For Entrepreneurs Only (TLE)

After cleaning up my bookshelf today, I started flipping through one of Seth Godin’s gems, The Big Moo and found this statement particularly humorous and profound at the same time. So many times we focus on the obstacles instead of the possibilities. And let’s face it, what good does that do?

Purposely making something complicated is what Microsoft and Creative are really good at, the more confusing the better. Just doesn’t work for me.

ENTER MICROSOFT
On Dec 31, owners of Microsoft’s Zunes saw their devices come to a screeching halt. Microsoft reported that the problem was “related to the way the device handles a leap year.” Apparently someone expected 2008 to have 365 days, not 366 causing ALL ZUNES (with 30GB capacity) to crash on the same date and time.

Microsoft’s advice on what to do? Same as you would with Windows, shut it down and boot back up. Except, you can’t even shut down the device and there’s no way to take the battery out. So? Just let the battery fully drain and then turn the devices back on the following day. This is nothing new as Microsoft’s Xbox 360 also had problems that caused Microsoft US$1.1 billion in repairs. So the question is- with all the brilliant engineers in Microsoft’s huge campuses and offices worldwide, why can’t they seem to get a product out the door that “just works“. Even when I tried to BUY the product online, it returned with an ACCESS DENIED page because Zune doesn’t sell to Singapore. But why such a techie message to a customer, especially one that looks as if I am trying to break into something I’m not supposed to enter?

ENTER CREATIVE
Just by looking at the number of ZEN(s) available can make your head spin. And this is already pared down from the usual offerings. Buying was also difficult, as the many names can become confusing- ITRIGUE, GIGAWORKS, SBS, POPZ- what am I buying?

I was also asked what capacity I wanted instead of having a default capacity entered (which would make it intuitive for me to change as opposed to knowing that I must press a button that says “capacity” to enter information) and then what color- even though that capacity only came in Black- but I still had to choose.

When I tried checking out their speakers, that’s when my mind screamed SIMPLICITY PLEASE. I didn’t even try to figure out what I was buying online and headed for the Creative Store. It wasn’t that much better as the salespeople were at a loss as to what speakers to recommend, plowing me with question after question on my music, gaming, and even travel habits. I really didn’t want to discuss about me more than the product even though I understood that the person was simply trying to match the best product to what I do- but the fact is, we all do things differently on different days. And in a household, everyone obviously has different habits even though they share the same set of speakers. It shouldn’t be this complicated.

So I walked out and bought BOSE speakers instead because they look good and sound good and the only buttons you have to push are on/off and +/- for the volume. They are also smart enough to say that they know music best as they’re in the business and so there’s no buttons to adjust treble or bass or anything else- they’ll do it all for you. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the sound. Yay!

My friend told me the other day, “It’s no use doing what you like, you’ve got to like what you do.” Knowing the limitations she had, having to support a family and not having the highest of skills or the best of drives, she wisely reasoned that instead of complaining or finding her passion, she should just learn to like what she is doing now.

Some people might say that’s giving up, but I do believe that not all of us are suppose to live our passion. Let’s face it- how many of those people who go audition for shows like American Idol think they should live out their dream of becoming a celebrity singer? The majority of people are just not very good at what they think they are passionate about. Even more don’t have the diligence and persistence to see things through and end up blaming others for their failures.

So yes, I agree that the majority of people need to learn to like what they are doing instead of insisting on doing only what they like to do. Your thoughts?

I almost hit the “Dispute Transaction” button when something rang in my head: Paypal never sends these kinds of email. But then again, maybe they have a new policy or something. To make sure I didn’t end up on a spoof site, I followed the “never click on a link to go to your paypal (or any bank/financial) account, especially not from an email” advice. This is not only to ensure you don’t get fooled but also to prevent cookies or trojan horses sitting in your system tracking your on/offline movement.

This scam is by far the trickiest of the lot that I have seen so I thought to share it immediately to make more people aware of the latest scams being perpetrated. And yes, I checked my paypal account immediately to make sure there was no such transaction and thankfully there was not.

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Every email counts. Forward suspicious-looking emails to
spoof@paypal.com and help keep yourself and others safe from identity theft.
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Someone asked me the other day if consultants and experts are still needed given the plethora of information available on the web. “You can just google or wiki something to find what you need to know,” he said with much conviction. Has the internet spelled the death of experts?

I actually think the contrary is the case. As more and more information becomes available, so does more and more disinformation. The web is a great resource but at times you will need an expert/consultant to help point you in the right direction and clarify what may be confusing and conflicting material/data on the web. It is sometimes, and perhaps increasingly so, difficult to ferret out the truth, to separate fact from fiction, when so many wolves are out there parading in sheep’s clothing.