Social Media a 21 Step Program for Entrepreneurs
July 12, 2011
A review of Crush It! Why Now Is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion
For those looking to launch a business or increase brand visibility a good primer for using Social Media as an effective business tool is Gary Vay ner Chuk’s Crust It! Why Now Is The Time To Cash in on Your Passion. The internet has crushed traditional forms of media particularly the print and rapidly encroaching on turf occupied by the film and electronic media. Social media, Facebook, Twitter, LinkIn and Flickr are ever present in our lives and the challenge of today’s entrepreneur is harnessing the power found in this new frontier called the Internet. Vay ner Chuk outlines a plan of action using his own story.
The braggadocios Vay ner Chuk’s success isn’t so much his story as it is that of a first generation American building on the success of his immigrant father. The elder came to the U.S. when the author was only three taking a job as liquor store clerk parlaying it into his own self-made Spirits retail fortune. Van ner Chuk gives proper credit to what he calls your DNA. He believes he inherited that entrepreneurial wherewithal from his father. But unlike this author many of us are not the heir apparent of such good fortune.
The author’s premise is learning to navigate the digital waters of social media to build a business and promote a personal brand based around what you love most, and you will only be limited by how far you want to sail. He lives by three rules: love your family, work super hard, and live your passion. Publishers Weekly criticized the book as nothing new, and I have no argument there but found value in his building instructions. It’s a 21 step-by-step program for achieving a greater internet presence and building your brand. It is the same program I have followed long before I heard of this author. So indeed there is nothing new, but helpful to the neophyte in laying out a tried and true structured plan of action. He details in 21 steps from where to launch your voyage and how to sail to business success.
It’s now a given, social media has evened the playing field, destroying the “gate-keepers” who had previously dictated the distribution of content. Applying a social media strategy can help turn you turn your business into money.
MWAA Skirts Minority Contracting Suppresses Wages and Undermines Security
October 16, 2010
Thursday the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority held its 20th Annual Business Opportunity Seminar to attract minority and women entrepreneurs as well as local disadvantaged businesses (LDBs). The problem is its all smoke and mirrors with few contracts going to either minority or women entrepreneurs. The lions share are awarded to “local disadvantaged businesses,” i.e. the good old boys who consistently and overwhelming manage to beat out other qualifying bidders. LDBs usually skim off the cream of these lucrative contracts leaving the curds of low wages and inadequate benefits to seep down to the Black and Latino work force. Senator Rockefeller has recently called for a top to bottom investigation of MWAA contracting practices. This would be the first step toward necessary reform and real equal opportunity.
Senator Rockefeller should begin by reviewing security contracting. Infrastructure security at Reagan National Airport is supported by an unarmed guard force of 40 officers. Five years ago MWAA awarded contract oversight to a Maryland company Master Security. Prior to this award under the company Securiguard officers enjoyed satisfactory benefits and pay. Before the recession Master Security came in immediately cut pay and benefits with MWAA approval and has since refused to grant pay raises or cost of living increases during its 5 year tenure.
The officers organized a collective bargaining unit. Many work long hours sometimes 16 to 18 hour shifts in inclement weather yet they have no sick leave or night differential pay and nor other standard benefits enjoyed by most contract security officers. They have no pension or retirement plan. The situation at Reagan National is particularly untenable because the officers are paid well below the regions prevailing wage standard earning only $12.50 an hour while the prevailing wage is $21.26.
The Reagan officers are paid far below the prevailing wage standard. This deprives them of the ability to maintain comfortable living standards adversely impacting the region. Moreover paying low wages forces MWAA to rely on immigrant workers. This increased reliance diminishes the quality of infrastructure security with lower standards and greater exposure to threats from both outside and within.
MWAA enjoys a unique status an as a recipient of federal funds. It is for the most part a government contractor and as such should be a model employer yet it routinely violates prevailing wages laws. Prevailing wage laws set the floor for wages, overtime pay, training, pension plans, health insurance other benefits paid to workers on public financed jobs.
The cost of living in the Washington metropolitan region is high. The Reagan officers are demanding to be paid the prevailing wage to keep pace with rapidly increasing transportation and subsistence costs. Without the necessary increase workers will be forced to move outside the Beltway for cheaper housing thus incurring higher transportation costs.
MWAA by failing to observe the prevailing wage law jeopardizes airport security and diminishes regional living standards. Enough with the annual dog and pony show touting equal opportunity. MWAA should award contracts to minority and woman owned businesses as mandated by federal law and stop the charade.
Launching the Drew Smith Series
August 5, 2010
I recently lauched a project in conjuction with Kickstarter.com to publish my novel Sleepless Nights. Check it out and reserve you copy now by pledging your support.
