Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Popfossa.com - Health Professionals Get Together
Popfossa was developed to provide health professionals with an efficient service that will make their lives easier. How? Simply by giving them the chance to make use of a learning portal where they can find the information they need to get in touch with other colleagues and boost their professional development.
Koda.us - Useful Solution For Job Seekers & Companies
Many of us tend to be attracted to this kind of services because they are friendly and give both, professionals and the company the chance to improve. Koda is a service that gives users the interesting possibility of being benefited with all the advantages of social recruiting. Yes, clear and simple this service aims to be a good way for changing how new talent and smart companies get in touch in order to be mutually benefited.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Google Puts Lid on New Products
Google Puts Lid on New Products
Realizing that its myriad services are confusing users, it will focus on refining what it has.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — In another sign of Google Inc.'s growth from start-up to corporate behemoth, the company's top executives said Thursday that they had begun telling engineers to stop launching so many new services and instead focus on making existing ones work together better.
The shift is a major departure from Google's previous strategy of launching new services rapid-fire and highlights the 8-year-old company's struggle to stay focused during swift growth.
Facebook Redesigns Help Center, Gives Unique URLs to Help Topics
Facebook yesterday announced they’ve redesigned their help center, making it more accessible and easier to use.
HERE IS THE ORIGINAL POST: @MASHABLE
It’s not a huge difference compared to what the help center looked before, but it’s definitely an improvement. Filters on the left have separated help for specific applications, help discussions, sheer Facebook basics and safety information from the rest of the help.
Furthermore, the new search interface displays related help pages and helps you find help in other languages (if there is no result in your language). Perhaps most importantly, specific topics now have unique URLs, which means you can easily share them with others.
While we’re on the subject of Facebook help centers, you can check out our recently released Facebook Guide Book, which explains some of the more complex Facebook-related tasks, with an emphasis on using Facebook for business and brands.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Momentum
Momentum:
"An impelling force or strength" or "the amount or force of motion in a moving body".
Momentum is one of the most important elements when achieving success, building a business, or selling a product/service; in fact, now that I think about it, it’s a key element of life in general. It’s what wins championship games in football and battles in war. Although this concept is pretty logical Momentum is pretty under rated. I don’t believe that many of us in business understand the power that it has. As a salesman, I can remember the days that I was jamming were the days that I had a ton on energy, confidence, and MOMENTUM throughout this successful period. Successful leaders understand the power that it has and when they identify it know how to leverage it.
For us out there engaged in our journey towards success, the first step is internalizing that momentum is key and when its active we must leverage it.
So what does this mean?
Well, of course it is all relative to your personal/business goals or definition of success, yet I believe that not letting up, reaching that extra inch; pushing your hardest during the moments where complacency is setting in, because you feel comfortable with status quo or your current production. I have observed that it is the people to work the hardest in the 4th quarter that break records resulting in breaking their own belief barriers. These are the guys/gals who do great things. These are things that others consider as great or impossible, and they consider as baseline.
Folks, I have seen the concept of breaking belief barriers succeed over and over again. And don’t get me wrong, I have been guilty many times of letting these mental barriers restrict me from achieving my goals, yet it is an exercise that we must all participate in. The beauty is that once these barriers are broken and new goals are expected, momentum has already started and will only gain strength with your continued pursuit.
Lets together allow our momentum to grow and focusing on the task at hand and pushing our hardest when complacency comes knocking at our door.
This is when champions are made.
"An impelling force or strength" or "the amount or force of motion in a moving body".
Momentum is one of the most important elements when achieving success, building a business, or selling a product/service; in fact, now that I think about it, it’s a key element of life in general. It’s what wins championship games in football and battles in war. Although this concept is pretty logical Momentum is pretty under rated. I don’t believe that many of us in business understand the power that it has. As a salesman, I can remember the days that I was jamming were the days that I had a ton on energy, confidence, and MOMENTUM throughout this successful period. Successful leaders understand the power that it has and when they identify it know how to leverage it.
For us out there engaged in our journey towards success, the first step is internalizing that momentum is key and when its active we must leverage it.
So what does this mean?
Well, of course it is all relative to your personal/business goals or definition of success, yet I believe that not letting up, reaching that extra inch; pushing your hardest during the moments where complacency is setting in, because you feel comfortable with status quo or your current production. I have observed that it is the people to work the hardest in the 4th quarter that break records resulting in breaking their own belief barriers. These are the guys/gals who do great things. These are things that others consider as great or impossible, and they consider as baseline.
Folks, I have seen the concept of breaking belief barriers succeed over and over again. And don’t get me wrong, I have been guilty many times of letting these mental barriers restrict me from achieving my goals, yet it is an exercise that we must all participate in. The beauty is that once these barriers are broken and new goals are expected, momentum has already started and will only gain strength with your continued pursuit.
Lets together allow our momentum to grow and focusing on the task at hand and pushing our hardest when complacency comes knocking at our door.
This is when champions are made.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Procrastination is the #1 Killer of all Success
I must say that this post was inspired by a few things that I am experiencing in my life today as well as a blog entry that a friend of mine Rory Vaden posted (http://takethestairs.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/causes-of-inaction/).
Rory speaks of the 4 Causes of Inaction. The last cause titled “Lack of Accountability” really resonated with me. I find that this is the root of all failure. It leads people to rationalize and make excuses which allows them to absolve themselves of all accountability.
The problem is that one must first be aware of their behavior to be able to fix it. Many managers out there simply tell their employees or partners what they are doing wrong, without helping them understand the root cause of the issue themselves. My personal opinion is that you can only walk someone so far; you can only preach to them so much, before they need to understand the issues themselves and hold themselves ACCOUNTABLE.
There is a reason that so many speak about success; less take steps towards achieving success; and very few achieve success.
Potential is useless without action. Thanks for the inspiration Rory.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Thoughts from the treadmill (no really, I was on my blackberry on the treadmill...hehe)
So I was always told throughout my life that I was a dreamer. I remember as a child my mother telling me that I had better be rich or I'd be in trouble. My mother was also a woman who valued the natural beauties that life had to offer...things like music, love, family, friends, art; in fact she was also the only person who when she said that she wanted a simple life, with little money and full of love, well, I believed her. And when I grew older, I believe I was in college attempting to build my businesses, she told my father that my problem was that I believed that this world owed me success....
You see guys, over the past few years I started to realize that what my mom was trying to tell me was that I deserved to achieve the goals that I had set out for myself. And after years of playing around with start up ideas and projects, I realized that it was about the journey and what we become in the process. It was about achieving little goals some days, and huge ones others.
You see, as I see it, success is a personal decision. For some it's building businesses and for others its being the best on the playing field. On that note, I find that there are so many parallels between sports and business. One commonality is the idea that things will get tough; real tough. And its the people who reach that extra inch that ultimately succeed. And see guys, succeeding doesn't always mean winning. In fact, many times losing the game is inevitable. Yet the key factor is leaving it all on the field. Its knowing that you have tried your hardest to succeed. And if you can look yourself in the eye and hold your head up high, and know that you have given your all, then you are a winner.
We all have obstacles in our lives. In fact, if you haven't dealt with many yet, get ready, because you have a hard road ahead! You see, these obstacles make our journey ever so gratifying. Its overcoming adversity that makes success ever so sweet. I remember hearing stories, while I was selling books door to door, of top salespeople having their best days, yet those days being the toughest mentally and having the most adversity. What I learned was that it was their ability to overcome these mini obstacles that made their day so great.
So as we sit in our beds tonight reflecting on our goals, dreams, passions, not matter what they are, let us make the decision to succeed and to push our hardest; no matter how hard things get. Internalize that obstacles are inevitable, and that our ability to overcome and continue to strive forward will define our greatness...it will define our success!
Tonight I challenge ourselves to identify a tough moment in our lives this week and simply overcome like a champion. Remember that success is ours for the taking...
Friday, September 25, 2009
Give Back - Friends, Family, Mentors
This is another item that I try my best to always remember. When I say give back I am not speaking about monetarily, I mean recognizing the people who have influenced you throughout your journey. The people who have supported you and believe in your crazy ideas when no one else did. The people who never gave up on you, even after your 1023rd idea! The people who lent you money to start something that they didn't even understand, yet just knew that it meant something because you said so.
For me, this is actually a long list. I must begin my honoring my mother Maria Soto. She has been there for me both financially and emotionally from day one. She has always supported my ideas, no matter how silly they were. She helped me finance myTripz early on, as well as many other projects. In fact, if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be in the web 2.0 space today.
Another person who has made a huge impact on my life was a gentleman by the name of Peter Atwal. Peter was a technology entrepreneur, VC, and wonderful business mind who took me under his wing, while I was a young energetic college student. Peter, his son Alex, and I worked on a wireless Internet start up in the early days of WiFi. It was a phenomenal experience which really gave me a direction in my entrepreneurial life towards technology.
Lee Kitchen, or as we called him during my days studying abroad in Spain, Senor Cocina. Lee was a very special man who taught me so much about business and thinking out of the box. This funny thing is that he taught through real life stories. He inspired me to be great. Lee has a unique way of making you feel special. Lee was the BEST professor I have ever had and a wonderful friend.
Then there's Sid Bhatt, who I met on a plane heading back from a one of my father's business trips almost a decade ago. Sid was actually sitting in between my father and I and offered to move over. We somehow started chatting about technology and start ups, and then a few years later we founded myTripz.com together. Although Sid and I have had our ups and downs over the years, Sid taught me so much about business and working hard. Sid is dedicated to succeeding and frankly, I could have never done myTripz without him, period. He is a super sharp human being who learns quickly and is willing to take huge risks.
Brian Ross and The Southwestern Company Experience - What can I say about Mr. Brian Ross. Brian was the best sales manager I have ever come across. He understood how to conduct himself appropriately and with class at all times. I have never seen him slacking or disorganized. More importantly, Brian is REAL leader. He understands how to delegate by inspiring people to want to get things done and by showing them how the feeling of accomplishment is one of the most powerful energies in life. Lastly, Brian is a phenomenal public speaker; in fact I wish to be half the speak he is one day.
Julio Hernandez, my dear friend. Julio is an inspirational leader, who's always looking to help others and has been leading for as long as I have known him; which has been since middle school!
Jim "JP" Payne, a true friend and one of the most brilliant minds that I have ever met. JP has been a very influencial person in my life both as a friend and business partner. In fact, I have learned so much about the web space from him.
Last but not least, my father Jorge A Soto. My dad is an amazing man. In fact, he has always been an amazing father and person. And although he is not aware of it, he's a pretty dam good business man too. He owns consulting company that is engaged in providing companies with employee counseling and training services. He has been a great example of a hard worker and man of integrity.
For me, this is actually a long list. I must begin my honoring my mother Maria Soto. She has been there for me both financially and emotionally from day one. She has always supported my ideas, no matter how silly they were. She helped me finance myTripz early on, as well as many other projects. In fact, if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be in the web 2.0 space today.
Another person who has made a huge impact on my life was a gentleman by the name of Peter Atwal. Peter was a technology entrepreneur, VC, and wonderful business mind who took me under his wing, while I was a young energetic college student. Peter, his son Alex, and I worked on a wireless Internet start up in the early days of WiFi. It was a phenomenal experience which really gave me a direction in my entrepreneurial life towards technology.
Lee Kitchen, or as we called him during my days studying abroad in Spain, Senor Cocina. Lee was a very special man who taught me so much about business and thinking out of the box. This funny thing is that he taught through real life stories. He inspired me to be great. Lee has a unique way of making you feel special. Lee was the BEST professor I have ever had and a wonderful friend.
Then there's Sid Bhatt, who I met on a plane heading back from a one of my father's business trips almost a decade ago. Sid was actually sitting in between my father and I and offered to move over. We somehow started chatting about technology and start ups, and then a few years later we founded myTripz.com together. Although Sid and I have had our ups and downs over the years, Sid taught me so much about business and working hard. Sid is dedicated to succeeding and frankly, I could have never done myTripz without him, period. He is a super sharp human being who learns quickly and is willing to take huge risks.
Brian Ross and The Southwestern Company Experience - What can I say about Mr. Brian Ross. Brian was the best sales manager I have ever come across. He understood how to conduct himself appropriately and with class at all times. I have never seen him slacking or disorganized. More importantly, Brian is REAL leader. He understands how to delegate by inspiring people to want to get things done and by showing them how the feeling of accomplishment is one of the most powerful energies in life. Lastly, Brian is a phenomenal public speaker; in fact I wish to be half the speak he is one day.
Julio Hernandez, my dear friend. Julio is an inspirational leader, who's always looking to help others and has been leading for as long as I have known him; which has been since middle school!
Jim "JP" Payne, a true friend and one of the most brilliant minds that I have ever met. JP has been a very influencial person in my life both as a friend and business partner. In fact, I have learned so much about the web space from him.
Last but not least, my father Jorge A Soto. My dad is an amazing man. In fact, he has always been an amazing father and person. And although he is not aware of it, he's a pretty dam good business man too. He owns consulting company that is engaged in providing companies with employee counseling and training services. He has been a great example of a hard worker and man of integrity.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Prepare not to Fail, Dont Fail to Prepare
"Prepare not to Fail, Don't Fail to Prepare" - Me :)
So this is a concept that I feel very strongly about. The idea that when starting a new venture you must prepare yourself for anything. Not to be pessimistic, yet you must expect things to go wrong. You must expect things to get REALLY tough. Here are a few items that I always just assume will happen, so if and when they do, I am ready. Now I'm not saying that all these things will happen to all entrepreneurs, in fact I'm simply itemizing things that I deal with like almost 100% of the time.
So this is a concept that I feel very strongly about. The idea that when starting a new venture you must prepare yourself for anything. Not to be pessimistic, yet you must expect things to go wrong. You must expect things to get REALLY tough. Here are a few items that I always just assume will happen, so if and when they do, I am ready. Now I'm not saying that all these things will happen to all entrepreneurs, in fact I'm simply itemizing things that I deal with like almost 100% of the time.
- People will be complacent and lazy: Look we are human beings and sometimes we allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by life's details, whether it be family, work, etc. In fact, the stresses of the actual venture becomes very draining and leads to you making excuses to be lazy.
- Expect to feel like quitting: You will feel like quitting at some point during the course of your venture. It may be that you have worked yourself to the point that you are just exhausted or perhaps your company is moving slower than you expected. The point is that something will make you feel like quitting, yet the key is to expect that moment to happen, and because you were prepared, it becomes a non factor. You might say to yourself "I knew this would happen, let me fix the issue and move on". Needless to say people, quitting in not an option. Quitters Don't Win, and Winners Don't Quit - a Southwester Company Bookman quote.
- Expect Delays: Face it, especially when developing software, there will always be delays. So when planning your sales initiatives don't over promise a prospect or partner. If you promise a deadline or a product that you cannot meet, you will look silly and disorganized. And although, this may not totally tarnish the relationship, its still not a good way to begin a relationship.
- Expect Disagreements: Look if you seriously doing a start up, its because you have an opinion and have the ambition to make special things happen. In fact, I have never met an entrepreneur who didn't have an opinion. So, expect that your partners will have opinions that at times will conflict with yours. And guess what; that's ok! Be open to others' ideas, comments, etc.
- Others will not pull their weight (make sure you do!)t: This admittedly drives me freaking crazy. All I have to say about this is, IT WILL HAPPEN. So what do you do? Well, assess the true value of this or these people and contributions to date. If you know, that they are valuable and have contributed, then you RESPECTFULLY address the issue. You might just find out that there are some legitimate issues around why they are not pulling their weight. With that said, ultimately you can only control what you do and make sure that you are doing what you have committed to do.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Beginning...
So where did it start? Where did the addiction that I now call entrepreneurship begin?
Well, frankly, I don't remember the day that I took my first risk or faced my first challenge, which are items that ALL entrepreneurs deal with on a consistent basis. But I do remember the moment that I realized that I could achieve anything within business if I simply wanted it bad enough and was willing to work hard for it. It was my junior year at Florida State University, when my new and equally as ambitious friend Senor Cesar Garcia and I decided that we wanted to attend a huge conference in NYC which featured the owners of some of the top companies and sports organizations in the world. The problems were a) we were broke college students and didn't have the $1000 + for the registration cost and b) we needed to be part of the media to get in for free.
So what did we do? Well, like every good entrepreneur does, we used are freaking brains and started to think out of the box! - and at that time that meant beer + pizza (umm...not sure too much has changed over the years...lol...hehe). After a days we came up with a strategy, which entailed representing a New Jersey-based local newspaper at the conference and covering it for them! Brilliant right?! So We applied for media passed and waited...and waited even more...and more. Until the a few days before the conference, we got a call stating that we were granted the passes and that we were good to go! You can imagine how happy we were, yet we still had one issue to overcome; we were in Tallahassee, FL and the conference was in New York City!
Well, folks I can tell you that we never made it dude to our transportation issue, but what i will say it that we succeeded. Cesar and I won. And our takeaways were simple; we can do anything, concur anything, and succeed at anything if we think wanted bad enough, were willing to work hard for it, and more importantly used our brains!
As silly as it sounds, that year Cesar and I would speak nonstop about businesses that we were going to start businesses and how successful were we going to be one day. And that my friends was the beginning of my journey...
Peace!
Jorge
Well, frankly, I don't remember the day that I took my first risk or faced my first challenge, which are items that ALL entrepreneurs deal with on a consistent basis. But I do remember the moment that I realized that I could achieve anything within business if I simply wanted it bad enough and was willing to work hard for it. It was my junior year at Florida State University, when my new and equally as ambitious friend Senor Cesar Garcia and I decided that we wanted to attend a huge conference in NYC which featured the owners of some of the top companies and sports organizations in the world. The problems were a) we were broke college students and didn't have the $1000 + for the registration cost and b) we needed to be part of the media to get in for free.
So what did we do? Well, like every good entrepreneur does, we used are freaking brains and started to think out of the box! - and at that time that meant beer + pizza (umm...not sure too much has changed over the years...lol...hehe). After a days we came up with a strategy, which entailed representing a New Jersey-based local newspaper at the conference and covering it for them! Brilliant right?! So We applied for media passed and waited...and waited even more...and more. Until the a few days before the conference, we got a call stating that we were granted the passes and that we were good to go! You can imagine how happy we were, yet we still had one issue to overcome; we were in Tallahassee, FL and the conference was in New York City!
Well, folks I can tell you that we never made it dude to our transportation issue, but what i will say it that we succeeded. Cesar and I won. And our takeaways were simple; we can do anything, concur anything, and succeed at anything if we think wanted bad enough, were willing to work hard for it, and more importantly used our brains!
As silly as it sounds, that year Cesar and I would speak nonstop about businesses that we were going to start businesses and how successful were we going to be one day. And that my friends was the beginning of my journey...
Peace!
Jorge
Is the Market Improving? What's up with all the acquisition action!
So, I'm not sure if its me or are there a crap load of acquisitions going on right now!
I mean just this week, you have Mint.com being bought by Intuit (Shut outs to Sid, I'm proud of you man!), Nokia buying Plum, and talks regarding Adobe buying Omniture - and I'm sure I have missed a bunch more.
Ok so, the Mint.com deal was a good one I believe. Mint.com is a great application, uniquely positioned within its space. Additionally I believe it will continue to grow. It was a decent deal at $170 million dollars or whatever it was.
Regarding the Adobe deal, I get it; they want to grow a new business line within online - Ok fine. It could be a good win for Adobe and Omniture is a well known, solid organization.
Now for the stinker of the crew, Nokia, what in Gods name are you doing buying Plum. I can name a million better options than this. For example, KickApps.com here in NYC, has a product called KickFamily.com which would kick Plum's ass. Share on you Nokia. As for the Plum guys, atta boy or girl; you managed to get a decent valuation on your thing.
So the question is: Are M&As really back??
I mean just this week, you have Mint.com being bought by Intuit (Shut outs to Sid, I'm proud of you man!), Nokia buying Plum, and talks regarding Adobe buying Omniture - and I'm sure I have missed a bunch more.
Ok so, the Mint.com deal was a good one I believe. Mint.com is a great application, uniquely positioned within its space. Additionally I believe it will continue to grow. It was a decent deal at $170 million dollars or whatever it was.
Regarding the Adobe deal, I get it; they want to grow a new business line within online - Ok fine. It could be a good win for Adobe and Omniture is a well known, solid organization.
Now for the stinker of the crew, Nokia, what in Gods name are you doing buying Plum. I can name a million better options than this. For example, KickApps.com here in NYC, has a product called KickFamily.com which would kick Plum's ass. Share on you Nokia. As for the Plum guys, atta boy or girl; you managed to get a decent valuation on your thing.
So the question is: Are M&As really back??
Cool Quotes
"It is only as we develop others that we truly succeed"- Harvey Firestone
I've missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot . . . and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. - Michael Jordan
I've missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot . . . and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. - Michael Jordan
First Entry
Good morning world - So I'm siting here at my day job, getting ready to start my day of cold calling new prospects, researching markets, and dealing with the everyday joys working for someone else. Now, don't get me wrong, life at work is nice. We have a young company, which is doing well, in fact, we are doing better today than we have ever been. It's just that I learned a long time ago that no matter what I do, I will never be completely happy working for someone else. It's a realization that I had to come to grips with. Yet for now it's ok though; I am a learning a crap load and have met some great people. It's yet another training ground for what lies ahead in the near distant future...
I must say that I am a better business person today versus I was when I first got here. I have had the chance to work within a space that I really love, web 2.0 & social media, while having the chance to make some good friends: like TJ "Dragon" M who is probably one of the most brilliant creatives I have ever met and all around good hearted person. Maliki O, a truly special human being; the type of guy that you wouldn't mind spending hours around speaking about life's philosophies or a new business idea. Halit B, an honorable gentleman who seems to do no wrong. The type of guy that you would fight for in the heat of battle and who you know would have your back without question. Big E, a visionary, who has enough ideas and energy to fill a room. Speaking of rooms, when he is around the energy he brings is infectious and inspiring.
Of course, there are a few more people that have really made an impact on me by being who they are as people as well as colleagues.
I must say that I am a better business person today versus I was when I first got here. I have had the chance to work within a space that I really love, web 2.0 & social media, while having the chance to make some good friends: like TJ "Dragon" M who is probably one of the most brilliant creatives I have ever met and all around good hearted person. Maliki O, a truly special human being; the type of guy that you wouldn't mind spending hours around speaking about life's philosophies or a new business idea. Halit B, an honorable gentleman who seems to do no wrong. The type of guy that you would fight for in the heat of battle and who you know would have your back without question. Big E, a visionary, who has enough ideas and energy to fill a room. Speaking of rooms, when he is around the energy he brings is infectious and inspiring.
Of course, there are a few more people that have really made an impact on me by being who they are as people as well as colleagues.
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