Is entrepreneurship for you?

As some of your know, I really enjoy marketing, brand development and the research involved throughout the process. One of the niches I've found is this crazy world of franchising. I recently heard there are over 4,500 franchise concepts in the US alone. And that number is almost double the 2001-2002 figures. More and more people are not only deciding to start a franchise, but thousands more are deciding to have a go at entrepreneurship and buy a franchise opportunity. There are a few very basic, but key questions to ask yourself -

1. Should I go into business for myself?
2. Should I go into the widget business?
3. Should I go it alone or buy a franchise?
4. Should I buy your widget franchise

If you are able to answer these four questions (courtesy of Entrepreneur.com), you may well be on your way to owning your own business. Good luck. Let me know what I can do to help.

Ouray, Colorado

Next week I am heading West, my friends, to Ouray, Colorado, the ice climbing capital of the world and location of the annual Ouray Ice Festival. I'll be with my good friend Drue, an old building mate in Washington, DC. I can't begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to the trip. It's been a few years since I've climbed and even more since I've gone vertical on ice. But I know I'm up for the challenge. I'm also ready to take a break for the daily grind, enjoy the outdoors and Drue's company.

I recently heard that Americans are bombarded by far more outside stimuli compared to people of other nationalities. My friend continued, saying, that the only time Americans experience total silence is during sleep. But in Japan (or China), there is an device you can install in your home, or office, that allows total silence at any time. And that one hour of total silence is equivalent to seven full hours of sleep.

Hearing all this made me immediately think about my 1998 NOLS trip to Australia and a 3-day solo "expedition" on Sunday Island (NW Australian Island). What made the experience that much more special was that I had no food during the three days. Just a couple gallons of water, my journal and my sleeping pad. It's been almost 10 years since my three days of silence ... and while Ouray won't fulfill that need, I will be able to separate from work for a few days to get a fresh perspective.

While I work on my computer, watch Monday Night Football and talk with Beth, I'll start thinking about when I can work a few minutes of silence into my schedule.

Bob Marley & Celine Deon ... Both Jamaican icons?

Earlier this evening, I went to our favorite take-out restaurant, The Roasting Company, to pick up dinner for my wife and me. It's probably my favorite place within a five mile radius of my house ... I can get some of the best rotisserie chicken in Charlotte and Beth is able to get an all veggie plate where none of the vegetables are cooked with meat (Beth is officially a "fishatarian"). Perfect.

On the way home I heard a special on NPR about Celine Deon and her influence on Jamaican pop culture. Sure, I thought. I can just see a bunch of natty dreads rockin' out to Celine. But I guess I'm wrong. According to the interview, Celine is a rock icon in Jamaica. And it's not the masses that admire her the most but the Jamaican gangstas, drug dealers and other seedy individuals. So if you're visiting Negril, Kingston or Ocho Rios anytime soon and hear Celine, I suggest you accelerate the scooter you're on and get as far away as possible.

Post Thanksgiving notes

What a great Thanksgiving. Beth and I started the extended weekend at her parents' house enjoying some great family time, a few movies, dinners (too much food) and fun. My dad and brother participated in a 5k Turkey Trot and my buddy Andrew Nesbitt ran an 8k as well. So I thought I would host my own "turkey trot" in the Sapona Country Club neighborhood and hoofed it 5.3 miles before stuffing myself with a turkey lunch at the Ketchie's house and a turkey dinner at my parents' house. Needless to say, all the running was counter-balanced by two very large meals.

But the highlight of the weekend was our family dinner at Fleming's in Greensboro celebrating my youngest brother's 25th birthday and my sister's 27th. All nine family members attended and their respective boyfriends and girlfriends. Here's a picture from the evening (taken by a shakey-handed waiter):


Nothing like six bottles of Silver Oak/Groth and a 20 oz bone-in ribeye two nights after Thanksgiving. The holiday shopping season is starting, and according to NPR, Cyber Monday is upon us. (As opposed to Black Friday, Cyber Monday is an internet-based shopping phenomenon that generated about $600M in revenue last year) And while I think of the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas as prime time to do business, apparently, a larger percentage of people find the Monday following Thanksgiving a better time to start their online shopping. Hopefully they are multi-tasking and making a few business decisions as well.

Bringing it all together ...

I recently read that Technorati tracks over 105.4 million blogs daily ... (stat courtesy of Oneupweb, and Internet World Stats). Then I realized that not a single one of those blogs being tracked was mine! I'm not new to the world of blogging. In fact, several hundreds of thousands of people enjoy (or tolerate) my posts on several websites:

Franchise Business Review
StartupNation

And I'm a regular visitor (and less frequent contributor) to my uncle's IdeaBlog. I guess I have a little "blog envy" and decided to take control. From here, you'll have the pleasure of reading about my recent travels, life experiences, marketing tips and anything else that seems noteworthy. Please comment at any time.

Here's to our blogging success.

Jack