The Rules of Business By Fast Company's Editors & Writers

55 Essential Ideas to Help Smart People (and Organizations) Perform at Their Best
By Fast Company's Editors & Writers
Doubleday (A Division of Random House, Inc.)
$19.95; hardcover; 246 pages; (2005).



This slim volume is filled with business ideas that you probably already know – but it never hurts to be reminded of them. Most rules are accompanied by a short explanation and quotes from business leaders.

Take #1 Rule, for instance: The first rule of business is the same as the first rule of life: Adapt or die.

Nothing surprising here – but just think how often most people strive to resist change. When we find something that works, we want to do it again and again – often oblivious to the fact that our original way of solving a problem or dealing with an issue is no longer effective.

Rule #2 reads: Innovation is difficult and often painful. But there is no alternative. (See Rule 1.)

"The minute you get good at something, you get comfortable. And that leads to stagnation. People on my team have learned to embrace change."
- Tamar Elkeles, Vice Preside of Learning,
Qualcomm

The book lists rules to follow in over 20 different areas of business, including: communication, customer service, technology, marketing, leadership, risk, speed, and the future.

My favorite? Rule #55: If you haven't had one spectacular failure in your life, you haven't tried hard enough. My favorite quote:

"If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room."
Dame Anita Roddick, founder,
The Body Shop


If you enjoy pithy reminders of everyday business principles, this book's for you.

The world is flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

Wake up now or we'll fall FLAT on our butt, or even worst FLAT on our face!

Title: The world is flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

Author: Thomas L. Friedman
Publication Year: 2006 (expanded and updated edition).

I agree with lot of basic argument can't say I love the book, because it's a little s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d ...seems to drag on. But author gives a lot of examples, but if someone actually follow the current events your mind will start to wonder off. I think 300 pages is all the book need. Book did hit all the key buzzword. I have found this link from University of Maryland with definition of the buzzword, this book was selected as 2006 first year book program.

Friedman is obviously a very accomplished writer, but in this instance I think less is more. Friedman explores the idea that the world is flattening by the leveling of the playing fields connecting all areas of the world in a way never imagined mid-90's.

The three versions of globalization starting from the exploration of Christopher Columbus. From 1492 to about 1800, it was Globalization 1.0.

The second era, Globalization 2.0, lasted from 1800 to 2000. The key agent of change, and the dynamic force driving global integration was multinational companies, driven by first the falling transportation costs, and then by the falling telecommunication costs.

Globalized 3.0 took off around 2000 and shrank the world from small to tiny, and flattening the playing field at the same time. With the movement of information improved so drastically that it empowered the individuals to participate in the globalization.

Author have inserted some of his view about Arab world into the book at the very end. Things get complicated when you fix in Muslims ... I think Muslims make more than 30% of Indian, and a little less in south Asia.

perhaps he is trying to be controversial which sometimes helps to sell books. now can we get on with globalization?

Reference:
I found this book review from mymoneyblog.com

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2007/03/the-world-is-flat-book-review-and-commentary.html

scam or not, that is the question. Market America

some background from their web site, Market America was founded in 1992. They are based out of Greensboro North Carolina. Market America is a product brokerage company that specializes in Internet marketing and more specifically, one to one marketing. Essentially their distributors earn commissions by getting their customers to shop through their websites. They have over 180,000 distributors worldwide in the US, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The more than 3 million preferred customers have generated over $3 billion in revenue since they started 17 years ago.

Basically, a distributor is able to sell products wholesale and also make commissions when their customers shop on their Web portals. This is called the Mall Without Walls. Corporate sees this industry booming as more people tend to shop online these days. When distributors sign up, they are given a Unfranchise business. I believe they call it this because you appear to be getting the benefits of a franchise without it being a franchise. Okay, so now that we have pointed out the products and services that MarketAmerica provides we found that there is no Market America pryamid scheme, and certainly no Market America scam.

I had a difficult time learning about Market America’s compensation plan. Their official website discloses that is a Binomial Market System with a Management Performance Compensation Plan.This sounds confusing to me, but from what I understand distributors get paid when they sell product, when they recruit new distributors, and when customers use their web portal to purchase products online. I prefer that the company list exactly how they pay their distributors. I tend to think that if they don’t list it, it’s probably not very good.

Let's put some numbers into this...
You need to keep your right and left sides balanced in order reach the optimum payout each week; thus you need to generate 1200 points on both the right and left sides of your first level. For the second level you need 2400 points and 3600 points on the third level. Each level will generate $300. However, for your fourth level, you need to generate 5000 points on both sides equaling $600. Therefore you will have three levels earning $300 each and one level earning $600 for a total payout of $1500 per cycle; whereas each week is a new cycle and resetting back to 0. The simplest way to keep your residual income is to balance 50 enrollees on both side totaling 100 people in your business model. Each enrollee needs to make at least 100 points; when translated your total revenue is $12,000 and a weekly payout of $1500.

Market America’s main product line is Isotonix. These are vitamins, which as I’ve discussed in the past, are great products to market because they are consumable and people will need to purchase them again and again. Of course, there are limitless products since you can shop for everything from groceries to appliances through the Web portal. this is another reason why I have never personally joined Market America. There too many products for me to keep track of. I actually have a family member currently involved with Market America, and while she likes the products, she is not making the income in her Market America MLM business that I think she had hoped for.

The company does offer annual meetings and training opportunities as well as a complete web portal available when you sign up as a distributor. From what I could see they do offer a system they consider to be duplicatible. Again, I think this is dependent upon the individual and whether or not they really try to have success in their business.

So what’s next? Are you going to join Market America? Whether you decide to or not, you want to be one of the people that has major success. How are you going to do this? Are you going to be like my family member and try to get other family members to join you? How about talking to people that “get” network marketing? How about using a system? How about branding yourslef so that they want to join YOU in YOUR business, and not just start a Market America Business.

Lessons learned from Bird flu and now Swine flu

Some timeline on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 1st case was discovered in Winter 2002, but nobody outside out Chinese government knew of outbreak. It's not until February 2003 http://www.who.int/ was notified. The economic impact of this epidemic toll on Asia some estimated at $11 billion (World Bank).



I remember people were canceling trips to Asia (40% of flight were canceled). And I heard lot of comment on the street regard to the colorful surgical facemask people wears in Asia. It comes in all kind of size and color...

Back to present day, I'm not making fun of those masks, now the outbreak of Swine flu (H1N1) is inside the U.S (CDC) boarder. I have heard Home Depot, Walgreens in the effected area (see google map) are selling out those surgical mask.

Of course the death toll of H1N1 has not reach the speed or the spread of H5N1 (media??) but if we do not taking a drastic step and react to this "outbreak" things may get even worst(by the media??). This will effect the already WEAKEN economic. Talk about "The Wold is Flat" (yes I'm reading Thomas Friedman's book, will have blog about it later).

The sales have plunged for pork producers around the world. Egypt began slaughtering its roughly 300,000 pigs on Wednesday, even though no cases have been reported there. WHO says eating pork is safe, but Mexicans have even cut back on their beloved greasy pork tacos.


Reference:
An archive article of business week 2003 on SARS
Google's experimental Flu Trends for Mexico (there is also one for United Stats).


I'll return with more link soon... after I buy my mask from a local drug store.

BOOK REVIW: Rich Dad, Poor Dad aka. My Daddy is richer than your Dad

Book Title: Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
Author: Robert Kiyosaki & Sharon Lechter
Publication Year: 2000


Whether Rich Dad Poor Dad is fiction or not, there are valuable business principles can learn and apply.

The book is pretty easy to read and understand. The "story" begins Kiyosaki's childhood and how he and his best friend start to make money (wish I was that smart). It wasn't that simple of course =) The book highlights the attitudes toward money, work and life of the two adult male he admirer (the two dads). The attitude surrounding YOU does make a big difference, one of the key Robert stress is the importance of teaching a child positive thinking related money... rich is not (all) evil. Too bad the educational system does not teach financial literacy at a young agr.


I really enjoy the simplicity Robert brings to light of liability vs asset. I'm guess the author means until you paid off the bank it's a liability to you... I love the fact there are many opposition against Robert's thinking. Which is another reason why I love this book. It give you that fresh air, a perspective that the "expert" big-shot firm financial adviser don't (or don't want you to have?).




some of the quotes from the book:
"The poor and middle class work for money. The rich have money work for them."

"Pay yourself first" --Robert quote from another book "The Richest Man in Babylon" (I'll review this later).

Where is the "plan"? Some reader were disappoint by lack of workable plan in the book, but I kind of like the idea that YOU come up with your own action plans. Everyone has and see different opportunity for example Robert found success in real estate. Does this mean that you should go and stand outside of the courthouse? it's up to you.

I took away some financial IQ and going off to found this Cashflow board game, LOL. It'll be a big hit @ my next party!


Update: Thanks to books.google.com you can read Rich dad, poor dad preview here. Enjoy
Here is John T Reed's take on Kiyosaki. You gotta read both side of the story :-)