Business Plan Experts

PhD Economist Carl Schramm is the past President and CEO of Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.  He has several interesting views on the Entrepreneur and business plans.  In regards to the entrepreneur, he feels that the main characteristics are that of someone who has worked in many industries, in jobs that they have not enjoyed, and in multiple places in the world.  He also notes that many entrepreneurs will have worked in startups, will not be afraid to ask hard questions, and will be considered somewhat of an outsider.  I think that many of these characteristics make sense, and would prove to be true of many Entrepreneurs, as these traits and experiences will have allowed them to form a very clear picture of what they want out of their business.  In regards to the business plan, Schramm believes that it is an item that becomes quickly out of date, and that one should not stick solely to it.  This I absolutely agree with, as I feel that it is impossible to predict the future, and therefore impossible to know if your business plan will be 100% correct and appropriate indefinitely.

Dr. Steven Gedeon is an award-winning expert in business plan writing and professor of Entrepreneurship at Ted Rogers School of Management.  He has founded many organizations and has several excellent view on business plans, the critical questions you must ask yourself, and what the most important part of the business plan is.  Gedeon knows that you must ask yourself what your business is and who you are selling to.  He also knows that you must have a clear vision of your price point and who your competitors are when developing your business plan. He believes that the Executive Summary is and qualifications of the management team are the most important parts of the business plan, and that the key component of the plan is its credibility.  

http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com

Today's Digital Landscape

I'm sure by now, most of you have realized that the landscape of the music industry has drastically changed.  This is no longer an industry that is firmly based in brick and mortar, mom and pop, stores where everyone runs on Tuesday to pick up the latest albums from their favorite artists. These days, people simply hop on their computer at midnight, open their iTunes, and click but now, and they have those same albums within a matter of minutes.  In other cases, they log onto a torrent site, and get the album for free weeks, or even months before its scheduled release. This is a digital world that we live in, and the landscape is changing at a rapid pace.  People have gone from buying music in stores, to ordering CDs online, to purchasing digital albums, and never touching a physical copy of the release.  The concert promotion world is making this digital transition as well.   Artists and venues are partnering with online sites to stream live performances that give fans who can't attend a chance to feel like they are there.  Is this going to become the new norm?  Will promoters in the future have to partner with streaming sites to broadcast their shows?  I for one actually hope to see this trend become more popular and affordable enough for all concert venues to be able to provide this to fans, especially since the economy prevents some from being able to afford the joy of a live music event.  Nothing would make me happier than to promote live events that include a webcast so that all of my potential customers can feel included in the event, and may be more likely to attend an event that I promote in the future.