Michael Surkan - Optimistic Bear

Now available on Podcastalley

msurkan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:10:18 +0000

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Job search tales: Ask not for help in your job search, offer the help that others need

msurkan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:55:42 +0000

In this episode of “Tales from the job search trenches”, Kevin Kermes explains that today’s challenging employment market requires a different approach by job seekers. Candidates need to find activities which allow them to both demonstrate their skills, learn, and network at the same time. Offering free advice, and help, to companies you are interested in working for can build those relationships you will need to get your job. Don’t just send a resume asking for a job, tell people how you are going to help them.

Check http://www.kevinkermes.com/ezinesignup/ for more of Kevin’s ideas on how to build a successful job search strategy.

NOTE: Please contact Michael if you are interested in being a guest on “Tales from the job search trenches” podcasts. Michael would like to discuss your job search strategy, and brainstorm ways to improve it with you.

Job search tales: Executives approach job searches differently

msurkan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:46:23 +0000

In this episode of “Tales from the job search trenches”, Mark Hovind explains that 6 figure executives approach job searches in a very different way from the average job seeker. They pay good money to market themselves. Networking is certainly a good tool, but it has its limitations, and highly compensated individuals understand the need to run marketing campaigns. In particular, Mark has seen that mass mailings by post can bear real results in small to mid-sized organizations, which don’t typically post their openings on public job boards.

Check out http://www.jobbait.com/ for information on how job-seekers can hire a service to market them, or see the free information on how to do-it-yourself.

Job search tales: Christian Buckley says job searches take patience and a willingness to volunteer

msurkan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:51:31 +0000

In this episode of “Tales from the job search trenches”, Christian Buckley talks about how job candidates have to stay busy, doing projects, and work, to keep them mentally fit, and in an optimistic mood, even if that next great role is taking a while to appear. After departing from Microsoft, it took Christian nearly 6 months to find his new position, and this was with a company who had talked with, and kept meeting with, from his first days as a job seeker. His efforts of providing free consulting, and help with clients, with his new employer eventually landed him the job he was after. Candidates need to be patient, and willing to give their time and expertise freely.

Check out http://buckleyplanet.typepad.com/ for more information on Christian’s journey in the job search world, and his happy ending with a new employer.

EPNW: Rob Mathewson looks for money in the custruction industry

msurkan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:41:11 +0000

In this episode of “Entrepreneurs Northwest” Rob Mathewson explains how Geedra (his latest startup) has been turning heads with plans to simplify job site photo management for the construction industry. Instead of just blindly dumping pictures into dumb folders, or requiring extensive efforts in naming, Geedra automatically generates meta tagging and associates pictures with the relevant parts of blueprints. Geedra has been a finalist in Seattle area startup competitions, for best business plans, and already has letters of intent from customers. All Rob needs now is to close on angel funding to complete development.

Check out http://www.geedra.com/ for help managing photos.

NOTE: Check out the complete podcast directory of discussions with entrepreneurs. If you would like to be a guest on Entrepreneurs Northwest, to talk about your business venture, contact Michael Surkan.

EPNW: Bob Scheier says entrepreneurs can learn a lot from curmudgeonly reporters

msurkan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:31:43 +0000

In this episode of “Entrepreneurs Northwest” Bob Scheier explains how entrepreneurs can learn a lot from curmudgeonly reporters. He can’t begin to count the number of product pitches he heard in his years as a tech reporter that made his eyes glaze over. If you can’t articulate what is new, or uniquely compelling, about your product to a reporter, then you likely won’t have much luck making headway with customers.

Check out http://scheierassociates.com/ for more of Bob’s thoughts on marketing and PR.

EPNW: Chris Early offers training and network opportunities to Seattle startups

msurkan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:22:20 +0000

In this episode of “Entrepreneurs Northwest” Chris Early explains how the Founder Institute can be a great resource for aspiring tech entrepreneurs to learn from others who have built successful businesses of their own, as well as network with other attendees. A unique equity sharing system for all attendees, giving everyone a stake in their respective ventures, fosters a great spirit of cooperation that lives on. Chris also talks about the discipline, and approach to innovation he learned at Microsoft, and believes there are plenty of ways that nimble startups can compete with with the giant.

Check out the Founder Institute at http://www.founderinstitute.com/. They offer courses in several cities including Seattle.

EPNW: Neicole Crepeau teaches small businesses how to use Twitter effectively

msurkan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:56:19 +0000

In this episode of “Entrepreneurs Northwest” Neicole Crepeau explains that Twitter can be an effective marketing tool for small businesses but that it takes persistence. It doesn’t make sense for businesses to engage in one to one conversations on Twitter, but they do need to be consistently broadcast useful information throughout the week. She suggests that businesses use tools that allow them to write all their weekly tweets at the same time and schedule the broadcasts throughout the week.

Check out http://nmc.itdevworks.com/ for more of Nicole’s thoughts on Twitter and web marketing.

EPNW: Sam Beamond demystifies search optimization

msurkan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:22:01 +0000

In this episode of “Entrepreneurs Northwest” Sam Beamond explains how to create a winning search optimization (SEO) strategy that ensures your web sites are number one on search engines. Web sites should be built from the ground up with SEO in mind. Usability and the quality of content are also critical components in ensuring your web site does well in searches. Other internet marketing venues, like blogging and social networking, may appeared over the years, but SEO is still the corner stone of any web marketing effort.

Check out http://www.beamondcreative.com/ for more ideas about web marketing, and to contact Sam.

EPNW: Bryan Cox shares marketing tips from the entertainment industry

msurkan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:42:33 +0000

In this episode of “Entrepreneurs Northwest” Bryan Cox explains how his experience in the entertainment industry has taught him a lot about entrepreneurship and marketing. The new world of Internet Radio is hungry for content, and on-line resources make it easy for entrepreneurs to issue press releases and volunteer to help jouralists as experts. With a combination of press releases and direct e-mailing to internet radio shows, Bryan has been able to build an audience of 500,000 for his most recent commedy sketch. Tune in to hear Bryan explain how any entrepreneur can publicize themselves, and their products.

Bryan also put his expertise with Radio to work by producing the great new introduction piece you will hear on the Entrepreneurs Northwest show.

Check out http://www.coxmarketing.ca to get in touch with Bryan, and get links to all the resources we discussed in the podcast.

Job search tales: Your next job may be with your ex-employer

msurkan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:41:26 +0000

In this episode of “Tales from the job search trenches”, Jennifer Ellis explains how companies such as Microsoft often like hiring alumni to fill new openings. Job seekers should consider their previous employers as places to work, and ex-employers often value the knowledge of the business, and organizations, that they bring to the table. Better still, the connections that alumni have with their ex-employers give them a distinct advantage over other applicants. Jennifer also offers tips for how alumni, who have been through lay-offs or other difficult situations, when leaving their previous employers can get in a healthy mental state before applying for new jobs.

Jennifer offers more specific help to Microsoft alumni at http://www.microsoftalumni.com/, where ex-employees can find a variety of services and community.

Job search tales: Lynn Rodriquez offers candidates practical advice on how to stand out

msurkan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:58:17 +0000

In this episode of “Tales from the job search trenches”, Lynn Ferrari Rodriguez explains how the intense competition for jobs means that candidates must work extra hard to differentiate themselves. She offers practical advice on how to make your resume stand out, and shine during interviews. The difference between landing the job and coming second place can be miniscule, and candidates need to have a plan for setting themselves apart. Lynn also suggests that having a good job search plan, and being active (even through volunteer work), can keep job seekers mentally fit, and in a mindset that is ready to seized serendipitous opportunities that might arise.

Check out http://achieveresults.homestead.com for more of Lynn’s excellent suggestions, and to learn more about the career counselling services she provides.

EPNW: Say it with a video: the indispensible tool for effective web marketing

msurkan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:35:16 +0000

In this episode of “Entrepreneurs Northwest” Tim Reha explains that video can be a key part of the private label content created in web marketing strategies. It’s not enough to just have blogs, or podcasts to reach today’s fragmented audiences. Videos are also popular, and can reach target audiences on a deeper emotional level. Even deeply technical products can be talked about on video. The dropping production costs make it possible for even the smallest companies to take advantage of video for their marketing efforts.

Check out http://www.timreha.com/ for more information about private label media, videos, and marketing strategies.

Job search tales: The first step of every job search is to know thyself

msurkan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:24:01 +0000

In this episode of “Tales from the job search trenches”, Mark Richards tells how his efforts to help fellow job seekers, with blogs and networking groups, led to landing his own ideal role. He also explains that one of the first things every candidate needs to do is an realistic assessment of their goals and objectives. Make sure you really are the type of person that companies are looking for in the field you are targeting. On the other hand, don’t just jump into retraining for new careers (or certifications) without some serious examination of your current goals. Don’t jump out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Check out http://candidateschair.com/ for the extensive list of resources, and advice, that Mark has put together to help job seekers.

EPNW: Greg Satell explains why social networking is not a marketing panacea

msurkan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:38:32 +0000

In this episode of “Entrepreneurs Northwest” Greg Satell talks about the limations of social networking marketing strategies, and points out that marketing isn’t a one way street: companies need to listen to the market to learn how to fine tune, or even repurpose, their products. Greg may live in the Ukraine, but his grasp of marketing strategies is both expansive and insightful. Tune in to get a intellectual view of marketing as well as a guide to practical applications.

You can check out more of Greg’s marketing suggestions at http://www.digitaltonto.com/.

Round table economics discussion - 2009-11-05

msurkan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:24:08 +0000

In this episode of the Optimistic Bear round-table economics discussion our regular panel (Kevan, Elliot & Jeremy) discuss the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged, and whether their hands are tied by the direction of the Treasury Bill markets. We also ponder the morality of “walking away” from properties that are worth substantially less than the mortgage, even when a home-owner is able to continue making payments.

NOTE: Tune in to the weekly economics round-table discussions to hear the latest from the Optimistic Bear. You can view the complete list of Practical Economics podcasts to hear conversations with the experts.

EPNW: Gist makes social networks easy to manage, but will people pay for it?

msurkan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:19:09 +0000

In this episode of “Entrepreneurs Northwest” T.A. McCann explains how his Gist (his latest startup) provides a portal, and filtering mechanism, for all the data streams people have to deal with from their friends and acquaintances. Unlike his previous ventures, Gist has been well endowed with capital by investors, and has been able to take the time necessary to build a good product before taking it to the broader public. The real challenge will be to convince users there is enough value to pay for subscriptions when Gist begins monetizing their service later next year.

You can sign up for the beta at http://www.gist.com/.

EPNW: Tracey De Leeuw explains how affiliate programs can be the key to web marketing success

msurkan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:01:36 +0000

In this episode of “Entrepreneurs Northwest” Tracey De Leeuw talks about how blogging, tweets, and social networks can all be an integral part of a web marketing strategy. Rather than spam their services everywhere, companies should target the groups, and communities, most relevant to their target audiences. Content itself is key, however, since no amount of promotion will help draw interest in content with little value. Tracey also explains that affiliate programs, and referral commissions, are an oft overlooked aspect of web marketing that can make the difference with success or failure for many web businesses.

Check out Tracey’s videos on 40 ways to grow on-line (for less than $40) for more of her great marketing insights.

EPNW: Sincerity is key to success on Twitter

msurkan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:02:04 +0000

In this episode of “Entrepreneurs Northwest” Phyllis Zimbler Miller talks about how Twitter should be an imporant part of any web marketing campaign. The key to using Twitter successfully is to be genuine. Phyllis recommends avoiding the automated tools that rack up followers to focus on building relationships that matter. The new “lists” feature holds a lot of potential, but it’s not clear yet how this will be used by the community, or how to best take advantage of it.

Check out Phyllis’ advide on power marketing at http://www.MillerMosaicLLC.com. Her newest project is http://www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com. You can also follow Phyllis on Twitter.

Round table economics discussion - 2009-10-30

msurkan — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:00:02 +0000

In this episode of the Optimistic Bear round-table economics discussion Matt Stiles joins us as a guest, filling in for our regular participants who are unavailable this week. We talk about the paradox of a declining stock market at the same time that the economic news was so positive this week and the financial stresses that local governments are experiencing with pension obligations. If the global economy is indeed about to head to new lows emerging markets that have been seeing some of the largest gains recently could catch the brunt of the decline. McDonald’s recent decision to leave Iceland may be an indicator of things to come as globalization takes a breather.

Check out Matt Stiles’ blog at http://futronomics.blogspot.com/.