When you think of the U.S., you often think of the word “opportunity”.  For hundreds of years, people have immigrated to the U.S. because it was the “land of opportunity”.  That isn’t to say that there aren’t many hurdles – you need an idea, skills, drive, sometimes capital, a dash of luck, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.  But generally speaking, with enough of those ingredients you stand a chance of being successful.
You also need to be conscious of the laws that apply to your business.  If …

In a world where Apple can do no wrong and Google has had some product flops, this week their roles have reversed.
Google launched its most ambitious social initiative yet with Google+. It is getting very good reviews from GigaOM, TechCrunch, Mashable and others.  Due to “insane demand“, Google had to shut down invites to manage a slower rollout.   (Even further proof that the world is upside: one of the original Apple Macintosh designers was the lead designer for Google+).
Beyond the smart design though was also a smart strategy.  First, Google …

Now seems like a good time to remind you that you can’t ride on your past accomplishments for very long.  If you aren’t working to stay ahead of the curve, your company is going to be left behind.
Years ago I was bemoaning to a friend about how I had missed the opportunity to invest in BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM).  They were on top of the world.  Now app developers are leaving them, and everyone believes they are dead.
This shouldn’t be shocking, especially to those people that study and …

I must admin that I’ve been baffled by Groupon’s success.  I’ve been a member for probably 6 months and only bought one Groupon – a discount to a dry cleaner that i already use, which I’m sure they were thrilled about.
Basically Groupon aggregates local email addresses – they are an intermediary.  In a world where every industry is constantly being disintermediated, why are we heaping praise on a new intermediary?
I could care less about the witty writing – I never read it.  I guess it makes for some …

There’s something big about LinkedIn’s recent news that no one is talking about yet.
According to a report, LinkedIn is expected to announce their “Apply with LinkedIn” button (via GigaOM).  It enables companies to place a button on their websites and online job postings so that applicants can apply by submitting just their LinkedIn profile, instead of needing to fill out a separate application.  This is a great idea, and I’d be shocked if there wasn’t significant adoption of this feature, especially among professional services businesses.   In one action, LinkedIn (1) …

To seek user feedback, or not to seek user feedback… that is the question.
Of course, I’m not talking about getting user feedback after you launch your product – you’d be crazy not to listen to what your users are telling you then.  I’m talking about getting user feedback on your idea before you build it.
There is a common saying: “build what people want”.   You can’t really argue with that.  The hard part is figuring out what people want.  It seems like a sound strategy to talk with potential customers about …

Consumers are frustrated.  As innovations lead us to newer, better, faster, more powerful products and services, we keep finding a disparity between our purchase of those products and services and the rights we have to them.
Google and Amazon both recently announced online music “lockers” that allow consumers to upload music – that they have legally purchased – for backup purposes and to stream via a web browser or mobile app.   But the music labels think they should be paid to allow this type of service.   As a result, …

By @RoccoTarasi
In the last month the SEC has said that it will consider changes to certain capital markets regulations, including:
1. Raising the 500 shareholder threshold that triggers a public disclosure of financial results (and usually results in a public stock offering);
2. Adjusting the ban on general solicitations that prohibit or restrict publicizing share offerings; and
3. Allowing some form of crowdsourcing to raise smaller amounts of capital from a larger group of investors.  (via Mashable and VentureBeat)
Changing these and other rules are long, long overdue.  Our capital markets operate under some …

There I was, 2 weeks ago sitting in an auditorium on a Sunday attending TEDxCMU.   It was an inspiring and emotional day with 12 fantastic talks from local and national presenters.
One of the talks was by Luis von Ahn, a CMU professor.  It only took me a minute to realize that I was in the presence of an amazing innovator, and that I had the privilege of being one of the first people to hear about his latest project.
All the confirmation I needed that what I witnessed was important came …

Let’s play an innovation game.
Here is the scenario: You are trying to increase donations to feed hungry children around the world – a noble cause if there ever was one.  According to the World Food Programme, it only costs $0.25 per day to feed one child.   You are going to use the web to create a site to solicit donations.  What can you do on the site to maximize the likelihood of a visitor donating?
Odds are you didn’t think of this: The Feedback calculator.  You type in your favorite food, …