Disqus - Latest Comments for Alora

Re: http://alora.tumblr.com/post/4201785974

Alora — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:16:56 -0000

I've got a ton more pictures to load up. I hope to get to it this weekend, though it may have to wait until I'm home.

Re: Tradition isn’t Good Enough

Alora — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:36:28 -0000

I like "dry bones of the past." Very evocative. Couldn't agree more.

Re: 10 Ways Business Leaders Can Turn Ideas Into Execution

Alora — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:44:45 -0000

#4 is so often the lynch pin. There is almost nothing harder than trying to get the right people. It's so tempting to take whatever you've got at your disposal (especially if you are bootstrapping), that balancing short-term progress with long-term success can be brutal to you (and your team's) sense of progress. However, in the end, the best way to avoid having to deal with #10 is to wait and get the RIGHT people in place -- rather than just whoever happens to be available. Thanks for the list! -- Alora

Re: The Curse of the NT

Alora — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:30:56 -0000

Ah, but I lack one truly critical characteristic of an entrepreneur: staying power. While I do occasionally stay someplace for longer than 2 years (I've done it twice in my career), the fact is that I do not go into it expecting that. And, in fact, the idea that I would NEED to stick around for longer than 2 years (for any reason) actually creates a great deal of anxiety for me, to the point of obstructing my performance.

I also really dislike managing people, and I find the administrative (tax, legal, operational) side of the business so distracting that it paralyzes me from doing anything well. In the end, I have an enormous affection for and appreciation of entrepreneurs, and I go out of my way to surround myself with them and to work in VERY entrepreneurial organizations, but as Charles says, I am a "renter, not a buyer." I need the business of the business to be someone else's headache, so I can go off and be a crazy one-eyed pirate. As soon as I have to care about the business, I turn into a deer in the headlights and can't get a damn thing done well.

Plus, and this is a big reason that I make a lousy entrepreneur, other people's ideas are more fun to me than my own. Again, probably because I work through my own in my head fairly quickly, I get bored with my own ideas much, much faster than I do with other people's. The novelty factor is one of my single biggest motivators in life, and I find that my own ideas lose that far more quickly than other people's do.

Re: The Curse of the NT

Alora — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:21:47 -0000

Jim -- Interesting article. Some good comments, too. For me, the project management issue is largely put to rest. I do not want to be a PM anymore. My real struggle is that it's the easiest skill I know how to market, despite how miserable it actually makes me (and how much I increasingly struggle with it). In reality, what I'm finding is that this particular inclination is actually getting in the way of accomplishing things that I do want to do, such as writing.

Prior to Roy's observation, I thought I was actually helping myself out by working through all the details of my writing in my head before I sat down to the keyboard. I was then always disappointed with myself that I could never muster the energy or enthusiasm I needed to carve out the time and just GET IT DONE. His observation was very valuable to me because it helped me become aware of something I've done all my life, but which I never stopped to think about. It was simply "normal" and -- like most things we do which we think are normal -- I thought my problem was in any number of a thousand other areas (starting with self-discipline).

It wasn't until Charles relayed that comment to me that I realized: I get the exact same sense of satisfaction from doing something in my head as I do from executing it in real life. But it comes without the tedium that goes with implementation. As soon as I recognized that, it clarified 1000 other things that I've spent my life struggling with -- everything from unfinished projects (both personal and professional) to my tremendous impatience with other people getting things done.

So, in effect, my real objective is to take this new understanding and use it to my advantage, instead of fighting against it -- which is what I've been doing for the past 3+ decades. Because if there is one thing that I do know, it's that fighting against it has not gotten me anywhere.

Thanks!

Re: The Curse of the NT

Alora — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:26:08 -0000

Karen - That's a really good question. And it is something I've gotten better at over time: be very clear about what everyone is expecting out of a situation (in order to consider it successfully completed), and you're more likely to hit the finish line in a mutually accepted way.

I think that my bigger problem is that this seems to haunt me most when it's my own stuff that is only getting done in my head. Sure, it's still a risk with external obligations (and, as Charles will agree, I am VERY bad about over-committing, which I suspect is largely related: after all, in my head things are done very quickly; in reality, they require time and patience, two things I struggle with), but because I am SO self-conscious about not disappointing other people, this is often enough to help keep me in-line.

With my own stuff, though.... much, much harder. I started trying this today. I have another blog article I'm working on, which is part of a broader career transition explanation I've been discussing with my boss, and my normal pattern is to just work on it in my head (in the shower, while driving, before falling asleep, etc.) with the plan that, once I have it figured out, I'll sit down and write it all out very quickly.

Today I have repeatedly caught myself working on it in my head, and forced myself to stop and write down what I was saying. My entry in OneNote for it is getting very long and unwieldy, but once I'm done brain-dumping, I think I should be able to edit it down into something usable.

It really is hard as hell to catch myself, though. But, gotta keep at it. All of the self-discipline research says to focus on tiny things consistently first, and the ripple-effect will benefit other areas, so my focus for the moment is: write it out, don't talk it out (even to myself). Because once it escapes my lips, it'll never get written. Very hard for an extravert who thinks by speaking.

As for yoga and meditation... yoga I struggle with. Meditation helps a bit, but it's very difficult. I've very ADD, so forcing myself to sit still and clear my mind usually results in me falling asleep. More difficult than you'd imagine. And I can't say that I've noticed any benefits yet.

Re: A sentimental good-bye to Ursuline from an unsentimental atheist

Alora — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:45:39 -0000

That's actually a pretty hysterical comment, since I was one of the few people in my class who didn't come from money. (The only reason I was able to afford it back then was my mother's life insurance.)

And I'm not sure what is 'high horse' about the statement:

-- a larger percentage of my Ursuline classmates have left Santa Rosa than my classmates from Wright and Cook;
-- on average a higher percentage went (away) to college;
-- a higher percentage started careers before getting married; and
-- a higher percentage didn't have children until after they had well-established careers.

It's also a rather knee-jerk reaction to a well-documented sociological fact: people rarely marry outside of their socio-economic circles, and most people who do find their relationships don't last.

I love a little class warfare more than most socialists, but that doesn't change the facts.

Re: http://www.entrepreneur.com/management/columnistgeorgecloutier/article207280.html

Alora — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 22:54:12 -0000

Precisely the type of short-sighted, out-dated type of advice I'd expect from the man who wrote an (even more horrifying) article titled, "Love your job more than your family."

For an alternative, people should consider checking out WorldBlu -- the advocates for organizational democracy. They actually have research on why this type of Industrial Age advice is a disaster for a Knowledge Working economy.

Re: To Entrepreneur or Not to Entrepreneur

Alora — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 22:43:50 -0000

Thanks, Heather. It was harder to come to than it probably should have been -- but that's because I tend to be a bit of a slave to other people's expectations, even when I know better.

Re: The Strategist Snake Oil

Alora — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:17:35 -0000

Therein lies the true issue, as you well know, Josh. No amount of sexy vision or newfangled strategy is really anything substantial if you don't understand and acknowledge the culture you are working in. When I first wrote this article, that was the source of my frustration. The person I was cleaning up after thought he had his own personal little playground... so he let the weeds take over until he decided to head off to greener pastures. And then I got to be the gardener who came in and cleaned up his mess. And the more I looked around, the more I saw a series of unfortunate cliches. I never finished this series, because it quickly got too frustrating, and everything I started to write quickly turned into a rant. :-)

Re: Putting Your Books in the Cloud: Your Options

Alora — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:45:38 -0000

If you would prefer a single solution that does both invoicing AND accounting (plus inventory management, tax reporting and more), you may want to check out WorkingPoint.com. In addition to being a one-stop-shopping solution for small businesses on the financial side, it's also got integration partnerships for other capabilities, including VerticalResponse for email marketing.

Re: Hooray the Freelance Economy

Alora — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 11:36:03 -0000

Exactly. I also find is concern about wealth-building intriguing. Sure, everyone would like to have enough money not to have to worry about it ever again, but people -- either employees or business owners -- don't ever build true wealth in that sense. The idea that we should somehow be wary of that when it comes to freelancers strikes me as a bit absurd. Particularly considering that, if properly motivated and focused, wealth-building opportunities for freelancers are often still better than they are for traditional employees.

Re: Business Mentors

Alora — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:26:33 -0000

That's one of life's most baffling questions, as far as I am concerned.

One of my favorite shows -- about entrepreneurship and, frankly, mentorship -- is "Kitchen Nightmares." And I was watching an episode on Hulu last night in which a chef was SO defensive and SO arrogant that he didn't want to hear feedback from anyone -- not Gordon Ramsey, not his staff, not his customers. He actually said that, since it was his restaurant, his opinion was the only one that mattered.

Stunning, when you consider that a restaurant is a SERVICE business, and that if your customers do not want to return then you don't stand a chance in hell of being successful.

What struck me, though, was how absolutely off-his-rocker he sounded every time someone ATTEMPTED to give him feedback. He ranged from dismissive to abusive, but he simply SOUNDED nuts because, IMO, that kind of feedback is VITAL to success -- personal, professional or entrepreneurial.

I am only assume that part of the reason that most people do not use coaches and mentors out of an assumption that they are not important enough to seek out. I expect that the two groups of people who make the effort are largely either ambitious workaholics who want to make sure they are maximizing their opportunities, and business owners who (often under threat of failure) recognize that they need help to turn around their venture.

It's too bad, too. One of my longest-running mentors is also a wonderful friend. I wouldn't want to imagine where I'd be without his insight, advice, encouragement and feedback. I think people who don't make a habit of looking for that are missing out on more than they could ever imagine.

Re: Entrepreneur.com Daily Dose - Wednesday Web Resources Free Tools For Your Business

Alora — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:42:57 -0000

Another great tool for small business financial management -- which includes the invoice side, as well as the online bookkeeping -- is WorkingPoint. It's also got a free version, but combines the features of both Outright and Freshbooks into a single, integrated app.

Re: Need sales leads? Think like an editor.

Alora — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:56:06 -0000

This is such an important topic. Every day I speak to businesses of all sizes that get distracted with the white noise of traffic stats, SEO ranking, email marketing volume, social media presence and everything else, and completely forget that all of those things are supposed to be a means to an end, and not an end in and of themselves. If you can't parlay those tactics into sales, then you've just wasted a huge amount of time and resources. I recently had a client tell me that he wanted to increase his site traffic by 50% this year, but he couldn't tell me what he wanted to accomplish with that increase -- no matter how many times or ways I asked. He was so used to thinking of website traffic as being an end goal, that he didn't care what that traffic did or why it came to the site.

Re: Just getting started? Focus on this to get to the next level

Alora — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:27:59 -0000

The people first issue is an interesting point -- and it's one that can (obviously) inspire debate in plenty of directions. I would agree that the team is vital, but like the authors of the previous comments, as a bootstrapping entrepreneur, if someone wants something more than beans and rice to join our efforts, then I can't afford them. However, part of bootstrapping is getting creative -- and one of the perks of living in an entrepreneurial community and a university town, is that interns and other bootstrapping entrepreneurs with whom I can trade services are all part of the list of options. Unfortunately, however, once you have to start limiting your pool like that, it becomes increasingly difficult to find the talent you need.

Re: How to Set Up Accounts Payable

Alora — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:24:49 -0000

Another online tool for small business financial management to look at is WorkingPoint. It is a much more robust end-to-end solution (invoicing, double-entry bookkeeping, tax reporting, crm, etc.) for most small businesses and startups -- and a basic account is free.

Re: Entrepreneurs have no rules

Alora — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:58:07 -0000

I love that we are finally at a point where being 'a free spirit' can be seen as an opportunity for success, instead of a reason to put someone on meds.

Re: 14 of the stupidest things ever said in sales meetings

Alora — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:16:37 -0000

Of course it's rude, but a rep coming in to make a sale is WAY over-stepping to make that demand. If nothing else, he's showing a complete inability to adapt to the fact that -- rude or not -- that is simply the culture in some organizations, whether he likes it or not. Either way, definitely NOT the way to close a sale.

Re: You work 60-hour weeks. Should your employees?

Alora — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:28:49 -0000

I think the real issue is that some of us NEED to work those kinds of hours for reasons that have nothing to do with anything but ourselves. We deliberately go out of our way to find environments that demand that of us. Whether we all like to admit it or not, we create situations where we can do that -- but it starts with that being what we want and we need. And people who don't have that need may work long hours on a short-term basis because of an urgent need, but it's not sustainable for them. The better bet -- if it's your business and you are a workaholic -- is to hire other workaholics who approach work in the same way. In the end, a leopard doesn't change its spots. And if you ask a non-workaholic to behave like a workaholic, you'll either burn them out or run them off. Either accept them as they are, or find a better fit.

Re: Stop listening to your customers

Alora — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:22:05 -0000

What I like about this post is that it's a reminder: Don't mistake asking someone for watching someone. People's preferences and actual behavior are often farther apart than they realize, so it's easy to focus on what we THINK we want/do/like instead of what we ACTUALLY want/do/like. Even worse, it's easy to do this and not realize that we are doing this.

The one caution I would have is about not bothering to ask at all. I think this is only viable if you are starting with a very clean focus. I think that for many businesses, starting off by asking is a good idea, because it can help focus you in a general direction to get things started. Following up with more empirical evidence for the details is great, but you have to know you're in the right ball park first.

Re: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Alora — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:52:02 -0000

I agree, it's quite an amusing notion. I can by that there is something telling about how people behave in casual situations. We often reveal a lot about our personalities without ever realizing it. Whether or not there is huge legitimacy to this one, who knows. But I do find the notion highly amusing.

Re: Updated Marketing Plans

Alora — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:50:02 -0000

Thanks, Debra. Great job on breaking things down into such manageable pieces.

Re: 4 Elements of a Successful Business Web Presence

Alora — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:35:49 -0000

One of the first exercises I do with clients is the question of website goals. I use several different techniques to get them to consider their expectations from different perspectives. (This is a big part of my public workshops, as well.) And it never fails: once someone walks through the process, it is suddenly crystal clear to them that what they thought they wanted in a website is not actually what they need in a website. Until you step them through that step-by-step, though, it's astounding the kinds of ideas that people cling to.

Re: Incentives are one thing. Legends are another.

Alora — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:19:30 -0000

This is a great story, Steve. I remember back in my early startup days, I had a boss who was amazing at understanding what truly motivated the members of his team, and it made it possible for him to keep us moving when all we wanted to do was give up and walk away. He managed to push us without any of us ever realizing that we were being pushed. It was a great skill, and in the end, one of his biggest assets.