Companies don’t give a fuck. They just don’t. They don’t care about users enough, they just don’t. Which is why when somebody like Zappos gives even a solid fuck, we go crazy.

-Gary Vaynerchuck

No longer does the company hold all the power. In fact, the power shift is dramatically in the favor of the consumer. This trend is extremely exciting or scary for companies…depending on their customer service philosophy. [...]

The social web has been designed, constructed, and implemented, and it’s called Facebook.  So what’s next?  What’s the next social movement? Many would argue that it lies in games.  Not the traditional console games of the past, but an underlying gaming layer that’s pervasive throughout our daily lives made possible by the explosion of mobile [...]

Until recently, corporations were untouchable, unapproachable, and mysterious legal entities. Times have changed folks…and so have the individuals running today’s corporations. We’ve seen a massive shift in the way business is conducted today compared to the past. I believe among other factors, technology has probably played the biggest role in the massive shift. It’s no [...]

EN: This is an adaptation of Dan Rainey’s post on Venturebeat. Be sure to check out the article in its entirety here. According to Dan Rainey, a general partner at Grotech Ventures, there are a few lessons that will resonate with most all entrepreneurs as they pursue a startup venture.  Here they are: 1. Things [...]

I recently sat down with Ryan Graves, CEO of UberCab. UberCab, an on-demand car service based in San Francisco, is currently in local beta, available to San Franciscans via iPhone app & SMS. I spoke with Graves, a serial entrepreneur, about the triumphs and struggles in running tech startups. Here is the conversation:

There’s a common misconception among inventors, entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders that being first to market is essential in creating a successful product, brand, or service. In other words, many feel that they must be first in order to achieve a high degree of success in their particular business venture; and if they are not, then the ride is over! Believe it or not, this is just not the case.

“We should be raising kids to be entrepreneurs instead of lawyers.”
-Cameron Herold

Herold champions the idea of being an entrepreneur. He believes we have an obligation to teach kids to become entrepreneurial and self-sufficient. Instead of teaching children to react, let’s teach them to act.

Disruption is an inevitability that many executives and business owners are frightened to death of. It’s no surprise than, as to why the hungry, passionate, savvy, scrappy entrepreneur-types relish in this type of disruption. Disruption is the reality check for big organizations who become complacent. Disruption is the constant balance necessary between innovation and stagnation. Disruption is the automated removal of irrelevance. Disruption is completely unbiased. Disruption is … the only way.

The great debate at TechCrunch Disrupt over lean versus fat startups between Ben Horowitz of Andreessen Horowitz and Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures. Ben takes the side of the “fat” or capital intensive startup methodology as Fred takes the side of the “lean” or capital efficient startup strategy.