Twitter can make a billion dollars in under a year. I am talking real cash the kind you count and put in the bank.

First lets look at  Apple. Apple is looked at as a leader in tech products. They clawed their way out of bankruptcy and have climbed to the top of the heap with some of the most beautiful and easy to use products. Now they are sitting with billions in the bank and can continue to innovate. What Apple has right now is what most companies want- a massive fan base with money coming in. They are in a perfect spot. Apple has a tangible product the people want and will pay $500 per unit for. Compare that to a Twitter or Facebook and you can see why Apple is sitting on a pile of money.

Twitter and Facebook are valued in the billions or tens of billions but they are not making that much money. But I have a solution for you Twitter.

Solution:

Twitter needs to charge people for a premium account that lets them type more that 140 characters in a tweet. Let a premier user tweet using 300 or 500 characters per tweet. You could charge a simple $9.99 /mo and you would see millions in revenue per day.

Could you imagine if there is another government that is going to get toppled and a reporter can tweet longer messages, or a civilian can get his point across clearer. People would use it in droves.

It is a win win it gives people the chance to express themselves and Twitter the opportunity to get reoccurring revenue to keep the engine running.

Ever wonder why there is so much unemployment? This was an actual cover sheet attached to a resume that was received.

Click here to download:

DOC.pdf (23 KB)

(download)

Click here to download:

DOC.pdf (23 KB)

Christmas morning I crept down the stairs and peaked around the corner to see what Santa had left. There it was a huge mound of gift all wrapped and tied with bows. I didn’t care about the gift trimmings, I wanted what was inside. But first, I had to make sure the milk and cookies where gone.... and they were! Back to the gifts. I focused in on the big gift near the back of the tree. I tore off the bow and the gift paper. It was a brown box. I quickly realized that there was something inside the brown box and the brown box itself was not my gift. Tearing open the box, it stared at me. I screamed, then did a victory dance.
 
Typical reaction of a kid on Christmas, right? But a grown man? Well if you got what I got, than you would too. My Santa heard I was interested in the Sonos music system and decided that I had been a good enough boy to get it for Christmas 2010.

Let me start with saying that everything you think you know about surround sound or wireless speakers work, put it aside. Sonos is completely different.

The Sonos items I received was one ZoneBridge, and one S5 ZonePlayer. Enough for a one zone system and to see if I like the “experience.”

Lets start with the installation process. I am tech oriented and can quickly figure out most tech installs rather quickly but I figured, it would still take some time to get this synced up between my two laptops and my iTouch. Boy, was I wrong. This has to be one of the easiest systems to set up. It literally took me 20 min including downloading updates and getting the app from the Mac App Store. The only way it could have been simpler is if they had some one do it for me.

After it was installed, I was ready to play music. I already have a Pandora account so I quickly added that as my “tester.” Without doing anything, and almost instantaneously all my devices showed the Pandora account. Now I know this isn’t unbelievable, but there was no lag time or no sync button I had to hit. It just realized the change and carried it across.

After loading up the Pandora account it was amazing. The speakers are excellent (As a disclaimer I am not a big speaker guy, but I love their sound). The controls on the iTouch are almost intuitive. And the response was great. The App has a volume bar that you can raise or lower with your thumb. It is incredibly accurate, and again, there is no lag time. From my bathroom, I was able to control the volume of my music in my living room with no lag time. How awesome, right?

Anyway, I have had the system set up for two days and played with it for a total of 2 hrs and 20 minutes. By far, this is the best gift I have ever received and I would suggest anyone who loves their techie better half to start the New Year off right and get this system. It is truly amazing.

Thank you @sonos!

If you have any questions about Sonos you can catch me at @ahurst on Twitter. Or email me direct.

In October, my company, Veroot, was presented with a great opportunity. I will go into the opportunity later but it made me realize how important maintaining focus can be for a young organization.

With so many new products, investors and start up information out there. Young companies and entrepreneurs are faced with the daunting task of maintaining focus. When a company is young and nimble, it is tempting and easy to jump from project to project or change product visions before completing due diligence. The pressure for fresh entrepreneurs to succeed is so great and the built in drive is so self-demanding that in most cases people think they are doing the right thing, even if it leads them off a cliff. So how can a fresh or even veteran entrepreneur make sure they don’t drive themselves to destruction? Focus!!! Now, I understand that at times an entrepreneur will need to be moving across multiple job titles handle varying tasks all on the fly while only sleeping on planes between meetings. And this type of job/lifestyle does not play with focus,  as well as it should. In most cases the entrepreneur will be exhaulted because of his drive and determination. The reason the drive metric is used, is that people can measure your drive against other folk’s drive in a very physical. Because of this, there seems to be a disconnect between, drive and focus. Where does the one end and the other begin?

Lets start with drive. Drive is the self-motivation, the dreamer portion of the entrepreneur. Drive is the ability to go up against all odds. When the deck is stacked against you, you find away to grit down bear it and win. For the CEO and founding members the ability to maintain drive for yourself and for those around you is one of the main roles you must play. This attribute is almost a must for an entrepreneur. Drive is the secret sauce that will get your team to sleep at their desks and give up their personal life for YOU, their leader. If you don’t have drive you need to surround yourself with people who do.

But what about focus?  Focus, is the ability to silence the noise. To pick a point that has been predetermined and be able to see it through to the end. The reason why focus is so critical is that in today’s market the noise has never been greater. As a CEO or founder, it is imperative you learn focus. A leader focus should be a trained discipline that you can use as a weapon in your leadership arsenal. Leadership that can focus, allows for the troops to know where you are steering the organization and what they can expect. Focused leadership, gives your team the non-verbal ques that will allow them to predict certain behaviors and make better judgement calls. Focused leaders cut through corporate bureaucracy and have a low or no tolerance for excuses.

Recently, my company was approached by another company in the same vertical. The gentleman that called me is a known person in the field and phoned me direct. As the founder, I was ecstatic to receive the call. It was incredible they even heard of us. We are in beta and have not done one bit of marketing. We are on the verge of releasing v 1.0 but still no marketing at this point. I digress. Him and I had a long conversation regarding the industry and where we thought it was headed and where technology was going to fit in the mix. As the conversation wore on we approached the point where I was to be hit with the real reason for the call. The gentleman explained he wanted to partner with Veroot to some degree. Basically asking us to build some custom features specific to his companies needs and have them baked into Veroot. His proposition sounded great. Veroot would acquire a large guaranteed customer and receive more capital to develop features that would fit semi-nicely into the product offerings. We discussed a few functions and few different options they would like. The call ended on a positive note and we agreed to talk again in a week. I wanted to make sure I had some time to think through some of the problems presented to me and see if this is what Veroot should be doing.

After the call, I sat back, thinking about the conversation I just had. As I looked over my pad of paper, contemplating my chicken scratched thoughts. I began to wonder if this was something that COULD incorporate nicely in our current model. It did fit well enough that I could justify including it, and the benefits were huge in terms of exposure and automatic integration into a rather large firm. I started to get excited at the possibilities and all the positive things that could come from this. But then I was faced with the real question, SHOULD this be incorporated into our product offerings?

During the following week, I kept mulling over the functionality the firm wanted and how it fit into our current model. Then it hit me smack in the face. I literally muttered to myself, “I need blinders on.” I decided right then, that we would not be able to help this firm. A week later, during our scheduled call I explained that, “at this time we as a company are headed in a very deliberate direction. We have a definitive goal. After reviewing what you are looking for in terms of integration we do not think Veroot’s main objective and ultimate goal matches up to what your companies goals would be in terms of this system. At some point we may look down this avenue and I would like to keep in touch on a general basis to keep the creative juices flowing and see if we can assist you in the future.” I ended the call by pointing him to another company that I thought may be able to help with his dilemma.

So, what changed during that week? What made me decide that a guaranteed customer and a fusion of much needed capital was not the best thing for my small bootstrapped company? Focus, duh! During the week between phone calls I saw the system adds and restructuring would alter my ultimate view for this project. I went back to my inspiration binder and reviewed some of the great business models and their leadership teams. Companies like 37Signals, Google, Mahalo, Tesla, SpaceX, and Yammer. Not only do I look up to the companies, but also to the people who run them. The focus needed on the level they are playing is something that is rarely talked about. Most talk about the drive of Elon Musk, Jason Calacanis, Gary Vaynerchuk, David Sacks or the guys over at 37signals but focus seems to be rarely listed as a main trait. However, I believe focus is the binding element of the greats. Drive is a close second, and in most cases a by-product of focus. But it is focus that turns these companies from small time dreamers to leaders in their respective fields.

The examples I gave are obviously folks at the top of the pyramid. So how do you learn focus without years of Jedi training? Simple, put your blinders on. You know blinders, the piece of equipment equestrians use in horse racing. Those things the riders affix around their horse’s eyes. The equestrian uses the blinders to block out what is on either side of horse allowing the horse to focus on what is ahead of him, the finish line. Horse trainers feel the horses respond better to the rider when wearing blinders. They say the horse is easier to control gets less spooked and when needed, change directions but refocus quicker. By mentally putting your blinders on, you can become more focused at the task at hand even if the task is a major pivot.

I can hear it already, “isn’t that like putting your head in the sand? Shouldn’t you always be alert and always looking at the competition or where the market is headed?” And for the most part, I would say no. You don’t have to always be caught up on the latest news and trends on Techcrunch and Twitter. Repeatedly, we see those who deliberately block out the noise to pursue something great or revolutionary win. They win by focusing on delivering their solution, not focusing on the market trends. Their focus allows them to win. And win big! Now the greatest secret to the blinders, is that you, the entrepreneur, control them. You get to say when they go on and when they come off. Just like everything, you control your destiny.

Blinders should not to be mistaken with tunnel vision. Blinders are able to be removed at times when need. However, once the change is made, focus is king again. Tunnel vision causes you to block out things even if they are right in front of you. Tunnel vision is unable to be removed and is a disease to the entrepreneurial attitude. Tunnel vision is the lie that people who don’t or can’t put on blinders worry about.

So put on your blinders, and let’s focus more, drive more and succeed more. Let’s conquer and let’s WIN.

All links listed in this article can be seen here as a bit.ly bundle.http://bit.ly/bundles/arktrans/2

I am a huge fan of authors and speakers with the mindset of Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk. I avidly read their publications and watch their videos and think they have profound nuggets of wisdom and sometimes from another world. As I join the daily hustle getting it done I often wonder how their philosophy and their outlook of the business landscape translates to businesses that are established and involved in a mature industry.

First let me explain my point of view. My first biz hat that I wear and love, seriously I love it, is a VP for a small business that specializes in air freight and logistics. We have clients all around the world and we truly love each one. Our clients are treated with the highest level or respect and support and their loyalty to our brand demonstrates this. My second biz hat, I may love this one a smidgen more, is my small start-up that focuses on developing tools for the freight transportation community. Not just repackaging the same corporate software package but transforming the way this industry can and will do business (notice the vertical).

Here is where I may ruffle some feathers:
My small start-up in the technology sector allows and almost demands continual creation. We need to questioning the status quo. In this industry it is much easier to stand up, blaze a new trail and fix the problems you see in front of you. The technology sector allows for a lot of reiteration and forgiveness when a product is still being developed. Companies are still finding their way and with the minimal cost it takes to create and build in this industry it allows for easy rollouts. But in an actual, boots on the ground, type service industry it seems a little different. Although, the company may love what they do as a mission, how does that same company create vitality in an industry that is mature. Where even the customers look at excitement and customer engagement as odd and almost fake? In a business to business industry that is entrenched in bureaucratic BS that is continually handed down restrictions and expenses from their higher ups, TSA and other government organizations. All seeming as though they want to choke the life and creativity out of it.

Is this the, “daily grind” people speak about? Are these books, speakers and authors talking about a world that is going to come? Where even these industries that are mature and have been founded in sweat, blood and unions can be revitalized to produce the same forward thinking of Zappos, Wine Library or 37Signals? Or, are they simply a sideshow? A good distraction. A way to make people who are not creating real change feel like they are doing something. Quelling the guilt of companies whose business principles are failing but because they put up a shiny banner that reads, “Customers First” in their lobby and let their employees dress casual they are “forward thinking” and changing the world?

Are these authors and speakers a side show, or have they already moved on to the main event?

p.s. - I am a huge fan of both Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk. Both these individuals are extremely passionate and they truly believe their missions.

Love it or hate it leave a comment or email me direct at andrew (at) veroot.com.