The Throquet® Story For some time now, I have been telling aspiring entrepreneurs that they now have powers and abilities formerly reserved for multi-national giants. The power of modern computers and the vast reach of the internet permit a solitary individual to research and confirm the promise of any market, anywhere. Even laptops can now accommodate computer-aided design of complex products. 3-D printing at remote shops can deliver prototypes in timeframes limited only by the speed of Fedex. Factories in multiple countries are ready to bid on production of the finished product. And then those products can be shipped directly... Continue reading

I was truly impressed... A friend recently sent me a link to a powerful essay on the state of the world of start-ups. It is so powerful, and so carefully crafted, that I prefer not to offer you sound-bite tidbits from it. Instead, I urge you to read it yourself - HERE. There is value in it for everybody in the start-up world: entrepreneurs, investors, dreamers, coders, and commentators. And when you finish with that, you may want to re-visit "boring stuff that people actually need." I personally find no reason to admire nor desire to emulate fortunes made in... Continue reading

They are everywhere - in dorm rooms, coffee houses, family rooms, basements, and even corporate cubicles. They enjoy regular meals and have a pleasant place to sleep, courtesy of a paying job or loving parents. But they read Techcrunch and dream of financial independence. Have laptop, can code. They are the recreational entrepreneurs, and they are all participating in the web/mobile app lottery. Continue reading

There is grave danger to be considered when attempting to emulate an anomaly. It turns out that companies that make investors obscenely wealthy do not necessarily create livable cities and towns, even for the people who work at those companies. Continue reading

When I think about the vast investment of talent and energy currently concentrated on social media, I immediately think about the great California gold rush of 1849. Anybody who could dig and pan could give it a shot. Continue reading

"Doing the right thing for your clients — even and especially when others aren’t — is simply good business." - Stuart Zimmerman Continue reading

If you meet an entrepreneur on the street, check for MOXIE goggles. If they are in evidence, smash them! Continue reading

What you are doing must truly matter to your clients, and it must set you apart from your competition. Continue reading

My business plans include exporting and importing products from and to the US. How do I avoid a big mistake of some sort? Continue reading

As many entrepreneurs have learned, knowing what to do and doing it are two different issues. We knew we needed a top notch sales leader who had the experience and expertise that we did not have, but cash flow was limited. That was not a good combination! Continue reading

I have asked some successful entrepreneurs to tell me about "the best strategic decision they ever made." Pat Matthews is the Senior Vice President of Cloud Computing at Rackspace. Here's his story. Continue reading

The ivy-covered cottage with a white picket fence only looks good from a distance. Ivy, it turns out, is very bad for houses. It crumbles the tuckpointing between layers of brick, and harbors all sorts of yucky creatures that will crawl into the siding and make a real mess. And white fences need regular painting. Even with that, the nails will rust and the pickets will eventually rot. Continue reading

Entrepreneurs: figure out what cash represents, what it might enable. That's really where your drive is coming from. And that drive is a key determinant of the MOXIE supply that will be available to fight through all the obstacles in the way of success. Continue reading

"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw Continue reading

Lacking clear visions of a better future, most of the people I meet seem to spend far more energy reacting to changing circumstances than in deliberately creating opportunities to transform their dreams into reality. Continue reading

Many years ago a good friend, and good salesperson, told me that people tend to take action for only three reasons: sex, fear, and greed. Being a dutiful student, I proceeded to repeat this insight at the slightest provocation. Listeners would nod their approval. Then one day the unthinkable happened. Continue reading

"Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired." - Jules Renard Continue reading

Modern versions of the ancient Mediterranean city-states are officially an emerging global phenomenon. Country-wide competitions and massive government subsidies are creating technologically-focused, globally-competitive regions in places like Heidelberg, Germany and Montpellier, France. China is building technology-specific innovation cities from scratc Continue reading

Every so often I meet a person, or a business, that seems to be calm, serene, and flying on auto-pilot. To the casual observer, they appear to be living the good life, where all the appliances work and the pets use toilets. Continue reading

If your contract with your web developer is missing one short, but very important, paragraph, you probably do not own the copyright. I checked this out with The Creekmore Law Firm PC. They confirmed this hidden business risk. Continue reading

Should early stage investors really bet on the management team rather than the business proposition? In practice, do they really follow the "bet the jockey" rule of thumb? Continue reading

Never confuse success with achievement. Achievement is earned. Success is merely the convergence of favorable circumstances. Continue reading

Once you take a single dollar of somebody else's money, your job is to sell your company, quickly and at a high multiple. If that quest goes well, and stays on the timeline, you may have a nice ride. If it does not, ouch! Continue reading

The following anecdote is an excerpt from "Guests at the MOXIE Hotel," an unpublished, anonymous, hand-written manuscript found under a pile of ancient National Geographic magazines in a rundown beach cottage on the Oregon coast. Continue reading