Home Wealth Project
Extensive Research On How To Build Wealth From The Comfort Of Your Own Home.
Rift Blueprint by Tony Sanders
Aug 18th
Rift is the premium, next-generation Mmo that contains everything a gamer expects to find in a top-notch game. We don’t know if it will be a Warcraft killer or the next Cityville or Farmville yet, but it certainly has potential!
Rift Blueprint by Tony Sanders
Shutterfly Names Tony Pecora Vice President of Customer Marketing
Sep 30th
| He manages marketing channels that include internet marketing, CRM, and e-commerce. With more than 20 years of experience in business, marketing and… |
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Ask a Question of Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO
Sep 23rd
Have you ever wanted to ask a question of Zappos’ celebrity CEO Tony Hsieh? Well here’s your chance.
This Friday Tone Hsieh will be interviewed live by Big Think (simulcast on the Web). You can attend the live webcast online and if you like, ask a question in advance for Tony to answer.
The topic is “Marketing to the New Customer”:
“Today customers have higher expectations of companies and brands. They have evolved into enlightened consumers and have the power to propel brands to tremendous success. “
I will be following the session and providing commentary live on Twitter during the event. And I’m also collecting questions to ask him.
To ask a question of Tony, simply include it in a comment below. You can also tweet it to me @smallbiztrends using the hashtag #hpio and I will make sure your questions get passed along to him. I can’t guarantee he’ll have time to answer all of your questions – but I can guarantee that I will definitely pass them along.
Here are some questions that have already been floated by members of the Small Business Trends community:
1) From Cathy Larkin of @CathyWebSavvyPR ~ “Zappos is a big company now. What tips can you give a smaller company for connecting with customers via technology? How can they start?”
2.) From TJ McCue @TJMcCue ~ “What one customer service challenge honestly challenged you directly? One was there one where you had to personally get involved for your team?”
3.) From Cathy Larkin @CathyWebSavvyPR ~ “How do you define “The New Customer” & what is one surprising thing we may not know about them?”
4.) From Cathy Larkin @CathyWebSavvyPR ~ “What is one surprising thing we may not know about “The New Customer” and what’s one myth about them?”
I’m sure you can think of many other great questions. Here are the event details:
What: “Marketing to the New Customer” live interview with Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos – will be simulcast on the Web
When: Friday, September 24, 2010 from 2-3 pm PST/ 5-6 pm EST (New York time)
Where: Online at INPUT / OUTPUT
Registration: Not required
Hashtag for tweeting on Twitter: #hpio
P.S.: Many thanks to HP, which is bringing us this event, and whose sponsorship of this site makes it possible for the Small Business Trends community to have this opportunity to participate.
Ask a Question of Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Tony Hayward, Bob Dudley, and the Weird Russian Connection
Jul 27th
Tony Hayward is stepping out of the role of CEO at BP, but he’s not exactly getting thrown to the curb. According to ABC, “he will receive a year’s salary, worth $1.61 million, and he’ll also keep his approximately $17 million pension fund. He will also take a job at a BP outpost in Russia.” That is, he will become a board member at TNK-BP, BP’s joint venture with Russian oligarchs.
Ah, the Russia thing.
BP’s new CEO, Bob Dudley, went into hiding in 2008, when he was leader of TNK-BP, after teeing off oligarch shareholders (from NPR):
…Dudley didn’t provide an exemplary showing in his other recent big experience in the limelight — his 2008 dust-up with four Russian oligarchs who are BP’s partners in TNK-BP, a Russian company that accounts for some 20 percent of BP’s global oil production and more than 10 percent of its profit. Dudley was CEO of TNK-BP when a dispute with the oligarchs broke out in 2008, and he ended up leaving Russia to what was politely called seclusion in an undisclosed location. More bluntly, Dudley fled and was hiding out. Early this year, the partners attempted to explain away the row as just one of those things — a warm spin on events described by the Wall Street Journal’s Greg White — but the CEO doesn’t go incommunicado for several months in a normal business disagreement.
The oligarchs are over the dispute, according to Bloomberg:
In 2008, workers seconded by BP were barred from working in Moscow, while the successor to the Soviet KGB raided its office and an employee was charged with industrial espionage. In the end, Dudley fled the country, citing “sustained harassment” amid court battles and labor and tax inspections.
Moscow-based TNK-BP accounts for about a quarter of BP’s production, a fifth of reserves and about a tenth of earnings. In 2008, TNK-BP’s partner AAR, a group of companies owned by German Khan, Mikhail Fridman, Viktor Vekselberg and Len Blavatnik, called for Dudley’s ouster in a dispute over strategy at Russia’s third-biggest oil company, alleging he ignored their interests. Dudley denied the charge.
“I sent Bob my congratulations today,” TNK-BP shareholder German Khan said. “We also welcome the possibility that Tony Hayward will be named to the board of TNK-BP,” Khan said. “We think he’s highly qualified specialist and was the victim of a subjective situation.”
So Hayward will be sent to Russia, hopefully in a peaceful manner, to help out with 25% of BP’s production. Dudley, who failed in Russia, will be sent to the US to deal with Washington and a leaky 40% of BP’s production. Sounds like BP likes both of these guys, but the oil spill forced the company to swap them out.
Will Hayward go from US whipping boy to the Russian oligarchs’ darling? It may depend on how much the oligarchs like cost-cutting. According to the AP:
Not long before he took over, Hayward told a conference that BP needed to change its leadership style because it was “too directive and doesn’t listen sufficiently well.” He said he was concentrating on “closing the performance gap” with rivals such as Royal Dutch Shell.
Hayward stripped out layers of management and costs across a stumbling and bloated business, improving its refining efficiency and putting the firm on a stronger footing to weather a global downturn.
BP’s market position improved and its reputation was rehabilitated. Cost-cutting, which saw around 7,500 positions axed, led to savings of around $4 billion.
The BP situation in the US, despite the CEO thing, is still uncertain. Let’s see how the public reacts to Mississippi boy Dudley.
View full post on Business Pundit
BP Board to Decide on Tony Hayward’s Fate
Jul 26th
BP’s Board of Directors will vote on whether to terminate CEO Tony Hayward at a meeting later today. The BP boss is expected to be voted off the oil-soaked island. From the BBC:
A statement issued by BP said a board meeting was being held on Monday and “no final decision has been made”. Mr Hayward is likely to be replaced by his American colleague, Bob Dudley, who has taken charge of the clean-up operation.
BP’s board are to sign off accounts, and these will also be discussed on Monday evening. The accounts will cover spill compensation and costs of up to £19bn, and may result in the worst quarterly loss for a UK firm. They are also likely to discuss terms of Mr Hayward’s severance package.
When he became chief executive in 2007, the 53 year-old told journalists his number-one task was to focus “laser-like” on safety and reliability. The explosion on the drilling rig off Louisiana on 20 April, which killed 11 workers and triggered the worst oil spill in the US, raised questions about his leadership.
Bob Dudley, who has been managing day-to-day operations in the Gulf, grew up in Mississippi, according to the BBC. From a PR perspective, he would be the ideal Hayward replacement.
Given Tony Hayward’s rock-bottom reputation as CEO of BP, I think the outcome of today’s vote will be easy to predict.
View full post on Business Pundit
Take Me to Your Online Marketing Leader: BlueGlass’ Tony Adam Talks L.A.’s New “It” Tech Conference for Entrepreneurs
Jul 15th
| Current Sr. Manager of SEO and Online Marketing at MySpace, Tony Adam insists the biggest asset a start up can have is strong online… |
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Tony Hayward Grilled by Congressional Committee
Jun 17th
The US Energy Committee is grilling Tony Hayward about the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the oil spill today. Here are some excerpts from his testimony this morning:
The explosion and fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon and the resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico never should have happened, and I am deeply sorry that they did. None of us yet knows why it happened. But whatever the cause, we at BP will do what we can to make certain that an incident like this does not happen again.
…let me be very clear: I fully grasp the terrible reality of the situation…When I learned that 11 men had lost their lives in the explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon, I was personally devastated.
From the moment I learned of the explosion and fire, I committed the global resources of BP to the response efforts. To be sure, neither I nor the company is perfect. But we are unwavering in our commitment to fulfil all our responsibilities. We are a strong company, and nothing is being spared. We are going to do everything in our power to address fully the economic and environmental consequences of this spill and to ensure that we use the lessons learned from this incident to make energy exploration and production safer and more reliable for everyone.
The Washington Post has additional highlights:
(During his opening remarks, Hayward was) interrupted by a woman at the back of the hearing room who held up hands apparently covered in oil and screamed, “You need to go to jail!” A commotion ensued as security guards arrested her and took her out of the room.
Earlier, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, told Hayward that a review of 30,000 BP documents found “no evidence that you paid any attention to the tremendous risks BP was taking.”
But the committee’s top Republican, Rep. Joe L. Barton (Tex.), offered a personal apology to Hayward and instead took aim at President Obama, saying he was “ashamed” by Wednesday’s White House deal in which BP agreed to set up a $20 billion escrow fund to deal with economic and environmental claims. Barton called it a “shakedown.”
Hayward said that “neither I nor the company is perfect,” but that “we are unwavering in our commitment to fulfill all our responsibilities.” He said BP has spent nearly $1.5 billion since the explosion and vowed that it will not rest until the leaking well is plugged and the spill cleaned up.
Read more about this morning’s hearing here.
View full post on Business Pundit
Book Review: Delivering Happiness by Zappos’ Tony Hsieh
Jun 8th
Transparency. Alignment. Relationship building. Culture.
Many companies struggle to incorporate today’s new business memes. But some companies have embodied these ideas for years. Zappos, the online shoe store known for its tribal culture and customer service, is one of those companies.
Zappos’ CEO, Tony Hsieh, tells his story in Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose. The book covers both Tony’s personal entrepreneurial story and that of his company, Zappos. Delivering Happiness offers a feel-good look at the passion, culture, and, yes, happiness that could drive the next generation of companies.
Inside the Book
Delivering Happiness starts with a look at Tony’s childhood. Like many of today’s successful businesspeople, Tony was an entrepreneur, innovator, and achiever from a young age. You follow Tony into high school, through his Harvard undergrad education, and then through the inception and buyout of his first major company, LinkXChange, which made him millions.
After selling LinkXChange, Tony dabbled in new projects, from poker to investing, before realizing that building companies was his passion. At this point, he jumped into a young, struggling Zappos, betting most of his fortune on the company’s success. After several trials, Tony and his team get Zappos off the ground and growing.
The second part of the book leaves Tony’s personal biography aside to focus more on Zappos’ inner workings. Zappos has three priorities: customer service, culture, and employee training and development. Tony describes how Zappos uses each, and how each is a competitive advantage. Then, the same chapter goes through each of Zappos’ ten core values in detail, with employee anecdotes along the way.
The third part of the book describes the public relations and speaking lessons Tony learned, as well as what alignment means to Zappos. It then covers the Amazon buyout. Tony finishes the book with a chapter on happiness, what it means for both humans and business, and the questions you should ask yourself in order to find it in your own life and career.
Thoughts
If you’re a regular business book reader, some of the concepts inside of Delivering Happiness—building on your core values, learning what to outsource, impressing customers through service—won’t sound new. The character-building trials Tony describes are also a theme of any biographical business book.
Yet Delivering Happiness is timely. Buzzwords like alignment and culture are smoking hot in today’s business language. Zappos is emblematic of many such “conscious” qualities. If you haven’t yet immersed yourself in new corporate culture, Tony and Zappos’ story is a fun place to start.
Tony’s verve, passion, and openness also differentiate Delivering Happiness from your average business biography. He describes a wide array of experiences, including having an epiphany at a warehouse rave. Tony’s engaging writing style makes the book feel conversational, even in some of the more technical, business-y sections.
Should You Read It?
If you’re already familiar with today’s new corporate qualities, and are scratching your head about whether to pick up this particular book, I’d say skip it. I found it good, but not mind-blowing. Nothing really stuck with me after I closed it, because I’d learned about the importance of spectacular customer service and company culture elsewhere.
Still, I do think that some people would benefit. Delivering Happiness would make a great starter business book for Gen Y-ers. Tony sounds like a Red Bull-chugging, whip-smart kid at heart. Today’s 20-somethings can probably relate much more closely to him than to old-school titans like Jack Welch. I also recommend Delivering Happiness if you’re curious about Zappos (or a fan), or you want a primer on today’s new-school business qualities.
Disclosure: We received a free promotional copy of Delivering Happiness.
View full post on Business Pundit
There’s Always a Way: An Interview With Fitness Guru Tony Little
Jun 3rd
You’ve probably seen him on TV. Tony Little is the ponytailed guy pumping his legs on the Gazelle trainer while yelling “You can do it!”
He’s kind of hard to miss.
When I was offered There’s Always a Way, Tony Little’s latest book, to read and review, I had my doubts. What could I possibly learn from an infomercial fitness guru, besides how to balance my diet and get a no-impact workout?
I’m not the first person to have underestimated Tony Little. After reading his book, I found out that he’s actually a model of determination and perseverance.
Throughout his life, Little has had more setbacks than most. He even lists them at the beginning of his book. They include four car accidents, being drugged and kidnapped, five herniated discs, four reconstructive face surgeries after an accident, being broke, and–impressively–many more.
In There’s Always a Way, Little tells you how he surmounted his challenges to become happy, rich, famous, and successful. The book is full of tips to help you do the same.
I caught up with Little to ask him questions about his book, his positive mindset, and some things that have happened in his life.
BP: From reading your book, it sounds like you’ve had natural sales skills since you were a kid. How much of your success had to do with that natural talent? How much had to do with your hard work and perseverance?
I grew up on a farm in Ohio and was always dealing with other kids for bikes, bows and guns. I needed to make my own money because my mom was a single parent. I worked in pickle fields around the age of 10-11, then worked with army surplus stuff for my grandfather when I was around 13-15. Natural talent is one thing, but it’s extremely important to work hard and never give up.
BP: At one point in your book, you mention Anna Nichole Smith. You said she didn’t display resolve when you worked with her. Is it possible to awaken resolve inside of people? If so, how?
It is definitely possible to awaken resolve in people. A key factor is finding just what it is that inspires and motivates them. With Anna Nicole, I wasn’t a drug counselor and I didn’t know how I could help in that situation. She would just disappear…
BP: You’ve broken the rules various times in order to win. For example, you once put a subliminal message in your performance song during a bodybuilding contest. Some people would say that subliminal messages are cheating. Where do you draw the line between breaking the rules and cheating?
I never thought of what I did as cheating, rather than marketing myself. During the competition you’re referring to, I wanted everyone to see that I was in better shape than anybody else. And I would point to my competition number constantly during the show so the judges would remember who the winner was going to be! Thank God I knew I was in the best shape of my life at the time! I don’t believe in cheating for any goal; a victory is only satisfying when it is legitimate. Marketing and cheating are not absolutely not synonymous!
BP: You’ve helped inspire millions of people to get fit. You know what works. So what do you think the best way is to confront America’s obesity epidemic? What do we need to change?
We need to bring physical education back into our schools and expose our children to fitness at an early age. The awards presented by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness back when I was a kid really motivated many youngsters to be healthy and in good shape. The bottom line is, physical education needs to be put back in our schools.
BP: Any other remarks?
A positive attitude goes a long way! Changing your mindset so that you believe in yourself can change your life forever.
Tony’s official bio:
Fitness expert Tony Little is one of the most financially successful figures to ever appear on television. The ponytailed superstar, famous for his shouts of “You can do it!” has built an empire over the past 20+ years, selling over $3 billion worth of products worldwide, with more than 40 million people owning a product bearing his name. In his recently published motivational business book, “There’s Always a Way” (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), he recounts the numerous adversities he’s faced that would have overwhelmed almost any other person. And along the way, he’s also inspired millions to get in shape and live healthier, happier lives.
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Cheap yet effective small business marketing strategy – by Tony Balthazar
May 25th
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Marketing an up and coming small business can be very frustrating, considering the many different marketing strategies presented to small business…,… |
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