That Computer Guy

Photo: Stephen Cherrin / Getty Images / Time.com

I doubt if Richard Branson really needs an introduction anywhere in the western world these days, particularly if there’s reference to entrepreneurs or business leaders nearby.

Since reading his autobiography, Losing My Virginity, a few years ago (another of my recommended reads), he became one of those people I’d love to ask over for dinner – mainly in part due to his leftfield approach to the traditional ideas of small business.

Fortunately for those of us without his phone number, he recently recorded an interview for the American Express Open Forum series, giving his insights on many topics across the subject of small business, entrepreneurialism and the state of the economy.

The interview has been broken into some thirty odd 1 – 3 minute videos – perfect for your coffee break! Although some of the questions asked are obviously aimed at the US market, they are well worth a watch:

Inside The Entreprenurial Mind: Richard Branson

I particularly liked “Why Small Is Better Than Big” and “Marketing In Tough Times” – some great advice. Which ones were your favourites? Let me know in the comments…

(Update: 07/08/09. Removed links to those last two videos as it seems OpenForum has pulled them from their site. Ah well…)

If you’re in the market for a new PC or notebook, either for your business or for home – don’t buy it yet. Windows 7 is coming.

Why should you care? Well, because I care about you (no, really, I do), and I don’t want you to end up tearing out your hair any more than you have to, just because the machine you end up with, has the train wreck known as Vista installed on it.

Yeah, I know, I’ve heard the arguments too – Vista is fine now, yada yada yada. And you know what the funny thing is? Until I got my hands on a pre release copy of its successor, I used to say the same thing.

So what is it about Windows 7 that made me change my mind about Vista? Well, get this: it just works. Yup, that’s it – finally I think Microsft may have cracked it.

Without getting all technical on you, let’s take for example that on my test notebook, Vista’s memory usage would idle just below the 1GB mark. On the same notebook and with the same applications installed, 7 comes back in around half that. For the non-techies among you, this is good – it means that your computer is not going to be running like a three legged dog through treacle.

My wife is now using that same notebook on a daily basis; she’s no technical wizard, but I’m yet to hear of any problems in jumping from Windows XP to Windows 7. I can’t say of recommending Vista.

Microsoft have announced that Windows 7 will be released worldwide to retail on October 22nd, pricing is yet to be confirmed.

A man called Seth Godin once wrote a very good book about a Purple Cow. If you haven’t read it, I’d highly recommend it. It’s about making your business remarkable. And with today’s marketplace becoming increasingly crowded, it’s an advantage you could find useful.

So, how do you get remarkable? Well, it’s a lot easier than you think; take this incident from last week…

Without a power supply for his Dell notebook, a client called asking if I could help. After a large number of calls to various outlets drawing blanks, I finally got this semi-result:

We’ve got generic ones in stock, but I need you to confirm the precise model number before I can sell you one. If it’s the wrong one and your notebook blows up, that’s not going to be good. The manufacturer, Targus, have a special phone number for just that information. It’s on their website.

Now by this time, I’m getting a bit edgy, and one of my eyelids is starting to twitch. But happily, the call to Targus made everything good in the world again:

Me: Hi, I’d like to know what model number power supply I need for an Inspiron 6400?”
Targus: “Sure, we recommend the APA64AU for that particular notebook.”

Providing a dedicated number that went straight through to a human being, and the answer I needed in under 10 seconds. In today’s world, that’s a Purple Cow.

Getting the Purple Cow to visit your paddock isn’t all that difficult; here’s 3 suggestions based on Seth’s ideas:

1. Have a look at your customer base – who are the most profitable? Target a premium service at these groups.
2. Think small. Take the ‘We’ & ‘Our’, turn it into something personal and connect with your customers.
3. Give away your services free to one client, if they can refer five more to you within a certain time frame.

Why not leave me a comment, and tell me how you made your business remarkable today…