Category: Debate

How To Network With Investors

In this article, I share tips and strategies on how to network with investors and what to say to them. Many people go after investors completely wrong and never end up getting funding. However, I will share my secrets to networking with investors so that you can build meaningful relationships with them.

 

Often times, entrepreneurs need to develop strong relationships with investors in order to be successful in the long run. Having venture capitalists and angel investors as friends can be a great asset for you.

 

 

However, many people don’t know how to network with investors so they’re never really able to build these relationships. In this article, I’m going to share my tips on how to network with investors:

 

 

Social Networking

 

Social Media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and AngelList can help you find various investors. These sites are great because you get to learn a lot about potential investors to see if they would be a good match for your business.

 

 

There is a lot of money out there if you’re willing to be patient and look for it. Many people value investor money very highly, but I’ve realized that you have to be patient and find the right investor. 

 

 

Conferences 

 

Many conferences in different spaces will showcase a variety of different speakers who have many different talents. Attending conferences is a great place to network with industry experts, other business owners, and potential investors.

 

 

Quite often, you will find that investors attend these types of events to keep their eyes on new technologies and upcoming entrepreneurs. Just by attending conferences, you can develop relationships with many different investors.

 

 

Follow Their Blogs

 

Another great way to get in touch with an investor is through his/her blog. Many people have personal blogs like mine and share their insight on various topics.

 

 

If you find investors that may be a really good fit for what you’re doing, spend a few weeks to follow their blogs and show a genuine interest in what they’re doing. You can break the ice when you email them by sharing something you enjoyed on their blog.

 

 

Have Friends Help You

 

If you have a friend or family member that has a relationship with an investor, you can always ask them to introduce you. Introductions are a great way to get connected with others who can help you.

 

 

Ask your friend or family to politely ask their investor friend if they would be interested in what you’re doing and talking to you. If they say yes, you may have a very strong connection to an investor.

 

 

Be Human

 

When you see an investor, don’t look at them like they have dollar signs on top of their head. Be human and make a normal introduction to them like you would to anyone else.

 

 

Start off by introducing yourself, ask a little about what they do (even if you know they’re an investor), and who they are. From there, share your own projects and see what they have to say.

 

 

That’s it. Most entrepreneurs make the mistake of asking for funding the moment they meet an investor. The key is to build relationships with people and whatever happens from there, happens.

 

 

Walk A Mile In Their Shoes

 

People think making investments is an easy thing to do. However, the investors usually have it the hardest. Recently, I started potentially looking into making investments into various startups and I’ve learned a lot.

 

 

From being on both sides of the table, I quickly learned that making investments is extremely difficult because there are so many variables that have to be considered.

 

 

Always ask yourself one question: If I was in the investors shoes right now, would I invest in my company for the same deal I am offering him?

 

 

If you have to think about your answer to that question for more than a second, you’ve probably got some kind of flaw in your deal. Investors hear thousands of pitches but have to choose just a few.

 

 

Be Different

 

Everyone comes up to an investor and says, “I’m working on XYZ, I’m going to conquer 50% of my market, and here’s a business plan to prove it.” The moment you say this to an investor, they mentally check out.

 

 

In order to win an investor over, you have to do something substantially different from everyone else. They receive tons and tons of pitches, why is yours any better than the others?

 

 

Investors love results and proof. It’s one thing to say you’re going to do it, but it’s a whole another thing to actually do it. If you can show investors a small sample size or proof, your chances of winning them over just increased dramatically.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Building relationships and finding the right investor is something that takes a long time. While most people want to fund their businesses right away, you want to make sure that both sides are making a wise choice.

 

 

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How To Set Goals & Crush Them

As an entrepreneur, goal-setting has been something that I have been able to master over time. Setting goals are easy, but sticking to them are the hard part. In this article, I’m going to share my secrets on how to set goals & crush them.

 

As an entrepreneur, goal-setting has been something that I have been able to master over time. The sooner you master setting goals, the quicker you will find yourself growing.

 

 

Most people think goals are something that should be looked at as long-term. However, I set goals every single day, week, month, and year that holds me accountable while ensuring no time goes wasted.

 

 

Setting goals are easy, but sticking to them are the hard part. In this article, I’m going to share my secrets on how to set goals & crush them:

 

 

Put Money On It

 

When I had a tough time staying focused and completing my goals, I decided to increase the stakes. I had my friends, colleagues, and mentors bet against me.

 

 

I’m one of the most competitive people alive and I hate losing. Turns out, losing a bet meant so much to me that I stepped up and began crushing my goals and earning some extra cash on the go.

 

 

If you feel like you’re in a slump and just don’t have the motivation to accomplish your goals, find an external way to increase the stakes for yourself.

 

 

Find Your Weaknesses

 

The key to success is conquering your weaknesses. Think about all the reasons why you may not be able to fulfill a specific goal and write those issues down.

 

 

If you don’t think you will be able to fulfill a goal because you have trouble getting up in the morning, you have just found your weakness. You must conquer your weakness by setting numerous obnoxious alarms or having someone else wake you up.

 

 

Every time a goal isn’t completed, there’s a reason why. Finding out what those reasons are before you start and finding a way to avoid them are extremely important.

 

 

Think About The Why

 

Why are you setting these goals? Thinking about why you’re doing something is the most powerful motivator you can have.

 

 

If you’re saving extra money for a trip, think about where you’re going and why it means so much. If you’re working extra late on your business, think about how you want to change the world through innovation.

 

 

Everyone has a purpose for everything that they do. Think about what your purpose behind each goal is and keep that close to you.

 

 

Reward Yourself

 

When I struggled to achieve my goals, I decided to start rewarding myself. For me, I would reward myself on daily goals that I achieved with something as small as treating myself out to a nice meal.

 

 

I would tell myself what I had to accomplish and once I was able to do it, I would go out and reward myself. The rewards need to be personal, but can give you some exra motivation that can push you to finish what needs to get done.

 

 

Let Someone Hold You Accountable

 

Growing up, my mother would be on my case about doing my homework properly. If I didn’t finish it or even did one question wrong, she would grab me by the ear (figuratively of course) and make sure it was done right.

 

 

If you don’t want to bring your mother back into your life that closely, find a friend or loved one who is willing to hold you accountable. Make sure that they really care about your success and are willing to raise hell on you if you don’t complete your goals.

 

 

Remember, don’t assign this role to the person who’s always willing to tell you what you want to hear. Give this role to the person who’s willing to tell you what you need to hear. 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Setting goals and crushing them are extremely important to the success of any entrepreneur. These tips mentioned in the article above can not only help you set goals, but also crush them.

 

 

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5 Experiences That Led Me To Entrepreneurship

Everyone who is an entrepreneur has a reason that pushed them to do what they do. For me, I didn’t just have one experience or reason that pushed me to entrepreneurship. After a collection of events, lessons, and experiences took place in my life, I decided to try entrepreneurship.

 

Everyone who is an entrepreneur has a reason that pushed them to do what they do. For me, I didn’t just have one experience or reason that pushed me to entrepreneurship.

 

 

After a collection of events, lessons, and experiences took place in my life, I decided to try entrepreneurship. Luckily for me, I found entrepreneurship to be the perfect career for me and haven’t looked back since.

 

 

In this blog article, I’m going to share 5 experiences that led me to entrepreneurship:

 

 

1. Meeting a young millionaire at the Target parking lot

 

I was in high school walking down to the Target a quarter mile away from the campus. School had just ended and we were looking to go to Target to pick up some candy.

 

 

As I got closer to Target, I suddenly noticed the most beautiful Lamborghini I have ever seen shinning in the parking lot. My friends & I decided to approach the vehicle and observe it closely.

 

 

It was beautiful and as we started walking back to Target, I saw a young guy in a suit walking towards the Lamborghini. No way, could that have been his car? He didn’t look any older than 30 and was probably 25-26 years old.

 

 

I had to find out what he did because that car is NOT cheap. I approached him and said, “Excuse me, I really like your car. Do you mind if I ask you what your job is?”

 

 

He quickly replied, “Thanks kid. Unfortunately, I have a meeting I’m late too but just remember this one thing: Don’t ever get a job, work for yourself.”

 

 

That was all he said. At that time, I had little idea about what that meant because I had no clue what entrepreneurship was. However, these words make all the sense in the world to me today.

 

 

2. Getting jobs that pissed me off

 

My parents wanted to show me the value of a dollar at an early age. They sent me to get a job at the age of 15, which was a time when I got to try many different jobs.

 

 

I worked as a project manager, assistant, secretary, receptionist, tutor, coach, salesperson, and much more. There was a common trend among every single job I picked up during this 2 year period.

 

 

I hated every single job. They all sucked in their own ways. The fact that these jobs all sucked made me want to find something I would like.

 

 

I found a common trend in all my jobs. I was listening to someone else and obeying their commands. I decided to change that and find a situation where I would be in charge of everything.

 

 

3. Studying the wealthy 

 

When I became distraught with my jobs, I wanted to find a ‘get rich quick scheme’. I decided to search online, but my searches didn’t do much good.

 

 

Then, I decided to search how people similar to me were getting wealthy. It really came down to 3 main things: music, sports, & business.

 

 

I couldn’t sing for my life and I wasn’t that amazing at basketball so it came down to business. I began reading endless amounts of books on successful entrepreneurs, business owners, and moguls.

 

 

I quickly learned that business was something anyone could do as long as they put some effort in. I started with wanting to get into business solely to be filthy rich, but thankfully I found a deeper purpose since then.

 

 

4. Watching money tear up relationships 

 

From family and others, I quickly learned that money is a common problem that can tear many relationships apart. Everyone wants money, but it’s not always so easy to get it.

 

 

I learned that money gives you freedom to live life on your terms. Nobody wants to be a slave to the dollar, but so many of us are. From looking at so many relationships torn apart because of money, I decided to make sure that money wouldn’t affect my life negatively.

 

 

The money problems others faced made me confident that I wanted to be financially free as early in life as possible so that I can enjoy the pleasures of life. I don’t want money to be the reason for stress in my family’s life.

 

 

5. Finding others who started young

 

When I was questioning whether to pursue entrepreneurship or not, I began searching deeply to see if anyone else had accomplished what I was planning to do. I quickly came across many young entrepreneurs, but one of them stood out to me the most.

 

 

His name was Neil Patel. He had not only started at the same age as me, but he shared numerous other similarities with me. I began studying him relentlessly to figure out how he was able to achieve massive success.

 

 

I wasn’t envious of him, but rather motivated and inspired. I’ve always had a competitive mindset. I said to myself, “If others have been able to do this at my age, there is nothing in the world that can stop me from doing the same.”

 

 

By finding people who I could relate to, it gave me the confidence and motivation I needed to really put my dreams into action.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Everyone has various things that happen in their own lives that push them to become entrepreneurs. For me, it was a collection of the experiences mentioned above that put me  where I am today.

 

 

photo credit: Ed Callow [ torquespeak ] via photopin cc

5 Ways To Say “NO” Nicely

As entrepreneurs and business people, we get tons of opportunities, offers, and requests. In this article, I share 5 ways to say “NO” nicely to others.

 

Recently, I’ve jumped into the world of startup consulting/advising. It’s an extremely fun role and it gives me numerous opportunities to work with different startups in different industries.

 

 

When I first started off, I said yes to every startup that came my way. I quickly realized that this was a bad idea. Even though I wanted to help everyone, I really couldn’t.

 

 

My own businesses would suffer and the other startups wouldn’t get the ultimate value they deserved from me. I quickly had to learn to say “NO” without hurting other peoples feelings.

 

 

I realized that if I wanted to make the best decisions for myself and for others, I had to learn to say “NO” nicely. In this article, I share 5 ways to say “NO” nicely.

 

 

1. “I’d love to help, but my other time commitments just don’t allow me to at this time.” 

 

This was probably the number one reason why I couldn’t help out startups even though I really wanted to. I had other commitments to projects, startups, and my own businesses that really took up a lot of my time.

 

 

By saying it in this way, you express the fact that you would work with them only if you could. Let the other person know that your plate is full, but this person can make future requests to see if anything changes.

 

 

2. “I’m currently involved in XYZ, but it might better to re-connect at X time when I’m less tied up.” 

 

I’ve had to pass up consulting deals and many other opportunities by saying this same exact thing. While I wanted to take up new tasks and things to do, I simply couldn’t do it without going insane.

 

 

So, I decided to leave these opportunities open if people wanted to wait. I nicely let people know what’s keeping me extremely busy right now, when that commitment will end, and how I’d still be willing to help them after I’m done.

 

 

3. “I’m not the best person to help you with this. However, you can try XYZ or reach out to XYZ people.”

 

This is something I’ve had to say a lot of times. I’ve had people who have approached me with business opportunities in the alcohol industry before. I tell them that I’m not really the best person for this job since I’m not even 21 yet.

 

 

When I do say “NO” this way, I try to see if there is anything I can do to help these individuals out regardless. I’ll refer them to people I know or give them suggestions that shows that I care about their project, but just don’t feel like I’m the right fit.

 

 

4. “I appreciate the opportunity or request, but I’m not interested.”

 

As any business person or entrepreneur knows, many people are going to approach you at some point to join networking companies. I’ve received many of those requests and I’ve rejected all of those.

 

 

I don’t undermine their business model or anything, I simply just don’t like that route for myself. Whenever I get a request like this, I typically thank them for the opportunity but respectfully decline. The key to saying “NO” this way is to ensure that you don’t comment negatively towards what is being pitched.

 

 

5. “No, thank you.”

 

The easiest and most simple way to say “NO” is by doing it this way. All it takes is 3 words and it’s a polite way to decline an invite or opportunity to do something.

 

 

However, often times you will get people who will try to continue asking you or pushing you to say “YES” to them. The key to saying “NO” this way is to stay true to your answer and refuse to give into pressure.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Saying “NO” was a skill that took me a while to learn. I only figured out the art of saying “NO” once things started to get crazy for me. I highly recommend other entrepreneurs to also understand the value of saying “NO”.

 

 

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25 Tips For A More Meaningful Life

In this article, I share 25 tips for a more meaningful life using things I have learned from mentors and from personal experiences in the world.

 

Everyone wants to leave the world knowing they had a purpose. Some of us realize our purpose earlier in life while others don’t find out till the end.

 

 

Regardless of when you find out your purpose, it’s crucial to live a meaningful life that is satisfying to you. In this article, I’m going to share 25 tips for a more meaningful life:

 

 

1. Inspiration is fleeting. When you find inspiration, capture it by taking action. Do something to fulfill your inspiration. Even if you make just one move, it is something that can  change your life.

 

 

2. Dare to dream. Don’t just let your dreams sit in your mind and rot. If you have a big dream or vision, go out there and pursue it. You will never know how your dream plays out unless you put it into action.

 

 

3. Give back. No matter how or what you choose to give back, find a way to honor your beliefs and passions. Everyone takes from the world, but be remembered for someone who gave back.

 

 

4. Be mission driven. Set daily goals and push yourself to achieve things. Continuously push yourself to be the best you and hold yourself accountable.

 

 

5. Don’t ever lose focus of what’s important. Family and friends are some of the most important things in life. Don’t let other activities in your life ruin your relationships with the people you love most.

 

 

6. Time is the most valuable thing we have. Be very careful how you spend your time because that is one thing you cannot get back.

 

 

7. Never talk bad upon others. If you don’t have something good to say about people, don’t say it at all.

 

 

8. Listen more, talk less.

 

 

9. Treat everyone the same. Regardless of who you meet, treat everyone equally. Network and talk to everyone you meet to learn more about their lives.

 

 

10. Learn continuously. You may be out of formal education, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop learning. Education never stops.

 

 

11. Be willing to fail. Failure doesn’t define you or what you do. It’s just an event – something that happens at a specific day/time. Be willing to learn from failure.

 

 

12. Never say never. There is no such thing as impossible unless we ourselves believe it. No matter what the task or dream may be, go out there and chase it until you achieve it.

 

 

13. Let go of the past. Whether it’s a grudge with others from the past or a strong feeling of hatred towards something, we have to learn to let go of things from the past. Don’t let the past prevent you from moving forward.

 

 

14. Be the best you. Don’t do what society, your surroundings, or circumstances expect you to do. Do what you want to do.

 

 

 

15. Do something scary. Whether it’s going skydiving or quitting your job to start a business, do something that terrifies you. We all have to face our fears sometime.

 

 

16. Find a mentor. Develop a strong relationship with someone who is where you wish to be. Having a close connection with someone you look up to can provide amazing value.

 

 

17. See the world. Save money to go out and visit various travel spots in the world. You don’t want to live your whole life in just one area without seeing the millions of gorgeous sites around the world.

 

 

18. Say NO. Sometimes, we end up saying yes to everything and have a tough time saying no to others for many different reasons. However, we must value our time ourselves. If you don’t want to do it, just say NO.

 

 

19. Eliminate the losers. If you have people in your life that are weighing you down, take them out of the picture. In order to be successful and truly live life on your terms, you need to be around positive people.

 

 

20. Have compassion for others. It’s often hard to know the situations others are dealing with. However, to be a better person we must have compassion for others and truly believe that we don’t know everything about their life.

 

 

21. Be humble. It’s okay to celebrate successes, but be humble no matter what.

 

 

22. Finish what you start. If you pick something up, don’t get started unless you plan to complete it.

 

 

23. Work hard. In order to be successful and achieve your goals, you must work hard and not shy away from hard labor.

 

 

24. Live in such a way that if someone decided to speak badly of you, no one would believe it.

 

 

25. No better day than today. The best time to start on your new and more meaningful life is today. The faster you change, the quicker you get results.

 

 

Conclusion

 

These are 25 various lessons that I have learned throughout the last few years that have helped me achieve a more meaningful life. Some of these tips have come from mentors, my personal experiences, or lessons I learned the hard way.

 

 

photo credit: Georgie Sharp via photopin cc

5 Ways To Self-Educate Yourself & Master Any Skill

The way we educate ourselves and learn material is changing every day with technology. Thanks to the internet, a college education isn’t always the best method for learning. In this blog article, I will share 5 ways to self-educate yourself & master any skill.

 

As many of you know, I’m not the biggest fan of a formal education due to the limitations set forth by most curriculums. However, there are many great ways to self-educate yourself to learn any skill that might not necessarily be taught in a classroom.

 

 

Over the last few years, I have mastered many skills and learned hundreds of things through self-education. As time has gone by, I have been able to learn faster and educate myself further.

 

 

In this blog article, I’m going to share 5 ways to self-educate yourself & master any skills.

 

 

Self-Education Requires Self-Motivation 

 

Before I go into the 5 ways to self-educate yourself & master any skill, I want to talk about the importance of being self-motivated. In order to master a skill, you must want to learn. Nobody will be holding you accountable, you won’t be measured by grades, and you won’t be disciplined for slacking.

 

 

In order to successfully master a skill and self-educate yourself, you must be motivated and determined to learn the material. I highly recommend holding yourself accountable and trying to educate yourself on things you actually are passionate about learning. With that said, here are 5 ways to self-educate yourself:

 

 

1. The Blogosphere

 

Blogs are an amazing way to learn a LOT about any topic. For example, QuickSprout teaches you a lot about online marketing and business. I used QuickSprout to learn a lot about online marketing.

 

 

You have to look online for blogs or writers who are masters in something that you want to learn. Continuously read and re-read that blog until you have a great understanding of what it says. Then to test your knowledge, go out there and put it into action!

 

 

2. Books

 

With books being available digitally nowadays, you have no excuse to constantly read. I try to read 1-2 books a month on a completely new skill that I want to master. Not only does it expand my knowledge, but it makes me a lot more wiser.

 

 

Reading is one of the easiest and fastest ways to educate yourself. You can find books by searching for them in websites such as Amazon, Nook, or even iTunes to see which ones are in high demand.

 

 

3. Podcasts 

 

There are so many amazing podcasts out there. Podcasts such as EntrepreneurOnFire exist all over the web-sphere. It may take some time to find, but there is a lot of great content and information awaiting you on these platforms.

 

 

Podcasts are a seamless way to absorb a lot of information since it’s usually all audio. You can typically learn and master many skills rather quickly because podcasts really pack a lot of information.

 

 

4. Video/Speeches

 

With the internet, there are numerous places to find videos where people are willing to teach you various things. In addition to that, you can learn a lot from listening to other successful people give speeches.

 

 

Whether you go to these speeches in person or find them online, there is a huge community for those interested. The most popular community, known as Ted, provides short and robust discussions that can teach you a LOT.

 

 

5. Online Courses 

 

In the last few years, the ability for individuals to learn things online through a course has become extremely popular. Sites like Udemy, TreeHouse, and Coursera have made it easy for instructors to bring their content to students.

 

 

These sites can give you an action-packed course that can allow you to rapidly master a skill in as little as a few short weeks. You can even find courses from college curriculums for FREE through some internet searching.

 

 

Conclusion

 

The way we educate ourselves and learn material is changing every day with technology. Thanks to the internet, a college education isn’t always the best method for learning. Feel free to share in the comments below how you self-educate yourself!

 

7 Ways To Avoid Mediocrity

Are you tired of being average? Is there anything in your life that is unique or original compared to others? In this article, I’m going to share 7 ways to avoid mediocrity.

 

The average American has a job, 58% of them. The average American makes $735/weekly. The average American (54% of them) has less than $100,000 in their savings account.

 

 

The average American is dissatisfied with the life they are living, which is approximately 57% of them. In this article, I’m doing to discuss how you can avoid being ‘average’.

 

 

Here are 7 ways to avoid mediocrity:

 

 

1. Think Big, Act Small

 

Most mediocre people are scared to think big and take actions towards it. They do what society or their surroundings expect them to and rarely ever pursue things on their own.

 

 

To avoid mediocrity, you must be willing to think big. Set big goals and achieve them by making small progress towards them each day.

 

 

2. Look Up To People Who Are Different

 

If you’re surrounded by mediocre people, your bound to end up being just like them. Role models, mentors, and advisers are a great way to escape your mediocre surroundings.

 

 

Is there someone in the world who’s really not like everyone else? If you look up to this person, make them your mentor and let them guide you away from a life of mediocrity.

 

 

3. Don’t Listen To The Majority

 

The majority of people are average. If you listen to the majority of people when making decisions, you will be following in a path of mediocrity. Take the road less traveled or the one that nobody has traveled. 

 

 

Sometimes you have to do the things in life that your surroundings advise you against. If you listen to the average, you will end up being just like them.

 

 

4. Spend Your Free Time Doing Something Productive

 

Average people spend their free time watching television, partying, and doing other miscellaneous activities they think are fun. If you want to avoid mediocrity, you have to work harder than everyone else.

 

 

Instead of spending your free time watching television, spend that time doing something that will help you tomorrow. Whether it’s running a side business or simply reading to gain knowledge, do something productive.

 

 

5. Do What Others Aren’t Willing To Do

 

Ask any entrepreneur why they are successful and able to retire by 30 and they will all unanimously attribute their success to one thing. That one thing is hard work and by hard work, I mean a LOT of it.  

 

 

In order to avoid falling in with the average, you have to be willing to go above and beyond. Successful entrepreneurs have often said that they worked 18 hour days for the first 3-4 years. To avoid mediocrity, you must be committed and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve your goals.

 

 

6. Take Risks That Make Others Think Your Crazy

 

Average people live the same monotonous life every day. They work a 9 to 5 job, save just enough money for 1 vacation a year, and are hoping that they’ll have made enough money in 40 years to enjoy retirement.

 

 

Those who aren’t mediocre live life on the edge. To avoid mediocrity, you cannot be fearful of the risks that come with it. Always weigh the risk factor into every decision, but be open to taking risks.

 

 

7. Try New Things

 

Mediocre people are okay with living the same day over and over again because they are fearful of change. If you are against trying new things, you will set yourself up for a life of mediocrity.

 

 

Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. If you keep an open mind, you will find yourself in the middle of many more opportunities as well.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Avoiding mediocrity is a goal that everyone in the world should strive for. I set myself up on this path while I was graduating high school and I’m so glad that I have!

 

 

10 Reasons Why You Should Never Get A Job

Do you have a job that you hate? Why are you still at that job? In this article, I’m going to share 10 reasons why you should never get a job and are much better off pursuing your dreams.

 

One of the most highly debated topics are whether or not you should get a job. People who are for the ‘job’ side always use safety and a peace of mind as reasons why you should remain at a job.

 

 

As an entrepreneur myself, my opinion is quite bias on this topic. I truly believe you should not get a job if you have the motivation to do amazing things.

 

 

In this article, I’m going to share 10 reasons why you should never get a job:

 

 

1. You’ll Never Get What Your Worth

 

Employees are rarely ever satisfied with the amount of money they are making. Employers feel like they should be making less while employees feel like they should be making a lot more money.

 

 

The truth is, no matter how much money you make at your job, you will not be getting what your worth. The value that you bring to the company is not directly compensated. There are managers and owners who are taking profits on top of the value that you bring.

 

 

2. You Lose That Creative Spark

 

Working a job is extremely tedious. I did it for 2 years at the age of 15 as a project manager and it was the most mundane experience I ever had.

 

 

The thing was, I had a lot of creative spark but I never got to use any of it. All the creative aspects of the company were handled by the managing team, which left me with the same repetitive work over and over again. If you enjoy creative freedom, don’t work at a job.

 

 

3. Financial Security? Hah.

 

People say that jobs give you comfort, a peace of mind, and financial security. Have you really thought how scary a job really is?

 

 

One day you can be doing the best work of your life, the next day you can be unemployed. You don’t have to do something wrong to get fired. Your financial security is not dependent on yourself (as it would if you were an entrepreneur), it’s dependent on another person who controls your paycheck.

 

 

4. Like It Or Not, You Have To Do It

 

The worst part about being an employee is that you have to deal with all the rubbish that comes along with it. If your boss asks you to do something, you HAVE to do it. You don’t really have much of a choice.

 

 

For some reason, all my friends that have jobs are always groaning about how much it sucks. Jobs do suck because you get bossed around by someone else and your forced to do it if you want remain an employee.

 

 

5. You Live For Weekends

 

Employees live for weekends. It’s not that you have something amazing planned every weekend that you’re looking forward to. You’re just trying to escape your job. 

 

 

You look forward to weekends and cringe at the sight of Monday because your job is only an outlet to make money. You shouldn’t look forward to weekends if you love your job, you should enjoy every day the same.

 

 

6. You Build Someone Else’s Dream

 

When you take a job, you put your dreams aside and work on someone else’s. The worst part of building someone else’s dream is that you do not get remembered for all the great things you did to help them get there.

 

 

If you have dreams and goals that you aspire to achieve, why let a job block you from pursuing it?

 

 

7. You Trade Time For Money

 

The wealthiest people in the world have often shared their models showing how they have been able to be so successful. The biggest thing they have been able to master is the ability to not trade their time for money.

 

 

Through investments, passive income streams, and strategic portfolios, wealthy people are able to make money consistently without spending significant time doing so. In a job, you are directly trading every minute of your life in exchange for a dollar amount.

 

 

8. You Don’t Control Your Destiny

 

As an entrepreneur, I can wake up tomorrow morning and go to Hawaii for a vacation if I really wanted to. However, I love what I do so much that I don’t really need a vacation.

 

 

The point is, entrepreneurs have the freedom to do whatever they want whenever they want. As an employee, your freedom is restricted by others in the company.

 

 

9. How Many Young Millionaires Do You See With Jobs?

 

Have you ever seen a 30 year old doctor who’s a self-made millionaire? How about that guy who just got a corporate job for Morgan Stanley who’s turning 26 next week? Is he a self-made millionaire?

 

 

No, none of them are. Why? Because they’re working a job. Jobs are a turtle-paced path to retirement. Work hard and invest your money for 40 years and hopefully you’ll be able to enjoy retirement. Pursuing your own dreams are far more rewarding, work hard for 10 years and possibly retire for the rest of your life!

 

 

10. Do What You Love

 

Life is too short to live the same day twice. If you don’t like what you’re doing, change it. You shouldn’t have to look at your job as a chore because it can really be a lot more then that.

 

 

Find something you’re passionate about and pursue that. If you do what you love, you will eventually make money because your passion will guide you there.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared 10 reasons why you should never get a job. Do you have any reasons why you don’t think people should get a job? Feel free to share them below. 

 

 

photo credit: katiew via photopin cc

5 Ways To Come Up With Great Business Ideas To Start

Struggling to come up with a business idea that works? In this article, I share 5 ways to come up with great business ideas that significantly increase your chances of success.

 

With more entrepreneurs than ever in the world, it is no better time to start a business than now! However, a business can only be born once a proven idea has been developed.

 

 

Finding business ideas to start are often a struggle for many new entrepreneurs. In this article, I will share 5 strategic ways to come up with great business ideas to start:

 

 

1. Take Your Problems and Turn Them Into Solutions

 

On a daily basis, we all come across a problem or two that we typically overlook. However, the easiest way to come up with business ideas is to look for problems you or people you know may be dealing with.

 

 

Next time you face a problem, don’t just disregard it. Find a creative solution to that problem and see if many other people are dealing with the same issue. The best business ideas come from personal experiences.

 

 

Example – When graduating from high school, my partner & I had big aspirations to attend the best colleges. However, we didn’t know our chances of getting in and getting help from counselors was extremely difficult. We immediately saw this problem and reached out to all our classmates to see if they dealt with the same problem. Before I knew it, my second startup company – StatFuse, was born. 

 

 

2. Imitate and Improve

 

There are so many companies and business models that are thriving out there in the world. Find a business model that may have flaws and see what you can do to improve it. Often times, you can read reviews/ratings on companies to see common complaints of customers.

 

 

If the problem is big enough, you can imitate their model while improving the things that don’t work so well. This is an easy, but effective way to get a proven concept into market.

 

 

Example – Have you heard of CrazyEgg? They revolutionized analytics by improving on Google Analytics greatly. Google analytics tells you how many people come to your website, but nothing about what they do on your site. CrazyEgg solved that problem by showing you exactly what people were clicking on your site to help you increase conversions. 

 

 

3. Make Something Hard To Get Accessible For Everyone

 

There are many products that are wanted by many, but affordable or available to a limited number of people. The greatest business ideas are often ones that disrupt an existing market by doing the unthinkable.

 

 

In order to so, you need to find highly limited items that interest a specific niche. Find out why it is not easily accessible to most people (usually price) and see if there is a way to make it available to the masses. Not only will you be able to disrupt a market, but you can also build something huge.

 

 

Example – Storing files somewhere outside of your computer was a huge pain before DropBox came into the picture. Buying cloud servers was expensive and portable storage devices were just a hassle. DropBox solved that problem by making cloud servers accessible to everyone. 

 

 

4. Take Something That Works And Use It Elsewhere

 

Many business models over the years have been imitated and used exactly as is for different industries/markets. Look for successful business models that can work in different niches to solve different problems.

 

 

Example – A friend of mine saw that the hookah culture was growing tremendously here in California. He lived in Colorado and quickly noticed that people knew about hookah, but couldn’t dive into the culture without driving hundreds of miles. He quickly launched numerous hookah bars around universities in Colorado and has done extremely well. 

 

 

5. Jump Into Trends

 

Often times, the best business ideas are the ones that are built around popular trends or hot markets. You can find out which markets are hot or not through different websites like TechCrunch or VentureBeat.

 

 

Example – When PSY’s image and music went viral, my friend capitalized on him immediately. He launched a mobile app for iOs and Android that was a game revolving around PSY that also went viral!

 

 

Conclusion 

 

This article shares 5 strategic ways to come up with business ideas that have a higher chance of succeeding. With entrepreneurship and startups, it’s a well known fact that many companies fail.

 

 

By creating ideas that have a more natural fit in your industry, you significantly lower your chances of failure. Do you have any other ways you come up with business ideas? Feel free to share below. 

 

 

photo credit: pierofix via photopin cc

Stop Doing These 7 Things Every Day

In this blog article, I share 7 things we must stop doing every day to be happier and more productive in our lives each day.

 

Habits are defined as tendencies that are hard to give up or break. We have good habits that we don’t need to give up and we also have bad habits that we need to break.

 

 

I myself have a fair share of bad habits that I’m constantly working on improving. Ever since diving into the world of entrepreneurship, I’ve learned a lot about business but I’ve also grown as a person.

 

 

This growth has come in many different forms. One of the best ways I’ve grown is that I’ve been able to break a lot of bad habits.

 

 

Stop doing these 7 things and you will find yourself more productive than ever before:

 

 

1. Being In Meetings All Day

 

When I got my first ever meeting, I was very excited. I walked into that meeting at 12 PM and walked out at 2:30 PM. Not only that, but it took me 1 hour to get there and 1 hour to get back to my house.

 

 

My first ever meeting took 4 hours and 30 minutes and led to nothing. That was one of the first lessons I learned about time management. Any time you take a meeting, make sure you let the other person know how long you want to spend. I try not to take any meetings longer than 1 hour.

 

 

2. Checking Your Phone While Someone Is Talking To You

 

With technology beeping all over the place, it’s really hard to stay focused on one thing or person. However, it’s extremely rude and disrespectful when someone looks at their phone or seems distracted amidst a conversation.

 

 

Unless it’s an emergency, you can live without your phone for 5 minutes. Learn the value of a good conversation and check your phone later. The other person will be grateful for your undivided attention.

 

 

3. Multitasking 

 

I used to be a huge fan of multitasking because it felt like I was getting a lot done. I would have a huge list of things to do so I thought if I did them all simultaneously, I’d be more efficient.

 

 

Boy, was I wrong! Multitasking actually made me spend more time completing everything while I made more mistakes because I wasn’t focused. Stop multitasking and focus on each task individually, even if you have a long list of things to do.

 

 

4. Say Yes Because You Have To 

 

How often do we get asked something by someone that we don’t really want to do? I know this happens to me very often. However, I’ve learned that you must value your own time by making the best decision for YOU.

 

 

If someone asks you to do something that you don’t want to do, don’t do it. You don’t have to be mean about it, but you can nicely tell someone that you’re not interested in what they’re offering you. Saying NO can feel really good.

 

 

5. Being Dishonest

 

Honesty is the best policy in every situation. As someone who used to have a knack for lying, I really understood the damage and negativity lying had on other people.

 

 

Whether you’re being dishonest for your business or yourself, stop lying to people. You’ll feel a lot better about yourself while doing the right thing for others.

 

 

6. Doing Work That Doesn’t Make You Happy

 

Are you stuck in a job that you really hate? In a recent survey, only 30% of employees actually liked their job. That number is extremely low to me.

 

 

When asked why they didn’t like their job, most of them said that they didn’t feel like they were adding any value to society. If you really hate the job you have, change it.

 

 

7. Hitting The Snooze Button On Your Alarm Clock 

 

I never hit the snooze button on my alarm clock. I’m so experienced at it that I just sleep right through all the alarms in my room. However, it’s a really bad habit.

 

 

If you need to wake up at 7 AM to get work done, you NEED to wake up at 7 AM. Every precious minute you waste in the morning sleeping in bed can be used productively doing something else. Stop hitting the snooze button and start jumping right out of bed.

 

 

Conclusion

 

These are 7 simple things that anyone can stop doing to become a better person while increasing productivity. Share any things you recommend people to stop every day below in the comments.