GOOD LIFE WEEKEND 40

I have to order John Little's book, The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer, and then hit back to the gym again... I started about three years ago, but stopped for different reasons. Anders Lundgren's successful achievement has been a great inspiration for setting up a training goal again.

Have you been at the Oktoberfest? Have you heard about the idea of Living 5 to 9? [Via Adrants.]

MORRIS IS MISSING THE CARNIVAL OF CATS

Hmmm, Morris is missing the deadline of another cat carnival... [Editor's note to founder of the carnival, Laurence Simon: Happy birthday!]


Is Morris sleeping at his post?

BUREAUCRACY VERSUS ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Could it be that my business venture is going down the drain before it is even started? I thought it shouldn't be any problem with the registration of my sole trader company, so I ordered my business cards. [Editor's note: By the way: Here is an interesting article on how to get a logotype.] It has been around two weeks since I sent the application forms to the Swedish Companies Registration Office and to the Swedish IRS. I called them up and got the information that they had not processed my applications. The SCRO had not accepted my choice of company name (EGO International Business Coordinator) because they thought it was too similar to another company with the word ego in the name. I have faxed them a list of new alternatives:

1. Egoist International Business Coordinator
2. International Business Coordinator
3. Lindeskog International Business Coordinator
4. Martin Lindeskog Sole Trader
5. EGOIBC

The bureaucrats at the tax agency didn't have any answer why they haven't done anything with my application for F-tax certificate and VAT registration. I have done a job for a customer, but I can't issue an invoice before I have a F-tax certificate...

Maybe I am not the right type of entrepreneur? I have a nagging feeling that I am lost in Douglas Adams's game, Bureaucracy, and I am being attacked by civil servants shouting: "Yes, Minister!" I hope this nightmare will end soon... I will take the opportunity to vent a bit and start a new feature called "Bureaucrat Busters." Andy Clarkson of the Charlotte Capitalist gave me inspiration with his post, It's The Spending Stupid.

The first edition of the Bureaucrat Busters is covering the bureaucrat at the Migration Board who used half of his time at the office surfing around on the internet, looking at porn sites. How much do you think the tax payers are paying for this kind of service? $350 million per year! My solution is to open up the borders and let people immigrate and migrate in a free way, as long as they are not a threat to other individuals.

I want to end the post in a positive way by linking to a list of business plan competitions around the world. The list is compiled by MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition. I will tell you more about my participation in the Venture Cup later on.

OPEN THREAD POST: BLOGGER STARTS BUSINESS

I grabbed the title from Wayne Hurlbert of Blog Business World. Here is an excerpt from his post, Blogger starts business.

With the assistance of business blogs and the blogging community, Martin Lindeskog is certain to be a highly successful business entrepreneur. (BlogBusinessWorld.blogspot.com, 10/02/05.)

Thanks to Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends for her supportive comment!

Congratulations, Martin, on taking the entrepreneurial plunge! I guarantee it will be fast, furious -- and fun.

Be sure to let all your friends in the blogosphere know how we can help.

Best,
Anita

I want to learn more about intellectual property rights, patents, and how to "secure" and keep your idea in "safe place." My idea will be applicable on the North American market, but I will start up the venture in Scandinavia due to the historical background and tradition of the business concept. This activity is not existing in great scale in North America... yet. Later on I want to get in contact with companies in the cardmaking, gift shop, and time management area. I am interested in getting advice on how to find partners, investors and venture capitalists for this project. Do you recommend to write a non-disclosure agreement if you want to discuss the ideas with potential business partners?

I have to chew and digest Robert May's post, Entrepreneurship: Don't Drink the Kool-Aid.

SLOW BOAT TO CHINA

The East Indiaman Götheborg (Swedish 18th century sailing vessel embarks on historical journey to China) is on its way to China...

PRODOS INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW BERNSTEIN

Listen to Prodos's interview with Andrew Bernstein.

GOOD LIFE INSTEAD OF CHURCH SUNDAY

I want to add a new feature called the Good Life on Sundays. Instead of a chat with the Church Lady, you will read about the good things in life. I want to highlight human achievements similar to the column in The Intellectual Activist Daily and the good section at the Forum for Ayn Rand Fans.

Today's goodies are a happy bossa nova music concert and new photos of my paprika and chile pepper plants.



For more good stuff, check out the Good Life section in the left column.

MORRIS THE COMPUTER CAT

Morris jumped up on the desk and started to walk on the keyboard.



[Editor's comment: I wonder what happened with BlogPet...]

It is hard work to type, so you have to take a rest...

EGO SMALL BUSINESS

I have been criticizing the tax situation in Sweden for a long time, and I have pointed out how we should simplify the system and strive for a free market economy here in the northern Europe. In an article on investment taxes in the Economist, you get the notion that the Swedish enterprises are pretty well off, compared with businesses in other countries.

Sweden, a bastion of egalitarianism where the state claims around 60% of GDP, is surprisingly friendly to capitalists. (Economist.com, 09/22/05.)

The article cites a study on the "effective" tax rate on capital made by a Canadian think-tank called C.D. Howe Institute. Here is the PDF version of The 2005 Tax Competitiveness Report: Unleashing the Canadian Tiger. Sweden has a tax revenue of 50.8% of GDP and the United States has 25.4%. The corporate income tax rate is 39.2% in the U.S. and 28% in Sweden.

I am interested in continuing the discussion on The Small Business Climate in Different Countries. Could you fill me in on situation of Canada's booming west?

I have become a member of the Entrepreneurial Class. I sent the papers to the Swedish Companies Registration Office a week ago. I will call my one-man business (sole trader) for EGO International Business Coordinator. Here is a list of examples of business activities I will conduct:

• Glass products from Hungary to the Scandinavian motor vehicle aftermarket.
• Web site design by programmers in Hungary.
• Different kinds of consulting projects.
• Market activities for educational and other non-for profit organizations.
• Meeting points and social networks on the Internet (cyberspace) and in "RL" (meatspace).

I will participate in a business plan competition called Venture Cup, and I am thinking of attending the Entrepreneurship Day.

It is now October 1st, so you are more than welcome to send me suggestions and tips on the Book of the Month. It would be interesting to receive titles focusing on small business, entrepreneurship, and project management.

THE OBJECTIVE STANDARD

I look forward to the premier issue of The Objective Standard. [Hat tip to B-Å.H.]