Entrepreneurial idea, week five

In last week's post there were a few things I left out about building my perfect business laptop. Of course, I'm still assuming that until this project kicks off the ground, I'm only going to have one computer. That being said, here are some major things I left out of last week's idea update.

One is video capabilities. Of course, when I link to my product on twitter or facebook, there's going to need to be a component that comes with it. Something catchy that will be able to illustrate my point without forcing the consumer to read through boring lines of text. This is where video editing software and video cards kick in.

Like Sports Illustrated recently did with its tablet video, the goal of my product's Web site should be to show off its design and capabilities in a video tutorial. This, of course, means more RAM like I talked about before, but also loads of extra memory to store edited video files, and increased graphical capability to keep up with the video software. Currently, I know in Newhouse -- for example -- digital video editing software can take its toll almost immediately on a regular computer. Without beefing it up, I could be left behind.

Entreprenurial Idea week four

Going back to the end of week three, soething thatg will prove crucial in the print ing business is the perfection of digital imaging. If the product is going to have any success ti will need to perfect things like color toning, high saturation photo print ing and contrast in order to be catchy to the reader's eye.

But moving forward, buuilding the perfect laptop for my small business to start is also crcuail. At the outset, if I'm just creating PDF files to store and print, it doesn't seem like much work. But multiply those files by thousands and ass in the high demand for RAM that programs like Photoshop ask for, and now I'm talking about a more expensive machine. No doubt I'll want a computer that has increased memory but more importantly, added RAM to keep design going fast.

Logically one day I'll have to upgrade to a small file server once my company can afford to take on some added people. But for now, this one computer will have to serve all my business needs. That's why it will take probably $2,500 in initial startup investment money to build something smart and fast enough to sustain a small business through its early stages.

Entrepreneurial idea, week three

Using Excel to my advantage

In starting up a new business venture, there are few things more useful than Microsoft Excel. For starters, I'll need to organize a lot of things -- a basic function of Excel's spreadsheet program. A list of investor names and phone numbers, for example, would be an initial place to start.

Afterward, if I were lucky enough to get some startup cash, I would need to use some of Excel's more complex functions to keep my business in line. In setting up a preliminary budget, I would plan out the next fiscal quarter ahead, allotting certain facets different monetary amounts. Eventually I could project ahead and see if my goals are attainable.

Eventually, I could use these projections to create a plan for more investors. Charts, graphs and layouts are crucial in illustrating my idea visually and increasing my chances of garnering support. At the same time, I can prove to potential investors that I'm efficient and organized.