Attracting New Customers

 

I recently spoke with Dan Howard, a long-time friend and owner of DJ’s SCUBA Locker in the greater Chicago area. We met during a dive trip to Honduras back in the 1990’s. Dan’s business is thriving to the point he’s been able to leave the corporate world and focus on growing his SCUBA diving business.

While many SCUBA shops have failed in recent years as disposable income has dropped, Dan has focused not only on consumers but municipal entities that need support. He’s now the “go-to” guy in the Chicago area and is expanding his reach geographically. It’s what happens naturally when you are the “go-to” guy.

His competitors are continually grousing that “Dan took away my customers.” Really? Perhaps they gave them away.

Why don’t his competitors look at this appropriately: they couldn’t offer the service and value Dan’s customers wanted. They didn’t listen enough and take action to ensure they were the “go-to” SCUBA service center.

Word of mouth is powerful–I’m certain many are now Dan’s customers because of the strong endorsements he gets.

If you provide great service and a great customer experience, you, too, can be the “go-to” business like Dan and his wife, Cindy.

A Recent Blog Post You Might Enjoy

How To Take Stress Out Of Your Air Travel

Thought for the week:

“Nothing is more tiring than the task that is never started.” – Gretchen Rubin (@gretchenrubin)

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What do you think? I welcome your comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2015 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive! To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Lessons From Billy’s Boston Chowder House

My wife and I only recently learned of a restaurant in Los Gatos when a restaurant closed and our usual waitress told us she was going to work there. Last night, we tried it: Billy’s Boston Chowder House in Los Gatos, California. It’s only 3,283 miles from Boston (as they proudly proclaim)!

We really didn’t know what to expect. It appeared the owner may have come from Boston due to memorabilia on the walls. Frankly, that had me a tad bit concerned as a lot of restaurants in Massachusetts are pretty mediocre: too heavy and so so taste. That can’t be said of Billy’s!

My wife had sand dabs. I had a cup of New England clam chowder and fish and chips–a true test. We were wowed by the food, the service and the owner, Bill Reynolds. This former tech executive opened his restaurant 4 years ago. And, he’s nailed it with incredible attention to detail and superior execution.

Bill is following his new passion with great abandon. He’s got a great team that works seamlessly. You could see his cooks smiling and laughing in a hot kitchen as they carefully prepared their guests meals.

We can’t wait to go back. Billy’s Boston Chowder House is a great testament to the Pine & Gillmore book, The Experience Economy. Great food, great service in an inviting environment.

Your test is to provide great products and services as well as great customer service to make your customers want to come back again and again. How do your customers rate your business?

Thought for the week:

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ‘WHO HOO, what a ride!’” – Sign in store in Pacific Grove, California

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What do you think? I welcome your comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2015 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive! To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Lessons From Undercover Boss

For those of you who may not have seen the show Undercover Boss, the owner works in his/her business in a full disguise attempting to learn more about the how the business works to experience first-hand the challenges the employees face at work and in life. It is always eye-opening. There are lessons for all business owners:

• Too many owners are concerned about growing the business with little regard for the foundation the business is built on: people, process, systems, customer experience, etc. The most recent profit and loss statement doesn’t portend future challenges.

• Businesses take on the personas of the people who work in them. If the business owner doesn’t set and enforce strong expectations, the owner should not be surprised when employees write their own script. People need to be trained and held accountable for meeting standards. Hope is not a strategy.

• It is rather amazing that so many business owners have little or no idea what work and life challenges their employees face. They don’t need to go undercover–they just need to show up to learn what their employees and customers experience. The Japanese use the word “gemba” which means “to go where the work is.” You can’t possibly know what is going on if you don’t see it with your own eyes.

• Too many owners don’t understand the hardship they are creating with their employees with uncertain work shifts, low wages, lack of medical benefits. These employees are the lifeblood of their business and own the relationships with their customers yet they are treated as being disposable.

• The pay gap between the owners–who live very opulent lifestyles–and unskilled workers is huge. The average CEO (according to a Harvard Business Review article) makes 350+ times what the average unskilled worker makes. The CEOs want for little while their employees are barely getting by in life.

At the end of the show, the business owner comes out of disguise and usually offers promotions, cash rewards, business opportunities, offers to pay medical bills, rent, all expense-paid vacations, etc. While the employees who are part of the show are rewarded, you wonder what happens to the other employees, many of whom face the same job and life issues.

What needs to happen? I hope each CEO does some serious soul-searching about what it means to be the CEO and to lead the enterprise, examines the role people, systems and processes play in their business’s success, and take appropriate actions to ensure the ongoing viability of their businesses.

A Recent Blog Post You Might Enjoy

The Media Missed The Real Brian Williams Story

Thought for the week:

“I drink to make other people more interesting.” – Ernest Hemingway

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What do you think? I welcome your comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2015 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive! To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network: Pay It Forward

Take 2 minutes and watch this video:

Stay tuned to learn how I am going to do my part to help women entrepreneurs by paying it forward so they can pay it forward.  I find Dell’s call to action compelling and I will be part of this movement.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting  http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network Istanbul 2013 Video Highlights

I’m just back from the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network’s annual global conference held June 2-4, 2013, in Istanbul, Turkey. This video captures reactions from many participants:

I’ll be writing much more about this event.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

Dave Gardner To Keynote Endeavor Istanbul

I am very excited to announce that I’ve been invited to keynote Endeavor Istanbul on June 6th, 2013.  This event is about entrepreneurship.  I’ll be speaking about Designing Your Future.

If you are attending, I look forward to meeting you in person. If you aren’t attending, you are going to miss an incredible event!

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

How To Stand Out In The Crowd At Launch Festival

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: how to stand out in the crowd

The Launch Festival 2013 concluded in San Francisco this past week. Approximately 50 companies stayed in stealth mode waiting to reveal to the world what they were all about in front of angel investors, venture capitalists, fellow entrepreneurs and the media. Each company had a problem of how to stand out in a big crowd and attract the attention of potential investors.

While some may have thought it’s all about “them,” like it or not, they were being compared to identify which value propositions, teams and ideas had the best chance of disrupting a current marketplace and create huge upside for the founders and investors. For example, which among the 50 is the next Yammer which launched at the Launch Festival 5 years ago and sold to Microsoft for $1.2 billion last year?

How could companies have prepared better and attracted more investment money? In no particular order:

• Too much focus on the technology; not enough focus on ”who wants to buy and why.”
• If you are tackling a complex problem and your solution to that problem appears complex, you aren’t ready to bring your offering to the world.
• Entrepreneurs reliant on external data sources need to understand risks of sharing out of date data. Customers will abandon your solution if they show up for a cancelled meetings or events.
• Not enough attention on what potential investors care about, e.g., business model, monetization strategy, current revenues (if any), margins (current or anticipated), and, the team. Exasperated judges had to ask.
• Unprepared for judges pushback (objections)–need to anticipate potential questions and objections and have cogent responses, preferably preemptively. If you are caught flat-footed, it undermines you and your solution.
• Assume the judges don’t know more about your market potential than you do. You live it; they don’t. Judges were incorrect about several market assumptions and got away with it as the entrepreneurs let them.
• Stand up for your convictions when you know facts are on your side. Be humble when the converse is true.
• Most offered very little insight as to “why” their solution was going to be a game-changer and be widely adopted.
• When will tech companies learn that the “best” companies don’t win–it’s the companies that market, sell most effectively and get serious traction via end-user adoption that win.
• Most firms clearly needed assistance with marketing and with connecting their solution to paying customers–the “if we build it, they will come” school has been disproven time and again.
• If it’s likely the judges have little expertise in your industry or with your solution, you had better educate them in 30 seconds or less or they will make you feel like you don’t understand your market and total addressable market.

There were a lot of interesting companies at Launch 2013. Sadly, many more of them have the potential to thrive than probably will.

Thought for the week:

“Anybody can have a great idea. Few people can execute. Focus on that!” – Dave McClure, 500 StartUps

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What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Recent Blog Posts That May Interest You

• Fast Company: Got A Great Idea for An App?  Have Someone Else Bring It To Market
• Marrisa Mayer Earns $1.1M Bonus

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2012 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Slow speed and poor execution are killers

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: business execution

It is said “speed kills.” In business, lack of speed combined with poor execution is a killer.

When a company is terribly late getting to the marketplace, it better be much more than a “me, too” product.

Example: Has any tablet manufacturer even come close to approaching the demand or appeal of Apple’s iPad? No. Yet, it’s out in plain sight for all to behold and reimagine. Yet, nearly 3 years after its launch, it is by far, the preferred tablet in the marketplace.

When HP came out with its WebOS tablet, not only was it late to market, it was a brick with poor performance and lacked the ecosystem iPad owners enjoy. HP killed the product 30 days after launch further tarnishing its brand. Lack of speed combined with poor business execution makes this a case study for years to come in business schools.

I’ve often said no product is better than a bad product. If a product isn’t ready for the marketplace or won’t captivate your customers, why bother? It won’t help you or your company thrive.

Thought for the week:

“We’re drowning in information and starving for knowledge.” -Rutherford D. Rogers

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What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2012 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Clipped–a new app available from 15-year old entrepreneur Tanay Tandon

Last month, I learned about a 15-year old entrepreneur who has not only developed an application but gotten it approved by Apple for inclusion in the AppStore and is available in the Android PlayStore as well.  The company is Clipped and it is run by Tanay Tandon, a high school sophomore who resides here in Silicon Valley.

To learn more about the application, please see his press release:

ClippedPressRelease

In the world of entrepreneurship, it is fantastic to see anyone demonstrate the ability to get a complex project like this to the finish line. He has a patent pending for the algorithm he developed that summarizes articles into bullet point summaries. He wrote a first rate press release announcing what he is doing.

I am very, very impressed.

Congratulations, Tanay!  I look forward to hearing more about what you do in the coming years.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

New Dell Center for Entrepreneurs

Pretty exciting news for entrepreneurs announced at Dell World 2012 yesterday:

New Dell Center for Entrepreneurs created by and for entrepreneurs

By Ingrid Vanderveldt

Today, I’m proud to announce the launch of the Dell Center for Entrepreneurs, a community designed by and for entrepreneurs to be a one stop shop for resources founders need to start and run and grow a business. Backed by the power of Dell’s online presence the site was created to serve as a gateway to the knowledge, solutions and opportunities to make this possible.

In my role as Dell’s Entrepreneur in Residence, I’ve been traveling across the United States and abroad to speak with entrepreneurs and business owners at all stages of growth to learn more about the challenges they are up against and furthermore how Dell can help. Dell Center for Entrepreneurs is the result!

The site provides information for change makers at all stages – the student with an idea; the owner of a specialty bakery; the engineer branching off on their own; the CEO of a 3,000 person firm – and will include:

• ·         Resources: Assistance in identifying capital through Dell Financial Services and the Dell Innovators Credit Fund which helps businesses of all sizes access the credit and leasing they need to invest in technology to fuel growth. Content is driven by best practices and creative thinking and includes webcasts, videos and case studies from Dell and industry experts.

• ·         Expertise: Building on what Dell has learned through its entrepreneurial journey, the Dell Social Innovation Challenge, Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network, and Dell Founders’ Club are cultivating a vibrant community of entrepreneurs, who connect with one another for new sources of financial and human capital, knowledge and markets. These networks can now be accessed through the Dell Center for Entrepreneurs site. 

• ·         Solutions:  Behind most great company growth stories are pioneering uses of technology. The Dell Center for Entrepreneurs will feature their stories and content will show how businesses of all sizes and at all stages are addressing top IT trends including: cloud, virtualization, BYOD, and how to leverage data to drive business.

Entrepreneurs, start-ups and small business owners are the key to a successful, sustainable economic future through creating new jobs, revenue, innovation and productivity around the world. Dell understands the importance of fostering an environment where entrepreneurial spirit can thrive and we invite you to take the time to explore the Dell Center for Entrepreneurs on your own, but first, check out Michael Dell’s thoughts on what this new community means for entrepreneurs and innovators everywhere.

Feedback, suggestions and questions are welcome.

Full Disclosure:  I am on Dell’s Customer Advisory Panel, Dell is a client, and Dell paid my travel to attend Dell World 2012.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

 

Sir Richard Branson on Customer Experience

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” which is offered to help companies thrive!

This week’s focus: customer experience

Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Group companies, speaking at Dreamforce 2012 talked about how he decides to get into a business. He offered that after 100 or so round-trips on British Airways, he found the staff was dreadfully unhappy and the food and service mediocre at best. He thought he could do it better, that customers would appreciate that, and he could build a nice business that he would enjoy using.

Virgin Airways has taken considerable market share from British Airways. Virgin expanded to Australia and has 35% market share there. Virgin America was founded on the premise that it wouldn’t be hard to surpass the customer experience provided by the U.S.-based airlines. Hard to disagree with his assessment, right United, American, US Airways, Delta?

What is the innovation?

• Hiring a managing director who is passionate about the value proposition who can attract, hire and inspire others to be part of the leadership team.
• Finding out what customers don’t like and addressing those issues straight away.
• Hiring people who care about people and putting them in customer-facing roles.
• Having fun and making it fun.
• Treating paying customers like they are the reason for the airline.

Complicated? Not really. But, not trivial to execute either or more companies would be able to achieve this level of success. These “innovations” are helping the Virgin portfolio of companies thrive.

Thought for the week:

Heard via Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE at Dreamforce 2012:

“Everybody has a strategy ‘til they get punched in the mouth.” – Mike Tyson

What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2012 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Is Your Business Suffering Growing Pains?

A Canadian colleague, Rich Martin, used the expression “growing pains” during a conversation we had recently. I had not heard that expression in a number of years. In the business world, “growing pains” usually describes inefficiencies that creep into a business over time until such a point when the cumulative effects are quite debilitating.

For example, let’s look at the Boeing commercial aircraft division back in the 1990’s. Boeing’s processes hit the wall when annual unit volume hit 600 commercial aircraft. During a 90-day period, Boeing had to stop production and carefully audit the completion status of each plane as it was no longer clear what manufacturing processes had been completed and which remained. It was a huge embarrassment for the company, caused late delivery of aircraft and a revenue disruption which impacted Boeing stock price. This set-back came just as Airbus was beginning to take market share from Boeing. It was a very costly and humbling stumble for Boeing.

Growing pains are almost expected to occur at different revenue plateaus in a business’s evolution. High-tech companies have traditionally considered those plateaus being a “natural occurrence” at the $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $200 and $500 million dollar revenue levels and again at the $1 billion dollar revenue level. Companies that enjoyed levels of success relatively rapidly never operationally planned for their success making “hitting the wall” all the more predictable and harsh when it occurs. Consider the Boeing example above.

During the past 4 years, many businesses have downsized and, due to revenue declines and limited budgets, needed action to optimize their systems and processes around new, lower revenue levels and lower staffing levels has been deferred. These companies are doing more with fewer resources with great pain, pretty much driving those who remain at the company nuts. The employees are chronically overtaxed, highly stressed and waiting to flee the company in search of a new opportunity just as soon as they can.

A lot of smaller businesses, however, never took the time to figure out what they needed from a process standpoint to efficiently run today’s business as well as tomorrow’s business. The owner took the lead and created jobs for himself/herself and others but left a business largely dependent on him or her. This imposes severe limitations if there is an opportunity to rapidly expand the business. When it comes to time to sell those businesses, there’s not much in place that is attractive to a potential buyer in terms of residual value and business upside undermining years of hard work and goodwill built over the years.

A business is more than what it does. For a business to be “in business,” it must have systems and processes that eliminate people dependencies and allow new people to join the organization and make a positive impact in short order. This allows for greater agility and speed. It allows for growth or contraction. And, it’s what makes a business far more valuable should the owner decide to retire or sell.

Does a business have to be brought to its knees from a business execution standpoint before action can be taken? Absolutely not. My best clients proactively engage with me to look at these issues.

Dave Gardner Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2012 Dave Gardner

Five Guys An Entrepreneurial Success Story

A year or so ago, a Five Guys hamburger and fries restaurant opened nearby.  Being an aficionado of great burgers and fries, I had to try it. I really like Five Guys: the food and the staff.

Like a custom manufacturing line, customers get to watch them hand craft each burger before your very eyes made to order.

One of the things I love is they tell me where the potatoes come from for the fries they are making that day.

I’ve driven from California to Montana via Idaho many times and seen huge potato trucks hauling freshly-harvested potatoes down the highway.

Don’t you love it when you have a sense of connection to your food comes from?

Just today, I discovered a video reviewing Five Guys success.  I can’t embed it as I’d like to, but, I can provide a link.  Take a look at the video here.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

What would Steve Jobs have done?

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” which is offered to help companies thrive!

This week’s focus: entrepreneurship

Simple. Elegant. Pragmatic. That’s what I want from technology.

Technology must simplify a problem or opportunity and bring demonstrable value. Technology must not create complexity or a burden.

As an executive or entrepreneur, are you unsure about how to start to create technology?

Ask yourself, “What would Steve Jobs have done?” And, then, set out to do just that. That starting point will help you and your company thrive.

Thought for the week:

“To be angry is to suffer. To be sad is to suffer. To demand life be other than it is, that too is to suffer. All suffering comes from craving and clinging to the things we can’t control.” – Peter Ragnar

What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2012 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

$100M Dell Innovators Credit Fund Ignites Startup Growth and Innovation

Exciting news from Dell today!

· New initiative targets startup debt capital needs, connects firms with scalable technology solutions, markets and networks for growth

NEW YORK, June 7, 2012—Dell today announced the Dell Innovators Credit Fund, a first-of-its-kind Dell financing initiative that provides entrepreneurs up to $100M in the financial and scalable technology resources they need to maximize potential for innovation, speed to market and job creation.

A new Technology CEO Council (TCC) paper reports the highest-growth startups generate an outsized share of new jobs in the United States: 40 percent of new jobs come from the top-performing 1 percent of companies in any given year. Additionally, Web-knowledgeable small- and midsize-firms in a range of industries outpace their less Internet-savvy counterparts in job creation by more than two to one, according to a McKinsey Global Institute study cited in the TCC report.

The Dell Innovators Credit Fund aims to get end-to-end, scalable technology solutions in the hands of growing businesses during that crucial early time in market. Through Dell Financial Services, qualified angel and venture-backed companies can access up to 10 percent of their funded amount, or up to $150,000, with accelerated, limited credit terms. For those in needs of higher credit, additional financing is available on a fast track basis with a few extra steps.[i]

“Behind most great company growth stories are pioneering uses of technology. In talking with business owners and listening to their needs, they tell us what they need most is access to capital and technology that enables them to grow,” said Steve Felice, Dell president and chief commercial officer. “Dell’s new Credit Fund provides credit and access to technology to help fuel global growth and innovation while helping startups preserve precious equity capital for other business needs.”

Dell Financing Fuels Startup Growth

The Dell Innovators Credit Fund was created by Dell’s first Entrepreneur in Residence, Ingrid Vanderveldt, with the support and guidance of Dell executives and team members as well as the esteemed 13-member Dell EIR Advisory Board consisting of today’s leading entrepreneurs, visionaries and innovators.

“Using the Dell Innovators credit to create our web-enabled and all-electric super scooters is really a win-win-win for our company, our investors and for Dell,” said Lauren Flanagan, executive chairman and angel investor of Ann Arbor-based Current Motor. “In exchange for a low monthly payment, we get one point of contact and a really comprehensive, scalable technology solution that allowed us to get to market six months ahead of schedule, while conserving our equity capital for sales, marketing, research and development.”

Dell Innovators Credit Fund customers also receive benefits including a dedicated Dell sales team and ProSupport Services for a single point of accountability with access to highly trained experts and 24/7 total support on their top technology needs.

“To build scalable, high-return startups, entrepreneurs need access to early stage capital and great resources,” says Marianne Hudson, Executive Director of the Angel Capital Association (ACA). “Through the launch of the Dell Innovators Credit Fund, Dell is helping promising entrepreneurs obtain the technology solutions they need to grow and get to market faster, while stretching the capital they receive from angels and venture investors.”

Dell’s Commitment To Entrepreneurs and Startups

Today’s announcement is the latest among Dell’s innovative initiatives – like the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network and recently announced 9-city Small Business tour –  aimed at fostering the growth of small and midsize entrepreneurial firms. 

 Also launching today is the expanded Dell Entrepreneur in Residence community that includes specialized advice for entrepreneurs who are self-funded, seeking funding or already funded. The community also has additional information on the Dell Innovators Credit Fund.  Entrepreneurs at all stages of growth are invited to join this community to access videos and case studies featuring successful businesses, advice from Dell and industry experts, and details on Dell initiatives and technology offerings.

Dell is committed to meeting the end-to-end needs of its customers—from the cloud to the data center to the desktop and out to the mobile endpoint with scalable IT solutionsthat are easy to use, quick to deploy and help customers of all sizes attain the innovation and efficiency they need to deliver real business value and results faster.

“Companies, like Current Motor and others we have pre-qualified for the Dell Innovators Credit Fund, value Dell’s design-to-scale’ approach and entrepreneurial mindset that guides the creation of technology solutions that are agile, affordable and can grow as they do,” said Ingrid Vanderveldt, Dell’s first Entrepreneur in Residence. “Through its technology solutions, recently created Office of the Entrepreneur in Residence, and game changers like the Dell Innovators Credit Fund, Dell is committed to fueling the growth of entrepreneurs and the jobs they create.”

For more information about Dell Innovators Credit Fund, visit www.dell.com/eir. Applications open Thursday, June 7, 2012.

About Dell

As the visionary outcome of a true entrepreneur, Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) is committed to helping small and medium businesses grow and better serve their customers by drawing greater value from technology.

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[i] All extensions of credit are subject to credit review and approval by Dell Financial Services and execution of agreements provided by and acceptable to Dell Financial Services.  Ten percent of funded amount is based on equity raised in preceding 90 days.  Fast track financing decisions for higher credit requests may be reached in as quickly as two to three days of receipt of requisite information.

Note: This is really exciting news.  Full disclosure:  I am a member of Dell’s Customer Advisory Panel.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting, http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

Sir Richard Branson: What makes a good entrepreneur

Inside the back cover of my edition of Business Stripped Bare by Sir Richard Branson are hand-written notes identifying Branson’s view of what makes a good entrepreneur.  Here is his list:

• Good imagination/determination
• Willing to take risks
• Courage
• Unique idea
• Right genes helps
• Persistence
• Spot gaps in market and exploit them
• Strong personality
• Stand out in crowds
• Passion for what you are doing
• Strong belief in achieving goal
• Confidence
• Tenacity
• Ability to inspire others
• Good with people
• Marketing skills
• Won’t take no for an answer
• Going where others fear to tread
• Bring prosperity into century
• Originality
• Good at assessing risks
• Protecting the downside
• Vision
• Good aspirations
• Energy
• Plenty of focus
• Appeal to a wide range of people–appeal to their needs
• Good sense of humor
• Good at encouraging people
• Patience
• High aspirations
• Desire
• Quality
• Giving people value for money
• Having fun

This is quite a list. It certainly give entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs something to ponder.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting, http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

Dave Gardner’s “Thank God It’s Monday” 29NOV10

“Thank God It’s Monday” is to help companies thrive!

This week’s focus:  entrepreneurship

New companies don’t carry the burden of legacy baggage and sacred cows to the marketplace.  They start anew, correcting and improving upon what has come before.

For example, Boeing didn’t expect upstart Airbus to eventually win 50% of its market share.  Airbus, through a common cockpit user interface, made it simpler to train and move cockpit crews from one aircraft to another. The result is airlines using their aircraft are more agile and can expand faster.

China and India are hungry to participate and even dominate in the global economy—it’s their omnipresent, burning desire.  These countries are operating in the fast lane while the U.S. appears flat-footed and bogged down in complacency and indecision. While China and India aren’t executing the strategy perfectly, they’ve not lost sight of the target either.

We need to re-kindle our burning desire, offer incentives to create jobs here in America, create disincentives for outsourcing jobs overseas that are not part of a legitimate global growth strategy, and, not idly sit by and watch jobs that should be based here be exported overseas.

America’s strength is its ability to innovate. Innovation will stimulate job creation and growth here in America.

The U.S. needs to get its mojo back—re-kindle our burning desire—if we are to thrive in the 21^st century and beyond.

Thought for the week:

“Great achievement often happens when our backs are up against the wall.” -Robin Sharma

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2010 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

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Dave Gardner’s “Thank God It’s Monday” 20SEP10

“Thank God It’s Monday” is to help companies thrive!

This week’s focus: entrepreneurship

I attended DEMO Fall 2010 this past week, a show where aspiring entrepreneurs pay nearly $20,000 in registration fees to get a small booth and time on stage to present their innovation to analysts and firms looking for great ideas to invest in.

Chris O’Brien summed up my reaction to DEMO’s entrepreneurs in his San Jose Mercury News article titled, “What startups should focus on:”

“I am constantly impressed by the crazy amount of energy entrepreneurs spend hatching innovative services, so I have never understood why they seem to spend so little time figuring out their business models. Most end up banking on their ability to sell ads to pay the bills and make money.

Everyone convinces themselves that they will be the one startup to break out of the pack and make this work. But, this ignores the fact that no matter how much advertising shifts to the Web, there isn’t enough to support even a tiny fraction of these startups.”

One would have thought the dot com bust a decade ago would have etched Chris’s insight in every entrepreneur’s mind. If you believe that, you’d be wrong. I concur with his assessment. I asked many firms “how do you make money at this” and most responded “we’re still working on the details.”

Companies that thrive are enamored with their customers, not merely their innovation ideas. If it won’t work for customers, it won’t work for investors who provide the fuel ($) required to launch and sustain a company.

Thought for the week:

“If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can’t it get us out?” — Will Rogers

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2010 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.