|
| Web News |
Television is a turnoff for mobile users
Television on mobile phones might not be dead in the UK, but after BT's decision last week to close its Movio service for Virgin Mobile, it is certainly in intensive care - and operators have shovelled a lot of money that they won't recoup into it. Yet it might be rescued by...
Acer: 'No UK demand' for Linux laptops
Acer will not release Linux-based laptops in the UK due to a lack of demand, despite launching an Ubuntu-based machine in Asia. The Acer Aspire 5710Z has gone on sale in Singapore pre-loaded with Ubuntu Linux instead of Windows. Ubuntu is currently one of...
UK university selects Blackboard e-learning solution
The University of Leeds, Britain's second largest university, has selected Blackboard's e-learning solution that will be accessible to the university's 33,000 students and 7,300 staff across nine faculties. Blackboard...
Floods threaten UK internet infrastructure
Lumison, a UK-based ISP, has issued a warning on the implications of the current flooding crisis for the UK’s internet infrastructure and the industry's wider sensitivity to risks in the future. With key internet peering points such as LINX all based in London and many smaller...
Britons misled over broadband speeds, says Which?
There is a huge gap between the broadband speeds providers are advertising and those that users are able to achieve at home, research by Which? showed today. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has previously said it is acceptable for broadband providers to use...
|
|
08.02.07
Learning From Experience & Turning Failure Into Success
 By
Brian Turner
A lot of business/marketing/webmaster blogs are filled with speculation - sales-speak which defines success with a subject in generic terms.
Success is nothing more than working hard and focusing on your subject. Apparently.
I disagree - success with anything comes from experience, and a big part of that experience comes from doing things *wrong*.
That means wasting both money and times with things that didn't work out, as well as losing money and time by not trying things that could have worked out.
Here's a list of mistakes and experiences I'm currently very focused on rectifying:
1. Embrace more risk
I like forums. I buy forums. Sometimes, though, there's an obvious degree of risk involved in buying them, and I've found myself shying away from that.
The problem is that there is risk, and there is affordable risk. I can afford to take risks with relatively small purchases at present, but haven't been doing so.
The result is that I've lost out on a couple of choice purchases recently, because I've allowed my judegement to become too cynical on new site purchases, instead of looking at the actual potential.
Solution: Take more risks - where they are affordable.
2. Slow to invest
Last year my outgoings were getting out of hand.
Webhosting costs were especially a problem - I had far more hosting accounts than I needed.
After re-structuring into a smaller number of hosting accounts, rather than running additional accounts for the future, I helped bring down costs. I watched my monthly spend very carefully to keep everything in check.
The result is that I managed to keep monthly spend in tune with monthly earnings.
But it couldn't account for investing, and I firmly believe that if you're not investing extra in your sites now, you simply dull long-term performance.
Solution: So this month I've taken on a number of new journalists for my news sites, and additionally started to throw significant advertising spend (think: links) for my more successful sites.
The aim is to invest now to reap in the future, with the added challenge of ensuring that I don't over spend.
3. Poor business planning
My approach to business has been to treat it as an art - just do things because, and worry about planning later.
Continue reading this article.
About the Author:
I'm a SEO & business consultant in the UK, specialising in SME's and start-ups. I run Platinax Internet as a free resource for small business trying to get the best out of being online and offer internet management services from my main company, Britecorp. In my spare time I'm an aspiring science fiction and fantasy writer, and currently live with my family in the Highlands of Scotland. Contact Brian.
|
