Yesterday I had the great pleasure of catching Jon Olson on Twitter share that he was available for some casual conversation if anyone wanted to join his semi-private chat room, and so I did. Over an hour or so discussion covered a variety of topics but what caught most of my attention is the strong message Jon shared around simplicity.

In the Traffic Exchange industry there are some very basic fundamentals to running a successful operation, one of which is not over-complicating the technology. There are some Traffic Exchange websites that have great solutions without adding bloat. On the other hand there are those which don’t even offer unique selling points beyond changing very basic details and sometimes not even investing time/money to clean up the out-of-box solution so that it’s user friendly.

This “keep it simple” idea isn’t just about Traffic Exchanges. Look at Groupon for example – stupidly simple concept, who would have thought selling discounts to restaurants, spas, etc. would turn into one of the fastest growing businesses in 2 years? Look at Apple, their logo is almost laughable but you know it’s “Apple Inc” when you see it.

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Jumping into the restaurant business can be a dumpy road. Many have to close due to lack of customers whether it’s due to location, poor management or the most obvious unsatisfactory food. Due to the hot, growing trend of local shopping and services like 4Square and Yelp, getting your customer to come back is your #1 long-term goal- no returning customers will eventually kill your business.

So how do you target customers who don’t eat at your restaurant? Simply answer: give away food for free.

Yup, you read correctly, and Panera Bread has pulled off something unbelievable. As CEO, Ron Shaich, explained at a TED event, Panera Bread “cares” is all about a give-and-take concept. Instead of telling everyone they must pay XX dollars for a sandwich, bowl of soup or cold beverage, they decided to leave it up to the customer. Some people can’t afford a $7.50 sandwich so they give $2.00 (or nothing at all) while others are willing to pay $9.00 for that same sandwich.

But just how successful can this be – wouldn’t everyone just want a free meal? Much to my surprise the concept has worked amazingly. At the beginning, according to Ron, it was certainly a learning experience as people attempted to abuse the system as they didn’t understand the concept. The idea isn’t about taking free food but rather about helping those who are unable to enjoy a Panera meal (or any decent meal).

When you listen to Ron talk about the story and purpose of Panera cares you can’t help but think “You know, this is such a great idea and I hope to see it throughout the country.” Do you think this idea can continue to be a success in many more cities throughout the country?

The rumors are no longer are questionable. AT&T’s exclusive three and a half year exclusive deal with Apple as the mobile service provider is coming to an end within one month. Beginning February 10th, 2011 consumers may choose between AT&T and Verizon as their mobile service carrier. When the Apple/AT&T deal was first made public, there was quite a bit of flack as AT&T never had a good, reliable service. While the deal helped save AT&T from a complete failure, the end to this exclusivity may bring an interesting change to AT&T soon after consumers are open to make a switch.

Based far less on just my opinion, AT&T customers (in the majority) aren’t entirely thrilled with the provider. According to a Consumer Reports release back in early December, among the US carriers, AT&T scored dead last…not even close to 2nd to last. It’s no question that many, many AT&T subscribers will make the change when their contract has ended.

One of the bigger concerns within a couple years after Verizon is opened to iPhone customers is whether or not AT&T can survive. Through lack of customer satisfaction of subscribers it is hard to believe they won’t take a serious hit over the next 2 years as people begin switching to a “better” service provider.

The ultimate question is, how will AT&T change their business, offerings and/or service to not only keep their customers but improve upon what they DO have?

I’m predicting AT&T will suffer a serious loss, possibly dropping from our radar pretty quickly – time will tell.

You flip on the TV, skip through a couple channels, you’re bound to land on a reality TV show of some fashion. Between finding the next greatest chef to matching bachelors to bachelorette to wilderness survival…it’s a pretty “real” world. Actually, it’s not necessarily as real as portrayed but what is it that keeps us coming back for more? Why does someone else’s experience draw us to be entertained?

There’s one thing I know for a fact; you’re not getting any younger. Is there really enough value in watching reality TV shows that you spend a few hours (or more) in front of the television? Now of course some of the shows can be informative but the majority? Definitely not worth the time.

Instead, I challenge you to take an hour, grab a book, and read. I’ll be the first to admit that reading is not my thing. Heck, if I could have everything in video or audio form, that would be sweet! Let’s not kid ourselves – somethings are better in text form anyway. But lately I’ve began doing the unthinkable – picking up a book and swallowing up the content. And I must say that I’m actually enjoying it.

You’re probably wondering what exactly it is that I’m reading, right? As this probably isn’t a shocker, I’m not really reading for “fun” per say but instead for motivation, keeping up my drive, staying connected with other entrepreneurs, and trying to remain up-to-speed.  A couple months ago the book I picked up and read through in a couple days was Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk, and you can read my Crush It review if you’re interested in hearing about the book. Currently, I’m reading Rework by the co-founder of 37Signals, Jason Fried, and Partner, David Heinemeier Hansson. Seeing as I’m only about 50 pages into the book thus far there isn’t a whole lot I can share, but what I’ve read up to this point is awesome. For the early entrepreneur, the enthusiastic go-getter, the type of person who loves making this happen and seeing the results, this book is  a perfect fit. Generally speaking it’s a testament to those who are trying to build a product, service, and/or business with little money, a team made up of 1-3 people, and even those who think spending 80 hours a week working is crazy. If you fit any of those molds…get this book and then let me know what you find most interesting.

Spending that extra 2 hours a week, flipping open those pages in a book such as Rework or Crush It can absolutely change your life. It’s not about some grand ole’ plan to determine your path but instead get your off your butt, moving towards what you want to accomplish. Life is short and the TV can certainly be put aside.