
<td class="xl67" style="width: 89pt; height: 12pt;" width="119" height="16"> </td>
<td class="xl69" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12pt;" height="16">
<td class="xl67" style="width: 89pt; height: 12pt;" width="119" height="16">Total</td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57" align="right">31.</td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12pt;" height="16">
<td class="xl67" style="width: 89pt; height: 12pt;" width="119" height="16"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 43pt;" width="57"> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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