Archive for August, 2011

2011 Startup funding: A summary of seed and angel investments in the first half of the year

Seed and Angel FundingLooking at possible avenues for investment or trying to gauge where your own company might fit into the current investment landscape? Read on.

This year has seen a lot of new investment categories. You can read the full list of the 2011 funding rounds at Crunchbase; here we provide you an overview of the startup seed and angel funding activity in the first part of the year, to see which categories are white hot (and which are over-heating).

To keep an even keel, we’ve only included businesses where the funding amount was disclosed (data is for Q1/Q2 2011).
 

Social Networks

The hottest category overall with over 28 businesses funded in the last year and a total funding amount of $14.2 million. This figure isn’t that alarming when you consider a Facebook valuation – for a rumoured public offering in Q1 2012 – is in the range of US$100 billion.

As small businesses continue to expand the ways they use social media to advertise promotions and connect with customers, investors continue to find social networks a good bet. In fact, JPMorgan Chase started a social media investment fund in February 2011 to raise between $500 and $750 million by investing in companies with solid business models (and existing revenue). Find out more


Wasted Time in the Workplace Infographic

Wasted time in the workplace is a massive problem. How big is exactly unclear, but from our research, the cost to business is in the millions (if not billions) in lost productivity every year. The infographic below explains just how much time we waste at work, the ways we waste it, and how businesses are grappling with the issue. The results are surprising, if not alarming:

Click on the image below to view the full infographic

Wasted Time at Work Infographic Heading

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Everything you need to know about Internet & computer usage policies… and why your company needs one

...a policy without enforcement is not a policyIn a perfect world common sense and a solid work ethic would keep employees on task throughout the day, but the world we live in is full of online distractions. Personal email, games and social media are all elements contributing to a slump in workplace productivity; a 2010, Salary.com survey indicates that on average, around 64% of workers wasting one hour or less each day at work, while 14% waste 3 or more hours each workday (48% of this time is spent surfing the web which I’m sure isn’t surprising).

Once thought of as draconian or needlessly complex, the implementation of computer usage policies (often coupled with monitoring) is on the rise. The American Management Association, suggests that up to 45% of employers tracking content, keystrokes, and time spent at the keyboard (2008). Interestingly though, more than half of all businesses do not have social media and networking policies in place despite the fact that 76 percent use social networking for business purposes (Proskauer). By all accounts, there’s a massive divide – both in the way Internet monitoring is considered, and the way it is commonly policed.

There is an obvious need to computer and network usage in the workplace; an effective computer and network usage policy, with the assistance of sensible monitoring tools can help address a number of real problems that are costing businesses thousands of dollars in lost productivity every day. Find out more


100k developers are dead – Why and exactly how to build software at a fraction of the price

Use virtual office software that allows you to communicate efficiently and provides accountability.

It is possible to develop high quality scalable software for a fraction of the cost and time in comparison to the classic San Fransisco Valley development model? By optimizing any of the these three factors: Creating a bullet proof hiring process, having an efficient virtual work space, and accountability; we think you can.

In the production of Time Doctor we’ve hired dozens of developers from all over the world (we currently have workers in 8 countries) at a fraction of the cost of what we would have paid in San Fransisco and have built in almost instantaneous scalability into our company through our hiring techniques so we can quickly expand or contract dependent upon what we need done. Here are the rules we’ve followed to do this. Find out more


How to make sure you always get paid as a freelancer or consultant

how to make sure you get paidOne of the nice things about freelance work is not reporting to anyone – it also means there’s no billing department to call, and no payroll department to cut you a check if clients don’t pay their invoice. If you work online, work from home, or do any kind of contract work, it’s vital to have a plan in place to make sure you’re paid for the work you do.

DISCLAIMER: The article below is relevant to any person or small team that does work for hire, from pure consultancy, graphic design, to writing or marketing. While I’ve done my fair share of contract work, I am not a lawyer, and I don’t pretend to be one on the internet, so please hire a lawyer to advise you on any of the information below.

Do some detective work

When a potential client approaches you about a project, it’s perfectly within your rights not to respond right away. In addition to giving you the time to mull over pricing and the time needed to complete the assignment, search for mentions of the company online. If a Google search finds another freelance worker telling a billing horror story about your prospective client, that’s a definite red flag. Find out more


5 Steps to double your income in your freelancing job (with the same effort)

When a potential client decides to do an internet search for your name, what will they find?

As a freelancer navigating the world of lowball offers and underbidding competitors, you may find yourself doing a great deal of work and wishing it added up to more cash in your hip-pocket. The good news: it is possible to start making more money without taking on more assignments or working longer hours.

Yes, you most likely become better at what you do, gradually over time, and the projects you’re working on now will eventually bear fruit in the form of referrals and feedback (but we’re not talking about that). There are positive steps you can begin taking now that will make a difference now.

These 5 tips will help any freelancer generate more revenue quickly, simply, and professionally.

1. Get real about time

Although it can seem like a real hassle, it’s actually beneficial in the long run to spend a bit of time tracking your actual versus estimated time spent working. You’ll probably find out a lot about how you spend your time. Once you’ve found distractions or inefficient processes, take the time to correct them. You’ll end up streamlining your work process and becoming more profitable. Find out more