2 The Next Level

In the past couple weeks Google has shut down two of its latest failures. The first true Google phone the Nexus One and Google Wave.These failures are just a string of bad misses that Google has come up with in the past several years. See “10 Google Flubs, Flops, and Failures” That being said, why do you think Google keeps trying its hand at products and services with the best of intentions only to have them fail?

Heck, the first name the Google founders choose for their search engine failed. Imagine us all going around saying, Did you “Backrub” the name of Micheal Jackson to see how many tribute websites come up? or I bet you can find that street address on “Backrub” maps.

Well I say Google’s failures are our gain. For every Google failure there is at least 2-3 success stories. Case in point. In the last year how many times have you searched for something using Google search, sent and email using Gmail, or Watched a video on Youtube? How many of you are now making calls with your Android powered cell phone, listening to your voicemail using Google Voice while locating your favorite restaurant on Google maps.

We could go on and on about some of the awesome tools Google has created but the more I think about it the more I am convinced that the founders of Google are from the school of Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln. It took thousands of filaments to fail until one finally burned long enough to make the light bulb a success. It took Abraham Lincoln 15 years of many political defeats and failures to finally become our 16th president.

So, I say continue to fail Google. Continue to go out on a limb and try to prove us all wrong with yet another product or service destined for the scrap heap.  Every time you fail you make it easier for tech nerds like me to strive for that one shining moment of success.  You give people like me the will to stay the course and dream about one day turning our own “Backrub” into billions.

So, Solopreneurs. How many times have you failed?

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I will be Speaking at

Click Here to Register

8^th Annual Moving Your Business Forward Conference: Part II

“Technology & Diversity In Social Media”

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Clayton State University
*Student Activities Center
2000 Clayton State Boulevard | Morrow, GA 30260
678.466.5430

8:30 a.m. Registration
*For general directions to Clayton State University, please follow this link: http://www.clayton.edu/maps.htm

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.           REGISTRATION/BREAKFAST

9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.           WELCOME & CONFERENCE PREVIEW:
Meet our Panelists & Sponsors

Conference Preview Remarks by:
Clayton State Univ. School of Business ? Katrice L. Mines, Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine ? Brent Leary, CRM Essentials LLC ? Constant Contact

9:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. How To Know What Technology Will Help You Get Customers

Panelists:
Todd Bethel, Kingdom Media Group ? Shashi Bellamkonda, Network Solutions
Jeff Brathwaite, 2 The Next Level, Inc.

10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. How Social Media is Affecting Diversity Initiatives

Panelists:
Erica Bracey, Small Business Development Center, Georgia State University ? Terri L. Denison, Georgia District Office, U.S. Small Business Administration ? Keya Grant, Spherion Corporation ? David Stiner, IBM

12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. WORKING LUNCH/Constant Contact Interactive
Sponsored by: Constant Contact
(Boxed lunches are available for purchase- $10.00)

Facilitator: Pamela Adams, Constant Contact

1:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.           Online Reputation Management

Moderator: Brent Leary, CRM Essentials, LLC
Panelists:
James Andrews, EveryWhere ? Adrienne Graham, Empower Me! Corporation

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Do you have a 3G/4G USB aircard? I have been debating for a minute on how I can justify getting a wireless aircard to allow me to have Internet service in places where I cannot get free Wifi. My cellphone carrier has a web connect plan that I was considering very seriously. This T-mobile plan cost about $49.00 per month and that’s after having to purchase the USB aircard stick for my laptop.

Tethering

I heard this term about 3 or so years ago from a friend of mine who used to get Free Internet access through his cell phone that allowed him to surf the net on his laptop.  Back then you had to be very careful in trying to create a tethering hack for your cellphone. First off you could void the contract of your carrier by doing it and second you could run up a huge phone bill by adding on to the minutes of your data plan.

Android and T-mobile

In doing some first hand research I found out that there were many cell phone carriers that allowed tethering using the Android operating system but my carrier, T-mobile was not one of them.  I finally found a software company that had just released an Android app that was said to work with my carrier.

PdaNet

June Fabrics Technology Inc. had already created tethering software applications for Windows Mobile phones, Palm OS phones and iPhones. I was elated that they had made one for Android but would it work with T-mobile? After a small download of the software on my laptop and then my cellphone I was up and running.

The Test

My first use of this PdaNet tethering software came at a lunch meeting with a potential client.  The meeting location did not have Wifi and part of my presentation needed Internet access to show off some of the WordPress blogsites I had created.  I was at risk of not being able to close the deal do to the lack of a connection to the net.

Tetheriffic

Not only did I have access to the Internet for the close of my presentation but I was amazed at how fast the 3G speed was in the downloading of all the graphics from some of the blogsites I had displayed on my laptop. My client was pleased with what he saw and said that he was impressed with how I used my cellphone to help finish the deal.

Tale of the tethering tape

PdaNet has two versions of its software application for Android phones. There is a Free version and a Paid version. The only difference in the Paid one is that you get to see secure websites. So if you have to pay a bill via a banking website or purchase something from an ecommerce website you might have some problems.  I have not had a need to upgrade to the paid version at this time but I do believe that the $23.95 one time price would be well worth it. It has already saved me money in not having to get an extra monthly web connect plan from my cell phone carrier.

Have you ever tethered your cell phone to get internet access for your laptop? As Solopreneurs we need to be able to save every penny we take in, so tethering could really make a difference in ones bottom line.  Let me know your thoughts on it.

All the best

JB

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I was so impressed with this TED Talk I just had to post it to my blog. I so relate to Mr. Herold. Unlike Mr. Herold I was told as a child that I had to get a JOB. My mom was convinced that if I got a job as an electrical engineer, all things would be peaches and cream. So I went to a not so good engineering college in New York and ended up dropping out after 3 years. I was so close to my degree yet so unhappy and miserable.

I then spent a summer parking cars in the Hamptons and taking a marketing class at that same engineering school that I paid for with the money I earned in tips as a valet.  I got an education in one summer that I should have had all my life growing up. I made more money in tips as a valet parking cars in the Hamptons then I had earned as a Hauppauge Electronics intern for the whole year.  Unfortunately I then went back home to mom and dad and was told yet again go and get a J-O-B.

My dad, God rest his soul was the entrepreneur of our family. He was always trying so hard to do his own thing. He had a thriving DJ business back in the late 1970’s. His stage name was Disco Brad.  Believe it or not my dad built speakers and album carrying cases for some of the original rappers and DJ’s of the South Bronx. DJ Theodore and Grandmaster Flash got most of their custom speaker equipment from my dad.

Alas, even though he was doing well my mom still wanted him to get a real JOB. So to make peace in the family he did and got a job with the New York transit authority. I was just a kid but I still saw how down and dejected he was coming home from work.

This TED Talk from Cameron Herold is very inspiring. He talks about how we should look out for the entrepreneurial side of our kids rather then tell them to conform to getting a JOB.  So, I urge you not to suppress or belittle your child’s entrepreneurial spirit. Instead embrace it for he or she could be the next billionaire like Ted Turner, Steve Jobs and Reginald Lewis. They may even become an entrepreneurial DJ like Disco Brad. So remember, our kids could change the world as entrepreneurs.

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Join us for this exciting workshop as DeKalb Chamber member, Jeff Brathwaite of 2 The Next Level, teaches companies how to use blogs to extend your companies marketing efforts. Blogging is not as hard as you think.

Seating is limited to 45 participants.

Presentation topics include:

•What is Business Blogging
•Why Should My Business Have a Blog
•What are the 3 Keys to Blogging Success
•Creating Your Own Business Blog
•Marketing Your Business Blog

Cost: Chamber Members – $5.00
Non-Members – $15.00

*If they use the code of BBS610 they will get a 15% discount.  Discount ends tonight.*

Location: DeKalb Convention & Visitor’s Bureau – 1957 Lakeside Parkway, Suite 510, Tucker, GA 30084.

The Business Builder Series is sponsored by DeKalb Chamber members -

My Thanks to DeKalb Chamber Marketing & Communications Manager Janniece Leonard and all who attended this event.

Here are some of the testimonials.

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