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11,847 people attending an event whose description sends you here

Scams rule until you get caught.

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I suppose it goes without saying that the event creator’s profile is jawesome:

All of this is to say I’m still not convinced Facebook is a great place for most entrepreneurs to make money.

The upside of checking that email or having fun scrolling to nothing in particular is just too small, and the downside far too great. Sure, the likelihood of catastrophe is small, but what if.

Is seeing that email 10 seconds sooner worth dunking your device?

It’s a high risk maneuver whose possible ROI is minuscule. There are other examples, like throwing that pillow to your buddy when his glass hookah is lit (Just walk it over, friend.)… or dropping all your dimes on some mildly useful idea that just might work, hoping it becomes the next big consumer web app.

On the other hand, there are low risk moves with huge possible returns. Talking to that girl next to you. Building a web app in a defined, existing market that HARK! you could charge someone $5 every month to continue using.

These low risk high return moves get far less publicity. They aren’t sexy.

But I bet if you spent your life on them, you’d come out much more successful.

Twice.

The 2nd go-round was quite different, however, in that we had GPS to guide us through the various suburbs surrounding Madison. As I thought back on this earlier today, I realized that even though we had GPS, the anxiety of finding and arriving at the location on time was far higher. And it wasn’t just the British lady’s voice.

Here’s my thesis.

The 1st summer we never really cared about the route, specifically. We had our point on the map and knew, one way or another, we’d get there. Like those airplanes headed to Hawaii, we spent a lot of time in a state of course correction. Complete information was never available, so a level of confusion was standard. You got used to it.

Summer number deuce, different story. No map. No finding the destination first, then setting the direction. Just plug in the address and go. Information was far more accessible, making the lack of information feel far more perilous.

Life was defined by that next turn in 2.6 miles…

… and suddenly, missing that turn was terrifying; the consequences unknown. Would we still make the appointment on time? What’s the excuse? No, we already had lunch at 10am. The GPS drastically reduced our awareness of the surroundings and general route.

I’ve noticed a similar parallel with the increased prevalence of Google Maps and cell phones. The willingness to adventure to places unknown is far smaller. Securing a commitment more than 48 hours in advance is a much harder sell.

With the convenience of these new tools also comes a reliance on them. And with that reliance, old familiarities become unknowns.

I would imagine that this is also happening to our customers and our markets.

Do not underestimate the intelligence or overestimate the knowledge of your prospect.

This is not an original quote, but I can’t remember who said it.

If you had to choose just one idea for your business to represent in your customer’s mind, which would you pick?

Tim Ferriss connected his book to the concept of “lifestyle design.” Gary Vaynerchuk became the spry guy bringing wine to us commoners (though that’s getting diluted with his foray into social media). Both these guys have strong positions within a prospect’s mind. You can’t talk about lifestyle change without talking about Tim’s book. There’s a mass of people who can’t say “wine” without saying “Gary.”

Creating this connection in your prospect’s mind is called “positioning.”

Positioning yourself around just 1 idea forces you to find a true opportunity in the market. It also makes it easier for customers to understand what you can do for them.

Here’s a book to get you started.

(The obvious follow up: once you’ve chosen your position, what are you doing today to establish that connection?)

We believe in the simple, not the complex. We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products we make, and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution. (Tim Cook @ Daring Fireball)

Emphasis mine. Apple doesn’t go into a market hoping to be “one of the players.” They go into it specifically to seriously kick everybody’s ass.

There is a mind shift when you choose to only select and tackle markets this way. You have to choose your targets more carefully and focus your energy and resources more intently.

I don’t think this is necessary for the entrepreneur just finding her feet (just get revenue!), but it certainly affects how she might think about expanding.

Back yourself into a corner and these versions will vividly appear before your eye. (37signals)

He’s talking about software, but putting your back against the wall also applies to your entrepreneurial drive.

Back yourself into a corner, truly back against the wall, and you’ll discover new sources of speed, insight, and possibilities, no matter what you’re working on.

Or, to put it another way: Posterous is an engineered product, while Tumblr is a designed product.

New York VS San Francisco via a “Tumblr VS Posterous” lens.