Five Products That Would Make My Life Easier

I would love to see these products. As an entrepreneur, I’m always incessantly looking for ways to improve my life. You may be wondering, why don’t I work on any of these if I agree with the “scratch your own itch” or “solve your own problems” mantras. Well, I just might. =)

Audio Book/eBook/Hard Copy Deal\ I realize that I can have all three now. But publishers should really create a package deal that has all three products discounted. I love my iPad for reading. It stays in my car constantly. When I have some dead time in my car or an office, I pull out my iPad and start reading. I run about three miles daily. I typically listen to audio books. Sometimes I find myself wanting the tangible feel of a book. Whether it’s outside in the bright sun, or laying on a couch. At times, a book just feels natural. Admittedly, this is probably due to my bias of using books for years; over time I’m sure this will change. Is anyone at Amazon listening?

Mint For Business\ I know what you’re thinking, why don’t I just use Mint for my business? Mint is cute. I can tag and categorize each transaction. That’s it. I want to easily generate P&L statements. I want total control of my business finances. I want to see how much I spent on software last year (I know Mint can do this). The real value lies in the aggregate. How many other companies with 5 to 15 employees are receiving similar revenues? How many other companies in the software industry are spending as much as I am on personnel? The possibilities are endless. Remember, the value is in the aggregate. Steal this idea. If you can execute like Aaron Patzer, you’ll probably make a Mint. Sorry for the lame joke.

Project Planning Software\ Ya, ya… there are a lot of them out there. I’ve tried most of them. In search for the perfect product. None of them fits the bill. I’m looking for a real simple piece of software for me to be able to list my projects and then be able to plan my iterations. I’m actually working on this one. I call it Plansation. Hopefully I can show you a working build before the end of my life.

An All Knowing/Smart Location Network\ I want a service where I can find out which restaurant is having deals around me. Which bar is having happy hour specials. What do my friends think of this hole-in-the-wall restaurant? How much will it cost to get my slacks pressed somewhere near my hotel? We have articulated this vision a bit here. Guess what? There’s an app for that. At least one that’s pretty damn close. Oh ya, Apple bought them yesterday.

Social Network For Entrepreneurs\ I currently use Hacker News, FoundersMix, Answers.OnStartups, Startup Nation, and LinkedIn (although, I think LinkedIn is a joke). But none of them encourage connecting with other entrepreneurs. In order to succeed, we need to help each other. We must share business ideas and strategies. All of the sites listed fail miserably at this. You had better steal this idea too, because I will eventually work on this as well.