Tribalisation of what?

如何让你的社区产品更有价值

在线社区已经成为目前最主要的网络应用之一，很多企业和组织都建立了相应的在线社区，但如何才能让你的在线社区为你产生更多的价值呢?最近一项名为“The 2008 Tribalization of Business”的研究针对这个问题，对140多家拥有在线社区的不同的组织进行了调查。

2008 Tribalization Of Business Study

研究的结果显示，在线社区对于这些组织最大的价值在于增加口碑(35%)、增加品牌认知(28%)以及增加客户忠诚度(24%)。毋庸置疑，网络社区对企业来说是一种有效的营销及客户管理工具。

而阻碍在线社区这种工具产生它应有价值的最主要因素，既不是技术也不是资金，而是如何吸引用户(51%)、如何增加管理社区的时间(45%)。

而在调查中，这些组织认为在线社区的重要元素包括：类似人群的连接能力(54%)、可以帮助他人(43%)、是否有热点话题(41%)、社区管理的质量(33%)等等。

本次调查还发现了一个有趣的现象，就是这些组织建立这些社区的初衷和他们实际的实施内容普遍存在着差异。

所有的调查结果都表明，已经建立的大部分在线社区都能为企业带来不可忽视的价值，其很多企业本身也已经意识到在线社区的重要性。但是在具体实施的过程中大部分还缺乏经验，策略和方法的选择有很多不确定因素。

这里的问题可以尝试用这两种对策：

首先是专职人员的配备。 目前大部分企业中和在线社区相关的工作，都是由市场部门的人员来兼任或者索性是外包。对公司品牌和产品的了解和对网络社区文化的专业知识是在线 社区的管理人员必备的条件。这样，公司内有专门的人来负责这部分工作才是一个比较好的解决方案。关于这方面的内容，也可以看看Mr.6最近写的一篇关于“社群经营经理”的文章。

其次是新技术和新服务的运用。随着网络服务平台化和各种数据的不断开放，有很多问题也可以通过技术来解决或者改善。例如Google OpenSocial、Facebook Connect等等都将可以帮助企业非常方便的吸引用户、并方便的管理用户间的关系。即使企业没有特别高的技术实例，很多网站提供的各种便于使用的API 也可以帮助企业提高在线社区的互动性。

The Star: What does "tribalisation" mean in business?

Entrepreneurship requires four areas of mastery

There is a myth that entrepreneurs have special traits that distinguish them from other people or they have some sort of secret method to success. No entrepreneur, including Richard Branson, has a secret formula. Entrepreneurship is not easy. But, it can be learned and should be taught to everyone.

Based on a research of 500 entrepreneurs, they found four areas of similarities among the majority of successful entrepreneurs: personal mastery, business mastery, entrepreneurship mastery and leadership mastery.

The key to personal mastery is self awareness. The best entrepreneurs know what their strengths are and they leverage on them. In addition to knowing oneself, the best entrepreneurs learn from an early age how to create, communicate, influence, and develop their personal effectiveness.

Business mastery is the ability to think strategically, understand industries, new trends and changes and innovate in new spaces. Business mastery is about developing “a vision of extraordinary possibility.

Entrepreneurship mastery is the technical skills needed, including the day-to-day mechanics of running a business, producing products, delivering services, making money and managing people.

The final key is leadership. And at the heart of leadership is decision making. Entrepreneurs must learn to make good decisions quickly. Entrepreneurs bounce back quickly and learn from bad decisions made. The main reason for most failed start-ups is leadership failure.

Likewise, many start-up leaders fail due to lack of leadership to engage, encourage and develop their employees.

To master these four areas requires learning and practice which many new entrepreneurs don’t invest in. Nearly 95% of all entrepreneurial efforts fail. If we closely study these failures, it is usually a lack of mastery in one or all of these areas.

Every great entrepreneur was once an amateur. There is an old saying that goes, “there are three kinds of people in the world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who don’t even know anything is happening.”

It’s never too late to learn and become a person who makes things happen in this world. Yes, you can dream.

Source: Now everyone can dream by Roshan Thiran

Jam from kitchen to factory

小果酱 大生意

2002 年，当同龄人正在新潮的互联网上创业时，14岁的Fraser Doherty在他父母的厨房里开始学着用奶奶的秘方调制果酱。邻居们和教堂里的朋友们非常喜欢这些果酱的味道，便一传十，十传百，建立起了不小的名气。 Doherty接到的订单之多，单靠在自己的厨房里已经不能满足需求了。他便从一个200人的食品加工厂租赁时间，每月租上那么几天来制作他接到的订单。

到他16岁时，Doherty便离校退学开始全职果酱生意了。

2007年初，英国一家高端超市Waitrose找到了他，希望能在旗下的超市里出售Doherty的超级果酱 Super Jam。数月之内，Waitrose 184家超市的店面里，便出现了超级果酱的身影。这使Doherty和他的生意都上了一个新台阶。
于是，他从银行贷款5000英镑（约合9000美元）以支付日常费用和租赁更多的工厂时间，来生产三种品的果酱。Tesco超市也跟进了，将Doherty的超级果酱摆进了其全英国300多家店里。

去年，超级果酱销售额高达120万美元，比2007年猛增60％。目前排队等待上架的超市包括英国Asda沃尔玛、爱尔兰的Morrisons和Tesco。

2008 年，Doherty有力量了，便开始了一个超级果酱茶会的公益活动，目前已经举办了100多块。主要是为苏格兰、英格兰和威尔士在家独居的老年人或老人院里的老人组织歌舞活动，并提供饮料。今年，Doherty准备将超级果酱打进全英国最大的食品连锁店。其生意合理估值约为100万美元至200万美元之间。

对一个20岁的年轻人来说，能做到这样真是不氏是。Doherty对其他年轻的创业家的建议是：对冒险有自己的想法，享受冒险的过程吧。

Forbes: Jam, from kitchen to factory

The First Million at age 20

在20岁前挣100万

Ephren Taylor。这位泰勒同学是个游戏迷，买得起任天堂游戏机，但买不起游戏。所以在1994年他12岁时，他决定自己写游戏。于是每天下学后都到公园去读一本书，Andre LaMothe写的《怎样在21天内做一个视频游戏》（没有家庭作业就是好啊）。几个月后，他写出了自己的第一个游戏，情节是射杀想绑架总统的坏蛋（读游戏书也能这么爱国！）。然后他以每份10美元的价格卖给了30个朋友。

这仅仅是开始，当泰勒同学 13岁时，习惯自学的他开始设计网站。然后在聊天室等地方推广，通过电话（当然是压低声音假装成熟）和经纪人谈价格。最初报价每建一个站200美元，后来发现竞争对手相同的服务报价几千块时，他也突破了这个价格。一般是经纪人拉活，完工后客户直接把支票寄给泰勒。“当我收到一张从卖维他命和营养品的网络商店寄来的3800美元支票时，我父母以为我肯定是在贩毒。”


16 岁时，泰勒拉了好友Michael Stahl入伙，他们建了个招聘网站，专门面向高中生和大学生。他们把当地的记者叫来开了个新闻发布会，说要开张新生意。报道一报，立刻为网站吸引来了3 万个访问者。他们的定价这次还是有点低，每个招聘信息收费38美元。不过很快他们发现必胜客、花旗集团这些大公司为了招募到年青人才愿意付比这贵100倍的价格。于是这俩家伙就租了办公室，雇了他们以前的历史老师。2001年该网站在互联网泡沫破灭中应声倒下，不过最辉煌的时候，网站估值达350万美元。

现在，26岁的泰勒经营当地一家控股公司，投资一些社区相关生意，比如克立夫兰和堪萨斯市的低成本住房等。此外，他还担任City Capital公司的CEO，抽投资旧城改造和油井等生意。另外，一年他还要做70多场演讲，每场8000美元。

Forbes: Video-game design; Web-site design; job-posting site for teens

Tax filing for sole proprietorship 03

SOLE proprietors can optimise their taxes by taking capital allowances on business assets into account.

Fixed assets: Fixed assets acquired for use in the business are eligible for tax relief in the form of capital allowance. Capital allowances are deducted from the adjusted income of a business to arrive at statutory income. Depreciation on fixed assets is not tax deductible.

Newly acquired assets will be given an initial allowance of 20% and annual allowance of 10%, 14%, 20% or 40%, depending on the asset category.

The capital allowance amount is computed on a straight-line basis by reference to the cost. Full capital allowance is given even though it is acquired and in use for less than a year.

The cost of the asset includes alteration costs and incidental costs for the installation of fixed assets.

Small-Value Assets: With effect from YA 2006, where the sole proprietor acquires fixed assets (small- value assets) which are not valued at more than RM1,000 for each asset, the full cost of the asset enjoys capital allowance in a year (100% cost = capital allowance).

The maximum capital allowance allowed for small-value assets in a year is restricted to RM10,000.

To optimise tax planning, the acquisition of fixed assets like printers, telephone systems, fans, calculators and kettles should be staggered to reduce taxable income.

Capital allowance is given on a year’s basis even if it is acquired and in use for less than a year. Sole proprietor may consider accelerating the acquisition of small-value assets in November/December 2008 instead of January 2009 as capital allowance is available in YA 2008 to reduce taxable income.

Motor vehicles: Motor vehicles used in business are entitled to capital allowances.

The qualifying cost eligible for capital allowance is restricted to RM100,000 provided:

·it is a newly acquired car; and

·the cost does not exceed RM150,000.

Other motor vehicles which do not satisfy the above two conditions will be given qualifying cost of RM50,000 even if the actual cost may have exceeded RM50,000.

Capital allowance can be claimed on the full cost of commercial vehicles, which are motor vehicles used directly to transport trading stock, such as lorries and vans.

Other motor vehicles used in the business are known as passenger vehicles, which are restricted to a maximum cost of RM100,000. These are used in business to meet customers, bankers or suppliers. To maximise claims on passenger vehicles up to RM100,000, the sole proprietor has to ensure the cost of the new motor vehicle does not exceed RM150,000.

Personal fixed assets: Sole proprietors may transfer personal assets for use in their business. Once such assets are used in the business, capital allowance is then available.

The sole proprietor has to first establish the market value of the assets at the time they were brought into use in the business. The assets will then be recorded in the balance sheet of the business.

Annual allowance is given on the market value of these assets, but no initial allowance is allowed.

In the event that the sole proprietor continues using the assets for personal use, the portion of such personal usage must be excluded and no capital allowance is available on that portion.

Details: Tax planning for business assets