Creating a great working place
Friday, September 29, 2006
So I've started writing my business plan for a food franchise. All I can say is, it's hard! It will be so much easier to get a job and just work.
One of the good reasons I think by having a blog is you remember what you type in it. It's like; you yourself are your best student by telling people of what you have just learned.
This is what I learned today on creating a great working place:
1. The work is challenging and interesting
2. There is a high level of trust and support
Demonstrated when the managers do not criticize people for making mistakes.
3. People felt that they were in the know.
Companies that have wide open communication in all directions and everybody feels they were active participants in every thing that was going on.
4. Employees feel that their boss care about them as a person.
Boss practices consideration, courtesy, and kindness at all times
5. Employees know exactly what they were suppose to do, and to what standard and to what time
6. Employees feel that there are opportunities for advancement based on
hard work and excellent performance rather than on politics and
personalities.
Ultimately a great working place is where the people feel terrific about themselves, a high morale environment where people are enthusiastic about coming to work, a boss that is positive supportive and at the same time result oriented and of course a place where everybody can laugh together.Great morale, high productivity, high levels of creativity and a loyal staff.
Other articles on a great working place:
- What makes a "best place to work"? by Tony DiRomualdo
- A Great Place to Work by Happy People
- Creating a Great Place to Work by Richard Hadden
- Behind a Best Place to Work by Madison Magazine
- The Best Places to Work by Pat Dillon and Joe Starr
posted by sam @ 9:28 PM,
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Site overhaul
Thursday, September 28, 2006
So I decided to give this page a new look based on one reason and one reason only: The old one looked horrible on 1024X768 or lower. My screen's set to 1280X1024 so it looks great. Oh well, looks more organized now anyway.
Oh yeah, check out Selling Nothing. It's been give a facelift and concept changed, looks more fun now.
posted by sam @ 11:09 PM,
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How?
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Here's the scenario:
You're the host of a social gathering party, however you only know half the people on the guest list. The rest of them you're meeting for the first time. You are then introduced to almost everyone that you don't know.
Here's the million dollar question:
You try to start a conversation with someone but you have no idea whether you have been introduced to him! If you remember being introduced, you can say something like,
"I'm sorry, I did not get your name earlier."
Or if you're meeting him/her for the first time. You can introduce yourself straightaway.
BUT if you can't remember if you've already been introduced to him/her, what would you say to not offend him/her?
*A million dollar would be given to the one who can come up with the best answer.
posted by sam @ 8:16 PM,
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Top 10's top 10
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Something about the words Top Ten that makes people even more interested. My Top 10 of Top 10's.
- Top ten deadliest animal
- Top ten free time wasting sites on the Net
- Top ten cities for food
- Top ten most beautiful phones
- Top ten most stressful professions
- Top ten vehicles owned by Billionaires
- Top ten grossest candies
- Top ten urinals
- Top ten ways to tell if you have a sucky homepage
- Top ten worst April Fool's Day hoaxes ever
posted by sam @ 12:17 AM,
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Blink
Friday, September 22, 2006
Have you read "Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell? It's a pretty interesting book. Basically the book tackles the issue of how the mind it capable of making very quick (in a span of a few seconds) judgments based on a little information or for some instances the first impressions.For instance in the book Malcolm gave an example of a study where a class to students were given a ten-second videotape of a teacher - with the sound turned off - and found that they had no difficulty coming up with a rating of the teacher's effectiveness. The tape was cut back to five seconds, the ratings remain the same. Then those snap judgments were compared to the evaluations of the teachers effectiveness made by the students after a full semester. The result: It was the same.
I've been surfing random blogs for quite awhile to understand who, what, why and how do people blog. One site which allows me to surf random blogs at 20second each is Blog Soldiers. After awhile of surfing I discovered that there are certain blogs that I will stop and read its content while others I would ignore the blog, do my own thing (most of the time I'll be watching a movie at the same time) for the 20 seconds to be up then move on to the next site. How long does it take for me to decide whether to read on or not? I would say maybe 1 or 2 seconds.
Confession: It may be shallow but true, one first-glance deciding factor of whether the blog would appeal to you is by looking at the picture of the blog owner. (Forgive me)
Let's have a go. These are randomly selected blogs. Open it all at the same time and tell me how many of it did you stop and read?
- Mobile Vision
- Planet Moron
- Bear Bear Diary
- Jane Lake Makes A Mistake
- My Knitting Machine and Me
- The Southern Epicure
- Which Way to the Future?
- My thoughts . . .on stuff
- Ammogirl
- Six links rule
- Dementia Blues
- Gadget World
- Pointless Drivel
- Not Bean
posted by sam @ 3:18 AM,
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1 min
Think I've got too much that I want to do at the same time. I'm currently working on another site inspired by a funeral. Something that's more real and down-to-earth and perhaps something that brings a deeper meaning to life than previous ones.
posted by sam @ 3:13 AM,
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Selling nothing: Major Revamp time!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Selling Nothing is going for a revamp. The idea and concept is the same just the way it is sold and how the image is placed is going to change. Was a bad move in making size the factor selling nothing. So look out for the improved version coming real soon.
posted by sam @ 7:56 AM,
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Selling nothing: Day 5
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Nothing sold: $300
The thing is starting to hit off, I got about 4000+ in traffic in the past 48 hours. Woohoo! More publicity is being done. Been sending out articles and press releases to various free services which gladly posted something about nothing.
To make things a little more interesting I've added a participate option for bloggers like you and me to be a part of this experiment. It's pretty simple. All you have to do is copy the html that's on the participate page and add it to your blog which will then be converted into a banner such as the one you see at the side here. Once you've done that, you go back to the participate page and register yourself as a participant.
What then are the incentives? This is it: you'll be rewarded for your effort in playing a part in making selling nothing known to the world! Of course I can't reward every single person, just a selected handfull chosen at random. (The reward thing can only be given if I actually do manage to sell more of nothing online). Read more from the partipate page
posted by sam @ 12:16 AM,
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Selling nothing: Day 4
Monday, September 18, 2006
Nothing sold: $200
I've sold $200 worth of nothing! That's RM740! woohoo!
And guess who bought it? Yup, that's right...me. Which means I've paid www.sellingnothing.com $200 from my own pockets. Ouch, that's fasted money which I've spent at the same time it's also the fastest money that we've made.
I figure who better to start the ball rolling than the person who started it. Also hopefully it would act like an example for visitors to understand the site better. I've got another order coming in! It's happening, it's happening!
posted by sam @ 7:30 PM,
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It cost $5 to eat a Big Mac in Switzerland!
It just shows how powerful McDonalds has become that the Big Macs are used to analyze purchasing powers in different cities around the world. Malaysia might not be on the list but all Malaysians know that a Big Mac here cost about RM4.50, which is approximately $1.19. As a Malaysian, I think it cost a little too much for below-average burgers.
posted by sam @ 7:18 PM,
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Selling nothing: Day 3
Nothing Sold: $0
I'm not too worried about not selling nothing on sellingnothing.com yet (ironic isn't it). Some friends gave some feedbacks and suggestions. Several amendments needed to be made therefore I've decided to tone down the publicity for awhile. It's hard especially if you're doing an online experiment/venture and you rely a lot on the webmaster guru. (Deric's doing his internship so he's only free at night).
Meanwhile I'm having quite a fun time telling people about it especially when you see the baffled faces when you tell them you're selling nothing for something. You should try it!
posted by sam @ 2:21 AM,
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Thinking Spots
DId you know that only one out of a hundred ideas happens at work?
I've been thinking about this and I always wonder is there some specific place or a specific kind of environment that would trigger more creative ideas compared to other place. I'm sure you've heard of the Mastercard "Priceless" ads. Guess where was the idea birth? In the shower.
An article by Lucy Kellaway of Financial Times stated from a survey that bath and shower are top creative venues. So too are the train and the car. The golf course is meant to be good as well, as is the gym. In fact most places are fine for ideas - up a mountain, in bed, on a beach, in an art gallery, etc. However one thing that wasn't mentioned was the office. I wonder why...
From what I've gathered there aren't really specific spots that will trigger creativity, however there are certain elements in the environment that'll help in producing creative juices. Want to know what it is? Simple, a place where you can think uninterrupted. Once you've found that place keep going to that place. By thinking that you've found your thinking spot it gives you a mental edge that you'll for sure manage to think of ideas or solutions in that spot! (When you think hard enough that you've got it, most probably you will)
Want to know where most of my ideas come from?
"THE THRONE OF SAMUEL"
Other places of where people go to think.
Three best places to think
A guide to better thinking by Marksanborn.com
posted by sam @ 1:43 AM,
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Selling nothing: Day 1
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Nothing sold: $0
Been a little busy with my other activities so haven't had much time doing the publicity part of telling people the existence of this site and convincing people to buy nothing(which is hard cause most people simply couldn't grasp the logic of it). All hopes not lost yet, it's just the beginning.
I've been getting a tad more positive feedbacks then I expected, most people think that it really might work and they've gone off telling their friends about it. So there's hope!
Anyway so far the only logic that I could think of that will make this thing work is:
Visitors see site,
Visitors like site,
Visitors buy,
Visitors see that people are buying,
More visitors visit,
More visitors buy.
And the cycle continues...
What do you think? :D
posted by sam @ 9:09 AM,
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The biggest internet experiment of all time!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
This idea came to me when I woke up from sleep one day. I have been thinking a lot about earning some cash to pay for my bills, my student loan and my daily expenses. However since I graduated from Univerity , I never liked the idea of working a 9-5 job and squeezing all my brains and energy out to make someone else rich. So here I am trying out wacky radical ideas before I get too old to do it.
Allright back to the experiment. It's pretty simple yet illogical and mindboggling in a way which makes it even more interesting: sell nothing over the internet!
I've read that there are people paying a substantial amount of money for Bottled Air from Wales or even Spring Water from a certain mountain. So I figure if people would actually go for something like that why not buy nothing?
So on this day, 15th September, Selling Nothing is born. Check out the site and if you like it tell people about it! www.sellingnothing.com or you can just click the picture.
The way I see it, it's going to be exciting times ahead.
posted by sam @ 10:37 PM,
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Competitive advantage: Lesson
I've always wanted to create a business but it seems that almost everything that you can think of has either been done or too costly to begin with. How to find a competitive edge then?
"Differentiate your products. No, nothing's unique anymore; just slash your costs. Sorry, everyone's doing that. Invent new markets instead. Hug your customers, that's the ticket! Get real, you wuss -- it all comes down to squashing your competitors like bugs."
How now then to create an edge for your business? Several pointers brought to my attention by BusinessWeek online and John Moore of Brand Autopsy.1. Experiment fearlessly
It's true that some of the worlds greatest inventions were discovered by accident. Be bold be confident! Look at what the Koreans and Japanese are doing with the auto industry. Sometimes I feel it pays to be confidently wrong then to be not confident at all.
2. Don't just get bigger, get unique
Michael Porter, business strategy clairvoyant from Harvard Business School, adds the following money quote in the article. “There is no best auto company, there is not best car. You’re really competing to be unique.”
3. Why compete? Create new markets!
Niches are nice, but inventing a new market is a whole lot better.
4. Obsess about customers, not rivals
It's true when it's said to stop looking at your competition but focus on your customers instead. Let them worry about you then you worrying about them.
5. Give as good as you get
"More than a decade ago, James F. Moore noted in his book The Death of Competition that huge, cooperative networks of companies such as the IBM, Intel, and Microsoft troika in computing, or Toyota and its close-knit supplier network, were overtaking individual companies as new competitive forces. Now a lot of companies are taking an even bigger leap forward. They're tapping into the cooperative crowds that create things like open-source software, eBay's massive marketplace, and Skype's peer-to-peer Net phone network."
6 Get personal
"With personalization, you have infinite ways to differentiate" says Prahalad, whose 2004 book The Future of Competition, co-authored with Venkat Ramaswamy, urged companies to "co-create" products with customers.
7. Stay hungry
Competition never ends.
posted by sam @ 1:29 AM,
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The paper
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
The man agreed to the terms, and handed over the envelope. JP Morgan opened it, and extracted a single sheet of paper. He gave it one look, a mere glance, then handed the piece of paper back to the gent. And paid him the agreed-upon $25,000.
The Paper:
1. Every morning, write a list of the things that need to be done that day.
2. Do them.
posted by sam @ 5:36 AM,
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A million ways to a million dollars (updates)
Monday, September 11, 2006
It's been almost two weeks since the experiment went live. Jason Mok, the guy who developed the script on which the experiment is based on told me that at least 1700 people have visited the site. So far we've got 178 ideas and still counting. The downside of it is that the majority of the ideas originated from Malaysia, which I was hoping to go global with it.
Anyway, the list is still open for people to add on ideas (the ideas will be sorted up once added). Among my favourites so far:
- Solar powered cooling gel
- Dare: Challenge someone to give you a million dollars if you tattoo the word "loser" on your forehead
- Paint the numbers one to a 1000 on a nice peace of kanvas and sell it off at $1000 a piece
- Work hard in UK, live like a beggar and save 143,000 pounds then come back to malaysia
- Start a pure meat franchise. Burger buns that consist of meat. Meat on everything inside! *For pure meat lovers
- Create a pet dogs dating service
- Free phone calls. Just need to listen to some ads before the call is made
posted by sam @ 3:27 AM,
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A good money plan
(only for those who can make it to Melaka, Malaysia)
posted by sam @ 2:59 AM,
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Another day to go
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Another day to go to the launch of the biggest internet experiment of all time, if all goes according to plan. We should be done by today...yup. today.
posted by sam @ 3:14 AM,
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Uncommon money makers
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Three months of unemployment and still counting. This means I have another three more months before my parents stop supporting me financially. The pressure is on. The latest online venture that we have been working on was suppose to be up by now, but due to unforeseen circumstances we were forced to delay it. Anyhow, hopefully it will be up by the end of the week. Stay tuned. This is gonna be one experiment that will take the world by storm!
While waiting for it, read on below on how several kids are making their money unconventionally.
1. How this 18 year old kid made a $30 Million dollar a year industry
http://www.lovesac.com/
At age 18, Shawn Nelson was watching TV on the couch when he decided "a huge beanbag thing" might be more comfortable. He bought 14 yards of vinyl, cut it into a baseball shape, and spent three weeks filling it with anything soft he could find.The finished LoveSac was 7 feet wide, and everyone who saw it tried it out and loved it. When neighbors started placing orders, Nelson decided to start his company almost as a joke. With free help from his friends, he made the LoveSacs in his parents' basement and sold them at trade shows, events and even the drive-in.
No one fully expected LoveSac's success not even Nelson himself. He says being committed to solving any problem is vital to his and any entrepreneur's success.
2. Making money from being pregnant
http://www.fetalgreetings.com
When Holly was pregnant a few years back in 1999, she looked for a unique way to tell her friends and family of her pregnancy. Making phone call after phone call to every cousin, aunt and uncle was a daunting task, but she still wanted to share her news with everyone. She hunted through stores and on the Internet and all she could find were birth announcements. Thus, Holly's idea for Fetal Greetings was born. She wanted to create cards where a little embryo baby could make the announcement of the upcoming birth for her.In June of 2000, Holly took her business online
3. Poop scooping Millionaires
Matthew Osborn
http://www.pooper-scooper.com
The most noted pioneer in the poop-scooping business is Matthew Osborn, who runs Pooper-Scooper.com. He never knew that this business would one day make him a millionaire. Osborn got started back in 1987 when he opened Pet Butler in Columbus, Ohio. "I had been interested in small-business ideas since I was a kid," he says. "My friends thought it was an interesting but far-out idea, and many of them just couldn't grasp the concept. They all said, 'People aren't going to pay you for that.'"
The business slowly took off, and despite the dirty work, Osborn says he enjoyed satisfying the customers and working outdoors in some of the nicest backyards in Ohio. However, it wasn't all fun and games. "I didn't enjoy driving around in my little Honda Civic with hundreds of pounds of dog poop in the back," he says. "It sort of gave me nightmares until I was able to buy pickup trucks for the business."
Matt Boswell
http://www.petbutler.com
While Osborn may have put poop scooping on the map, Matt "Red" Boswell is taking it into the future. Boswell owns the Texas-based Pet Butler. He recently moved the business out of his house and into a 1,200-square-foot office just north of Dallas. Today, Pet Butler is the largest pet waste removal service in the country, and serves about 3,000 clients.
Boswell explains that at an average of just $10 per visit, nearly anyone can afford Pet Butler's services. "Rarely is Pet Butler considered a luxury service by those who use us," he says. "Most consider Pet Butler a mandatory and highly valued staple for their yard maintenance needs."
"We've got some huge goals," Boswell says. "It's an industry that's untapped. We plan on becoming the Microsoft of dog poop."
4. Making $2 Million a year from a broken arm
http://www.showersleeve.com/
David Reynolds, a contractor by trade, had broken his arm while remodeling a bathroom in 1998. Keeping the cast dry proved to be very difficult, and when he tried looking around for a product to help, he was unable to find anything that was both effective and affordable. That's when the light bulb went on.After doing a patent search for such a product and finding nothing, Reynolds, an inventor since childhood, designed a plastic covering with an adjustable fastening mechanism on one end to keep arm and leg casts dry. He enlisted the help of his longtime friend and fellow contractor, Marty Ceccarelli, to build Mar-Von LLC and the brand.
Today, the products are sold via wholesalers and distributors and on their Web site
5. A $4 million dollar a year business from an ugly website.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
Joel Boblit parlayed nostalgia for his childhood toys into big-time business when he discovered how much Transformers - robot action figures whose popularity has continued since the 1980s - were being sold for online. He launched BigBadToyStore.com in 1999 shortly after graduating college, while he was reliving fond memories of trading his favorite childhood toys - GI Joe, Masters of the Universe and Transformers. The biggest challenge in those early days? Boblit admits: "Being teased by my friends."Joel made $4 million dollars in sales in 2005, so the strategy seems to be working.
Ercepts above are taken from http://www.nichegeek.com/
posted by sam @ 10:24 PM,
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On a lighter note
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Doc, A sofa with removable covers and integrated/patented mechanism which transforms the sofa into a bunk bed. It furnishes the day area and with a simple movement transforms into a practical ready made bunk bed with integrated supporting ladder and protection guard.
posted by sam @ 8:46 PM,
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Steve Irwin, 1962 - 2006
Caricature drawing by Dan JohnsonI remember watching some of his documentaries a couple of years ago. First thought: siau! (meaning crazy in Chinese). However it brought a new and exciting breath of life to the world of animal documentaries. Radical in a way but effective. His Aussie antics certainly charmed millions, at the same time educating them. His programs has certainly brought greater awareness and better understanding of the animals we share this earth with.
So a tribute to a man who has indeed made a difference. He shall be missed. Photo Gallery.
posted by sam @ 10:22 AM,
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How to have a great day
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
I got off from the wrong side of the bed. I am just having a bad day. I think the weather is affecting my personality today. Etc.
This past few weeks I have been waking up in time just for lunch~ knowing well ahead that I could have gotten a lot things done if I had woken up a couple of hours earlier. But even if I did I would not get enough sleep if I had only slept 3-4 hours. Another reason to wake up early: it is always nice to wake up to the cool weather in the early morning than the hot blazing afternoon sun.
- DECIDE to have a GREAT day!
It is all up to you (Of course God has a hand in it). Even that you have been given freewill to choose. You have the choice to assign any meaning you wish to any event that occurs in your life. You have the choice to decide the reactions you make to the circumstances in your life. It is ultimately your choice.
- Be thankful for what you have.
I am thankful that I've got a roof over my head, food to eat when I am hungry, and warm clothes to wear. I am grateful for wonderful friends (though some can be “cruel” at times, but still great friends. Haha). Grateful that I can read and write! Grateful for hands and legs to jump around and be playful!
Gratitude will always help us remember that there are more important things out there than money. It will make you feel “rich” in a non monetary sense, which in turn will add to your true happiness.
- Plan your day out.
Making a list of what you want to accomplish throughout the day really helps in getting the clutters of your life all straightened up. I've done it, now the hard part is keeping to it.
- Visualize how you want the day to go.
I have always been a person who visualizes situations, events, people's response, etc. I have to see myself doing the things which I am about to do before actually doing it. It helps in getting rid of nervousness and gaining self-confidence.
- Read something inspirational.
It is like a mental boost for your mind and soul.
- Blast that music.
Oh yeah. Those feel good music that makes you want to sing a long, dance and shout!
- Exercise.
I have discovered that ever since I stopped exercising for some time I find myself getting tired very easily. It is easy to say that you need to exercise, but actually doing it…argh! Another reason to exercise: it produces endorphins, lots of it or as I call it the feel good natural drug.
- Sing in the shower.
I found out that the good thing about singing in the shower is that no one can complain about it. Another plus point is that you sound a lot nicer when you are singing in the shower.
- Put on your best clothes.
Ever had that experience that when you wear certain clothes it makes you feel more elegant or perhaps more manly or womanly. It is said clothes make the man. To a certain extend I find that true. There is no denying that when you look good, you feel good and people feel good around you.
- Eat a hearty breakfast
They said the most important meal of the day is breakfast. I can't blame them, after 6-8 hours of not eating (because you are sleeping!) you are bound to work up and appetite. Also a good healthy breakfast gets you on the move in the morning when you're most productive. I am never a breakfast person. The only breakfast I get is the most a cup of milk or juice.
- Don not turn on the TV
What? why? That's because everytime you start watching TV, 30mins, 45mins, an hour, 3 hours ... and so on flies by without you knowing it. It totally disrupts your flow. Another point that must be noted is that the TV as informative as it may be is full of negativity. That's where you learn of the bad news happening around the world, the greed and jealousy from soap dramas, the anger and vengeance from most cartoons etc. You see where I'm getting at?
- Greet everyone you see with a big smile.
Smile and the world smiles with you. It's true, when you smile the other person can't help it but smile back, it's human. You learn it as an infant. At the same time when you see the other person smile it makes you feel good as well. So don't be shy in giving your smiles away. It's free anyway.
- Go above and beyond the call of duty.
As many has tested, the best feeling in the world is when you help someone to feel good. So do more than necessary. Go the extra mile. Offer to help. Offer to take on more responsibilities. Take pride in the work you do.
That's it. I am sure it does not take much to make a great day. As long as you start it off right, the rest would follow pretty easily. When you feel great, and you make others feel great, your day will just be plain great.
I'll be trying to make everyday a great day, who's with me?
posted by sam @ 12:49 AM,
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All in one site
Sunday, September 03, 2006
This is perhaps the best/most useful/creative site I've come acrossed on the internet:
Popular URL'S .
posted by sam @ 10:44 AM,
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And the geeks shall rule the world
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Think about it. Who are the richest people in the world?Who do you think hired those supermodels to promote their geeky gadgets?
The Lord of the Rings is perhaps the most popular book in the geek circle...till the trilogy came and swept the Oscars. Suddenly Elves became cool and Hobbits became a fashion statement.
How To Totally Fake Being A Geek. Yeah, even supermodels tell interviewers that they used to be geeks in high school.
posted by sam @ 9:10 AM,
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The Author
Samuel Yau
How do you truly know someone? The truth is, you can't. Each person that you come across have a perspective of you that differs from another. So it's entirely up to you on how I am perceived to be
About This Blog
Initially this blog was birthed out of curiosity, on what it would be like to have a blog. To explore the world of entrepreneurship, business, marketing, etc and to jot down my learnings/experience here. As time passes on, the purpose change, the passion change, the person change.