Related Posts

• The Trillion Dollar Opp - It's Bigger than That

  TechCrunch has a great article on the growth of enterprise software featuring a 3 trillion dollar opportunity, but it's bigger than that and there's so much room for small business and start ups. In short, mobile collaboration for your workforce with direct integration to product partners and stakeholders is the only model to develop for, anything else would be a disservice to your client.

  Just five years ago, we wouldn’t have imagined that a farmer or construction worker could be an information worker. But with products like Farmlogs, Planet Labs and Airware in farming and agriculture, and PlanGrid or Skycatch in construction, all new demographics of the workforce are being supported by information technology. And this is just the beginning. As every employee on the planet is enabled by a smartphone, the addressable market for enterprise software grows from about half a billion people to the billions of workers leveraging mobile devices to do their jobs.

  Every job is software-enabled, every industry is digitized. Read more at TechCrunch.com

• Healthy Economic Outlook Ahead

  Time to get back to business. Hope everyone had a great holiday and is ready to work. The two times a year that I take a deeper look at business trends and economic forecasts are at the end of the year and at the end of 2nd quarter. End of the year is more a reflective time for some reason, like after the game. End of 2nd quarter is like taking inventory during half time while there's still time to change the results before year end, mid game.

  No one that runs their own business, or is directly responsible for one, can ever really take their mid off the game. Sure you might go on vacation and spend time with your family, but you just can't help thinking about what you have going on. Sometimes it helps to get disconnected, a fresh perspective, see from a different angle and get some rest, but successful people rarely take their eye off the ball if ever. You love what you do and you know your competition is constantly grinding. So while relaxing, I try to take a closer look at what my competition is doing right and measure what's working for me.

  One of the things I do at these two points is look at the big picture. Reading through economic forecasts for different industries and countries can give you great insight to why your efforts aren't measuring up to predictions or worse, the numbers are climbing up and you have no idea why. According to The World Economic Forum, Forbes and The Balance to name a few, the economic outlook for the US is strong and set for steady growth.

  No matter what business you're in, investing in yourself is never a bad choice. Educate yourself, educate your people and increase the advertising budget. Hope you are off to a great year, game on.

• Tech Camps - A Trend in Education

  
  I stumbled upon the topic of technology camps and had to delve a little further. First the term 'tech camp' reminded me of some of the sweat shops I've worked in, they could be described as a 'camp', but more I found out there are quite a few tech camps catering to all ages, genders and vocations.

  When I think of summer camp, I envision a lake in the mountains where kids roast marsh-mellows, ride canoes, fish and generally relax for a week or two. What's becoming more popular are tech camps for kids ages 6 and up and they're taking classes like programming, audio video engineering, robotics, and app design. I found technology camps not just for kids, but for teachers and executives to tune up with. Instructional design is the way of the new classroom any anyone that's familiar and comfortable with technology is going to be well ahead of the game. (And there's even game development classes.) At the college level there are even more camps to excel or catch up.

  Tech camps aren't a new concept, but are growing. Here's and article by Tony Wan from 2013 with a list of popular kids camps. Camps and programs like these may just spark the genius in your child or expand an executive's insight.

• My COVID-19 Policy - Work Harder

  
  
  By now you have probably gotten an email from every company that you have ever visited on their COVID policy.  No need to rehash washing your hands and social distancing here.  The point that I want to stress is that we are all in this together, locally and globally, and it's going to take all of us to beat this thing.

  I work for the government in my day job, maintaining transmitters along the coast of South Carolina.  The government is just people.  Some very hard working people that perform jobs that in the private sector usually pays much more for the same work.  But, boil it all down, and it's just people helping people.

  In times of crisis's past, like the hurricanes we've had, we didn't get extra pay or bonuses, just a good feeling at the end of the day that we made a difference.  Getting through this is going to be difficult, but not something we can't do.

  There are always two options you have in any situation.  One is to do nothing.  With COVID doing nothing is actually a good thing.  Stay at home and you're not part of the problem.  The second option is to try harder.  I have to credit my father with that one.  He was part of what they now call the greatest generation, but the greatest generation is really yet to come.  We are all products of these generations, we are the hybrids.  Let's try a little harder and figure this out.  Figure out what you can do to help.

  Sure it's scary, we see exactly how fragile our world is.  And, the big brains say it's going to get worse before it gets better, but we will get through it and come out stronger. Helping others is really the name of the game.

  Check on your neighbors, have empathy and employ compassion.  We are all going through a lot.  I want to be able to reflect back at the End of the Plague party and know I had a hand in making the world a better place.  I may not invent a miracle vaccine, but I help keep emergency communications online over here, inspire hope and I lend a helping hand.  I am very grateful for the medical, fast food, grocery workers and everyone involved in all these chains that keeping us moving forward.

  Do your part and work harder. Patience, courtesy and humor go along way, act like you've been somewhere.  Maybe this will spark a spiritual revolution when we finally realize that we are all the same, and that we are all connected.

• Domain Names Why & How

  
  Why domain names are even more valuable today.  This is a copy of an article that was on the FragerFactor.com in 2006.   I've cleaned it and condensed it, still strong and valid points made.
  
  Top 10 Reasons Why Domain Names Are Great Investments
  1. Domain names tell people specifically where to find you on the Internet
  2. A good domain name presents a more professional image and can support and even build your brand in the marketplace.
  3. Domain names are unique – nobody else can own your domain name.
  4. Annual cost is just $12 to renew your domain name.
  5. Domain names can be easily shared with others via word of mouth.
  6. Direct traffic to your domain name costs you nothing.
  7. Search engines rank websites with relevant domain names higher.
  8. Domain names like any business asset can add value to your business at time of sale.
  9. Owning multiple domain names relating to your business can increase traffic and the number of qualified site visitors that you receive.
  10. Owning multiple Domain names blocks competition from entering into your space and increases the value of your business to potential buyers.
  
  How to Qualify a Domain Name
  
  1. Is it easy to spell? I mean EASY! The masses can't spell.
  2. Is it easy to remember?
  3. Will it look good on a billboard or in a commercial?
  4. Will it pass the radio and SIRI tesst?
  5. Is it commercial or social?
  6. Does it mean something just standing alone?
  7. Can the domain go up in value by 100x? by 1000x 10,000x?
  8. Is this a retail price or a wholesale price?
  9. Are the other extensions taken? (get the .com)
  10. Does it get ANY traffic or make ANY income consistently?
  11. Is it a plural when it should be a singular? Or is it a singular when it should be plural?
  12. Will there be mistypes? If you buy a .net without owning the .com, how much traffic will you lose?
  13. If I decide I don't want the domain anymore is it good enough to be liquid?
  14. Are there other related domains that would help or hinder?
  15. Is this the best domain I can find for the money?
  16. Can I use the money in a better way?
  17. Does it add value to your overall portfolio?
  18. Could you open a business around that domain name?
  19. Is the traffic type in or is it coming from any other way?
  20. Could you envision a large company using that domain in a national ad campaign?
  
  Check out these  domain names for sale.

• Flying Vehicles - First US Sky Port in Miami

  I have been talking about flying cars being the wave of the future. What will follow is highrises with parking for personal drones. Looks like Miami will be the first US city with a highrise built for parking personal aircraft at the Paramount World Center. As our population increases along with technology, so will new emerging opportunities for all aspects of this new mode of transportation. The future certainly involves every aspect of flying vehicles, from battery technology, to new condos, supermarket parking and heavy on the construction industry to retool it all. This shift in transportation could be the global industry that boosts the the whole world's economy as every country accommodates it's growing population and employment issues.
  
  Theses are exciting times we are living in. Take a look at the video and article Bob Wiley wrote on the MiamiHerald.com.