The Virtual Org Chart

By Guest Authors Richard Hooker and Steve Monas

[The series, which started with “The Outsourcing Imperative”, continues with a discussion of what needs to be planned before and while working with an outsourcer.]

Not only does outsourcing allow entrepreneurs to build full-scale enterprises, building a virtual organization, at least in part, is an absolute requirement to be competitive in an age of accelerated change. Developing outsourcing competence, however, is a daunting task, especially when all the other imperatives of a startup come crashing down around your head. In this excerpt from our book, “Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible”, we discuss all the necessary planning that goes into building a partly- or fully-outsourced startup.  >>>

Mark Hoffman’s Fourth Run: Enquisite (Part 4)

SM: What year did you take Sybase public?

MH: That happened in 1991. I stayed there until 1995.

SM: What was your experience like after Sybase became an established leader?

MH: We grew it to 5,000 people. We had operations all over the world and I learned that companies go through phases. >>>

Selling in a Non-objective Environment (Part 2): The Territorial Terrorist

By Guest Author James T. Healy

[In his first article Jim set forth strategies for selling in what he calls non-objective environments, where there are unhealthy levels of internal competition and political power plays, and outlined four types of people who thrive in these environments. Today he describes in more detail how the first type, the “territorial terrorist”, works, using the example of a well-known US Congressman.] >>>

Building Your Brand Experience for Hard Times (Part 1)

By guest authors Charles W. Bush and Kathy Hwang of 3Strand, a brand and business strategy consultancy.

Designing a top-notch brand is nice to talk about and all, but when the economy tanks and we’re facing grim business decisions, is it even relevant to today’s conversation? Looking back through history, many of the most effective brands were actually developed and came to be successful on the market during the depths of recession years. [1] BMW emerged as “The Ultimate Driving Machine” in the mid-1970s, Southwest Airlines captured the shaky airline market in the wake of 9/11, and we eagerly await to see which brands will strike a chord in customers and emerge as market leaders in 2009. Let’s explore what goes into building a brand experience that rises to the top of the recession. >>>

The Outsourcing Imperative

By Guest Authors Richard Hooker and Steve Monas

[In this series, Richard and Steve use excerpts from their book “Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible” to explain why even startups on shoestring budgets should outsource some of their business functions.]

We live in a brave new world in which all the tools to build a full-scale enterprise are at the fingertips of anyone with a business idea — without ever having to walk out their front door. >>>

Mark Hoffman’s Fourth Run: Enquisite (Part 3)

SM: In 1984 when you started Sybase with Bob Epstein, what was the funding environment? That was not in the heyday of venture capital.

MH: Most of the venture capital was going into hardware companies. Very few software companies were being funded. >>>

Deal Radar 2009: SodaHead

California-based SodaHead is a place where opinionated users of the web are found. SodaHead aims to be a community where users can meet new people with similar thought processes, which the company says differentiates it from other social networking sites which let people connect with existing friends. The company’s goal is to provide the online world with a space where people can bounce ideas off one another, see different viewpoints and get a snapshot of what public sentiment is on issues in the news. >>>

Forbes Column 2009: Consolidation Looms For SaaS

Here’s Forbes Zero-In this week expressing concern over the looming consolidation in SaaS.