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This blog will be hosted on Ramuser.com in a few days when some technical issues get resolved.

Sorry for the delay!

Here we go again!

Well, it’s that time of year again.

Almost a year ago I embarked on the first major traveling adventure of my adult life. I left a great job, voluntarily, smack dab in the middle of the worst economy and job market in who-knows-how-long.

I went to Europe, my first time outside of North America, and spent a month backpacking (or, more accurately, ‘Urban Trekking’, as I’ve come to learn it’s called) all over the place: 14 cities in 10 countries during that time. Truly first rate, unbelievable life experience.

I returned the US with visions of continuing my journey by heading out to California and checking some places to live/start looking for jobs. Unfortunately, because of the two pronged attack known as poor planning and poor money management, I lacked the funds to execute the manuver. More on that later– let’s fast forward to today.

I woke up this morning on the $25/night bed of a Las Vegas hostel. “You know this is a HOSTEL and not a HOTEL, right?” the receptionist said when we called at 2:30am local time. Though I was in fact aware of the distinction, I’m not so sure they were. $50 got Jack and I our own room with two clean queen size beds, private bathroom (with towels) and a mini fridge. Pretty slick digs.

We’d been driving consistantly for almost 34 straight hours when we got to town last night. Save for gas stops and a one hour break in Colorado Springs to see Jack’s cousin, we were on the move. Jack took the first leg: Cincinnati to mid – Missouri. I had the first overnight, delivering us to western Kansas. When I left like I had no chance of safely continuing, I woke Jack up to kick us through to CO Springs.

His cousin was awesome. We showed up around noon, and she prepared a delicious Greek themed talapia dish for us as we watched the Reds game and Masters on her satalite TV. I felt fully rejuvinated as we left, 60 minutes later, to tackle the next swath of interstate.

I lucked in to the privilage of the Rocky Mountain climb and descent, which was AMAZING. Such a beautiful drive; I became an expert at snapping no-look photos with my camera pointing sideways out of the sunroof of Jack’s Scion TC.

At 7pm, we switched again, with Jack planning on giving his damndest to get us through to our predicted 3am Vegas arrival. The empty blackness of night time in the desert is a formitable opponent however, and he woke me two hours later saying that he couldn’t focus anymore and had to stop.

Rather than admit defeat the road, I decided to get back in the drivers seat for round three. The speed limit in the middle of Utah, Arizona, and Nevada is 75mph, and with no one around, I felt comfortable cruising at about 100mph as Jack snored lightly, oblivious to the pace.

I made a concoction of Banana Chips, Roasted Almonds, and Dark Chocolate covered Espresso Beans which I was eating by the handful as the miles washed beneath me. I woke Jack five hours later so he could see the glowing aura of the city disrupt the night sky as we approached an hour ahead of schedule.

My buddy Rick, who lives in Vegas and was going to put us up, was MIA when we arrived. Our last conversation two days prior had us arriving mid-morning Sunday, not late night Saturday. We drove up the strip as we contemplated our next move.

A quick iPhone search produce the address and phone number to a hostel just off the Strip. Though our hosts thought their accomodations modest, my exhaustion levels said otherwise. I laid down on my own queen size mattress after giving everything I had left in my tank to empty the cars’, and fell asleep.

I’ll be back with an update before Coachella!

A Friday Type Post

Friday always seems to be the happiest day of the week.  Yes, you still have to work, but hey, even on Saturday morning there is less weekend left than on Friday.  Today, as I work out of my home away from home, Coffee Emporium, I can easily see the world in a pretty positive light.

I know I’ve had a few inspirational/motivational type posts lately, but they’re as much for me as they are for you.  This trend is not going to stop here.  The reason for this is that I am continuously amazed by the following phenomenon, phrased most eloquently in the classic baseball film ‘Field of Dreams’: “If you build it, they will come”.  Applied to the real world, where ghosts don’t appear from corn-based left field walls to compete for Kevin Costner’s fictional family’s attention, this message carries exceptional importance.

Do SOMETHING.  Get moving on a path.  Right path, wrong path, left path, whatever.  As long as you’re passionate, and working hard, someone is going to take notice, and something good is going to happen.  The only way you can fail is to do nothing.  It’s hard sometimes– one can be paralyzed into indecision by the number of choices available while standing still.  This is a dangerous state to be in.  Just get moving.

It’s always easier to see things positively on Friday, isn’t it?

Great Productivity Resources

Here are some awesome sites to check out to enhance personal productivity:

http://www.grooveshark.com — because music helps everyone work, right?

http://www.bplans.com — great resource for sample business plans over a variety of industries

http://docs.google.com — create all your documents in the cloud so you never have to worry about saving or computer crashes again!

http://www.nolo.com — resource for legal tips and advice for businesses

http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html — Government’s small business resource.

http://venturehacks.com — Great start-up blog

Tough Times

I’ve already written about the importance of support during the initial phases of a start-up, but what about the opposite?  What do you do to handle the dreaded “This isn’t going to work” or “I think you’re wasting your time”?

I think the answer is simple: Eat some ice cream.

Then!

Go back and review what your supporters have told you.  Ask them again why they think you’re doing the right thing.  MAKE yourself overcome the objections of your doubters.  It’s never going to be easy, I think, to start a profitable business venture.  However, it’s also never going to be as hard as it sounds right after someone tells you it’s impossible, either.  It IS possible, especially with the help of some ice cream.

Vertical Markets

As I move forward with the official launch of my new start-up, I’ve begun the process of consulting with a few trusted resources about some of the issues my business faces.  Obviously I wanted to have a solid understanding first of what I thought the business was about before approaching anyone else (hence leaving this step until now), but since that been accomplished, it’s time to open the flood gates.

So what don’t I know?

“Who are you selling to?” asked Chris Burkey, a friend and founder of OpenEdit, developer of EnterMedia (open source DAM software) among other things.  My response, “other start-ups and small businesses”, seemed to me to be a clearly defined, sizable, and potentially lucrative market.  However, Chris reasoned that having a defined Vertical Market was much more important and indicative of long term success than was concentration on a Horizontal Market, or essentially, a demographic.

A Vertical Market is a sub-set of an industry– A group of individuals connected by a common interest or problem set.  These individuals compete in a well-defined market segment.

Sure, you can target your marketing efforts towards a demographic, but if you do so, you’re essentially marketing yourself against all of the specialized Vertical Market players that also segments of your chosen demographic.  You are the Jack of All Trades, Master of None.

Being a JOAT-MON is a great way to make friends, enjoy a few learning experiences, and constantly tackle new challenges, but it is not the way to establish a growth oriented, financially viable business model.  Just like professional sports:  People will pay $50 a ticket (or much more) to go watch a 9-4 Cincinnati Bengals team every Sunday, but no one will shell out that sort of cash to see the team of guys who can play Baseball, Football, Basketball, and Ultimate Frisbee all at an above average level.  Being a specialist, the king of a category, is where real money is made.

So here’s the REAL QUESTION: Is it worth starting a new business if you don’t have a Vertical Market established?

One could argue the following:

• Your Vertical Market may appear to you over time as you begin to see which are your favorite clients is in your chosen demographic.
• If there is opportunity available and money to be made in a JOAT-MON situation, why ignore it? Focus on the opportunities that can be had today, and tackle the additional challenges of Market Segmentation as they arise.
• Without a clear understanding of a long-term growth and marketing strategy, your efforts are better spent elsewhere.  Putting good energy into a bad idea is just bad business.

Any input from fellow entrepreneurs?  Any great resources out there that address this specific topic?