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7 Blogging Tips You Can Apply Today

by Paul Joseph July 19, 2011 Featured

About a month ago I wrote an email to all the columnists on Entrepreneurs-Journey.com with some advice on how they could achieve more rewards from their writing on this blog and also some tips to improve performance of their articles. As I was writing the email I realized much of the advice is good old fundamentals for successful blogging. I decided why not share some of the points with you and the rest of the E-J audience to help with your own blogging efforts. Some of this might seem obvious, the same old blogging advice you have heard before, but since most bloggers don’t follow even the most basic of advice I recommend you read over these points and ask yourself if you are on track. 7 Steps To A Better Blog 1. The Call To Action In Author Boxes This particular piece of advice refers to the little author boxes we use at the end of articles on this blog, which detail information about the author of the article (you can see mine at the end of this article). This is the primary tool columnists use to entice readers to visit their website or join their email newsletter and continue to gain from having a relationship with that particular writer. Chances are you don’t have the same box at the end of your blog articles, especially if you are the only author on your blog, however that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider adding them. They make great calls to action at the end of each piece of content you publish. Even if you don’t have these boxes, this advice is relevant for any area where you are trying to encourage your readership to sign up for something or click a link – any kind of call to action . Here is some of what I sent to the authors about how to improve their author boxes… Your author box is one of the best places for you to promote your own websites and offers, as well as describe your specialities and history. Although you are welcome to use this space to talk about yourself, you will reap more reward if you use the space to offer something of value (a benefit to the reader) and prompt the reader to click your link to get access to it. If you have a free report, or audio series or newsletter – anything you use a first entry point lead generator – your author box is the place to talk about. For example, if I was going to use the author box to generate leads, I would use something like – “Yaro Starak is the author of the Blog Profits Blueprint, a free report you can download instantly to learn how to make $10,000 a month, from only blogging 2 hours per day. You can access the report from here – http://www.blogprofitsblueprint.com” I recommend offering something like this that has only one link to click (focus is important), not too much text, a clear and tangible benefit and offer, that leads the reader to your best first impression. I derive the most value from my email list, hence I promote my report as the opt-in benefit for joining my list. You might prefer to promote a different page or offer of your own. 2. Use Case Studies and Stories You may have noticed many of the best articles on EJ, based on audience response, are when I explain what I do or what someone else does, to get a result. Talking strategy, theory and tactics are great, but people really engage when you combine these with a story to illustrate exactly what someone did. EJ is successful (as are many other blogs), because the writers focus on explaining what they did and what result they get, using specific details. The more specific and real world you can be with your case studies, the more the readers will respond to your writing and follow your work. 3. Be Specific, Avoid Generic Advice Continuing on from the previous point, whenever you teach or tell stories avoid being generic . People like it when you say things like – “I spent $151 in Google Adwords to buy traffic from the following list of keywords – how to grow tomatoes in winter growing tomatoes in winter grow winter tomatoes etc The result of this was 3546 visitors over two weeks, delivering 543 opt-ins to my newsletter” I could have simply written – “I spent some money on adwords to get traffic to my newsletter” The first explanation is a lot more specific and thus interesting to the reader. People want to know details, it gives them direction and clarity and makes you a much more valuable resource to them. The more value you give them, the more they will listen to you, pay attention to your work, click your links, and all the other things you can ask people to do when they actually pay attention. 4. Create “Top List” Articles If you really want to produce a very successful article the single best format I can recommend is a “Top List” . A top list is usually a Top 10 but might be a Top 20 or even 50 list. The idea is to come up with a list of top “somethings”. It’s especially effective if you focus on people. For example for this blog some good ideas might be – “Top 10 most successful female online entrepreneurs” “Top 50 websites to learn how to make money online (and the people behind them)” “Top 10 most inspiring entrepreneurial success stories” These types of articles work really well if you include photos of each person in the top list, then email them to let them know they are in the list. This can take a bit of research, but the rewards are significant as top lists are always shared around the web. You might consider making a top list in regards to whatever your specialty is. For example EJ team member Neroli who focuses on creativity in her column, might come up with a list of the “ Top 10 most creative business ideas of the 21st century “. You don’t need to have the absolute definitive top 10, this is simply your opinion based on your research and knowledge. Don’t be afraid to upset some people who don’t agree with you, this will do wonders for how popular your article becomes because of the controversy. 5. Write As If You Are Talking To One Person Although this blog has thousands of daily readers you should write to one person only when creating your articles. Only one individual actually reads the article in their head, so talk to them individually. For example, use singular words like “you” and “your”, not “people” or “readers” or “all of you”. I find this works best for me when I think that I am talking to just one person when I write my article. Apply this to your articles and you will foster a stronger connection with your readership, one reader at a time. 6. Respond To All Your Comments Comments left on your articles, especially the solid comments with questions or feedback, should be responded to as soon as possible. This shows that you care about the person who was interested enough in your article to leave a comment and are listening to what they have to say. Commenting facilities two-way communication , and all your readers will feel like you are more present if you respond to their comments, fostering better engagement. I’ve noticed several of the EJ team already do this and you can see the difference it makes, so great work. I have to admit that I have been very lax with this piece of advice in recent years myself. During the early years of EJ I was very diligent with comments and I know that is one of the reasons why this blog took off. In recent months I’ve increased my own comment replies to practice what I preach. 7. Be Consistent With Content Production This last tip I include because seven tips makes for a better headline than six, although it wasn’t sent through to the columnists originally because they are already well informed about the importance of being consistent with their column if they want results (it’s in the agreement they make when they come on board!). You already know content is the key to success with a blog. You also know that consistent content is key, yet this is where so many people fail. If you have ever done any article marketing campaigns you will know that without volume it is difficult to have any success. The same applies here. It goes back to the principle of “owning” more of the Internet. The more places you appear, the more exposure you have to your audience, the more people you reach. Don’t forget that just one exposure to one of your articles is not enough to convince a person to do something – they probably won’t even remember your name! It takes repeat exposures to build up some form of engagement with your audience, and no one person is the same. Some might read one of your articles and never read another, while others will come back and read everything you write because the first article they read of yours was so good. You can’t control when people read your work, or what article of yours they read first, or what situation they are coming from when they find your article, yet all these variables impact how well your content performs. The solution to this problem is put your best foot forward and keep walking – in other words, always produce amazing articles and do it again and again and again if you want to make a real impact, and down the line, reap rewards. Keep up the good work, Yaro Starak Still Blogging About Blogging Get your bonus copy of my book “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online” Download Here

Tagged as: article, book, opinion, person, small-business, space, work

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How to Become an Idea Machine

by Paul Joseph July 8, 2011 Featured

“I think and therefore I am” said Descartes. A modern day successful entrepreneur might as well say “I think and therefore my business thrives.” Entrepreneurship thrives on ideas. Ideas are the fuel that drives business, the lifeline in times of crisis and the basis of entrepreneurship itself. Importantly, good ideas are incredibly hard to come by. Where as bad ones abound. So how can you generate great ideas for your business? And the right ones too? It’s an Ideas Factory Out There First of all, to know what you can do differently, you have to know what exists. Knowledge and information greatly powers your capacity to think innovatively. Often, entrepreneurs are great at obsessing over every single news snippet related to their business, but they ignore other areas of interest that they may have had in their lives. For instance, if you’ve set up a Social Media Marketing business, what are the chances that you’re reading about theatre or art, or music? Keeping abreast with information and interests can greatly help you with idea generation and innovation. A great example of this would be Steve Jobs. In his Stanford Graduation speech, he talks about dropping out of college and attending classes that purely interested him. He talks about his interest in Calligraphy, and how that interest led to the creation of beautiful font options in the Personal Computer.  It is just a small example of how, a little, ‘by the way’ interest led to an idea that rules how we type on our computers in today’s world. Write Them Down – They’re Important There are many complicated idea generation techniques out there, like Mindmapping and the Ishikawa Diagram technique. Try them and if they work for you, that’s great. But the chances are they will be mere stimulants. If you focus on being well-rounded, pursuing interests outside your business, while also passionately pursuing your business interests, you’ll never lack ideas. In fact, you’ll have so many ideas that you will not remember them or you will just not have the time to implement them. The best idea generation tip is to not forget or lose good ideas. Make a list and review them whenever you’re consciously working towards generating new ideas. The likelihood is that you can build on an existing good idea you might have had months ago, and make it a great one. Get Out of the Idea Often, when you’re an integral part of your business, there are view points you’re completely missing. If you’re sitting in front of your desk and trying to figure out what the customer wants it’s going to be harder to come up with a great idea. Going out there and interacting with customers, getting out of the situation and actually putting yourself in your client’s shoes can help you understand what they really want. With great insights, great ideas are born. Sometimes, getting out, also means distancing yourself from your business. When was the last time you took a day off from not thinking about your business? It may not always be possible to take a holiday, but how about going for a movie, spending time with your family or just re-reading your favorite novel and giving your brains time to recharge. Taking a break helps your subconscious mind ruminate over ideas and present them to you when you’re ready. What are Great Ideas for? An entrepreneur must routinely look at different ideas and analyze them. Not just business ideas, marketing or promotion ideas, but little innovations that businesses make, say to cut costs or motivate employees to think big, their hiring practices and so on. A deep understanding of what makes ideas great will not just help you with generating better and better ideas, but it will help you evaluate your own ideas better. If you’re not naturally inclined to a fascination with great ideas and innovation, develop that obsession. Read about how Bill Gates started Microsoft and about how Pixar does such great work. Understand how Google’s 20% percent project time for its employees has helped generate some of the greatest ideas in tech history. Analyze how Music Record execs create millions worth of record selling artists. The world abounds with great ideas, start following them, chase some of your own, and soon your business life will be full of wonderful ideas. Giving it Time & Chipping Away at it The truth is that out of 100 ideas, 1 might be half-decent. Great ideas are hard to come by, but by consistently chasing them, you make idea generation a part of your personality. Some of the biggest innovators of our time have personality types that can be defined as ‘idea-chasing’, which involves constantly thinking about the next big thing. The best part is that this thinking seems to come naturally to them, and the motive is not always profit. Often, it’s about creating something absolutely innovative and mind-blowing. Take Richard Branson’s Flight to Space, for instance. Agrees, that an idea like that needs billions of dollars to bring to life, but there are hundreds of billionaire entrepreneurs who are merely chasing more billions. It is the innovative entrepreneur like Richard Branson, who wanted to offer something different that came up with it and in the process, makes more billions than the rest. Innovative businessman didn’t become star thinkers overnight. But they chased great ideas constantly. They chipped away at it, like it was what they were born to do. Give it time, chip away at generating great ideas, take it easy, get out of the box occasionally but persistently chase ideas and you will start generating good ideas on a daily basis. Idea generation is the first step to innovation, and innovation is the key to a successful business. So do what it takes, to get those great ideas! Preetam Kaushik is a freelance writer/independent columnist and an avid blogger. He is a web 2.0 expert and writing consultant serving a wide array of clients. Read more about Preetam here .

Tagged as: business psychology, business-ideas, client, entrepreneur, family, ideas, personality, space

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How To Find Your Inner Genius

by Paul Joseph June 2, 2011 Featured

I’ve been considering lately the way each of us already has a unique inner genius and how this can be found and bought to the surface. This thread of contemplation has led me to a creativity enhancing technique we have discussed previously, called mental priming . How this works in relation to our unique genius is that each one of us is already mentally primed to look for things, to know things and to store information as it relates to our highest values . What Is A Value? Dr. John Demartini says values are defined as the things we most highly prize in life, whether it’s related to personal, family, business, social, intimate relationship, physical, mental or spiritual quests. Our values arise out of perceived voids in our lives , so if we perceive that we are lacking financial wealth, then creating wealth rates high on our list of values. If we perceive that we are lacking in an intimate relationship, then finding a partner rates high on our list of values, etc. How Do We Know What Our Values Are? The way we know what our highest values are, is by paying attention to what we predominantly think about, talk about, spend our money on and fill our space with .  This means we are already mentally primed in whatever relates to our hierarchy of values. If you remember last week’s interview with John Assaraf , he referred to the way we look for things in our physical environment that connect to what we’re thinking about. That’s an example of how we’re gathering information as it relates to our highest values. Because we’ve been amassing an incredible amount of information and generating insights related to our highest values for most of our life, this is where our genius lies . In much the same way we each have a unique fingerprint, each person has a unique hierarchy of values. Dr. Stuart Brown says we can move between our different play personalities, but will usually favor one or two through out our life, we also do this with our values. We have core values that remain the same for life, and then certain values come and go at different stages. Because we have been filtering and storing information as it relates to our unique hierarchy of values, we have created a resource that no one else on this planet has. Why Aren’t We Using Our Resource Of Unique Information? There is, unfortunately, a fairly big spanner in the works, as there often appears to be when it comes to the human condition, and as usual, it’s related to our mind, perception and thought processes . If we’re already brilliantly gifted in a way that no one else on the planet is, then how come we’re not aware of this and accessing it to make our lives so much more fulfilling? There are two reasons I can find immediately. Pale In Imitation The first is that most of us are not aware of our core values, and instead of living according to our highest values, we try to live according to the values of other people, like those in our family, peer group or society. When we’re not crystal clear about our values, and don’t live according to them, we diminish our ability to impact the world through our creative expression. Whenever you hear yourself saying or thinking, “I should be doing this or that…” is an example of trying to live according to someone else’s values. If it’s related to your highest values, you just do it , there’s never an element of “should” or having to force yourself. Dr. Demartini has spent decades traveling the world, working with millions of people. I heard him speaking two days ago, and he said that he has only ever found one woman on this entire planet who was truly congruent – living according to her highest values . He said this woman was doing extraordinary things for children and children’s education around the world as a result of this. That’s a pretty eye-opening revelation isn’t it? Out of the millions of people Dr. Demartini has met and worked with across the planet, only one has ever been truly congruent. At least we know we’re not alone on this journey of self-discovery and learning how to access and express our genius. Unconscious Competence Means We Give It Away For Free The second thing that affects our ability to make use of these gifts is that we can’t articulate easily what they are, and how they relate to our values. The reason it’s important to get clear and articulate about this, is that once we do, we can place a financial value on our gifts . Then they become a valuable and marketable resource. Currently, you may be doing certain things in your business or personal life that you are unconsciously competent at. That means, you’re so good at it, you just do it and don’t even know that it’s a gift. As long as this is the case, you’re most probably giving away something that could be a highly lucrative and marketable resource for free. If we are not clear about our hierarchy of values and how this has developed a unique combination of skills and information for us, then it’s most probably being underutilized and undervalued. So we can’t be rewarded for this potentially brilliant resource. After contemplating this problem I’ve decided to do some more work on my creative character survey . I’m going to need to put in quite a bit more thought, research and structure to make it so people can find out about their hierarchy of values, and uncover the resource of information and skills they’ve been gathering over a lifetime. I’ll keep you tuned on its development. If you want to find out your hierarchy of values right now, the easiest way is to list what you think about, what you talk about, how you spend your money and how you fill your space . The things that keep showing up again and again in your list will show you what you truly value in life, and therefore it ranks highly in your hierarchy of values. Once again, thanks for reading and I’d love to hear your comments at the end. Cheers, Neroli. Get your bonus copy of my book “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online” Download Here

Tagged as: book, highest, people, space, unique, young

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Trade Show Checklist: How To Successfully Sell Your Product At Trade Shows

by Paul Joseph May 11, 2011 Featured

With a physical product, there are several ways to meet customers and market your business. In this week’s article, I write about doing trade shows and meeting potential customers face-to-face in a convention type of setting. I have noticed over the past couple of years that the trade show world seemed to be dwindling in foot traffic. In the face of numerous shows ‘debuting’, there are simply too many shows to attend. I remember one brutal season doing the January accessory show in New York, flying to Hong Kong to walk their trade show and meet with suppliers, then back to the US to do Magic in Las Vegas, back to NY to do Coterie , and then to Paris to do Premiere Classe . It was crazy! A Cardinal Rule One cardinal rule that my partner and I always had was to walk a trade show before we committed to taking a booth . All the information from trade show management about foot traffic, buyer attendance and press coverage will never provide the same insights that walking a trade show will. Just walking a trade show for a couple of hours will give you a good idea if the show is really a good fit for your brand. I will always remember that my partner and I did a trade show – our very first one – in New York and were very much out of our element. It was clear that our product was priced too high for this particular show. A very well-known buyer from a wonderful boutique in Nantucket, Massachusetts came by and said our booth was the most beautiful in the whole show and that we stuck out like a sore thumb. She promptly placed an order and signed with her trademark signature. Shortly thereafter, one of our neighbors came by and gave us a phrase that we still quote to this day. This character stopped by our booth, looked up and down the aisle, and said with her heavy New York accent, “Look at them, look at them, look at you! You don’t belong here!” $5000 booth fee $2000 fare to NYC and hotel room $500 food and cabs = $7500 TOTAL TRIP Lesson learned…priceless. In rushing to do our first trade show, my partner and I were so excited to get our product to market when we really should have waited and walked the show before foolishly throwing our money away. C’est la vie ; it was one of the many lessons we learned the hard way. Showrooms & Trade Shows Frankly, I think there are too many trade shows and the market is oversaturated . For years, many exhibitors have complained that there should be a central governing agency to mandate a trade show schedule and prevent overlapping regional markets and shows, with the meaningless shows disappearing. The sheer volume of shows makes it hard for buyers to decide which is the best to attend. Nowadays many specialty stores hardly have a budget to travel and must be incredibly picky about which shows they attend. As your company requires sales to survive, doing trade shows is important to grow your brand , but since shows are very expensive and time-consuming, I suggest you also try to get showrooms at the same time. If you reach the point of having enough showrooms, you can then re-evaluate whether you want to continue doing the trade shows at all. We met all of our showrooms at the trade shows. At the trade shows, you will be able to connect with buyers and get direct feedback about your new collection, check out or maybe network with your competitors , and hopefully meet with fashion editors and bloggers . Additionally, a trade show is a great way to build your store list . Whenever a store would stop and linger at our booth but not buy anything, I would always ask for a business card and hand them a line sheet. When I returned to my office, I would add their name to my mailing/buyer list . Planning & Preparation Getting ready for a trade show requires a lot of planning and preparation . You need to make sure you have handled the booth decoration, line sheets, brochures, business cards, extra lighting and, of course, your samples. I was once at a trade show where one of my neighbors was a new jewelry company that had just got accepted into the trade show the week before! I felt sorry for the girl who was running the booth as she was so green and inexperienced. She did not have fixtures to place her product on, a rug for her booth, or paper for her walls. Our consultant encouraged me to talk to her, but honestly, she needed so much help that I could only give her a few pointers and hope she would have more time to plan and prepare herself for the next show. Checklist Depending on which trade show you do, I have included a checklist of things you need to do in advance: • Complete and send in contract. • Make personal contact with sales rep at the trade show. Talk to them about your line, address any concerns, etc. • Send in deposit. • Decide on booth size and decoration. • Download trade show manual and read it thoroughly. • Get insurance if mandated by trade show management. • Book hotel and travel. • Decide if you will do any advertising or sponsorship to promote your booth. The sponsorship opportunities are sometimes listed in the manual. If not, ask your trade show rep about them. Half of the time we would do some type of sponsorship. • Order food or beverages for your booth if you want to do a promotion such as a happy hour to draw in more people. • Hire models or temporary workers for your booth if you need additional coverage. It always helpful to have at least two people, even in a small booth. The days are long and tiring, and you may need assistance during peak times or to cover during bathroom breaks. If you can’t persuade a friend to join you, a temporary worker found on Craigslist or Daily Fashion Jobs might be a good option. • Order staff badges. • Decide if you will send your product directly to the show site or carry it in your suitcases. • Order any additional electricity or lighting. • Order booth cleaning if needed. Note: we never did this. • Send in final deposit. • Order labor if needed to put up your shelving or help with building any additional furniture you might be bringing in. • Find out the set-up schedule and plan on being there as soon as the doors open, especially if it is your first show. Raw Space & Booths At the trade shows, you can either buy a booth package with the walls already in place or raw space . Raw space is for those vendors who have custom-built booths. The majority of vendors use the booth packages . If you are getting a booth package, I urge you to consider covering the walls with drapes or fabric or, better yet, papering the walls with the backdrop paper used for photo shoots. This makes your booth stand out with minimal cost. If you are showing in New York, call The Set Shop in New York City and have them deliver the paper to your booth. It will be much cheaper than ordering it from the vendors who are contractually tied to the unions. In future weeks, I will discuss having outside sales reps as well as developing your presence online. However, I think that spending the money and doing a trade show gives a new brand an invaluable opportunity to get their product in front of main decision makers such as editors, meet with key store buyers and most importantly, announce to the industry that your brand is a viable player. Christine Syquia Get your bonus copy of my book “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online” Download Here

Tagged as: business, download, industry, money, online, space, young

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The Mentality Of The Young Entrepreneur

by Paul Joseph May 5, 2011 Featured

My name is Ken Sundheim . I am a 29 year old business owner of an executive search firm by the name of KAS Placement based out of New York City at Herald Square. I started KAS shortly after I graduated from Fordham University , after resigning from a corporate sales job after three months of being at the company. Throughout my writing on Entrepreneur’s Journey, I plan to document how I opened a million dollar business with no experience, no contacts and even more odds against my favor. I want to discuss what I have learned being a 29 year old entrepreneur and what is necessary for the aspiring business owner to become familiarized with. I want to touch on my successes and my mistakes and show the reader what they can learn from both. I am convinced that entrepreneurship and intelligence only have a slight correlation. Anybody can be an entrepreneur, however not everybody is willing to put themselves out there and truly follow their dreams, their heart and use their God-given skills to take what they deserve. I am living proof that anybody can be their own boss. Hopefully, my stories, my knowledge and my ongoing experiences can help at least one individual. How I Started As An Entrepreneur I didn’t grow up and sit through my college classes thinking that if I didn’t open a business, I’d be cheating myself. Instead, my exceptional lack of corporate political prowess at a young age taught me that it’s either entrepreneurship or thirty years of a miserable boss and even more miserable pension. Living in New York City and being unemployed in a great economy at age 25 prompted to me to visit the entrepreneurship section at Barnes and Noble shortly after leaving and, by fate or stroke of something close, I happened to pick up a thirty-page book on staffing, went home and started KAS. The corporate headquarters started out being a studio apartment on the Upper West Side. At first, I did what a 25, 26 and 27 year old would do with a dramatically increased salary. Then, around 28, I began to get serious about growing my firm – albeit from a one bedroom apartment at the time. Now at the age of 29, I own a revenue generating company in New York City, I pay a couple of Manhattan rents, have five full-time, very talented employees whom I care about on payroll, and my firm is currently catching the turning economy, which means more growth, training, management, and whatever may come as well. I live a life that is hard to obtain and that I am grateful to have. The Price Of Success If you think successful entrepreneurship does not come with a price tag, think again. Then think another time after that. At an early age, I feel hardened. I joke a lot with my friends, but when it comes to business, I feel that I don’t smile as much as I would if I were an employee. Being successful is arduous. Being successful is stressful. If you want to be successful at a young age, don’t just read the below, but come to terms with it : this is the mentality that a young entrepreneur needs. If You’re A Rattlesnake, Nobody Pokes You With A Stick It was about a year and a half ago. I had three employees working from my apartment on the Upper East Side. It was a little embarrassing because I run a staffing firm and we would occasionally have candidates come to the “office.” That is, until somebody claiming they were competition sent me a nasty email regarding not having an office. With 48 hours, I signed a two-year, $70,000 lease. I could not sleep. I worked and learned out of anger, out of spite for two days straight. I consider myself a rattlesnake. If you try to whack me with a stick, I bite like a s.o.b. If I want something, I work so hard for it that being on the other team means that you’re going to put in 18-hour days. If it sounds harsh, that’s because it is. I can’t apologize for my style, but the other firms in my space now know better. Nobody is dumb enough to get bitten twice. It’s The Work That Doesn’t Directly Pay, That Pays As a young entrepreneur, nobody is going to hand you a thing. Clients are going to be skeptical of you. The other teams have leverage simply by telling the client who shops around, “We’ve been in business for 15 years.” That means that I was 14 years old when they started. Get used it. So, how do you combat this sentence? It’s simple. Be more knowledgeable and gain better credentials . I started reading a lot of books about every aspect of business, persuasion, job seeking and whatever else the iPad would download. The reason why many younger entrepreneurs seem to avoid this is that it’s not listed on the job description. It is this exact work that helped me to learn how to get media exposure, which mitigates the aforementioned skepticism of potential clients. My writing has been syndicated in WSJ.com , NYTimes.com , Forbes.com , USAToday.com , About.com , HuffPo , AOL.com , Yahoo! Buzz and Yahoo! Finance and just about every other publication. Now, the “We’ve been in business for 15 years,” looks pretty bad when you’ve accomplished 20 times more in a quarter of the time. Once You’re Able To Recruit Them, Treat Your Employees Like Family Any entrepreneur, or for that matter, large corporate entity, lives by effective, loyal employees and dies by turnovers. Unhappy employees are easy to get because they are cheap and they screw up a business. Happy employees are so hard to find and procure because they are a serious expense, but they make a business. I had to recruit employees from an apartment. This was not easy. The first few took a chance on me and for that, I owe them everything. Management for many entrepreneurs is tough. For me, at first it was damn near impossible. I had a lot of growing up to do.  Management takes patience, it takes learning, it takes caring and it takes energy. Jack Welch put it best when he said that before you are a leader, you spend time growing yourself ; then when you become one, you spend that time growing others. As a young entrepreneur, know that your employees are the future of the company. Care about them . They are the ones standing next to you in the trenches and the moment you forget that, you’re in for a very gloomy day. Ethics: Have Them And Stand For Something At the age of 29, you don’t get to own your own business by not making mistakes. I have been called everything in the book except unethical . At the end of the day, you have your word and that is all you have. I have had clients, vendors and others that I’ve come across display despicable ethics, and dealing with them is tough, but you don’t back down. When someone acts in an unethical manner, tries not to pay you (and they will), you call them on it and fight to get whatever they owe you. I recently had to collect over $12,000 from clients overseas that were not paying. Yes. It’s a pain, but as a young entrepreneur you learn that not everybody acts with the utmost integrity . It’s a part of life and it’s a part of business. Say what you want, but you can’t call me “unethical.” Ken Sundheim Get your bonus copy of my book “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online” Download Here

Tagged as: client, entrepreneur, knowledge, management, mindset, space, writing, young-entrepreneur

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With Stalk Ninja now Startups can hire from a pool of hand-picked students

by Paul Joseph May 3, 2011 Featured

In conversation with entrepreneur Anish Sharma,on how he plans to build a differentiation in this space  What does your venture Stalk Ninja do? How does it help students and startups? The protocol is – a startup can float a project with clear deliver-ables and the students in the system compete for the project. The startup selects one student, gets their project done remotely and pays him/her… (Visit Yourstory.in for full news, other content, and much more!)

Tagged as: content, frontpage, other-content, project, space, students, venture, yourstory-in

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Don’t Pay The Fat Tax! How a Healthy Lifestyle Can Fuel Your Success

by Paul Joseph March 17, 2011 Featured

How many of you pay for a gym membership that goes unused?  How about that great treadmill or Bo-Flex machine which is collecting dust in your basement?  Well, then you are paying quite the fat tax, and it’s affecting your ability to succeed as a business owner. I’ve been in ‘this game’ called Entrepreneurship for all sixteen years of my post-college career. Three businesses later, hundreds of thousands of dollars invested, countless hours toiled and an untold number of all-nighters have put a great deal of stress on this 37 year-old mind and body.  As a former student-athlete, striking a healthy mind-body balance has always been important to me, and one of the foundations of my success.  My ability to maintain or reclaim that balance amidst the incessant demands of start-up businesses has been challenged, to say the least.  I want to bring this issue to light for the benefit of young entrepreneurs, as well as seasoned veterans, who I am sure can attest to how difficult it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle while building their businesses. “Sacrifice” they say “is necessary for success”.  You have to give things up, that I agree with. But your health should not be one of them!  When you’re passionate about something or up against the clock, nothing else seems to be a priority.  All you can think about it how to raise more capital or grow your sales to avoid hitting the red.  It can be very stressful.  And it doesn’t get any easier on the other side of the fence, after you start achieving some success.  Bigger clients, growing staff and hungrier investors come with bigger demands on your time and energy.  That is why you have to carve out the space right now – no matter what stage of entrepreneurship you’re in – to make healthy living a top priority.  Consider it an investment in your business, if that’s what it takes to motivate you. I’m not speaking to you as a personal trainer, nutritionist or business coach – I’m coming from the perspective of a long-time entrepreneur who has been through this.  I can remember a three-year time period where I literally worked day and night, sun-up to past sun-down, slept in the office once a week, and ate two meals a day at my desk.  I was 27-29 at the time, and it really took a toll on me.  The ‘athlete’ in student-athlete no longer existed, although I never stopped thinking of myself as a ‘healthy person’.  But I was on the verge of burnout, with an aching back and stiffness in the knees, although I no longer participated in sports.  The body has a funny way of communicating our needs to us.  I took this as a message – “I’m too young for this” I thought, as I proceeded to join the gym the next day, signing up for yoga and karate to complement a new cardio and weight lifting routine.  I can honestly say, from both personal and professional standpoints, that this was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  It’s 8 years later, and I haven’t looked back since. So what’s your story?  I know, the kids or other personal demands are taking up your non-work time.  Whether it’s active social or family lives, which are also vital parts of a healthy 360 degree lifestyle, it should not impede your ability to take out 15-30 minutes a day to get the heart rate up through some form of exercise.  I would not count walking to work as exercise either, although it’s always good to get some extra movement in your daily routine. Here are some of the things that I recommend to alleviate stress and strike a balanced lifestyle that will increase your productivity, happiness and longevity as an entrepreneur: Pick 1-2 fitness or sports activities that are accessible and reliable (meaning, you don’t have to depend on too many other people to participate in). Schedule yourself for at least four days per week , at a minimum of 15 minutes per session.  Going for a jog around the block or doing three sets of push-ups and sit-ups is minimal but acceptable.  If you have a gym membership, don’t pay the “fat tax” – instead, actually use it! Track it , so that you can keep yourself honest.  Use a spreadsheet, calendar or simple web-based checklist for marking the days you worked out.  I have created such a Personal Time Tracking Tool in Excel that you can check out.  If you don’t track it, it becomes easy to play mind games with yourself and start regressing. Be safe. Playing sports always comes with its risks.  Just try to minimize those risks. No need to be a hero and dive for loose balls all over the court.  Contain your competitive drive (as much as possible) for when you get back to the office.  Let this time be a good release, have fun, and get home in-tact.  This is easier said than done, especially for competitive entrepreneurs! Hire a trainer for at least 2 workouts per month.  Someone that can help you stay accountable to yourself, and work out “the right way” instead of just walking on the treadmill while checking your email or watching TV. A few quick tips on the nutrition side, which is equally as important to your health as physical exercise: Don’t eat until you’re full. It makes you tired, craving more sugar and caffeine, and reduces your energy level.  Chances that you’ll say “I’m just beat.  I can’t work out today.” increase 3-fold. Don’t skip meals. You may think that’s positive for taking in less calories; but in my experience, unless one is consciously fasting, skipping meals drains your energy, induces over-compensation in subsequent meals and throws the metabolism out of whack. Get the office into a health kick as well. At my company, I provide healthy snacks, teas and a gym membership to encourage healthy lifestyles.  I can’t force it of course, but I can be a role model and create an environment where taking care of oneself is strongly encouraged. With that in place, here are a few other health tips that will nicely complement your regimen: Get sufficient, quality sleep. Not sleeping enough dulls your mind and tires your body. Meditate. Even if it’s for five minutes a day, meditation gets the mind to slow down will increase your clarity and overall well-being. Take a relaxing vacation at least once a year.  There is nothing like a vacation for rejuvenating the mind, body and soul. As an entrepreneur, you have to constantly reinvent yourself to meet new challenges.  Your personal health challenge is something that you already face daily, whether you are conscious of it or not.  Wherever you stand right now, if you raise your awareness and commitment level to your health, I promise you that the quality of your work and your life overall will improve.  You can measure it yourself as part of an experiment.  Others have, as have I – and the data is irrefutable.  Healthy lifestyles lead to happier and more productive entrepreneurs. Arman Rousta is Founder & CEO of digital agency, Blueliner, which services start-ups and established companies such as IZOD, California Closets and Lufthansa. Read more about Arman here

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