You can see the article
done on me and the Commercial Creation Center at:

http://weekend.entrepreneur.com/2008/10/14/why-not-jump-on-the-video-sharing-bandwagon/

Michelle Anton asked me to
ask you all to leave comments there, if you know
me personally or know my work - there's a place in the comment field for
you to put your web site link, which isn't a bad thing to have a link to your
site from Entrepreneur.com!

Penny Haynes

P.S. Remember, the new Brain Storm Business Podcast feed is
http://feeds.feedburner.com/BrainStormBusinessPodcast
[COMMENT]

Hello Brain Storm
Business Podcast followers - if you are still out there. No, Penny
Haynes is not dead - she has just had to switch hats from entrepreneur to
geeky programmer for the last several months. Today she has been liberated as
the Commercial Creation
Center multimedia production software went public. So now I'm back to doing
the thing I love to do - like podcasting and learning about business ideas and
successes!

Brief review of what has happened over the past 4 months :
my programmers abandoned me mid-project, leaving me with promises I had made to
others regarding availability. My immediate reaction was to have a panic attack
and breathe into a paper bag. My other strategy was not getting out of bed out
of sheer terror of what other bad news the day would bring.

But eventually, I had to push myself beyond my fears and pick up the
project , re-learn VB6, learn php and mySQL, learn about Active X
programs, and learn more about xml. It has been horribly challenging, but in
the end, I have to say it was worth it. Now, I have more valuable skills and
basically the ability to program whatever the heck I dream of - without hiring
someone else. Of course, I do have a "Technical Advisor" whom I refer to as
Yoda, without whom I never could have learned as fast, nor could have dealt with
the technical support issues. YODA rules!

So today's business podcast is
just a quick re-introduction of myself to you , sharing a few lessons
learned, and the public intention to return to podcasting now that I have the
time to do so. Also, I want you to know that we'll be permanently moving the
Brain Storm podcast RSS feed. It will all go through FeedBurner at http://feeds.feedburner.com/brainstormbusinesspodcast .
I've had that feed for a while and put the quikonnex feed through it. Now, my
new feed is coming off of one of my Online Community Magazines (http://www.AllBusinessMagazine.com )
- so I'll assign it to Feedburner.

Well, that's all for today. I'm looking forward to reviewing my stack of
business magazines and sharing with you the cool stuff that we can all learn
from.

Penny Haynes, Commercial Creation Center & Online Community
Magazines

P.S. Combination video made with the CCC: http://tinyurl.com/ccc-creativemom
[COMMENT]

In today's Brain Storm! Business Podcast , we will discuss an online book by 37Signals called Getting Real and how to apply some of their concepts to our own businesses.

My Argentinian programmer who is working on the Commercial Creation Center suggested that I read this book. I think he was trying to tell me something. I am always tempted to add more things to my software. This book tells me less is more - as long as it meets the customers' needs.

Simplify and Focus is the first order of business.

Don't plan on doing everything - plan on doing one thing very well. "Underdo your competition" is a unique statement, but they make a very good case for it, as we will discuss.

What exactly IS your problem?

Once upon a time, most of us started our business because there was a need - either we had a need, or someone else around us had a need. I don't mean just a need for money. We found something that met a need, became passionate about it, and built a business around it. It might be programming, nutritional supplements, multimedia, online marketing, but whatever it was, it convinced you that it was a viable the answer to some problem.

Are you still focused on solving that problem?

There is a saying among Christians: If you feel far away from God, you're the one that moved. If you feel displaced or far away from where you started in your business, maybe you have moved. Maybe you need to revisit the original problem and restructure your business products and services so they are back in alignment with the problem.

I love this one: Have An Enemy.

37 Signals designed a project management software. The software everyone else connected with PM was MS Project. So they decided that Basecamp, their software, would be the ANTI-Project. It would not be anything like it in its complexity or it methodology. Building upon that nemesis, they created a Writeboard that had 100,000 installations in 3 months. I don't mind those numbers.

So, where can you simplify your products and services so that they can once again solve that initial problem? And what competitor in your industry can you find as an example of what you are NOT trying to do?

My Commercial Creation Center's screen recorder is an ANTI-Camtasia (a tool I dearly love, but is way too complicated for every day people). The same with our audio recorder and mixer. It is an ANTI-SoundForge or Audacity, or even my beloved WavePad. Less options (and things to confuse the user), simpler and easier interface, and an end product that can be used just as well for most of their purposes.

Let me know what you think about today's brainstorming session, and if you realized some areas where you could improve. Until next week...

Penny Haynes , Online Community Magazines with the Commercial Creation Center [COMMENT]

In today's Brain Storm! Business Podcast , we will discuss different strategies to determine and implement pricing for your products and services.
I first explain the problems I have been (and am continuing to) endure with my USB microphone. Ear pieces move, and despite packing tape, still cause clicking and clacking. Just shoot me now.

We discuss the different options in pricing and how pricing is a part of your marketing strategy.

Determining your target market and competition (or lack thereof) figure in, as well as segmenting your target markets regarding what they need from you and what they are willing to pay. Thanks to Joel Spolsky and a December 2004 article, we learn a lot about economics and why businesses price the same product different ways. Link to Joel's article is here: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/CamelsandRubberDuckies.html

We also discuss real life business examples, including lessons learned on my trip to Six Flags (I learned so much, I should have considered that a business trip).

From coupons and rebates to discounts and membership sites, we touch on it all, and if you want to learn more, you'll have to listen to the business podcast ! :)
Penny Haynes , Online Community Magazines & 1st Podcast Publishing
[COMMENT]

Click here to listen to the podcast. In today's Brain Storm! Business Podcast , we will discuss SalesConX with its CEO, Evan Sohn, and how you can, in a very straight-forward manner, buy and sell introductions to the people you need to contact.

I was introduced to SalesConX by the owner of a business opportunity directory. She had signed up for the affiliate program and we were all offered a $25 credit. I figured "Why not try it." So far, I'm glad I did.
Ever want to find your perfect target market, but have no clue how to do that?

With SalesConX, you write out a detailed description of who you want an introduction to, put a price on that introduction, and also possibly a bonus price if the introduction leads to a closed sale. Or, if you know of someone who needs particular services or products, you can post their need and offer to sell someone an introduction to that person. Of course, you are not to blindside people you know by sending strangers to them - you discuss the connection with your contact and see if they are interested.

You get to be the "Go To" guy for all of your clients.

As we've talked about before, being the person your clients turn to for any of their needs can be a huge differentiating factor between you and your competitors. SalesConX lets you find other people who can help your clients in non-competitive ways.

Hitting Singles, Aim-Fire, and Shouting Out the Window

Evan Sohn discusses the challenges he is facing with SalesConX , and also what he has learned during his 5 start-up career. We talk about endurance, commitment, risk taking, changing your goals and paying the right person for the right warm introduction. I think you'll learn a lot, be encouraged and challenged, and possibly find a great place to find leads for your business as well.

Penny Haynes , Online Community Magazines
[COMMENT]

In today's Brain Storm! Business Podcast , we will discuss some of the latest happenings for YouTube, Flash and Mogulus, and how you can make the most of this news.

Microsoft is planning to license both pdf and flash for use on mobile platforms. What does this mean for you and me? The ability to see flash based video on our cell phones. What will you do to apply that knowledge to your own business? How about putting flash based audio and video on your website.

YouTube is making it easier to add video to your website. You can now have a YouTube page on your website if you can have programmers use their API to create it. YouTube doesn't need to have people coming to their site - they know they're already #1. Plus, you know that all of those links back don't hurt either.

Mogulus is a new webcam resource for producing multi-camera live shows , and allows you to combine YouTube and your own uploaded videos to the mix. The possibilities are almost endless if you are creative enough. How about cross marketing and creating an entertaining and informative news show about information in your niche or industry?

So check out this short video business podcast today , and give me your feedback on how you will apply this knowledge to your own business plan.

Penny Haynes , Online Community Magazines
[COMMENT]