I’ve got to say I read a lot of magazines, mainly because I get them through various frequent flier mile deals or they are really cheap (under $15/year), but some magazines I read because I think they are key reads in this field. I probably have a half-dozen magazine subscriptions right now. Here are the mags I read:

• INC Magazine
• Business2.0 (so sad its going away, it was my fav)
• FastCompany (Think it was free, could be in a prime position to replace b2.0)
• Wired (not as interesting as it used to be, but still relevant)
• BusinessWeek (second fav)
• Stuff (gadgets, although this is getting axed)
• GQ (I am obsessed with trends, what people will be/are doing)
• Harvard Business Review

One magazine which I originally had qualms about paying for, Harvard Business Review, turned out to be worth its hefty subscription price ($99!!!) with just one article in its last issue (I was THIS close to not renewing as most of it is kind of dry). In the latest issue, there is an interview with Jeff Bezos and he puts out the single best piece of advice I have seen in ages. He suggests that it is foolish to focus on the things that will constantly change (technology, products, etc.) but rather to focus on things that will not change. His argument that things like low pricing, shipping, and customer service will always be there, so if you can make efficiencies in those areas, they will pay off more in the future than if you keep trying to keep up with the latest technologies instead of your customers.

So what does this mean to you, the budding entrepreneur? Focus on the constants: your customers. Ignore the latest hype and keep focus. If you keep getting distracted by whats going on in your periphery, you’ll miss the end goal ahead.

So what magazines do you read?

Last week at the TechCrunch40 conference, Mark Zuckerberg announced the new fbFund, a $10M financing fund aimed at supporting the Facebook ecosystem.  The fund, backed by Accel and Founders Funds, will seed Facebook application development companies with grants between $25k and $250k.  This is a monumental announcement on many levels, on one hand it affects the developers, on another the advertisers/marketers, and finally it affects Facebook itself.

The fact that Zuckerberg & co. are putting this kind of money up is an amazing testament to their faith in the creativity of the crowd and the fact they know that there are thousands of ideas they would never think to build on their own.  This new fund will help reinforce the economy surrounding the FB platform, and alleviate a huge amount of risk that many startup could face if they try to get into the platform themselves.  $25,000 goes a long way to pay for server infrastructure when your new widget gets a million or more users.

Ultimately what they have done is seeded their economy with the fertilizer necessary to add another $100 million to their stock valuation when they ultimately go public.  They have given the necessary tool to their development community to build an ecosystem around them, much the way the eBay ecosystem works (just look at the ebay section of your bookstore for all the books on how to become rich using eBay).

So what does this mean to you, the social media enthusiast? It means that you should start writing a grant application for the platform.  If you are awarded a grant, you can now afford to outsource your development and infrastructure on Facebook’s dime.

Rest assured I will be posting a lot more about this in the coming weeks.

So as I write this, my birthday is winding to a close, I figured I would take this time to reflect on the last 25 years, and post some thoughts on the next 25. Over the years I’ve learned a lot, seen a lot, been to a lot of places, but in the end the ultimate lesson I’ve learned is that it is all about the people in your life. Be they friends, family, business connections, or just random people you’ve encountered along the way. Building and maintaining these positive relationships in life is what its all about.

This is a lesson that can be transferred to anything you do in life.

So thanks to everyone who has been a positive influence in my life so far, I only hope I am able to return the favor, over the next 25. Also, thank you to everyone who wished me a happy bday via facebook, it is truly appreciated.

• looking for a dasboot for beerfest tomorrow. any suggestions? #