We are open for business!

So shouts Jeff and Rich Sloan, authors of the books and hosts of a US radio talk show with the same title Startup Nation - a show to help startups and entrepreneurs building their business, look for funding, protecting their idea or invention and practice elevator pitches. And the best thing about it is it works. And my favorite part about it is it is available as a free downloadable podcast which I can play in my Mp3 player while driving or walking.

If you go to www.startupnation.com, you will find documented success stories similar to what the Sloan brothers went through to their product, the battery buddy. Details of being turned down, marketing strategies, careful planning, persistence and aha moments are aplenty in that site.

One program featured was all about Ebay and some of the people who are making money there. There are tips and ideas that you will appreciate. And it made me wonder, are there similar experiences here with Bidshot or Ebay.ph? (If you are one of these or know anybody who are making it big, please tell me.)

Then there are the critiques for the elevator pitches and business plans. (That reminds me, I have to go back to mine). They focus on the essentials such as proven marketability and scalability of the product, knowledge and background of the owner and what’s in it for the investor. We could learn a thing or two in every pitch.

I wish we could have one like it here in the Philippines.

If you want a copy of the podcasts, just go to their website and download the free podcasts. Or email me at magandang.balita@gmail.com.. Just pay for the shipping and CD cost

So you’ve decided to enter the AUTO UNIVERSITY. But you are on a budget, having spent your several months savings into that brand new MP3 player. All you have are the ripped (assuming you’re no pirate) song you have of your music CDs. Where to get those audio files to give you that knowledge while driving or commuting?

You can try searching using the keyword free audiobooks. Most probably you’ll end up with these sites:

gutenberg.org: They have human-read and “computer-read” audiobooks. Mostly classics like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Daniel Defoe and some other famous authors.
audiobooksforfree.com: I got Sun Tzu’s the Art of War here. Cool!
audiobooks.org: Also carries classics and links to audiobook sources (free and otherwise)

A more recent discovery I made was Ipodder.org andPodcast.net.

The first one is a software for managing your subscriptions or download and the second one is a directory of podcasts. All free.

Podcast.net has variety and it’s current. And you don’t have to have an ipod to enjoy the rich content it provides.

As of the moment, I have downloaded more than 200MB worth of files..And that is just about small business! Marketing, selling, venture capital, innovation, advertising, planning, goal setting — the list is endless. This gives me about a 1-2 months’ worth of learning while driving (or commuting every Wednesdays.)

And I might to some podcasting of my own. Maybe I can be the Father of Philippine Podcasting…

That sound nice..(no pun intended).

I just got an mp3 player. No, not the Ipod, but an Astone Rumba 2000, 256 MB. Not as flashy nor as big in capacity, but it serves its purpose. Earn me a college degree. Or degrees. An equivalent that is.

You are lost aren’t you?

We always equate a degree or learning with a school and seldom look at the alternate mediums available. I certainly didn’t. Until recently.

The past year or so, I have been introduced to LIFELONG LEARNING. And this is one key principle that I would like to live out and also share with you. Using your MP3 player.

Next to the classroom, reading books on your own is a great way to increase your knowledge. Most successful people read voraciously, and not only on topics which they are experts in, but also of literature, economics, science fiction, espionage, poetry…. since I’ve acquired the habit of reading, you’ll never find me without one.

And recently, I’ve stumbled upon….AUDIO BOOKS.

According to Zig Ziglar, author of See You at the Top and a host of other books, we should enroll in Auto University. Make our car a classroom. Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup fame, and author of The Success Principles, is also an advocate of audio books, whether on tape, CD or MP3 players.

For some, it may seem unusual to hear a book, and I must admit that it was a bit strange at first listening to audio books as I was used to reading it. But after a few sessions, I got used to it and would rather have an audio book playing now rather than music (I still love music and interlace the two). And you know, even if you are driving and it seems you are not really “tuned in” to what’s being played, I’ve realized that my mind captures a great deal. And I still have the luxury to repeat any portion I want. It’s like taking a highlighter pen and marking a paragraph or line.

On my MP3 player now is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. I’ve bought a book and read it several years ago (and lost my copy) and even attended a workshop on it. But while listening to the audio version, it gave me further realizations on how to improve myself. The Mission Statement, First Things First, Begin with the End in Mind, Be Proactive, etc. And I am now on the latter portions but I keep coming back to the previous habits, just to stress portions (marking) that I feel I need to hear again. And I have about two hours of commute that I use for this purpose.

I bought my MP3 player for two reasons: to record ideas which I cannot commit to writing right away and to listen to ideas to commit them to my mind and translate in my life. I haven’t done the former but am satisfied with the latter. I can say that my ROI on the PHP3,700 I spent on my MP3 was already achieved and continuously give me profit. (By the way, there are other MP3 players costing about PHP1,200 for those who are on a tight budget).

And where do we get these audio books? In the Philippines, the variety is not much and the cost is quite steep. But think of it this way. You will have a lifetime storyteller available 24×7. There are quite a number of cheap but illegal copies of audiobooks (pirated) which I do not recommend (that’s stealing). In the internet, there is www.gutenberg.org for free audiobooks. Check out audiobooksforfree.org which has quite a number of good “listens”. If you have friends or family abroad, ask them to buy you audiobooks instead of the usual corned beef or chocolates. And then there is ebay, amazon and barnes and noble. There is really a good source of audiobooks only if you look hard enough and are willing to pay the price of learning. After all, what you spend at the Auto University is just a fraction of the cost and time of attending school. And if you travel with your spouse or friend, that makes it doubly cost-effective!

So grab your MP3 player and your audio books and enrol in Auto University.