Author: Jeet Banerjee

Jeet Banerjee is a 24 year old serial entrepreneur, author, digital marketing consultant, and public speaker. In his young career, Jeet has launched several different companies, written two books, and has helped many businesses make more money from the internet. He strives to create the next big tech company and give back to the world in the best way possible.

7 Tips For Becoming An Early Riser

In this article, I share 7 tips for becoming an early riser. Ever since I started waking up early, my productivity and efficiency levels have dramatically increased. Find out the various things I did to switch my schedule around.

 

6 months ago, I made one of the best decisions in my career. It wasn’t starting a new company or quitting a job. Instead, it was making a minor adjustment in my daily schedule.

 

 

Normally, I had been waking up around 8:30 to 9:00 AM and going to bed around 1:00 AM or so. Instead, I decided to wake up every morning at 6:00 AM and go to bed around 11:30 PM.

 

 

Initially, I made this change simply because I was beginning to invest in the stock market and being that I was in California, I had to be up when the market opened. However, this small change in my lifestyle started creating dramatic results.

 

 

Not only was I getting far more work done each day, but I felt really good. By becoming an early riser, I was more productive and efficient throughout the day.

 

 

In this article, I share 7 tips for becoming an early riser:

 

 

1. Get The Most Annoying Alarm Clock Money Can Buy

 

I’m a very deep sleeper, which made it a tough challenge for me to wake up early each morning. My brain started getting really smart over time. It had the amazing ability to tune out all of the alarm clocks I had previously used.

 

 

I tried really hard to wake up at 6 AM the first few times, but I still woke up at 8 AM. I decided to invest in a new alarm clock that was ridiculously annoying. It was frustrating at first, but now I’m used to it. Find an alarm clock that annoys you to death and use it.

 

 

2. Have A Reason For Rising Early

 

My big reason for getting up early was that I really needed to get in on all of the early morning action within the stock market. I had tried waking up early for many years before that, but it simply wouldn’t happen for me.

 

 

When I had a reason to do it, it became a lot easier. Whether it’s creating an exercise or work routine, find a solid reason to get up early each morning.

 

 

3. Kill The Snooze Button

 

Another horrible habit I had was hitting the snooze button every chance I got. The snooze button is literally the worst invention ever.

 

 

Find a way to disable the snooze button or buy an alarm clock that doesn’t feature it. You’ll be much happier that you killed the snooze button since you won’t have a choice but to get out of bed.

 

 

4. Tune Out Distractions Before Bed

 

The longer it takes you to fall asleep, the less sleep you get each night. It’s a basic mathematical equation that many seem to forget. I decided to completely tune out distractions when I got into bed.

 

 

Instead of watching television, finishing up some emails or doing something else that will keep my mind running, I completely tune out all distractions when hopping in my bed. The results were amazing. I was falling asleep much quicker, which made it a lot easier to wake up early.

 

 

5. Make The Most Of Your Extra Time

 

Lately, I’ve been so happy with the extra time I get each morning, I’ve set up a little routine for myself. Between 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM, I’m reaching inbox zero, managing my social media profiles and taking care of all other non-income generating tasks.

 

 

Then, I utilize my time between 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM to do interviews, press requests and other media related inquiries. Thus, I’m able to start working on income generating tasks by 10:00 AM every morning, which was a luxury I never had before.

 

 

6. Reward Yourself

 

When I was a kid, I’d wake up super early on Saturdays. Why? Well, I got an amazing reward every morning for doing so. I got to eat cereal and watch new episodes of my favorite cartoons.

 

 

My reward nowadays for rising early throughout the week is having the opportunity to sleep in on Sundays. I turn off all of the alarms and allow my body to wake me up when it’s ready.

 

 

7. Be Consistent

 

Consistency is key when trying to become an early riser. I had some patches a few years ago where I woke up at 6 AM for a day or two, but it never lasted.

 

 

However, I set my mind to it this time around. The results have simply been amazing. Once you get into the habit of waking up early, it feels unnatural to wake up late. If you’re consistent with your schedule and build it into a routine, you’ll adapt to it within no time at all.

 

 

Conclusion

 

I know many successful individuals who wake up far earlier than I even do. I eventually want to wake up at 5:00 AM and use that additional hour each day for working out. What are some tips and tricks you have found useful for becoming an early riser?

 

 

photo credit: Lars Plougmann via photopin cc

 

10 Lessons I Learned From Working For Everything I Have

In this article, I share 10 lessons I learned from working for everything I have. I use some of the experiences from the early days of my life to share how hard work has impacted me in a positive way.

 

When I was 15 years old, my parents dropped a bomb on me. They said that they would only pay for my necessities while making me earn the money I needed for the ‘fun’ things in life.

 

 

I was devastated. I didn’t want to work, I just wanted to be a kid who sat around and played games all day. However, my parents were serious. They meant business.

 

 

Within a few months, I had picked up my first job. Ever since that day, I have earned every single thing that I have today. No handouts, no inheritances and no breaks. When I first started working, I despised my parents for putting me through it.

 

 

However, I am very thankful they did what they did today. In this article, I’ll share 10 lessons I learned from working for everything I have:

 

 

1. The Value Of A Dollar

 

You’ll never truly understand the value of a dollar until you see how difficult it is to make money. When I was getting paid $8 an hour, I truly realized how hard it was to make money.

 

 

All my life, I would go to the store and point at the things I wanted. When I got a job, I began carefully contemplating each purchase before I made it. Getting a job and working hard teaches you the value of the dollar, which in return causes you to spend your money more wisely.

 

 

2. Ambition Is Addicting

 

Whenever I put my mind to something, I do it to be the best. I don’t care about consolation prizes or being good enough. I do it because I want to be the greatest.

 

 

After getting my first few jobs, I had an overdose of ambition. I quickly found out that ambition can be quite addicting. No matter how many mistakes I made, I wanted to do more. That ambition still has my mind running in circles today.

 

 

3. Earning Something Is Way More Satisfying

 

Early on, I wished that I had parents that would just hand me a million dollars. However, that thought process changed when I received my first paycheck. When I earned my own money, it just felt a lot more satisfying.

 

 

You can live off other people for the rest of your life or you can earn it. Living off other people is much easier, but the satisfaction isn’t there.

 

 

4. Nothing Is Permanent 

 

Just as quickly as you can have it all, you can lose it all just as easily. I learned that lesson the hard way when working various jobs. I had a job where I was making $20 to $25 an hour in high school.

 

 

I thought I was top shit and I ended up losing my job within a few weeks. The shitty part about life is that nothing is ever permanent. You have to continue working hard and making great decisions to keep things moving.

 

 

5. You Can Make More Money, But You Can’t Make More Time

 

I also realized early on from starting my business that time was the best commodity in the world. Most people believe it to be money, but I realized I can always make more money if I really tried.

 

 

Time on the other hand is unrecoverable. Once you’ve used up a certain amount of time, you cannot get it back. Focus on making the best of your time, rather than solely focusing on making money.

 

 

6. Invest In Yourself

 

The greatest investment you can make is the one in yourself. When everything is said and done, you are what matters. Friends come and go. Unfortunately, I’ve met way too many people who only care about the money and success. Once that’s gone, they’ll be gone.

 

 

However, if you invest in yourself from an early age, you will always be able to support yourself. Brand yourself, educate yourself and take risks to experience things you normally wouldn’t.

 

 

7. Hope For The Best, Expect The Worst

 

With my first company, I remember pitching to a client for a $50,000 project. I had developed a wrong mindset after the meeting. I felt that I had this client locked in because he ended up asking me a lot of questions.

 

 

I had this strong belief that I got the project and that was the only ultimatum. 2 weeks later, I got a phone call from him saying that he had awarded the project to my competitor. As you can imagine, I felt horrible. Hope for the best in everything you do, but expect the worst to happen as well.

 

 

8. Nothing Worth Having Comes Easily 

 

If you really want something that is worth having, remember that it won’t come easily. If it does, it’s properly not as worthwhile as you thought it was.

 

 

This was the hardest lesson I had to come to terms with when I started working hard as an entrepreneur. I wanted to build the next great startup, but it wasn’t easy. However, if you’re persistent and stay committed to your goals, you can achieve the impossible.

 

 

9. Don’t Rely On Luck

 

Everyone at some point wishes for some luck to help them out with something. When I started my first company, I thought that I would eventually get lucky just because I worked hard.

 

 

Turns out, the more I relied on luck, the less it showed up. You need to separate luck and hard work in your life. You need to simply work hard without worrying about luck. If luck wants to show up, it’ll show up. If not, you have to continue grinding anyway.

 

 

10. No Doesn’t Mean Shit 

 

The word “NO” was definitely a tough thing to deal with early on in my life. I felt rejected and isolated when I received NO’s. However, I quickly realized that NO doesn’t mean shit.

 

 

It means that one person at that time doesn’t side with my way of thinking. However, there are still millions of others who may think differently. Not to mention, that individual himself may change his mind in the future. Don’t let NO’s stop you from getting what you want.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared 10 lessons I learned from working for everything I have. Share some things you have learned from hard work in the comments below.

 

 

photo credit: mayeesherr. (in West Bengal!) via photopin cc

 

5 Signs You Should Give Up On Your Business Idea

In this article, I share my own experiences and insight on the 5 signs you should give up on your business idea. If you’re experiencing one of more of these things, it might be time to throw in the towel.

 

Giving up is a word that no entrepreneur should ever use. However, there is this period of time where entrepreneurs think they have the next big idea, but things just don’t up working out no matter how hard they try.

 

 

Even though this means you should give up on your business idea, it does NOT mean that you should give up on your entrepreneurial journey. I started a business in August of 2012 that I thought was a great idea.

 

 

Turns out, it was a great idea. My third startup Vintelli.com had customers, traction and support from people. We ran the company for 1 year, but we eventually knew this company wasn’t going to be successful.

 

 

No matter how much revenue we generated, we spent 1.5x that in customer service/expenses. We quickly realized this business model was flawed and we began trying a few things. After those things failed, it became evident to us that this idea wasn’t the one.

 

 

We dropped the business altogether and decided to move on to bigger and better ideas. In this article, I’m going to share 5 signs you should give up on your business idea:

 

 

1. Your Debt To Asset Ratio Constantly Increases

 

With my startup Vintelli, this was a huge problem. No matter how many assets the company brought in, our debt would exponentially increase with it. That was a huge problem that we were lucky to figure out within the first 12 months of being in business.

 

 

If your business is suffering from subtraction with each addition, there is a flaw in the model. You can try fixing it, but you’ve got to do something quick. Eventually, you’ll burn out of all your cash and be broke.

 

 

2. You Lost The Love For Your Business

 

This is something that is completely normal. I’ve come across numerous entrepreneurs who’ve lost passion for their business after a few years because of the struggles they have had to deal with.

 

 

If you don’t love what you do, don’t continue doing it. Find something you do love. Giving up on a single idea is absolutely okay as long as you don’t give up on the whole journey. It’s all about having career happiness in life.

 

 

3. You’re Shoving Instead of Selling

 

There are times where you think you have a great idea, but your target market doesn’t agree with you. If you find yourself having to shove your products or services down peoples throats, that’s unnatural.

 

 

Great businesses attract customers without doing much work. Good businesses acquire customers by selling. Horrible businesses are forced to shove their ideas, products and services down peoples throats.

 

 

4. A Competitor Is Doing It Better

 

Unfortunately, there are some times that another company or competitor in a space just does better than you can. They may have more money or resources that is enabling them to have that kind of success.

 

 

I had a friend who had a startup that was trying to compete with Uber. With the amount of funding, publicity and resources that Uber had, he knew he didn’t stand a chance. He quickly closed that business down, created another startup and just raised $250,000 in seed funding.

 

 

5. If You Don’t Believe Anymore

 

With Vintelli, I had this gut feeling kicking me inside telling me that this wasn’t going to work. I tried ignoring it for a couple weeks, but it eventually began overwhelming me. As an entrepreneur, it’s crucial to listen to your gut feelings.

 

 

If you don’t believe in the success or vision of your business anymore, there is NO point of trying to save a sinking ship. Ask friends, family members and even your customers for valuable feedback on what direction you should take.

 

 

Conclusion

 

I think a winning quality that successful entrepreneurs share is knowing exactly when to quit. If you are experiencing one or more of the signs mentioned above in this article, it may be time for you to give up on your business idea.

 

How To Escape The Rat Race

In this article, I share my top tips and tricks on how to escape the rat race. I provide a step-by-step plan that is easily executable for anyone struggling with their current lifestyle.

 

Many people often times get caught up in something known as the rate race early on in their lifetime. Once they get sucked into the rat race, it becomes really tough for people to get out of it.

 

 

See, it’s really not that hard to escape the rat race but it just seems that way at first glance. For those of you wondering, the rat race is defined as an exhaustive daily routine people go through completely dissatisfied hoping to acquire wealth or power.

 

 

If you hate working for your boss, have no passion for the industry you’re in or absolutely despise your 9 to 5, you’re probably stuck in the rat race. In this article, I’m going to share my tips and strategies on how to escape the rat race:

 

 

Diversify

 

I get emails from people all the time talking about how they absolutely hate their current situation. Everyone wants out, but very few people are willing to put the effort in to make that change happen.

 

 

My advice is usually the same. I do not tell people to quit their job and pursue their dreams right on the spot because that’s irrational. Instead, I tell people to diversify while they work at their job. What is your passion? How can you get started right now on a smaller scale while working your job?

 

 

These are key questions you must immediately answer. You can’t escape the rat race by sitting around and doing nothing. You have to put in an unbelievable amount of effort while working at your job so that you can support yourself.

 

 

Save

 

Everyone has the moment when they realize they must escape the rat race. First you must make the commitment to escape the rat race and then you can actually succeed. Before that, it’s really just all talk.

 

 

In order to escape the rat race, you’re going to need to save money. Unfortunately, our world operates with the hottest commodity of all, which is money. If you want to quit your job and chase your dreams, I’m sure it’s going to cost you something.

 

 

That’s why you need to start saving your money NOW instead of blowing it on trips to Las Vegas every other week. Two years from now, you’ll be thankful that you started saving up now.

 

 

Quit

 

Eventually, once you realize that your dreams can be a source of income and you have saved enough money to support yourself for at least 12 months, you will need to QUIT!

 

 

Remember, you can’t escape the rat race slaving away for the rest of your life at a dead end job. This is the most important part of removing yourself from this horrific lifestyle.

 

 

Think Differently

 

Whatever amount of time you spent competing in the rat race may have shifted your thoughts drastically. When you venture outside of the rate, you need to start thinking very differently.

 

 

You don’t have to listen to anyone else and you don’t have to worry about building someone else’s dream, you get to build your own. However, with that great feeling comes even more responsibility.

 

 

Don’t Get Distracted

 

The worst feeling in the world has to be when you escape the rat race, lose concentration on your goals and end up right back where you started. Do NOT lose focus of your goals and dreams.

 

 

It’s easy to get distracted and stray off of the main road, but you must have enough self-control to stop that from happening. Success and happiness comes as a result of a lot of hard work.

 

 

The most successful people in the world didn’t reach the status they have today by half-assing their way through life. They worked hard, stayed committed and made sure to execute on their ideas. You too must do the same to stay out of the rat race for good.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared my tips and tricks on how to escape the rat race. What are some of the things you may have done to escape the rat race?

 

 

photo credit: John-Morgan via photopin cc

 

Is Your Blog Idiot Proof?

In this article, I ask a very important question to bloggers everywhere. Is your blog idiot proof? If not, I discuss how you can make it idiot proof.

 

When I first built my blog out, I went through a specific process to figure out how I would design and develop my site. After the first few versions were done, I realized that I could barely navigate through my own blog.

 

 

I knew it was time to take a couple steps back. I decided to completely redo my blog from that day forward. I have learned a valuable lesson about building websites over the last few years.

 

 

If a 5 year old can’t figure it out, it’s too complicated. Luckily for me, I have a younger brother who I can use as a testing dummy to figure out various aspects of my website.

 

 

From numerous iterations and specific tests, I am officially able to say that my blog is idiot proof. In this article, I plan on helping you answer the question ‘Is your blog idiot proof’?

 

 

The Blog Itself

 

When I first designed my site, I had too many items I wanted to list on my navigation bar. For some reason, I decided to omit the blog completely from my navigation bar, which made it hard to find.

 

 

Instead, I had it shown on my homepage towards the bottom where I featured a couple of articles and had a click through. I had a couple people test it and the results were NOT promising at all.

 

 

It took 3 people an average of 1 minute and 25 seconds to find my blog. They were my friends so they were willing to look for a long time. A random visitor usually commits 5 seconds before deciding to stay or leave.

 

 

If you have a blog, make sure it is VERY easy to find. Even though my home page isn’t the blog itself, it’s very easy to FIND. I have it displayed at 3 different places.

 

 

I have a blog text shown in my navigation and footer menu as well as leaving the placement towards the bottom of my homepage where I showcase some of my most popular articles. If people cannot find your blog in 5 seconds or less by visiting a web link, you need to make some dramatic changes to your website.

 

 

Organization

 

When you go to the blog page itself, are your articles well-organized? People come to a blog for a very specific reason. They are either looking for an article specifically, enjoy your writing in general or are browsing to see if your style of writing will peak their interest.

 

 

For each of those three reasons, you need to give them a simple solution. My blog specifically caters to all three of those visitors.

 

 

For the person looking for a specific article, they can use the search bar to find it quickly. For the loyal readers of mine, I have my articles organized by the date they were published through the stream running down the middle. Lastly, for the completely new visitor just browsing, I break down my articles in various ways. They can check out the most recent articles, view my personal favorites or look at the most popular articles through the side bar.

 

 

The key to every blog is understanding what your vision is and what people expect from you. When you write a blog article, you’re taking some content and contextualizing it for your audience. When it comes to your blog itself, you must do the exact same thing for your various visitors.

 

 

The Article Itself

 

This is extremely easy to do, but I have seen it messed up far too often. When you click through to an article, it needs to be easy for people to understand. If it’s not, people aren’t going to read it.

 

 

Running through the basics, my articles are displayed in a way that even a kindergartener can figure out what it is about. Every article features a huge title at the top, relevant picture below it and lastly the content underneath all of that.

 

 

Instead of writing 500 words without any spaces or line breaks, I choose to write chunks of 50-100 words per paragraph. Not only that, but I utilize bold fonts to highlight the main topic of each section.

 

 

Believe it or not, most people often just read the title of your article followed by the bolded items. Not only that, but you want to display the content to your audience in a manner where they do not feel overwhelmed. They’re not trying to pick up a chapter book, they’re simply looking for some information within a couple of minutes.

 

 

The Shareability

 

How easy is your blog to share? Again, you must ask yourself whether or not a 5 year old can figure out how to share the articles on your website. The fastest way to spread content is through social media.

 

 

For my blog, I try to make it easy for my readers to share my posts. I have a sharing bar on the left side that follows the reader as they read. It doesn’t block the content, however it presents itself in a way that they can share my content easily.

 

 

If someone is sharing your content, they’re really helping you. Don’t make it difficult on them! Make it easy for people to share your content.

 

 

Discussion

 

Blog articles are a great tool for generating conversation. However, people are less likely to  engage in discussion if it’s a pain in the ass for them to do so.

 

 

You need to ask yourself who your target market is. What kind of platforms do they feel most comfortable with engaging in discussion? My audience is entrepreneurs and I realized a lot of them use a platform called Disqus.

 

 

On the other hand, if I had a blog targeting teenagers, I would NEVER use Disqus. Why? It’s for the simple fact that most teenagers have never heard of Disqus. Instead, I would use the Facebook discussion plug-in.

 

 

Creating conversation is a very important tool for your blog. However, making it easy for your audience is just as important. Survey your readers to figure out what the best platforms for starting discussions are.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I discuss different techniques bloggers should utilize to make their sites idiot proof.

 

 

photo credit: Éole via photopin cc

 

 

6 Bad Reasons To Choose A Career Path

In this article, I share 6 bad reasons to choose a new career path. If you’re guilty of picking a career based on any of these factors, it might be time to reconsider.

 

When I was younger, I was constantly asked what I wanted to do when I grew up. Each time, I had a more creative and elaborate response for the person who asked me.

 

 

However, out of all honesty, I had no clue what I wanted to do. I thought I knew, but boy was I wrong. At a young age, I wanted to be a professional athlete, engineer, lawyer, businessman, astronaut, and race car driver.

 

 

From talking with people and learning from my own experiences, I quickly saw that many people selected a career path for all the wrong reasons.

 

 

In this article, I share 6 bad reasons to choose a career path:

 

 

1. Money

 

When I was in high school, I was pretty oblivious to the world. As you can imagine, I was very money hungry. Every single career path I wanted to pursue had to primarily do with money. I wanted a job that would make me a ton of cash so that I could buy fancy cars and a gigantic house.

 

 

Unfortunately, I’m not the only who thinks with their wallets instead of their hearts. Choosing a career path solely for the money is a terrible idea. Years from now, you’ll be sick of the money and the life you’re living every single day.

 

 

2. Status

 

The only thing that came close to money for me was status. I decided in high school I wanted to become a lawyer because it had amazing status. I remember watching television shows with lawyers sitting in beautiful Manhattan offices with glass windows.

 

 

If you’re pursuing a career just for the status or the money, it’s going to be really hard to be successful at it. Do what you love and the rest is easy. Do what you don’t like and it’ll be a tough task.

 

 

3. Social Acceptance

 

If you’re taking a job or career path in life for social validation, you’re making a big mistake. I have spoken at schools before where I’ve heard a group of friends say they all want to pursue the same career in life.

 

 

I became curious to know why that was the case. Turns out, everyone was doing it because the other person was. I even had a scenario where a girl burst out into tears because she thought she would lose friendships if she didn’t do what her friends were doing.

 

 

4. For Your Parents

 

This is definitely a tough one. For some reason, many parents think that your career path in life is also passed on through DNA. I know my parents had different dreams for me than a life of entrepreneurship.

 

 

However, my passion for becoming an entrepreneur was so great that I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I told them this was my dream and that I was going to pursue it no matter what. Eventually, you’ll realize that your parents will be accepting of your life choices and will support you. Just give them some time!

 

 

5. The Perks

 

Another reason I really had an interest in becoming a lawyer was because of the perks. I heard they got huge bonuses, tons of vacation days and got to enjoy the luxuries of life.

 

 

However, you cannot choose a career path based on the material factors. When those things fade, you still have to go to work every single day. The material items are ‘very cool’ for the first few years, but what are you going to do after that?

 

 

6. Job Security

 

If you’ve read articles online or been told by people around you that a specific career path is best because of its job security, that isn’t a good enough reason to take a job in that space.

 

 

Your job will be secure in any space if you’re an asset that people can’t live without. In any industry, your job can be taken away from you with the snap of a finger if you lose that value. Pursue interests, not other factors.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared 6 bad reasons to choose a career path. If you’re guilty of choosing a career path based on one or more of these factors, it might be time to reconsider.

 

 

photo credit: Linh H. Nguyen via photopin cc

 

 

5 Signs You Should Drop Out From College

Drawing from my own experiences, I provide an insightful perspective on why college isn’t for everyone. Not only that, but I share 5 signs you should drop out from college.

 

Approximately 1 year ago, I made a bold decision. I decided to drop out of college and pursue the entrepreneurial dream full-time. While I knew it was the right decision at the time, I still had some doubts.

 

 

Teachers, parents and the media have branded this idea of success being a direct correlation to attending college ever since I can remember. I learned early on that success wasn’t connected to a degree whatsoever.

 

 

With that in mind, I decided to drop out and pursue a non-traditional path in life. Even though I went to college for a little over 2 years, I should have dropped out way earlier.

 

 

I had many signs that gave me enough hints that I shouldn’t pursue a college degree. In this article, I share 5 signs you should drop out from college:

 

 

1. You ALREADY Make More Than You Would With A College Degree

 

The average person out of college with the business degree I would have made around $35,000. After working for 3-5 years, they would go on to get a bump up to $50,000. Fast-forward another 5 years and that salary could see a $60,000 to $75,000 value.

 

 

When I put those numbers into perspective compared to the income I was making while attending college, it made no sense to continue pursuing a college degree. College is simply another way to learn. If you’re able to educate yourself outside of college, what is the real value of college?

 

 

If you’re making more money while attending college than the ‘average’ student with your degree does, it’s a pretty big sign that college isn’t probably for you.

 

 

2. You’re Uninspired In The Classroom

 

Ever since high school, I really felt uninspired and unmotivated inside of the classroom. At first, I felt like I was stupid. However, I soon realized that it was completely natural to feel that way.

 

 

Learning in a traditional format inside of a classroom isn’t for everyone. Unfortunately, that’s a big flaw in our education system. If you feel that you can learn better on your own, don’t be afraid to try.

 

 

3. You Know People Doing What You Want To Do Without College Degrees

 

When I decided to pursue entrepreneurship as a high school student, I quickly found out that most of my counterparts didn’t have college degrees. The ones that have did college degrees attributed very little of their success to college.

 

 

This was a glaring sign that I didn’t really need to college to be successful given the career path I was choosing. If you know people who have pursued a similar path as the one you wish to take without college degrees, chances are you don’t even need a degree.

 

 

On the other hand, professions such as lawyers or doctors require a degree. No matter how much you hate school, you have to put the time in at a University if you want to live the dream.

 

 

4. You Have An Opportunity Right Now

 

My parents are extremely traditional when it comes to their thoughts of education. As you can imagine, they were extremely dissatisfied to hear that I was taking time off from college. However, I provided them with a perspective that was hard to argue with.

 

 

Opportunities are really once in a lifetime. However, my college education was something that would always be there. I already had the units/credits I had completed and I could enroll back into school anytime I wanted. I would simply have to re-apply and I’d be able to continue my education from where I left off.

 

 

If you have an opportunity that is once in a lifetime, realize that if it doesn’t work out, you can always come back to school. Sure you’ll be a bit older, but you’ll have stories to tell that most others won’t.

 

 

5. Your Heart Just Isn’t There

 

When I went to class, I’d be doing one of two things. I’d either be daydreaming about something or I’d be running my business out of the classroom. As you can see, I was physically in the classroom but my mind was elsewhere.

 

 

I really dislike how society tells us that you HAVE to go to college. I’ve learned the hard way that college isn’t for everyone and that’s perfectly fine. Some amazing people have achieved some incredible things without the help of a college degree.

 

 

If you don’t love it, you should leave it. Life is too short to be doing shit that you don’t enjoy anyway.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared 5 signs you should drop out from college. Have you been successful without college or know of someone who has? Feel free to share more about it in the comments below.

 

 

photo credit: Solipsism Prism via photopin cc

 

 

How To Deal With Stress As An Entrepreneur

In this article, I share my top tricks and tips for dealing with stress as an entrepreneur. It’s natural to have stress in your life, but there are many ways you can get rid of it.

 

Lets be honest, entrepreneurs do what they love but they also deal with a lot of stress simultaneously. I’d be lying if I told you that entrepreneurship was all about fancy cars, tons of wealth and working in the sand.

 

 

In reality, entrepreneurship has a lot of stress associated with it. You’re not only in charge of a company of your own, but your success is dependent on your own actions.

 

 

Each day presents a new challenge for entrepreneurs. This results in a lot of frustration and stress that entrepreneurs have to deal with. Early on, I was curious to see how other successful entrepreneurs managed stress in their lives.

 

 

From there, I applied what I learned from others and found a handful of techniques that worked extremely well for me. In this article, I share how to deal with stress as an entrepreneur:

 

 

Think Positive

 

As an entrepreneur, you have to be extremely positive. If the people around you are spreading negative vibes, you need to cut them out of your life. The happier vibes you surround yourself with, the better you perform as an entrepreneur.

 

 

When you’re feeling stressed, it’s easy to get caught up in all the negativity. However, it’s crucial that you find the positive in every situation.

 

 

Laugh

 

One of my best friends always told me, laughter is the key to success. As ridiculous as it sounds, keeping things humorous can go a long way. It can help you deal with stress and maneuver through a tough situation.

 

 

Again, you should surround yourself with people who can make you laugh and make you feel good. During times where you are stressed out, a little laughter will reenergize you later on.

 

 

Exercise

 

Even if exercising isn’t your thing, it can really help you get out of a funk. Whether it’s playing a sport you enjoy or simply hitting the gym hard, exercise is a great stress reliever.

 

 

Take some time out of your day to take your mind off work. Hit the gym, get your blood pumping and allow your body to release toxins. By doing some physical activity, you’ll be able to think a lot more clearly.

 

 

Ask Friends & Family

 

In my most stressful moments, my friends and family are always there to help me get back on track. It makes me feel a lot better when I’m able to discuss my problems with someone I can trust who then gives me advice.

 

 

Sometimes the advice sucks while other times it’s extremely useful. It’s great to see other peoples perspectives on how they would handle a situation. Not only can they help you with your dilemma, but you may find inspiration from their words of wisdom.

 

 

Go Out

 

Sometimes, the best stress reliever is simply going out with friends. What is it that you love to do? Whether it’s hitting the closest bar or going out to dinner, do something that will help you take your mind off of your problems.

 

 

Leave all your stress and problems at work when you do decide to go out. Use this time to enjoy yourself so that you can come back with a free mind. This has been a great solution for me during my most stressful moments.

 

 

Take A Vacation

 

If you’re having stress issues that are lasting for a lot longer than few days or a week, it might be time to take a big break. The best way to take a big break is by taking a relaxing vacation.

 

 

During this time, unplug yourself from your work and enjoy yourself. Find a place you’ve always wanted to vacation to and reward yourself for all the hard work you do. Vacations are great because you get to enjoy new experiences and see new places while taking your mind off of the stressful things in life.

 

 

Conclusion

 

As you can see from the list above, there are many ways to deal with stress as an entrepreneur. In this article, I shared some of my top tips on how to deal with stress as an entrepreneur.

 

 

Do you have some tips that have worked well for you? Please feel free to share them in the comments below.

 

 

photo credit: Victoria Nevland via photopin cc

 

5 of the Best New Business Ideas for 2014

In this article, I share 5 of the best new business ideas for 2014 from my own experiences, observations and thoughts. Take a look to see what I think will be emerging this year!

 

Each year brings about tons of new opportunities and new industries that entrepreneurs can capitalize on. 2014 has been just the same as other years creating numerous markets for others to enter.

 

 

From my own observations, experiences and knowledge, I have to come notice a lot of growing trends that are here to stay. These new markets have the opportunity to explode, which can make some entrepreneurs very wealthy.

 

 

In this article, I share 5 of the best new business ideas for 2014:

 

 

1. Wearable Technology

 

The big companies such as Samsung, Google, Apple, and others have all engaged in a race to put out the best wearable technology in the market. With that said, it seems as if wearable technology really is the future.

 

 

Just because the competition in this space involves some massive players doesn’t mean that there isn’t tons of opportunity for entrepreneurs to capitalize on. Many Kickstarter campaigns have found massive success with campaigns on wearable technology over the last few months.

 

 

The possibilities with wearable technology are endless. This not only excites consumers, but this should have entrepreneurs jumping for joy. With tons of niches and markets to explore, entrepreneurs can make a KILLING by capitalizing on wearable technology.

 

 

2. Cryptocurrency

 

Another market that gained a lot of traction in 2013 was Cryptocurrency. Bitcoins, Dogecoins, Litecoins, and numerous other virtual currencies exploded on to the scene.

 

 

Regardless, the idea of cryptocurrency is becoming extremely popular. Not only that, but this market is just starting to take off. Entrepreneurs don’t necessarily have to create their own currency or buy/sell existing currencies to make money.

 

 

Any types of products or services that can ease the pain or solve problems that come with cryptocurrency can do very well. Cryptocurrencies seem to be here to stay so it’s just a matter of creating products/services that create value for others.

 

 

3. Apps

 

Mobile applications have been popularized for the last few years. However, apps are still a growing market and there is a TON of opportunity for entrepreneurs.

 

 

Not only that, but new devices such as Google Glass are inviting developers to build new apps for their platform. The barrier to entry is definitely a challenge, but the reward for those who try is worthwhile.

 

 

4. Facial Recognition

 

In Finland, there was a new platform that allowed customers to pay using their faces. It seems as if people are getting lazier and lazier, which is a great thing for those seeking new opportunities.

 

 

Facial recognition seems to be a very popular area of emphasis amongst consumer needs. Finding various uses for facial recognition that can make things faster or solve a problem can create a massive opportunity for an entrepreneur willing to journey through that path.

 

 

5. 3D Printing

 

In 2013, we heard a lot about 3D printing. However, I still believe there was just a lot of buzz and hype surrounding it. I still think the market is very untapped leaving tons of opportunity for others to capitalize on.

 

 

While very few businesses and homes currently have 3D printers, this trend can change in 2014. With that said, there are tons of opportunities that entrepreneurs can capitalize on knowing these facts.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared 5 of the best new business ideas for 2014. Feel free to share your thoughts on what the big new ideas for 2014 are in the comments section below.

 

 

photo credit: Cayusa via photopin cc

 

 

How Successful People Spend Their Evenings

In this article, I share how successful people spend their evenings. I decided to do a survey talking to successful people who have mastered many different crafts to see how they utilize their time at night.

 

Everyone gets 168 hours a week. No matter how badly you need more or less time, you’re stuck with the same amount as everyone else.

 

 

A very important time in the day are the evenings after you have finished a long day of work. The way you spend your evenings can have a huge impact on your life and how productive you are with it.

 

 

I myself have experimented with various ways of spending my evenings and I still haven’t found the right answer. However, I was curious to see how other successful individuals spent their evenings. I decided to go out and talk to various people who are super successful in their craft.

 

 

After talking to these individuals, I was surprised at the answers I got. In this article, I share how successful people spend their evenings:

 

 

Unwinding With A Nice Book

 

Many people spent their evenings just unwinding. They would grab some dinner, pour themselves a glass of wine and pick up a good book. The book would have nothing to do with their work life, but it was rather something they enjoyed reading.

 

 

Reading before bed not only helped them relax, but it also helped them get a better night of sleep. Many people that I talked to enjoyed having some peace and quiet to wrap up a long day.

 

 

Going Out 

 

I have spent my evenings for quite a while going out with friends, catching a game or grabbing dinner with a buddy. Turns out, many other people also use their evenings to go out as well.

 

 

Many of the younger entrepreneurs said they would go out for a couple hours to the bar and grab some drinks or go watch some sports games. They felt that going out took their minds completely off work allowing them to relax.

 

 

Working Out

 

A few people also said that they would hit the gym and work out after completing a long day of work. Many people looked at the gym as a sanctuary where they could release all their stress.

 

 

I have also spent many of my evenings at the gym working out or playing basketball. Although working out after a long day at the office can get tiring, it’s a great way to wrap up your day. Not only that, but working out is also very good for your body.

 

 

Continue Working

 

Turns out, a lot of the people that I surveyed are night-owls. Many of them prefer coming home, grabbing a quick bite to eat and going right back to work.

 

 

Many people enjoy working through the evenings and nights because of the peace and quiet that they can find. They are usually able to get the most done and they utilize that time to their advantage.

 

 

Plan For The Following Day

 

Lastly, many successful people said they spent their evenings preparing for the following day. They created an agenda list and prioritized their tasks so that they would be ready when they woke up the next morning.

 

 

However, most people did plan their days in a very relaxed manner by watching some television or jamming out to some tunes. Nevertheless, these individuals found their time best spent when they planned for the upcoming day.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared how successful people spend their evenings in various ways. How do you spend your evenings?

 

 

photo credit: jamelah via photopin cc