The Gameday Pro

After a few months of ironing out our process, developing pricing and getting the website to function we’re finally ready to begin taking orders. By now you’re probably wondering wtf I’m talking about. Easiest way to understand is to just visit the site here TheGamedayPro.

The Gameday Pro creates custom sports memorabilia. We’ll take any digital graphic and transfer it to a football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, hockey puck, softball and/or Christmas ornament.

We’re targeting HS Booster clubs and any other organization interested in easy fundraising without any upfront expense. We’ve also recently been approached by a couple companies interested in our products for marketing purposes as well as fantasy sports leagues for trophies and other gifts. We’re currently investigating the possibility of creating custom mini-helmets to go along with the other merchandise. If you know of anyone who may be interested in something like this please direct them to the site.

Be Inspired Again

As mentioned earlier I am a proud subscriber to to Entrepreneur Magazine. One of the main reasons I enjoy it is because of the inspirational articles and quotes I pick up from others who have been exactly where I am right now or where I hope to be in the near future. It's easy to get bogged down with the ideas that fail to translate into anything substantial or to start listening to the many many people who are there to laugh and put plans down. Entrepreneur mag can help muscle through these low times.

My last post, of course, was titled "Be Inspired" mainly because I was looking for inspiration my self. Little did I know Entrepreneur's Editorial Director Rieva Lesonsky would title her editor's note the exact same thing. (No I had not seen that magazine before my post). Rieva's inspiration came in the form of quotes collected by magazine readers. Below are a few that I found interesting:

"Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won't, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can't." - A student in an entrepreneurship class

"I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed. And the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep trying!" -Tom Hopkins

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford

"A leader must accomplish the difficult task of getting those on the team to believe that 'we' supersedes 'me.'" - John Wooden

"Some people dream of great accomplishments, while others stay awake and do them." - Constance Newman

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a know and hang on." - Ben Franklin

"Illegitimis non carborundum. That's Latin for: Don't let the bastards grind you down."


I am always in search of great quotes. If you have any, please share them.

Be Inspired

Innovation and the Entrepreneur

Starting a business, any business, can be an intimidating undertaking. Entrepreneur magazine is a great source for information regarding starting, sustaining and inspiring small businesses and entrepreneurs. This month’s issue was no exception.

In his Wise Guy column, Guy Kawasaki wrote “innovation is an art: It’s more magic and luck than procedure.” He gave a list entrepreneurs should take to heart. Below you’ll find the list along with some explanation and my comments.

1. Jump to the next curve. There’s no point fighting for marginal market-share when you could spend time moving your ideas past the current market barriers. For an extreme illustration, you could make a more fuel efficient automobile by designing better tires or work on ways to invent a new source of power altogether.

2. Don’t worry, be crappy. You can’t wait for a perfect product before you act. If that were the case you’d never introduce your product.

3. Churn, baby, churn. Shipping crappy products is ok, but staying crappy is not. Microsoft’s Vista has gone through many revisions since it was released and will go through many more throughout its life.

4. Don’t be afraid to polarize people. Trying to make everyone happy leads to mediocre products. Focus, with passion, on making a specific segment excited even if another demographic is unhappy with your product.

5. Break down barriers. Innovation defies the status quo which is not always very easy or pleasant. Market acceptance may come slowly. Muscle through and ignore the non-constructive negative feedback.

6. Think digital. Act analog. Use all technological tools available without losing sight of the fact that the purpose of innovation is not cool products but happy customers and employees.

7. Never ask people to do what you wouldn’t do. I don’t think any additional information is needed for this one.

8. Don’t let the bozos grind you down. This is one of my favorites. As Kawasaki explains. Some of the bozos are clearly losers and are easy to ignore. The most harmful bozos are rich, famous and powerful. People who may have been successful in the last technological cycle. Their past success does not make them the foremost authority on your innovative ideas. Another type of bozo to look out for is family and friends who may laugh at you when you need or think you need their support the most.

- Kawasaki, Guy.(2007). Never been done. Entrepreneur, May 2007, pg. 32.