Business Plan Experts Part 2

In my previous post I mentioned two industry experts, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, and listed a few of the characteristics that I consider to be the basis for why their companies are so successful. That was three weeks ago and now a few major changes have hit both companies since then. Steve Jobs has stepped down as Apple CEO and Facebook has adopted privacy settings similar to rival Google+.

This may not be the first time that Jobs has stepped down from Apple, but it is the first time that he will leave while Apple continues to increase in success. While Jobs' health may be questionable, some like John Dvorak have theorized that Jobs stepped down so that Tim Cook could take his place. Dvorak also Cook has been "acting" CEO for months and if Jobs had not stepped down, then his CEO position could have been up for grabs (Dvorak).

This is a great example of knowing how to use leadership skills to best support your company. Jobs will still have a hand in some of Apple's dealings and he also made sure that Apple would not stumble if something were to happen to his health. It is also an example of how focused Jobs is on Apple. As I stated in my previous blog, there is not much Apple leaves to chance with it's products. Every item is researched, tested and designed to exact specifications (Kahney, 2008) and I do not think that Jobs would ultimately allow someone without that vision to take over when something does go wrong with his health. I want to incorporate a similar approach in my company, but I also want to be open to change when it is best for my company.

My company is small and for now does not need to be anything larger than a basic sole proprietorship but I am considering a partnership when I can no longer handle the responsibilities and need to expand. This will allow someone else to handle the affairs of the company should anything happen to me. The most important section of my business plan is my financial plan. Investors will want to see how quickly we can turn a profit and if our start-up can grow as fast as the others here in the greater Seattle area.


Dvorak, J. "Contrarian view of Steve Jobs’s decision ." Market Watch. Wall Street Journal, 25 Aug 2011. Web. 28 Aug 2011. .

Kahney, Leader. (2008, March 18). How apple got everything right by doing everything wrong . Wired , 16(04), Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/16-04/bz_apple

Business Plan Experts

When I think about the new media industry and the people who dominate the attention of news sites I think of Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg and Apple founder, Steve Jobs. Both have been highly scrutinized in the media for their involvement in the development of our creative society and businesses. Apple is always in the media for it's new services and products and Facebook is on the front of social media users. These companies thrive on a perceived image and reputation of the people who use services provided by these companies.

Steve Jobs has done a great job at keeping Apple in the news in a popular light while maintaining a strict design that was distinct to his company. Wired magazine put it like this, "No product escapes Cupertino without meeting Jobs' exacting standards, which are said to cover such esoteric details as the number of screws on the bottom of a laptop and the curve of a monitor's corners. "He would scrutinize everything, down to the pixel level," says Cordell Ratzlaff, a former manager charged with creating the OS X interface"(Kahney, 2008). Jobs not only runs his company, but he has a strong hand in it's design and development. This kind of involvement shows dedication toward a quality product and investors are reassured of the ability to sell more product.

Mark Zuckerberg only recently developed a plan for his company. He let Facebook become it's own powerhouse before taking back the reins of control. Facebook has been highly experimental with design and features for its users, the most recent has been the development of Facebook for Business, a page dedicated toward bringing in businesses to use Facebook as for their target markets ("Facebook for business," 2011). This flexibility has enabled Facebook to adapt to new scenarios in which the old models of Facebook would no longer serve it's purpose.

Both of these companies have a common enemy, Google. Google has proven to be a successful opponent in both the computing software world and the social media world. Google+ has 18 million followers (Simon, 2010), but there has been little to no news to how Google+ will be utilized as a information source to advertisers.


Facebook for business. (2011, August 7). Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/business

Kahney, Leader. (2008, March 18). How apple got everything right by doing everything wrong . Wired , 16(04), Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/16-04/bz_apple

Simon, Saavedra. (2010, August 7). Google plus hits 18m, suggests facebook users ready to migrate? poll. Retrieved from http://www.christianpost.com/news/google-plus-hits-18m-suggests-facebook-users-ready-to-migrate-poll-52582/