Capitalist or Socialist? What's your business style?

You are doing business or you want one..
How do you feel about it?
What's the reason behind?

Are you acting like Capitalist? or Socialist? [and don't confuse the socialist by the USSR or the communism]

Are you Capitalist?
Do you want to maximize the profit? Find the cheapest resources in the market? even outsource to overseas?
Do you want to get your employees work 12 hours a day weekend included? Don't pay them annual leaves?
Are you doing everything to get more money for your own? And fire the guy who want's a raise?

Or Are you Socialist?
You decide what's the best for the whole company, and the employees benefit?
Do you give loans to employees who are in difficulties?
You do offer them free days to feel comfortable and relax?
Do you care what employees feel about the company? And how they are attached to emotionally?

WHAT DO YOU CHOSE?

My arguments are making socialism kind of perfect while capitalism as an evil.. But I would like you to give me your arguments and point of view!

So, what's your model??

I think what I wanted to show and compare to the pure liberal capitalism in the business level is not to the socialism that we often hear about, but something like Democracy in the business! That would be different, and means that everyone would have his word to say and not considered as a slave!

What mean for you doing Business??

Actually this is a question I'm asking..

Most of the time that seems obvious, very obvious.. FOR MONEY

But I think that if you think closer, you'll have a second reply like, don't wanna a Boss, Wanna freedom.. and may be few others.

This because the main reason to keep a business running, is money, profit and cash flow are both in relation with money. Without those, you'll die in business. But not if you're not free to decide or you're not doing perfect work.

So the real reasons are: to be rich, to feel free to decide, to realize a dream..

• For the first, I'm tell you now, if you want to be rich, and this is your motivation, better go for gambling or play lottery! You have no future in the actual business world.
• If you want to be free, think twice, you'll work twice as if you're working at other's businesses. Also you'll be responsible for your employees tasks.
• Finally, if you are motivated by realizing a dream, make your ideas real.. Than, probably this will be the reason for you to run a real, successful business.. and you'll end up RICH!

The flow is working in the opposite sense than what most want.. Dream will lead to Money, not the opposite way!

So, what is you business motivator??

Are you keeping the manager position in your startup?

Startups needs Entrepreneurial spirit and imagination, something that we miss usually in big corporate environment.

Now, how if your startup passes the startup phase and things are going just find, you're hiring more people, getting new customers, suppliers are coming to your door. At this time you may feel that you're OK. Your entrepreneur task is over (waiting may be for future moves) and now you need more a manager to keep things turning around.

YOU CAN NOW THINK ABOUT TWO OPTIONS

Wear the Manager hat

This may be the most obvious choice as you cannot think you're giving away wait you built by your own (or with your own team). Probably you're the kind of guy who knows more about the secrets of your business.

Check out the E-Myth Revisited book, and you'll see it clear that Michael E. Gerber encourage you to build your own system. Put in a model that all the business will work on. This requires a continuous work and improvement, but it will guarantee that you'll keep enjoying your business without depending on it.

This way you will be the master of your business and the trigger of your success, that's not what you run a business for?!

At one time, you may feel limited with your capacity and your ability to do things by your own.

Or,
Bring external Manager who already proved skills


The second option, is the corporate way thinking. Don't know how to do it, hire someone. Don't learn accounting, hire an accountant!

Richard Branson, one of the well know and the most successful entrepreneurs. Said one time (I guess it was on the Entrepreneur Mag) that when building Virgin, He said that at one time he found that he will not make a good manager, so he found out a good one and hire it.

Pretty easy solution to put all the commands on somebodies hands, you trust him and his skills. But be sure that he will not do all the times things that you like and you agree on.

What to chose?

To chose one of the ways, first you have to know what you want really from your business? a small successful? or big with changing the world?
I guess you have the reply!

Why you are are not going to leave you jobs?

Many people want to be FREE, build a business and make challenge, and getting a financial freedom. But only few, very few of them can really do that and really DO THAT!!!

So WHY NOT??

Many reasons can prevent someone of leaving full time job, and flying independently, and run a business.

The reason you're doing that
Are you really the person who wants to build a business? or you want just to do it because other did it and they became rich? If you want just to get the fruits, win more.. Than probably it's not the best choice for you because most of successful entrepreneurs are not ambitious by money at first but by the success!

You've been conditioned
You have a fixed schedule, start at 9 a.m and end at 5 p.m. so you have a full day.. Days are coming, and your idea still there! waiting for you, and following your schedule, you'll never do it.
And I learned from Tim Ferris (4 hours work week book) he mentioned that he think that the better thing can come to you is to get Fired!! And I agree! This will be the trigger to get out from the loop of routine.

You're afraid to lose money control
You have a fixed revenue monthly, leaving a job may disturb that, if you're paying back loans? You could be ruined if you fail! But not everyone can manage to leave a job and work part time until his start-up will get him money. For this, getting fired form previous jobs would be also a motivator.

I'll wait few months until I'll be ready
You have 3 years of experience, may be more, but you still saying that I'll wait until I get more experience with management, financials, human resources.. the list is long.. and my reply is.. Do Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Zuckerberg waited for that?? You are getting it? You'll learn with your business.

ALL WHAT I MEAN BY THIS IS, NO TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME TO RUN A BUSINESS.. BUT ALL TIME IS.

Being your own Brand builder?

When lunching a business, you should not have enough money to spend on media, and Ads.. But still having your time, and your effort that can work on your side.. as much brands starts first from mouth-to-ear.. why not for you?

Your product will speak for itself.. but you too can do..

I learned much from the presentations gurus, and of course Steve Jobs.. That wouldn't be difficult, just go too Youtube and search for "steve jobs"..

What you should learn from him and others is focusing on:

Being popular, Being social
You reply to all emails, comments, requests and treat people as you're talking to your close friends. They will feel comfortable talking to you later, and if the conversation is public, that others may join if they found that you're welcoming them.

Being simple, reachable by everyone

Saying simple words, simple expressions will let everyone understand your message with less effort. And specially not annoying.

Check Fog Index, which is an index used to measure the complexity of a text.. you should get minimum index possible, and not exceed 10. (check this)

Show your ambition, and your passion

Do you feel OK to buy in a store where the guy inside is feeling asleep? bad lightening the area? not cleaning the floor? I don't think so.. And if you compare it to a place where the guy inside is smiling, showing you why you should buy something and making some demonstration to you?

That shows the ambition, so be Ambitious to attract people. We all are attracted by motivated persons.

Reduce your business software bill with Apptivo

I discovered by chance a new software platform that will be the center of most of small business owners.

You usually was trying to find out what kind of software or tools you should use to mange your products? track your expenses? manage payrolls? manage your warehouse? and more, and more.. and sure the biggest problem is how to put that in one direction and make all work the same way!!

Big question and I was very happy when I saw that with Apptivo!!

If you want, specially if you are already asking the previous questions, don't continue reading and go take a look, you'll never regret it.

If you still not convinced, I'll explain to you why I'm so excited talking about this even that I don't like making Ads but only because I'm finding it very attractive, and almost free.

This application is cloud based, so you have to be sure that all your employees will have Internet connection where they are supposed to work. And Apps are classified in categories:

Project Management
A project management tool that can manage tasks, milestones, team members. It's not very powerful as PM tools, but believe me, as a small business you'll enjoy it as simple and integrated with all other Apps.

Human Resources
HR needed tools as recruitment, candidates, payroll for employees and holidays dates. Pretty attractive for a small business with only one not so well experienced or even no HR-guy where not yet hired one so you have to do the job. Easy tools to keep track of everything.

Marketing
Tools for Ads, promotions, surveys. I would appreciate if that can include kind of social media marketing where you can automate your tweets or Facebook page. You can easy than spread the word about any promotion, reply to customer questions.

Sales
You can manage customers, contacts, sales reports and even more with many applications. It can be a way to attribute applications by department. as each profile will enable the App that he want to use, and disable the others.

Financials
Great tools are available, and same as all, integrated with others. You can find Apps about customers payments, supplier payments, employees expenses and invoices App.
Some Apps can belong to other categories as employee expenses that can be HR also.

Product management
You can manage your product list and details and check inventory.

Customer service
The cool thing that I found here is the RMA where shipped goods can be returned and an App will manage that. So no problem to keep your inventory correct and up to date.

Supply chain
Managing shipments and freight. And all is related to warehouse, customers and expenses.

Sourcing
Apps that works with suppliers, and manufacturers.

Website management
You can integrate it with wordpress. And also can be used with your website, domain or even Google checkout integration. Sounds great, and I'm eager to test this tools. (I think that it would be much more interesting if it can be with PayPal too).

Fundraising
Mainly about dealing with your investors and communicating documents with them.

Innovation management
Contains cool Apps about how to create and track new ideas internally, than getting patents and manage all.

Asset management
As it sounds, you need this App to manage your assets.

Employee services
You can find here Apps that manage payroll, vacations, employees evaluation and more Apps.

More
There some other payed services as eCommerce hosting, shipments and payment gateways.

After seeing those tools, I think that as I did and will do, don't look for tools that would help me or try to do mines with hundred bugs software.

What I noticed that the whole Apps would need speed enhancement, but it stills not bothering you if you are not running a big business as it saves you thousands of dollars! I would just hope that it would be little more optimized.

CAN WE FOCUS ON THIS FOR THE LONG RUN??

It's the real question I was asking from the beginning as no one want to put all his effort to use those tools to find out one day that it will stop to develop because some failures of the company building it!!!
And the reply is related to Apptivo itself if it's able to keep business running, and if its business model is going to succeed.. So you'll be sure of making the right choice.

Without looking for much details about it, I'm guessing.. If I'm using many of the free application with Apptivo and I would require an SMS gateway to notify customers of shipments for example? Would I buy a service from other than Apptivo? Same for web hosting and development, banking services, shipment and the list is long.. It's up to them to find out what value they can add so the customer is willing to pay for it rather than looking outside.