Terrace 390 Website Launched

May 22, 2011 General Business

With the collaborative efforts of my company Yes! Solutions and BluFire Studio, the Terrace 390 website was successfully launched back on the 14th of April.

Since then we are getting immense web traffic as our interactive website allows users to view vivid images of every item on the menu (food and drink).  We also have a built-in-reservation system on the website that updates in Real Time to our Table Reservation Software in Terrace 390.

Our blog, “The Latest” is updated daily as we intend on keeping our loyal customers (and anyone else interested) up to date on all of the special events, weekly live music lineups, specials of the day, etc.

Take a look at our contemporary website and start salivating over the delicious food pictures.

www.Terrace390.com

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A Blog Can Be A Startup’s Most Valuable Investment

December 1, 2010 General Business, Marketing and Advertising

With the an estimated 150K new websites and 7M new pages added to the Internet every day, the biggest challenge for every entrepreneur is to get found, and get some credibility for a new startup. I can attest from experience that publishing a regular blog to properly showcase your offering, even before you have it, is a most cost effective approach in time and money.

The biggest roadblock is that startup founders already have too much to do building a product, mapping strategy, courting investors, etc. So finding time is hard, and good writing is simply not what most people do. But here are some key reasons why you need to give it some priority:

  1. You can validate the need and your solution before spending money. Too many entrepreneurs spend big money on development, only to find out that the solution isn’t quite right. Feedback from your blog will tell you quickly whether anyone agrees with your assessment, and whether you have a customer base waiting.
  2. Find potential partners. Most of the people you would want as co-founders are now cruising the relevant blogs for ideas and partners. It’s a great way to find like-minded people, and get a dialog going. From a networking standpoint, it’s a lot more efficient than going to seminars and other industry events.
  3. Populate your team. Smart potential employees are also reading blogs to stay up-to-date in their field, and find the new leaders. More and more, employees work for people they respect, rather than companies. Take the initiative to put yourself out there. Of course, ultimately you want employees who can blog for you and your company as well.
  4. Cultivate early customers. It’s never too early to start a dialog with customers, as long as you don’t mislead them about where you are in the cycle. Build your brand and get leads today. There’s also the opportunity to do some consulting with interested customers to provide needed revenue while the product is still under development.
  5. Build your credibility with investors. A blog is an excellent vehicle to meet investors, before you are ready to ask them for money. You will also learn about competitors, who can’t resist responding to a well-written blog. Once you gain real traction as an expert in your space through the blog, investors will put you at the top of their funding list.
  6. Hone your communication skills. Writing a blog is all about communication, and that’s your number one job as founder of a new startup. Trying to write something down for someone else to understand quickly, will tell you if you really understand it yourself. Even if you use a ghost writer for your blog, the briefing process will enhance your skills.
  7. Your Google ranking will go up dramatically. Whereas Google and other search engines may take two or three weeks to list your new website in search results, new blog sites and new blog entries are indexed every day. From comments, you will accumulate external links both into and out of your site, and get additional ranking from Google.

Since a startup by definition is not a recognized brand, you are the brand, based on the social media culture of today. People assume your startup is real, if they see real people, and they will attribute credibility to your startup, based on your own credentials and the quality of information you offer through your blog. No person and no blog puts your startup at the bottom of a long list.

The best part is that all this is not a revenue drain. The major blog platforms, including WordPress, Blogger, and TypePad are free, and can be linked directly into an existing domain name to consolidate your overall SEO impact. In fact, many people are now using WordPress as their base website, as well as their blog. This eliminates even the standard site hosting fees.

Business blogging, or value-blogging, is all about helping others and helping yourself at the same time. I wonder if the 70% of startups that fail in the first five years are the same 70% that don’t have a blog? What’s holding you back?

Article Written By:   Marty Zwilling

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Your Business Will be Run by Gen-Y – Get Over It

November 14, 2010 General Business

A lot of executives have noticed that the workplace is being flooded by a new generation of workers, and they are questioning who will be the winners, and who will be the losers. In reality, Gen-Y is here, and they are already inheriting our businesses, so let’s figure out how to make them winners, or we will all be losers.

By definition, Gen-Y is the generation born between 1977 and 1995 (synonymous with Millennials). There are about 80 million of them, and nearly two-thirds of them are already in the work force with full- or part-time jobs. They will inevitably be taking over after Gen-X from the baby boomers, who are now running most companies, but pushing 60.

Morley Safer of CBS News 60 Minutes fame, has long been the negative voice with his tongue-in-cheek quotes like “They were raised by doting parents who told them they are special, played in little leagues with no winners or losers, or all winners. They are laden with trophies just for participating and they think your business-as-usual ethic is for the birds. And if you persist in that belief, you can take your job and shove it.”

At the other end of this thought spectrum is Jason Ryan Dorsey, who last year published “Y-Size Your Business,” on how Gen-Y employees can save you money and grow your business. Naturally, he is a member of Gen-Y himself, and he presents an insider’s perspective on how these career starters bring tremendous potential to the workplace.

He argues that the generational disconnect that many employers are experiencing with Gen-Y is pretty standard. Every new generation that enters the workforce causes criticism, frustration, and stress for the generations already employed. I think it’s pretty obvious that he is right.

Although every new generation causes friction and head shaking in the workplace, Ryan points out three factors converging on our current workforce that are extraordinary – factors that are radically raising the stakes for companies to figure out how to best utilize Gen-Y:

  • The economic downturn is still affecting the national and global economy. At many companies, employee costs are the largest operational expense. Gen-Y is often the least expensive employee to hire, especially when you factor in benefits. The challenge is knowing how to employ them, and how to manage them.
  • Gen-Y’s have a fundamentally different attitude toward work. Gen-Y is the first generation to enter the current workforce without any expectation of lifetime employment. Earning their loyalty means doing things differently, but not necessarily paying more. Gen-Y has to feel a fit, and then they are intensely loyal.
  • A four-generational collision is happening in the workplace. For the first time ever, four distinctly different generations are working side by side – Matures (born before 1946), Boomers (1946-1964), Gen X (1965-1976), and Gen-Y. When generations don’t work well together, operational costs go up and effectiveness goes down.

Safer and many others are convinced that the workplace has become a psychological battlefield and Gen-Y has the upper hand, because they are tech savvy, with every gadget imaginable almost becoming an extension of their bodies. They talk, walk, listen, and text – sometimes all at the same time.

I don’t believe it should be viewed as a battlefield, and I’ve written previously about how to productively lead Gen-Y, and how to capitalize on the change they bring to the workplace. In fact, I’m convinced that the current tough economic times will be the reality check that many of them need to balance their idealism, and solidify their work ethic.

You have an opportunity to make an entire generation of 80 million people your competitive advantage early, or just wait until they take it away from you. Why not make it your strategic initiative, and a positive legacy for yourself? I’m accepting the challenge. How about you?

Article Written By:   Marty Zwilling

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