Your personal asssistant...Outsource it!

Being the boss is actually much easier than you think. Delegating is the key for success. Why don't you get your own personal assistant?

The other day I talked with one of my best friends about the topic and it came to my attention that this market is experiencing a hell of a lot demand. I bet that this is going to be a commonplace thing for enhancing your capacity to deliver in the work landscape. Here an article from 2005 that previewed the rise of the personal concierge...right on the money, but now we are going mass-market! Finally...

Check this video published by AskSunday to get a broad overview of the services.

AskSunday Virtual Assistance Service Overview from AskSunday on Vimeo.

I bet there are many people contracting these kind of services, but it may well be a hidden market. I bet nobody admits to be using it, especially within the corporate landscape. For as much as $180 you are able to add 20 hours to your productive hours. Each additional hour is $10...research, data entry, schedule tasks, appointments, telephone services. Whatever you want. Even your online shopping can be handled via India...get a flatrate and boost your productivity to reach that 4 hour work week you deserve...good book by the way!

More personal assistant services to come.... As it was logical for this kind of service we are starting to diversify into different niches. You'll be surprised how many biz models are potentially in there:

• GetFriday (160 hours a month for just $1120, that is a complete month....double your productivity!)...work related
• Lifes2short Lifestyle Management, more of a lifestyle service as it offers Vertu on its phones
• Guess what you can even outsource your online dating...just a nice example of where we are going. Pure specialization. I don't need it, but hey, what a fun business idea!

Problems and limitations: Language difficulties should not arise in languages like English or Spanish, however, if you try to contract such a service at such competitive rates in German you have no chance....Getfriday even had to shut down the service in German even though it generated money...here is a nice inside take on why they had to shut down operations in Germany. Good read! They could not find enough talent to cover the demand. Sad thing, or maybe another business startup will be covering that niche soon. I hope...

Have fun delegating.

Incubators to Watch...

Hi, I have been shopping around. In theory, even if I can't afford that right now I think it is a pretty bright investment if you want to start up: A startup Incubator.

I am myself thinking about getting on board of one some time to give the biz the right boost and a good capital injection, but there are still some details about the whole concept here in Germany that make me wait a little longer.

Why should I look for investment and office space in an incubator if I can potentially negotiate a better deal for entering later when the beta version is on-line? I guess many start-ups are entering "the dragon" a little too early, maybe giving too much equity away in exchange for office space and "the right people"....depends on the project, of course...but think about it. If you don't need it to get beta going, don't do it... You need the right people from the beginning on: Yes, but if you cannot start it up to beta without help you are very likely to be useless for the project anyway s. I would not invest in you...

Here the Top 10 in the US to watch on Inc.com and some German/Austrian ones I dug out. Most specialize in certain areas regionally and more importantly in expertise to create better synergy effects...and most are run by some really high profile kids...check them out!

1.Rocket Internet

2.The Hub Berlin

3. Friends Factory

4. Backfabrik Berlin

5. 11 nets

6. Tech2b (Austria)

7. Nabru Ventures

8. Hack Fwd

9. Team Europe Ventures

10. Rheingau Ventures

11. 1st Mover

12. Beta Fabrik

13. You is Now

14. Hanse Ventures

Cheers, I'm off for weekend...or not...

Old things reinvented - The Panamore Example

Hi guys,

since I have been heavily surrounded by the topic food in the last time and all kinds of startups in that area here comes my big german newcomer favorite in online ordering.

What an easy idea that is, but highly disruptive, that is what I like...

Panamore delivers Pizza to your door. Sounds like old stuff, but has a little twist.

Its gourmet Pizza you assemble virtually online. Tell you more? Well, the stuff comes without cooking...even worse!

Stupid you say? Not at all, the service is over-booked and does not take orders since about 2 weeks. It is actually the best example of how very obvious things like Pizza delivery can still be innovated...many businesses are working like that and give tons of possibilities for new startups!

Here the key differentiatiors:

• More than 40 gourmet ingredients.
• Good for 21 days if cooled.
• Delivers B2B as well.
• DHL Shipping 5 € all over Germany in 24 H
• Pay via Paypal (a good idea for all these other home deliverers out there)

Copy this idea now in all variations and shades of complexity ! Looking forward to have it delivered!

Need a candle?

Hey,

found a 13 year old kid who produces candles that are targeted to the male market. Scents range from camp fire to Pizza..... Why do older guys like me not get across ideas that are that simple. For sure a great gift for fathers day.

http://www.man-cans.com

Maybe its just a bullshit idea, but why not taking this way of thinking towards a new stage of new products for men. Formerly known as a girl product men deserve more than candles targeted exclusively to the female market. Well done kiddo! You are a true entrepreneur! Work a little on the packaging and you could be king of this years x-mas. I'll get one!

Peter Thiel Foundation

This is brilliant move I came across. The co-founder of Paypal announced to give some money away...to students under 20 who are wiling to give up their college careers to start a business!

http://www.thielfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26&Itemid=19

Read also this article I found on Bloomberg, the guy is good and I share his opinion on risk taking. Nowadays, especially in Europe, people are way to risk averse and do not trust young entrepreneurs enough to help good biz-ideas fly.

"Facebook Inc. investor and board member Peter Thiel plans to make 20 grants of as much as $100,000 apiece to teenagers who have promising ideas for technology businesses.

The investor’s Thiel Foundation will award as many as 20 grants to individuals or small teams of entrepreneurs by the end of 2011, Thiel said today during a technology conference in San Francisco. Some partners at the Founders Fund, the venture capital firm co-founded by Thiel, will act as advisers and mentors to the grant winners.

The grants are aimed at removing some of the barriers, such as heavy course loads and high college costs, that young people face as they try to create businesses, Thiel said in an interview. He was one of the first investors in Facebook, which like Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc., was founded by a person who hadn’t completed college.

“We need to encourage young Americans to take more risks,” Thiel said. Traditional education steers young people away from entrepreneurship and into steady jobs, he said. “While they are able to get certain types of jobs with it, the problem is they can’t actually do anything that pays less in the short term and may have more value in the long run.”

Thiel contributed to Facebook’s $500,000 first round of funding in 2004, when founder Mark Zuckerberg was 20. Zuckerberg hadn’t completed his undergraduate degree at Harvard University when he began Facebook."

The perfect gadget for men

Hello,

I just tell you what it is: The worlds first personal brewery in the world. No more words needed, the micro-brewery trend is a clear winner, now this one is about to make its way into every single male household.

Just watch the video, its amazing.

I actually remember the clumsy beer brewing kits being sold and moreover the disappointed guys who were invited to a tasting session. Usually we had to source some more from a the gas station around the corner in order to make it a successful evening. Enjoy.

DIY Hardware

Hey,

I came across this brilliant guy from Poland (now USA) who is running an opensource project on agricultural do-it-yourself starter kits. He calls them Global Village Construction sets. Amazing how simple his solution for a huge problem is...just do it attitude at its best. He gave an inspiring talk at TED 2011 and I encourage you to watch it.

Maybe check out his website as well, I think there is some serious business there especially because he builds the stuff on a modular base.. lego for grown ups.... Brilliant.

http://opensourceecology.org

Have fun.

E Menus

I have seen a lot of e menus until now, based on Ipads, normal touch screens etc...this by far is the most complete gadget on the market. I honestly thing there is some space in the market for this niche product, especially in places that are supposed to be quick turnover. One of my favorite restaurants in Munich (LaBarracca) offers that service since a year or so...the only shame is that they invested about 1 million€ in the development of the system and now the stuff goes mainstream without them making a buck on licensing or franchising....what a waste of time and money, they need a marketer I guess...for the website as well, its rudimentary.

Here the guys who do it right!

10% revenue boost per order up to 300.000 in extra profits sound teasing to me. You know by now that I am into good food and restaurant ops. I was even in contact some guys developing this kind of apps on touchscreen devices 9 months ago, but it turned out that his biz model was a spoiled little brat...

Check them out and watch the video at http://www.elacarte.com/