Monday, February 01, 2010

Microsoft Program Management for Dummies - Live, and on-line!

I will be giving my presentation about Program Management at Microsoft in a live (and FREE) web-cast at 12:00pm (Pacific Time) on February, Wednesday the 3rd. I will be taking time to answer questions at the end of the presentation.

You can look up details on how to register to participate in the web-cast here.

You can watch the existing recording of this presentation (given in August 2009) any time.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Entrepreneur Northwest podcast directory

Welcome to the Entrepreneur Northwest podcasts. In this series, Michael talks with entrepreneurs who are living their dreams. We talk about the successes, and failures, and offer words of advice for others trying to start their own businesses.

EPNW: Why publishers make the best entrepreneurs

In this episode of "Entrepreneurs Northwest" David Meerman Scott explains that the old days of begging, buying, and bugging consumers with crude marketing efforts are over. The only way to get attention in the fractured world of the Internet is to earn it by publishing useful information, and content, that customers want to see. The key to marketing success is to think like a publisher, looking for the content that will appeal to the market.

You can check out more of David's ideas at http://www.webinknow.com/ or the new edition of his book, "The New Rules of Marketing and PR".









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NOTE: Check out the complete podcast directory of discussions with entrepreneurs. If you would like to be a guest on Entrepreneurs Northwest, to talk about your business venture, contact Michael Surkan.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

seeking CTO for fast growing affiliate startup

If you are a talented internet software engineer, with deep experience working on web sites and databases looking for a ground floor opportunity in a startup, I want to talk with you!

I am a partner with a company that is setting up a network of auto service shops that pay referral fees for customers who come through our service. We generate the majority of our customers by signing up non-profits to receive donations every time one of their supporters get their cars serviced at a member shop. We charge the shops 5% of the gross bill for every customer we send them, and we give the charities 3%. The beauty of this is that the charities do all the hard work of marketing our service (i.e. telling anyone and everyone to get their cars repaired at our member shops), keeping our costs super low.

Our business model is self-financing , and will start generating revenue within months. This isn’t some pie-in-the-sky dream that hopes for a pay-off way in the future. Because we will be generating cash soon, and because our technology and marketing needs are modest, we are confident we can be self-financing, and will not need to give away big chunks of equity to investors.

We are currently starting off by getting this business (www.referredautorepairs.com) running in British Columbia. Once we are fully running there we plan on taking it across North America by the end of the 2010.

The best part is that we are seeing a simply PHENOMENAL demand for this. Charities are almost beating down our door asking to participate, and a LOT of auto repair shops are really hurting, making them eager to sign up. The worse the economy gets, the better it is for us as charities get more desperate for new funding sources, and service shops look for new ways to find customers.

The downside is that we are very cash poor right now, and really can’t afford to pay a CTO anything at the moment. Our back-end is our weakest link, and our reliance on off-shore developers is just taking far too long. We are currently a business of salesmen and marketers, but lack the technical skill to make the back-end hum smoothly.

This is the chance of a life-time for any web developer who is able to sustain themselves for a few months while putting in a lot of sweat equity into putting the finishing touches on this venture into place. We already have a lot of the back-end built (using the LAMP stack), and it won’t take a lot to get the very basics working. As soon as we have a working system to accept the on-line customer shop bookings, we will have a huge pipeline of PAYING customers to use it.

Most of the people in this company are in British Columbia and Seattle, but we don’t mind working with people who live elsewhere in North America. Most of our work is virtual anyway.

If this sounds interesting, just let me know and I would be happy to talk with you and share details.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Tales from the job search trenches: anatomy of a job search

Join Michael's discussions with fellow job seekers and job placement professionals to look at the different strategies people are using, and brainstorm on ways to make job search efforts more effective.

If you like this podcast you can check out Michael’s article outlining his own job search strategy to get more tips. I also have the indispensable guide to building relationships with potential employers, walking through the steps of how to use blogs and LinkedIn to network in companies where you don't have any contacts.

NOTE: Please contact Michael if you are interested in being a guest on “Tales from the job search trenches” podcasts. Michael would like to discuss your job search strategy, and brainstorm ways to improve it with you. Check out Michael’s LinkedIn profile for contact information.

job search tales: how to get recommendations without even asking

In this episode of "Tales from the job search trenches", Marissa Marsala explains how recommendations can be instrumental in helping a candidate stand out. Writing recommendations for others can be more effective in getting reciprocal testimonials than just asking for someone to write them for you.

Check out more advice from Marissa at http://employerandcandidateconnection.blogspot.com/.









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NOTE: Please contact Michael if you are interested in being a guest on "Tales from the job search trenches" podcasts. Michael would like to discuss your job search strategy, and brainstorm ways to improve it with you.

EPNW: Angel investing is a labour of love

In this episode of "Entrepreneurs Northwest" Andy Sack explains that angel investing is a labour of love for him and his partners at the Founder's Co-op. Instead of running startups himself Andy now is now offering expertise and money to promising ventures. If anything, the recession is making angel investing even more interesting as entrepreneurs are becoming much more practical in creating viable business plans that can make money quickly.

You can check out about how the Founder's co-op helps tech startups at http://www.founderscoop.com/.









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NOTE: Check out the complete podcast directory of discussions with entrepreneurs. If you would like to be a guest on Entrepreneurs Northwest, to talk about your business venture, contact Michael Surkan.

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

job search tales: The Undercover Lawyer tells job candidates how to use the law to their advantage

In this episode of "Tales from the job search trenches", the Undercover Lawyer explains how legal issues can have a significant impact on how employers choose employees. There are a lot of practical things that applicants can do to alleviate the liability concerns their employers might harbour, but are afraid to voice. In a tough job market it makes sense for job seekers to take legal considerations into account as they search for a new job.

Check out more advice from the Undercover Laywer at http://www.undercoverlawyer.com/.









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NOTE: Please contact Michael if you are interested in being a guest on "Tales from the job search trenches" podcasts. Michael would like to discuss your job search strategy, and brainstorm ways to improve it with you.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

EPNW: Tradional off-line marketing can pay off for your web business

In this episode of "Entrepreneurs Northwest" Claudiu Geanta explains that marketing a business takes a lot more than social networking and search keyword advertisements on the Internet. Small businesses should consider some traditional marketing strategies like T-shirts and magnetic car signs, even if they are nation-wide. Marketing in your local community can be a great way to get exposure, and may have broader reach than you think.

You can check out more of Claudiu's marketing ideas at http://www.defactomind.com/.









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NOTE: Check out the complete podcast directory of discussions with entrepreneurs. If you would like to be a guest on Entrepreneurs Northwest, to talk about your business venture, contact Michael Surkan.

job search tales: By the time a job is posted on the web it's too late

In this episode of "Tales from the job search trenches", Kelly Harington explains that tapping the hidden job market requires a lot of effective networking, and how to go about doing it. The earlier a candidate can get in front of a hiring manager the better. By the time a job actually gets posted on a public web site it is often too late to get noticed over the crush of applicants.

Check out http://careermaxgroup.com/ for more of Kelly's ideas on how to build a successful career.









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NOTE: Please contact Michael if you are interested in being a guest on "Tales from the job search trenches" podcasts. Michael would like to discuss your job search strategy, and brainstorm ways to improve it with you.