Roger James Hamilton's Blog, page 20
February 3, 2016
ALPHABET IS NOW THE MOST VALUABLE COMPANY IN THE WORLD
A company that launched just four months ago has just become the most valuable company in the world. The last time this happened was 120 years ago. Few people noticed then, either.
That first time, in 1889, 42-year-old Thomas Edison found himself with multiple electricity-related companies. He had companies to grow the light bulb, electric sockets, the electric motor, and all sorts of electric appliances. So he created a new holding company, General Electric.
Over the next 100 years, General...
February 1, 2016
“Fear is a habit. I am not afraid” -Aung San Suu Kyi
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Congratulations to Aung San Suu Kyi. An incredibly inspiring leader. She endured 15 years of house arrest and decades of hardship under the Myanmar Military Government, and this week she takes a seat in parliament with her party having the majority of seats. A historic moment.
They threatened her life, and led the Depayin Massacre against her.
She would not leave.
They left her house in disrepair and powerless after a hurricane.
She lived for a year by candelight.
They dared her to miss he...
Your network is your net worth -”The Paypal Mafia”
How valuable is your network? The Paypal Mafia is an extreme example of the phrase “your network is your net worth”.
When eBay bought Paypal in 2002, the founders of Paypal had an average age of 30. With the opportunity to go out and start again, they decided to stay in touch and share their strategies, experiences and connections as they launched their next businesses.
The result?
Elon Musk launched Space X and Tesla (Now worth $30 billion+)
Reid Hoffman founded LinkedIn (Now worth $25 bill...
January 30, 2016
How can you rethink your own business model – and industry – today?
Uber, the world’s largest taxi company owns no vehicles.
Airbnb, the world’s largest accommodation provider owns no real estate.
Facebook, the world’s most popular media provider creates no content.
Instagram, the most valuable photo company, sells no cameras.
Netflix, the fastest growing television network, lays no cables.
Alibaba, the world’s most valuable retailer has no inventory.
All six are building customer networks and scalable software – not factory networks and clunky hardware. All...
January 29, 2016
“Fake it until you make it.” – Why is this the worst advice EVER?
“Fake it until you make it.” – Why is this the worst advice EVER?
In the “Material World” of the 1980’s and 1990’s, appearances trumped authenticity. So if you could pretend to be successful, you could hoodwink people into believing you were. So there was a time when “Fake it until you make it” was advice that actually worked for people (until they burnt through all their money and had to return the house and car).
Today, there’s 4 big reasons that this is the worst advice ever:
Reason One:...
January 25, 2016
Pirate Metrics for Entrepreneurs
If you’re trying to figure out what to measure in your business, use the Pirate Metrics: “AARRR!”
Whether you have a website, an app, a retail store or a service business, make sure you’re not focusing on “vanity metrics” (like ‘visits’ or ‘likes’). Instead, focus on these five “actionable metrics” (which allow you to take immediate action to improve traffic, engagement and revenue).
Founder of 500 Startups, Dave McClure, is the creator of the Pirate Metrics: AARRR:
Acquisition – How do user...
January 24, 2016
Key to Entrepreneurship
Perseverance
Agility
Tolerance
Intricacy
Empathy
Nimbleness
Care
Endurance
P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E. is a multi-dimensional mix of flexibility and steadfastness. Keep the balance and know that however tough things get, provided you’re patient, everything you visualize will happen in time. In nature nothing is rushed, but all is accomplished.
“Genius is eternal patience.” ~ Michelangelo
The post Key to Entrepreneurship appeared first on Roger James Hamilton.
January 20, 2016
What’s the price when you fail?
What’s the price when you fail?
This week, Elon Musk watched as his latest attempt at landing his Space X Falcon 9 rocket went wrong, ice froze one of the legs and the entire rocket toppled over and exploded.
That’s another $60 million up in smoke. What was Elon’s reaction?
First, he tweeted “Well, at least the pieces were bigger this time!”
Then, he posted a video of the explosion on Instagram.
And finally, he posted yesterday “My best guess for 2016: ~ 70% landing success rate (so still a...
January 19, 2016
Do you have the #1 most important ingredient in entrepreneurs?
Do you have the #1 most important ingredient in entrepreneurs?
Paul Graham is co-founder of the entrepreneur incubator, Y Combinator (Its start-ups – including AirBnb & Dropbox – are now worth over $65 billion). Here he explains the #1 ingredient:
“Like all investors, we spend a lot of time trying to learn how to predict which startups will succeed… At first we thought it might be intelligence. But while it certainly helps to be smart, it’s not the deciding factor. There are plenty of people...
January 18, 2016
Happy Martin Luther King Day!
Happy Martin Luther King Day!
WhenKathleentold me today was Martin Luther King day, I thought “Not a lot of modern figures get their own national holiday.” So I had a look to find out how a national holiday like this comes about.
Here’s the eye-opening 32 year history to today’s U.S. National holiday:
The holiday began as a union demand in contract negotiations with the U.S. government, with the idea of it being named after King taking place just 4 days after he died in 1968.
Throughout the...
