Category: Debate

When I first started out as an entrepreneur, I was too cheap and scared to buy anything. The cheap part is understandable since I didn’t have a lot of money to use, but the scared part was just silly.

However, as I continued on my journey as an entrepreneur, I quickly realized there were a few things that would boost my success. The strange thing was that everyone in the world of business was extremely materialistic.

I was taught my whole life that it did not matter what you had as long as you had the necessities, but it was completely different in the business world. My chances of closing deals significantly dropped because I didn’t have certain things.

After all this happened, I decided to go out every few months and buy some of the things that would accelerate my progression as an entrepreneur. Fast-forward two years and I now have the basic things that every entrepreneur must invest in at some point. Here are what the things are:

1. Swag

You have to dress to impress. You can try fooling everyone with that $50 suit from Target, but people know. The fact that people know where your suit is from really impacts what you say to them before you even say it.

Whether your going to meetings, corporate events, or just hanging out in a posh area, you have to look good. Even though name brands make you a walking advertisement, your ‘advertisement’ really benefits you.

Unfortunately, people judge you by the way you look and dress. If you dress like you are the man, others will automatically notice you. You will close deals at a much higher rate and tap into larger audiences at conferences or mixers.

The cost of looking good is pretty pricey. It wasn’t just until last month that I was able to fully swag myself out. At that, it cost me around $1,000 to buy the nice suits that actually fit. It looks like a large investment, but the benefits are far more rewarding.

2. Apple Products

All the Windows fans out there are going to hate me for this. If you’re going out in public with your laptop or tablet, you need an Apple product. Apple products have a sexy feel to them and people know their expensive.

Even if you pay thousands of dollars on your windows laptop, people are still going to think it’s cheaper than an Apple product. Not only does Apple look good, but people associate it as an expensive product.

If you want to close deals, people need to know that you are successful. Are you going to give your business to the broke guy who couldn’t afford a suit or to the guy with a $500 suit and $2,000 laptop? You’re obviously going to pick the rich guy because he just appears successful and more capable of handling your needs.

When I first started out, I used to carry around a $400 windows laptop that looked like a brick. The laptop was interesting because it looked like a piece of shit, performed like a champion, and told everyone I was broke. Instead, I invested in an Apple MacBook Pro and suddenly I was closing deals at much higher prices than before.

If you’re ever going to be out in public where you need your laptop, a tablet, or even your phone, invest in Apple products. They look good, they are expensive, and people are just going to feel more comfortable with you since you fit in.

3. Meeting Area

Unless you can meet your clients at their place, you need to either find a small office or rent conference rooms. If a client needed to meet with me, I would have to ask them to meet at a local Starbucks or ask to meet at their place.

While there’s nothing wrong with a Starbucks, people really became hesitant hiring me if I didn’t even have a professional office. As a young entrepreneur, I didn’t have the money for an office nor did I really need one.

Instead, I actually found out about an amazing system of renting conference rooms. You pay anywhere from $25-$35 an hour and you get access to a nice conference room with a great view. While nobody knew I really rented the conference room, they loved the environment.

If you can ‘WOW’ people with a nice office or comfortable environment, they feel more at home. If you can make them feel at home, it’s much easier to close a sale. Renting out conference rooms allowed me to close customers at a much higher rate and even gave me the ability to raise my prices.

4. Virtual Assistant

As an entrepreneur, you’re going to have too many things to do. Most entrepreneurs cannot afford to pay a real assistant to help them out. When all else fails, you have to outsource.

It’s definitely difficult working with someone in another country. However, if you can show them the ropes and get accustomed to it, you will love it. When I started my first company, I desperately needed help.

I hired a great virtual assistant named Rohit who really helped me with a lot of things. At one point, he was actually the main source for all my leads. It took a few months to show him the ropes and get comfortable, but once we did, things were great.

As entrepreneurs, we need to value our time. We need to do the things that make us money while we pay others to do the technical things. Someone has to keep track of the paperwork, provide customer service, and respond to emails. Who better than an affordable virtual assistant?

5. Fun

Entrepreneurs work their asses off. You need to use the weekends to go out and have fun.The better weekends you have, the more productive you will be during the week. Invest in a good time every weekend.

Go get drinks with friends, party like an animal, or have a nice dinner with your girlfriend. Whatever it is that you choose to do, just make sure you enjoying doing it. Unfortunately, fun costs money.

I wouldn’t recommend going out and splurging money you don’t have, but you really should go have a good time. It’ll cost some money, but it will increase your productivity. The more productive you are, the more money you should be making.

Work hard, play harder. As long as it’s in ration, go have the time of your life when you can. You will blow some money here and there but it’s another one of those investments that pay off in the long run. Never get lost in the ‘work only’ mentality.

Conclusion

For entrepreneurs that are just starting out, I would suggest investing into each of these as you need. Had I invested in these things from the early days, I would have been much more successful today.

Even though a lot of these things are materialistic, sometimes you just have to fit in to improve your chances. We are taught our whole lives to do what we want, but in business you really have to do what others are expecting you to do. If you do these things, you surely better your chances of succeeding.

photo credit: Jason A. Samfield via photopin cc

Entrepreneurs, business owners, and even the average Joe faces obstacles every now and then. When people are met with a challenge, they handle it how they know best. Is there really a great way to overcome obstacles?

Yes, there is! Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps, and many other champions got to the top because they knew how to overcome obstacles. As entrepreneurs, we face more obstacles than what we know to do with.

In order to be successful, you will have to deal with tough times. It’s really inevitable. These tough times really shouldn’t be a problem as long as you know how to react. Here are some tips and strategies to overcome obstacles like a champion.

Find The Root

Every problem starts somewhere. If you do not know the root of the problem, there’s really no point in solving it. Even if you solve the problem, it will keep coming back since you don’t know where it originated.

It is crucial to isolate the source of the problem and figure out why and how this obstacle came up. It takes time to figure out the root of a problem, but it is time well spent. If you can figure out the root of the problem and come up with a solution, you don’t have to worry about that obstacle again.

Change The Perspective

We all have specific ways we attack a problem. While it’s great to see things from a certain perspective, it always helps to open our minds and think about our problems from other angles. If it’s especially hard for you to change your perspective, get help from others.

Often times, other people can point out things you never noticed. Getting the opinion of others is one of the best things you can do. Use your friends or family members to help you overcome obstacles by allowing them to put their own perspective on things.

Trial and Error

Sometimes, you may come up with numerous possible solutions to a problem. Instead of gambling on one, you need to experiment. Try each of your solutions to the problem and analyze the results.

Keep trying all your solutions until you solve the problem. Overcoming obstacles is never easy and often takes numerous attempts to solve. The champions didn’t beat their competition overnight, it was a long process that often took many years!

Sleep On It

When we are hit with an obstacle, we feel frustrated and forced to solve it right away. While it’s great to be motivated, it can also backfire. Most of the time when I try to overcome an obstacle, I have an “AHA” moment that usually doesn’t hit me for a few days.

If you cannot find an immediate solution to your problems, wait and think. Being passive is sometimes the right thing to do. Sleep on it and see if any new solutions hit you in the morning.

Never Give Up

Champions are made, not born. Champions understand that they will not be successful overnight and continue to work hard until they get where they want to be. Obstacles are frustrating, but you cannot give up under any circumstance.

If you want to overcome obstacles and be successful, you have to keep trying until you succeed. Go into it knowing that there is only one option, getting past the obstacle. Have a strong mind and keep working till you get where you want to be.

Conclusion

Overcoming obstacles is critical to success. No champion, millionaire, or superstar got to the pinnacle of their success without facing a few tough obstacles along the way. If you want to succeed, you must master the art of overcoming obstacles. These tips will send you in the right direction.

Since I created my first startup company at the age of 17 till now, I’ve always been referred to as a ‘young’ entrepreneur. While many would coin that adjective in front of entrepreneur as unnecessary or degrading, I really don’t mind being associated that way.

Many people say ‘young’ is a way to describe the unexperienced or new, however, my definition of young is a lot different. When I started as a young entrepreneur, I was fearful of my age and I let it affect me.

How I Let My Age Get The Best of Me

In my first startup company, I offered web design, web development, and internet marketing solutions to other businesses. Given my service orientated business, I really had to go out there to make sales.

There were times that clients wanted to meet me in person and close a deal, but instead I would try to do anything to close the sale on Skype or through the telephone. I often lost business or even lost the opportunity to make more money all because I was scared of showing people who I really was.

Now that I look back, it was really foolish on my part, but at the time it was my reality. Everyone else in the business world seemed older and I felt like I didn’t belong. Thus, I made every effort possible to be there without really being there.

After spending considerable time hiding from people, I decided this could not go on any further. I did not want to stay at the same plateau for the next 5 years and decided to get over my fear. I started with small meetings and got more comfortable as time went along.

After almost a year and a half of going through meetings and getting accustomed to the real world, I really love being the young one out there. Young has a whole new meaning to me and I look at it as an advantage, not as a flaw. Here’s what young really means to me:

More Time To Succeed

While most entrepreneurs seem to be on the fence and look at their startups as a must win situation, I have the opportunity to truly embrace the role of an entrepreneur. If I fail the first time, it’s not the end of the world.

If I fail, I get to learn from my mistakes and come back much stronger. For older entrepreneurs, often times failure means ending their journey and finding a job. They don’t get a second chance to put their improvements into action.

As a college student living at home, I don’t have many expenses to pay for. Essentially, it’s not all or nothing for me. I will do everything in my power to succeed, but if I can’t the first or second time around, I am not forced to give up.

Essentially, being young provides me with more opportunities and chances. As they say, opportunities are once in a life time but being young gives me the ability to get more shots at doing what I want.

More Energy & Enthusiasm

Being that I am younger than most people in my industry, I have an upper hand. I am more energized, enthusiastic, and eager. I can put in longer hours, have less responsibilities to think of, and have more energy.

Even though I go to college and put a lot of my time into that, I have the ability to maintain a very strict work ethic. They say you’re the most passionate about things the younger you are, and my passion truly fuels me to work harder.

When you’re young, you always tend to think big. Thinking big instead of reasonable is great for entrepreneurs because you don’t accept satisfaction until you have what you want. This progression helps younger entrepreneurs work harder and longer to achieve the unthinkable.

A Fresh New Perspective

I have ideas and perspectives to things others do not have because of my age. Growing up in a different generation than others in the business world, I bring something new to the table. People may call that inexperience, but I look at it as a new angle.

Most people thinking of solutions or ideas are usually in the same age range. We mainly use our experiences and surroundings to make decisions or solve problems. The problem with this is that most entrepreneurs are in the same age-range causing most of their perspectives to be very similar.

I see things in a different way and have unique solutions to problems because I have grown up in a completely different setting than my counterparts. I was surrounded by technology that others did not get to use until much later in their life.

My age helps me bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the table that many others completely overlooked or didn’t think of. As I am part of the future generation, I know what my generation wants from products or businesses. I have a clear advantage for the future because I am more prepared to serve my own demographics.

I Stand Out

Whether I’m going to mixers, conferences, or events, the one thing I have realized through all these social gatherings is that people always remember me. It’s not often that people meet a 19 year old doing the things I do.

My age adds a huge value to my businesses and me. When I go and make a pitch or interact with a bunch of people, everyone seems to remember who I am because I was the person who stood out from the rest.

Not only in live meetings, but even online, people seem to remember me a lot more. They think of me as the ’19 year old entrepreneur who has a bunch of companies’ and that’s really great. When people remember me, I don’t have to constantly pitch my brand at them.

I can appear in one article or be somewhere and people tend to instantaneously remember me. Even if they don’t remember my name, they remember who I am and what it was that I do. When I first started, I always thought nobody is going to listen to me because I’m young.

In fact, the exact opposite has happened. The more I speak, the more people actually turn around and listen to me. What’s more intriguing, a 30 year old entrepreneur speaking to a room full of people or a 19 year old talking? For whatever reason it is, the moment they hear my age, they go ‘Woah’ and their attention is focused on me.

Anytime your talking, you want more people to hear you out. I recently did an elevator pitch at a Tech Mixer in Irvine and everyone that night remembered my name and provided me insight and feedback on my presentation. I had angel investors coming up to me giving me their business card telling me to call them every time I have a new startup company out.

When I have the whole room’s attention and can talk about meaningful things, everyone remembers me. This is a great advantage because I am able to generate buzz without having to really do anything extra.

Conclusion

A few years ago, I started my journey as a young fearful entrepreneur. I had and still have instances where people discredit me for my age, make jokes at my age, or tell me I’m too young.

While this affected as a first time entrepreneur, I realized that this disadvantage was really my greatest asset. Instead of fearing my young age, I started to embrace it. That was the best decision I ever made because I am proud to be a young entrepreneur.