Navigation | yopos.com
This one is meant to start the week off right. Sometimes we all need motivation, you’ll find it here. We talk about airports, Chipotle, etc. If you listen carefully you might even win a prize. Enjoy your week…
Click here to download cast18.mp3 (18:41)
Devin and Noah do a weekly podcast about random sexist nonsense. They’re jerks like that.
Posted by dreams under Podcast (4 comments)
I wanted to highlight some ways that I try to get creative:
1- Take Notes. I write down everything. Regardless of where you are the ideas come when you least expect it so be prepared.
2- Be Open. How many times have you heard someone speak and you were bored? A few I can imagine. I try to listen to people and be open to what they have to say. So many tmies I have interrupted someone to jot down an idea they were talking about.
3- Don’t force it. Okay, let’s all get in a room and come up with a solution in 40 minutes. I think forcing anything will always be a bad solution. I think at times many non-creative decisions can happen instantaneously but overall just give it a fair window of time and make it happen.
Any other ways that people practice creativity?
Posted by noah kagan under Blog (0 comments)
Oops, we missed it last week. And by ‘it’ we mean you. Noah sounds sleepy, must’ve been the demanding trip to K-mart. Stick around and listen and if you’re feeling extra spunky join in the conversation with a comment.
Click here to download cast17.mp3 (7:30)
Devin and Noah do a weekly podcast about whatever is on the mind.
Posted by dreams under Podcast (0 comments)
What are you doing right now? If you were to die right now would you feel satisfied with what you are doing?
The author of Lazy Way puts it so perfectly. Go read it.
Posted by noah kagan under Blog (1 comment)
Ben started his first company when he was 12 years-old and is currently on the board of Comcate, Inc., an e-government software company he founded at age 14. Paris PoliticsOnline conference named him one of the “25 most influential people in the world of internet and politics”. He recently graduated from high school where he was two-year captain of the varsity basketball team, editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, and founder of a failed campus radio station. He is the author of a forthcoming book to be published in Spring ‘07 and writes prolifically on his blog which the San Jose Business Journal recently called one of the “Top 25 Blogs in Silicon Valley.” For two years Ben served on the California Advisory Board of BizWorld Foundation, a non-profit deploying entrepreneurship curriculum into 5th grade classrooms around the world. He also co-runs the Silicon Valley Junto, an intellectual discussion society for business and technology executives.
So, I am really glad that I get to interview Ben by email, here is the interview :
First of all I will like to thank you for agreeing to answer this interview questions.
1. Ben, for all of yopos.com reader can you please introduce yourself? A brief about who your are?
I’m a young entrepreneur and writer from San Francisco who’s currently traveling around the world and writing a book.
2. What you do to become so successful?
I tried really hard to get lucky, I surrounded myself with successful people, and I try to learn as much as I can about the world.
3. What trigger you to start your own business? Most of the kids in your age, they will use their time playing games but why start business?
It grew out of a school assignment, but I had the entrepreneurial urge at a young age. In this sense it was probably genetic. Starting a business is a rewarding experience — a sense of control, the possibility of changing lives and organizations, and so forth.
4. Can you tell us, a bit of history on how Comcate start? how you get the idea, how do you fund it?
I founded Comcate in 2001. We are now a leading provider of hosted CRM (customer relationship management) software to local governments around the country with thousands of employees logging into our application each day. The idea grew out of my prior business, which grew out of a class assignment in school. We’re friends and family funded and now are close to self-sustaining.
5. What is your family reaction when you start your business? do they encourage you?
There’s not an entrepreneur in my family tree. Obviously they’re supportive, even though it’s not something they’d do.
6. What your opinion being young and involve in business world? Do people take you seriously?
There is occassional resistence due to my age but in general the business world is more a meritocracy than anything else. When you’re young you have opportunities open to you not available when you’re older. No better time to start.
7. Do you have any bad experiences ever seen entering business world? your opinion being ignore or something like that.
Sure. A lot of people brushed me off as “not real.” You just have to get over that. Now, given my mild success, I don’t usually face this skepticism anymore.
8. I read in your blog, ‘Ben Casnocha: The Blog’ that you like to read books. Some people at your age, just hate reading. What drive you to read books? What books that you really enjoy and inspire you to achieve more in life?
It all depends on how you learn best. I like reading since I process text really well and really fast. My parents are big readers, we have tons of books around the house. There’s a book on every topic imaginable in the world. My blog has a list of my favorite books.
7. Has it been a struggle for you to balance the teenage lifestyle while being a successful entrepreneur?
Work-life-balance is a huge challenge for every entrepreneur. The most important thing is to think consciously about it and devise a strategy for pulling it off.
8. What is biggest obstacles you have had to overcome in your business,study,and life ?
Probably the work life balance part.
10. What are your goal in life now, as you already have a great success, what other things you want to persue? or you just want to maintain what you have now?
There is still a lot I want to do. I have many interests in and outside business. I suspect I’ll always be running companies, but I have serious interests in journalism and writing as well as travel.
11. It seems like you have start to travel around the world. What your motive to do this?
I believe globalization will be the defining force on my generation. Also, I think travel is one of the more mind expanding activities one can undertake.
12. So far, is there anything interesting you can share from your travelling? any great or business ideas?
The cultural contrasts are fascinating. Check out my travel blog for regular dispatches. No great business ideas yet!
13. Why do you decide to blog? What your motivate you to start blogging?
I love to write. Blogging clarifies my thinking, allows me to stay in touch with lots of people, allows me to meet new people, and track my fringe thoughts.
14. Some of young entrepreneur think that if they have got they success they should stop studying. What your opinion on this matter?
Learning must be a life long pursuit. It’s more important what you study AFTER school (ie, do you keep it up) versus in school. The world is changing too quickly to stop studying.
15. What is your typical day schedule?
I basically work all day every day, but work is fun for me. I get up around 7 AM and work all day, with a two hour break for exercise, meals, and then some reading in the evening. During school I’d be doing email in classes, conference calls on the way to b-ball games, etc. Pretty crazy.
16. Nowdays, people are seeing internet as 1 of the best business base. What your take on it? do you think brick and mortar business will be history in a few years time?
Brick and mortar will still exist. I find the internet the most exciting platform for the future.
18. I have noticed that you have signed a book contract, can you just tell us what the book will be about?
It will be about my story as an entrepreneu in a way that can inspire other young entrepreneurs.
19. How do you manage your time between study and business? is there any time management system you use?
I subscribe to the “Corporate Athlete System” outlined in “The Power of Full Engagement.”
20. Just out of curiousty, what kind of gadget that you always bring with you and you can’t live without it (ex. laptop, handphones)? and how it help you so far in business, life?
I use a BlackBerry (email and phone) and laptop. I also have an iPod.
21. Any advice you will give to any young professional or entrepreneur?
The journey is the reward. Cliche, but true for me.
Check Out Ben Casnocha : The Blog
You guys might be interested in seeing Steve Jobs in his younger years on the battlefield.
Posted by jotto under Blog (0 comments)
Have you ever encounter time when you put all your effort studying from 7-8 hours but the guy who study for only 2 hours beat your grade?
Here is a tip for Yopos who is still studying (like me). Know what way is the best way for you to learn. For me, I like to hear lectures and read books but some of my friends prefer reading the short version notes.
Maybe you prefer learning about web marketing using Tubetorial ? or you like reading it from books.
Check out, test..which is the best way for you to learn. Don’t follow blindly what other people way of learning. Find out your own. It will take time to test various way (listening,reading..) but it is worth if you then can understand more in short period of time.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Posted by syia under Daily 1 Minute Tip (1 comment)
In general people go to work, go to school, and consume their lives almost entirely by the momentum of our society. How can people do this? Why do humans do this? Does it seem at all odd to anyone that such a large percentage of our lives are spent working for a repetitive cause, just to come home to rinse and repeat? We work so hard to earn a modest living, but it is all the same. Nothing changes. Where is the adventure?
Our society has been molded into a giant machine with different people hyper-focusing on certain skills to facilitate the advancement of humans. The economy flourishes because the increased efficiency from repetitive tasks allows people to get more done. People use their brains less by focusing on one task and as a whole the economy produces cheaper, higher-tech, and more for us to consume. Ultimately it allows people to stay warm, stay full, and stay moderately entertained.
There are two ways you can approach this ideology, either exploit the system or be exploited.
If you enter the system and contribute your energy at the bottom of a large conglomerate you are hampering your ability to learn advanced sciences and skills. You are merely feeding the system so the individuals at the top of the commercial or political pyramid can benefit. In a sense, what we are all participating in is a pseudo-socialist society. Despite the fact that millions are unfairly treated, the middle class is an achievement that encourages people to believe they have succeeded. The breakdown of classes reinforces this. This allows the people at the top of the pyramid to continue to exploit the system.
Or YOU can exploit the system. Develop, organize, and motivate. Change life. Shift ideas. Expand our world.
Posted by jotto under Blog (3 comments)
Not just computer need to refresh, we human being also need to refresh ourselves from time to time BUT the questions is when and how.
WHEN to refresh yourself?
HOW to refresh yourself?
All of us have our own unique answers (gladly leave comments 
I want to hear how you refresh yourself) because we are different from each other.
For me, I refresh myself every weekend by going out with my old friends who will always bring another friends with her (someone I didn’t know). Then, we go out watch movies, eat at fancy restaurants (yes burning our pocket) or sometimes we just take a short weekend vacation to another place.
Burning one self is never good. Hit the PAUSE button…
REFRESH YOURSELF
Posted by syia under Daily 1 Minute Tip (1 comment)