Two great books about Google

I recently read 2 great books about Google. I love to read books about the early days of companies.

Check out these two – they are both worth reading.

In the Plex

This is a great all-around Google book with details on different parts of the business. From what I can tell (I have skimmed others) – this seems like the best in-depth Google book.

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I’m Feeling Lucky

This one is written from the perspective of a Google (Marketing) employee. Well written and a lot more on the personal level than In the Plex. You get stories at a really personal level from early in the life of Google. There are funny moments and stressful moments. Entertaining.

Great Online Tools for Small Businesses

You have an idea, you have done your research, and you think you have a winner. Now it is time to do the other part. You know, the part where you do some work and create your vision in reality. When starting a new online business, it always helps to use online tools to get up and going fast. You need to have all the right paperwork to make yourself a legal entity. You need to brainstorm, hire contractors, create designs, and get the website launched or updated.

Below are some resources for online entrepreneurs to help you get up and going fast. From legal, to design, and development – these websites can shave weeks off your schedule and save you thousands of dollars. (I concentrated on Internet-based businesses for this post.)

10. FindLaw

Findlaw.com has a special section for small business. It is located at http://smallbusiness.findlaw.com/.
There are tips on everything from naming your businesses to business plans. They will also tell you the differences between a S-Corp and a LLC, if you need a refresher on the finer points of incorporating a small company.

9. BizBuySell

If you want to get going fast, you can buy an existing, operating online business at BizBuySell. Also, if you are ready to sell out of your small business, you can sell a small business here, too.

8. GotVMail

Get that big-company phone number for a small company price. They provide a 1–800 number and answering service.

7. LogoYes
A good looking logo can separate the serious business from the people that are just playing business. Customers pick up on professionalism. You need a great logo. Design and create your own logo online. LogoYes has on online interactive design studio to let you play around with designs until it is just right.  If you are so inclined, this tool can help you build that perfect logo for your next enterprise. If you don’t want to do it yourself with LogoYes, and you are not artistically inclined, then see number 5.

6. Basecamp

Collaboration is crucial. Basecamp is a cost effective way to manage a dispersed group of entrepreneurs. Bootcamp facilitates project management online.

5. eLance
When you need some code written or any other jobs done for your startup, you can post the job to eLance. Freelancers will bid you your job. You can then select the best person for the price and get some work done.

4. Highrise

Keep track of who you talked to and what you said with this online CRM system. Organize your sales calls, or your contact with contractors. You can also do things like review each other’s notes, see follow-ups, and set reminders to contact clients later.

3. A Good Web Host            
I recommend HostMySite, but there are many good hosts out there. The host and plan you need depends on what you need to build. If you think you will need a little more horsepower than a shared plan can provide, but don’t want to pay the price for a dedicated server quite yet, you can check out the newer VPS (Virtual Private Server) plans that give you some of the benefits of a dedicated server without the price of a dedicated server.

2. A Domain Name
There are many good sites to register your domain name. I recommend GoDaddy or Network Solutions. These companies both have control-panels that let you manage multiple domains. This gets useful when you end up managing several domain names.

1. Legal Zoom

LegalZoom lets you set up your corporation online for a relatively low cost. They can also file trademarks for you. This site can save you a bundle of money and time when you need to get the legal paperwork done.

Republished from the Outside the Valley Blog, June 26, 2007

If you found the above post interesting, you will probably be interested in my new book, Online Tools for Small Businesses where I discuss these sites and over 200 other links that are useful for small businesses. This book is mainly for small businesses like consultants, realtors, insurance agents, and the many, many other small businesses that already know their stuff in their particular area of expertise – but want to find out about what the Internet has to offer them. Click here to check it out. Available in both paperback and Kindle formats at Amazon. Also available at many, many other fine booksellers.

Best Business Books of 2008 (According to Amazon)

1. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
Alice Schroeder

2. A Sense of Urgency
John P. Kotter

3. The Brand Bubble: The Looming Crisis in Brand Value and How to Avoid It
John Gerzema

4. The Momentum Effect: How to Ignite Exceptional Growth
J.C. Larreche

5. The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
Dan Roam Avg. Customer Review:

6. The Gone Fishin’ Portfolio: Get Wise, Get Wealthy…and Get on With Your Life (Agora Series)
Alexander Green

7. The Illusions of Entrepreneurship: The Costly Myths That Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By
Scott A. Shane

8. Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
Charlene Li

9. The Contrarian Effect: Why It Pays (Big) to Take Typical Sales Advice and Do the Opposite
Michael Port

10. Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition
Guy Kawasaki

Link: Best Books of 2008: Business and Investing

Outliers

Malcom Gladwell discussing some of his concepts from his new book.

@ Yahoo! Video

What separates extraordinary and average people?

Malcolm Gladwell¬† has come out with some interesting concepts. And, he has a new book out called Outliers. The new book poses the question: “why do some people succeed, while so many more never reach their potential?” He applies the concept of scarcity and abundance to people and their capabilities. Here is a video where he discusses his new book and its concepts.

Whole Mind Thinking

A Whole New Mind – this book contends that we are in a period of change in our world economy that will require a new skill set for most people and companies. We will need to be more right-brained. Some of us are more naturally right-brained. But now, everyone will need to be – to be competitive. What does “right brained” mean? The right side of the brain is more involved in creativity, concept, and design. The left side of the brain is more involved in logic and reason. So, “right-brained” thinking is dominated by creativity and concepts. Creativity and big-picture thinking can’t be automated (like say, doing your taxes) so, this is the area where value is created and competitive advantage is gained.

Creativity and big-picture thinking can’t be automated (like say, doing your taxes) so, this is the area where value is created and competitive advantage is gained.

The left brain remembers names, the right brain remembers faces. This is an oversimplification, as both sides of the brain are involved in a lot of operations, but some things are “favored” more by one side of the brain than the other.

The skills need in the past few decades have been left-brain leaning. Programmers, engineers, and analysts have pulled the big bucks and rightly so. The Information Age has needed left brain people to logically build the technical architecture we now enjoy.

But, due to outsourcing to less expensive labor (including Asia), automation, and abundance, the left-brain dominated world is being commodotized and outsourced. This is causing the left-brain person and company to lose the edge needed to compete. What is needed is the left brain and the right brain. Right brain thinking is needed more than ever to come up with new designs and solutions to create a new level of competitiveness.

We are moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age.

How can people and companies be more right-brained?

1. Design: Due to people’s abundance in the first-world, design needs to help bring a renewed since of meaning to the product. Also, when the technology inside of the product has been commodity and outsourced, then design is the great differentiator.

2. Create a compelling story around yourself, your company, and your product.

3. Move beyond analysis to synthesis – look for connections that others may not see – and step back to look at the big picture.

4. Empathize with customers, get to know them, and what makes them tick. Empathy for the customer will allow you to make new product breakthroughs.

5. Play: Don’t always be too serious, have fun.

6. People who live an an abundant society look for purpose. (Check Mazlow’s Heiarchy of needs.) Work to meet your customer’s need for purpose and meaning.