Entrepreneurship is nothing about the one who creates a thing and everything about the one who consumes the thing. Entrepreneurs don't care about the thing they create, in and of itself (as much as they may love what they produce or do). They care about creating it because of the impact it can have on someone else. It's about that thing as an answer to a question others have long ago stopped asking, or long before they even consider the possibility of it changing for them. (p.50)

And another snippet:

Unless your idea for a business exceeds anything you have ever imagined doing before, is bigger than anything you have believed yourself capable of before this moment, has the potential of transforming a large enough number of people's lives in the world to make a huge difference in how the world works, and challenges you sufficiently to risk everything you have to make it a reality, don't do it.

Just don't do it, dear reader, because it will likely disappoint you in too many ways to mention.  Don't do it unless you're ready to rumble.  Don't do it unless you can put all your fears behind you. Don't do it unless the pain of not doing it will exceed the probable pain of doing it by a factor of ten.  Don't to it, because it's not a game one plays casually.  Don't do it, because it will confound you, confuse you, threaten to overwhelm you, every single dangerous step of the way. (p.104)

Awakening the Entrepreneur Within: How Ordinary People Can Create Extraordinary Companies by Michael E. Gerber Read more about this book…

Here's what I care about at work:

• I care about helping new hires, interns, and other fellow Generation Y-ers connect with the rest of the company, and vice versa. I care because I think it would be pretty amazing if all of us newbies were engaged, passionate, and sharing what we're learning along the way. Ultimately, I want to affect not only the way IBM connects with its new hires and interns, but the way leading enterprises bring these new voices into the conversation.
• I care about helping interested colleagues learn more about how to use Web 2.0 to improve their personal productivity and collaborate more effectively. I care because I've seen how people use these tools to connect and collaborate across the organization for unexpectedly wonderful results. Ultimately, I want to see these tools become part of the culture not only at my company but also in others.
• I care about helping clients learn from IBM's experience with social media, and helping IBM learn from them. I care because I believe in what we've got inside IBM and I want to help other organizations explore this kind of culture of openness, trust and collaboration. I care because I know we can learn a lot from other companies as well. Ultimately, I want to connect evangelists and champions in different companies so that we can learn from each other's experiences.

So I guess I'm a bit of an intrapreneur after all. Technology evangelism around Web 2.0 and emerging technologies is officially part of my job, but all of these things are things I do because I have to do them, because I can't imagine not doing them. =) I'm going to need a lot of help, but there are a lot of people who are glad to help out because these are their visions too. (I like to think that I'm the one helping them!)

Let's find out how wonderful it can be. =)

What's your dream?

Software as a service, high tech startup :: Morph Code :: Schedule of Events

!!

They are *uber*cool. Another thing I really, really, really, really like. Whenever I need to set up a blog for someone else, the very first thing I do is download the latest version of Wordpress, unpack it, and set it up. I like it a lot.

So here's what's going to happen. I am going to make the logos for Orange & Bronze and Wordpress.org as large as I can. I don't mind potentially wasting space. It'll be a *fantastic* story.

I'll blog more from BarCamp tomorrow, and I'll post my D*I*Y tutorial on Sunday. =) Or today, if I feel particularly diligent...

Anyway. Wordpress.org. They are totally, totally cool.

On Technorati: advertising, marketing, crazy, idea, barcampearthtoronto, barcamp, laptop, geek, business, entrepreneurship

Mmkay. I took that wild idea of selling advertising space on my laptop and ran with it. The page is up, I've taken new photos, and I'm waiting for AdSense to get approved. Please digg and del.icio.us and forward my advertising page! <laugh>

No, I don't expect to raise a million dollars through this, although that would certainly help me not worry about funding graduate school and even move out of the shared double room I currently live in. ;)

I've built it. Will anyone bite? If not, hey, I've got a bunch of laptop signs I've been meaning to make...

I expect to get a good story or two out of it, though. Simon thinks it's probably more trouble than it's worth. <laugh> Perhaps for him it would be—he's already used to earning money. *I* think that whether or not I'll actually be able to buy myself a cup of hot chocolate from the proceeds, it'll still be totally worth it for the experience.

If nothing else, it was great just forcing myself to learn how to set up a totally small-time e-commerce thing. =) I want to get better and better at chasing wild ideas and getting them off the ground quickly, like the way situational apps seize the moment. This will probably help me out a lot in the long run!

I have a feeling that there are the seeds of a semi-business in here somewhere. I don't mind letting the idea go so that other people can take advantage of it. Have fun and make cool things happen!

On Technorati: business, entrepreneurship, advertising, marketing

Props to Gabriel Mansour for helping me work things out!

See also my previous blog entries:

• Networking for Geeks: Advertise with your laptop!
• Whoa, onto something cool here: advertising on the back of my laptop

Other people's blog entries:

• http://www.stoweboyd.com/message/2006/08/sacha_chua_does.html
• http://racoma.com.ph/archives/problogger-idea-renting-ad-space-on-laptop-lids/
• http://www.blaptops.com/articles/advertising-on-laptop-lids/

Reserve ad space now!

On Technorati: advertising, marketing, crazy, idea, barcampearthtoronto, barcamp, laptop, geek, business, entrepreneurship

Want to grab the eyeballs of every geek at BarCampEarthToronto and the other tech events I go to? Advertise on the back of my laptop. Even better: tell me enough about your stuff so that I can enthusiastically talk about it.

I'm an evangelist. Give me something cool to talk about.

The back of an 8.9" laptop screen *really* doesn't seem like much space to advertise on, but *everyone* looks, believe me. It's the irresistable combination of cute geek girl _and_ insanely tiny laptop.

And it happens *every* *single* *time.* It helps that I have small hands. Most people just can't deal with something that small. Sure, black Macbooks are trendy, but they're not as rare as a *teensy* little laptop that a geek girl is happily typing away on. (In Emacs, no less.)

Amber MacArthur (TechTV) called attention to the sticker I had on my laptop ("The geek shall inherit the earth") and the pins I have on my backpack ("No, you can't just explain it in the manual" - Human Factors International). Random strangers cross the street to compliment me on my outfit, ask about the stickers on my skateboard, or wonder out loud if that's a *real* computer I'm typing away on. (Yes, as I walk.) And that happens both in geek-heavy get-togethers and while just walking in cosmopolitan, blase downtown Toronto.

I can't help it. I get attention. I might as well make use of it.

More to the point: _you_ might as well make use of it.

So here's what's going to happen:

• TONIGHT: I'll decide on a pricing scheme. E-mail me or leave a comment if you want to hear about it as soon as I've come up with it (probably later tonight).
• TONIGHT: I'll set up a static page, blog about it, and tell people.
• WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY: I'll accept orders.
• THURSDAY: I'll figure out exactly how to mount it. Don't worry, I have several plans.
• FRIDAY: I'll select and confirm orders, and print out and mount the final thing on Friday afternoon.

My skateboard's also open for advertising.

E-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com or leave a comment using the form below to find out about the next step as soon as possible.

On Technorati: advertising, marketing, crazy, idea, barcampearthtoronto, barcamp, laptop, geek, business, entrepreneurship

See also my previous blog entry:

Networking for Geeks: Advertise with your laptop!

Other people's blog entries:

• http://www.stoweboyd.com/message/2006/08/sacha_chua_does.html
• http://racoma.com.ph/archives/problogger-idea-renting-ad-space-on-laptop-lids/
• http://www.blaptops.com/articles/advertising-on-laptop-lids/

(leave me a comment to get linked!)

I'm definitely planning to go for Spring 2007 MBA electives. There's:

I'm particularly excited about the social capital and outsourcing courses. =)

The application deadline for the Spring Term is November 15. I can so make that. I'll see if I can take Strategic Management this term so that I can take the 299* level courses next term. I think I'll spend Tuesday downtown so that I can sort this out, instead of waiting until Thursday.

On Technorati: rotman, business, school, utoronto, entrepreneurship

(Incidentally, Joey's from Manila, and he now works at Tucows in Toronto.)

On Technorati: philippines, geek, entrepreneurship

Random Japanese sentence: 猫がネズミを嗅ぎつけたようですね。 Seems like the cat had the wind of a rat.

Here's another victory we can be proud of. Tell your friends about it. A team of Filipino MIT students headed by Illac Diaz won the Grand Prize for the US$ 100K MIT Entrepreneurship Competition's development track for their business, CentroMigrante, Inc. Read on.

Their project, focused on a business model for social entrepreneurship in the Philippines, beat out several other amazing ideas. Impoverished people in developing countries leave their rural hometowns and flock to urban areas to seek employment but are usually unable to afford decent lodging while searching and waiting for jobs. In the Philippines, as many as 1 million Filipinos a year spend up to 3 months away from their home provinces and in Manila's port areas looking for jobs as seafarers, most of them living in shanties under depressed and undignified living conditions. CentroMigrante Inc. combines developmental architecture with a self-help business model to offer a sustainable solution that provides clean, safe and affordable urban housing for such indigent, transient job seekers.

The MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition is designed to encourage students and researchers in the MIT community to act on their talent, ideas and energy to produce tomorrow's leading firms. Now in its 16th year, the Competition has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and business startup services to outstanding teams of student entrepreneurs who submitted business plans for new ventures showing significant business potential. The refinement process of the Competition, its network of mentors, investors and potential partners, and the cash prizes awarded have helped many of these teams to act on their dreams and build their own companies and fortunes.

The MIT Entrepreneurship Competition provides teams who enter with valuable resources in the following areas crucial to successful entrepreneurship:

• Networks of world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and potential partners
• Mentorship by successful and seasoned professionals
• Content rich feedback on their business model from world class entrepreneurs, investors, and professional service providers on our Judging [panel?]
• Teambuilding opportunities to create a winning team of founders
• Broad media exposure and PR buzz

See attached photo or at:

http://mit100k.net

Way cool!

E-Mail from Harvey V. Chua

On Technorati: philippines, entrepreneurship, business

Random Japanese sentence: 休暇中、近所の人がうちの猫の世話をしてくれた。 While we were on holiday, a neighbor took care of our cat.

sa mga hilig ug web/2 one page lang na guide; gamit kaayo.. http://www.vipedio.com/roman/blog/20culture_full.html

sa mga hackers ug novell fans http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?src=rss&id=1003

The first link is a quick guide to typical Web 2.0 interface stuff. http://msippey.tadalist.com/lists/public/155420 is an even shorter list. ;) (Heh. Also read http://blog.unitedheroes.net/archives/p/2051/ )

I read KLUG every so often even though I can't understand Bisaya... =) It's fun, and I've found a number of interesting people that way. For example, Botp Peña (who posted these links) conducts free Ruby on Rails training, and it looks like Botp Peña is also interested in entrepreneurship...

On Technorati: web2.0, entrepreneurship, philippines

E-Mail from Botp Peña

Random Japanese sentence: ボップ・ボップ・キャット・ボップ。 Bop, bop cat bop.

On Technorati: purpose, entrepreneurship, philippines