Alas, we have come to the end of the project. Just as I was getting to the good stuff, it is time to bring this franchise train to a screeching halt at the station. Ah well, it is for the best. I fear that if I were to ponder this idea any further, I may full well give away the keys to world domination, and entrepreneurial gold.
Through the first half of the semester, I have explored several key aspects of making my empire a gold standard in the industry. Those of you willing to take my ideas and run with them will do well in the world, those of you that turn your nose up and laugh at my ideas will simply perish from the money making realm called "entrepreneurialism."
Stay tuned next year as my shop for custom built bicycles comes to fruition. Those of you that are in need of steady employment, an awesome work environment, and steady pay, please send me your resume and a 15 page essay on how you would assist me in my bid to take over the entrepreneurial world, one custom built bicycle at a time (no less than 20,000 words, or a cleverly worded anecdote of not less than 10,000 words).
Links to my comments on others' blogs:
The Adventures of a Techie
The Glass of Tomorrow
Full Body Run Suit
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Week 7 - Networks
Networks are a vital part of any industry. From small to large, and every flavor in between, networks are vital. Without a proper network, comprised of a selection of ethernet LAN, Wireless LANs, and VPNs for my mobile client users, I won't be able to get anything done.
Providing a strong ethernet LAN presence in my store will allow for me to interconnect and utilize a private network to accomplish my business. While I seriously doubt that I'll be using industry secrets, allowing my network to be privatized and secure will provide my customers a sense of ease. There's always someone out there looking to steal personal information, and ethernet LANs provide a high level of security in the networking department.
Wireless LANs utilizing 802.11i or, at a minimum, 802.11x security standards will allow for my mobile devices to connect to my mainframe server without compromising security. VPNs will allow for my mobile teams, for at home repairs or upgrades, to communicate with the mainframe with the same level of high security standards and encryption. The bottom line is simple: if you're looking to make a business, you better understand networks. If you don't, hire a networking god and ensure she/he is well paid to keep your business running on the network. This investment will pay you back tenfold in the first year alone.
Providing a strong ethernet LAN presence in my store will allow for me to interconnect and utilize a private network to accomplish my business. While I seriously doubt that I'll be using industry secrets, allowing my network to be privatized and secure will provide my customers a sense of ease. There's always someone out there looking to steal personal information, and ethernet LANs provide a high level of security in the networking department.
Wireless LANs utilizing 802.11i or, at a minimum, 802.11x security standards will allow for my mobile devices to connect to my mainframe server without compromising security. VPNs will allow for my mobile teams, for at home repairs or upgrades, to communicate with the mainframe with the same level of high security standards and encryption. The bottom line is simple: if you're looking to make a business, you better understand networks. If you don't, hire a networking god and ensure she/he is well paid to keep your business running on the network. This investment will pay you back tenfold in the first year alone.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Week 6-Operating Systems
In the shop of my entrepreneurial dreams there's room for multiple operating systems. The problem with running multiple OS's is how do I interface? There's no doubt that Mac has the market cornered for graphic design, but Windows has the advantage with their Office capabilities. What's the solution? Both of them are.
For the graphic design and presentation aspects, Mac will be my go to OS. Keeping in mind that I plan to use a good tablet device to present options to in store customers, so that they may build their bike there if they wish, I would do well to choose the iPad to assist me in this. Utilizing the iOS system synched to an Mac computer would allow me to accomplish this. While you may be able to synch iPads to Windows machines, I also want the Mac for their graphic design capabilities. Photoshop looks great on a 24" iMac.
For the business side of things, Windows will handle the grunt work. With their host of office production software, I can manage my own empire and make it easy for everyone. The majority of businesses utilize windows based programs, and there are known compatibility issues with Windows to Mac transfers on some programs.
To tie them all together, VM Fusion will allow me to run select computers as both Macs and Windows based machines. No need to worry about wether or not I made the right decision on an OS, I have both.
For the graphic design and presentation aspects, Mac will be my go to OS. Keeping in mind that I plan to use a good tablet device to present options to in store customers, so that they may build their bike there if they wish, I would do well to choose the iPad to assist me in this. Utilizing the iOS system synched to an Mac computer would allow me to accomplish this. While you may be able to synch iPads to Windows machines, I also want the Mac for their graphic design capabilities. Photoshop looks great on a 24" iMac.
For the business side of things, Windows will handle the grunt work. With their host of office production software, I can manage my own empire and make it easy for everyone. The majority of businesses utilize windows based programs, and there are known compatibility issues with Windows to Mac transfers on some programs.
To tie them all together, VM Fusion will allow me to run select computers as both Macs and Windows based machines. No need to worry about wether or not I made the right decision on an OS, I have both.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Week 5-Pro Blog Review
For this week, I'll review http://www.hawleycompany.net/blog/. The Hawley Blog is an interesting sort of blog concerning bikers, bicycles, and all things concerning the bicyclists world. The blog is California based and an interesting read. The Hawley blog reviews various types of equipment for cyclists, as well as bicycles themselves. An established blogger for the California area, the blog is read by people mostly interested in Mountain or Offroad biking.
The style of writing and the presentation of the site is great. I find the photos, wording, and bursts of funny material to be a lighthearted approach to blogging about what could be a fairly dry subject. Keeping in mind that "Bloggy," the website's anonymous blogger, is a real world biker lends a level of credence to what is written in the blog.
In the latest blog entry, Bloggy has encountered a familiar issue to bikers: the dreaded "right of way jogger." After getting banged up, Bloggy uses the issue to segue into a review of gloves that may have saved his hands during the encounter. Using this approach to reviews is a great way to get people's interest and get the information out. Overall I find the blog to be spot on.
The style of writing and the presentation of the site is great. I find the photos, wording, and bursts of funny material to be a lighthearted approach to blogging about what could be a fairly dry subject. Keeping in mind that "Bloggy," the website's anonymous blogger, is a real world biker lends a level of credence to what is written in the blog.
In the latest blog entry, Bloggy has encountered a familiar issue to bikers: the dreaded "right of way jogger." After getting banged up, Bloggy uses the issue to segue into a review of gloves that may have saved his hands during the encounter. Using this approach to reviews is a great way to get people's interest and get the information out. Overall I find the blog to be spot on.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Week 4-Input/Output
In the realm of input and output there is a large variety to choose from. To help further my bicycle empire, I'll be picking a few items that I think will help me out the most. Starting with getting my image out there, I'll need a great camera to photograph my equipment for sale, production line in action, employees at work, and the shop area to encourage people to stop by.
Another output device to invest in at the shop would be interactive screens, such as iPads, or another table of similar stature. Why touch pads? Linking these touchpads, conveniently located at the front desk or throughout the shop, to the mainframe server in my offices, customers can see real time modifications to their selected bike frame. Other touchpads can serve as information kiosks to pique the customer's interest, or to further explain a specific item in question to the customer.
On the input side, I'd want to go with a simple paperless scanner for credit card information. Instead of taking the customer's information, and printing out a receipt, the scanner would simply be set up to send the receipt to the customer's chosen email. Going paperless saves money, and makes most of us feel good in the same fell swoop.
Another output device to invest in at the shop would be interactive screens, such as iPads, or another table of similar stature. Why touch pads? Linking these touchpads, conveniently located at the front desk or throughout the shop, to the mainframe server in my offices, customers can see real time modifications to their selected bike frame. Other touchpads can serve as information kiosks to pique the customer's interest, or to further explain a specific item in question to the customer.
On the input side, I'd want to go with a simple paperless scanner for credit card information. Instead of taking the customer's information, and printing out a receipt, the scanner would simply be set up to send the receipt to the customer's chosen email. Going paperless saves money, and makes most of us feel good in the same fell swoop.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Week 3 - Hardware
While contemplating the hardware that I'll need to make this project take to the road, I thought of a great many items. As with the last post, I'll focus on what I need to start with. Since I'll be designing and testing my own equipment, having highspeed computers is top of the list. Having a computer with 2.6 Ghz processor or better, an L4 cache, 16 or 32 GB of RAM, and at least 3 TB of hard drive space per computer should be a good start.
With said computer hardware, it would probably behoove me to invest in appropriate peripherals, such as printers, scanners, and devices to make my VOIP conferences with investors, or business associates much easier to handle. Quality laser printers with high resolution DPI (300 or greater) will help in bringing my designs to fruition.
Aside from the aforementioned items, a great deal of Computer Assisted Design equipment will be in the mix. Drawing pads, 3D render devices, as well as mobile computing will all be needs that will have to be addressed. It'll do me know good to know what I want to design and not have the ability to translate it into a working model.
With said computer hardware, it would probably behoove me to invest in appropriate peripherals, such as printers, scanners, and devices to make my VOIP conferences with investors, or business associates much easier to handle. Quality laser printers with high resolution DPI (300 or greater) will help in bringing my designs to fruition.
Aside from the aforementioned items, a great deal of Computer Assisted Design equipment will be in the mix. Drawing pads, 3D render devices, as well as mobile computing will all be needs that will have to be addressed. It'll do me know good to know what I want to design and not have the ability to translate it into a working model.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Week 2-Applications
What technology based business is complete without applications to run it? For my techno-bike-business, I'm going to need several top level applications to help me manage my empire. To keep it simple, I'll just list the first three that I'll start off with.
Web Page Design. Most likely I'd go with the Adobe CS5 suite, simply because it comes with all the bells and whistles. Photo editing, graphic design, and web page design and layout programs. Though it is pricey, usually going at the $700 price range, it's worth it. The price of the suite is less than trying to piecemeal one at a time. It's a good investment.
Financial. To manage all the money I'll be raking in, I'll need software to streamline my revenue. Keeping in mind that I'm probably going to start out small, I'll need software that is easy to use, and with as little need for input. Apple has a great banking software in it's offering of iBank. If not that, on the Microsoft side, you can go with Quicken. Both offerings are updated regularly and allow for seamless integration with your bank.
Word Processing. Any business these days needs the powers presented by either the Apple Office Suite, or the Microsoft Office Suite. I'm partial to the MOS simply because it is a program suite that is fully interchangeable between Apple and Microsoft OS. It's a no brainer, other word processors can do the job, but not as clean and as simply as MOS.
For a start up business, I can start off with home grown options. Once the ball starts rolling, I'll likely farm these options out. But for now, I'll take care of what I can.
Web Page Design. Most likely I'd go with the Adobe CS5 suite, simply because it comes with all the bells and whistles. Photo editing, graphic design, and web page design and layout programs. Though it is pricey, usually going at the $700 price range, it's worth it. The price of the suite is less than trying to piecemeal one at a time. It's a good investment.
Financial. To manage all the money I'll be raking in, I'll need software to streamline my revenue. Keeping in mind that I'm probably going to start out small, I'll need software that is easy to use, and with as little need for input. Apple has a great banking software in it's offering of iBank. If not that, on the Microsoft side, you can go with Quicken. Both offerings are updated regularly and allow for seamless integration with your bank.
Word Processing. Any business these days needs the powers presented by either the Apple Office Suite, or the Microsoft Office Suite. I'm partial to the MOS simply because it is a program suite that is fully interchangeable between Apple and Microsoft OS. It's a no brainer, other word processors can do the job, but not as clean and as simply as MOS.
For a start up business, I can start off with home grown options. Once the ball starts rolling, I'll likely farm these options out. But for now, I'll take care of what I can.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Week 1-Social Media
My idea for a entrepreneurial idea is to establish a technologically enhanced bicycle brand. Anyone that has bought a bike for serious use as either recreational, competitive sports, or commuting, has bought a host of gadgets to outfit their bike with. Head lights that don't stay where you put them. Tail lights that don't adjust properly so as to be seen from behind. Speed and distance calculator. Heart rate monitor. Why do I have to buy a bike and then get all these other items that go with it? It'd be like buying a car and then having to finish the build.
Why not design a bike with these technological enhancements already custom and/or factory built? Speedometer, odometer, halogen headlamps, tail lights. Built as part of the bike, to the customer's satisfaction. Why not integrate GPS? Why not make it user friendly and information savvy?
To launch the brand, I'll need to utilize the social media hubs: YouTube (so people can see how awesome it is), Twitter, Facebook (so people can talk about it), and LinkedIn so I can get my hands on talented worker bees. They're all viable sources to make my idea flourish. It's all in how I utilize it and make it work for my product.
Why not design a bike with these technological enhancements already custom and/or factory built? Speedometer, odometer, halogen headlamps, tail lights. Built as part of the bike, to the customer's satisfaction. Why not integrate GPS? Why not make it user friendly and information savvy?
To launch the brand, I'll need to utilize the social media hubs: YouTube (so people can see how awesome it is), Twitter, Facebook (so people can talk about it), and LinkedIn so I can get my hands on talented worker bees. They're all viable sources to make my idea flourish. It's all in how I utilize it and make it work for my product.
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