Period Three Blog

Aug112008

Build it to last not to sell.

Posted by Gene in Business

I’m an entrepreneur, but I don’t like to admit it. I think of myself more as a product scientist, that name “entrepreneur” just seems to have too much baggage for me personally. I’ve been watching this show called Startup Junkies, you can watch some episodes on hulu.com for free, for a while now. I find it addicting, not because I want to be like them but because I can’t help but watch the train wreck happen. Pretty voyeuristic of me I know. The thing I keep getting migraines over while watching it is the amount of focus both the show and the company seem to place on raising money from investors, and all the talk of going public and cashing in by the employees. I know that makes for good TV but it just hurts my head.

What I’ve learned over my tenure of running my own business is, that you have to build a company that you can live with. Something that you would feel comfortable with for the rest of your life. Something that you would never — NEVER — sell to anyone else (even if you wind up selling it later). We have had many clients at Period Three that are “start-ups” and I guess at a certain point we were a “start-up” ourselves. I believe in letting your business fund itself naturally and organically very early on (I know some businesses have a larger scale than P3) and I believe you can’t be afraid to work very hard to achieve and continue any money making sustainability. That means you must be willing to work ALL THE FREAKING TIME…

A good read is this post on the Diary of a failed startup blog:

It’s a marathon, but it’s a marathon made of sprints
Initial conditions matter. A lot.
Developing in a vacuum never works.
Beware the chicken and the egg.
If you’re doing anything other than building your project and getting users, it’s premature.
The product will take longer than you expect. Design for the long-term.
People have an incentive not to crush your dreams. Take everything they say with a grain of salt.
Know your limitations.

Good advice all around. Another useful set of points is this 17 Mistakes Start-ups Make list (some of these are fast killers):

Failing to spend enough time researching the business idea to see if it’s viable.
Miscalculating market size, timing, ease of entry and potential market share.
Underestimating financial requirements and timing.
Over-projecting sales volume and timing.
Making cost projections that are too low.
Hiring too many people and spending too much on offices and facilities.
Lacking a contingency plan for a shortfall in expectations.
Bringing in unnecessary partners.
Hiring for convenience rather than skill requirements.
Neglecting to manage the entire company as a whole.
Accepting that it’s “not possible” too easily rather than finding a way.
Focusing too much on sales volume and company size rather than profit.
Seeking confirmation of your actions rather than seeking the truth.
Lacking simplicity in your vision.
Lacking clarity of your long-term aim and business purpose.
Lacking focus and identity.
Lacking an exit strategy.

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Aug082008

Client Launch: big-gnome.com

Posted by Gene in Our Clients

Check out Big Gnome.

Big Gnome is a nimble, dynamic and collaborative team of public relations, marketing communications, graphic design, and Web design professionals and firms, coordinated to fit the needs of each client.

One of the best copywriters we’ve ever worked with that’s for sure, give them a ring for your next project.

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Aug052008

Sir Ken Robinson on Creativity

Posted by Jason in Uncategorized

TED is a conference held once every year. The most brilliant thinkers of our time are invited to speak of their lives and specialties (think: our lifetimes Socrates, our Einstein, our Turing), with the mission to inspire. It’s been held since 1984 and has recently been open to the public.

Sir Ken Robinson, knighted in 2003 for his work in education, the arts, and creativity, obtained his PhD from University of London in 1981. He’s advised numerous countries, organizations, and institutions on a number of subjects, but focuses mainly on the repercussions of suppressing creativity.

It’s only a few minutes long, watch the entire presentation.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

One of the best excerpts, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” — and continues to say, our modern education system is built entirely with the idea of “being wrong” as the worst possible outcome of any test of your capacity.

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Aug042008

Design and the Olympic Torch

Posted by Gene in Uncategorized

New York Times has a really interesting piece on the history and design of the Olympic Torch.

Every Olympic set of games brings us a new logo treatment, special architecture and of course the torch itself. I have never really paid attention to it, but it’s fascinating to look over the past torch designs.

Full news item at New York Times

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Jul312008

Explanation: Twitter

Posted by Gene in Social Web

Great article here on FastCompany with Co-Founder of Twitter, Evan WIlliams. Walks you through what Twitter is and all the hub-ub.

My brief:

“Twitter is a utility for keeping people connected via short status updates.”

“If you hear from someone — even something as mundane as eating a sandwich at this restaurant — then you get a picture of this person you’re interested in. You get what some people call ambient awareness.”

There are also productive uses for Twitter — like people using it for status updates on the Southern California wildfires.

Okay, so you may still not “get it” go Twitter someone and find out.

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Jul242008

Obama is design savvy

Posted by Gene in Uncategorized, Design

I can’t say enough about the design efforts that go behind Obama’s campaign materials. Here is just the latest design nerdery that i’ve come to expect and love form his design staff.

The poster on the right is an example of famous German Bauhaus poster. Given that Obama is on a trip to Germany this week, his design staff decided to show a subtle tip of the hat to those historic German designers. Not to mention one of my favorite design periods/schools of all time.

Link: Meaningful Distractions Blog

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Jul222008

Is email dead?

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff, Social Web

I’ve recently traveled to Sweden, arguably the cell-phone capital of the world (at least it seemed that way to me). I’ve also started enjoying the twitter experience a good deal lately. I use Instant Messengers of all kinds to communicate with co-workers and clients - all day. I ask the question: Is email dead?

It may not be dead yet, but it feels like a dying mode of communication to me.

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Jul172008

Capitalism at its worst

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff

This just hurts my head: Converse Chuck Taylor ‘Kurt Cobain’ Sneaker

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Jul142008

Another Client Website Launch

Posted by Gene in Our Clients

Interstate Transportation has been around since 1947, they are probably the oldest establishment in North & South Carolina to sell and still selling buses. We are proud of this website, we think it will help catch Interstate Transportation up competitively with other Bus Sales companies in the South East. Go check out the site.

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Jul102008

Client Website Launch

Posted by Gene in Uncategorized, Our Clients

We are happy to let everyone know about our newest client website launch: The South Carolina National Heritage Corridor.

The South Carolina National Heritage Corridor extends 240 miles across South Carolina, stretching from the mountains of Oconee County, along the Savannah River, to the port city of Charleston. It is divided into four regions and contains the following counties: Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Edgefield, Greenwood, McCormick, Oconee, Orangeburg and Pickens. The 14 counties of the Heritage Corridor offer a cross-section of the state’s historical, cultural, and natural resources that tell the vibrant story of South Carolina’s centuries-long evolution and culture.

Check it out: sc-heritagecorridor.org

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