Monday, January 6, 2014

Words of advice from Richard Branson

If you asked every person in the world who gave them their best advice, it is a safe bet that most would say it was their mother. I am no exception. My mother has taught me many valuable lessons that have helped shape my life. But having no regrets stands out above all others, because it has informed every aspect of my life and every business decision we have ever made.
It is one thing to dish out advice; it is another to lead by example and show exactly what you mean through your actions. My mum has always had a keen entrepreneurial streak herself, and still does today. When I was a child, she inspired me to take risks in all manner of business ventures. Most of them didn’t work out (notably growing Christmas trees and breeding budgerigars!) but the lessons learned were invaluable.

Mum's the word. Ron Kadarishko

A place of miracles

A place of miracles
This moment of tranquility brought to you by Ron Kadarishko

Change is good

Ron Kadarishko - Images and Vision board

You must be the change you wish to see in the world


More Photos from Ron Kadarishko

Flower fields

The color purple for 2014 - Ron Kadarishko


As rosemary is to the spirit, so lavender is to the soul.


Ron Kadarishko Marketing

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Ron Kadarishko - lessons that entrepreneurs can learn from Steve Wynn

Here are a few of the lessons that entrepreneurs can learn from Steve Wynn:

Build a platform, not a single product.

Wynn didn’t just set out to build hotels after he transformed the Golden Nugget. Instead, he created a number of resort casino properties with space that he could lease to national retailers and restauranteurs. He built the real life equivalent of a software platform company. He could have simply built hotels, which would be more akin to building a single product feature company. By building a place where people could drink, party, gamble, shop, dine, sleep, and see a show all under one roof, he kept the activity in his controlled business ecosystem.

Keep enough cash on hand to ride out economic downturns.

Wynn’s empire continued to stand strong during one of the worst economic downturns in Las Vegas history. While construction stopped on many projects located at the north end of the strip, Wynn was not worried about the economic health of his new resort Encore because his empire had enough cash to float expenses during the recession. He planned for the dip in business ahead of time. Startups should plan for similar circumstances.

Pay attention to the details.

Wynn is a notorious perfectionist who is interested in beauty and design. Although his aesthetic is luxurious as opposed to Steve Job’s restrained aesthetic, both Wynn and Jobs set their companies apart from the competition by obsessing over design details. Consumers are demanding beautiful products now more than ever because beautiful products signal quality products.

Zig where others zag.

Great entrepreneurs buck the trends. By taking on more risk than others are willing to, the best entrepreneurs will either crash and burn or reach the moon. They know that if you don’t set goals higher than everyone else’s, you’ll never be better than everyone else. Wynn’s Mirage project was viewed as insane at the time, but its success sparked the megaresort building boom on the strip. Tech entrepreneurs can similarly achieve greatness by bucking the trends. Is everyone building a social local mobile app? Build enterprise software. Is everyone building enterprise software? Move onto something else. If everyone else is already doing something similar to you, it’s time to move on.

Make the mundane magical.

In 1993, Wynn oversaw the implosion of the Dunes hotel and turned the mundane construction project into a televised event, complete with fireworks. Showmanship is an important skill for entrepreneurs to cultivate. Creating newsworthy events out of routine business activities can elevate your startup in the press and get potential new customers to discover your brand.

Steve Wynn’s dedication to showmanship, creating magical experiences, and empire building can teach new entrepreneurs valuable lessons about becoming a legendary business mind.

Thursday, June 13, 2013