tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75570192244423091872024-02-20T12:54:20.055-08:00Iphauxlaroid Business Blognodo nioradzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12805801784920355378noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7557019224442309187.post-25828927995801829352017-09-26T16:01:00.002-07:002017-09-26T16:01:32.637-07:00Denon DJ X1800 Prime Review<br /><br /><img height="266" src="https://cdn.digitaldjtips.com/app/uploads/2017/02/09133259/Denon-DJ-X1800-Prime.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br />The <b><a href="http://denondjcontroller.com/denon-dj-x1800/">Denon DJ X1800</a></b> Prime sits alongside the other Prime releases, most notably the SC5000 Prime media players. In this review and video we find out if it’s up there with its sister product.<br /><br />Just as with the SC5000 media player, Denon DJ has sensibly kept things predictable here. The size, feel (all-metal construction), layout and feature-set of the X1800 broadly compare to those of the market leader, and no DJ will walk up to this mixer and struggle in any way to use it right off that bat. So that means four channels, mic features down the left-hand side, effects up the right, with a big FX on/off button bottom right, and so on.<br /><br />Look carefully and you’ll spot some interesting differences, though, and I’m talking about differences past the rather natty green, white and blue VU meter colour scheme: “Sweep FX” (think Color FX in Pioneer lingo) in addition to filters for each channel; a big touchstrip instead of the <a href="http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2016/03/review-video-pioneer-dj-djm-900nxs2-mixer/">Pioneer DJM-900NX2</a>‘s X-pad; and knobs to control both fader and crossfader curves being a few of them. However, the similarities, at least physically, definitely outweigh the differences between the mixers.<br /><br /><br />Setting up is a case of plugging in as with any mixer, although if you’re using it with a pair of SC5000s, you need to plug network cables in between them and the mixer in order for it all to work nicely together; this has some decided advantages as we’ll see. The X1800 Prime acts as a networking hub anyway, so this is simple. PC drivers are required too if you want to use the 10-channel built-in sound card in conjunction with your Windows machine; it works natively with Mac.<br /><br />There are two USB sockets, just as on the Pioneer DJM-900NXS2, so DJs playing from laptop can plug in side-by-side; expect Denon DJ to announce software compatibilities in due course.<br /><br />One setting certain types of DJs (here’s lookin’ at you, scratch fans) may want to adjust before getting going is the tension of the “Flex Fader” (Denon DJ’s top-of-the-range crossfader technology).<br /><br />IN USE<br />Alongside the SC5000 Prime<br /><br />We have naturally been testing the X1800 alongside a pair of SC5000 Prime media players, so let’s first mention the ways these units work together.<br /><br />The X1800s have digital outs, so you can link to the digital ins on the back of the X1800 if you like; otherwise standard RCAs will do the trick. As the SC5000s are “dual layer” (two “decks” per unit), you can DJ across all four channels of the X1800 with two of the media players.<br /><br />The fun starts when you connect the network cables, which organises your “layers” (sets of decks) across the channels how you want them depending on which sockets you plug the network cables into, and enables some pretty cool colour-coding features: The LED rings around the platters on the decks determine the colours of the cue buttons on the mixer, and also when a deck is “live” (ie its fader is not down) on the mixer, the ring on the associated deck turns from white to the assigned colour. It all makes for much more intuitive mixing, and leads to fewer mistakes by accidentally doing something on the wrong deck.nodo nioradzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12805801784920355378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7557019224442309187.post-42296353703011927842017-04-16T14:01:00.001-07:002017-04-16T14:01:52.818-07:007 Common Strategies My Company Avoided That Helped Us Grow Tenfold in a Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br />What does it take to grow a company tenfold in a single year?<br /><br />At AdEspresso, our revenue was a “mere” $500,000 12 months ago. Fast forward a year and we recently hit $5 million.<br /><br />It is easy to focus on the moves we made to reach this goal. Conversely, it is also important to focus on what we didn’t do. It may sound strange, but this was very much the case at AdEspresso.<br /><br />Here are seven things you think you should do to grow your revenue, but are probably better off avoiding.<a name='more'></a><br /><h2>
1. Go multi-language</h2>
<br />This may sound strange, but it worked in our favor over the past 12 months. It is tempting to roll out a version in languages other than English, such as Spanish and French. But just because you are tempted doesn’t make it the right decision.<br /><br />Think about it this way: It is easier to increase your user base from 3,000 to 5,000 English-speaking users than it is to add another language. There are one billion people across the globe that speak English. That makes for a plenty big audience.<br /><h2>
2. Take a multi-channel approach</h2>
<br />We only focus on Facebook advertising, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t tempted by the world of Twitter and LinkedIn, among others.<br /><br />There is a lot that goes into supporting an advertising channel. There is more to taking a multi-channel approach than meets the eye. The last thing you want is to build something that doesn’t satisfy the customer. This is a waste of time, money and other resources.<br /><h2>
3. Pursue the “upmarket” approach</h2>
<br />Here is something we hear on a regular basis: How come you don’t go out and target the bigger companies that have more money to spend?<br /><br />On the surface this makes perfect sense. When you get involved with bigger companies that have a bigger budget, you can earn more money.<br /><br />But you may be forgetting something: these companies have a longer sales cycle, require a more advanced product and need more attention in terms of customer support. Furthermore, this segment of the market has more competition.<br /><br />There is nothing wrong with chasing after big clients, as long as you understand the pros and cons of doing so. Focusing solely on the potential benefits, while overlooking the disadvantages, could lead to a not-so-nice surprise down the road.<br /><h2>
4. Pay for customer acquisition</h2>
<br />It is common for people to believe the only “real” marketing and advertising is “paid” marketing and advertising. There is no denying the benefits of paid acquisition, but just as we noted above, there are drawbacks.<br /><br />We let our customers find us because of the content we create and the services we offer. This allows us to avoid paid acquisition, which makes it easier to keep pricing competitive.<br /><br />Our tools and content do the talking for us, attracting new customers and increasing brand visibility. We publish <a href="http://adespresso.com/academy/">resources</a> that are freely accessible to help customers advertise like a pro. This organic approach has suited us well.<br /><h2>
5. Hire more people than needed</h2>
<br />Many companies, especially those in the tech space, make the mistake of hiring as quickly as they can find qualified applicants.<br /><br />All along, they never consider the fact that it takes money to hire and train new employees.<br /><br />We didn’t focus our time on hiring as many workers as we could afford to pay. Instead, we realized the benefits of automating our system to maximize the time of our current staff.<br /><br />Note that a new hire in the beginning stages of a business will slow you down. Additionally, the larger your company becomes the more difficult it is to keep an open and clear line of communication.<br /><h2>
6. Add to the product</h2>
<br />Neglected may be a bit harsh, but it holds true to a certain degree.<br /><br />Once you have some initial traction, it is tempting to implement as many features as you can think up. This is particularly true if your customers are asking for something in particular.<br /><br />We never lost track of what led to our initial success. We stuck with our roots on simplicity and design, which has carried us through, day after day, without the need to add too many features along the way.<br /><h2>
7. Sell the company</h2>
<br />In today’s tech world, there are always big companies looking to acquire startups. When we became Facebook preferred marketing developers, it wasn’t long before we were inundated with “strategic partnership” inquiries.<br /><br />Once you hit initial traction and your market share picks up, you will have opportunities to sell. For companies that raised no (or a small amount) of money, it is easy to take hold of the dream and agree to a sale.<br /><br />Here is the question you need to answer: If you stick with your current plan, will your revenue continue to grow? If so, you will be selling yourself short (no pun intended) by agreeing to an acquisition.<br />Final thoughts<br /><br />As a company founder, it is only natural to look for the next big thing. This mindset can make it difficult to stick with a plan that is working.<br /><br />When you find something that works, it is easier to focus more time and effort on that idea than it is to look for something else. With the seven points above, you can continue to grow by developing a counter-intuitive mindset.nodo nioradzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12805801784920355378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7557019224442309187.post-84484621786211329092017-04-03T13:56:00.000-07:002017-04-16T14:02:01.104-07:00Don't Let Overthinking Your Product Launch Cost You Competitive Advantage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When an entrepreneur comes up with a brilliant idea for a business, the first step is usually to spend months on intensive research. They will develop a prototype, market test it repeatedly, and hone the design until all possible bugs have been removed.<br />
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But is this the right approach? As many entrepreneurs have learned the hard way, there’s a downside to preparing for months for a business launch. In fact, there are some good reasons to forego delaying a launch in favor of opening for business as soon as possible.<br />
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The competitive edge.</h2>
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If you have an innovative idea, chances are someone else has thought of it, as well. It’s even possible that another entrepreneur is preparing to launch a similar product or service in the near future. By delaying your launch, you’re giving the competition a chance to come forward with the same idea, rendering all of your hard work obsolete. This is especially true if you’re delaying in order to beta test your product. Even if you acquire signed confidentiality agreements from each participant, the longer you spend in development, the greater the chance that word will spread about the work you’re doing. You can file for a provisional patent, but this could alert <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/19/patent-troll-effects-on-startups-and-small-businesses/">patent trolls</a> to your business’s existence, halting your idea before you can launch it to the public.<br />
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Perfection is impossible.</h2>
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The beta phase of product development can be endless. No amount of tweaking will make a product 100 percent perfect, but a startup can easily become stuck in the cycle of testing, refining and re-testing a product, ad nauseam. When a startup gives itself permission to release a product and revisit it regularly based on customer feedback, that business escapes that cycle and begins gradually building a customer base.<br />
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ZenDesk <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/16/from-its-beginnings-in-a-denmark-loft-zendesks-steady-rise-to-the-top-of-the-helpdesk-heap/">started with intensive planning around a table</a>, but CEO Mikkel Svane learned that at some point a company must simply set a date. “We could have continued working with that product forever,” Svane says. “At some point we said, ‘Okay, we’re just <a href="http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2004/10/timeboxing/">time boxing</a> this. On that date, we’re going to ship. Let’s make sure we have a coherent experience when we launch.”<br />
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Go big or go home.</h2>
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Julia Hartz, co-founder and president of Eventbrite, believes in pushing a product out once it is minimally viable and fully committing to implementing feedback from users. Eventbrite has found its users are extremely intelligent and thus able to come up with many creative ideas that would never have occurred to the Eventbrite team. Once a product is in the wild, customers contribute their own thoughts to the product, creating an experience that is better tailored to the end-user, rather than the team developing it.<br />
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Rotten Tomatoes’ Patrick Lee concurs. While he finds researching important, he believes that once you get the idea out there, you begin getting <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/11/are-you-building-the-right-product/">solid feedback</a>. In its idea stage, he has found that it’s impossible to get realistic feedback from consumers. Once in practice, that idea either takes off or doesn’t, giving a startup the information it needs to tweak and refine it to meet public demand.<br />
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If your business has spent an extended period of time preparing for launch, consider the vast experience of successful entrepreneurs everywhere. A soft launch of your product will help you learn more about your own development than you ever could have learned by keeping it in-house. With the world of startups becoming more competitive than ever, it’s important that a business leader be as proactive as possible in getting his great idea out there to avoid the competition sweeping in and capturing his intended customer base.nodo nioradzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12805801784920355378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7557019224442309187.post-1197902451288813422017-04-01T13:53:00.000-07:002017-04-16T14:02:10.405-07:00The Long Game: 6 Prerequisites for a Killer Product That Lasts Forever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Given the fact that only <a href="http://www.statisticbrain.com/startup-failure-by-industry/">29 percent of startups</a> see the light of day 10 years after opening their doors, it’s no secret that to stay in the entrepreneurial game for the long term requires not just the individual capacity to focus, work collaboratively and take calculated risks but also the market awareness to constantly refine your product for appeal.<br />
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In other words, there are two simple questions every entrepreneur must ask that will determine one’s long-term viability to stay alive in the marketplace:<br />
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<i>What is the problem I want to solve?</i><br />
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<i>How does my product or service solve that problem?</i><br />
Let’s assume you’ve already defined the problem set to solve for. The next step is a bit trickier and necessitates a detailed outline that should serve as an entrepreneurial blueprint. Here are six prerequisites for how your killer product should answer the call:<br />
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1. Vision </h2>
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First and foremost, a vision identifies what your product will be and whom it will serve. This is your roadmap that guides you startup trajectory and ultimately, answers tough questions that arise when complexity finagles its way into your routine. A clear vision communicates direction and certainty upon which employees can rely when they fall into that gray area of decision-making.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.blogsouthwest.com/video/southwest-airlines-our-purpose-and-vision/">vision of Southwest Airlines</a>, for example, is clear cut: "To connect people to what’s important in their lives though friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel." The clarity of this vision helps employees answer tough questions about whether to go with lower prices or greater comfort, for instance (they should go with lower prices).<br />
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2. Simplicity </h2>
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Does your product require an encyclopedia book as an instruction manual? Simply put, simplicity plays to what is most appealing for customers and that’s <a href="http://www.adaptabilitycoach.com/why-simplicity-sucks/">ease of use and accessibility</a>. Can your product be easily adopted right now? Can it be integrated with what already exists? If the answer is no, then you may consider how to “dumb” it down.<br />
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3. Relativity</h2>
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Einstein would be proud here. What is the value of your product and why is it better than that of your competitors? Many factors play into this such as presentation, usability and cost. One way to support the relative advantage of your product is to employ numbers and data that back up your claim.<br />
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4. Sociability </h2>
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This is the “OMG-I-gotta-share-this-with-everybody-I-know” factor. Think of it this way: If you inadvertently discovered your product on the web, how likely would you be to tell your friends about it? Would you put your own stamp of approval on it, or would you lose friends by doing so? How does the product measure up to its marketing claim? What would a competitor target if they wanted to defeat it?<br />
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To reach maximum sociability -- and therefore, scalability -- your product should be uncommon in nature but answer a common need.<br />
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5. Accessibility </h2>
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This is a two-way street for both the company and the customer. From the entrepreneurial perspective, you want your product to be accessible to consumers from every far-flung corner of technology ranging from mobility to desktop.<br />
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According to a 2014 study by <a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/2014/07/online-traffic-report-mobile.html">Small Business Trends</a>, 60 percent of online traffic comes from mobile devices. The beauty of one-stop-shop services such as <a href="http://dminc.com/">DMI</a> is that it makes things easier on the entrepreneur, as DMI manages everything mobile from strategy to app development, multi-channel commerce, brand and marketing, analytics and data management.<br />
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6. Relate-ability </h2>
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I couldn’t come up with another word that ended in –ity so this will have to make do. Relate-abiltiy -- the ability to, well, relate a story -- knows no bounds for the simple fact that stories resonate. It’s the “sticky factor” that destines a brand for life or death, success or failure, remembrance or forgetfulness.<br />
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Think of the memorization technique known as chunking, where you group dissimilar objects together so they “stick out” more (again, the “sticky factor”). The reason this works is similar to why myths, legends and stories transcend over time -- they strike mental and emotional chords that cause you to remember and share.<br />
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The long-game of entrepreneurship is just that -- long -- which is why the aforementioned prerequisites will take time to iterate, ingrain and implement over time. Start with a vision and adapt its simplicity, sociability, relativity, accessibility and relate-ability as you refine both the product and yourself.</div>
nodo nioradzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12805801784920355378noreply@blogger.com0