Monday, January 31, 2011
Access Your Computer Remotely
Using TeamViewer
The easiest way to access your computer remotely is using TeamViewer. Firstly, it is free for personal use. Secondly, you can connect to any computer, Mac, Windows, or Linux, using any other computer or your iPod touch or iPhone. Thirdly, it doesn't require playing with settings in your router. And finally, it uses AES 256bit encryption, the same security standard used by SSL sites. Heres how to set it up:
Step 1. Download and install TeamViewer on your computer. Be sure to use the all-in-one version. You will also need to install it on your iPod/iPhone, or any remote computer you will be using to access your computer.
Step 2. Open TeamViewer. Go into options/preferences, and under the general tab, in the startup box, put in a startup password. This is the password you will use to access your computer. On Windows, click the boxes labelled "start with Windows" and "minimize to tray." On Macs, go into system preferences -> accounts -> login items, and add TeamViewer there.
Step 3. Take note of the ID under wait for session (should be ### ### ###), as well as the password you entered in Step 2.
Step 4. After installing TeamViewer on a remote computer, enter your ID and password. If your home computer is on, and teamviewer is running (as it should), your home computer's screen will show in a window on the remote computer.
Using Remote Desktop or a VNC Server
Some advanced users may prefer using a VNC server to Teamviewer.
Step 1. PC users: If you are running Windows XP Home, you can use Microsoft's Remote Desktop software or install a free VNC server like TightVNC. Windows XP Pro and Windows Vista or later have Remote Desktop Connection built into it. Simply right-click on "My Computer", select "Properties" and click on the "Remote" tab. Check the box to enable remote access.
Mac OS X users: Macs have a remote screen sharing program built in. If you want to share your Windows desktop from your Mac, download Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection software for Mac OS X.
Step 2. Sign up for a domain name service like DynDNS, which lets you assign an easy-to-remember name (adrienne.is-a-geek .net, for example) to your home connection's ever-changing IP address. For in-depth instructions, see our article Set Up Dynamic DNS.
Step 3. Configure port forwarding on your home router to allow remote access. Check your router's user manual for directions, or visit your router's page on portforward.com for specific instructions. Don't have a router? Try a web-based app like LogMeIn. Note: the default port for Remote Desktop on Windows XP is 3389.
Step 4. If you don't want to use the operating system's remote desktop software (mentioned in Step 1), install a VNC viewer on the remote machine instead. For Macs, try JollysFastVNC. For PCs, TightVNC's viewer component is good. Now simply enter your home computer's domain name and you're in!
Step 5. Remember: VNC isn't secure. If you're worried about eavesdroppers, ask someone even geekier than us to help you set up an encrypted SSH tunnel. Doug Bowman has an informative article about setting up SSHTM on a Mac. We recommend running your remote desktop through a non-standard port and pick solid passwords. Beware: there are bots that try common usernames and passwords on public IP addresses.
Using a Linux operating system
If you have a shell account on an internet accessible server somewhere (your web server perhaps), you can make a script to keep your home computer logged in via SSH. Log into the server, run 'w' to see logged in users, note your home computers IP address. Now SSH to your home computer and you can share its command line. Alternatively, installing a VNC using the steps above allows you to see your Linux desktop, but could unnecessarily chew bandwidth.
The easiest way to access your computer remotely is using TeamViewer. Firstly, it is free for personal use. Secondly, you can connect to any computer, Mac, Windows, or Linux, using any other computer or your iPod touch or iPhone. Thirdly, it doesn't require playing with settings in your router. And finally, it uses AES 256bit encryption, the same security standard used by SSL sites. Heres how to set it up:
Step 1. Download and install TeamViewer on your computer. Be sure to use the all-in-one version. You will also need to install it on your iPod/iPhone, or any remote computer you will be using to access your computer.
Step 2. Open TeamViewer. Go into options/preferences, and under the general tab, in the startup box, put in a startup password. This is the password you will use to access your computer. On Windows, click the boxes labelled "start with Windows" and "minimize to tray." On Macs, go into system preferences -> accounts -> login items, and add TeamViewer there.
Step 3. Take note of the ID under wait for session (should be ### ### ###), as well as the password you entered in Step 2.
Step 4. After installing TeamViewer on a remote computer, enter your ID and password. If your home computer is on, and teamviewer is running (as it should), your home computer's screen will show in a window on the remote computer.
Using Remote Desktop or a VNC Server
Some advanced users may prefer using a VNC server to Teamviewer.
Step 1. PC users: If you are running Windows XP Home, you can use Microsoft's Remote Desktop software or install a free VNC server like TightVNC. Windows XP Pro and Windows Vista or later have Remote Desktop Connection built into it. Simply right-click on "My Computer", select "Properties" and click on the "Remote" tab. Check the box to enable remote access.
Mac OS X users: Macs have a remote screen sharing program built in. If you want to share your Windows desktop from your Mac, download Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection software for Mac OS X.
Step 2. Sign up for a domain name service like DynDNS, which lets you assign an easy-to-remember name (adrienne.is-a-geek .net, for example) to your home connection's ever-changing IP address. For in-depth instructions, see our article Set Up Dynamic DNS.
Step 3. Configure port forwarding on your home router to allow remote access. Check your router's user manual for directions, or visit your router's page on portforward.com for specific instructions. Don't have a router? Try a web-based app like LogMeIn. Note: the default port for Remote Desktop on Windows XP is 3389.
Step 4. If you don't want to use the operating system's remote desktop software (mentioned in Step 1), install a VNC viewer on the remote machine instead. For Macs, try JollysFastVNC. For PCs, TightVNC's viewer component is good. Now simply enter your home computer's domain name and you're in!
Step 5. Remember: VNC isn't secure. If you're worried about eavesdroppers, ask someone even geekier than us to help you set up an encrypted SSH tunnel. Doug Bowman has an informative article about setting up SSHTM on a Mac. We recommend running your remote desktop through a non-standard port and pick solid passwords. Beware: there are bots that try common usernames and passwords on public IP addresses.
Using a Linux operating system
If you have a shell account on an internet accessible server somewhere (your web server perhaps), you can make a script to keep your home computer logged in via SSH. Log into the server, run 'w' to see logged in users, note your home computers IP address. Now SSH to your home computer and you can share its command line. Alternatively, installing a VNC using the steps above allows you to see your Linux desktop, but could unnecessarily chew bandwidth.
Access Blocked Sites
If your employer nixes non-work-related sites like Gmail, YouTube, and Facebook, you could try bypassing the blocks with a public proxy -- but those are typically blacklisted, too.
This article is a wiki. Got extra advice? Log in and add it.
Here's how to forge your own detour:
Download the PHProxy program from Sourceforge.net.
Unzip the file and upload the entire folder's contents to a Web host that can run PHP scripts (GoDaddy and Dreamhost offer plans for less than $10 a month).
Enter the host URL into your browser. When the proxy page pops up, type your actual destination into the blank address bar.
You're now free -- and free to poke away.
Contributed by Mathew Honan
Connecting to a ssh server with your webbrowser
If your problem is the reverse (ssh is blocked but surfing is possible) then surf to Webbased SSH, that site allows you to use ssh in your browser (http by default, https if you want to keep your traffic secret).
Contributed by Dale Jaylon
Use an SSH Server on port 443
Your corporate proxy knows nothing about what goes on over SSL/HTTPS connections. They simply allow any TCP connection to port 443 of any IP not blacklisted. So you run an SSH server on port 443 and connect to that to tunnel all your real connections.
If you are using your home internet connection for this, simply go into your router and port forward 443 to port 22 (the normal SSH port) of your computer. If you have a Mac, turn on remote administrator access in "sharing" and you'll be good to go. Or use a dedicated server you may have hired at a colo; Linux firewall rules can forward port 443 to 22 also. If someone knows how to run an SSH server on Windows, please add it here.
Contributed by Ray Carrender
On a windows computer you can add OpenSSH and Cygwin, as it takes quite a bit of information to create a seperate article will be created. installing sshd on windows
On your work computer, find out the IP address of the proxy. You'll likely find this in the connection settings for IE. You may have to download the "PAC" file it references to work out the rules.
Download PuTTY. In "Connection", add the proxy you just discovered as HTTP proxy. The proxy may require your username and password, usually in "domain\user" form. Then in "Connection>SSH>Tunnels" enter 8181 for source port, leave destination empty and select the "Dynamic" radio button and click add. Go back to "Session" and save this session.
Now try and open this session and see if you are in luck. If you are, you log into your server and the tunnel will be active.
Now all you need to do is change your browser to use "localhost:8181" as SOCKS proxy. Stuck on a locked down IE? FireFox installs just fine in your "Documents and Settings" folder without the need to admin rights on your computer.
If the connection failed, it could be that your company use Microsoft's proxy and it requires NTLM authentication, which PuTTY doesn't provide. In that case, download "ntlmaps" which sits between PuTTY and the proxy and takes care of the NTLM authentication.
This is not a step by step guide because the details will be slightly different for everyone. Work it out and prove you are a geek!
Yes, it's a lot of work but I have never not been able to escape the confines of any company, nor has any network security group detected this was happening. YMMV!
This article is a wiki. Got extra advice? Log in and add it.
Here's how to forge your own detour:
Download the PHProxy program from Sourceforge.net.
Unzip the file and upload the entire folder's contents to a Web host that can run PHP scripts (GoDaddy and Dreamhost offer plans for less than $10 a month).
Enter the host URL into your browser. When the proxy page pops up, type your actual destination into the blank address bar.
You're now free -- and free to poke away.
Contributed by Mathew Honan
Connecting to a ssh server with your webbrowser
If your problem is the reverse (ssh is blocked but surfing is possible) then surf to Webbased SSH, that site allows you to use ssh in your browser (http by default, https if you want to keep your traffic secret).
Contributed by Dale Jaylon
Use an SSH Server on port 443
Your corporate proxy knows nothing about what goes on over SSL/HTTPS connections. They simply allow any TCP connection to port 443 of any IP not blacklisted. So you run an SSH server on port 443 and connect to that to tunnel all your real connections.
If you are using your home internet connection for this, simply go into your router and port forward 443 to port 22 (the normal SSH port) of your computer. If you have a Mac, turn on remote administrator access in "sharing" and you'll be good to go. Or use a dedicated server you may have hired at a colo; Linux firewall rules can forward port 443 to 22 also. If someone knows how to run an SSH server on Windows, please add it here.
Contributed by Ray Carrender
On a windows computer you can add OpenSSH and Cygwin, as it takes quite a bit of information to create a seperate article will be created. installing sshd on windows
On your work computer, find out the IP address of the proxy. You'll likely find this in the connection settings for IE. You may have to download the "PAC" file it references to work out the rules.
Download PuTTY. In "Connection", add the proxy you just discovered as HTTP proxy. The proxy may require your username and password, usually in "domain\user" form. Then in "Connection>SSH>Tunnels" enter 8181 for source port, leave destination empty and select the "Dynamic" radio button and click add. Go back to "Session" and save this session.
Now try and open this session and see if you are in luck. If you are, you log into your server and the tunnel will be active.
Now all you need to do is change your browser to use "localhost:8181" as SOCKS proxy. Stuck on a locked down IE? FireFox installs just fine in your "Documents and Settings" folder without the need to admin rights on your computer.
If the connection failed, it could be that your company use Microsoft's proxy and it requires NTLM authentication, which PuTTY doesn't provide. In that case, download "ntlmaps" which sits between PuTTY and the proxy and takes care of the NTLM authentication.
This is not a step by step guide because the details will be slightly different for everyone. Work it out and prove you are a geek!
Yes, it's a lot of work but I have never not been able to escape the confines of any company, nor has any network security group detected this was happening. YMMV!
Break into and reseal a locked suitcase
this video demonstrates how easy it is easy to break into any suitcase n escape without leavin a trace
Saturday, January 29, 2011
5 Tips for Running a Part-Time Business
As the saying goes, don't quit your day job.
Launching a part-time business can be just as rewarding—and potentially as profitable—as full-time entrepreneurship. It can also reduce many of the financial risks associated with entrepreneurship while you continue to generate income and maintain the benefits from your full-time job.
"Chicken entrepreneurship," as Michael Masterson puts it in his book Seven Years to Seven Figures, is becoming an increasingly popular, and feasible, way to start your business. "I think there are thousands and thousands of potential chicken entrepreneurs out there in the world, dreaming of quitting their jobs and starting their own businesses, but afraid to do so," he wrote in a recent article. Running a part-time business comes with its own set of challenges, so you need to be prepared for the road ahead before launching. Whether you're just looking to generate some extra cash on the side, or you plan to transition your part-time business into your full-time gig, here are a few tips on how to create a successful part-time business strategy.
Dig Deeper: How Launch Your Dream Company
Running a Part-Time Business: Understand Your Investment
The first thing you must define is what exactly "part-time" means to you. Is it 10 hours per week? Fifteen hours? Thirty hours? If you're working a full-time job, it's especially important to know what you're getting yourself into, so that you don't burn out while working nights and weekends.
Craig Jennings, the president of Powhatan Coaching, an entrepreneur-coaching service based in Long Island, New York, says the first thing any entrepreneur must do is to create what he calls a "success plan." This document should elucidate your goals and expectations for the part-time business. Jennings, himself a serial entrepreneur who has launched eight companies, says it's critical to write down exactly how many hours each week you plan to work on your business. "What's critical is that when you set out to do this, you don't just say you're going to 'try hard,'" he says. "As Yoda says, 'there is no try,' you either do it or you don't."
The initial document should spell out a list of milestones, and what you plan to achieve in your new part-time venture. Think about how much you're wiling to sacrifice for the business, and what kinds of returns you expect to see. Ed Gandia, who launched his copywriting business part-time, says he broke down his goals into yearly and monthly milestones, but that he underestimated how long—and how difficult—it was to launch the business while working a full-time corporate sales job. "It took more energy—emotional energy—out of me than I thought," he says. The advice he now gives to fellow entrepreneurs is to "figure out what you think it's going to take…then write that down and then double it."
Dig Deeper: Part-Time, But Fully Committed
Running a Part-Time Business: Get Support From Family and Friends
Launching a part-time business can put strains on you and your family. After all, your family will want to know what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how it will affect your life. Often, starting and running a business part-time will mean that you're working nights and weekends, which can hurt relationships with a spouse or children if they're not on board for the experience.
Besides for discussing your plans with family members, a great way to alleviate some of the stress is to involve your family members in the process. Ginger O'hara, the founder of Serendipity - Beyond Design, an invitation design firm based in St. Louis, Missouri, says without her family's support, she never would have been able to take her part-time business to full-time. O'hara says her husband was encouraging while she worked nights and weekends on her business, and even helped her take packages to the post office. Ohara's sister, who lived with her at the time, would help glue crystals and tie ribbon. "You need to have that support group," O'hara says.
Dig Deeper: How to Run a Business From Home
Running a Part-Time Business: Manage Your Time Effectively
The importance of managing your time is amplified when running a part-time business. Clients will want to work with you on their schedule, not yours. Working part-time can present several logistical challenges, so having a carefully managed calendar is critical for success.
Ed Gandia, for example, says he needed to become extraordinarily disciplined about scheduling for his part-time copywriting business. "I woke up earlier in the morning and went to bed later," he says. On Saturdays, he'd work from 6 a.m. until 12 p.m. so that he'd have time to spend with his family. Without precise scheduling, he says, the business would not have become nearly as successful. "Scheduling is definitely the key," he says. Take advantage of time management apps like Remember the Milk, which lets you sort your tasks by urgency and due date, as well as send reminders to yourself via text or e-mail.
A major concern among part-time business owners is responding to the needs of clients in a timely manner. If you're at work, you may not be able to answer calls or respond to e-mails as quickly as a full-time business.
But there are ways around this. Google Voice is one of the most popular apps for part-time and home-based entrepreneurs, since it allows users to "open" and "close" their business as they please. It also forwards voicemails to you as a text, so you can see how quickly you need to respond to someone. Virtual answering services, like Reception HQ, based in Phoenix, offer professional phone-answering services for a modest monthly fee. This way, someone will always be answering your phone, explain that you're unavailable at the moment, and take a message.
Dig Deeper: Turning Time to Your Advantage
Running a Part-Time Business: Get a Coach
While a part-time business reduces the financial and social risks of entrepreneurship, it also sets the most dangerous risk of all: procrastination. Working a full-time job can be extremely taxing, so it's easy to drag your feet when it comes to a part-time venture, whether it's expanding your clientele, improving your services, or marketing the business. This is especially true when you haven't invested too much money into the business. In other words, low-risk can mean low-rewards, and it's easy to become lazy about promoting your business.
"The problem is, we're liars," says Jennings. "If we say 'I'll give it ten weeks,' then you say 'well I really meant 15.' At the end of 10 weeks, you need to ask yourself what you've gotten."
The best way to combat this common problem is to develop a relationship with a someone Jennings calls an "accountability partner." This person can be anyone; a paid coach, your spouse, a friend, or even your next-door neighbor. Many of us dream of not having a boss, but sometimes having someone to report to is necessary for business to get done. "Find somebody that you can work with and bounce ideas off of, where you can have a regular conversation, even if it's over a couple of beers," Jennings says. "You need someone to hold your feet to the fire."
When looking for an accountability partner, choose someone whose business acumen you trust. You'll want to be able to talk over various parts of your business, and let them know what you plan to accomplish—and when you expect to reach those goals. The right person will be able to see the holes in your business model, and point you in the right direction. "When you discovered you screwed up, you can change course," Jennings says. "But if you never discover it, where are you?"
Dig Deeper: How to Set Business Goals
Running a Part-Time Business: Embrace Your Failures
Thomas Edison liked to joke that there were 1,000 ways he knew how to make a light bulb that did NOT work. Part-time entrepreneurship sometimes feel similar, and that's why it's important to embrace your failures and learn from your mistakes.
For example, it took Ed Gandia nearly six months before landing his first customer. His mistake? He didn't leverage his background in sales and marketing to attract customers. After working with a coach, he realized that his experience in the sales field was actually a great addition to his business. Once he made the change to his site, the phone started ringing. "My business changed overnight," he says. "People were now paying attention and not balking at my fees."
Part-time business owners tend to learn more from their failures than they do from their successes, according to Jennings, who continues to run three of his businesses simultaneously. "Failure is not only an option," he says. "It is the entrepreneur's on-the-job training."
original article from inc.com
Launching a part-time business can be just as rewarding—and potentially as profitable—as full-time entrepreneurship. It can also reduce many of the financial risks associated with entrepreneurship while you continue to generate income and maintain the benefits from your full-time job.
"Chicken entrepreneurship," as Michael Masterson puts it in his book Seven Years to Seven Figures, is becoming an increasingly popular, and feasible, way to start your business. "I think there are thousands and thousands of potential chicken entrepreneurs out there in the world, dreaming of quitting their jobs and starting their own businesses, but afraid to do so," he wrote in a recent article. Running a part-time business comes with its own set of challenges, so you need to be prepared for the road ahead before launching. Whether you're just looking to generate some extra cash on the side, or you plan to transition your part-time business into your full-time gig, here are a few tips on how to create a successful part-time business strategy.
Dig Deeper: How Launch Your Dream Company
Running a Part-Time Business: Understand Your Investment
The first thing you must define is what exactly "part-time" means to you. Is it 10 hours per week? Fifteen hours? Thirty hours? If you're working a full-time job, it's especially important to know what you're getting yourself into, so that you don't burn out while working nights and weekends.
Craig Jennings, the president of Powhatan Coaching, an entrepreneur-coaching service based in Long Island, New York, says the first thing any entrepreneur must do is to create what he calls a "success plan." This document should elucidate your goals and expectations for the part-time business. Jennings, himself a serial entrepreneur who has launched eight companies, says it's critical to write down exactly how many hours each week you plan to work on your business. "What's critical is that when you set out to do this, you don't just say you're going to 'try hard,'" he says. "As Yoda says, 'there is no try,' you either do it or you don't."
The initial document should spell out a list of milestones, and what you plan to achieve in your new part-time venture. Think about how much you're wiling to sacrifice for the business, and what kinds of returns you expect to see. Ed Gandia, who launched his copywriting business part-time, says he broke down his goals into yearly and monthly milestones, but that he underestimated how long—and how difficult—it was to launch the business while working a full-time corporate sales job. "It took more energy—emotional energy—out of me than I thought," he says. The advice he now gives to fellow entrepreneurs is to "figure out what you think it's going to take…then write that down and then double it."
Dig Deeper: Part-Time, But Fully Committed
Running a Part-Time Business: Get Support From Family and Friends
Launching a part-time business can put strains on you and your family. After all, your family will want to know what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how it will affect your life. Often, starting and running a business part-time will mean that you're working nights and weekends, which can hurt relationships with a spouse or children if they're not on board for the experience.
Besides for discussing your plans with family members, a great way to alleviate some of the stress is to involve your family members in the process. Ginger O'hara, the founder of Serendipity - Beyond Design, an invitation design firm based in St. Louis, Missouri, says without her family's support, she never would have been able to take her part-time business to full-time. O'hara says her husband was encouraging while she worked nights and weekends on her business, and even helped her take packages to the post office. Ohara's sister, who lived with her at the time, would help glue crystals and tie ribbon. "You need to have that support group," O'hara says.
Dig Deeper: How to Run a Business From Home
Running a Part-Time Business: Manage Your Time Effectively
The importance of managing your time is amplified when running a part-time business. Clients will want to work with you on their schedule, not yours. Working part-time can present several logistical challenges, so having a carefully managed calendar is critical for success.
Ed Gandia, for example, says he needed to become extraordinarily disciplined about scheduling for his part-time copywriting business. "I woke up earlier in the morning and went to bed later," he says. On Saturdays, he'd work from 6 a.m. until 12 p.m. so that he'd have time to spend with his family. Without precise scheduling, he says, the business would not have become nearly as successful. "Scheduling is definitely the key," he says. Take advantage of time management apps like Remember the Milk, which lets you sort your tasks by urgency and due date, as well as send reminders to yourself via text or e-mail.
A major concern among part-time business owners is responding to the needs of clients in a timely manner. If you're at work, you may not be able to answer calls or respond to e-mails as quickly as a full-time business.
But there are ways around this. Google Voice is one of the most popular apps for part-time and home-based entrepreneurs, since it allows users to "open" and "close" their business as they please. It also forwards voicemails to you as a text, so you can see how quickly you need to respond to someone. Virtual answering services, like Reception HQ, based in Phoenix, offer professional phone-answering services for a modest monthly fee. This way, someone will always be answering your phone, explain that you're unavailable at the moment, and take a message.
Dig Deeper: Turning Time to Your Advantage
Running a Part-Time Business: Get a Coach
While a part-time business reduces the financial and social risks of entrepreneurship, it also sets the most dangerous risk of all: procrastination. Working a full-time job can be extremely taxing, so it's easy to drag your feet when it comes to a part-time venture, whether it's expanding your clientele, improving your services, or marketing the business. This is especially true when you haven't invested too much money into the business. In other words, low-risk can mean low-rewards, and it's easy to become lazy about promoting your business.
"The problem is, we're liars," says Jennings. "If we say 'I'll give it ten weeks,' then you say 'well I really meant 15.' At the end of 10 weeks, you need to ask yourself what you've gotten."
The best way to combat this common problem is to develop a relationship with a someone Jennings calls an "accountability partner." This person can be anyone; a paid coach, your spouse, a friend, or even your next-door neighbor. Many of us dream of not having a boss, but sometimes having someone to report to is necessary for business to get done. "Find somebody that you can work with and bounce ideas off of, where you can have a regular conversation, even if it's over a couple of beers," Jennings says. "You need someone to hold your feet to the fire."
When looking for an accountability partner, choose someone whose business acumen you trust. You'll want to be able to talk over various parts of your business, and let them know what you plan to accomplish—and when you expect to reach those goals. The right person will be able to see the holes in your business model, and point you in the right direction. "When you discovered you screwed up, you can change course," Jennings says. "But if you never discover it, where are you?"
Dig Deeper: How to Set Business Goals
Running a Part-Time Business: Embrace Your Failures
Thomas Edison liked to joke that there were 1,000 ways he knew how to make a light bulb that did NOT work. Part-time entrepreneurship sometimes feel similar, and that's why it's important to embrace your failures and learn from your mistakes.
For example, it took Ed Gandia nearly six months before landing his first customer. His mistake? He didn't leverage his background in sales and marketing to attract customers. After working with a coach, he realized that his experience in the sales field was actually a great addition to his business. Once he made the change to his site, the phone started ringing. "My business changed overnight," he says. "People were now paying attention and not balking at my fees."
Part-time business owners tend to learn more from their failures than they do from their successes, according to Jennings, who continues to run three of his businesses simultaneously. "Failure is not only an option," he says. "It is the entrepreneur's on-the-job training."
original article from inc.com
10 Things to Do Before You Start Your Start-Up
Is your great idea good enough? Can it grow in this slow economy? Can it become profitable, and return on any investments it requires?
Well, there's no way to know until you try, right? Hardly. There are some ways to prepare yourself, test your idea, and improve it before you actually found a company around it. We've compiled the best examples from recent Inc. articles and Inc.com guides of tips for the very early steps of building a start-up.
1. Scope out your industry.
Or, if you're just starting to think about entrepreneurship in general, find the best industry to fit your style and talents. For example, this year's burgeoning industries include interactive technology (from mobile app design to tech-savvy translation), wellness (healthy beverages), and little luxuries, such as baked goods. When you start honing in on a specialty area, seek out counselors and talk to industry veterans. You can go to SCORE, the SBA, the Women's Economic Development Agency, or scores more. The Internet, your local library, the U.S. Census Bureau, business schools, industry associations, can be invaluable sources of information and contacts. For instance, you might approach business schools in your area to see if one of their marketing classes will take on your business as a test project. You could potentially get some valuable market research results at no cost. Read more.
2. Size-up the competition.
Study your competition by visiting stores or locations where their products are offered. Say you want to open a new restaurant. For starters, create a list of restaurants in the area. Look at the menus, pricing, and additional features (e.g., valet parking or late night bar). Then check out the diners those restaurants appeal to. Are they young college students, neighborhood employees, or families? Then, become a customer of the competition. Go into stealth mode by visiting its website and putting yourself on its e-mail list. Read articles written on them. Sign up for e-mail alerts about search terms of your choice on Google News, which tracks hundreds of news sources. After you study it, deconstruct it using Fagan Finder, a bare-bones but very useful research site. Plug the address into the search box. You will be able to quickly learn, for example, the other sites that link to it, which can reveal alliances, networks, suppliers, and customers. Business data aggregators such as Dun & Bradstreet and InfoUSA provide detailed company information, including financials, although the services are not cheap. Your aim is to understand what your competition is doing so you can do it better. Read more.
3. Second-guess yourself.
"The biggest mistake I see these days is thinking that a business idea will automatically turn into a viable business model," says Terri Lonier, president and founder of Working Solo, a New Paltz, New York-based business strategy consultancy, and author of Working Solo: The Real Guide to Freedom and Financial Success with Your Own Business. Then again, what if the idea really is viable? "A lot of people start with a kitchen table idea," says Marla Tabaka, a business coach who writes The Successful Soloist blog for Inc.com. "It's a great idea you come up with your cousin at dinner. But then the business booms, and your growth gets out of control. You need a plan." Another important consideration is your personal financial resources. Make sure you have a considerable amount of capital set aside, especially because in a sole proprietorship you assume personal liability for all activities of that business. If you borrow money and can’t repay it, your personal assets are at stake. Read more.
4. Think about funding. A lot.
Can you bootstrap your company? Or are you going to need a small business loan? Might an entrepreneur in the family be able to invest, or should you look for venture capital or an angel investor? Money is a big topic for entrepreneurs, and you'll want to know your options early on. In order to get investors to open up their checkbooks, you’ll need to convince them that your idea is worthy and also be willing to subject yourself to increased scrutiny and give up a percentage of your company. That’s why it’s a good idea to first ask yourself whether you really need a professional investor at all, says David Henkel-Wallace, a serial entrepreneur who has raised $60 million from VCs. "If you’re starting a web software or mobile software company, you might be able to bootstrap it, which has the advantage that you get to keep all the money you earn," says Henkel-Wallace. "You could also look into borrowing from friends and family – or even take out a second mortgage – for the same reason." If you decide your business can only get to the next level with the aid of a professional investor, then you need to figure out what a potential backer looks for in a budding company, says Martin Babinec, who raised six rounds of funding through the business process outsourcing firm he founded, TriNet, which now boasts annual revenues in excess of $200 million. Start doing your research now, and don't talk to investors until you have a strategy that involves foreseeable future liquidity. Read more.
5. Refine your concept.
Adrienne Simpson initially intended to run a traditional moving company out of her home in October 2002. The idea came to her after relocating her mother from Georgia to Michigan. "I thought I'd put everything in a box, put it on a truck and send her on her way. Oh, no! Mom started walking me through her home, pointing at things saying, 'I'll take that, let's sell that, and I want to give that away,'" she recalls. By the second year of operation, Simpson shifted gears to make her Stone Mountain, Georgia-based company, Smooth Mooove, specialize in transporting seniors—and their beloved pets—and providing such value-add services as packaging, house cleaning, room reassembly, antique appraisals, estate sales, and charity donations. Her crew does everything: put clothes in the closets, hang drapes, make the bed, fill the refrigerator. But even still business was stalling. "I knew how to run an existing company, but I didn't know how to run a start-up," says Simpson, who worked 20 years for Blue Cross/Blue Shield and 10 years with Cigna Healthcare. Seeking money and marketing advice, Simpson went to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) office in Atlanta and was connected to SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) counselor Jeff Mesquita. "When you position your company you have to think outside of the box in terms of what makes you different from the competition," says Mesquita. "Adrienne described that what she does is move seniors from A to Z, so, when they arrive to their new home it is like walking into a hotel room." The only thing her clients have to bring is the clothes on their back (and maybe their pet under their arm). That's when Mesquita suggested the business name change to Smooth Mooove Senior Relocation Services. That same night, Simpson went to a networking event. When people asked 'what do you do?' and her response was 'I have a senior relocation service.' Right away people said 'Oh, you move seniors." The business took off from there. Read more.
6. Seek advise from friends, mentors … or anyone, really.
A mentor can be a boon to an entrepreneur in a broad range of scenarios, whether he or she provides pointers on business strategy, helps you bolster your networking efforts, or act as confidantes when your work-life balance gets out of whack. But the first thing you need to know when seeking out a mentor is what you’re looking for from the arrangement. What can your mentor do for you? Determining what type of resource you need is a crucial first step in the mentor hunt. Lois Zachary, the president of Leadership Development Services, a Phoenix, Arizona-based business coaching firm, and author of The Mentee’s Guide: Making Mentoring Work for You, recommends starting with a list. You may want someone who’s a good listener, someone well connected, someone with expertise in, say, marketing, someone accessible. Ideally you could find a mentor with all of these qualities, but the reality is you may have to make some compromises. After you enumerate the qualities you’re looking for in a mentor, divide that list into wants and needs. Who's best as a mentor? Look within your family, friends, business community, academic community, and even at your competitors – well, not your direct competition, but you get the idea. Read more.
7. Pick a name.
Naming your business can be a stressful process. You want to choose a name that will last and, if possible, will embody both your values and your company’s distinguishing characteristics. But screening long lists of names with a focus group composed of friends and family can return mixed results. Alternatively, a naming firm will ask questions to learn more about your culture and what's unique about you - things you'll want to communicate to consumers. One thing that Phillip Davis, the founder of Tungsten Branding, a Brevard, North Carolina-based naming firm, asks entrepreneurs is "do you want to fit in or stand out?" It seems straightforward. Who wouldn't want to stand out? But Davis explains that some businesses are so concerned about gaining credibility in their field, often those in financial services or consulting, that they will sacrifice an edgy or attention-getting name. "However, in the majority of cases, clients want to stand out and that's a better approach when looking at your long-term goals. Even the companies that say 'I just want to get my foot in the door' will usually begin wishing that they stood out more once they pass that first hurdle." Read more.
8. Get a grasp on marketing strategies.
You don't need to be a marketing whiz, but if you’re trying to build an idea from the ground-up, you'll likely need to build an accompanying marketing strategy from the ground up. In doing so, you need to be clear on who your customers are, because you don’t have any time to waste on marketing to those who aren’t. "That’s really the biggest challenge, determining who exactly your customers are," Lonier says. "Many times [business owners] think they understand who they are, but you need to be willing to interview and test potential customers, particularly in the early days of a company, in order to be able to build those relationships." One way to make marketing easier is through joint-venture marketing, Tabaka says. When she owned a coffeehouse in Naperville, Illinois, she realized that her company and a major drugstore in the same shopping center could work together and support each other’s marketing goals. Another important and relatively easy way to get your name out into the market is building your web presence through social media like Twitter and Facebook. Be sure you familiarize yourself with and utilize Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to make it easier for people to find your website. Read more.
9. Do a little test-run.
"The best way to test your idea is if you're employed full-time and can sell your product or service in the marketplace on weekends," says Sapp. If the business is already your day job, then you have to move quickly to test, verify, and tweak your model," he adds. Try surveys, polls, and focus groups to gain insight into attitudes about your business idea. Solicit feedback on the cheap by using online survey tools available through such services as Zoomerang.com, Surveymonkey.com, and Constantcontact.com. The goal is to get to know your customers intimately. What turns them on? What causes them to tune out? Are they impulse buyers or do they like to deliberate over their buying decisions? There are a lot of products that people like but don't buy, says Sapp. The price might not be right, for example. "Use social media to hone in on certain groups that can become your focus group," says Susan Friedmann, a nichepreneur coach, in Lake Placid, New York and author of Riches in Niches: How to Make it Big in a Small Market. "Check out chat rooms, communities on social networks like Ning or Facebook, industry groups within LinkedIn," she says. "What are people discussing? Letters to the editor or articles in trade publications are resources for finding out about challenges in that particular industry. What are people writing about? What do people want to know about?" Knowing the answers to these types of questions may help you refine your idea. Read more.
10. Start searching for future talent.
This might sound premature, but don't forget that your business is supposed to grow someday. Keep your eyes peeled all the time for people who might fit into your organization – even if you can't afford to pay them yet. No matter how small the internet has made the world, experts still recommend in-person networking as the No. 1 way to recruit talent. "I've done a lot of placing people into positions, and I have never used a job board as a way to do that," says Rich Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation. 'Personal [interaction] is so much more powerful and important to me." So, if you meet someone interesting or knowledgable at a networking event, or even if you get particularly impressive service somewhere, be it a museum gift shop or helpline, ask that person a bit about themselves, what kind of business they see themselves in in five years – and the best people around will stick in your mind for when you need them. Read more.
original article from INC.com
Well, there's no way to know until you try, right? Hardly. There are some ways to prepare yourself, test your idea, and improve it before you actually found a company around it. We've compiled the best examples from recent Inc. articles and Inc.com guides of tips for the very early steps of building a start-up.
1. Scope out your industry.
Or, if you're just starting to think about entrepreneurship in general, find the best industry to fit your style and talents. For example, this year's burgeoning industries include interactive technology (from mobile app design to tech-savvy translation), wellness (healthy beverages), and little luxuries, such as baked goods. When you start honing in on a specialty area, seek out counselors and talk to industry veterans. You can go to SCORE, the SBA, the Women's Economic Development Agency, or scores more. The Internet, your local library, the U.S. Census Bureau, business schools, industry associations, can be invaluable sources of information and contacts. For instance, you might approach business schools in your area to see if one of their marketing classes will take on your business as a test project. You could potentially get some valuable market research results at no cost. Read more.
2. Size-up the competition.
Study your competition by visiting stores or locations where their products are offered. Say you want to open a new restaurant. For starters, create a list of restaurants in the area. Look at the menus, pricing, and additional features (e.g., valet parking or late night bar). Then check out the diners those restaurants appeal to. Are they young college students, neighborhood employees, or families? Then, become a customer of the competition. Go into stealth mode by visiting its website and putting yourself on its e-mail list. Read articles written on them. Sign up for e-mail alerts about search terms of your choice on Google News, which tracks hundreds of news sources. After you study it, deconstruct it using Fagan Finder, a bare-bones but very useful research site. Plug the address into the search box. You will be able to quickly learn, for example, the other sites that link to it, which can reveal alliances, networks, suppliers, and customers. Business data aggregators such as Dun & Bradstreet and InfoUSA provide detailed company information, including financials, although the services are not cheap. Your aim is to understand what your competition is doing so you can do it better. Read more.
3. Second-guess yourself.
"The biggest mistake I see these days is thinking that a business idea will automatically turn into a viable business model," says Terri Lonier, president and founder of Working Solo, a New Paltz, New York-based business strategy consultancy, and author of Working Solo: The Real Guide to Freedom and Financial Success with Your Own Business. Then again, what if the idea really is viable? "A lot of people start with a kitchen table idea," says Marla Tabaka, a business coach who writes The Successful Soloist blog for Inc.com. "It's a great idea you come up with your cousin at dinner. But then the business booms, and your growth gets out of control. You need a plan." Another important consideration is your personal financial resources. Make sure you have a considerable amount of capital set aside, especially because in a sole proprietorship you assume personal liability for all activities of that business. If you borrow money and can’t repay it, your personal assets are at stake. Read more.
4. Think about funding. A lot.
Can you bootstrap your company? Or are you going to need a small business loan? Might an entrepreneur in the family be able to invest, or should you look for venture capital or an angel investor? Money is a big topic for entrepreneurs, and you'll want to know your options early on. In order to get investors to open up their checkbooks, you’ll need to convince them that your idea is worthy and also be willing to subject yourself to increased scrutiny and give up a percentage of your company. That’s why it’s a good idea to first ask yourself whether you really need a professional investor at all, says David Henkel-Wallace, a serial entrepreneur who has raised $60 million from VCs. "If you’re starting a web software or mobile software company, you might be able to bootstrap it, which has the advantage that you get to keep all the money you earn," says Henkel-Wallace. "You could also look into borrowing from friends and family – or even take out a second mortgage – for the same reason." If you decide your business can only get to the next level with the aid of a professional investor, then you need to figure out what a potential backer looks for in a budding company, says Martin Babinec, who raised six rounds of funding through the business process outsourcing firm he founded, TriNet, which now boasts annual revenues in excess of $200 million. Start doing your research now, and don't talk to investors until you have a strategy that involves foreseeable future liquidity. Read more.
5. Refine your concept.
Adrienne Simpson initially intended to run a traditional moving company out of her home in October 2002. The idea came to her after relocating her mother from Georgia to Michigan. "I thought I'd put everything in a box, put it on a truck and send her on her way. Oh, no! Mom started walking me through her home, pointing at things saying, 'I'll take that, let's sell that, and I want to give that away,'" she recalls. By the second year of operation, Simpson shifted gears to make her Stone Mountain, Georgia-based company, Smooth Mooove, specialize in transporting seniors—and their beloved pets—and providing such value-add services as packaging, house cleaning, room reassembly, antique appraisals, estate sales, and charity donations. Her crew does everything: put clothes in the closets, hang drapes, make the bed, fill the refrigerator. But even still business was stalling. "I knew how to run an existing company, but I didn't know how to run a start-up," says Simpson, who worked 20 years for Blue Cross/Blue Shield and 10 years with Cigna Healthcare. Seeking money and marketing advice, Simpson went to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) office in Atlanta and was connected to SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) counselor Jeff Mesquita. "When you position your company you have to think outside of the box in terms of what makes you different from the competition," says Mesquita. "Adrienne described that what she does is move seniors from A to Z, so, when they arrive to their new home it is like walking into a hotel room." The only thing her clients have to bring is the clothes on their back (and maybe their pet under their arm). That's when Mesquita suggested the business name change to Smooth Mooove Senior Relocation Services. That same night, Simpson went to a networking event. When people asked 'what do you do?' and her response was 'I have a senior relocation service.' Right away people said 'Oh, you move seniors." The business took off from there. Read more.
6. Seek advise from friends, mentors … or anyone, really.
A mentor can be a boon to an entrepreneur in a broad range of scenarios, whether he or she provides pointers on business strategy, helps you bolster your networking efforts, or act as confidantes when your work-life balance gets out of whack. But the first thing you need to know when seeking out a mentor is what you’re looking for from the arrangement. What can your mentor do for you? Determining what type of resource you need is a crucial first step in the mentor hunt. Lois Zachary, the president of Leadership Development Services, a Phoenix, Arizona-based business coaching firm, and author of The Mentee’s Guide: Making Mentoring Work for You, recommends starting with a list. You may want someone who’s a good listener, someone well connected, someone with expertise in, say, marketing, someone accessible. Ideally you could find a mentor with all of these qualities, but the reality is you may have to make some compromises. After you enumerate the qualities you’re looking for in a mentor, divide that list into wants and needs. Who's best as a mentor? Look within your family, friends, business community, academic community, and even at your competitors – well, not your direct competition, but you get the idea. Read more.
7. Pick a name.
Naming your business can be a stressful process. You want to choose a name that will last and, if possible, will embody both your values and your company’s distinguishing characteristics. But screening long lists of names with a focus group composed of friends and family can return mixed results. Alternatively, a naming firm will ask questions to learn more about your culture and what's unique about you - things you'll want to communicate to consumers. One thing that Phillip Davis, the founder of Tungsten Branding, a Brevard, North Carolina-based naming firm, asks entrepreneurs is "do you want to fit in or stand out?" It seems straightforward. Who wouldn't want to stand out? But Davis explains that some businesses are so concerned about gaining credibility in their field, often those in financial services or consulting, that they will sacrifice an edgy or attention-getting name. "However, in the majority of cases, clients want to stand out and that's a better approach when looking at your long-term goals. Even the companies that say 'I just want to get my foot in the door' will usually begin wishing that they stood out more once they pass that first hurdle." Read more.
8. Get a grasp on marketing strategies.
You don't need to be a marketing whiz, but if you’re trying to build an idea from the ground-up, you'll likely need to build an accompanying marketing strategy from the ground up. In doing so, you need to be clear on who your customers are, because you don’t have any time to waste on marketing to those who aren’t. "That’s really the biggest challenge, determining who exactly your customers are," Lonier says. "Many times [business owners] think they understand who they are, but you need to be willing to interview and test potential customers, particularly in the early days of a company, in order to be able to build those relationships." One way to make marketing easier is through joint-venture marketing, Tabaka says. When she owned a coffeehouse in Naperville, Illinois, she realized that her company and a major drugstore in the same shopping center could work together and support each other’s marketing goals. Another important and relatively easy way to get your name out into the market is building your web presence through social media like Twitter and Facebook. Be sure you familiarize yourself with and utilize Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to make it easier for people to find your website. Read more.
9. Do a little test-run.
"The best way to test your idea is if you're employed full-time and can sell your product or service in the marketplace on weekends," says Sapp. If the business is already your day job, then you have to move quickly to test, verify, and tweak your model," he adds. Try surveys, polls, and focus groups to gain insight into attitudes about your business idea. Solicit feedback on the cheap by using online survey tools available through such services as Zoomerang.com, Surveymonkey.com, and Constantcontact.com. The goal is to get to know your customers intimately. What turns them on? What causes them to tune out? Are they impulse buyers or do they like to deliberate over their buying decisions? There are a lot of products that people like but don't buy, says Sapp. The price might not be right, for example. "Use social media to hone in on certain groups that can become your focus group," says Susan Friedmann, a nichepreneur coach, in Lake Placid, New York and author of Riches in Niches: How to Make it Big in a Small Market. "Check out chat rooms, communities on social networks like Ning or Facebook, industry groups within LinkedIn," she says. "What are people discussing? Letters to the editor or articles in trade publications are resources for finding out about challenges in that particular industry. What are people writing about? What do people want to know about?" Knowing the answers to these types of questions may help you refine your idea. Read more.
10. Start searching for future talent.
This might sound premature, but don't forget that your business is supposed to grow someday. Keep your eyes peeled all the time for people who might fit into your organization – even if you can't afford to pay them yet. No matter how small the internet has made the world, experts still recommend in-person networking as the No. 1 way to recruit talent. "I've done a lot of placing people into positions, and I have never used a job board as a way to do that," says Rich Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation. 'Personal [interaction] is so much more powerful and important to me." So, if you meet someone interesting or knowledgable at a networking event, or even if you get particularly impressive service somewhere, be it a museum gift shop or helpline, ask that person a bit about themselves, what kind of business they see themselves in in five years – and the best people around will stick in your mind for when you need them. Read more.
original article from INC.com
Friday, January 28, 2011
ask a VC
techcrunch showcased this video what new VC should look up to n go about in their business ventures
Thursday, January 13, 2011
How to encrypt your email
by Jason Thomas in lifehacker
Most email messages you send travel vast distances over many networks, secure and insecure, monitored and unmonitored, passing through and making copies of themselves on servers all over the Internet. In short, pretty much anyone with access to any of those servers - or sniffing packets anywhere along the way - can read your email messages sent in plain text.
Now more than ever, you might want to encrypt your email to protect it from prying eyes. Not only do we have government snoops mining vast amounts of data on the net and an ever-increasing number of companies monitoring their employees' email, but phishing and other email scams increase by the day.
PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) software won't protect you against the focused attention of a major government, but it will stop efforts to harvest credit card numbers and information that can be used to commit identity theft. Email encryption is easy, free and offers strong protection against prying eyes.How PGP email encryption works
Consider this scenario.
Sam wants to send Jane a secret email love letter that he doesn't want Joe, Jane's jealous downstairs neighbor who piggybacks her wifi, to see. Jane uses PGP, which means she has a PUBLIC key (which is basically a bunch of letters and numbers) which she's published on her web site for anyone who wants to send her encrypted email messages to use. Jane's also got a PRIVATE key which no one else - including Joe the Jealous Wifi Piggybacker - has.
So Sam looks up Jane's public key. He composes his ardent profession of love, encrypts it with that public key, and sends Jane his message. In sending, copies of that message are made on Sam's email server and Jane's email server - but that message looks like a bunch of garbled nonsense. Joe the Jealous Wifi Piggybacker shakes his fist in frustration when he sniffs Jane's email for any hint of a chance between them. He can't read Sam's missive.
However, when Jane receives the message in Thunderbird, her private key decrypts it. When it does, she can read all about Sam's true feelings in (pretty good) privacy.
You too can get PGP set up in a few simple steps.
Configure PGP in Thunderbird
The easiest tool to use is Mozilla's email program, Thunderbird with the Enigmail extension. (Be sure to click "Save Link As..." and download the extension to your computer; otherwise Firefox will try to install it.) You'll also need to download a the free GNUPGP software for Windows.
Here's how to put it all together.
- Run the GPGP installer. It should put GNUPGP under your Program Files directory.
- Once you've downloaded Enigmail, in Thunderbird open Tools -> Options -> Extensions -> Install New Extension, and then choose the Enigmail extension file.
- When you've restarted Thunderbird with Enigmail installed, you will see an OpenPGP menu item. Open it and go to Preferences. There you'll find a dialog to point to your GnuPGP binary. Click Browse. On my machine, GPG was installed under Program Files\GNU\GnuPG\gpg.exe.
- Now you'll need to generate your public/private key pair. From the OpenPGP menu item, choose Key Management. From the Generate menu, choose New Key Pair. Choose the email address you want to create a key for, and set a passphrase. Hit the "Generate Key" button, and relax - it can take a few minutes.
When it's done, you have the chance to generate a "revocation certificate." This certificate can invalidate your public key just in case your private key is ever compromised. Go ahead and get your revocation certificate and save it.
Once that's done, you're all set to send encrypted mail. To find someone's PGP key, from the OpenPGP menu, choose Key Management. From the Keyserver menu, choose Search. Search for another PGP user by name or email address and add his or her key to your key manager. Once it's in there you will be able to encrypt mail to that person.
Then, compose your message as usual. Encrypt it by clicking the little key down on the lower right of your compose window. You can also cryptographically sign your message to prove it's you; that's the little pencil. Both of these buttons will turn green to show that they're active.Easy as pie!
To anyone who uses your computer and doesn't authenticate in Thunderbird with the passphrase - or anyone looking through your email files on your ISP's server, the message will look something like this. (Click to enlarge.)
Only your private key can decrypt the message and display its contents.
Now, nobody will be able to look at your messages and the government will have to drag you away at four in the morning if they want your chocolate chip cookie recipes.
Of course, in the real world, that's probably not true. The government spy organizations have miles upon miles of supercomputer farms devoted to cracking cryptography and budgets in the billions. If you're thinking of doing something you really don't want the government to know about, and you think it's something they might inconvenience themselves to find out, you'd really be much better off reconsidering.
They have ways of making you talk.
How To Perform Nearly Any Task From Your Browser's Address Bar
look at this video
We use a lot of great webapps, but it takes a few clicks to perform even a simple task, like adding an event to your calendar. Here's how to collapse those step-by-step clicks into single commands for nearly any web application.
original article published in lifehacker
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