Tom Markiewicz

Om Malik has a post on project time tracking over at the Web Worker Daily blog. His post is only a question to the readers regarding what they use for time tracking their various projects, but the comments are filled with great suggestions including:

Web:

• FreshBooks (http://www.freshbooks.com/)
• Basecamp (http://www.basecamphq.com/)
• Tick (http://www.tickspot.com)
• SlimTimer (http://www.slimtimer.com)
• Harvest (http://www.getharvest.com)
• 88 Miles (http://www.88miles.net)
• 14dayz (http://www.14dayz.com/site/)
• Time Tracker (http://www.formassembly.com/time-tracker/)
• Side Job Track (http://www.sidejobtrack.com/)
• 1time (http://www.1time.ie/)
• myHours.com (http://www.myhours.com/)

Desktop:

• On the Job http://www.stuntsoftware.com/OnTheJob/
• Timeless Time & Expense (http://www.magsoftwrx.com/)

I didn’t realize there were this many applications available for time tracking. We use FreshBooks at EvolvePoint for both our invoicing as well as time tracking. I like the fact that these two operations are integrated into FreshBooks. There are times for separating functions, but I’m not 100% sold on time tracking as one of them. The problem of having a separate, stand-alone application comes when it’s time to actually do the billing. Now you have to export, re-enter hours, or cut and past data. None of these options are preferable in my eyes. It’s a huge time saver to be able to directly transfer project hours straight into an invoice.

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Popularity: 14% [?]

Om Malik has ventured off and started his own media empire. I’ve enjoyed Om’s writing for quite some time, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him starting a blog focused on the web workers of the world called Web Worker Daily.

TechCrunch had a post on the launch a couple days ago and I’ve been reading the posts since then. The blog focuses on the distributed and remote workers who rely on the Internet, laptops, and mobile devices to perform their work. With the increased availability of telecommuting as well as the proliferation of virtual teams, this blog is a welcome addition.

Additionally, a great book that makes a nice starting point for this site is Dan Pink’s Free Agent Nation. I read this one a few years ago and it was an excellent read. Pink discusses the new trend of independent workers or free agents. Instead of a how-to book on entrepreneurship, Free Agent Nation was more informative and even inspirational for those considering striking out on their own. With so much tumult in today’s corporate environments, working for yourself and controlling your own destiny is the only true form of job security.

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I’ll be speaking at the Virginia Business Incubation Association (VBIA) 2006 Conference this Monday with Pat Matthews of Webmail.us on “Using the New Internet More Effectively.” I’ll try and post slides after the conference. I was also surprised to learn there are 32 incubators in the state of Virginia.

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There’s a nice post over at O’Reilly Radar by Marc Hedlund on entrepreneurial proverbs. Marc gives advice on entrepreneurship for the engineers and geeks. Regardless of your background, these are some of the best and most concise points I’ve read. He breaks down the advice into a few categories: starting, the idea, people, product, and money.

One of my favorites is in the “starting” section:

It’s good to be king — being an entrepreneur is the best job I’ve had. Every day your job is new and different; you constantly have to push yourself in new directions. You no longer have to say, “Well, I’m just an engineer, but…” — you have a great excuse to take an interest in everything. Working in an environment you shaped to your own beliefs about how a company should be run is incredible (and humbling!). And of course there are sometimes financial rewards, although it’s still a great job regardless.

Definitely give this a read no matter where you are in the startup game. Some of this advice you may already know, but each piece of advice is worth absorbing.

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Tom Taulli has a great article on Forbes on how startups can stretch their cash (via Southeast VC).

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Guy Kawasaki has started his blog entitled “Let the Good Times Roll” (and it’s about time Guy!) The Art of the Start is one of my favorite books on entrepreneurship and I recently bought Rules for Revolutionaries. Guy’s writing style is engaging, informative, and to the point. I expect the same from his blog, so this is exciting news.

Guy Kawasaki, Kawasaki, entrepreneurship, startups, art of the start, entrepreneur, blogs

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The November 28th issue of the Blue Ridge Business Journal has an article by Jeff Crooke entitled Incubating ideas at Virginia Tech’s CRC. Inside is a quote from yours truly:
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Popularity: 6% [?]

I saw a full page ad in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal for ECOnomics: The Environmental Business Plan Challenge. I thought I would post this in case anyone had an idea for an environmentally focused business:
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I’ve been in DC the past two days so I originally missed this article, but there was another mention of the VT KnowledgeWorks dedication ceremony this past weekend by Andrew Kantor of the Roanoke Times. There’s a little more detail in this one with regards to square footage cost, the facility’s funding, and the different stages of the incubator program.

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The formal dedication of the VT KnowledgeWorks facility occurred this past Saturday. Speakers included Senator George Allen, Congressman Richard Boucher, and Virginia Tech President Charles Steger. In addition to some nice media coverage, existing VT KnowledgeWorks member companies had the opportunity to speak with both the honored guests as well as the press and discuss our businesses.

I would have posted coverage sooner if it weren’t for my being distracted by another big event I attended on Saturday - the #3 Virginia Tech Hokies beating up on Georgia Tech at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg.

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