Everything has changed.

As consumer confidence has been vacillating in the aftermath of the financial system bailout and economic stimulus programs, the Iraqi war and Afghan conflicts and the unpredictable political environment, business leaders are facing the increasingly difficult task of making their numbers while preserving opportunities to renew growth. Faced with so many uncertainties, most leaders have responded by battening down the hatches and riding out the storm. But the true market leaders are finding ways to speed up in the slowdown… For example, the economy isn’t slowing Apple’s growth strategy. Download the latest TopRight white paper and learn how marketing leaders are thinking about the downturn as an opportunity to speed up their growth.

Being an entrepreneur is almost a prerequisite for working at TopRight..  As I look around the Atlanta office, everyone I see has either started or grown one or more companies.   We support start-ups, as clients and friends, and stay active in the business community, sponsoring competitions such as Emory’s VC Investment Competition.  Recent reports, though, have me perplexed.

The findings of a 2008 Technology Association of Georgia survey of 156 venture firms in 24 states that aimed to gauge VC perceptions of Georgia were grim.  A lack of both entrepreneurial and management talent, deal flow, and geographic distance were all cited as reasons Georgia trails behind the entrepreneurial hubs in the US.

Last week, though, the paragon of American entrepreneurial support, The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, reported Georgia to be “the most entrepreneurial state in the union”, with “590 entrepreneurs per 100,000 adults in 2008”.

So what is Georgia—an entrepreneurial leader or laggard?

If we look into the studies we can see different types of entrepreneurism discussed.  The TAG study focuses on VC deal-type entrepreneurism, while the Kauffman Foundation’s study focuses on a broader range.   Given Georgia’s “personality”, perhaps we should work toward improving the system to one that addresses and fosters Georgia’s entrepreneurial idiosyncrasies.

Seems like an opportunity for someone out there.

Amazon released its improved, more expensive Kindle DX yesterday..

We’re happy to say you can now also buy Enterprise Marketing Management for Kindle.

It will be interesting to watch the emerging competitors in the heretofore elusive e-book space now that Amazon has finally established what seems to be a beachhead.  Amazon’s careful sustainability messaging that positions “paper” as the enemy, and not “books” may have been the Sophie’s Choice they were left with..  Timing, too, seems right for this message to click with the mass market..  

I would still like to see some slicker products in the next few years–obviously price will have to come down, but can you imagine some paper-like substrate booklet that can hold thousands of books and display each book’s text concurrently, hundreds of pages at a time?  That would be cool.  

Some other interesting reads on the Kindle:

• Large-Screen Kindle Won’t Mean Squat if Apple Tablet Arrives …
• Hands-On: Kindle DX Is a Pricey Pleasure — Despite Many Flaws …