Career Roundtable For Students And Recent Grads

I have been interacting with a lot of students and professors lately. One sentiment that is becoming resoundingly clear is that the current economic condition makes job search very, very difficult. As you know, I started my first company as a graduate student at MIT in 1994. I believe that early on in your career, when you have little to lose, and not many responsibilities – family, children, aging parents – is a good time to experiment with entrepreneurship.

On May 20, I will host a career roundtable focused on this topic, to give students, recent grads, and young professionals an opportunity to interact around the topic of entrepreneurship as a career. You can register here.

Deal Radar 2009: SpotMixer

There’s no question that shrinking ad budgets and the decline of print ads have shaken the foundations of traditional and often powerful media outlets, from ABC to the Boston Globe. Online video advertising, however, is growing in this poor economy, albeit at a slower place. One company taking advantage of this growth is One True Media’s SpotMixer. >>>

Streamlining Hospitals: Omnicell CEO Randy Lipps (Part 6)

SM: How has the competitive landscape changed over time?

RL: Pyxis was a Street darling before they were acquired by our big competitor. They are a division of Cardinal now. They are a great company and I wanted to mimic them so much. >>>

eCommerce Growth Continues In Latin America

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI), Latin America’s eCommerce leader, continues on its growth path despite the poor global economy. Recently announced Q1 revenues of $32.3 million were 12% higher than the previous year’s revenue. The company missed the Street’s expectations of $32.9 million. However, EPS of $0.12 exceeded the market’s expectations of $0.10 and represented growth of 140% over the $0.05 earned a year ago. >>>

Deal Radar 2009: Sonoa Systems

Last year, I wrote a piece called SaaS Impact on IT Infrastructure as part of the Trend Radar 2008 series. In the last 16 months, SaaS has really taken off, with over 500 companies in the space. Concurrently, the operational complexity of managing SaaS in the enterprise has also escalated. Today’s Deal Radar looks at a company that addresses some of this complexity. >>>

Streamlining Hospitals: Omnicell CEO Randy Lipps (Part 5)

SM: You are now at the $250 million range in revenue. That has taken you approximately 15 years. What is it about you that lets you grow to the next level?

RL: Every couple of years I have to reinvent my management style and business philosophies. Most entrepreneurs don’t last with their companies because they keep doing the same things. I have learned how to let go of areas of responsibility and entrust them to others. >>>

Apples to Apples and Pricing

By Guest Author Linda Bishop

[In this series, Linda considers how salespeople can adapt their approach to thrive even in a tough economy. Yesterday’s post discussed how buyers assess price and value, and today’s final installment digs deeper into what buyers might be thinking at the time of a purchase. You can find out more in Linda’s book, “Selling in Tough Times”.] >>>

Streamlining Hospitals: Omnicell CEO Randy Lipps (Part 4)

SM: What timeframe was it when you developed your first prototype?

RL: It was 1992–1993. Sequoia Hospital quickly bought a contingent of products afterwards. >>>