Chris Nadeau Stream

Chris Nadeau Stream

Chris Nadeau  //  Sharing my life experiences as a dad, husband, web entrepreneur and hockey dude. I would love to hear from you.

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Jul 7 / 7:53am

Keep it simple

I am currently reading Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier of 37signals.  The book is about going against the "so called" norm when building your business.  The examples and writing are a breath of fresh air and it is something we have been trying to do with our business since Day 1.  We truly believe it is important to be yourself and keep things simple.  Some of the topics discussed in the book:

  • Meetings are toxic
  • Planning is guessing - so true :-)
  • Underdo the competition
  • ASAP is poison

Today I wanted to get your thoughts on the third point...Underdoing the competition.  We have been thinking about this alot, even more so then in the past.  We always believed in simplicity, but moving forward, any new products we create will be extremely simple and useful (we hope). :-)

In Rework, Jason and David refer to a product that is succeeding by underdoing the competition: the Flip.  I own a Flip and it is truly everything you would need for a camcorder and yet it is do darn simple.   We use it to film our show over at The Hockey Zen.  Here are some of the things the Flip does not do:

  • No big screen
  • No photo taking ability
  • No tapes or discs
  • No menus
  • No settings
  • No video light
  • No viewfinder
  • No special effects
  • No memory card

The list goes on and on.  The reason the Flip is winning fans is because it does a few simple things really well and it is easy and fun to use.

Why is it we think we have to have more features then our competitors?  I know we are going to be stripping down things more and more.  For example, take a look at begr8ful.  All you do is type in what you are grateful for and share it if you want with your social networks.  

What do you think?  Is simple the way to go?

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Filed under  //  37signals   Rework   Simple   The Flip  

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Jan 4 / 12:44pm

4 "Simple Web Tools" For Your Small Biz

I know, not another list of social media/web tools for your business.  Well, sorry, it is another one, but this is "my list". :-)  My simple recipe will make your life easier and your business will thrive on the web.  So here we go:

1.  Website

Yes, you still need a website, but your website needs to be flexible.  It will most likely consist of static content, but it needs to move with you and it needs to work nicely with the next three tools I am going to mention.  So when you select a web provider, make sure they can integrate some social media tools with your branded website, so the conversation online is seamless to the customer.  I think I know of someone who can help with that :-)

2.  Blog

You don't have one?  Well get on it!  Blogging doesn't have to be that time consuming.  Pick a medium: video, audio or written and start your own blog.  Figure out what you want to do with your blog and your blog will become your conversation piece online with your customers.  I am going to recommend Posterous as the platform you use.  They make things simple for posting and sharing with other websites.  As a business owner that is what you want.  Note: Depending on your business, number 1 and number 2 can be one.

3.  Twitter

Yes you need to be on Twitter.  Sign up for a personal account, search for folks you want to communicate with, add your customers and promote your customers on Twitter.  Think of it like you would when going to a cocktail party and meeting new people.  Interact like you would there.  First listen and when asked to speak, talk like you would at the party.  When asked to speak I talk about my family, Evolving Solutions, and The Hockey Zen. 

4.  Facebook Fan Page

It's the best way to get people on the web to talk about your business.  It truly is Word of Mouth on steroids.  You add something to your fan page and other people comment on it and that then shows up in their activity which is then seen by their friends.  Pretty powerful stuff.  My most recent post I shared some Facebook tips.  Check it out.  In the meantime here are some folks who are doing a good job at engaging their FB fans- Shaq, NHLDigest and The Feel Good Store.

Give these tools a try to help simplify your web conversations while getting more exposure with half the effort. Reach more clients, free up more time and stay organized. Once you start using these tools, you’ll never know how you got along without them!
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Filed under  //  Simple   Social Media   Web  

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Dec 16 / 10:30am

20 Simple Ways To Show Appreciation

via zenfamilyhabits.net

I thought this would be a great post to share with you, especially given the time of season. However, shouldn't we think like this all the time? I know I could be better at it.

In the end what you do should not be affected by how others respond, but it is always nice to get a pat on the back for a job well done.

How about this... everyone who reads this, pick one person you they really appreciate and show them by doing one of the 20 simple ways. I will let you know when I did mine.

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