Shaun Shull

eSnacks.com Candy Store

2007-07-07T13:03:00Z

The store has had a very good start and has netted about $1,920.10 in less than a month of being open for business. Sure, it’s not much money but the site is brand new, requires little time in the day for maintenance, and has no overhead. It’s pretty impressive to see it generate that much in such a short time span. I’m looking forward to improving it over time and watching the sales pick up. After reading the book “The 4 hour work week” I am also setting up outsourcing for many of the non-sensitive daily tasks such as product updates to make the business as self-sufficient as possible.

Some cool things about this project is that it has allowed me to get some experience handling transactions for both Google Checkout and PayPal. I do have to say the Google Checkout system is much more organized and easier to use in my opinion, plus it currently has no transaction fees which is a HUGE deal when you process an order over $1,000.

Honesty is very Web 2.0

2007-01-17T01:39:00Z

In my opinion it’s a nice change of pace from the expected drab marketing messages that come out of most large companies. Being open about your numbers can help in two ways:

1. It can keep everyone at the company honest and focused on the company goal.

Sometimes the truth can hurt but at least knowing the truth will give you a chance to improve upon it. Many times, especially during the dotcom boom, companies would shelter their staff from the actual dismal numbers they were churning out. Is this a good thing? Some business owners would say yes because it prevents people from jumping ship hastily and keeps the people that are performing well from using it as leverage. I can understand this to a certain extent but in the end it seems to me that you should share both the success and the failure with your company equally, if not, how will you grow as a team and learn from mistakes?

2. It helps your industry and the individuals working in it

The internet is a new medium despite the popularity and maturity that many companies involved in it seem to have (ex. eBay, Amazon, Google, etc.). Entrepreneurs continue to completely innovate the way we perceive and consume information online and their is no sign of this innovation slowing down anytime soon. Unlike brick and mortar businesses which are typically managed and controlled by the old rich and powerful players thanks to generations of hard work and established standards, it is the young and creative that rule the roost of the net. Because of this, inexperience runs rampant in online business, it’s not our faults, we don’t know any better because we are the pioneers of this wilderness with nothing to follow other than our own intuition. Thankfully there are certain pioneers that are leaving a trail.

Examples of Open Information

If you own a business online check out the examples below to get a good sense of how opening your books can be a positive experience for not only your company but for the many aspiring entrepeneurs looking to take part in the industry.

My portable company office

2007-01-14T20:27:00Z

EarthClassMail
$9.95 a month, your mail goes to them, they will scan the mail then allow you to access it online or have it forwarded to you, no more going through mail or losing letters/bills/receipts since it’s all stored on their servers
Vonage
$15 a month for 500 minutes, pick a local #, IP phone that can be used anywhere there is a high-speed internet connection
eFax
$16.95 a month, get a local fax number that will send you emails with the fax when they come in, also has the ability to send faxes
BlinkSale
$12 a month, online invoicing system to send invoices to clients, great way to keep track of incoming payments and keep 3rd party records regarding them
BaseCamp
$24 a month, one of the best online project management systems out there, works great for all clients and projects
BackPack
$5 a month, great tool to keep all your personal and professional lists (to-do’s, miscellaneous info, goals), also has the ability to make certain pages public (I put my design portfolio up using this)

Going to Western Kentucky University (WKU)

2007-01-14T01:11:02Z

Trying to pick classes is much more difficult than I had originally thought. I am leaning towards business and management type classes right now with a mix of computer science. I always wanted to improve my skills in sales and client management which can not only help professionally but personally as well. The computer science courses I assumed I would take for easy college credits as well as honing my fundamental computer skills also.