+ The ease of growing your new business. The cloud is like having a factory that can double its capacity each week. But the cloud is also good because it has no capital needs. You can start your new business with zip.\u00a0 Kill it or grow it instantly, if not sooner.<\/p>\n
+ The availability of money for new ventures. It’s sloshing around. The family has it.\u00a0 Your friends have it.\u00a0 It’s everywhere. you don’t need to travel to Silicon Valley and kiss the rings of and genuflect before busy, arrogant people. Silicon Valley is everywhere.\u00a0 Even better, you don’t have to deal with traditional banks.<\/p>\n
+ Kids now got the entrepreneur bug.\u00a0 When I was growing up, they didn’t teach starting new businesses in school or college. But they do now. And everyone has the bug.\u00a0 To heck with being a lawyer, when you can employ them like plumbers (which they are).<\/p>\n
+ Everywhere\u00a0 and faster than ever the world is destroying old businesses and creating new ones — faster than ever. WeWork, Uber, streaming TV (Netflix), “natural” food, and all sorts of specialty businesses replacing old ones. Look what’s happening to Heinz ketchup.<\/p>\n
+ With a laptop you can start a business anywhere and run it anywhere. From Starbucks to your local shared office. Hint: WeWork is overpriced, but its competitors aren’t. Your investors will give you space, too.<\/p>\n
I lecture the kids I see:<\/p>\n
+ If you fail, try again. Europe holds failures against you. Not here. We welcome them. They teach you. I once met a guy who failed three times and was started his fourth. His argument: He’d learned from the failures. Long live Chutzpah.<\/p>\n
+ Keep your promises. Keep your investors informed. Answer your emails — even at midnight. All successful entrepreneurs stay in touch all the time.<\/p>\n
+ Listen to your investors and your advisors. These guys want you to succeed. They know more than you. They’ve been there, done that.<\/p>\n
+ Money is NOT the problem. There’s plenty of it. If you run out and need more, they’ll give you more.<\/p>\n
+ Remember Harry’s rule. Spend $1 on engineering. Spend $10 on marketing.<\/p>\n
+ You are your own worst enemy. No one, no competition, no government regulation, no nothing can kill your business as fast as you can.<\/p>\n
Yesterday’s prescient New Yorker cartoon:<\/p>\n
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My favorite startup is EmailThis. It’s an add-in for our browser. I added it into Chrome. Click on this new symbol on the top right of your browser<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/et-1.jpg\")
\u00a0and it will clip the story you’re reading, remove the ads and email you a copy.\u00a0 EmailThis is run by a young entrepreneur out of India. He has 44,000 users, many of whom (like me) paid him $19.<\/p>\n
Thinking about banks and online brokers<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Online brokers now have free trades and pay you interest on cash you have with them. Banks don’t.<\/p>\n Unless you’re borrowing from banks, I wonder why people have money in banks any longer?<\/p>\n My heart goes out to friends and family in Australia<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Australia is literally burning up.\u00a0Drought, hugely-high temperatures (as high as 120), dumb politicians, and even arsonists …<\/p>\n And from a family member, today’s email:<\/p>\n Dear family<\/p>\n As we leave 2019 and enter 2020 it’s fair to say the mood here in Australia is somber. It’s a devastating time with so many towns destroyed by apocalyptic fires like no one has ever seen. Lives continue to be lost, millions of animals have perished and communities literally not knowing where to go or how to start over. The whole town of Mallacoota was evacuated to the beach as that was the only safe place.<\/p>\n With all this going on our idiotic politicians still deny climate change is responsible. For an educated bunch of people how do we end up with such losers in leadership roles.<\/p>\n Love to you all.<\/p>\n Koalas get their water and nourishment from the eucalyptus trees where they typically live. As the trees burn, they fall to the ground. Sometimes they get found and given water. Sadly, many have died.<\/p>\n I spent many happy holidays in the Blue Mountains, a couple of hours west of Sydney. Now they’re burning up also.<\/p>\n No one in Australia has ever seen the intensity and ferocity of today’s fires:<\/p>\n Travel tips<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n + I cut my laptop’s screen brightness way back and increased my battery life from four hours to over 12.<\/p>\n + DaSani, Fiji and many other bottled waters have added chemical ingredients you don’t want. One bottle said its water is “enhanced with minerals for a pure fresh taste.”\u00a0Remember when water was water? Put ice in New York City tap water. Delicious. No plastic. No minerals.<\/p>\n + First class is not as expensive as it once was. Remember, if you don’t fly first class, your children will.<\/p>\n + I take my own pillow on the plane. Even American has stopped providing pillows in many first class flights.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/koalasdrinking.jpg\")
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