Great Ways to Tweak Your Blog (and Mine)

I read a great blog post yesterday on How to Build a More Beautiful Blog.  It contained some fantastic suggestions on how to make your blog look much nicer using free templates (and a little bit of basic html editing).  I've tried to figure some of this out for myself, but the posting makes it so simple I had to give it a try.  Here's what I did:

Added a new template

There are a handful of links listed, and this is the one I chose.

Edited some of the html
The post I read suggested to start learning html here, but I went on my own.  Trial and error is more fun!

The template I chose has a heading for a contact link.  Having no idea how to set that up I once again relied on the wisdom of the blogoshpere.  This blog post walked me through creating a contact page.  It even has a video, which I paused several times as I mimicked the instructions.

I'm shocked at how simple all of this was.  An hour or so of playing around and my blog looks much more professional.  At least I think so...

Working Without Micromanagement

A friend of mine recently invited me to a get together she was having with some colleagues.  It sounded like a great opportunity to meet some new and interesting people, but when she told me it was on Friday afternoon I passed: Friday is a work day.  "I thought you worked from home on Fridays" she said.  She was right, I do work from home most Fridays (one of the perks of my job).  But that isn't the same as having Fridays off.  I've had other people make the same mistake.  They assume if I'm not being watched I'm not working.

People who are self employment can work whenever they choose.  So how do they get any work done without a boss breathing down their neck making sure they are working?  Self employed people quickly learn that if they aren't working, they aren't getting paid.  How can I work from home once a week when my boss isn't monitoring my actions?  True, my boss wouldn't notice immediately if I slacked off when working from home.  But he would notice if my job weren't getting done.  In fact, my boss's boss, and her boss, would notice if I dropped the ball.  And then I wouldn't be getting paid either.  I guess I'll have to meet up with my friend's group a little late.

Choosing a Strategy for Start-up Businesses

One mistake that many businesses make is thinking they can be everything to all consumers.  That is a dangerous assumption and makes it difficult to market the company's products and services.  According to Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter there are three generic strategies that companies should use to identify and achieve competitive advantages:

• Cost Leadership Strategy- Used when a company offers lower prices than competitors (Sam's Club provides commodity items in bulk for cheaper prices)
  

• Differentiation Strategy- Used if a company creates goods and services that are unique (iPhone has features that other smart phones lack, like multi-touch)
  

• Focus (Niche) Strategy- Used when a company targets very specific market segments (Curves gym for women)

Which strategy makes the most sense for start-ups?   Cost leadership is usually not where a fledgling company will find its advantage.  Competitors have been around longer will typically have better economies of scale and be prepared to fight a price war.  Differentiation can be a great way to charge a premium price for products and services, but it can be difficult for start-ups to reach prospective customers on a large scale.  This is why I love targeting Niche markets.  Rather than being a small fish in a big pond a new company can quickly become the big fish in a small pond.  Or better yet, the big fish in several small ponds.