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]]> If you like to have your cake and eat it too, splitting your time between two countries probably sounds right up your alley! The good news? It’s not a crazy pipe dream.It wasn’t always my plan to one day call both the United States and Brazil home. In fact, I didn’t have a plan at all. Even as I kept earning more degrees (hello student loans!), I never felt “right” about where my life was headed.
One day, a friend of a friend asked if I would edit his dissertation. While I was always the go-to editor and writer for friends and family, it never occurred to me people would pay me for this skill. I had no idea what rate to charge, so I nervously said $20 an hour. He agreed, and became my first editing client!
Around the same time, I was eager to travel. Although my Brazilian boyfriend (now husband) and I had talked about spending time in his home country so I could learn Portuguese and get to know his family, we were not proactively making it happen.
But my gut was telling me my ho-hum feeling job wouldn’t get me the life I wanted: A life of travel, culture and control over my time.
One day, after a particularly stressful day at work, I decided I would move to Brazil with or without my boyfriend. (Yes, I’m a bit impulsive!) He decided to join me. Within six months, we sold almost everything we owned. With five overstuffed suitcases and our cat Rupert, we boarded a flight to Brazil!
Our plan was to stay for six months. If we didn’t like it, we’d move back and continue on with our “normal” lives. If we loved it, we would complete the necessary paperwork to stay in Brazil legally.
Turns out Brazil is pretty awesome!
In between trips to the beach, I took courses in Portuguese and continued editing for my first client and others. While I wasn’t making a ton of money, I was able to pay my student loans. My husband was working too, which helped keep us afloat financially.
While we loved living in Brazil, we started missing our U.S. life. So what did we do? We decided to have our cake and eat it too! We’re back in the states now, and I officially launched my full-time writing and editing business less than a year ago!
We plan to buy a condo in the U.S. within the next six months so we won’t have to sell everything every time we move. Then, we plan to spend three to five months each year in Brazil.
We don’t have all the answers. But we know anything is possible when we do the work and remain dedicated to our core values and goals.
If you want to travel extensively or split your time between two countries, it is possible! (Click here to tweet this bit of inspiration.) Here are my best tips to make it happen:
Where would you love to split your time each year? What’s one step you can take today to make it happen? Share in the comments.
Shannon Trindade is a writer, editor, and communication pro who helps businesses and individuals connect with their unique audiences. She loves being around internationally minded thinkers, splits her time between the U.S. and Brazil, and firmly believes we are all connected and must learn to cherish and appreciate our differences. WritetoConnect.org
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]]> Students aren’t the only ones learning lessons from summer road trips — one professor just finished an enlightening journey of his own.As Fast Company reports, Mike Glauser, executive Director of the Clark Center for Entrepreneurship at Utah State University, recently completed a cross-country bike ride to learn more about the realities of entrepreneurship in America. With funds raised on Kickstarter, he and a team cycled from Florence, OR to Yorktown, VA and interviewed 100 entrepreneurs in business-friendly smaller cities like Sister, OR and Chester, IL.
What he found revealed some interesting things about those on the forefront of the shift to entrepreneurship. Here are some of the big lessons you can take away from his findings (Click here to tweet this list.):
Money is great, and of course entrepreneurs want to make as much of it as they can, but the most successful (and happiest) aren’t motivated by money alone; they add a sense of mission to their business plan.
Your takeaway: Identify the big “why” behind your business. Who are you trying to help? What difference do you want to make in the world? Getting clear on that will not only improve your ROI; it’ll improve your overall sense of satisfaction.
While Silicon Valley or NYC may seem the “place to be” for entrepreneurs, the people Glauser interviewed made a conscious choice to escape the rat-race feel of big cities and move to a place they’d enjoy calling home.
For some, that meant being close to the mountains. For others, it meant going somewhere they could enjoy an active lifestyle or be a part of a close-knit community. Being able to feel a part of their surroundings and to give back was important to nearly every entrepreneur Glauser interviewed.
Your takeaway: Don’t forget the “life” side of the work-life balance equation. Make sure you’re creating a life in a location that makes you feel personally fulfilled, both as a person and as a business owner.
The entrepreneurs Glauser spoke with didn’t necessarily have a ton of startup money or a flush economy on their side, but they leveraged their creativity and the advice of smart advisors and mentors to bootstrap their way to success.
Your takeaway: Don’t see dollar signs as an obstacle to your entrepreneurial goals. You may need a little more than a “dollar and a dream,” but you can do a lot with a little if you’re smart about it.
“Only a handful” of the 100 entrepreneurs Glauser interviewed had any formal business background or training. They simply figured things out as they went along and applied the brains and experience they already had.
Your takeaway: Glauser’s advice, as a professor who teaches entrepreneurship? “The model is to create a prototype fast, scale up fast, grow, and create an exit strategy.”
To learn more about Glauser’s trip, including the entrepreneurs he interviewed and his plans for a book based on his findings, click here.
What other advice would you offer to aspiring entrepreneurs?
Kelly Gurnett runs the blog Cordelia Calls It Quits and is the Editor-in-Chief of All Things Career. Follow her on Twitter @CordeliaCallsIt.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/10/09/dont-need-silicon-valley-become-successful-entrepreneur/feed/ 2The post Startup Advice: 3 Financial Tips for Long-Term Success appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> You’ve decided to turn your great startup idea into a reality, congratulations! As you prepare to give yourself over to the life of an entrepreneur, some of the biggest challenges you’ll need to prepare for are the financial ones. And not just how to get your great idea up and running — how to transform it into a successful company.Between crowdfunding sites, startup accelerators, investor meetings and good old fashioned bootstrapping, you have a number of ways to successfully launch your product or services to the public.
But what about ensuring you can launch a company with the ability to survive long-term? The truth is, many great ideas fizzle out because funds are lacking, and lesser ideas succeed because the people behind them demonstrated the right know-how when it came to navigating the financial realities of entrepreneurial life.
Consider the next three tips as you prepare to seek investments and secure the funds needed to compete in the competitive startup landscape. Do so and you’ll give yourself the best chance at long-term success.
Enough startups make million, even billion dollar headlines that it’s tempting for first-time entrepreneurs to seek more money than the company is actually worth. If a simple messaging app like Yo can raise a cool 1.5 million in a short few months with an estimated valuation somewhere between $6-10 million, it’s understandable to think your venture could too.
But while Yo might have been the sleeper hit of the summer, it’s now challenged to prove it’s worth that much, and if its founders don’t wisely distribute that investment, it has as much of a chance at failure as any other startup.
Seek what you need, use it wisely, continue demonstrating your worth and you’ll be able to secure the money you need to become profitable. (Click here to tweet this quote.)
Many entrepreneurs seek out investors to kick start their companies. The most important thing to an investor is understanding how they’ll see a return on their investment. In these meetings it’s critical to share your financial predictions and strategies so they have a clear understanding of how you plan to enter and grow in your desired market.
You can use a number of online tools to assist with estimating the worth of your company and how much funding is needed for its ongoing success. Remember, investors hear pitches like yours for a living, and financial savvy is a big indicator you and your team are prepared to overcome typical startup hurdles. If you can do that, they’ll be more likely to open their wallets.
Fortunately, for beginning entrepreneurs, other companies have done what they’re setting out to do and have done it successfully. If you look closely at the origins of companies like Facebook or AirBnB, you’ll see they started out modestly and smartly when it came to finances.
Facebook began with half a million dollars in angel investment and went on to IPO with a valuation of $104 billion. AirBnB used its $20K from startup accelerator Y Combinator to turn itself into a company now valued at around $2.5 billion.
With a little research, it’s easy to follow the trajectories of these companies and see how finances played into their ability to allocate funds to embed themselves into the marketplace. There’s much to be learned from the history of the companies able to make their great ideas into reality.
Many factors can affect the overall success of a startup, but financials are the most critical. Even the best ideas can’t be sustained without the financial savvy to know where to seek funds, how to allocate them and make accurate predictions that’ll guide your company to long-term success.
Paul Jackson is the founder of Worthworm.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/09/19/startup-advice-3-financial-tips-long-term-success/feed/ 0The post 5 Barriers to Starting Your Own Business — and How to Overcome Them appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Have you ever dragged yourself through a meeting at work, listened to your coworkers ramble about meaningless ideas and thought to yourself, “I’m done! I can’t wait to leave this place and start my own business!” Well, it’s likely you have according to a recent study by the University of Phoenix School of Business.The study shows that nearly half of workers in their 20s and 30s want to own their own business someday. But a few common reasons keep people from taking the leap.
Whether it’s lack of knowledge or lack of funding, these barriers can prevent you from reaching your full potential as an entrepreneur. Here are some of the most common ones and how to push past them to get the career of your dreams.
Maybe you have that one big idea. You know the one — it’s what you can’t stop thinking about every morning as you go about your hour-long commute. Maybe your idea is so big it needs investors to come to fruition or maybe it just needs the right developer, scientist or designer whose services are a bit over your budget.
Once you define your big idea, it’s time to discover where the money is and figure out how you can get your hands on it.
Shannon McLay, Founder & President of NextGen Financial says,
One of the best ways to finance your new business venture, especially if you are having difficulty obtaining bank or SBA loans, is through angel investors like friends and family. If you truly believe in your venture, then they should as well. If you don’t want to mix your personal and your business relationships, then there are a number of crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter that you can access for funds.
You’d be surprised how many people became accidental entrepreneurs. I’m one myself. Although there’s a lot of value in obtaining your MBA, mostly in terms of connections and networking, it’s definitely not a requirement for owning a business.
John Schmoll, who owns two businesses, Ink Harmony and Frugal Rules, explains:
If you’re waiting until you know everything about running a business, you’ll never do anything. You don’t need a business degree to run your own business. You do need to spend some time thinking through what skill, service or product you can sell or offer.
Plus, when you’re trying to gather funding or bootstrap your way to success, pricey degrees may not be the answer. As John further explained,
There’s an abundance of free information online about how to create a business plan and develop a marketing strategy. You can start there and answer basic, big picture questions like who your audience is, how you will reach them and why they need your product/service/skill.
Also, don’t forget that failure can be a great teacher. We don’t like to think about failure, but some of the most successful people on Earth used early failures to their advantage.
Jon Oringer, who is one of the youngest billionaires in the world, recently gave a speech where he described several business failures before hitting it big with Shutterstock. Don’t be afraid to fail. Know it’s a possibility and try to avoid it, but don’t be scared if it happens because you never know where it will lead.
It’s amazing how much time we’re capable of wasting every day. From getting lost on social media to lounging in front of the TV, we could all think of a handful of times in the last week where we could have been more productive. Despite this, 22 percent of people who want to own a business say a lack of time is stopping them.
Whether family commitments or exhaustion from full-time work is weighing on you, there are many ways to find those rare moments to work on your business idea.
Grayson Bell, a successful entrepreneur and owner of iMark Interactive explains:
Owning a business is not about “finding” time to make it successful. It is about managing the time you already have to be the most efficient. While we may feel there isn’t enough time in the day, if you prioritize your tasks based on importance, then you can learn how to manage the time you have available.
Maybe you’ve always wanted to start a business, but you can’t come up with an idea for one. (Or annoyingly, some guy in the next state over had the same one!) Conversely, maybe you have too many ideas and don’t know which one to pursue.
If you’re having trouble creating ideas, try a new field, work on something that “bugs you,” talk to consumers to discover what they need or reinvent the wheel by making an existing product cheaper or more streamlined. (Click here to tweet this idea.)
If you have too many ideas, choose the one that gets you so excited you can’t sleep at night. Many people make the mistake of picking the idea that seems the most lucrative, but when it’s late at night and you’ve already put in 100 hours for the week, it’ll be easier to keep going if you’re working on something you’re truly passionate about.
Leadership skills are acquired through experience, and Joe Saul-Sehy, co-host of the popular Stacking Benjamins podcast and former financial planner, echoed this sentiment when he told me,
I don’t believe that leadership skills are innate. Anyone can learn to be a good leader. How? First, create a vision that’s big enough for employees to share in the “win” and continuously show them the route to your combined success.
Even if you’re an experienced leader who wants to start a new venture but lacks the confidence, Joe suggests:
Sharpen your “leadership saw” by learning from the best of all time… such as Walt Disney, Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Sam Walton and Warren Buffett. You have to carve out time to consistently practice. That’s how you’ll see your leadership skills develop.
Ultimately, the most significant barrier to starting your own business could be you. Remember, believe in yourself first and have an unending passion for your venture, and the support and funding will follow.
Carve out the necessary time to focus on your business ideas. Be kind and compassionate to others, continuously seek out new (and affordable) education and resources, and you’ll be surprised at how far you can go as an entrepreneur.
Have you ever wanted to start a business, but were met with one of the barriers listed above? What did you do to break through it?
Catherine Alford is a full time blogger, personal finance freelance writer, and mom of newborn twins. She writes about how to balance life and a budget all across the web including her own site, Budget Blonde.
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]]> Some dream of becoming self-employed. Some are brave enough to jump in feet first. But others need to wade into the deep end one step at a time.For those who want to try running a business without substantial risk, use free or cheap resources to design a micro business that’s both profitable and professional. Then slowly grow your business into the real deal.
Side hustles need a great product or service. It’s the most essential aspect of your part-time business. But it has to be something people want or need.
You can create an e-book, PDF, app, game or video. Don’t skimp on the quality. And you don’t have to invest a lot of money to make a high quality product. Use the following resources for help:
Having a website to sell your products is essential, but you don’t need to spend a large amount of time or money to have your own site.
With a little technical knowledge you can use WordPress. Or you could use one of the drag and drop website builders like Wix. You’ll need the e-commerce plan at $19.90 plus the PayPal transaction costs to sell your work.
Alternatively, you can use an e-commerce solution like Selz. It’s free to set up, and you only pay a small fee per sale. It’s designed for non-technical entrepreneurs. Selz is easy to use, has a great streamline checkout, and can be used to sell securely from almost any website.
An email list a great way to stay connected to your new customers. You can send them a monthly newsletter, upcoming sales or announce a new product.
Mailchimp has a free option that lets you build an email list up to 2,000 subscribers. It has great tutorials, and templates to help you get started. Plus, if you choose Selz for your e-commerce platform, you can integrate your Mailchimp account into your Selz store.
Guerrilla marketing uses low-cost and sometimes unconventional means to market your product. Marketing can be expensive and the outcome is always uncertain. Try a few different methods and tactics before you make a substantial investment in marketing your digital product.
Create a strategy with these resources:
You don’t need to risk your life savings to start a profitable side hustle. (Click here to tweet this quote.) It’ll take a lot of work, sure. But running a business is challenging, regardless of its size.
If you start small, you can test your digital product to see if it’s a winner. You can get input from your customers and make adjustments if needed. You can get all the kinks out without taking a huge risk.
If you’ve got a great idea for a side hustle, you don’t need to wait for the perfect moment. If you’re willing to invest your time, you don’t need to invest a lot of money.
Liesha Petrovich is the creator of Micro Business Essentials, a unique business blog exclusively for micro business owners. If you’re looking for fast, affordable, and effective tips to help your business grow, click here to grab a copy of Micro Business Essentials Toolkit: Free and Low Cost Resources.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/08/25/risk-free-way-start-side-hustle-still-full-time-job/feed/ 1The post How Hustling Like Beyoncé Can Make You a Better Entrepreneur appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> You may not immediately think of the queen “B” when you’re seeking a business role model, but maybe you should.We’ve watched this global icon rise from a girl band to become her own established brand. Through relationship networking, co-sponsorships, powerful storytelling and audience reach, Bey has positioned herself to be an enterprise to follow.
Here are few things you could learn about entrepreneurship, straight from Beyoncé’s playbook. (Click here to tweet this list.)
According to Entrepreneur, there are seven key traits to successful entrepreneurism. Tenacity tops the list.
Though she’s become an iconic part of the music industry, Beyoncé’s journey to the top was not without its demands on her or her family, who are famously involved in her career. In a 2011 interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan, she shared how her upbringing has helped keep her eye on the proverbial prize: “I grew up with a family that was successful, but not born successful. I believe with hard work and with a goal and love and positivity, then eventually we’re going to be fine.”
One study on personality profiles of entrepreneurs revealed the presence of extroversion is the true indicator of a business owner’s desire “to engage in a range of entrepreneurial activities.” Those entrepreneurial activities include starting a new businesses and being innovative about bringing new ways of doing things into the world.
Like Beyoncé, who has admitted to being introverted outside of the media spotlight, you can embrace the aspects of your personality that suit entrepreneurism — while faking the rest until you feel more comfortable in your entrepreneurial skin.
Knowing she had to continue to present the ladylike image that was a key aspect of her early marketability, according to the Washington Post, Beyoncé channeled her alter ego “Sasha Fierce” to experiment with the more sexually charged music and ideas fans did not yet know her for. Once she knew she no longer needed to play that role and could instead embrace both parts of her personality in front of fans, she reportedly put the alter ego to rest.
Whether you want to call it a mission statement or elevator pitch, every entrepreneur needs a guiding purpose behind his or her endeavor that is so clear, it can be summed up in just a few words.
Regardless of whether she’s Beyoncé the mom, Beyoncé the collaborator, Beyoncé the wife or Beyoncé the entertainer, she knows her message. “I definitely feel that it is my job to empower women,” Knowles told Morgan in the CNN interview.
Soon before she announced that she was pregnant, Knowles made a conscious decision to slow down for the basic pleasures of life, like picking her nephew up from school. “I learned the importance of taking time for myself; I was moving around so much that I had no idea that I really have 16 Grammys. I got up and accepted my awards, but I didn’t realize what an amazing accomplishment that was,” said Knowles in the Morgan interview.
She may be married to hip hop mogul Jay-Z, but little is known about Beyoncé’s personal life beyond what the power pair chooses to divulge. Similarly, every interaction, decision and communication associated with your brand should positively reflect on who you are as a businessperson.
“Jay and I have kind of made a decision that we want to be known for our music and not our relationships or scandals,” Knowles told Morgan.
Beyoncé entered the spotlight as the lead singer of the pop group Destiny’s Child, but by taking risks like playing the role of the iconic songstress and heroin addict Etta James in the movie “Cadillac Records,” Knowles learned she had passions beyond music that were worth exploring.
“It made me a lot braver, and to have the freedom to kind of let go of all ego and not care about what I look like or fitting into a pop star box. It was really liberating to me,” said Knowles in the Morgan interview.
Though being an entrepreneur can feel like a solo endeavor, emulating the “best practices” of other like-minded business owners — even those in industries far removed from your own — can help you navigate the uncertainty with more confidence.
By taking a cue from Beyoncé, an entrepreneur who has become a household name despite being in the mainstream spotlight for less than two decades, you may learn some new ways to be a better business owner.
Kristen Gramigna is Chief Marketing Officer for BluePay, a leading payment gateway provider for small businesses. She has more than 15 years experience in the bankcard industry in direct sales, sales management and marketing.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/08/20/hustling-like-beyonce-can-make-better-entrepreneur/feed/ 1The post 3 Steal-Worthy Secrets of Amazing Self-Starters appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Promise me something. The next time you update your resume (which you should do frequently, even if you’re not looking for a job), you will scrub it completely of the words self-starter, highly-motivated and driven.Why, you ask?
Because you’re lying to yourself.
The reality is that it’s easy to be aself-starter when you get to do something you enjoy.
The reality is that it’s easy to stay highly-motivatedwhen you know precisely what must be done – and how to accomplish that task at a high level.
The reality is that it’s easy to feel driven when you know the outcome you’re after and precisely how to make it happen.
Much harder is being able to “start” when you lack a clear understanding of how long the task will take or how hard it will be.
Much harder is staying “highly motivated” when the path forward becomes increasingly challenging or ambiguous.
Much harder is staying “driven” when you begin to second-guess whether the outcome will really be worth the effort required to achieve it.
The secrets of real self-starters
Real self-starters – people who have the ability to keep moving forward even when the path is unclear, challenging and ambiguous – reinforce their natural willpower and self-discipline with structure. (Click here to tweet this quote.)
Specifically, they create simple systems and processes that enable them to protect both their time and mental energy and preserve it for the highest-value, highest-effort work.
If you want to protect your time and energy – and do more higher-value, higher-impact work, here are three specific areas for which real “self-starters” often create systems to preserve and protect their precious time and energy. This is why true self-starters get more done in the same amount of time the rest of us have.
The CEO of a startup once told me the following: “The only part of my day in which I am in complete control is between the time my alarm goes off and 8 a.m.” Unless you’re a doctor or an emergency responder, that statement is likely also true for you.
Given that you only have a limited window of time under your complete control, it’s essential that you make those moments count.
How should you spend your precious morning minutes? Based upon the patterns and habits of other self-starters, your morning routine should likely include of a mix of the following activities, each and every day:
Just like a great start to your day, a well-organized system to manage your inbox will help you preserve both your energy and time.
These are three common characteristics among the email habits of real self-starters:
Fears and emotions related to money — how much we have, how much we need and why — can corrupt our ability to focus and do truly meaningful work.
Similar to the way they manage their inbox, real self-starters use systems to ensure they don’t waste precious time or energy “worrying” about money. While some use professional money managers and financial planners, here’s a simple step to get you started:
Schedule time for money management each month. LearnVest CEO Alexa Van Tobel, likes to say that you should “treat your financial life like your social life. Put it on the calendar.” A common benchmark is 45 minutes a month.
Use this time to ask and answer these five questions:
True self-starters are more than just strong-willed and self-disciplined; they’re also organized. More specifically, they use structure and systems to protect and safeguard their most valuable time and energy – to ensure that it is spent on their most challenging, meaningful work.
What systems and processes do you use that help you to make progress – even when it’s hard?
Ben Sands writes at Regret Free Life where he helps the smart men and women make great decisions about the stuff they care most about. For useful ideas about your career, money, relationships and path forward join his free newsletter.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/08/06/3-steal-worthy-secrets-amazing-self-starters/feed/ 2The post Fancy Being an Entrepreneur? Here’s Where to Begin appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Are you “over” your 9-to-5? If you’re sick of going into the office every day and feeling totally uninspired as you sit in your cubicle working hard to grow someone else’s business, the entrepreneurial lifestyle might be a better fit for you.As an entrepreneur, you can set your own hours and work around your own priorities. Most importantly, you get to build something you feel truly passionate about. Making your own business successful sure beats working for the man.
While you may fancy the idea of becoming an entrepreneur, you may not know where to begin. As with most daunting life changes, getting started is the hardest part. How do you figure out what the market needs – and how do you create it?
Follow these steps to identify where to focus your talents and skills as an entrepreneur and take the right steps to build a successful business. (Click here to tweet this list.)
Start by exploring your passions and your strongest skills. Create a list of industries you’d want to work in.Given the long (often unpaid) hours that go into getting a business of the ground, choosing an industry that fascinates you is the first step. Be sure to cast your net wide; many skills can apply to more than one industry.
For instance, a developer might start her own software tech business. Or, she might explore health tech and develop better algorithms for calculating health risks and insurance pricing.
Conduct a comprehensive analysis on the industries in the list.Now that you’ve narrowed down your industries of interest, ask the following questions:
Your industry analysis should be able to answer these questions. The answers should reveal needs that existing business are not addressing, opportunities they are not exploiting or innovative combinations of services and products that are not yet offered.
This is a most important step. Use knowledge from your numerous hobbies and academic interests to harness your creative energy and think strategically. From your analysis of industries and unaddressed needs above, narrow down what can be feasibly addressed. Brainstorm potential solutions – and not only the obvious ones.
Remember that innovation could be as simple as new combinations of existing services or products. In his book “Where Good Ideas Come From,”Steven Johnson explains that good ideas come less from thinking outside of the box, but thinking through multiple boxes. The entrepreneurial mind does not create ideas ex nihilo — it instead curiously seeks to make uncommon combinations and improvements on already existing systems.
Iterate frequently throughout your brainstorming process. Seek to define new solutions and to define unique combinations of solutions. Pay attention to solutions that can be easily translated into business. Remember, you need to make money, too. Most entrepreneurs seek sustainable, scalable solutions that can be easily monetized.
Once your brainstorming has yielded positive results, refine your ideas until you can explain in a sentence or two what solution your business will offer. Boom! You have already defined the value proposition for your business.
You’re not there yet though. In the next couple of months, your value proposition will evolve. Let it! Intense networking and research should characterize this process. My favorite piece of advice from Johnson’s book urges entrepreneurs to connect rather than protect. Talk to your professional networks about your idea. Talk to experts at innovation hubs in your college or city. Get feedback and incorporate it in refining your proposition.
Using your knowledge of your industry and market, define what your competitive advantage is. Try to capture it in your value proposition or your business model.
What’s next after your well-defined idea? Design a plan of action and an accompanying timeline detailing your priorities and deadlines. Many idea creators will work on finding a good team, seeking funding, understanding the market and refining their product to better meet market needs.
You’re now an entrepreneur. Make it work!
You’ve probably come across frightening statistics about how many new businesses fail. That should not dampen your drive, but it should prepare you to be ready to learn from your mistakes and to go back to the drawing board when necessary.
Nkatha Gitonga is a rising senior at Harvard interested in entrepreneurship. She works for a Legal Department Management firm in Boston.
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]]> Six years ago, we decided that each founder of our startup would work from their house or apartment. The idea was to avoid committing ourselves to the expense of an office rental.Everything started as an economic decision, but today, when we can afford to rent an excellent workplace, we still choose to work from home. The work and life quality is simply better. Even while making our enterprise scalable, we continue to implement our philosophy of successfully working remotely.
Back in 2008, we were the only startup with no office. Today, many startups adopt this new working style.
To improve as an enterprise, we studied how to implement this methodology with 26 startups that also work without an office. Here are the three main pillars we learned. (Click here to tweet this list.)
Working with no physical office makes constant communication essential. But we had to define how we communicate when we don’t physically see each other every day.
Email (Gmail) and teleconferences (Skype) definitely weren’t it. We used these during our first years of work and we were wrong without doubt.
Email wasn’t developed as a tool to manage and optimize team work. And certainly not to be used as a to-do list. Skype ended up being our worst enemy because it turned into the meaningless face-to-face meetings like we used to have with our boss. They were a total waste of time.
During the third year of our startup, we decided to change to Basecamp and we now use Trello. These are tools created with the aim of helping remote teams work efficiently. What’s most important is that it allows us to control “where” each one of us and our colleagues are working in real time (without having to bother them via email).
In this way, we reduced email interaction to almost zero and eliminated teleconferences. Our startup policy is to not have group meetings anymore. Everything is communicated through text.
For programmers like us, who need between four and five straight hours of work to reach our maximum potential, the distraction or interruption of a meeting results in losing those working hours.
The second pillar, based on our own experience and what we learned from other entrepreneurs, is to define what each member of the project must do from the first day. This is another place where we made mistakes.
Going to a workplace and personally seeing each other allows us to be in constant contact to define what everyone will do and avoid having several people work on the same task, which wastes time.
Everyone frequently works from a different place. The lack of assignment of tasks and responsibilities is the main cause of failure. And as a startup, we don’t have bosses or project managers to tell us what and when to do something.
As entrepreneurs, we don’t know how to begin, since that’s the aim of the new project: trying new things, innovating and being able to find a repeatable and long-term scalable business model.
Regardless, we need to define responsibilities. For example: one of the founders is in charge of programming, one handles designing, one takes legal and/or accounting tasks, and the other manages client support. Now we’re able to assign specific tasks as they arise (e.g., database backups, billing and control).
This item may seem obvious and even simple. It seemed like that to us at first too, but over time it became the backbone of our startup progress. Having somebody responsible for each area (e.g., technical area, administration area) is the only way to successfully move forward every day.
We define our office as our clients’ office. This means that when we work as a startup, we’re sitting next to our potential client in their office and learning from them: what they need, how they interact with our tool and what pieces of advice or criticism they have.
Not having an office we must show up at every day doesn’t mean we should stay locked up at home. This can lead us to a disconnection with the outside world, where our startup will develop and interact with to grow.
Emiliano Canova is a programmer and teacher at the University of Córdoba and co-founder of SOAP, a new online mechanism for education, specialized on mobile technology and devices with wireless interaction.
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The post 3 Tips for Growing a Team (and a Business) When Everyone Works Remotely appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/07/14/3-tips-growing-team-business-everyone-works-remotely/feed/ 5The post 6 Things Every New Entrepreneur Should Know appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> As founders, we learn from our own experiences. But you can’t know everything. If this is your first time starting up, it’s important to seek advice from people who have been there before.Let these six tips become part of your entrepreneur’s credo: (Click here to tweet this list.)
You might not know this right away, especially if you’re in a saturated market like law, but you have to figure it out quickly. The more you can research your industry and understand how you’re different, the better you can set yourself apart. You need to be able to show by example why you’re different.
I used to think all lawyers wanted their own firm. It wasn’t until I went out on my own that I realized most don’t. As lawyers, we’re trained to assess and mitigate risk. We remove ambiguity and attempt to anticipate every possible thing that can go wrong.
Lawyers typically have a low risk tolerance, which is generally contrary to the world of an entrepreneur, where uncertainty and risk are a reality. As an entrepreneur and a lawyer, I have a unique perspective that has helped us identify how we’re different and allows us to relate to our clients in a more meaningful way.
Things will not always go your way. As an entrepreneur, every day is an adventure and no doubt you will face challenges along the way. It’s key to be an effective problem solver, learn from your mistakes and don’t let challenges get you down. Figure out how to overcome issues and move forward. Onward and upward.
Simply put, don’t be afraid to ask. Whether it be for an introduction, advice, help or information, if you’re asking, you’re taking steps forward. By asking, you’re becoming more knowledgeable through others’ experiences and expanding your network to create more opportunities.
Let others challenge you to do better, to come up with solutions, to improve your business. Most people are extremely helpful and enjoy sharing their experiences. You’d be amazed at how far the right support system and resources can take you.
You will get a lot of advice along the way, but in the end you have to do what’s right for you and your business. Some people will understand the path you’re taking and others will not.
Don’t let the naysayers steer you in the wrong direction. Take an objective look at the situation, get as many informed opinions as needed and then make a decision from there.
It just might not be the right time. People’s needs change and evolve, as will your business. If you can’t land a particular client or an ideal candidate immediately, aim to form a relationship. Keep a dialogue going and check in periodically to see if there are any opportunities.
Take the long view and recognize that success is most often a slow process of building relationships. If you’re always forming and maintaining relationships, you’ll be paving the way to greater success down the line.
While there are many people who will help you along the way, every now and then you’ll come across someone who won’t or can’t. That doesn’t mean you stop there and give up. Keep looking to find the person who is willing and able to help you, and don’t forget to return the favor.
The defining characteristics of a successful entrepreneur are passion and persistence. Success is difficult but not impossible if you know who you are and what you’re after, and maintain the ability to ask for help when you need it.
Tricia Meyer is managing attorney of Meyer Law, a forward-thinking boutique law firm with clients in technology, telecom, financial services, real estate, advertising and healthcare. Learn more at www.MeetMeyerLaw.com and follow us on Twitter @Tricia_Meyer or @Meyer_Law.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/06/11/6-things-every-new-entrepreneur-know/feed/ 2The post How to Resign: 9 Keys to Leaving Your Job on Good Terms appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Thinking of quitting your job to start your own venture? You need to plan a smooth exit. And that means resigning as graciously as possible.You may have been planning to say something along the lines of “take this job and shove it,” but that would be a big mistake.
I’ve been in business for a long time, and I’ve seen some great and not-so-great resignations. You need to be especially mindful of your conduct if you’re resigning to start your own business. For a classy departure, keep in mind these nine tips:
You’re rightfully excited about your new venture and probably working on your business in your off hours. But don’t work on it while you’re at your day job. That’s stealing from your employer. Once you find that your new business is occupying your thoughts during the day, start making plans to say goodbye.
Just craft a short, two- to three-sentence letter that gives two weeks’ notice of your resignation. Make sure to show your gratitude for the position and the opportunities you’ve had. Don’t use the resignation letter to announce or talk about your business startup.
Even if your employer offers you more money to stay, kindly turn it down. You’re starting your own business — that’s why you’re leaving, remember? Once you’ve made that decision and given your notice, this chapter is over. Time to move on.
Once your employer receives your resignation letter, keep working your tail off. Remember that your employer’s life will be disrupted temporarily while looking for your replacement — you just made her life more complicated today. So go above and beyond at work, and if the boss asks you to stay on past the two weeks, help her out if you can. You want to protect your good reputation and leave the best possible impression. (Click here to tweet this thought.)
Don’t leave behind a big mess for the next person. If you haven’t been organized up to this point, get organized now. Document what you do and how you do it, organize your files, and finish up any projects that are dangling. In short, make it as easy as possible for the next person to come in and pick up where you left off.
This should go without saying, but resist the urge to load up on office supplies, clients, or coworkers.
Commit the first sin, and you may land in jail (or at least leave everyone wondering why you just had to swipe that tape dispenser). If you steal your clients or lure away your coworkers, you will start your new venture with a tarnished reputation and plenty of ill will. (Now, if a coworker decides to leave, that’s certainly his prerogative. But don’t recruit people and don’t help them leave.) Take my advice: Start out fresh with your own stuff and your own people.
Word will travel — there’s no stopping that. So take control of the message by saying only positive things before, during and after your departure. Just do your part to create goodwill in your office. If HR wants to conduct an exit interview, just say nice things. (And if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.)
On your last day, don’t just vanish into thin air — give one last professional goodbye. Shake hands with everyone, including your boss, and tell them how nice it was to work alongside them. Thank them for the opportunity and wish them the best. Be sure to share your contact information just in case someone needs to reach you.
Even after you’ve safely made it to the other side, resist the temptation to set fire to your old bridges. You never know when those valuable connections may come in handy — especially when you’re launching a business. Who knows? Your old employer may wind up being one of your first new customers, and you may find yourself traveling over that bridge once again. (If you ignore my advice and blow up that bridge anyway, you’re destined to run into your old boss at the grocery store every week for the rest of your life. Just remember that.)
When you’re leaving a job to start your own business, work hard to the very end. Be nice. Don’t burn bridges. And finally, always remember: What goes around, comes around.
Mike Kappel is the president of Patriot Software, Inc., a developer of online software for U.S. small businesses, as well as a supporter of entrepreneurship. Connect with him on Google+, on Twitter @MikeKappel, and on LinkedIn.
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The post How to Resign: 9 Keys to Leaving Your Job on Good Terms appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/05/30/resign-9-keys-leaving-job-good-terms/feed/ 1The post Work from Home? Don’t Make These 4 Mistakes appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> It’s been more than a year since several prominent companies made headlines by banning telecommuting, yet the practice remains a growing workplace trend.According to our recent survey, more than eight out of 10 telecommuting employees reported improvements in their stress levels, and seven out of 10 said that working at home boosts their productivity and emotional well-being.
Employees benefit from the right of flexible work. But that right comes with great responsibility. Many workers choose not to telecommute because their homes have too many distractions or not enough space. Others felt like collaboration and teamwork suffered when they were physically distant from teammates and managers.
To achieve work-life balance and experience the many benefits of a virtual work environment, telecommuters must avoid these four common pitfalls. (Click here to tweet this list.)
Either by circumstance or design, many telecommuters work in physical isolation. Even if they’re are surrounded by children, spouses and/or pets at home, the detachment from work colleagues can cause teleworkers to feel distant or out of the loop.
Highly extroverted individuals should take their home offices on the road and use technologies such as mobile productivity apps and VPN to work from more lively, social settings. Local coffee shops, coworking spaces or other shared workspaces can help more social teleworkers stay energized and productive.
When working from home, work and personal lives converge, and it’s easy to become distracted by that pile of laundry or by Fido nibbling your pant leg. In fact, telecommuters have identified household chores, television and pets as the biggest distractions while working from home.
Compartmentalize your work and personal worlds by creating a work-only zone in your home, whether it’s a full-blown home office or simply a nook in a bedroom. Remove personal distractions, such as piles of laundry or grocery lists, to keep your home office all business.
It should be easier to achieve work-life balance when working at home, right? Not necessarily. Telecommuters tend to work an average of six to seven hours longer each week than their office-bound counterparts. The comfort of working from home, coupled with around-the-clock connectivity, can cause telecommuters to work long past business hours.
To achieve a successful balance, formalize your work routine by establishing firm start and stop times. Develop disconnection techniques throughout the day, such as going for a walk, disabling work email notifications or simply changing clothes. Work shouldn’t overtake life, and life shouldn’t overtake work.
Telecommuters risk the danger of becoming out of sight, out of mind. Whether intentional or not, a study by MIT Sloan Management Review shows that managers often promote workers who show presenteeism. Because teleworkers are passively present via emails, IMs and conference calls, they often get lower performance reviews, smaller raises and fewer promotions.
Ask your employer to equip you with technology that enables human interaction and team camaraderie, such as desktop video conferencing, social intranets, document collaboration and more to ensure you’re getting your virtual face time.
Achieving an equitable balance of family, career and personal time can be a real challenge for people working at home. But with the right strategies in place, you can find a balance between the telecommuting pros and cons to attain true work-life balance.
Sean O’Brien is the strategic voice of PGi, managing the company’s internal and external communications, including his role as the primary spokesperson for PGi. He works directly with PGi Chairman and CEO Boland T. Jones, President Ted Schrafft and the executive team to craft and communicate PGi’s vision, strategy and corporate objectives.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/05/29/work-home-dont-make-4-mistakes/feed/ 2The post 3 Important Lessons for Young Entrepreneurs appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Entrepreneurship isn’t easy — but if you commit to understanding your customers and leveraging new technologies, it could be your first and last “job.”Growing up, most of us still believe in the American Dream – that by getting a college education and building up our resumes with internships and relevant professional skills, we’ll be able to graduate and walk into a high-paying (or at least stable) career. But with nearly half of the nation’s recent college graduates working jobs that don’t require a degree, a college diploma is no longer a golden ticket.
This harsh reality, paired with the “celebretization” of entrepreneurship, turns everyone into an aspiring entrepreneur. But the road to successful entrepreneurship is by no means easier that the traditional American Dream. In most cases, it’s harder — and it takes a lot of time, effort, energy and more often than not, money.
So whether you’re brainstorming how to make it on your own or are a seasoned entrepreneurial vet, here are three tips for today’s generation of entrepreneurs.
The system is still not designed for you to be an entrepreneur. It’s designed for you to work for someone else. Once you understand that, you can begin to look at your situation through a different lens and realize that this will be the one of the hardest things you will ever do, and one of the most valuable and rewarding experiences in your life. (Click here to tweet this thought.)
Being an entrepreneur is about doing things you never thought you could do and having great perseverance while doing it. You need to have great confidence in your idea(s) and what you have set out to accomplish. Be prepared to work the system to make it work for you. It may not happen overnight, but stick with it.
It’s safe to say that I’ve had the entrepreneurial bug in me since I was a kid. I started a video game newsletter when I was 11 years old. Back then, I used a Logitech handheld scanner to help me scan images and used Prodigy and AOL to help promote my newsletter on gaming message boards. By using the latest technology, I was able to gain retail distribution in the Northeast and in-book advertising from a handful of national brands. I can only imagine what I could have done if I were 11 years old today.
Moral of the story: Learn how to leverage technology to fast-track your personal knowledge of your industry and your business’ resources. It will allow you to grow fast while keeping overhead low. Here are some great resources for new and experienced founders and CEOs:
Don Coleman, founder, chairman and CEO of GlobalHue, the largest multicultural marketing agency in the United States, recently told me how, as an entrepreneur, his focus is on knowing and being where the consumer is going.
“Whatever we are doing as marketers and consumers, we need to focus on where the consumer is going,” said Coleman.
For Coleman, that meant leveraging GlobalHue’s multicultural legacy and deep cultural insights to offer their clients a total market solution in order to reach the changing consumer demographics in America.
This is a principle that today’s entrepreneurs must apply to succeed — whether your business is service-oriented (like Coleman’s ad agency model) or product-oriented. Identify how your business model can offer a client solution based on where your consumer is today, and even more importantly, where they will be three to five years from now.
Alex Frias is co-founder and president of Track Marketing Group, an award winning brand experience company specializing in live event and social activations. Alex also curates young & social, a marketing blog dissecting the convergence of brands, music, fashion, and lifestyle marketing.
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/05/28/3-important-lessons-generation-entrepreneurs/feed/ 3The post How Your Terrible Day Job Can Help You Become a Better Entrepreneur appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> For many side hustlers and wannabe entrepreneurs, “the day job” can seem like the enemy.Sure, it’s a paycheck, and that can be a helpful safety net while you’re trying to grow your own business. But it’s often little more than that. You slog through it, biding your time until you can focus on your “real” work and resenting the hours you have to spend in cubeland.
But just because the job that pays the bills isn’t your dream career, that doesn’t mean you can’t still learn a ton from it that will help you once you strike out on your own.
Three years after starting my side hustle, and nine months after quitting my day job to pursue it full-time, I’m still finding ways my time in corporate America set me up to be a better business person. It’s actually perversely rewarding, knowing that the job I hated so much helped prepare me to successfully leave it and go off on my on.
So, before you turn your brain off and coast through those hours at the office, keep an eye out for these skills you can learn in a traditional job that translate well to being your own boss: (Click here to tweet this list.)
As a paralegal, I got a thorough course in how to navigate the business world professionally and politely by choosing my words (and my tone) wisely.
The tact and patience I learned dealing with angry divorce petitioners comes in handy now when I need to explain to a staff writer why their post needs serious revision. The respectful-yet-firm tone I learned to use in letters to opposing counsel enables me to deal with a client payment issue or contract disagreements in a way that covers my ass without alienating the other party.
Even if you hate serving coffee with a smile or addressing troublesome managers respectfully, the harsh truth is, you will still need to handle yourself with decorum when you’re your own boss. Learning how to play the corporate etiquette game, while it may not be your favorite thing, can teach you some key tricks to grease the wheels, smooth over difficulties and be the bigger person in any situation.
If you really pay attention to your body, you’ll notice that throughout the day, you have a number of energy ebbs and flows — times when you’re naturally more alert and energetic (or sluggish and dull). We all do. (Does the “3:00 slump” ring a bell?)
The secret to boosting your productivity lies not in time management so much as in energy management. And when you set your own hours, knowing your body’s natural rhythms is especially important, because it helps you use those hours to the max.
As you go about your day job, start noticing what times of day you’re at your best. Do you get twice as much work done in the mornings as you do after lunch? Are you useless until your coffee starts to kick in, somewhere around 10 a.m.? Once you recognize when your peak energy levels hit, you can learn to use those times for more challenging and complex tasks and save the mindless stuff (like filing or invoicing) for your down times.
When you’re out on your own, you’ll be in charge of everything, from wooing clients to coming up with marketing strategies. You may even wind up scaling your business to include employees of your own one day. So now’s the time to learn by example how (and how not) to manage a business.
Watch what your boss does well, as well as the things he does horribly, and take notes. How can you imitate that confidence he exudes in meetings, even when you know full well that his schedule’s double-booked and several deliverables are behind schedule? How can you avoid the unnecessary hassle she causes everyone by giving unclear instructions to team members?
Some higher-ups make it to where they are because they’re really good at what they do. Others make it for less-admirable reasons, and being in a top position just exposes what they’re really made of. Whichever boss you’ve got, you can learn a lot from observing them in action.
Even when you’re doing work you love, it’s still work. And there will be plenty of times when you can think of a million other things you’d rather be doing.
When you work for yourself, this becomes dangerous because technically, you can slack off without getting in any immediate trouble. But the long-term repercussions will be that, just like at any job, the work will have to get done eventually. You can save yourself some late nights and tedious weekends by learning how to park your butt in your desk chair, even when you really, really don’t feel like it.
Chances are you’ve developed plenty of coping mechanisms while working at your day job. Maybe you treat yourself to a fancy cup of coffee when you know you’ve got an awful project ahead of you. Maybe you play the “if I do X, I can have Y” game. Maybe you’ve created a Pandora station solely for those Monday mornings you’d rather stab yourself in the eye than be at work. Whatever methods you use to get through the tough spots in the office can work just as well when you’re facing the choice of tackling a tricky project or watching another season of Mad Men on Netflix.
Entrepreneurs, what other lessons did you learn at traditional jobs that help you now?
Kelly Gurnett is Assistant Editor of Brazen Life and runs the blog Cordelia Calls It Quits, where she documents her attempts to rid her life of the things that don’t matter and focus more on the things that do. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook and hire her services as a blogger extraordinaire here.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/05/12/terrible-day-job-can-help-become-better-entrepreneur/feed/ 4The post 7 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Small Business Without Even Realizing It appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Everywhere you look, you’re bombarded with advice from other entrepreneurs on what you need to do to really make it in business.But did you ever stop to think about all the things you need to stop doing? Business owners give a lot of advice (advice they’ve received themselves at some point or another) that can actually distract you from moving forward.
Here are 7 things you need to STOP doing right now if you want to get anywhere with your business. (Click here to tweet this list.)
I know, I know — all the advice out there these days tells you to build a business based off your “passions.” And while I firmly agree you must love (and be good at) what you do, it can become a little obsessive to try to create a business that lights you up in ALL areas.
Don’t get caught too deep in the passions trap. Find something you care about, and trust that your passion for it will grow. Not exactly sure how to do that? Check out the book So Good They Can’t Ignore You to learn how other entrepreneurs landed in jobs they love (Hint: Skills trump passion.)
If you’re anything like most entrepreneurs, you’re extremely creative and have a ton of great ideas flowing all the time based on your (widely) varied interests and hobbies. And despite your best efforts to try to smoosh them all together, it doesn’t always make for the best business model.
If you’re set on bringing in all your interests, find unique ways to use them in small doses in your business. For example, if you love sewing but you run a web design business, maybe part of your thank you package to clients includes a funky hand-sewn laptop case. You get to exercise all your creativity without confusing people about what you actually do.
When you’re starting a business, most people’s first step is to get right to designing a logo. But this couldn’t be further from the best first step.
What’s more important than a logo? Getting crystal clear on what you do, and then getting out there and doing it.
All too often, business owners get hyper focused on creating a cool and quirky logo, which only distracts them from actually doing their work.
Nowadays, many companies have moved away from logos anyway and just use great typography. Look at companies like The New York Times and Absolut Vodka. Huge brands. No logos. This isn’t to say those companies didn’t put a lot of effort into their branding (they obviously did), but it goes to show you don’t need a fancy logo to be successful.
Pick a great font, and get to work. If you feel like you need a logo later, you can hire out for design once your business gets off the ground.
Just as they agonize over logos, too many businesses get stalled on choosing a tagline. They want it to be descriptive but also witty and compelling and clever and memorable. No wonder so many people get trapped here!
The truth is that this step is a huge distraction. While there is something to be said for a nice little one-liner that sums up your brand (I even help people create this with BrandBurst), it’s not absolutely necessary to get started. The same goes for picking a job title.
Your tagline can (and likely will) change once you’re more established. So choose something and move on already!
When you’re in business, everyone puts much emphasis on being different – what’s your USP? What should people care about you, specifically?
When you hear over and over again you need to be different, you may over analyze what everyone else does, taking you away from your own vision and creative process. This stalls you from actually doing anything at all (and usually has you creating a business that compromises your true personality and strengths.)
Put the focus back on what YOU want to do to move forward, which is the only way to succeed.
It’s fairly common in business (especially if you’re just starting out) to have insecurities about money. Most entrepreneurs end up pricing their services based on these insecurities. If you’re basing your prices on your competitors’ prices, you might be pricing based on someone else’s insecurities. Bogus, right?
Decide on a price that feels good to you based on the value you provide, and don’t just arbitrarily decide on a price because of what everyone else is doing.
Despite how many people will tell you that you need a solid business plan, too much planning can leave you stunted and frozen.
When you plan, little details come up that you didn’t think about. You start to prepare for unexpected outcomes and worst case scenarios. And for most people, perfectionism starts to creep in.
While a little planning is great (you have to have some idea of where you’re headed), too much planning can lead to analysis paralysis and stop you in your tracks.
Clarity and confidence in business come through ACTION (click here to tweet this), so don’t be afraid to get out there before everything feels perfect.
Doing is a great thing in your business, but don’t forget to pay attention to what you need to STOP doing. That’s usually where the fast-track to success lies.
Rebecca Tracey is the head/only honcho over at The Uncaged Life. She helps people flaunt what they’ve got and get paid for it like a BOSS. She spends a lot of time hanging off cliffs when she’s not on Facebook.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/05/05/7-ways-youre-sabotaging-small-business-without-even-realizing/feed/ 0The post 12 Networking Tips That Will Help You Make High-Quality Connections appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Recently, the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) contacted top business leaders to ask the question, “Who you know matters a lot in the startup world. What’s your best tip for networking like a pro?”Whether you’re a startup owner, a freelancer or another variety of entrepreneur, making — and maintaining — connections with others in your industry is an important key to success. These tips will help you do just that, even if you have the busiest of schedules (which, let’s be honest, you probably do). (Click here to tweet this list.)
“Instead of trying to network with everybody and anybody, identify people who are like you and share the same mindset. Look for people who might be in the same age group or the same growth phase with their own companies. Don’t just limit yourself to connections within your own industry. Good connections within other industries are often the most beneficial.”
-Ziver Birg, Zivelo
“Start with being yourself, whatever that means to you: goofy, serious, quirky, you name it. The more real you can be, the more people will remember you. Next, be interested in what others are doing. If you can help them get what they want, you’re a lot more likely to form lasting relationships. Most deals aren’t made in the first few meetings. It’s about the long-term relationship. Connect people you believe could benefit from each other, and don’t hold back with what you can do or offer to help others.”
-Nathalie Lussier, Nathalie Lussier Media Inc.
“I’ve had the fortune to hear Brad Feld speak a few times. He shares a consistent message: give of yourself without expecting anything in return. My experience is that this advice is spot-on. When you offer your help and time, you not only meet interesting people, but you also learn how to solve diverse problems. The side benefit is that by engaging with others on topics they are passionate about, you will help them be able to judge your personality and capabilities. These individuals will become part of your network and be more willing to make warm introductions to their contacts.”
-Aaron Schwartz, Modify Watches (Follow on Twitter @ModifyWatches)
“Being a sophomore at Duke, I have had the fantastic opportunity of being connected to many people. I have learned quickly that just because I am young does not mean my time is not valuable. I understand that I of course have a lot to learn. That being said, I know that taking an hour out of my day is certainly easy enough to meet with someone that could be the next big someone. But it is essential to understand who the good meetings are and who maybe isn’t. I usually set up a call or communicate via email to chat a little to learn about their interest in meeting prior to actually meeting.”
-Bryan Silverman, InStall Media
“For any networking event, it can be helpful to have a networking ‘wingman.’ Together, you can naturally draw others into your conversation. This is particularly true if your networking wingman is knowledgeable about an industry you are unfamiliar with. If nothing else, the event will provide you with an opportunity to get to know your networking wingman better.”
-Doug Bend, Bend Law Group, PC (Follow on Twitter @DougBend)
“The adage ‘quality over quantity’ holds true when it comes to networking. Sure, LinkedIn, Twitter or SXSW allow you to cast a wide net and gather lots of new connections. But you need to have a top 20 percent that you can focus on and actually give value to. Try to get as many touchpoints with these people — a coffee at a conference, a handwritten thank you note, a personal email, a tweet. Multiple touchpoints are key.”
-John Meyer, Lemonly (Follow on Twitter @johntmeyer)
“I think of networking as fitting puzzle pieces together. When I meet or reconnect with someone who mentions a need (it may be a sales lead, a job opening they’re looking to fill or a recommendation for an auto shop), my neurons begin firing until I come up with one (or several) possible connections to make for him or her. I then ask if he or she would like an introduction to said person/people. If yes, I make it within no more than 24 hours. The key is to do what you promise in a timely manner.”
-Darrah Brustein, Network Under 40 / Finance Whiz Kids
“There are a lot of different opinions about how much time a hustling entrepreneur should spend networking. When it comes down to it, your time’s probably best spent either a) meeting with potential customers/users or b) building your product. A blog can anchor your infrequent face-to-face meetings with thought leadership and personality. It’s a very effective way to efficiently interact with fellow entrepreneurs and investors without burning a lot of time traveling or missing out on precious sleep.”
-Derek Shanahan, Playerize / SuperRewards
“It takes multiple interactions for most people to remember you after you’ve met the first time. I make a point of looking for natural ways to follow up — even emailing a link to an interesting article is enough to make yourself a little more memorable. The fact that it’s natural is important. You can’t immediately start selling to someone you just met (unless you want to be labeled as that annoying sales guy). Rather, you need to build a normal relationship that happens to provide an opportunity for both of you to benefit.”
-Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting (Follow on Twitter @ThursdayB)
“For starters, join your local chamber. We’ve had a tremendous amount of exposure as a result of being active in our local chamber. We did this early on, and it helped us connect with C-level execs really quickly. Book speaking gigs so you and your brand are exposed to a large audience. “
-Tom Cannon, BungoBox
“Building a strong professional network takes time. I’ve found that the best tip for networking is to make a conscious effort to schedule it in my calendar. Every Monday morning for about 90 minutes I scan trades, blogs and my own LinkedIn contacts to look for recent job changes and promotions. Then, I take time to send congratulatory notes to everyone who’s made a move. When applicable, I invite them to go out for lunch or a drink to celebrate their advancement. It’s a great, easy way to reconnect, and a good time to ask that person to introduce me to someone else in their network.”
-Brittany Hodak, ZinePak
“I’ve connected with a number of senior executives of companies far bigger than mine by simply explaining my vision and what I’m trying to build. Let them know you are impressed with their backgrounds and would love to pick their brains. Most successful executives would love to participate or help a company they believe has great potential and is likely to implement their ideas. It allows them to think creatively again. In short, the people you actually want to talk to will be energized by the opportunity to dig into your challenges if you present them the right way.”
-Chuck Cohn, Varsity Tutors
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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The post 12 Networking Tips That Will Help You Make High-Quality Connections appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/04/30/12-networking-tips-will-help-make-high-quality-connections/feed/ 2The post Got Bad Clients? Here’s Why You Should Fire Them Now appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> No freelancer is immune from bad clients. Sometimes the patron saint of small business owners is caught napping, and a bad client slips through the net. You know the type. They suck every moment of pleasure from your work and make you think flipping burgers at some greasy joint might not be so bad.But what do you do when you find yourself saddled with a client who needs to be turned loose?
As scary as it may sound, parting ways with a bad client gives you back the most valuable asset in your business: time. (Click here to tweet this thought.) And with more time and a clearer picture of your ideal client, you can become laser targeted with your marketing and attract better-suited, higher paying clients.
Here are five simple steps to help you get better at (politely) firing bad clients — and finding better ones:
Whether a repeat or first time offender, it’s safe to assume your client has slipped under your business standards if you’re seriously considering firing them. If that’s the case, this isn’t the time for long, wordy emails.
Many conflicts can be avoided or resolved with a quick five-minute chat. Rather than write a scathing email detailing your client’s every fault, make a list of concerns you want to raise, then send a short email requesting a call to discuss the status of their project.
Be mindful; it could be your client doesn’t understand where they’ve fallen foul and only needs steering in the right direction. Whatever you do, reserve firing off one of those killer emails for only the most serious of violators.
Now’s the time for a short email with your standard termination letter attached. Your email should cover the concerns discussed on your “warning” call and briefly detail what’s taken place since. A standard termination letter doesn’t need to be complicated. Address the client by name, state you’re no longer able to do business with them and give your reason why.
It’s tempting to start dishing out blame and sarcasm at this point — don’t. Take extra care to keep the tone professional and respectful. Having a template already prepared will make sure you keep the standard of communication professional, yet firm.
Parting ways with a bad client isn’t always as simple as a standard termination letter and a stiff drink. Sometimes money’s involved — either money they owe you, or money or services they believe you owe them. That’s why when it comes to email, it’s best to keep everything concise, professional and courteous at all times.
If you decide to opt out of a project, but have already supplied work you haven’t been paid for, behaving courteously throughout offers you the best chance of being paid what you’re owed.
Despite the validity of your reasons, being cut loose can be humiliating and confusing to a client. Holding back the money you’re owed can be their way of regaining some control. Don’t give bad clients silly reasons not to pay you.
I have a policy that if I decide to fire a client, unless it’s for the most serious breach of contract, I’ll return their deposit. But it’s up to you to assess what level of work has been done by your company and whether or not returning the deposit is both feasible and fair.
Some clients won’t take being fired lying down, especially if they think they’re still owed services from your company. The key here is tact and diplomacy. Where possible, frame your rationale for ending the working relationship in their favor. The feel, felt, found method works well for this. But make sure that, should the need arise, you can make clear references to the conditions of your contract. You do have one of those, right?
Think carefully about the content of your contracts. Don’t just download some free template and hope it scares clients into behaving. Your contracts should be written to cover the best interests of your business and give you clear leave to exit from a particular project should you need to.
Remember, if a client is demanding you finish a project, hand over files or do maintenance work, it’ll be the clauses you set out within your (signed) contract and terms and conditions that allow you to side swipe their demands gracefully.
The sign that you’re at a stage in your business when you’re ready to fire ill-fitting clients rather than “put up and shut up” is a major business milestone. But learning to improve your pre-qualifying process is what will save you time and earn you more money in the long run.
Have a standard checklist of criteria that helps you quickly decipher whether a prospect is a good fit for your business or not. The criteria doesn’t have to be complex, but as a business owner marketing your services, it’s essential you have a clear idea of what your most desirable client looks like.
Having a rarely negotiable client criteria helps to filter out unsuitable prospects quickly, meaning you’re not just turning projects away; you’re actively creating time and space to work with the right clients. It’s this focus and unwillingness to compromise that’ll bring the biggest financial benefit to your business.
There you have it: a simple process for quickly (and politely) firing bad clients and the steps to help you get better at pre-qualifying prospects so you have fewer bad clients to fire in the first place.
Have you ever had to fire a client? What was the hardest part? Come and share your experiences in the comments.
Stacey Herbert is a digital strategist and copywriter over at Brazen Profit Lab. She helps eCommerce business owners find the right words to sell their products with authority, clarity and style.
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The post Got Bad Clients? Here’s Why You Should Fire Them Now appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/04/30/got-bad-clients-heres-fire-now/feed/ 3The post Earn $10,000 a Year on the Side of Your Day Job: 3 Real-Life Examples appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Successful side gigs don’t have to be complex and time consuming. If you want something that’s simple and that’ll earn you cash on the side, it’s possible.Here are three examples of people doing just that — and what you can learn from them about creating your own side gig.
Jerry used to do some work for my last company, as well as a few others like discovery.com, back when digg.com was a website you could game to get traffic.
Jerry’s a savant at tweaking the headline and image of an article to give it an unfair advantage to get shared around the Web.
Even though the digg.com game dried up, Jerry is constantly evolving and has been driving boatloads of traffic to people’s websites since traffic became a commodity. One day, I had lunch with Jerry, where the goal was to explain that while most bloggers write for large publications because they have no choice, he was able to point traffic where he so desires. Shouldn’t he point traffic at his own website and scoop 100 percent of the money, instead of the 3 percent he was getting?
He agreed, and shortly thereafter began his website cookingstoned.tv. Like clockwork, his methodical and relentless production of high-quality, beautiful and shareable recipes, coupled with his ability to promote things through social media (through his prior life he had developed an enormous social media following), started to create traffic to his website.
He also taught himself the basics of search engine optimization and was able to help people searching for specific recipes to find his recipes. The money started small: ones-a-month, then tens-a-month, then hundreds-a-month, then rent money, and soon, thousands a month.
It’s all about having a clear strategy and methodically marching towards your goal with hard work and dedication. Most of the traffic today would continue, even if Jerry dropped everything and stopped producing great recipes. He’d still be able to reap the recurring benefits of the hard work he invested over the prior year.
The lesson: If you’re really good at something (say, making delicious food and taking beautiful photos of it), then you can turn this into a business. People are going to be interested in what you have to offer if it’s interesting, period.
The vast majority of professional poker players who say they’re professional are actually lifetime losers at the sport and would have probably been better off never learning of the possibility of playing for profit. So take this following story with with a grain of salt, knowing that Evan is a special case.
If you’re good at poker and you’re a serious, thinking player (meaning you’re willing to discuss and rethink hands-played to evolve as a player)… and you’re willing to track your results… and you’re willing to be honest when “running bad” isn’t just a few standard deviations off where you should be… and you have a bankroll that can withstand the “risk of ruin,” go for it. Just know that it’s a job like any other and that it’s a grind.
Poker isn’t nearly as glamorous as the movies make it out to be, and you won’t be on TV. Most pros are cash game players, meaning they’re not playing tournaments; they’re playing games where you sit down and get up when you choose to — and they’re not televised.
The lesson: If you have a hobby that involves taking money from others who aren’t as good as you at said hobby, you can turn it into real income — if you take it seriously and treat it like a business.
Dan was the reason I started down a path in solar energy that led me to found One Block Off the Grid in 2008. I had paid him a visit in Portland, and he had penciled out the economics of a subsidized solar system in Portland.
At the time, it was a double-digit fixed-rate return — a return on investment that, despite being non-liquid, was unachievable with almost any other investment vehicle for a homeowner. I was blown away and thought, “Why doesn’t everyone with sun hitting their roof have this?!”
While I was working a sales job to get my hands dirty and learn the industry, we started a blog about our research in solar called solarpowerrocks.com. After a few years, the website began to get real search traffic from Google, and those visitors were valuable because they were searching for things related to the purchase of a large-ticket home improvement.
We drove the people who were investigating home solar power to a natural path for monetization: We helped connect them with trusted installers through a lead form, and sold the lead information to those solar power installation companies interested in selling solar to said potential customers.
Some states had strong subsidies that made the leads very valuable. A lead in the right area of California with a nice sunny roof could garner $200 all by itself.
The lesson: If this site was monetized with just online ads, it would make one-tenth the money it does. If you have an extremely valuable readership, monetize it yourself with lead generation instead of giving most of the money to someone else.
If I’ve learned one thing at the 60-Day MBA, it’s that aspiring entrepreneurs with day jobs who have a side gig don’t give themselves enough credit for what they’re capable of. (Click here to tweet this thought.)
Technology and many other factors have leveled the playing field between old-money and secret-handshake inside circles and the everyday Joe and Jane. You can start your own business, and if you’re smart and put in the work, you can make real money on the side and be your own boss as well.
Dave Llorens is the CEO of the 60-Day MBA. If you liked this, here are a few posts at the 60-Day MBA on running a side business: How to Quit Your Job By Next Month, 70 Side Businesses You Can Start and 15 Business Opportunities for Making Money at Home.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/04/29/earn-10000-year-side-day-job-3-real-life-examples/feed/ 4The post This Tactic Will Help You Grow Your Side Hustle into a Full-Time Business appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Have you ever dreamed of starting a side hustle and growing it into a full-time business? Your motivation may be to escape a boring job, or you may have a yearning to create greater impact in the world. Or, you may want more flexibility and control in your life.Whatever your reason, it all starts with creating and growing a real, sustainable business.
But how?
One way to accelerate your growth is to start or join a mastermind.
At the core, a mastermind is a community. It’s an intentional way to surround yourself with other supportive, butt-kicking business builders. A mastermind is focused on helping each individual in the group set and reach their goals for their business and life.
Napoleon Hill wrote about masterminds in his classic book Think and Grow Rich. The essence of his book is that when you bring multiple minds together around a goal or problem, you create an “invisible intangible force… likened to a master mind.”
This synergy is a win-win for all involved.
Most of us are not surrounded by people building businesses, so it may seem strange — scary even — to think about taking your passion or side hustle full-time. When you actively seek out and participate in the self-employed community, it can make the whole idea less weird and help take your idea from a ‘“what if” to a “when.”
Let’s be honest. Building your own business and selling your product or service is tough when you’re first starting out. It takes a lot of time, energy and facing fear. Without a close-knit, supportive mastermind, it’s easy to get stuck in the “what-if” phase. (Click here to tweet this thought.)
There are fears: Am I doing the right thing? Am I good enough? Will anyone want this? Does this even matter?
There are business basics: taxes, websites, monetization, billing and even managing email.
There is technology: autoresponders, opt-in forms, payment systems and affiliate management.
It can be overwhelming to figure out how to get started.
Imagine instead that you have a group of four or five people in your mastermind who are also walking this journey with you. These people all know you, your skills, your goals and dreams. They know what it’s like to juggle competing priorities, fears and business logistics.
Everyone in the group is experiencing wins and losses, learning a ton and sharing back with the group. Suddenly failure isn’t so scary because you have a safe place to share your experience. You know others in your group have overcome failures in the past.
Masterminds can be organized in whatever structures work best for you and your group and depend on your overall goal, proximity to one another and time availability. Some of the most common types out there include:
If you join a formal mastermind with a leader, you’ll pay for that person’s experience and leadership. There are many types of paid masterminds run by incredible business leaders, coaches and organizations. This is a great option if you want formal structure and someone to mentor the group and handle the logistics. Many paid masterminds also include some sort of individual training or coaching.
You can also start an unpaid mastermind on your own at any time. Typically, members of the group run unpaid masterminds, and everyone rotates the leadership and logistics roles. This is a powerful way to go if you’re motivated to connect and engage with people who are also building businesses of their own.
Whether you decide to join a leader-led mastermind or set up your own group, think about the experience that would be most valuable in building your business. Some worthwhile questions to ask include:
A mastermind can be an incredible accelerator for connection, business building and personal growth. Investing in yourself and your mastermind will give all of you a huge advantage in learning and get you closer to making your dreams a reality.
Who will be in your mastermind?
Michelle L. Evans is a business and lifestyle coach and host of the Breaking Free podcast on iTunes. Grab her free report, “Breaking Free Blueprint, 9 ways to use what you already know to escape your cubicle for good.”
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The post This Tactic Will Help You Grow Your Side Hustle into a Full-Time Business appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/04/23/guaranteed-tactic-will-help-grow-side-hustle-full-time-biz/feed/ 14The post Starting a Business? Here’s How to Avoid the Burnout Trap appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Starting a business is an arduous task and not for the faint of heart. With three-quarters of startups doomed to fail, you’re facing an uphill battle. New entrepreneurs can typically expect their fair share of stress, a few sleepless nights and any form of personal life to fall by the wayside as they work towards success.But that’s not holding you back, because you know you can power through it. You know the old story: Put in your time now and reap the benefits when you’re successful. Work yourself to the bone at first, then you’ll be able to relax later on.
Except it doesn’t work like that. Clients, customers, business partner and investors buy into the workaholic you — because that’s what you sell them. If you answer the phone late at night and rarely ever take a vacation, that’s what they’ll come to expect. And they won’t be happy with much less.
So start your business as if you’re already as successful as you want to be. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Being a successful entrepreneur has just as much to do with health and happiness as it does with building a thriving business.
How do you do that? As you kick off your startup, here are five ways to run your business to avoid burnout and set yourself up for long-term success:
Being an entrepreneur means you get to design your company exactly how you want. Most people forget that also includes the hours you want to work, people you’re willing to work with and types of projects you’re willing to do.
Instead of frantically trying to do it all, get clear on what you want the end result of success to look like. Then you have a roadmap of how to set up the business now to coast right into the future.
No matter how much you try to compartmentalize your life, let’s be honest here: Nothing happens in a vacuum. People hire the vibrant, passionate guy or gal who’s on track to change the world, not the burnt-out entrepreneur.
Advocate for your own work-life balance early on. Nail down the nutrition, sleep and exercise schedule that give you energy to run a successful business.
New entrepreneurs think there’s no way they could set boundaries because it might result in a missed opportunity. So they’re willing to work crazy hours and partner with people who treat them poorly.
But you’d stop the work immediately if a customer sexually harassed you or used racial slurs. So setting boundaries is about defining clear lines of what’s appropriate and who you’re willing to work with. And, if you set these boundaries from the get-go, it’s a lot easier to walk into success without stressful clients dragging you down.
You’re starting this company because you believe you have a killer service or product that has the potential to change people’s lives. Everything you do in business — from the hours you keep to the prices you set to the marketing you do — comes back to the value of you, your time and your company.
It’s up to you to decide how flexible you’re willing to be the next time someone wants to reschedule a business meeting for the the third time. But remember that successful business owners recognize that time is valuable and hold people to scheduled meetings. Decide which one you want to be.
You never know what the future will hold. Maybe you’ll be the next billion-dollar business. Or maybe this will be your plateau.
But if you start by assuming where you are is it, you’ll make sure to design the exact business you want — right now. You’ll keep the hours you want, set the prices that value your services and work with people you love. Start doing that, and you’ll already hit success. The rest is just icing on the cake.
Success is just as much an internal mindset as it is an outward experience. If from the very start you value yourself and your company, then work to design the life you want, the rest will fall into place.
Everybody wants to work with the passionate entrepreneur who can manage starting a company and still lives the amazing life he or she has always dreamed of. Everyone will want to know your secret. Everyone will want to know how to be as successful as you are.
Mike Iamele is a corporate wellness coach and herbalist who specializes in helping entrepreneurs and executives manage stress, avoid burnout and put energy back into pursuing their passions. You can catch him at www.bostonwellnesscoach.com, where he shares advice every weekday about designing the life you want.
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The post Starting a Business? Here’s How to Avoid the Burnout Trap appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/04/22/starting-business-heres-avoid-burnout-trap/feed/ 2The post Afraid to Delegate? How to Get Over It and Get More Work Done appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> At first glance, not doing something yourself feels risky: What if it doesn’t get done? What if it’s not quality work? But done correctly, delegating can actually lower the risk in your business.By delegating, you’re decreasing the chance that you’ll burn out and that important activities only you can do won’t get done. Real control comes from managing risk and releasing control in appropriate ways. (Click here to tweet this thought.)
Here’s how to change your approach to delegation to maximize business results:
To help you let go of projects other people can do, you need to understand what exactly should fill the majority of your time. Where can your contribution make the biggest impact? For most business owners, these activities include strategic thinking about new business opportunities, building relationships, sales and specific elements of operations.
Unfortunately, most owners find that the most essential business-building activities never happen because they get so swallowed up in day-to-day operations. Take a moment to step back and think about where you can provide the highest value. Everything outside your core strengths and role should be activities that others can do.
Vague feelings of discomfort can stop us from moving forward. But when we clarify what actually bothers us, we can then address the issue and break through to the next level. Name your fears. To help you get started, I’ve listed out some common concerns in each category:
Delegating the work:
Doing the work yourself:
After each bullet point, name in specific detail the perceived risks associated with both allowing others to participate and doing the work yourself.
Once you have a detail list of perceived risks, take the opportunity to address each issue. Figure out how you can minimize the risk when someone else does the work. This will allow you to put the appropriate checks and balances and safeguards into place.
For example:
Perceived risk: The work won’t get done.
Risk mitigation strategy: Set up a follow-up system for each task. Make a running task list or hold meetings to review deliverables. Use tools like followupthen.com to remind yourself to ping someone.
Perceived risk: The work will not get done well.
Risk mitigation strategy: Take time to think through the work you pass off to others. Identify whether you’re in the direction, coaching, support or straight delegation stage. — both with the individual and with the task. Tailor your management approach accordingly. Always factor in buffer time for work to be reviewed and edited.
By following this three-step strategy, you can delegate effectively and invest your time in growing your business — without burning out.
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E®, a time coaching and training company, and the author of The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: How to Achieve More Success With Less Stress.
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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The post Afraid to Delegate? How to Get Over It and Get More Work Done appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/04/16/afraid-delegate-get-get-work-done/feed/ 1The post How Reality TV Can Help You Better Promote Your Brand appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> It’s OK to admit it. You’re not the only one. We’ve all fallen victim at some time or another to the mind-numbing hold that reality TV can place on us.“Did she really just say that?” “What on earth is he doing?” “Are you kidding me!? They’re about to eat that!”
Millions of viewers around the globe have uttered these phrases from their couches, sucked into the vortex that is reality TV. Luckily, the hours you spent watching greased up guidos from Jersey were not in vain. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Believe it or not, there are valuable lessons to learn from these shows, and not just about how not to live your life, but also how to successfully market your business.
The amount of time people have spent watching eight Italian-Americans run rampant with fist pumps in the streets and nightclubs across the world is almost sickening.
Yet despite their drunken shenanigans, several members of the Jersey Shore cast were able to become icons who are still relevant years later. You may laugh at the mention of Snooki, The Situation and JWoww, but these characters have now become major brands. And it all started with their stint on reality TV.
Use the same mentalities as the Jersey Shore cast with your company. No, I’m not saying take your employees to Miami for Ultra Festival (although I’m up for it if you’re reading this, boss). What I am saying is to market what you’re good at. Don’t be afraid to be different, and don’t hide who you are.
What benefit does your company provide? Tailor your branding to support your benefit and not your product. Your target audience is likely to be more concerned with what you can do for them and less about how you do it. Once you’ve segmented your brand, you’ll be able to focus your strategies with that market in mind.
Sensationalism is an excellent tool that reality TV producers have used for years to keep viewers tuning in. For instance, The Bachelor has kept fans tuning in for 18 seasons and counting.
There are a lot of reasons why, but there’s no doubt the producers have an ability to hook viewers from week to week. After every episode, they tease the upcoming week’s episode with “next week on the most dramatic episode ever…” Well heck, you have to tune in to see the most dramatic episode ever!
Take this principle and apply it to your marketing efforts. Once you’ve actually gotten someone to visit your business or website, the next step is to keep them coming back.
There are marketing tools and software on the Web that can help you retarget users who visit their pages. You can track where the user came in from and see what they did while they were on your site. This information can help you formulate more targeted follow-ups.
Moreover, consider using conversion content to gather subscribers to your email lists. If you’re a brick and mortar business, try to gain as much information about your customer or lead without being intrusive.
Once you have their emails, social profiles or home addresses, be sure to remain top of mind. Send relevant and timely direct mailers highlighting upcoming events they can attend. Use your email lists to send newsletters updating users about relevant-to-them info. Finally, maximize your brand’s personality by communicating with people on social pages like Twitter or Facebook.
Some of the most entertaining reality shows are competition-based. Real World Road Rules Challenge, Big Brother, Survivor and countless others feature challenging events that test the physical and mental strength of the competitors. You quickly learn the most dramatic competitors earn most of the attention and screen time, but the ones who fly under the radar often end up winning.
One of the most important aspects of marketing your business is monitoring your competition. It’s vital that you know who you’re going up against and make strategic adjustments to outmaneuver them.
Much like on reality TV shows, you can quickly identify the obvious competitors. Your specific vertical will have direct and indirect competition. You should look at your competition from all vantage points. Many marketers overlook the indirect substitutes, but don’t follow suit with this oversight. By keeping an eye on indirect substitutes, you can monitor their moves and reach into that market when you see fit.
We’ve come a long way in television over the years. No more are the days when the MTV only played music videos or the Sports Network only played sports. Now everyone seems to be jumping on the reality TV bandwagon because… well, it works.
Luckily, there are lessons from these shows that can be applied to the business world. Consider these three reality TV lessons on marketing for your business and you will be rolling in the dough (drama) in no time.
Derek Miller has an entrepreneurial spirit, scattered mind and marketing background. He’s a novice comic who spins humor into fantasy sports columns on Fantasy Help. You can follow him on Twitter @DereksAlterEgo.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/04/15/reality-tv-can-help-better-promote-brand/feed/ 1The post 5 Ways to Build Your Credibility as a Freelancer (and Make More Money!) appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Ah, the wonderful world of freelancing. Unlike a 9-to-5 job, you can work from home, set your own schedule and give yourself a raise whenever you darn well please.But there’s just one problem. First you have to land clients — and a lot of them — to live the freelance dream.
Whether you’re just dipping your toe into the freelance waters or have been in the freelance game for awhile, convincing a new client to hire you is not always easy. You need to prove you’re the right person for the job and worth the investment.
To grow your network of clients and build a profitable business, follow these tips to develop your credibility. The more closely you follow these guidelines, the more likely you’ll land more freelance work.
Try to put yourself in your potential client’s position. How should he figure out how outstanding you are in what you do? Show references from previous work and let the words of others speak for you. You may have to reference unrelated work experience, but that will still help your credibility.
Ask your previous clients to recommend you or provide testimonials you can use on your website (we’ll get to that next). Most of them understand it’s difficult to win new business. If they’re satisfied with your services, they should be more than happy to help you out.
We live in an Internet era, and almost everything happens online. Everyone — including clients — shops around and does some Internet research before buying a new product or committing to a new freelancer.
Help make the vetting process easier for potential clients. You need a quality website where you can present yourself, your services and previous completed projects to interested readers.
What constitutes a quality website? It should prominently feature your portfolio and link to any work that will help clients decide if they want to use your services. Your website will also help you promote your business to others in the industry.
Your website doesn’t have to be flashy, but it should look professional. Double-check the content to eliminate typos or odd formatting. People will judge you not only on the quality of your portfolio of work, but also on the general impression they have when they visit your site.
One sure way to boost your credibility is to show how serious you are about your profession. Show clients how dedicated you are to improving acquired skills and expertise.
With free websites like Coursera, Khan Academy and even online Ivy League university courses, it’s never been easier to expand your skills.
While a signed contract is not mandatory, having one helps both you and your client agree upon the expectations and deadlines for your work.
Aside from the protection element, a signed agreement will give you confidence and demonstrate to clients that you’re trustworthy and professional.
When working via freelance marketplaces like oDesk or Freelancer, you automatically get guarantees on the contract from both the system and your client. But keep in mind you have to pay a fee (which can be rather high) for long-term projects.
Establishing a price for your freelance services can be tricky, particularly when you first start out. Create a pricing structure that’s fair in terms of effort and compensation. Keep your rate consistent in all conversions with your client. And make sure it’s in line with the requirements of the project you’re doing.
Be clear about your prices with clients and stick to your guns – it will prove to clients you know how much you’re worth. No one wants to hire a wishy-washy freelancer. (Click here to tweet this thought.)
Once you’ve developed a slick website with testimonials, showcased your work and proved you know your stuff about contracts and rates, you’ll be well on your way to landing more clients.
Do you have any other tips for new freelancers to help improve credibility?
Rye Baehr decided to pass on 9-to-5 employment after college and started his academic career that combines his passion for writing and science. He’s the senior writer and editor at Global Writings and is a passionate traveler and bookworm.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/04/15/5-ways-build-credibility-freelancer-make-money/feed/ 6The post Nervous About Starting Your Own Company? Try a Franchise Instead appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> The spirit of entrepreneurship has ignited the global economy. Many young professionals enter the job market eager to build a business from the ground up. But there’s an inherent risk in starting your own business, one that often makes the entrepreneurial dream seem unattainable.For many potential business owners, particularly young professionals, franchising offers a solid middle ground — the ability to grow a business with the support, experience and guidance of an established, proven brand.
Many may immediately assume the opportunity to franchise is limited to food services. But there’s a franchise opportunity for almost any industry you can think of. Before dismissing franchising as an option, weigh all the factors.
You may be surprised that compared to the alternatives, franchising can offer a lot to the entrepreneurial-minded:
The single biggest benefit for any franchisee is the ability to use proven systems and business best practices from a franchisor. Independent business owners can make costly mistakes, repeatedly, when attempting to build a business without proper support or guidance.
Partnering with a franchise system gives entrepreneurs a leg up by providing a roadmap of effective tactics that’ll save time and money along with providing access to a network of other business owners who’ve faced similar challenges.
Franchise systems are required to provide a franchisee with a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). This document details all startup costs, ongoing costs and financial representations of current franchises within the system.
In essence, the FDD serves as a business plan and allows you to accurately project your business success. Without a FDD, a new business owner is forced to make educated guesses, with minimal if any foresight into the costs of doing business.
A franchise, however, allows you to review a brand’s previous success in other markets so you can have a true picture of your profit potential.
When you have no prior experience building a business, you often operate under a “learn as you go” mentality. But a franchisee has the opportunity to learn from industry and product experts from day one.
As a franchisee, you can expect to undergo extensive training programs designed to take your franchise from planning stages to grand opening. Oftentimes, corporate training is ongoing and continues well beyond the startup phase. Annual conferences, weekly webinars and periodic site visits provide every franchisee with fresh perspectives on their business and support when needed.
Many “mom and pop” businesses have a difficult time building brand awareness within a community. With a franchise, the franchisor is responsible for building a regional or national brand awareness program.
Franchisees inherit this marketing department, which provides big-brand support to establish messaging to promote a new franchise. This brand building process results in added value for your business and can be helpful if you ever decide to sell.
The bottom line is simple: Franchising offers the ability to build your own business within the framework of success. (Click here to tweet this thought.) As young professionals enter the job market eager to build a business from the ground up, franchising offers a lower-risk opportunity for the entrepreneurial inclined.
While there’s always risk in starting a business, franchising provides more financial security, a comprehensive business plan, built-in mentorship and marketing support. For many potential business owners, this is why franchising offers the best of all worlds and creates an environment for continued success.
Ron Holt is the CEO of Two Maids & A Mop, the fastest growing residential house cleaning business in the U.S., which uses a proprietary “Pay for Performance” compensation model.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/04/10/nervous-starting-company-try-franchise-instead/feed/ 2The post 5 Ways to Attend Popular Conferences Without Buying an Expensive Ticket appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> One of the most effective ways to spread the word about your brand and create influential connections is through industry events and conferences.I’ve seen this firsthand within my own business, as I always see an uptick in engagement and job inquiries when I attend a conference — not to mention an avalanche of ideas! But as a solopreneur, I’m responsible for my own income, and I have to keep a close eye on my spending habits.
After finally becoming debt-free, I swore to run my business without debt. This meant I had to start thinking outside the box to afford certain things for my career.
Here are five ways to promote your business through conferences and events without going into debt:
In the new world of work, it’s not only acceptable but highly encouraged to leverage your personal brand to gain sponsorships with other companies within your industry.
If you have a blog or business website, reach out to brands you can promote at the event. A lot of companies these days want to put a face to their product and are more than happy to work with other brand ambassadors who will help spread the word at industry events.
This is something my friend Shannyn Allen does very well. She shares her insights and strategies for landing big-time sponsorships on her blog. In fact, it’s her resources and ebook that helped me land a $300 partial sponsorship to a blogging conference last year.
Did you know a lot of events offer an affiliate commission (or cut of the sales) to anyone who gets other participants to show up for the event? Yep, you can basically get paid to promote the event to your network.
Of course, it’s only fair to promote events you plan to attend and can endorse yourself. Hawking products that don’t line up with your business, just to make some money, is a good way to ruin your reputation.
Working for free isn’t always a bad thing! Putting on a big event takes a lot of work and a lot of people pitching in to make it happen. Event coordinators are always on the lookout for more volunteers who can lend a helping hand. In return, you could get a free ticket to the conference, including a backstage pass and even free food.
It might take some extra work, but at the end of the event you will have saved money, made a few new friends and possibly landed some leftover swag from brands. Who doesn’t love free stuff?
The type of event you’re attending will determine the kind of perks you can receive for being a speaker. Sometimes you might be able to get an event ticket for free while getting paid to speak. Other times you might only get free access and a nice hotel stay.
My friend Amanda Abella recently spoke at FinCon and received a free ticket to the event, plus a free hotel stay during her time there. For us solo business owners who are bootstrapping our businesses, these small perks really add up. All for just a half an hour of speaking time.
This is a simple tip, but it’s worth a reminder nonetheless. Snatching up tickets when they first go on sale can save you hundreds of dollars. (Click here to tweet this tip.) If you’re fairly certain what events you want to attend this year, go ahead and buy the early bird tickets when they first become available for sale.
Even if you don’t end up going to the event, it’s a lot easier to sell a $200 ticket versus a $600 ticket because you waited too long. This is especially smart for popular industry events and conferences that tend to sell out.
I had this experience for this year’s New Media Expo event, where I purchased my ticket for $197. Unfortunately, I had to pass on the event since I got the flu, but at the last minute I was able to sell my ticket to a fellow entrepreneur for the same price. It would have cost her $697 if she purchased it from the website directly. So it was a win-win for both of us!
As you can see, it’s all too simple to attend industry events and market your business without spending a lot of money.
Big conferences can have a hefty price tag, which could lead to overspending if you’re not careful. But with some creative thinking and a little hard work, you can promote your career without debt.
Carrie Smith is a writer and solopreneur on a mission to help other solo biz owners discover financial freedom. You can connect with her at Careful Cents, or on Twitter @carefulcents.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/04/09/5-ways-attend-popular-conferences-without-buying-expensive-ticket/feed/ 3The post 10 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Get Better at Multitasking appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Recently, the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) contacted top business leaders to ask the question, “Everyone’s favorite productivity tip is to simply focus. But when you have no choice, what is your best tip for multitasking smarter?”As an entrepreneur, you have to wear many hats — often simultaneously. Learn how to do it better with these great tips on how to do multitask without tanking your efficiency (or your sanity). (Click here to tweet this list.)
“I recommend deciding which tasks you’re going to complete each day and then wearing a watch that beeps every hour to help you keep track of passing time. It’s easy for us to get caught up in the details of a task and spend too much time on it, so staying conscious of how much time you’re spending on each task is the key to working faster and being more productive.”
-Ziver Birg, ZIVELO
“Only have three priorities at once. I am a sophomore in college, so I always write out what I need to do to complete my week. However, I star one thing in each category (work, school, other) that I need to complete first. When I cross that off, I star something else and if I finish a category, I am able to use that star in another category. Write it down!”
-Bryan Silverman, Star Toilet Paper
“All — and I do mean all — of the research currently available shows that multitasking is a productivity killer. Don’t do it. The only acceptable time to purposefully multitask is when you’re performing activities that don’t require your full attention. For example, you can respond to emails while listening to music or take a non-critical call while walking or driving. “
-Emerson Spartz, Spartz
“I’m often amazed at how much more I can get done when I don’t multitask. If I’m going to go on social media, then I will just go and enjoy myself and not pretend that I’m doing other work. If I’m writing, I shut down all other distractions. The same goes for checking email, phone calls — you name it. Keep your focus lasered, and see how much faster you close the loop.”
-Nathalie Lussier, Nathalie Lussier Media Inc.
“One of the main ways that folks multitask is by balancing email responses with other projects, but the biggest distractions are new incoming emails. Work in an ‘offline’ state so you can multitask across known projects and avoid any new surprises that will just create more work.”
-Aaron Schwartz, Modify Watches (Follow on Twitter @ModifyWatches)
“Don’t try to handle too much at once. This is when mistakes are made. Instead, prioritize your tasks and make sure you are dedicating enough attention to the most important.”
-Nicolas Gremion, Free-eBooks.net
“Everyone sings the praises of multitasking. It’s a simple math equation: More tasks can be completed with four hands than with two! To multitask smarter, hire someone to help. This isn’t just about delegating one-off tasks. With my executive assistant on my team, I am consistently able to be much more productive and effective.”
-David Ehrenberg, Early Growth Financial Services
“Multitasking is only effective if you’re just looking for ways to fill time when you are waiting for something else to finish. Keep a list of short tasks that you can work on while you’re waiting, like updating a contact in your address book or sending out a reminder email. Try to avoid anything that you can get sucked into (like social media) during these short bits of time.”
-Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting (Follow on Twitter @ThursdayB)
“While it’s ideal to focus on one task at a time, it’s simply not realistic for the busy life of an entrepreneur. At my office, my dual-monitor setup allows me to fly through multiple tasks with countless tabs open. My productivity improved exponentially using dual monitors, and now I couldn’t imagine working any other way. “
-Anthony Saladino, Kitchen Cabinet Kings (Follow on Twitter @cabinetkings)
“Take the time to build a schedule that avoids the need (as much as possible) to multitask. Generally with multitasking, you end up being less efficient. I diligently keep a running to-do list and a running follow-up list, and then I prioritize my time based on those lists. It is also important to give yourself a small break between tasks to keep your focus and energy level high all day long.”
-Anderson Schoenrock, ScanDigital
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/04/02/10-ways-entrepreneurs-can-get-better-multitasking/feed/ 1The post Learn What Your Audience Needs With One Simple Strategy appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> A few months ago, I ran an experiment: I emailed my mailing list and asked if anyone was interested in having a 15-minute consulting conversation with me via Skype.I offered to help them with questions about Web design, freelancing or self-publishing. They’d choose the topic and they’d have my ear for 15 minutes.
I did this to see how I could better help the people already interested in what I do and who had probably bought at least one item I created, since most folks are on my mailing list because of books I’ve written.
Thirty-five people replied within a few minutes, and I spent the next few weeks scheduling and taking calls with them, one by one.
My intent was to help with whatever they were working on or struggling with. What ended up happening was that these calls helped me.
I became more clear on the specific topics my audience was interested in. I got to learn exactly where they were struggling and looking for help with their own work.
I did my best to help each one, but I also made meticulous notes so I could see if there were any trends. Thirty-five isn’t a huge chunk of people to get very scientific with, but it was enough to detect a general pulse and notice common themes.
The commonalities between these people helped guide my writing for my upcoming book and helped me figure out what type of course would be most beneficial to create. Both creations, after all, would be targeted primarily at my mailing list.
It’s helpful to know more about the people who wanted to know more about me and the products and services I offered.
And it wasn’t done in an obtrusive way, either — these were just informal conversations with people who were happy to share. I had nothing at the time to sell, only genuine help to provide for free.
Obviously, in business, it’s important to know what your customers want and how you can serve them in the best way. This leads to things like revenue, which is always a good thing.
It also creates a connection between you and them and shows them you aren’t blindly creating things to sell at them. You’re listening to them. Because they’re the people who are listening to you.
Too often with passion-driven entrepreneurial projects, we focus on what we’re stoked about or what drives us. But if it’s an interest we want to turn into a job, it’s just as important that a potential audience finds it equally interesting and of value. (Click here to tweet this thought.)
How do you listen to what your audience is interested in or needs help with?
Paul Jarvis is a Web designer and bestselling author who’s obsessed with nature and hairless rats. His latest book, Everything I Know, is a guide to freelancing as a creative professional (without living on Ramen noodles or settling for bad clients). Follow him on Twitter @pjrvs.
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The post Learn What Your Audience Needs With One Simple Strategy appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/04/01/learn-audience-needs-one-simple-strategy/feed/ 8The post How to Turn Your Big Idea Into a Profitable Business appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> You went to school, got a degree, found a great job… and slowly started to fade away. Nothing at work motivates you anymore.But there’s this one idea that gives you that feeling deep inside your gut. You know, the big idea that’s been brewing around inside for a while now, keeping you up at night and giving your mind and soul something to daydream about in those boring meetings you attend week after week.
You’d love to do something more with your big idea. But where do you begin?
Almost everyone at some point has had a big idea tucked away deep inside. Yet few people ever tell anyone about them, much less turn them into a successful business venture. How do you buck the odds? How do you become one of the growing numbers of people that change the odds and become the success story?
Work can be boring. That’s why you start dreaming in the first place. Before you know it, your dreams turn into something solid. They start defining you.
You may not tell anyone about them, but that dream comforts you when your boss has you rewrite a report for the tenth time. Or when you can’t get to sleep on Sunday night because you don’t want to return to the office on Monday morning.
Before your big idea can move forward, you have to define it. And not just in simple terms — the more detailed the better.
“Solve the world’s hunger problem” may sound good when you finally say it out loud, but what specifics do you have for accomplishing it? Do you have an idea for a new crop? Can you eliminate pesticides from the food supply? Can you change the distribution cycle?
While a one-line goal is easy to focus on, it’s the detailed step-by-step plan that’ll give you guidance and help bring others on board.
Ideas are great. But if you can’t make money with them, you’ll never be able to quit your day job and dedicate your life to it.
One of the easiest ways to find out if your big idea has potential is to see what’s already in the marketplace. Chances are if you’re dreaming about doing something, someone out there has done something similar — and has made a good living from it, too.
Find those people. Follow them. Study them. Buy their books, products and training materials. Sign up for their marketing materials. Discover how they talk to their own clientele.
The more you learn what they’re doing, the more you can apply it to your own big idea. Why reinvent the wheel when something like it already exists? Your job is to take what’s out there and add new life to it with your own ideas. And make it even better.
The more you work on putting together the specifics, the more pieces will fall into place. And the more tasks you’ll discover that are still left to do.
The key to turning your idea from concept to reality is action. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Without action, it’s just another idea that gets lost in the shuffle. Action is what solidifies your idea and turns it into a viable business. And action requires specific steps to see it through from beginning to end.
Let’s say you’ve had the goal of writing a book for years. But every year comes and goes without a book to show for it. The reason it’s left unfinished is the goal is too colossal; it’s unbelievable. How will you ever be able to write 50,000 words?
Monumental goals almost never get completed. Which is why it’s so important to break them down into bite-sized, doable action steps, and in some cases even find help that’ll hold you accountable along the way.
Instead of having “write a book” as a goal, by turning it into something more doable — write 1,667 words a day — it becomes more believable and therefore more achievable. You can write 1,667 words over your lunch hour or when you get home from work. You can’t write an entire book.
And that’s where having a believable action step can help you succeed.
To accomplish your goal, you have to have an end in mind.
You can track it by date: On Dec. 31, I’ll quit. Or you can track it by income: When I’ve reserved $10,000 in savings, I’ll put in my resignation. Either way, having a tangible end point to focus on will make that date a reality.
It’ll also give you something even more concrete to focus on when you file into the conference room for one more of those boring meetings.
Lori Osterberg is co-founder of VisionOfSuccess.com, a site dedicated to helping people define their big ideas, pinpoint their exact target audience and develop a successful profit zone around it. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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The post How to Turn Your Big Idea Into a Profitable Business appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/03/31/turn-big-idea-profitable-business/feed/ 3The post 4 Fun Ways to Take Your Marketing Campaign from Boring to Exciting appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> You’ve got your marketing degree, and you’re ready to work for a big-name brand like Nike or Coca-Cola. But before you catch your break, you may have to work on some less-than-thrilling ad campaigns. And that’s the perfect time to study up.Or, maybe you’re an entrepreneur who has a super-useful product or service that, unfortunately, isn’t terribly exciting.
What techniques are brands and marketers employing to think outside of their products and get creative, even with a product that seems boring at face value? Take a look at four tips from companies who are making the boring more exciting:
The majority of people are visual learners. Frontline Flea and Tick Spray uses bold, life-size print campaigns that catch the consumer’s eye. Telling someone to check their dog for ticks and fleas is one thing; showing a dog with human fleas is another. The idea behind the advertisement displayed in a Jakarta shopping mall is an out-of-the-box way to advertise a product that many pet owners might not think twice about.
Another brand successful at creating something visually appealing is CableTV.com. They developed an interactive infographic about The Walking Dead that details what goes on behind the scenes of the show, with everything from the makeup to training zombie walkers. Although this interactive graphic has nothing to do with the product of cable TV, it helps raise brand awareness without having to talk about the services themselves.
Career takeaway: Make your advertising campaigns visual. Consider using infographics, unique print ads and interactive tools and resources to educate readers.
Social media isn’t just a cheap form of advertising; it’s effective, too. Social media does more than share a brand message — it creates a sense of community, which creates loyal customers. But social media marketing is more than posting a status update or sending a tweet.
Successful brands understand the power of social media, no matter what product they’re selling. The Internet is full of companies with huge followings on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest selling uncool products.
Instead of posting a photo about a rake or a washing machine, Lowe’s turned to the video-sharing Vine app. The company posts short, informative videos that give customers solutions to their everyday problems. The videos use stop-motion animation to share life hacks like unscrewing a stripped screw. Lowe’s Vines are a fun way to bring their products to life, while also creating a way to share the brand message.
Dove is also doing social media right. Who would have thought a soap company would be successful at creating a unified community with more than 300,000 fans on Facebook? Dove shares insightful posts, and fans come to the page every day to rave about the product and share experiences.
The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is one example of the company using social media to connect with a group of people. Since 2004, Dove has been on a mission to redefine beauty stereotypes among women and improve women’s self-esteem. Much of the campaign is run through Facebook and Twitter.
Career takeaway: Don’t just use social media; engage with your customer online. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Social media is meant to be social. Put a face to your organization and create a brand raving fans will want to interact with.
The key to standing out from the crowd is having a unique story about the people, experience and company history behind your brand. The marketing needs to be authentic and creative. Imagination will tell your company’s story in a way that’ll not only attract attention, but keep it, too.
FedEx Kinkos takes office supplies and paper and makes you look twice. Highlighters marking off a no-parking spot on a city sidewalk and whiteout being used to create a crosswalk are just some of the creative ways FedEx Kinkos uses to grab your attention and help consumers see office supplies as a part of daily life.
FedEx Kinkos takes simplicity to a new level, while still telling the company story: we sell office supplies.
Another way to tell a story in a creative way is to use humor. Swiss Life, a financial planning company, implements humor to tell the story of their products. Simple black and white campaigns with no imagery clearly, yet humorously, tell the company story.
Wouldn’t you want to bank with a company that uses phrases like, “I’ll love you till the end came unexpectedly”? The name “Swiss Life” alone tells you this is a financial institution you can trust (the Swiss are known for banking), so a creative twist on the products and services offered lends new life to an otherwise boring product.
Career takeaway: Be creative and use ingenuity. Be clever and outwit your competitor when it comes to telling a powerful story. Be sure to:
If your budget has some extra cash, celebrity endorsements can pay off big for brands. If you put a face to the name, your audience is more likely to remember you and your product. In many cases, the payoff can be immediate.
Verizon has successfully integrated Michael Bay into their fiber optics service (FiOS) commercials. Bay’s fame and the Transformer brand bring excitement to ordinary Internet service. The commercials are just as action-packed as the movies, bringing brand recognition to both Verizon and the Transformers franchise.
Sprint, Verizon’s competitor, has also turned to celebrity endorsements to sell phones. Cell phones can seem boring on the outside, but add in the creativity of reciting a text message with the name recognition of James Earl Jones and Malcolm McDowell, and you’ve got an advertising campaign worth remembering.
Career takeaway: Celebrity endorsements have the power to entertain, edify and even inspire customers. If you have the budget, go for a big name.
One of the biggest challenges of your career might be marketing a boring brand. Try some of these tips and you could be on the way to a remarkable and interesting campaign.
Elli Bishop is a writer for BusinessBee. You can follow them on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/03/20/4-fun-ways-take-marketing-campaign-boring-exciting/feed/ 1The post How Your Side Hustle Can Help You Become a Better Employee appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Most people who start a side business are looking to earn a little extra cash or spending money. Some are even looking for an escape route from their day jobs.But what if you like your job? Could a side hustle actually help your career?
Side hustlers have been labeled the black sheep of the workplace. If they’re taking on outside projects, they must not be committed to the company, right? If they need extra money, they must not be able to manage their finances, right?
While those examples aren’t unheard of, everyone has their own reason to side hustle. Today, moonlighting is commonplace — perhaps even encouraged.
More than seven million Americans work more than one job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and a Young Entrepreneurship Study showed more than a third of Millennials report having started a side business.
With all these part-time business owners, employer attitudes are beginning to shift. They’re starting to recognize a side-hustling employee is an asset to the company, not a liability. (Click here to tweet this thought.)
Here are three ways a side hustle can help your career:
Let’s say you’re caught in the classic conundrum of needing experience to score a promotion or a new job, but you can’t get that experience without the promotion or the new job.
Enter the side hustle.
Building your own business in your spare time gives you legitimate real-world experience you can add to your resume and bring to your next job interview. There’s no better way to learn than hands-on.
If you need experience, don’t wait for someone to hand it to you; go out and get it.
For instance, a software developer might take on freelance client projects in his spare time, but through those projects learn new skills he can apply at work.
For employers, a worker’s side hustle can be a source of continuing education and job training they don’t have to pay for.
In the workplace, the ones who get ahead are the ones proactive about their career paths. What better way to take matters into your own hands than to practice your craft after hours?
Your boss will be thrilled to learn you’re thinking about improving your work skills post 5 p.m. Who’s the more valuable worker: the one who goes home and watches TV all night, or the one who puts their mind to relevant use?
Side hustlers are self-starters and go-getters. That kind of attitude doesn’t take a break when you clock out; you take pride in your work no matter whose bottom line you’re working towards.
One overlooked aspect in many companies is employees who understand the big-picture fundamentals of the business. Running a side hustle gives you a firsthand look at managing sales, profit margins, cash flows and customer service.
It’s one thing to learn theory in an MBA program, but quite another to learn hands-on in your own small business. Bringing that entrepreneur’s mindset back to the office makes for a more agile and savvy team member.
Of course, having a bunch of mini-CEOs running around can be dangerous in any workplace, but side hustling gives you a unique perspective to apply to your day job. You’ll start to see opportunities to improve processes and workflows and creative ways to drum up more business.
What boss wouldn’t love that kind of constructive input?
Make sure to create clear boundaries between your day job and your side hustle. Despite all the benefits of part-time entrepreneurship for your career, double-timing while at the office is a big no-no.
If you foresee any resistance from your manager down the road, be upfront about your side hustle plans and intentions. If there’s any chance your business could be seen as a conflict of interest, it’s best to put those fears to rest from the get-go.
Nick Loper is the Chief Side Hustler at SideHustleNation.com, a growing community of aspiring and part-time entrepreneurs. If you’re looking for ways to earn some extra income on the side, be sure to check out Nick’s list of 80+ side hustle business ideas you can start today.
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The post How Your Side Hustle Can Help You Become a Better Employee appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/03/20/side-hustle-can-help-become-better-employee/feed/ 4The post 14 Tips Every Brand-New Entrepreneur Should Know appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Recently, the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) contacted top business leaders to ask the question, “What is your top tip for someone transitioning from employee to entrepreneur?”If you’re about to make the leap into entrepreneurship (or you’ve just lept and are feeling a bit panicky), their advice is definitely worth a read. (Click here to tweet this list.)
“Test your market before you make the leap away from the safety net of a salaried position. You should never make the leap to full-time entrepreneur without first knowing that you have a market to sell to. In the beginning, your best bet will be to make the most of your spare time outside of your job so that you find your first customers before jumping in full force.”
-Allie Siarto, Fare Oak
“Particularly if you are starting a business that will be competing with your former employer, take the time to meet with an employment attorney to get tips on how to prevent your former employer from successfully suing you for stealing trade secrets and a number of other claims. When it comes to dealing with former employers, an ounce of prevention is often worth a pound of legal cure.”
-Doug Bend, Bend Law Group, PC (Follow on Twitter @DougBend)
“Being an entrepreneur is exciting, but on day one, you will realize that you no longer have an infrastructure to rely on. Take advantage of your current setting. While you need to do well at your job, take advantage of your colleagues’ insights and the other resources that come from being employed for as long as possible. Show steady progress before you take the plunge!”
-Aaron Schwartz, Modify Watches (Follow on Twitter @ModifyWatches)
“The main difference between an employee and an entrepreneur is that you are now in charge of everything: what you do, when you do it and how you do it. The top tip is to set goals and audit your weekly activities to make sure you’re on track to achieve those goals. I set up a ‘goal post’ that’s visible and reminds me to get back on track when I find myself doing something outside the routine.”
-Brett Farmiloe, Internet Advertising Company
“All startups generate value in different ways. After you are able to understand how your revenue model will pay all your bills, it’s important to lay out your financial runway for year one and beyond. When doing so, estimate your break-even point and proceed with the utmost frugality. “
-Logan Lenz, Endagon (Follow on Twitter @loganlenz)
“As soon as you can afford to be an entrepreneur, do it! You’ll be more satisfied answering your true calling, and you’ll have more energy and focus for the startup. Until then, save as much as you can. Each payday is an opportunity to start your own company that much sooner.”
-Justin Beck, PerBlue
“I cannot stress the importance of taking your contacts with you when you leave the corporate rat race behind. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say, ‘Well, I used to know someone there, but I don’t have their email anymore,’ I would be able to buy several cashmere sweaters. And I mean NICE ones! Those contacts are your lifelines — don’t cast them aside when you’re abandoning ship.”
-Kim Kaupe, ZinePak
“Before starting a business, it’s important to begin positioning your personal brand for success. When you leave your job and go out on your own as an entrepreneur, you leave everything but your personal brand behind. Take the time to establish your personal brand so you can leverage it as an entrepreneur. You can start by establishing your own personal branding website.”
-Mark Cenicola, BannerView.com
“Without a wife to support me while I was getting my idea off the ground, it would have never happened. Without a business partner to serve as the left brain to my right, there would never have been a system of checks and balances in place to realize our dream. Not to mention all the work — it is simply impossible to be great at payroll and marketing, and do both full-throttle at the same time.”
-Michael Portman, Birds Barbershop
“When you go from a traditional 9-to-5 routine to having to create your own schedule, it can be totally overwhelming. Create a schedule and plan for things like exercise and socialization. If you don’t, you’ll spend way too much time working and, often, not being nearly as effective as you could be. Hard work is good. Smart work is better.”
-Sean Ogle, Location 180, LLC (Follow on Twitter @seanogle)
“You’re not the smartest person in the room or in your industry (yet). There are so many people out there you can reach out to for help, advice or to make an intro. If you don’t know what to do or need help, don’t feel like you failed just because you have to ask for it.”
-Trace Cohen, Launch.it
“You’re about to do a lot of waiting if you’re waiting for the perfect time — because it doesn’t exist. You will not have all of the pieces in place (hint: you never will), nor will you reduce enough risk to feel totally secure before you jump (hint: you never should). If you have faith in yourself, that’s enough to start. You’ll figure the rest out along the way. And that’s the fun part.”
-David Gardner, ColorJar
“LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman likes to say, ‘Entrepreneurship is like jumping off a cliff and and assembling a plane on the way down.’ That paints entrepreneurship as a risky, life-or-death proposition. I disagree. With all the cheap or free tools and advice available to anyone, it’s easier than ever to start working on your idea on the side — building a business while keeping your day job.”
-Clay Hebert, Spindows
“Many entrepreneurs are unprepared for the predictable crash that happens after the honeymoon period of quitting their jobs and ‘working for themselves.’ About three months into it, they realize they’ve never learned how to be proactive and self-motivating. For their entire lives, someone else has held the carrot. It takes a while to go through this deinstitutionalization period.”
-Charlie Gilkey, Productive Flourishing
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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The post 14 Tips Every Brand-New Entrepreneur Should Know appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/03/19/14-tips-every-brand-new-entrepreneur-know/feed/ 6The post Snag Quality Freelance Gigs By Presenting a Professional Face appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> As a freelancer, you’re responsible for selling yourself to potential clients. That means applying for projects, pitching clients and always presenting yourself as a trustworthy, reliable professional.As part of a recruiting team, I see my fair share of applications for freelance positions. I review resumes, portfolios and test samples from many freelancers — writers, designers, editors and Web developers.
While the industries these freelancers come from vary, one thing remains the same: it’s easy to identify whether someone is a professional or not.
Sometimes, you can tell even before you open the email.
Some of the following tips may seem obvious, but many freelancers try to get professional jobs while acting like amateurs. Here are a few ways you can avoid their mistakes:
Being professional doesn’t mean you have to be overly formal. There’s a big difference between the two:
One of the best parts about being a freelancer is that you don’t have a company mold to fit in. You can show your personality through your personal brand. Go for it.
Sophie Lizard, freelance writer and founder of Be a Freelance Blogger, has a unique personality and you can feel it on her About page:
But the rest of her site is fresh, clean and organized, making her appear the right part of professional — trustworthy and reliable.
Ditch the barbiegurl99@mail.com email that was funny when you were in college. Instead, go for something more professional like yourfullname@mail.com. Or better yet, get an email synced up with your own domain name (yourname@yoursite.com).
Dedicate one email address to your professional freelance life, and never reach out to the same person from multiple email addresses. Many people use email as a way to track information, so when you use multiple email addresses, it can cause confusion and lead to missed messages.
If a potential client asks for information, don’t give them the bare bones of the requested info. When trying to impress a client, more is better — when organized and tasteful.
Provide the requested information (e.g., a resume, cover letter and three samples) up front. Then add anything else you feel might help you get a job below the requested information (like additional samples, recommendations, etc.). This gives the potential client more info if they want it, while keeping the requested information easily visible.
Take time constructing your pitches to potential clients. Don’t do this:
I am an experienced writer of blogs articles and even contract writing of chapters in books. Some of my work has broken site records for views. My specific areas of interest and expertise include strategy, technology, innovation and cyber security. My blogs typically go about 300 words and my articles are in the 1000 word range.
I am a professional that is consistent and does not miss my deadlines. Please let me know how we can proceed with this mutually beneficial opportunity.
Always add personalization when approaching clients (“I saw this on your site…”, “I love [blank] about your company…”, “I admire your company’s opinion about [blank]…”). And never quickly throw together an email without taking the time to correct sloppy mistakes.
The difference is simple. You accept freelance jobs because they align with your passions and goals. You accept work-from-home jobs because they pay money. (Click here to tweet this thought.)
Work-from-home jobs are for people looking for a quick and easy way to do odd jobs and make money on the Internet (and sometimes they’re a scam). Freelance jobs are for people who want to build a career doing one specific task or service. It just happens you can do it from home.
Remember that you want to work for the client. Don’t make them work for you.
We frequently get applicants who claim our site isn’t working or our application isn’t correct, when really, they’ve failed to follow the directions given to them.
Always triple-check before asking the client to clarify directions. When you need a client to hold your hand at the beginning, it makes them think they’ll need to continue to do that for the rest of the working relationship.
If you work with clients you don’t engage with in person, use any opportunity you have to get in front of them on their computer screens. Don’t use graphics, icons or a distant photo for your profile photos on any site they use to connect with you.
Select an appropriate user photo or invest in a professional, quality headshot. It makes you look more reliable and trustworthy than an avatar.
Clients come to you because they have a need, so ask what other needs they have. Come out and ask them what problems they’re having and ask if there’s a way for you to help fix it. Or offer up your other skills so they know you’re available if the need arises.
As a freelancer, you need to create opportunities for yourself. Don’t sit around waiting for clients to find you or load you up with work. Be proactive, show initiative and exceed expectations.
These are a few tips that can help you get started on the right foot for your freelancing career. While there are other challenges and obstacles to overcome as you wade deeper in the waters of working for yourself, being mindful of these simple fixes will help you get to the good stuff faster.
Raubi Marie Perilli is the Community Manager for CopyPress Community — a networking site, training portal and job board for freelancer writers, bloggers and designers. Find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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The post Snag Quality Freelance Gigs By Presenting a Professional Face appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/03/18/snag-quality-freelance-gigs-learning-present-professional-face/feed/ 0The post Full-Time Freelancing Could Cost You: What to Know Before Leaping appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Ready to jump from your 9-to-5 to full-time freelancing? Great!From making your own hours to setting your own fees, freelancing has tons of benefits.
But what many startup ‘lancers don’t know is that freelancing can also be costly. You are, after all, essentially starting a business. Plus, you’re moving from steady paychecks to the unknown territory of a variable (and, sometimes in the beginning, nonexistent) income.
So before you jump in head-first, take this financial checkup to be sure you’re ready for the freelancing life:
Starting a freelance business is pretty cheap, as far as startups go. You don’t have to rent a huge office building, buy your own high-tech software system or even hire employees. But that doesn’t mean starting a freelance business won’t cost you.
If you want to land great clients and make decent money, you’ll have to invest in your startup. Before you go full-time, find the money for common startup costs. In fact, it may be best to go ahead and pay for these things out of your paycheck now, before you even jump ship!
Common freelancing startup costs include:
If you can cover these expenses, great! Move on to the next step in your checkup. If not, hold up. Take time to save enough money for your startup costs before you freelance full-time.
Money management skills are important no matter what your job. But for freelancers, they’re even more essential.
Right now, you’re used to a steady paycheck. Sure, if you’re an hourly worker, there might be some variance. But you probably get a check on a set schedule and know ahead of time about how much you’ll make.
When you’re a full-time freelancer, you can kiss that consistency goodbye!
While many of us eventually nab steady, long-term clients that give us an even-keel base pay, this isn’t often the case for newbies. You may deal with a roller-coaster income for quite some time.
So be sure you can prioritize your spending. See where you can cut back on your budget for months when you may not make as much money.
We all would like to think we’ll be six-figure freelancers within months of launching our businesses. But that very rarely happens.
Many freelancers have to work hard for months (or maybe years) before they steadily earn a decent income. This is normal, and you should expect it — even as you hope for a better, easier outcome for yourself.
Before you start freelancing, form some sort of backup plan. (Click here to tweet this thought.) This could include a part-time job or side hustle to pay the bills while your business gets going, a well-funded emergency savings account or even the option to move back in with the ‘rents while you get on your feet.
While you don’t necessarily need a fully funded six-month emergency fund to safely transition to the freelance life, you do need some sort of financial backup plan just in case!
Often, you’ll hear new freelancers exclaiming in excitement that they’re earning $20-$30 an hour on a job. That’s much more than they made at their old $12/hour gig. Or so they think.
Freelancers have many more expenses than typical full-time workers. You’ll have to pay for everything from printer paper to health insurance, and those costs add up.
And then you’ll have to pay your own taxes. In fact, you’ll pay at least 15 percent of your income in self-employment FICA taxes, and that’s not to mention income taxes.
Don’t forget you’ll no longer get paid vacation or sick days, either. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid. So you need to be sure you’re getting paid enough so you have the luxury of a vacation or a day out with the flu.
All these costs quickly add up and turn your $30/hour gig into a minimum wage slog. While your hourly rate goal will certainly depend on your industry, experience and cost of living, Carol Tice says most freelancers should aim to make at least $100 per hour.
Did you make it through the checkup? Do you understand your startup costs and ongoing costs? Do you have a backup plan for your finances, and are you prepared to live on a variable budget?
Excellent! You may be ready to start freelancing full-time.
If you’re not quite there yet, don’t worry. Take some time to prepare financially, and your freelance career launch will go much more smoothly in the long term.
Abby Hayes is a full-time freelance blogger, copywriter and journalist. She’s also the founder of FinanceforFreelance, a blog dedicated to helping freelancers make the most of their money. Check out her freelance tax guide, 42 Money Saving Tax Deductions for Freelancers, if you’re ready to make the most of your freelancing income at tax time!
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The post Full-Time Freelancing Could Cost You: What to Know Before Leaping appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/03/05/full-time-freelancing-could-cost-you-what-to-know-before-leaping/feed/ 1The post 10 Pieces of Business Advice You Should Ignore appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Recently, the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) contacted top business leaders to ask the question, “What’s the worst business advice somebody gave you when you were starting your business (and how did you prove them wrong)?”Many of their answers may surprise you. Check out the often common advice these entrepreneurs have found, in their experience, to be totally wrong. (Click here to tweet this list.)
“Possibly the most heart-crushing, tear-jerking thing anyone has ever said to me was, ‘Don’t pursue your passion.’ Not many people can make a living off their creative passions, but I proved them wrong by working hard and never letting other people’s opinions affect my life. Now, you can view my work in prominent places in the Washington, D.C. metro area — and on television.”
-Angela Pan, Angela B Pan Photography
“While taking client feedback is critical, giving customers what they want — instead of what serves their lives and businesses — is a copout. I remember the Henry Ford quote: ‘If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.’ Instead, I worked incredibly hard to educate my audience and persuade them. In real life, the customer is not always right.”
-Kelly Azevedo, She’s Got Systems
“While the goal of every entrepreneur is to make as much money as humanly possible, saying no to some paying customers may actually get you there faster. You see, in today’s ever-connected world of technology, it becomes paramount that you sell products only to those customers who can obtain an advantage or benefit. Those who can’t will blame you and cause unnecessary headaches down the road.”
-Charles Gaudet, Predictable Profits
“One thing I’ve learned, as a serial entrepreneur, is that every industry is ‘saturated.’ I was told not to pursue my passion for incentivized marketing, due to saturation and other challenges in the industry. Since our launch in 2009, we have redefined the incentivized marketing space and become a leader in the industry. How? Through innovation — a better solution or product always exists!”
-Fehzan Ali, Adscend Media LLC
“The need for a business plan simply doesn’t exist, and I would argue that making one is a poor use of your most valuable resource: your time. Instead of writing a plan attempting to predict the future, spend your time building your business. I proved the naysayers wrong by doing just that, and I haven’t looked back since. “
-Anthony Saladino, Kitchen Cabinet Kings (Follow @cabinetkings)
“My company pairs magazines with CDs and DVDs to create packages for super-fans. When my business partner and I told people we were creating a product to redefine the print and music industries, people laughed. One person said we would have more success launching a travel agency with the Titanic and Hindenburg! But by selling more than $10 million in product in two years, we got the last laugh.”
-Brittany Hodak, ZinePak
“Many entrepreneurs are told to hide their ideas from others so no one can steal the ideas from them. The businesses that I have kept in stealth mode have been the least successful. Entrepreneurs need to talk to people to build their ideas and create user bases. Get your idea out there, learn what customers want and build it for them. Copycats won’t matter if you build it well and correctly.”
-Aron Schoenfeld, Do It In Person LLC
“I would say the worst bit of advice that anyone can give is something that puts a spoke in the wheel. The advice that was belted out to me was, ‘How can you start up without capital? You’re married, you have responsibilities, you’ll burn your savings,’ etc. I simply got the client first, and that’s how I started without capital. Now, clients fund my business and its growth!”
-Rahul Varshneya, Arkenea LLC
“We had a vision that would disrupt healthcare education but wanted to focus, build market share, prove the model in one vertical and then expand. But the advice we often got was that we were too niche — and, while that is true, we were able to learn quickly from one focus area, gain credibility by dominating it and then replicate that for other markets to continue to grow quickly. “
-Shradha Agarwal, ContextMedia
“When you are first starting out, there is a 100 percent chance you’ll encounter obstacles and opportunities that no business plan could account for. The only way to deal with them is to be flexible. We’ve never had a business plan, and we’re better for it. We have goals in mind, but we don’t follow a rigid framework to achieve them.”
-Jim Belosic, Pancakes Laboratories/ShortStack
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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The post 10 Pieces of Business Advice You Should Ignore appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/03/05/10-pieces-of-business-advice-you-should-ignore/feed/ 6The post Create the Perfect Home Office That Will Keep You Motivated appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> You’ve done the legwork to figure out if working from home is right for you, and your boss has signed off on the idea. You’ve adjusted your budget accordingly, and you’re ready to make your work from home dreams come true.One tiny little task is left: crafting the perfect home office that’ll keep you productive.
But how do you know you’re on the right track?
The perfect home office has two benefits: It keeps you organized so you know what you should be doing and where documents are, and it keeps you motivated to work even when your TV and unlimited streaming subscription are right around the corner.
You can create it in three easy steps:
The perfect office space isn’t a corner of your bedroom or your kitchen, or a pillow on top of your stomach on the couch. For long-term success, the perfect home office is a dedicated workspace that has all of the materials you need to do your job right.
First, make sure you plan your space based on what you do. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Let functionality be the first hallmark of your home office space. Make sure your printer, fax machine and phone are easily accessible.
Then let your speciality guide you. If you’re an artist, you’ll need plenty of desktop space for drafting and illustrating by hand. If you’re a freelance writer, a comfortable chair for reading and research might be worth the space.
Don’t forget to leave room for creativity. It shouldn’t be all about business. Part of the benefit of working from home is letting your surroundings inspire you. Avoid defaulting to what you’ve known in cubeland. Decorate with your eclectic style or let pictures of your family be the centerpiece.
Do you do a lot of drafting or thinking? Focus on carving out wall space for white boards. Do you want a jungle of plants? It’s your call. But be choosy. Experiment with different decorations to find out if that poster of the latest Hollywood heartthrob makes you more creative or predisposes you to daydreaming. Keep personality and family involved, but don’t let them distract you
Once you’ve identified where the desk needs to go, make sure it’s suited to how you work. The perfect desk space leaves you comfortable enough to get a lot done, but engaging enough to keep the creative juices flowing.
Yes, you still need to clean up after yourself. You might not be able to bill for organizing and cleaning, but 90 percent of Americans find clutter at home and work a cause for negativity. Your home office is no exception, so clean up your workspace at the end of the day. File away papers, resources and binders, and leave yourself a sticky note of things to follow up on. Once a week, clean out and condense those sticky notes, too.
Customize your desk space to make yourself more productive. The real freedom of working from home is absolute customization. You can figure out your weaknesses and put tools in your desk space to help you work around them, no matter what that might look like to former officemates.
Whether you’re a visual thinker or kinesthetic learner, accommodating your own preferences will go a long way in making you more productive (think huge Post-Its, wall-sized calendars or white-board paint to make your entire desk a notepad).
And don’t just sit there. If you’ve got the space and the know-how, consider a stand-up desk, a desk that can convert to a stand-up or a makeshift desk attached to exercise equipment.
Varying your working routine by sitting, standing and exercising gives you variety throughout the day without having to move from location to location — and, oh yeah, warding off that whole “death by sitting” thing.
Stick a lamp in your office and you’re done, right? Not so much. When you work from home, especially without natural light, take lighting seriously. Eye strain from looking at a screen with low lighting is a serious problem for those who work on a computer.
Understand the triangle of lighting. Three kinds of lighting should be in your home office: mood lighting, task lighting and balance lighting.
Mood lighting should be in a soft shade of yellow and on the dim side. Task lighting — the lighting closest to where you work — should be bright and white to help you zero in on your work. For computer users, balance lighting is a soft white or yellow glow powerful enough to even out the computer light and help you avoid eye strain.
Use different lighting for different tasks to create moods. The good news about investing in different kinds of lighting is that making use of these three moods can help you be more productive and program you to respond to certain cues.
Train yourself to start shutting down for the day by switching to mood lighting toward the last half-hour of your workday. Or use a particular task lamp for all of your hand-drawn illustrations so that when you turn the lamp on, it helps trigger a certain mindset for a specific task.
Ready to work? When you pay attention to your home office desk, lighting and workspace, you can jump right to the benefits of working from home.
What home office tips do you wish you’d learned early on?
Look sharp! Sarah Greesonbach is a full-time freelance writer with Greesonbach Creative, a distinctive copywriting and content studio of one. She also blogs at Life Comma Etc about back-to-basics food, better relationships and more money for everybody, notwithstanding the occasional elegantly-posed cat photo.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/03/04/create-the-perfect-home-office-that-will-keep-you-motivated/feed/ 1The post Create a Successful Business From Your Passion Project with These 7 Tips appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> If you spend most of your time at work fantasizing about your hobbies, it may be time to turn what you do in your off hours into what you do all the time. But how?Here are seven tips for transitioning your hobby into a full-time paid gig:
Instead, rethink your day job. Think of your side hustle passion project not only as a way to make ends meet, but as a cash cow that pays your rent while you concoct your escape plan.
This small adjustment in thinking will help boost your energy by day so you can use it at night to strategize transforming your hobby into a successful, fulfilling career.
Quitting your job will be so glorious! But envision the day after you quit your day job. It will be much more enjoyable if you have a financial cushion to get you through lean times as you build your new business.
When I started saving, I aimed to make or save $100 extra a day. This meant saying no to pricey restaurant dinners or selling stuff I no longer needed. I wanted to build a buffer to support myself for at least a year.
Let’s say you embroider pillows. How many would you have to sell to pay your bills, pay yourself and save for your future?
If the number of pillows you would have to sell far exceeds how long it would take you to make them, the numbers don’t add up. That may be a tough reality to accept. But it’s better to find this out before you quit your day job. If the numbers seem like they could work out, move on to Step 4.
With online marketplaces like Etsy, you can list your product for just a $0.20 listing fee. You don’t need to know how to build a website or add complicated e-commerce coding, and you certainly don’t have to quit your day job.
When I started my online letter writing service, I had 20 subscribers. That wasn’t enough to make ends meet yet, but it was enough for me to know there was interest in my product.
Will people buy what you’re selling? Find out sooner rather than later. (Click here to tweet this thought.)
Social networks are your personal advertising agency. When you post info about your amazing pillows, you already have a captive audience: your friends. They are your greatest sales team. They’re more likely than a stranger to buy your product or share it with their networks. This is a good time to scratch their back and share their buzz, too. Blog, tweet, share, repeat.
If sales are slow or you’re not getting enough clients, ask for honest feedback from friends. Seek trends, then integrate the learnings into your products.
Perhaps your embroidered pillows would sell better with an owl motif rather than the flower motif you have now. When I first started my business, I had many questions from potential customers about how it worked. While sales were slow, I rejigged my messaging. Once sales picked up, I could concentrate more on delivering the product than explaining it.
If your side gig picks up steam, you can consider ditching the day job — especially if by now you’ve built up a financial cushion and a product people want to buy. And even better, it’s a product you love to sell.
Take these steps and you’ll discover if your hobby is worth the risk of leaving your job before you hand in your resignation letter. Smart, slow moves and daily actions that move you toward your goal aren’t just a good idea. They’re good business.
What small action could you take this week or this month to get you closer to your dream job?
Janice MacLeod saved for a year before she quit her day job. Now she lives as an artist in Paris. A book about her adventures (and how she saved up the dough), Paris Letters, is now out.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/02/26/create-a-successful-business-from-your-passion-project-with-these-7-tips/feed/ 1The post 10 of the Worst Lies Entrepreneurs Tell Themselves appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Oh, the lies entrepreneurs tell themselves! Even when all signs point to the contrary, it can be very easy to make up excuses for why your business isn’t succeeding.Here are some of the worst lies that entrepreneurs tell themselves, and the (sometimes) hard truths:
You think that if your idea is top notch, if the product/service you’re offering solves a real problem or if you have true passion and drive, your company will succeed and eventually start making some real money. This is a fallacy.
It’s easy when you’re busy growing your company to buy into this lie, but incredibly dangerous. It may be true that there’s a pot of gold further down the road, but you can’t just count on it being there. You must plan for it.
This may be true in some sense. You may bring in more business if your prices are lower than your competition’s. But if your pricing isn’t covering your costs and allowing for the kind of margin you need to make a profit to at least live on, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.
You need to figure out your gross profit (how much you need to cover fixed costs — from salary to materials to marketing). Based on this figure, you can calculate your gross profit margin and figure out how much you need to make in sales.
Pivoting is an essential startup business practice. Knowing when to change direction, tweaking your offerings and repositioning yourself in the marketplace are all good things. But this isn’t a magic bullet. You can’t just shift with the wind and expect things to work out. You need to base a direction change on number-driven data that guides and supports your plan. Before you change direction, you need to map out what steps you will take.
Quantity is a good marker for business success, but it’s not the only one. Increasing volume can lead to scaling issues. Instead of pursuing more customers, think about what other tactics you could take. How could you increase your dollar per customer? How can you save on costs per product? How can you increase customer satisfaction to ensure customer loyalty and increase the customer value over time? These metrics are just as important as volume.
Of course you want top-notch employees, but you may need to redefine who that is. Find out what positions can be outsourced to save on astronomical staffing costs. Top team members are expensive. Sometimes they’re worth that cost, but remember that you can also hire for potential rather than experience. Under-staffing is a good choice for many bootstrapped startups.
Not exactly. Of course you want to be on top of what’s going on in your industry, but if you want to see the big picture, get fresh perspectives and make valuable connections, you need to look outside of your niche. Business partners outside of your area are sometimes the most valuable contacts you can have.
Just because you’ve tried something before, that doesn’t mean you can’t tweak it and try again. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Sometimes small changes can have a big impact.
For example, a colleague of mine who was VP of Marketing for a huge company had had little success with affiliate marketing. He was thinking of shutting down this marketing channel, but instead decided to put some real money and time behind it. He hired someone solely responsible for managing the program. This one change made for astronomical increases in revenue for the company.
Just because you’ve always done something a certain way, that doesn’t mean it’s the best way, the most efficient way or the most cost-effective way. As an entrepreneur, you need to keep an open mind and always look for better solutions. Even if your way was the best way at some point, times change, markets change, economic conditions change and the competitive landscape changes. Business is dynamic. You need to be, too.
Wrong. Without determination and persistence — and a real love for what you’re doing — you won’t be able to see this thing through to the finish line. But passion, in and of itself, isn’t enough. You need to execute. A lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes.
We’d like to believe this fallacy, but unfortunately, it’s not true. A great idea is important. If there’s a real market for your idea, then you’re already a couple of steps ahead in the game. But it’s not enough.
A dash of optimism is a good entrepreneurial characteristic. You’re going to face a lot of setbacks, so the ability to put on some rose-colored glasses to improve the view is understandable. But when you begin to repeat the same lies and make them your mantra, you’re preventing clarity, masking opportunities and getting in the way of your growth.
When you stop lying to yourself, you can start anew. That’s where real change lies. That’s the future of your company.
David Ehrenberg is the founder and CEO of Early Growth Financial Services, an outsourced financial services firm that provides early-stage companies with day-to-day transactional accounting, CFO service, tax and valuation services and support. He’s a financial expert and startup mentor whose passion is helping businesses focus on what they do best. Follow David @EarlyGrowthFS.
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/02/19/10-of-the-worst-lies-entrepreneurs-tell-themselves/feed/ 2The post What Small Business Owners Can Learn from Snapchat’s Success appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> You may have heard of something called Snapchat. Many of you may have heard of it as the social media company that Facebook tried unsuccessfully to acquire for $3 billion last November (and yes, that’s billion with a “b”).Snapchat is a very popular smartphone app that allows users to send self-destructing photographs to each other. Think Mission: Impossible, but without the mini explosion and smoke.
More specifically, Snapchat is a new way of communicating in which I could send you any picture I’ve taken with my iPhone, but only allow you to see it for a short duration of one to 10 seconds. To see my photo, you would have to open your Snapchat app and touch the screen with your finger, during which time you would be able to view the picture only for the number of seconds I’ve designated, and only within the app. Once your time is up, the app permanently deletes the picture, forever.
It’s social media at its best in that it enables users to send highly personalized and private messages to each other through an efficient, objective-oriented real-time communication protocol. But it also breaks the rules of social conversation and sharing that were previously defined by permanency and inherent loss of control over where your posts and messages could end up.
If you think about it, Snapchat isn’t really an evolutionary advance in human communications. Rather, it’s a disguised reversion to the ways we’ve been speaking to each other since the telephone was invented over 100 years ago. When telephones were our only option, everything we said to each other was shared in real time, just like the way we currently send messages to each other on our smartphones and computers. But once we hung up, there was no way we could relive, replay or share that conversation with others (unless, of course, you work for the NSA).
Email, text messaging, Facebook and everything else we use today to communicate with each other have eliminated the fleeting quality of conversations and have allowed us to speak with more people in less time — but not without requiring those conversations to be permanently engraved into someone’s digital “wall,” smartphone or hard drive.
At first, this transformation from “now” to “now and forever” was liberating because it exponentially expanded the reach of our voices and helped us stay connected to more people in ways that were previously impossible. And although we knew the things we said within our digital world were permanent and irreversible, we found comfort in the fact that only our friends, family and peers would have the access and know-how to participate in things we had to say online, and that those we didn’t want to share our thoughts and ideas with wouldn’t be a part of those personal discussions. This paradigm is exactly how Facebook became popular; when this social network started, it was available only to college students, which meant that parents, teachers and employers were forbidden from seeing what we had to say about life, school, work, etc.
Today, anybody and everybody can join the most popular social networks — and, by my standards, they have. Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Yelp, eHarmony… There’s a very good chance that both the generation below you and and the generation above you are online. This means that in addition to your children, nieces and nephews, your parents and even your grandparents are connected to you online as much as they are offline — if not more so. (I, as an example, communicate with my parents more through email and Facebook than I do in person or by phone — and my mother-in-law is undoubtedly the subject of nearly all of our family’s Skype sessions.)
Yes, there are these “privacy settings” we’re allowed to set within these various social forums, but they seem to be getting less and less relevant and protective each year, especially as social networking companies become publicly traded corporations and succumb to the needs of higher earnings expectations, which can only be met with more and smarter advertising, often at the expense of more details about who you are and what you do on a minute-by-minute basis.
Random fact: My 60-year-old parents take and share more selfies of themselves than my 16-year-old niece. Now that I think of it, I hope they’re not on Snapchat.
This digital proliferation and the social network ubiquity it has created is the very reason why Snapchat is apparently worth more than $3 billion — and, more importantly, why the rules and norms of social media marketing (which as of just last year provided significant guidance as to how small businesses should advertise their businesses online) have evolved yet again. Without even having to go into an unbiased comparative exploration of the many different social marketing strategies we’ve implemented over the past 18 months at Red Mango, I can tell you with absolute certainty that our company’s social media marketing efforts have been less effective in 2013 than any prior year — a fact that is of particular interest to us because our customers are predominantly Millennials born with digital DNA.
Snapchat is the emblematic example of why our advertising on channels like Facebook and Twitter has become less efficient on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Heavy users of social networks, who were previously spending a significant amount of personal time on popular “traditional” environments like Facebook and Twitter, are no longer doing so. And a large majority of these heavy users are customers of retail businesses that cater to values and ideals that are important to popular culture and society.
There are many differing reasons people cite as to why this change is happening, but the reason I find to be the most compelling is in many ways connected to the fact that my parents, vendors, coworkers and even franchisees are now active citizens of the same social networks in which I was once able to share thoughts and ideas I may not want to share with the entire world.
Yes, social media is popular because it allows us to stay connected with each other in fluid and multidimensional ways that were previously impossible. However, the power and longevity of the social networks in which we thrive is more critically dependent on our ability to be who we truly are (or more often, who we want to be) without having to worry about what “other people think,” or about the impact our personal thoughts or random ideas may have on the existing real-world relationships we don’t want to change.
As humans, we’re at our most comfortable when we’re in places where we thoroughly understand everyone and everything within the immediate environment we often call our “safe zone.” And this environment is only possible when the conditions of privacy we’re promised are much more than a long set of rules drafted by attorneys who expect us to simply click “accept.”
The magic of Snapchat’s disappearing photos is exactly the kind of tangible privacy we value more than the jargon most often found in that obscure section of a website called “our privacy policy.” And when consumers feel protected by a level of privacy they can feel, see and trust, they will spend more time being themselves and sharing their true ideas and real preferences. It’s digital worlds like Snapchat that all businesses should strive to become a part of in order to become effective and relevant marketers.
All of this points to the fact that social media marketing needs to become more targeted and personal than ever before. Broad audience advertising may continue to enter our homes through television sets and radio stations, but advertising that actually influences people to develop a strong personal affinity towards goods and services will only happen when consumers allow brands to become a part of environments where guarded suspicions of traditional advertising are no more, and where a genuine invited interest sets a trusted transparent platform on which consumers can feel comfortable learning more about the things they’re interested in buying. And the most effective way to do this is for companies to think and act like individuals with unique personalities and voices people can actually see and trust.
Taking Snapchat as an example, brands that want to reach people through this channel will have to become a person on Snapchat — somebody who not just talks, but also listens to everyone who has something to say. Brands need to become people in order to develop an authentic online presence that consumers trust. (Click here to tweet this thought.)
This is where small businesses can really succeed and even perform more effectively than larger companies with much larger advertising budgets. I believe it’s much easier for small businesses to create trustworthy online personalities than it is for larger organizations, primarily because small business owners in general tend to be more engaged and spend more time on all aspects of their business operations than larger companies with a large number of people doing a large number of tasks. And these smaller companies with unique personalities that consumers can engage with and trust have much more influence than larger companies that consumers can easily (and often do) characterize as institutional and informal.
So the next time you hear about Snapchat, I hope you’ll not only know what it is, but more importantly, understand how people’s inherent desire for comfort and privacy will continue to position social media marketing as a form of effective advertising that will remain accessible to small business owners — and that will continue to help level the marketing playing field for all businesses regardless of size.
Yes, you can send me a Snapchat, if you want to see what it’s all about. Find me at dankimsnap.
This post originally appeared in Franchising USA.
Dan Kim is the Founder and Chief Concept Officer of Red Mango, a leading national frozen yogurt and smoothie franchise with more than 260 units. He regularly engages with almost two million followers on his Twitter accounts @dankimredmango and @redmango and his Facebook fan bases at /redmango and /dankimredmango.
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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The post What Small Business Owners Can Learn from Snapchat’s Success appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/02/05/what-small-business-owners-can-learn-from-snapchats-success/feed/ 2The post A Wake-Up Call: Why You’re Just Mediocre and What to Do About It appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Our parents were well-intentioned, I’m sure. As they bubble-wrapped and sugarcoated us, they thought they were doing us a favor. “You’re so special,” they’d say, plucking our cheeks like they were made of memory foam. “You’re mommy’s little angel.”I vividly remember my cheeks blushing as my mother would rave on to her fellow church ladies, “My Heather is the best, smartest, prettiest…” (You catch my drift. Aw, mom…)
Most of us were raised to believe we could do anything, be anything. Our parents trumpeted our skills with fanfare and celebration. “Look, little Johnny hit the baseball!” Society whipped on an extra helping of praise with gold stars every time we used the potty and allowances every week we remembered to make the bed.
From the start, we were rewarded for being regular, or at least better behaved than the so-called troublemakers. “Special” was never really special to us. Special was always average. It’s no wonder we now think we’re doing our best when we’re only being mediocre.
But mediocrity in the real world doesn’t amount to much — especially when it comes to entrepreneurship. It takes passion, persistence and eternal optimism to be truly special. So if you want to succeed, you have to ditch the act, stop listening to mom’s praise for awhile and learn to avoid the many allures of mediocrity. You’re better than they pretend, aren’t you?
We all love compliments. Love, love, love. We want to hear about how much we look like Brad Pitt and how our house is the nicest one on the whole block. We expect compliments when we make dinner, when we clean the house, when we submit a project.
And the funny thing is, we often get them. People pat us on the back with such frequency it feels like an injustice when someone doesn’t acknowledge that we did what we were supposed to do in the first place.
That’s why it’s so important to stop resting on your laurels. Believing the hype from those who love you doesn’t encourage you to take a realistic look at how you can improve.
Don’t be afraid to ask strangers for honest feedback, or better yet, learn to be your own best critic. Take an honest look at how you’re doing business. Where is your Achilles’ heel? Where are you missing the mark? Focus on those things rather than indulging in all the pats on the back. Everything will be better for it.
In James Altucher’s 100 Rules of Being an Entrepreneur, his first rule is: It’s not fun.
“I’m not going to explain why it’s not fun,” he says. “These are rules. Not theories. I don’t need to prove them. But there’s a strong chance you can hate yourself throughout the process of being an entrepreneur. Keep sharp objects and pills away during your worst moments.”
OK, so that might be a little dramatic. And I certainly don’t buy into all his rules, but the heart of this one is dead right.
When we were growing up being sold the bill of goods about just how darn special we are, we also got a load of lies about how “fun” life is. Everything is supposed to be like Candy Land all the time. And if it’s not like Candy Land, you’re not doing it right.
Wrong.
Building a business is hard work. And not just, “Honey, I chipped a nail!” hard work, but genuine hard work. You will sweat. You will cry. You will feel defeated. People will be mean. Things will go wrong. Multiple times.
The only businesses and ideas that succeed are those pioneered by people who are willing to accept the sweat and slog. People who want to play board games should just stay home in their jammies. My compromise: Working from home on Fridays… in my jammies. (Don’t judge me.)
To quote German genius Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, “In the realm of ideas, everything depends on enthusiasm; in the real world, all rests on perseverance.”
I wish it were enough that you love your idea. That you think your idea is totally unique and will revolutionize the face of humanity. I wish it were, but it’s not. Why? Because real success isn’t built on warm fuzzies. It’s built by hard work and an honorable amount of persistence. And a healthy dose of of hopeless optimism doesn’t hurt either.
Brad Feld, managing director at Foundry Group, says tons of pitches come across his desk from people who believe their ideas are concocted of unicorn dust and Steve Jobs’ magic. These genius entrepreneurs come equipped with NDAs and a huge side of secrecy. To Feld, it’s laughable.
The greatest ideas and best companies often didn’t succeed because they were the first of their kind. It wasn’t that they were special. To quote Feld, they “became great because of execution.”
So stop believing you’re a unicorn and actually become one. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Work hard. Be special. Inspire others to join you on your mission. Rinse and repeat. Forge through the ugly. There’s only so much room at the top, and I guarantee you there are no spots for puny ponies.
Heather Anne Carson is the co-founder of Onboardly, a company that works with venture-backed startups to help them with customer acquisition. Heather manages PR strategies for a variety of clients and has helped them secure coverage in publications like Inc, Entrepreneur, Shape Magazine, New York Times Magazine, BetaKit, TechCrunch, PandoDaily,TechCocktail, Mashable and many more. Follow her on Twitter @heatheranne.
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The post A Wake-Up Call: Why You’re Just Mediocre and What to Do About It appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/01/24/a-wake-up-call-why-youre-just-mediocre-and-what-to-do-about-it/feed/ 10The post A Better Way to Answer “What Do You Do?” appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> How do you feel when someone asks, “What do you do?”Does it spark frustration? Confusion? Disinterest?
What if it that age-old question was one of your greatest opportunities for connection, spreading your message and moving your ambitions forward?
Trust me, I get it. We now live in an economy where many of us are doing more than one thing. Our description of working and living goes beyond a title and job description. (Click here to tweet this thought.)
Doctor. Lawyer. Consultant. Designer.
Painter. Musician. Writer. Developer.
Mother. Father. Husband. Wife.
It’s not that simple anymore.
We have the husband and consultant who works from home, creates and sells art in his downtime and volunteers with troubled youth.
We have the freelance writer who runs a farm-to-table dinner series on the side and spends weekends on the farm.
We have the investment banker who travels and photographs the world in his free time, inspiring people to explore and play.
As our interests and doings become varied and multi-disciplinary, the ease at which we describe what we do lessens.
So how on earth can you describe what you do and do so simply? Let’s break it down into a real-life before and after example:
Him: So, what do you do?
Me: I’m a writer.
Him: Cool.
// end conversation // end opportunity for connection //
Him: So, what do you do?
Me: Everything I do is rooted in redefining ambition. I’m interested in shifting the conversation from one of “getting ahead” to one of “coming alive.”
Him: Oh wow. That’s really interesting. What do you mean by that?
Me: We’ve been taught that in order to be successful, we must get ahead. But what happens is that we often lose ourselves and what really matters in the process.
Him: I really connect with that. This is totally up my sister’s alley, too. What do you mean by coming alive?
Me: To come alive is to tap into the truest and most natural expression of who you are, making sure your life is an expression of that. So I support people in shifting from fear-led decisions to heart-led choices, self-doubting to self-expression, focusing on competition to fostering collaboration, and chasing what’s next to fully experiencing what’s right now. That sort of thing.
Him: This is awesome. My sister needs to hear about this. She’s an amazing artist but self-doubt keeps blocking her. How do you go about doing this work?
Me: I write, speak, lead retreats and experiences for creatives and entrepreneurs, and occasionally work with the right inspired companies or individuals one-on-one. I’m also writing a book.
Him: Oh, awesome! When and where can I buy this book?
And off we go into soul-connected paradise…
In sharing what we do, when we focus on the mission driving us and why we do it, we create the opportunity to quickly connect in a deep and intimate way. We also increase our odds for moving our ambitions forward in an organic way.
“My sister needs to be at your next retreat.”
“I have an editor I want to introduce you to.”
“This conference sounds like a perfect place for you to speak.”
Are you ready to try out this new approach?
Start by answering and getting clear on this: What is the mission that I’m here to serve? And why do I do what I do?
For example, maybe you work in healthcare, but what drives you is removing the barriers around accessibility so you can create a world with more happiness. Maybe you’re a designer, but what moves you is the power of love and supporting people in seeing their greatness. Or maybe you’re an entrepreneur who experienced a spiritual awakening, and now you’re motivated to show people the power of slowing down, being present and cultivating the joy within.
Your story is unique. And your message matters. Whatever it is that you do, there’s a reason for it. There’s a deeper force motivating you to show up day and after. There’s a nut you’re trying to crack in your own life. What is it?
If you get stuck or want to share, let’s jam in the comments below. I’m here for you.
This post originally appeared on the author’s blog.
Amber Rae is on a mission to redefine ambition, supporting you in creating a life that makes you come alive. Get inspired on her blog, start a dialogue on Twitter, or follow her on Facebook for the latest.
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The post A Better Way to Answer “What Do You Do?” appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/01/23/a-better-way-to-answer-what-do-you-do/feed/ 4The post Take Your Career to the Next Level: Be a Thought Leader appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Like wielding a powerful weapon, information can deliver amazing results with the right tools in place. This is especially true when you’ve shared your expertise across platforms. Whether it’s through speeches, blog posts or video, what you know and learn is important.There’s a phrase that’s been cropping up in the business world these days: thought leader.
Ask two entrepreneurs the meaning of the phrase “thought leader” and you’ll likely get two answers, but it comes down to this: a thought leader is an expert in their field who shares that knowledge widely.
For many business owners, becoming a thought leader is a natural progression from running a business.
A thought leader builds a brand with knowledge, courage and empathy for both the audience and the potential consumer. Forbes says becoming a thought leader is mostly about making money and history.
But a good thought leader answers important questions consumers want to know and provides context, and looks to the future for inspiration. Here are six tips to sharpen your thought leadership skills:
Your company, your blog and your company’s history can be tied into the larger, global conversation. Almost any news item can be linked to your own business.
If you’re in the plastics business, a news update about a breakthrough in the industry is the type of item that might make your business noticeable. Make the connection between that innovation and your company’s innovation. You can also write pieces for trade publications and business magazines.
It might seem easy, but crafting a consistent message takes time. Why is your product, service or business important to the consumer? That should be your approach. Your customers should care about your contribution to the world, and it should make their world better in some way. Carving out a consistent message is the first step.
Examine your customer base and find creative ways to interact with them. Your customers might want an opportunity to share ideas or testimonials. Invite them to participate in interviews, surveys and video chats, and use the finished products to produce content. This might even drum up new business and open unexpected doors.
On a chessboard, the queen is, from a certain point of view, more powerful than the king. Your content has to be just as powerful. From blogs to videos and other mediums, your message needs to spread far and wide.
Using all the available tools gives you the best shot at gaining a successful following. The more people share your content, the more buzz you’ll receive. With any luck, it’ll result in more profits for your venture.
People love a good story. They love success stories even more. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Give them something to aspire to, learn from or explore. People also enjoy engaging visual elements. Try to combine both when applicable.
An infographic can encapsulate statistics, narrative, pictures and almost anything else that can tell a gripping story. Make yours the best possible product you can afford.
If you’ve committed yourself to becoming a thought leader, you can draw from the resources right at your doorstep. Your partners, clients, frequent visitors and others can be an impressive force to bring your message to the masses. Additionally, your network can strengthen the foundation of your business.
A good thought leader should always keep as many doors open as possible.
Savannah Marie is a social media enthusiast and writer from New York. She is the editor of her blog Mixios and a freelance writer for 12 Keys. Follow her on Twitter @savfmarie.
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The post Take Your Career to the Next Level: Be a Thought Leader appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/01/22/take-your-career-to-the-next-level-be-a-thought-leader/feed/ 4The post 16 Business Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Recently, the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) contacted top business leaders to ask the question, “What lesson would you teach your younger self about entrepreneurship, given what you know now?”From starting a business to keeping it running, their advice can help you wherever you are on your entrepreneurial journey. (Click here to tweet this list.)
Read on for their tips:
“When I started out, I thought success meant everything working out the way you planned. But that’s not really how entrepreneurship works. Some things work out far better than you imagined, some things don’t happen and other things seem like epic failures, but it’s really all just a learning process. Rolling with the punches, embracing change and enjoying the adventure is a big part of the fun.”
-Elizabeth Saunders, Real Life E® (Follow @RealLifeE)
“I entered the world of entrepreneurship timidly, even feeling uncomfortable to call myself a ‘real’ entrepreneur for years. What I didn’t understand when I started out was that entrepreneurship is less about your number of investors, your job title or how many companies you’ve sold. What entrepreneurship is about is freedom and using your power of choice to do business and serve others in ways that empower you, liberate you and do good in the world. There’s not just one way to go about it; the journey is what you make of it.”
-Dave Ursillo, The Literati Writers
“As an entrepreneur, many new ideas and shiny new ventures will catch your eye on a day-to-day basis, but more often than not, focusing on one mission at a time will mean the difference between success and failure. As the saying goes, if you chase two rabbits, both will escape. Sometimes, focus and a relentless attitude can even trump the greatness of the idea itself.”
-Richard Lorenzen, Fifth Avenue Brands
“There are many important principles of good business: best practices, success strategies, etc. But none of them are universal. You can march to your own beat. You can do things your own way… and you can make it work. But the people you choose to surround yourself with will make or break you. When I have ambitious, hardworking, like-minded people around me — motivating peers and mentors I can learn from, collaborate with, test/validate ideas with and get pushed by — I make fast progress and thrive. When I don’t have those people around me, I stagnate. You need a strong support network.”
-Cody McKibben, Digital Nomad Academy
“A huge lesson I learned well after starting a business was that there’s a difference between owning a company and running one. Both are great, but the latter means that you can never stop running, or the company will slow down. Over time, it’s key to learn how to build a trustworthy team and to train others in your knowledge. At first, my goal was just to have a business that worked, but now my goal is to one day have a business that could survive even if I stopped running. I want to be able to catch my breath and enjoy it!”
-Lexa Hillyer, Paper Lantern Lit
“Entrepreneurs are generally good with either being focused or being flexible, but the trick is mastering the tension between the two. It is important to be focused — on your goals, on your business plan and on your customers. However, you also have to stay flexible to the needs of the market.”
-Suzanne Smith, Social Impact Architects
“Accept that 80 percent is an A+. Being a perfectionist and an entrepreneur can often yield several problems, including micromanaging, which drives you — and those around you — crazy. Accept that mistakes will happen and that they are, in fact, part of building a great business and team.”
-Ilya Pozin, Open Me
“Entrepreneurship isn’t a zero-sum game. You and your competitors can all be winners and, for the most part, competing with anyone other than yourself (unless you’re a professional athlete, of course!) is counterproductive. Share ideas, help each other out and rise together. And keep your competitive edge turned inward. Not only will your sanity benefit, but so will your business.”
-Alexis Wolfer, The Beauty Bean
“A friend of mine, Shervin Pishevar, made a statement that has stuck with me and served as a reminder for quite some time. He said, ‘the answer is always no unless you ask.’ A simple, yet powerful, truth. Unless you ask the questions, there’s no way of knowing what the outcome will be. And without asking the question, the answer is always no. This is something I continually try to remind myself of when stuck in a spot of uncertainty and fear. Ask the questions that need to be asked.”
-Jeff Slobotski, Silicon Prairie News
“Decision and action are always better than indecision. This is particularly important for early business success. Execution moves things forward, and you don’t have time to ponder small decisions. Sometimes, even a lot of analysis will not give you the answer, and you have to go with what you believe will work best. “
-Jesse Pujji, Ampush
“For first-time entrepreneurs, managing yourself can be a real challenge. We don’t realize how much we sometimes need structure. Being accountable to someone (a boss) is a huge motivating factor. I’d develop better habits around managing my time in a sustainable way. With my first company, I’d work 24 hours straight (literally). Some days, I’d just take off completely. Balance is everything, and it’s the key to sustainably being an entrepreneur for the long run.”
-Mitch Gordon, Go Overseas
“We entrepreneurs have ideas every day. The sooner you test these ideas against reality to see if they’re viable, the quicker you’ll get to the idea that works. For example, I once had an idea to build an iPhone app. I made the wireframes. I got with a developer. I paid the developer about 20 percent of my savings account. And I lost all my money because I had an app no one wanted. If I had tested the app idea with my potential customers without any investment, I would have quickly found out my idea wasn’t needed. Get out of the building and test before you invest.”
-Brett Farmiloe, Internet Marketing Company
“Research shows pretty conclusively that the best leaders do one primary thing differently: They know their strengths and work in them almost all the time. This sounds simple, but what I didn’t realize was that our society isn’t set up like this. From our earliest school days, we are taught to focus on making our deficiencies better; this never leads to greatness. Instead, first discover those things that make you unique — your gifts/talents/strengths. Second, find a big, hairy problem in the world that makes you righteously indignant. Third, use your strengths to solve that problem!”
-Josh Allan Dykstra, Strengths Doctors (Follow @joshallan)
“As a younger entrepreneur, I always wanted to build or start something that I wanted. Part of what makes entrepreneurs great is that they are often so passionate about a solution to a problem, because they have that problem. But the reality is, just because you have a problem, [that] isn’t enough to start a company around it. So talk to your customers… a lot. After realizing how much you learn from customers, we now have built that feedback loop so tightly into the company — from weekly in-office usability testing to all-hands customer support to monthly feedback from our employees. “
-Eric Koester, DCI
“Focus on generating sustainable revenue. Entrepreneurs thrive on ideas and opportunity. Some ideas take longer to materialize into a profitable business, and in some cases, opportunity takes longer to materialize. Regardless of the idea or the opportunity, I would focus on smaller increments that can start delivering revenue sooner than later. This is a critical success factor for technology startups given that I can [more] easily manage to become a thinker than a revenue generator. This also helps in seeing what works and expanding on that versus going with the big bang theory.”
-Raheel Retiwalla, Fuzed
“Business plan? No problem. Road trip to raise capital? Got it. Two hours of sleep? Push through it. These are all things we did early on without blinking. We loved our small team and our mission, and we fell in love with our business. Then, our business got older, and although it aged well, it lost some of its excitement. Our passion became a job first, instead of the other way around. It took time, but we got out of the rut by changing things up: new roles, scenery, experiences, projects and team activities. It’s not about building new fires, but feeding the one you started. “
-Ben Wagner, LifeKraze
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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The post 16 Business Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/01/22/16-business-lessons-every-entrepreneur-should-know/feed/ 4The post 6 Questions to Ask Before Launching Your Startup appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Good journalists know their news articles aren’t fit to print until they answer the five Ws — who, what, when, where and why — and an H, how. These basic questions lay the foundation for a strong story.If a reporter fails to answer even one of these questions, their editor will likely send them back to the drawing board. For an effective news article, everything beyond the five Ws and an H is just fluff.
So what do the five Ws have to do with startups? The questions that make for a good news story are the same ones that can determine whether your startup will be successful. (Click here to Tweet this thought.)
You should ask these questions as soon as possible — and make sure you have answers — to build a solid beginning for your business.
Fail to answer them, and your startup may end up half-baked.
Why are you starting a business? Before you do anything rash like quit your job, take time to examine this one carefully:
There you have it: The who, what, when, where, why and how of a business. Best of luck in your venture. I look forward to hearing the story of your success.
Mike Kappel, president of Patriot Software, Inc., offers more great advice for entrepreneurs in 87 Must-Answer Questions for a Startup. You can connect with him on Google+, on Twitter @MikeKappel and on LinkedIn.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/01/17/6-questions-to-ask-before-launching-your-startup/feed/ 2The post 5 Creative Side Hustles That Make Good Money appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> If you’re not already running a side hustle, chances are you’re thinking about it. About one in three Millennials has launched a side business, according to the Young Entrepreneur Council, and more than 90 percent believe knowledge about entrepreneurship is essential to the new economy and the current job market. (Click here to Tweet this stat.)Still mulling over what type of side hustle will work best for you? Here are five options, pulled from my interviews with more than 100 successful side-hustlers for my new book. These ideas all harness your creative skills and interests and have the potential to make you a bunch of much-needed cash.
Emily Beach, a field hockey coach at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., noticed something when she was teaching young kids how to hold a hockey stick at a summer camp program: they found it difficult to control the sticks with their left hands, as they were supposed to. While some coaches slide an empty toilet paper roll over the stick to prevent players from controlling it with their right hands, Emily wanted a more durable solution.
She sketched out her concept for a new type of stick, one with a handle that would swivel and prevent players-in-training from using their right hands. The Dribble Dr. was born. She now runs her business on the side, promoting the Dribble Dr. at conferences and trainings, as she continues working full-time as a coach.
The takeaway: Solve a problem in your field with a new invention.
If you have a talent other people enjoy watching, then you have a potential business. For Jessi Baden-Campbell, an opera singer, that talent is singing. She works as a coordinating producer at a media company by day and takes on singing gigs — in the theater, for weddings, in churches and synagogues — by night and on the weekends. She practices during her lunch breaks to maintain her skill.
The takeaway: If you’re a talented performer, you can hone your skill and pick up evening and weekend gigs. Many performers find their clients through word-of-mouth, so share your skill with your social networks.
According to freelance website Elance.com, voice acting was one of the fastest-growing fields last year. If you used to act in high school or college (or wish you did), this could be your entrance into the acting world.
Chris Hardy, an instrument repairman in Augusta, Ga., always loved playing around with cartoon voices as a kid. When he discovered the website Fiverr, he started listing voice acting gigs. For $5, he started offering audio files of various voices, from Homer Simpson to Elmo. He now earns around $10,000 a year from his voice acting skills.
The takeaway: Tap into a talent you relished as a kid to make money today.
Nicole Crimaldi Emerick launched Ms. Career Girl, an advice blog for young college grads, as a creative outlet, but it soon turned into a profitable business. She spun it out to include career-related events before eventually selling the website (while continuing to contribute to it). The experience she gained from the venture also helped her eventually transition into a new career as a social media strategist.
The takeaway: Your side hustle can give you experience that ends up boosting your primary career.
Digital products are the darlings of bloggers. They offer a way to create a valuable product and easily sell it online — no postage or packaging necessary. I’m partial to this approach because I did it myself by launching a line of digital financial guides on Etsy. It didn’t make me rich, but my shop does earn a steady stream of $50 to $200 each month, depending on how much effort I put into marketing. But even more importantly, it’s empowering. Every time I make a sale, I feel the rush of knowing I created something that people actually find useful.
The takeaway: Digital products are easy to make and sell and offer an easy way of sharing your expertise with others.
While the financial benefit of a side hustle is definitely a good reason to launch one, the feeling you get from being a successful micro-entrepreneur — and creating something that helps improve your customers’ lives — is even better.
Kimberly Palmer is the author of the new book The Economy of You: Discover Your Inner Entrepreneur and Recession-Proof Your Life and senior money editor for U.S. News & World Report. In addition, she is the creator of Palmer’s Planners, a line of digital financial guides on Etsy. Visit her site here.
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The post 5 Creative Side Hustles That Make Good Money appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/01/16/5-creative-side-hustles-that-make-good-money/feed/ 3The post The Easiest Way to Replace Your Income in 2014: Affiliate Marketing appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> You’ve checked the clock four times in the last 17 minutes, and it’s still not 5:00 p.m. The eye-twitching sound your coworker makes while smacking their gum makes you want to scream. And that faint garlicky aroma from your manager’s Korean takeout box lingers, both nauseating you and making you hungry.Then it hits you: You are so over the 9-to-5 B.S. Like, done. Ready to hand in your resignation. Tempted to update your resume. Daydreaming about pulling a Jerry Maguire.
Done.
You want out, but you’re not sure how to get out.
Fortunately, it’s a lot easier than you think to replace your paycheck and start living a life that makes you happy to wake up each morning. (Click here to Tweet this thought.)
Replace your paycheck and free yourself of the 9-to-5 with affiliate marketing.
You may be thinking “affiliate what now?” but it sounds a lot more complicated than it is.
Affiliate marketing is the process of creating a basic website where you recommend a product to anyone looking for information on it. Within this website are personalized links with a tracking code, and if a reader clicks your link and buys the product you’re promoting, you receive a commission.
That’s it.
It’s essentially the lowest barrier to running an online business you can possibly enter, and it’s easy to scale and not only replace your current income, but double it.
So, how can you even get started with affiliate marketing?
This is an area a lot of people get hung up on because they want the “perfect” product. But the thing is, the perfect product doesn’t exist. Different people have different needs, so what may seem perfect to you may be useless to someone else.
Besides, you’re not selling to you. You’re selling to them.
A simple hack you can use to find a profitable product to promote is to hit up Amazon.com, click on “shop by department” and scroll through the categories and sub-categories. From there, start browsing to see which products seem to be the most popular and get the most reviews.
Next, narrow down your choice to a list of five to 10 products, jot down the names and move onto the next step.
Once you’ve found a product you think might be a good choice, you have to see if it’s possible to make money off it.
All you have to do is open up a Google search and search: product name “affiliate program.” This will allow you to see which products on your list have affiliate programs available to join. Then follow the instructions and apply to be an affiliate.
Once you find an affiliate program you like, you’ll need a place to promote that product.
A few years ago, starting a website would have been something you had to pay someone to do for you. Now, thanks to WordPress and YouTube, you can do it yourself.
It might take a little tweaking to get it right, but there are thousands of video tutorials that’ll guide you through the entire process. Best of all, you can do it for under $20.
The key to nearly every online businesses is content. Plain and simple.
An easy way to get started with a content plan for your affiliate site is to start with these four styles of posts:
If you’re not entirely sure where to start, doing research and reading other websites targeting the same product will help push you in the right direction. Just be sure to make the content yours and add your own flavor to it.
The final step in this whole process is to get people to your site. And not your mom or your Facebook friends. You want qualified Web searchers looking for your specific solution.
But how do you get those people from Google to your website? This little thing we call SEO. Or, more specifically, backlinks. Backlinking is just the fancypants word for the process of one site linking to your website and essentially vouching for it.
There are many ways to do this, but the easiest way is through guest blogging. Not only is it the easiest way to get high-quality links from reputable sites in your industry, but Google loves this form of SEO.
The good news is, if you have a small site, you don’t need that many backlinks to start ranking in Google. You just need to know how to guest post properly.
From there, it’s all about scaling… and waking up to sales you made while you were sleeping.
The key is to give it all you’ve got, immerse yourself in the project and hang in there when you feel like you might want to quit. After all, that’s what will lead to long-term success, new ideas, better strategies and eventually a monthly income that rivals your yearly salary. *fist pump*
Jill Stanton is a wanderluster and lifestyle affiliate marketer hell-bent on teaching others how to escape the 9-to-5 and create a simple online business they love. She can be found over at ScrewTheNineToFive.com or on Facebook, scrolling through picture quotes in her newsfeed.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/01/15/the-easiest-way-to-replace-your-income-in-2014-affiliate-marketing/feed/ 9The post 10 Websites That Will Help You Break Into Freelancing in 2014 appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Is one of your New Year’s goals to make money as a freelancer? Or maybe you already have a few clients but want to propel your freelance business forward this year?No need to grasp around in the dark. Instead, take advice from freelancers who have gone before you!
Here are 10 websites that will help you learn how to find clients, figure out what to charge and cover all the other bases you need to build a successful business this year. (Click here to Tweet this list.)
This new site was formerly known as Freelance Switch, a long-time resource for freelancers and solopreneurs. It offers high-quality and in-depth articles on everything it takes to become a successful freelancer, along with helpful tutorials. Plus, archives from the previous site are an absolute gold mine.
Founded by Sara Horowitz, the Freelancers Union is a free resource for independent freelancers and small business owners of all kinds. Lucky for you, you don’t have to be a member to get all the helpful content on their blog. You’ll find information on how to get health insurance, work with subcontractors, understand self-employment taxes and all the ins and outs of running your own business.
An invoicing product for small business owners and freelancers, FreshBooks also offers a blog, and it’s an excellent resource. Quickly find advice from experts about much-needed topics like freelance taxes, financial organization, invoicing, contracts and more. Working with clients and getting paid is a huge part of being a freelancer, so this blog will no doubt come in handy.
This site is the ultimate resource for freelancers at all stages. Not only will you find free advice and tips on the blog; the community forums also provide an opportunity to connect with other independent workers. Enjoy new leads and job opportunities on the job board, along with a quick-start guide to getting started freelancing.
A lot of details go into becoming a successful freelancer, but your number one focus should be earning enough money to support yourself. This site will help you do just that! It offers in-depth training, courses and books to help you take your solo business to the next level. Plus, every year, the Academy oversees International Freelancers Day, a chance to learn from and connect with thousands of freelancers all over the world.
We can’t leave Brazen off this list, especially since the blog has an entire section dedicated to freelancing. If you’re looking to forge your own path, enjoy Brazen’s tips on getting started, working with clients, being more productive and taking your freelancing full-time.
Not everyone wants to quit their job, start a business and travel the world. But if you’re one of those go-getters who do, Location 180 is an awesome site for you. You’ll find ideas on how to run a business from any location in the world, along with practical advice and real-life tested strategies for building what blogger Sean Ogle calls a freedom business.
This site will encourage you to get out of the daily grind and take the first step towards regaining control of your life. Jill and Josh are affiliate marketers, but their real-world advice on everything from making more money to dealing with unsupportive family members is helpful for all types of freelancers.
Taking the leap into freelancing requires guts, and Tom Ewer shares the story of how he boldly quit his job to become a successful freelancer. Dig through the archives of his income reports and see exactly how he brings in thousands of dollars each month. He firmly believes that anyone can do what he’s done and become their own boss.
As one of the largest online resources for small businesses and entrepreneurs, this site provides essential tools and resources to start, grow and manage your business. You’ll find expertise and practical advice from tons of small business experts and online freelancers.
What other online resources would you recommend to freelancers?
Carrie Smith is a financial artist who recently launched Fight For Your Right to Work Less, a course designed to help freelancers and solopreneurs create freedom businesses.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/01/09/10-websites-that-will-help-you-break-into-freelancing-in-2014/feed/ 10The post How to Turn Your Passion Into a Successful Career appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Much has been written about turning your passion into a full-time job. I mean, that’s the dream, right? Getting paid for doing what you love?Well, the situation is actually a little more complicated than that. Can you make a living doing what you love? Yes… and no. To be honest with you, it depends. Not every passion or every dream or everything you love to do has profit potential. Some dreams and hobbies make lousy businesses. Professional careers don’t exist for everything.
The trick is finding that sweet spot where what you love to do and what other people want overlap. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) Opportunity lies at the point where your passion and its usefulness to other people converge.
For a business to exist, there has to be at least two things: a product or service, and people willing to pay for said product or service. If what you love to do isn’t useful to anyone else — if it doesn’t create value for other people by solving an obvious and irritating problem or bestowing some desirable benefit — then you’re probably never going to make money doing it. Passion isn’t enough if there’s no business potential.
That said, it’s almost always possible to find a career (or make your own) in an area closely related to something you love.
No one is going to pay you to read books for fun, but there are plenty of jobs — book editor, patent lawyer, proposal writer, reviewer/critic, researcher — that require a great deal of reading. No one is going to pay you for working in your garden or taking care of your own lawn, but they might be interested in buying your flowers or produce, or in learning how to create and tend their own garden. There’s the opportunity.
The question then becomes: Are any of the opportunities related to what you love interesting to you? If so, dig deeper. If not, pick something else you enjoy and explore the possibilities there.
If you’re thinking about starting your own business based on a hobby or personal passion, answering these questions before you continue will help you figure out if that’s really something you’d enjoy, and whether there’s actually a market for it:
It’s all about the research. Whether you dream of bringing a new product to market or getting hired at Google, you need to become an expert on everything related to your dream job.
Say you want to own your own coffee shop. OK. What does it actually mean — what does it actually require to own your own coffee shop? Do you know anything about beans, farming and growing regions? Do you know anything about different roasting, grinding and brewing methods? Do you know anything about running a retail business? Do you know if there’s a market for a coffee shop in your area? Do you know what you could expect to earn running a coffee shop? Do you know about management? Hiring? Customer service? Do you know anything about FDA certification? If not, it’s time to learn.
As you think about your dream job and begin to refine it, here’s what you need to know:
Intimidated? Allow me to introduce your new best friend — the Internet. So much information is available to you today, and much of it is free and can be accessed within three minutes. And don’t forget to take advantage of your local library as well. There’s much to be learned from books.
In the end, these questions should challenge you, not defeat you. If they challenge your dream and your dream is still standing, it’s worth pursuing. If these questions defeat you, you need to ask yourself why. Are you settling? Are you giving up? Or have you simply discovered you’ve been barking up the wrong tree? Change demands growth, and growth demands change.
This post is an excerpt from the author’s book, Jump Ship: Turn Your Passion into a Profession.
Josh Shipp is the host of Jump Shipp, a documentary TV series offering individuals a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live out their dreams. He’s an award-winning entrepreneur named to Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30” list and is the founder of Youth Speaker University. More at http://JoshShipp.com.
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/01/08/how-to-turn-your-passion-into-a-successful-career/feed/ 1The post 3 Game-Changing Entrepreneurship Trends for 2014 appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Entrepreneurship trends are a lot like fashion trends. The boxy cropped jacket and tuxedo jogging trouser trends of 2014 are already on runways today. Likewise, next year’s most important entrepreneurship trends begin now.Here are three big trends you can expect to see affect entrepreneurs in 2014:
The class of 2014 is more accustomed to persistent uncertainty than the shell-shocked class of 2008 or the hopeful one of 2012. The class of 2014 is more self-reliant, and many consider entrepreneurship to be the first step and only path to a career.
Plus, institutions have evolved to offer cost- and time-efficient training and education for entrepreneurs. Wharton became the first business school to offer free MBA courses online, and entrepreneurial training programs like Acton MBA are proving viable paths to career readiness.
In 2014, tech prodigies dominating an industry adults barely understand will no longer be the norm. Instead, young business owners will enter and compete in industries as varied as their interests and field of study.
Even farming has begun to make a resurgence following a 70-year decline, and in April of 2013, the Young Farmer’s Coalition successfully pressed Congress to introduce The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act in light of the trend.
No matter what the industry or field of study, you’ll see more recent grads creating their first jobs instead of merely getting them and building corporate ladders rather than climbing them — probably out of your basement, if you’re a parent!
The myth of self-made men pulling themselves up by their bootstraps has been debunked. If you’ve raised startup funding, you know how difficult it is to succeed in business, no matter how hard you work. That’s why the September 2013 legalization of equity-based crowdfunding opens such an exciting new chapter for entrepreneurs.
Due to the legally mandated $1 million dollar annual fundraising limit, its greatest impact won’t be for tech founders, but for small locally owned businesses like yours. For small business owners who would otherwise put a new mortgage on their home or beg banks for a loan, this marks an emancipation.
And, much like the transformative power of micro-loans in the lives of third-world business owners, equity-based crowdfunding will be the charity of empowerment for 2014. Although it doesn’t replace charitable giving, it offers average citizens a chance to support a sustainable solution: job creation. Helping a business create jobs — even for personal gain — beats telling people to get off their lazy butts and get a job, right?
American is used to immigrants and commerce coming to its shores for opportunity. My Indian-born parents are among many such stories. But as the world flattens, opportunity is spreading to every corner of the globe and taking U.S. entrepreneurs with it.
Take Africa. It accounts for 70 percent of global mobile payments, and 40 percent come from Kenya alone, according to Steven Koltai, who heads a consulting company that fosters entrepreneurship abroad.
Growth rates of emerging markets are outpacing the U.S and creating opportunities. American entrepreneurs, with their experience and education in business development, can make huge impacts and gains within these markets.
And it’s not just investors, tech or social entrepreneurs who can join the entrepreneurial gold rush. A documentary by VICE called Cowboy Capitalists focuses on Ian Cox, a small-time hustler-turned-businessman who owns and manages an Africa-based transport service that earned a major contract from the U.S. due to his ability to navigate Africa’s sometimes dangerous, corrupt and bureaucratic terrain and literally deliver.
Expect more American travelers to check the “For Business” box in 2014 as a movement of American entrepreneurship begins to emerge.
The future is anybody’s guess, but its creation is uniquely ours as entrepreneurs. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) In 2014, business people like you will take part in fundamental cultural shifts in careers, charity and Euro-centrism.
Manpreet Singh is Founder and President of Seva Call, a local startup that helps consumers find high-quality local professionals in minutes.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/01/07/3-game-changing-entrepreneurship-trends-for-2014/feed/ 2The post Year-End Accounting Checklist for Small Business Owners appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> As we find ourselves hurtling towards the end of the year, there are a number of things you should be staying on top of in order to best manage your company finances and position your small business for greater success in the new year.Your year-end thought process should take into consideration the following:
Make sure you’re filing all of your forms and making payments. It’s important to make sure you’re in good shape to get your employees their W-2 forms on time. Also take into account accrued bonuses or special gifts on the books that may not be paid until next year.
You want to be able to close out all outstanding receivables before year-end, so do what you can to collect on unpaid bills. Improving your collection process and expediting payments will help you maintain better control over your cash flow.
If your financials aren’t already GAAP compliant — that is, in line with generally accepted accounting principles — then now is the time to move in that direction. If seeking a funding round or selling your business is on the horizon, you’ll need clean books to satisfy investors and/or acquiring companies.
It’s best to stay on top of the 1099 process throughout the year. After all, employees are going to claim income whether you get them a 1099 or not, so you might as well save yourself the hassle and get it to them.
You should collect 1099s as you go. It’s easier that way, rather than waiting until the end of the year to figure out who you need to file for and trying to chase them down before year’s end. If you find yourself behind the eight ball in terms of 1099s, keep in mind the due dates for filing: 1099s to recipients on or before January 31, 2014 and to the IRS on or before February 28, 2014 (or March 31, 2014 if you’re filing electronically).
Reissue checks as needed and void as needed. You want to make sure all of the transactions in your register are reconciled so that you have a clean tax return.
Now’s the time to start identifying your tax needs, thinking about potential tax savings and engaging with your tax professional so they can identify ways to minimize your taxes. Starting your estimates now will save you from unwelcome surprises come tax time.
The end of the year isn’t necessarily the best time for you to get a valuation. If it’s been less than 12 months since your last one and you haven’t had any events to trigger needing a new one, you can take this off of your to do list.
But keep in mind that a 409A valuation refresh is required annually. You’ll also need a valuation if you’re trying to value the common stock of your company, planning to issue stock options, have raised a new round of funding, had a material event or are looking to sell IP from your company to another.
Check to see that you have internal controls in place and that they’re working properly. Keep your eyes peeled for weak spots where the potential for fraud or errors runs high.
Examine your business processes to see if and where you can find any opportunities to cut expenses for savings in the new year.
As you reflect back over the past year, it’s nice to take a moment to dig yourself out from under the minutiae of running a business and think big picture. Refine your vision. Map out your next milestones. What have you been doing well? Where does your company need work? Is it time to pivot?
The end of the year is a great time to reflect, to informally audit your business and to make plans for next year, which includes financial forecasts and budgets. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) Checking off all of the items on this list will help you start the new year with clean financials and a good reading on where your company is currently and where it’s heading.
This post originally appeared on the author’s blog.
David Ehrenberg is the founder and CEO of Early Growth Financial Services, an outsourced financial services firm that provides early-stage companies with three platforms of financial support: day-to-day transactional accounting, CFO service and tax and valuation compliance. He’s a financial expert and startup mentor whose passion is helping businesses focus on what they do best. Follow David @EarlyGrowthFS.
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2013/12/24/year-end-accounting-checklist-for-small-business-owners/feed/ 1The post Why Selling an Imperfect Product Could Really Launch Your Business appeared first on Brazen Life.
]]> Everyone thinks a great idea is the key to success when starting a business. Have a great idea, make it come to life, and then voilà, triumph!The problem is, life isn’t a field of dreams. If you build it, they won’t necessarily come.
Yet many talented, enterprising people spend too much time thinking about a secret recipe, developing, tinkering and perfecting it before they put on their selling hat.
Your job as an entrepreneur is to create something people want.
If you’re starting a baking company, you don’t have to just bake delicious cupcakes; you have to ensure that people will buy them. You can’t know if people will line up to buy your cupcakes if you’ve never had people taste them. Your double chocolate bacon cupcakes might be a brilliant idea, but they might not taste so good.
Elizabeth Yin is co-founder and CEO of the email marketing company LaunchBit, which raised close to $1 million last year. Before LaunchBit, however, she’d spent months toiling on a social shopping application and shelled out $20,000 without earning a single penny.
While she had confidence in the idea, “We just built and built and built, and when we were done building, we realized that no one wanted it,” she says.
When starting LaunchBit, Elizabeth knew that having a product or service wasn’t enough. She had to figure out whether there was a market to support her idea, and that meant marketing and experimenting without having a product to sell.
People don’t generally jump into selling because it doesn’t quite feel like part of a creative job. Sometimes selling engenders the same sort of insecurity, anxiety and avoidance that public speaking does. But by not selling, you’re taking a huge risk that you’re making something nobody wants.
Sell before you feel ready. You’ll never feel 100 percent ready, anyway. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) The best way to build a successful business from scratch is to get feedback and learn from it. It’s difficult to know where you’re headed and how you’re doing in a vacuum.
Get out there and talk to people who aren’t your friends. Find communities of people interested in similar things, sell your idea and gather opinions. Build what’s called a minimum viable product, the barest expression of an idea that might be so simple it seems ridiculous, and then build from there.
At iDoneThis, we did our best to sell before we were ready.
We’d already launched a free product that helps you keep track of and record what you get done every day. We send users a daily email asking what they got done, and they reply with their accomplishments. Everything goes into a Web calendar to motivate them to keep going.
People told us they wanted to use iDoneThis at their companies, and we found that most people wrote about work in their entries. We were fired up to start building that business product right away but needed to know whether people were willing to pay for that product.
Whatever people say about what they want doesn’t necessarily translate into something they’ll actually purchase. We had to put ourselves out there — without anything complete to show for it. It was incredibly stressful.
Fortunately, we’d built up an interested audience through our free product and got 1,000 people to sign up for a wait list. We then built a minimal beta product, got some people from the waitlist to use it and asked them to pay us.
What was even more valuable than those first dollars was that they helped us refine the product into something awesome.
We hit $1,000 in recurring revenue in the first month after launch — without having to worry about whether people would buy. Figuring out how to sell as quickly as possible was key to us staying alive as a business. As much as money is scarce when running your own business, time can be scarcer.
Putting your work out there for people to see and experience can be terrifying. As long as you don’t, there’s no possibility of rejection. But at the same time, there’s a much lower chance of success, because you couldn’t wholeheartedly — and bravely — take the plunge.
Janet Choi is the Chief Creative Officer at iDoneThis, the easiest progress management tool around. She writes about the way people work on the iDoneThis blog. Follow her on Twitter @lethargarian.
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The post Why Selling an Imperfect Product Could Really Launch Your Business appeared first on Brazen Life.
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