Category: Entrepreneurship

The 5 Things You Must Do Before Putting Your Ideas Into Action

In this article, I share 5 things you must do before putting your ideas into action. We’ve all had that great idea, but executing on them are much harder.

 

You have a great idea and your mind starts running wild. You don’t know what you’re exactly supposed to do, but you know you have to do something.

 

 

I’ve been there in that exact position many times. The first couple times, I screwed up horribly. However, I learned some valuable lessons of things you should and shouldn’t do when you have that great idea.

 

 

These lessons have carried over and allowed me to turn many of my recent ideas into successful ventures. In this article, I share the 5 things you must do before putting your ideas into action:

 

 

1. Educate Yourself

 

Chances are, you don’t know everything about the market or industry for which your ideas resides in. Take some time to really learn about some key things:

 

 

– The major influencers

 

– The major companies in the space

 

– Trends from the last 5-10 years

 

– What the future seems to be like

 

 

It’s crucial to understand these things before diving into your business ideas. The more educated you are about the obstacles and challenges you will face, the more prepared you will be.

 

 

2. Survey Your Target Market 

 

When I started my second company StatFuse, we thought we were on to something brilliant. We decided not to tell a single person about our ideas and we ran to patent attorneys all over Orange County.

 

 

We then decided to get a patent on our idea and invested almost $6,000 to do so. This all took place because we were terrified of someone else taking our ‘brilliant’ idea. Fast-forward to today and I can tell you that getting a patent that early was one of the biggest mistakes we made.

 

 

An idea is just a thought, anyone can have them. It’s not the first person with the idea that wins, but rather the person who executes that idea the best. You HAVE to learn about your audience and your market.

 

 

The only way you can do this is by literally going out and surveying people you would consider your target audience. Ask them questions and get feedback on your ideas. Your customers may not be thinking the same way that you are.

 

 

3. Draw Out What You Want To Create

 

Depending on the type of business you are trying to create, it’s great to map out exactly what you want to build. When we build websites or apps, one of the first things we start doing are the wireframes for the project.

 

 

It’s one thing to have thoughts floating around in your mind, but it’s extremely helpful to visualize your project on paper. You’ll notice flaws, corrections and discoveries that will save you a lot of headache in the long-run.

 

 

4. Understand The Needs Of The Business

 

In order to put your ideas into action, there are always needs that must be fulfilled. When I want to build a mobile application, my immediate need is finding an app developer who can build out the product since I’m more on the marketing and business side of things.

 

 

It’s crucial to understand what needs must be taken care of for your idea to successfully be put into action. Then, figure out how you want to fulfill that need. Do you want to pay someone out of pocket? Do you want to outsource? Do you want to bring on a partner for equity?

 

 

When you have a clear understanding of what you want to do, it’s a lot easier to sell your vision to others. Take your ideas and strategy to others to see how you can quickly put your idea into action.

 

 

5. Be Realistic

 

We’ve all had that amazing idea that we thought would be worth a million bucks. I’m all about dreaming big, but you have to be realistic as an entrepreneur. I always love to say that entrepreneurs have to be the most unrealistic realist ever.

 

 

What I mean by that is that you have to think and dream big while being extremely real about the situation at hand. Everyone hates to see that person who forecasts their 12 month revenue to be $10 million but has no actionable plan of getting it there.

 

 

Just because there are 10 million potential customers in a certain market does NOT mean 10% of those people will come and buy your product. You need to look at the growth curves and trends of competing businesses in the space.

 

 

If you plan on hacking growth, come up with a plan on exactly how. Don’t make projections based on what percentage of the market share you think you’ll capture or based on how large your market is.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared the 5 things you must do before putting your ideas into action. Do you have any other suggestions for entrepreneurs just starting out?

 

 

photo credit: nhuisman via photopin cc

 

 

7 Tidbits Of Advice I Wish Someone Gave Me When I Was Younger

In this article, I share 7 tidbits of advice I wish someone gave me when I was younger. These pieces of advice would have helped me greatly had I known them at a younger age.

 

When you are opened up to the possibilities of what the world has to offer, your thoughts become limitless. Once I found out about entrepreneurship, I had hundreds of ideas running wild inside of my mind.

 

 

Believe it or not, I constantly wish that I had started 4 or 5 years earlier than I did. I started my journey as an entrepreneur at 17. Today, I’m only 21 and many people tell me that I’m so fortunate to have found this path at such a young age.

 

 

However, every entrepreneur wishes they had started earlier. That holds true for even me. Through the last 4 years, I’ve experienced and learned a lot.

 

 

In this article, I shared 7 tidbits of advice I wish someone gave me when I was younger.

 

 

1. Read About Things You Enjoy

 

Growing up, I hated reading mainly because the books were forced upon me. I didn’t have much say in what I could or couldn’t read since the curriculums at my school had created this list for me.

 

 

Looking back, I could have learned so many valuable things if I had read more. I would tell my younger self to go to the local library and pick up books that were of interest to me. I’d forget all about the schools curriculum and just read about things that I could learn from.

 

 

2. Don’t Let Doubt or Fear Kill Your Dreams 

 

Growing up, I didn’t always take a risk or do something out of my comfort zone. There were many reasons for it such as fear or a lack of confidence.

 

 

However, I now know that the biggest regret is not taking the risk at all. I would go back in time and experience the things I was too scared to do. Every experience is unique and can provide something valuable.

 

 

3. Take Action

 

Growing up, I had ideas of my own. 17 wasn’t the age when I had my first entrepreneurial idea, they dated back to the time I was 9. However, different reasons limited me from taking action.

 

 

I shared some of the excuses people make, which hold them back from achieving their dreams in my TEDx talk. I now understand that you have to take massive action on your ideas. As long as you try your best and have fun doing it, nothing else matters.

 

 

4. Surround Yourself With Smart People

 

I didn’t always make the best decisions growing up. I often hung out with trouble-makers who in return caused me to get in a lot of trouble of my own. Needless to say, I wish I had known that the people you hangout with matter a lot.

 

 

I would tell myself to surround myself with intelligent people who would motivate me and inspire me to do more. After becoming an entrepreneur, I surrounded myself with other likeminded individuals who have challenged me and helped me in more ways than one.

 

 

5. Follow the Path You Want 

 

My younger self was constantly in a struggle between my teachers and parents. My parents wanted one thing and my teachers wanted another while I had zero say in my life.

 

 

Instead of trying to create my own path, I was stuck following someone else’s. Worst of all, I didn’t try to change that. I decided to half-ass my way through life hoping for the best. Looking back, I now know that it is important to truly do what you want.

 

 

6. Don’t Stop Growing

 

Growth is just like learning. It never stops and the moment you stop, something will go wrong. As a young person, growth is the most important tool you can utilize to better yourself.

 

 

Looking back, I wish I had constantly pushed myself to grow and become better from each experience. It’s hard to do when you’re young, but every moment is an opportunity to become a better person.

 

 

7. Time Is The Greatest Currency

 

I believed from a young age that money was the greatest currency and that it was also very important to have. This stemmed from the beliefs my parents held as well as the general chatter that you would hear from others.

 

 

However, I have now realized that time is the greatest currency. You can always get more money, but you cannot recover lost time. Make the best of every minute that you have in life!

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared 7 tidbits of advice I wish someone gave me when I was younger. What would you tell your younger self?

 

 

photo credit: ArloMagicMan via photopin cc

 

What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From WhatsApps $19 Billion Acquisition

In this article, I discuss what entrepreneurs can learn from WhatsApps $19 billion acquisition. There are a lot of valuable lessons that can be learned from this massive acquisition made by Facebook.

 

The BIG news from yesterday has been the insane fact that Facebook purchased WhatsApp for $19 billion. Yeah, you heard that right. That’s 19 Instagrams and Instagram was a whole lot of money on its own.

 

 

There are a lot of factors that specifically made WhatsApp so successful. Not only that, but entrepreneurs can learn so much from the founders and the success of their startup.

 

 

In this article, I share what entrepreneurs can learn from WhatsApps $19 billion acquisition:

 

 

Rejection Is The Best Motivation

 

One of the co-founders Jan Koum applied for jobs at Facebook & Twitter. Believe it or not, both of these companies rejected him. Instead of paying him a 6 figure salary, they are buying him out for 11 figures.

 

 

As an entrepreneur, you have to take rejection as a positive. Use that to fuel you towards your goals and successes. Jan could have easily gave up when these companies rejected him, but he decided to keep pushing forward.

 

 

He was determined to show the world that he did have value. As you can see, he created one of the largest messaging platforms in the world that Facebook just paid massive amounts of money for.

 

 

Embrace The Struggle

 

Jan came to this country as a teenager as an immigrant with his family. His family wasn’t wealthy by any standards and he quickly learned the meaning of hard work. Entrepreneurs must learn to embrace the struggle.

 

 

Because Jan felt the lows of life, he had tremendous amount of determination to create a better future for himself. Life isn’t about playing strong hands, it’s about playing weak hands extremely well.

 

 

You Don’t Need Money To Market Your Startup

 

People constantly are under this belief that they need a large amount of money to get tons of visibility towards their startup. I have built my startups without spending any money on marketing and WhatsApp did just the same thing.

 

 

They have over 400 million active users, but they have not spent a single dollar to acquire these users. Instead, their money is used on hiring really good employees that can support their infrastructure.

 

 

If you’re able to think outside the box and come up with creative ideas of your own, you do NOT need money to market your business. Just remember, there’s always a better way to get something done.

 

 

Quality Trumps Quantity

 

You cannot build a startup focusing on acquiring as many users as you possibly can. That’s completely the wrong approach. You must create a product of quality that your users will love and engage with on a regular basis.

 

 

More than 70% of the 400 million active users would log on to WhatsApp every single day. That’s amazing engagement and a huge stream of recurring users that are using their application every single day.

 

 

Instagram did the same thing and got a massive payout for doing so. It’s not about revenue or making a ton of money. It’s about building a brilliant product that has a positive impact in the lives of your users.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared what entrepreneurs can learn from WhatsApps $19 billion acquisition by Facebook. What have you learned from this company?

 

 

 

6 Qualities That Separate The Successful From The Lucky

In this article, I share 6 qualities that separate the successful from the lucky. From seeing numerous solely rely on luck to guide them to success, I decided to write this article to share my perspective on this topic.

 

There is always a lot of chatter about how successful people are just flat out lucky. While luck can play a small role in someones success, I do not think someone can be successful by just being lucky.

 

 

Not only that, but you shouldn’t be waiting for luck to determine your fate. You should be determining your own fate by putting in the time and hours necessary to achieve the success you desire.

 

 

In this article, I share 6 qualities that separate the successful from the lucky:

 

 

1. They Work Very Hard

 

The harder you work, the luckier you get. Instead of waiting on some good luck to take you where you want to be, put your head down and work hard. Successful people understand they must work extremely hard if they want to accomplish their goals.

 

 

Lucky people do not work hard. They try getting by with the bare minimum hoping luck will come and save the day. To be successful, you do not even consider luck as a factor in your journey. You put in as much effort as you can every single day and let hard work guide you towards success.

 

 

2. They Are Self Educated

 

Successful people understand that learning never stops. Just because you finished school or graduated with a fancy degree does not mean you know everything. To be successful, you have to constantly educate yourself about various things.

 

 

Lucky people will wait for success to be handed to them. Thus, they ignore important things such as educating themselves once they do graduate from college. To be successful, you need to constantly learn and adapt to the world around you.

 

 

3. They Put Themselves In Front Of Opportunity 

 

People seeking luck are extremely patient. They wish on stars and wait for something great to happen instead of trying to make it happen. Successful people on the other hand are constantly doing something to put themselves in a better position.

 

 

Successful people are very good networkers. They constantly meet new people and connect with others. By doing this, they are constantly presenting themselves in front of different opportunities. It only takes one person to change your life.

 

 

4. They Are Persistent

 

The easiest thing to do is to quit when things don’t go your way. Most people do this and hope for the best moving forward. However, the most reputable people in the world today hold that honor because they refused to quit when things got tough.

 

 

Failure does not define you or your business. It’s just an event, something that happens at a certain time and place. As long as you get back up and try again, you are not failing. Successful people are persistent and see their visions out until the very end.

 

 

5. They Take Massive Action

 

To be successful, you must be doing something. Thus, those who take massive action and act on their ideas end up being far more successful than those who do not.

 

 

Lucky people on the other hand take a very long time to decide on whether or not they should take action. They often decide to wait for something good to happen so that they may not ever have to take action. That’s a very wrong mindset to have. To be successful, you must take massive action.

 

 

6. They Are Hungry

 

Successful people start off with a sort of hunger that is rare to find. Whether it’s the fact that they’ve been poor or dissatisfied with the way something works, they have a driving force behind them.

 

 

Lucky people typically don’t have that desire or hunger to succeed. They think it would be great if it happened to them, but they’re mainly driven by the desire to amass more wealth. Successful people on the other hand have a deeper purpose than money that carries their dreams forward.

 

 

Conclusion

 

There is nothing wrong with being lucky. There is a lot wrong with relying solely on luck to find success. In this article, I shared 6 qualities that separate the successful from the lucky.

 

 

photo credit: Tiago Daniel via photopin cc

 

5 Things They Should Change In Universities

I have been to college for a few years while also building my own business outside of the classroom. I learned a lot from my experiences. Specifically, I learned that there are numerous changes that should be made inside these universities.

 

Many people don’t know this about me, but I attended college for the first few years upon graduating from high school. However, I have taken the last few semesters off to focus on my business projects mainly. I say I’ve dropped out, but my parents still think I’m taking semesters off.

 

 

Regardless, I couldn’t stand my time inside the classrooms at my university. I was simultaneously running a successful business and saw so many disconnects with what I was learning from my professors.

 

 

I am not completely against colleges, but I think they can do a lot of things better to make the experience more valuable for people. In this article, I share 5 things they should change in universities:

 

 

1. Stop Testing Memorization Skills

 

I have always been horrible at tests. I think they are stupid and do not really measure what you know about a subject. Anyone can memorize a packet of information if they have enough patience and time on their hands to do so.

 

 

However, memorization doesn’t mean you can successfully apply what you learned. Application or implementation is the only true way to test something. It’s probably going to cost a lot of money to test in this manner, but at least students will find get value from this.

 

 

Instead of taking a quiz on how to re-assemble a computer, they should get students to actually re-assemble the computer in front of you for a grade. This truly shows how much you know about the subject while ensuring that you’ll be able to utilize this skill in the future.

 

 

2. Stop Hiring Professors Who Haven’t Really Done It 

 

I remember walking into my business class for the first time hearing my professor talk about his experiences and background. He was teaching a class on entrepreneurship, but his resume consisted of zero entrepreneurial experience.

 

 

I knew from day one that I would hate this class because I’d be learning about stuff my professor read about in a book instead of hearing about his experiences. If I’m paying you $15,000 a year in tuition, you can do the very minimum of hiring professors who validate the shit they’re talking about in class.

 

 

3. Stop Lecturing, They Really Suck 

 

95% of my professors load up a powerpoint and put it on the projector asking us to take notes. Again, why I am paying you $15,000 a year to learn from a powerpoint filled with jargon? If I wanted that, I’d go on Slideshare and watch powerpoints from experienced individuals.

 

 

Universities can make the education process more appealing by asking their professors to put more effort in. It’s funny because I’d skip class almost every time we had a lecture because I dreaded it. On the other hand, the most valuable experience I had in the classroom was from a professor who never did powerpoint lectures.

 

 

He told us to throw the textbook away and said we would learn about human communication by actually communicating. We did exercises and had discussions with our peers to learn the material. As you can imagine, I never missed this class!

 

 

4. Stop Creating Cogs In The Machine

 

One of the biggest reasons why I hated college was because I felt like I was being bred into a robot. The lectures and the curriculum really trains you to be an amazing employee who can follow directions and perform tasks as directed.

 

 

How about creating leaders or visionaries who can really change the world? Apparently, higher education doesn’t care too much for those individuals. Instead, they are too focused on getting you that degree and an average paying job as soon as you graduate.

 

 

Colleges care too much about their job turnover rates and ensuring that they have a high graduation rate. Wouldn’t you rather be known for nurturing 100 of the greatest minds in the world instead of helping 15,000 students get a well-paying job they hate at some big company?

 

 

5. Stop Making People Believe College Is A Must

 

What I hate about universities is that they constantly feed the world with this idea that you must go to college to be successful. That’s not true and I can name millions of people who have disproved that theory.

 

 

Universities should be graceful. Tell people that college can help make many people successful, but it’s not often the right answer for everyone. Stop being so money-hungry and start being honest.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared 5 things they should change in universities. What are your thoughts on this topic? Share them in the comments below!

 

 

photo credit: kevin dooley via photopin cc

 

Networking Etiquette: Why People Have Networking All Wrong…..

From visiting tons of events, I’ve learned a lot about networking. Unfortunately, too many people ignore proper networking etiquette and they have networking completely wrong. In this article, I share my thoughts on this highly popular topic.

 

Networking has become more and more popular over the last few years. From attending hundreds of meet-ups, mixers, conferences, and networking events, I’ve learned a thing or two about it.

 

 

Unfortunately, networking isn’t having such a positive impact as it should be. I had the amazing time to spend the last few days with entrepreneurs who understood networking. We attended Startup Grind in Northern California and had an amazing time.

 

 

As soon as we got there, we began networking and I found tons of people who didn’t know a thing about networking. In this article, I talk about why people have networking all wrong…

 

 

Quality Over Quantity

 

People feel like it’s a gold rush and that they have to talk to as many people as they possibly can. For me, networking is all about building quality relationships with high quality individuals.

 

 

I’d rather have 5 amazing relationships built in one night rather than 500 business cards from people I know nothing about. I saw one guy going up to everyone passing out business cards talking about how they do mobile development.

 

 

They spent 30 seconds with each person and they literally treated the experience like a gold rush. As you can imagine, they would be the last person I would call for mobile development. Why? Because, they don’t give a shit about me.

 

 

All they do is care about the money and that became very evident from their interaction with me. By the end of the night, their business card was in the trash. On the other hand, I met great people who actually wanted to build a relationship and I’m going out of my way to help these individuals for FREE.

 

 

Follow Up Yourself

 

Don’t feel that you’re entitled to getting a follow up from anyone. I slacked off a bit with my networking follow-ups throughout the week and I was disappointed with myself for it.

 

 

However, I met the founder of Rotten Tomatoes – Patrick Lee. He was a great individual and he took my business card. Within a few hours of meeting him, I had an email in my inbox from him following up and looking forward to chatting with me further.

 

 

Wow, here’s a guy who built one of the most successful film platforms in the world and he was emailing me to follow up. That’s simply amazing because he doesn’t feel more superior than others. He treats everyone the same and understands that following up is a vital part of being successful as a networker.

 

 

Stop Taking, Start Giving

 

I hate people who come to networking events looking to take whatever they can. Many people seem very keen on learning enough about you so that they can see what they can take from you.

 

 

Business relationships especially do not work like this. A successful networker doesn’t ask, they instead spend that time giving. What can you do to help make someone else’s life better?

 

 

Don’t Be The “ME” Monster

 

The best thing a networker can often do is just listen to what other people have to say. I have developed some of the best relationships and connections by shutting my mouth and listening to others.

 

 

We all love to talk about ourselves and share our accomplishments, which there is nothing wrong with. When networking though, remember that others want to share the stage and the spotlight with you.

 

 

I ask people questions and take a genuine interest in what they do and enjoy. I can probably talk hours on end about myself, but I’m not there to bore people. I’m genuinely interested in building relationships with others.

 

 

Be You

 

I don’t care if you’ve sold a business for hundreds of millions of dollars or if you’re building a startup from your garage. I care that I can meet people who are authentic and are showing who they really are.

 

 

I come across too many people who are bullshitters or completely fake at networking events. It’s a huge turn-off. I become disinterested in the conversation and have no interest in knowing them further.

 

 

Be real and be you. It’s not hard at all, but often times people put on a fake personality that they think will impress others. If people don’t love you for you, don’t bother spending time with them.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared a few tips on why people have networking all wrong. Do you have any comments or thoughts on this article? Share them below!

 

 

Kick-Ass Productivity: How To Control Your Time

In this article, I share a variety of kick-ass productivity tips. I show you how to master your time so that you can be far more efficient.

 

I heard someone say something yesterday that really pissed me off. They said, “I would do a lot more in life but I can’t control time. There isn’t enough time in a day, that’s the problem.”

 

 

My heart took a tumble 10 feet under hearing that. How can someone say or think that? Beyonce has 24 hours. Kobe Bryant has 24 hours. Warren Buffett has 24 hours. You simply CANNOT use the excuse of not having enough time in a day.

 

 

I was irritated with that response and gave my friend some hell for it. Turns out, it’s not really his fault. He just doesn’t know that he can manage and control his time. Growing up, I sucked at managing my time.

 

 

90% of my time went to playing video games and having ‘fun’ while the other 10% went into things like homework or doing the chores. Throughout the years, I have realized that if we can master our use of time, we can accomplish anything.

 

 

In this article, I’m going to talk about kick ass productivity: how to control your time –

 

 

Focus

 

It’s easy to get distracted when you don’t have a clear direction or where you need to go. Before you start anything, create a clear outline of things that need to get done. Put them in order of importance and do not lose sight of this.

 

 

When other things come up, you clearly know what you need to focus on. Efficient people are able to turn off distractions, focus on a task and get it done no matter how difficult it is. That’s the first step to efficiency.

 

 

Say NO

 

Some people have a really hard time saying NO. I run a consulting business on the side where I work with business owners to help them with their marketing or growth needs. This is something done on the side so I have a clear understanding of how many clients and how much time I can invest on a monthly basis.

 

 

In the beginning, I wanted to help everyone. Don’t get me wrong, I still do but it’s not feasible. Instead of taking on every client, I reject more than 75% of the potential clients I get. If you want to be efficient and master your time, you need to feel more relaxed about saying “NO”.

 

 

Unplug

 

Social media, television, other people, and electronics can be a massive distraction. I still to this day have trouble unplugging myself from social media or completely staying focused on one task.

 

 

I find myself often finishing 1 page of work and somehow wandering off to Facebook. If you need to get something done, unplug yourself from the rest of the world. Only accept incoming calls, messages or notifications if it’s an emergency. Otherwise, your only focus should be what needs to get done.

 

 

Create A Schedule

 

I find that extremely efficient people are either very organized or they have someone on their staff that manages their lives for them. If you have a clear schedule each day of what needs to get done and when, there is no excuse for not getting things done.

 

 

The most successful people clearly plan out the things they want to accomplish each day. They write it down and they get down to work. What used to take me 2-3 days to get done now gets done in 1 day all because I schedule things out.

 

 

Quality > Quantity

 

Remember, the most productive people don’t necessarily get the most things done. In fact, they get the most important things done that bring value to them or to their businesses. Instead of making it a competition to get 100 things done, try getting 10 things done really well.

 

 

A big mistake many entrepreneurs often make is that they have a hard time trusting others to do work for their business. At some point, you have to let go. Understand the importance of the work within your business. Put the high priority things on your desk and the lower priority things on the desks of others. A little trust goes a long way.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared kick-ass productivity tips on how to control your time. Do you have some tips of your own that work very well? Share them below!

 

 

photo credit: Youssef Abdelaal via photopin cc

 

Why Getting Fired Is The Best Thing That Can Happen To Unmotivated People

In this article, I share my perspective on why getting fired is the best thing that can happen to unmotivated people often.

 

We constantly hear about the 9 to 5 struggle many are in. People need income to survive, but completely hate their jobs. The solution to this problem isn’t a quick fix.

 

 

In fact, it’s such a difficult choice that many people give up hope on their dreams to just ‘survive’. When that transition takes place, those individuals become unmotivated and often satisfied with the bare minimum.

 

 

What would happen if these individuals were suddenly fired? It’s an interesting thought. In this article, I’m going to share why getting fired is the best thing that can happen to unmotivated people.

 

 

Creates Hunger

 

I have found that having that hunger or desire is extremely crucial to making a change in your life. It’s easy to avoid change when you can get by, but change becomes inevitable when survival is at question.

 

 

By firing these unmotivated individuals, you put them against the fence. They will eventually enter a mode of desperation, which may push these individuals to take a risk or to make a change they had never thought of before.

 

 

Reflect & Embrace

 

It really takes a drastic thing to happen in your life to cause you to make a change. Many people who work 9 to 5’s often bring up stability as a reason why their career is far better than entrepreneurship.

 

 

These individuals have dreams of becoming entrepreneurs, but take to a 9 to 5 lifestyle just because it’s “safe”. When you get fired, you quickly realize that you have very little to no control of your job. Some higher up authority calls the shots and you can be laid off anytime he or she wishes.

 

 

Losing is great because you end up learning a lot from the whole experience. Hopefully, you are able to take the things you learn and create a better version of yourself.

 

 

Master A Craft

 

Many years ago, my Father was laid off his job. He used to work a 9 to 5 that he hated, but he had to survive just like so many others. After getting fired, he vowed to never take another job again.

 

 

Instead, he mastered a craft. He learned about an industry, built a business of his own and to this date successfully runs that business. If my Father wasn’t fired, he still may have tried learning the craft but he wouldn’t have mastered it as quickly as he did.

 

 

The lesson that I learned from his story was that you get time to seek and work on new opportunities when you do get fired. When you’re constantly working, you totally forget about what the world has to offer. Getting fired gives you a chance to catch up on all that you have missed.

 

 

Get Your Swagger Back

 

Getting fired is great as Jay Z would say because you can finally get your swagger back. You can forget all about the lack of motivation or purposeless tasks you were doing before.

 

 

You now have the opportunity to seek out your true motivation in life. You can finally find a deeper purpose. Remember, legacy is always greater than currency. So many of us die, but very few of us really live.

 

 

I have a passion for helping others really live. Getting fired gives you the opportunity to reflect back to the days when you were young. As children, we thought so ambitiously of what we wanted to do as life work. You now have a chance to bring purpose and long-lost motivation back into your life.

 

 

Conclusion

 

I have nothing against the idea of a job if you’re happy with what you do. My goal is to inspire people to love what they do. However, I hate to see people suffering with a 9 to 5 job that they absolutely cannot stand.

 

 

In this article, I shared why getting fired is the best thing can happen to unmotivated people.

 

 

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Why Location Isn’t As Important As Entrepreneurs Think

In this article, I tackle the subject of why location isn’t as important as entrepreneurs think. Check out what I have to say about this highly debated topic.

 

I often get asked the question, “Is my location important to my success as an entrepreneur?” I can’t blame the entrepreneurs that ask me this question because it’s something that has been highlighted quite a bit in the media.

 

 

Every entrepreneur knows about Silicon Valley. We hear the amazing stories of entrepreneurs with big dreams who get funded massive amounts of money in that area. I for one started my business and stayed in Orange County, California.

 

 

Silicon Valley is in Northern California while Orange County is in Southern California. The difference from my location to Silicon Valley is approximately 400 miles. Even though both locations are in California, Orange County isn’t quite as entrepreneur concentrated as Silicon Valley is.

 

 

The question I get asked often is, “Why don’t you move to Silicon Valley?” Well, I personally love Orange County and I don’t feel the necessity to move 400 miles. House prices in Silicon Valley are also incredibly expensive whereas other locations can give you much more house for your money. For example, the median house price for Silicon Valley is $935,00 as of 2018. Glendale real estate, located in Los Angeles County, shows a median home price of around $100,000 less than that. You can find many other cities with much lower prices than in Silicon Valley.

 

 

In this article, I discuss why location isn’t as important as entrepreneurs think.

 

 

Talent Shines From Anywhere

 

Are the chances of you landing an investment or developing that huge connection higher in Silicon Valley compared to other places? I’d be lying to you if I said it wasn’t. However, that does not mean that you will be successful.

 

 

If you start a business, you can shine from anywhere. If a company like DropBox or Groupon was located out in the midwest somewhere, they would still get the investors and the success they have today.

 

 

In the world of investing, if your business is truly exceptional, people will find you trying to invest in your company. However, if you’re business isn’t so hot, you are forced to go door to door looking for capital.

 

 

The Internet

 

We have this little thing nowadays called the internet, which provides us with various tools that substitute the activities we must do in person. Have you heard of Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook, Twitter, etc?

 

 

The amazing thing about the world we live in today is that you can literally be involved in entrepreneurial communities or mastermind groups from anywhere in the world. I for one am in a mastermind group with members from all over the country.

 

 

You don’t have to be sitting in Palo Alto to network with people. The internet provides us with a prominent set of resources that we can use to find others to connect with. I sit in Orange County connecting with various influencers from all over the world on a regular basis.

 

 

Smaller Areas Can Draw Larger Publicity

 

Imagine seeing these two headlines on a newspaper. “New Tech Company Grosses $1 Million in Revenue in Silicon Valley” versus “New Tech Company Grosses $1 Million in Revenue In Toledo”.

 

 

Nothing against Toledo, but we all know that stories like this are happening far more often in Silicon Valley than they are in Toledo. By staying in the city where you reside at, you give the town an underdog to root for. This in turn helps you generate a lot more publicity and PR coverage for your startup.

 

 

A month ago, we were featured on the front page of the OC Register. It was an article about my startup company StatFuse and how we were helping students hack the college admissions space through technology. I never say never, but this opportunity would have been a lot harder to come across if I was working out of Northern California.

 

 

Product/Service Value Matters

 

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where you’re operating from. A customer will buy your product or service if you are providing them with the value they are looking for. If you have market fit, good leadership and a solid product, then you will be successful from anywhere.

 

 

You can make progress with your business from anywhere in the world. Ultimately, businesses are successful not because of their address but because of the team and value they create in a market.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared my opinion as to why location isn’t as important as entrepreneurs think. Do you agree or disagree? Share your comments below.

 

 

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What It Really Means To Be Extraordinary

I was always worried about being classified as extraordinary because I didn’t understand the meaning behind it. In this article, I share what it really means to be extraordinary.

 

Growing up, my third grade teacher would always repeat the same thing in class. She would say, “Be extraordinary.” I had no clue what she meant and I thought it was better to be normal so I wouldn’t be singled out by my classmates.

 

 

Turns out, being extraordinary makes all the sense in the world today. Everyone has the ability to be extraordinary but so many people think just like I did a long time ago. It’s too scary to do that so lets do what everyone else is doing.

 

 

In this article, I share what it really means to be extraordinary:

 

 

What Does It Mean?

 

Google says being extraordinary is when you are very unusual or remarkable. That’s a confusing definition because many people interpret this as a negative thing while others think it’s a good thing.

 

 

When I was in the third grade, I thought it was horrible. “Very unusual” meant freak in my mind. In reality, being extraordinary is actually an amazing thing. It means being unusually great or astounding.

 

 

It’s a no-brainer that we all want to be extraordinary. The question now is, how do we become extraordinary? Well, here are a few characteristics that extraordinary people share.

 

 

Value Creator

 

Extraordinary people are value creators in society. They don’t chase the paper, but rather the purpose. They discover their passions and what their reason for being on planet Earth is. You cannot be extraordinary unless you are doing something positive.

 

 

They have big dreams, which they plan and execute upon. Instead of waiting for things to fall into their lap, they take matters into their own hands.

 

 

Brave

 

Nothing worth having in life comes easy. On the other side of risk, there is often a big reward. To be extraordinary, you cannot expect to play it safe for the rest of your life.

 

 

Some of the most amazing luxuries we have today are thanks to someone who took a risk a long time ago. Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela and Steve Jobs are just a few examples of these risk-takers.

 

 

Abundant Mindset

 

Extraordinary people do NOT believe in limits. In fact, they know the world is filled with an abundance of anything as long as you are focused and committed towards getting it.

 

 

Do not stop because you have achieved a little progress. Extraordinary people carry their vision out until the very end. If you have big dreams of impacting the world, keep going until you are completely finished.

 

 

Self-Reliant

 

Extraordinary people don’t rely on others to get things done. They have a plan and are prepared to carry it out with massive action.

 

 

Self-reliant individuals have the ability to be extraordinary because they hold themselves accountable and take matters into their own hands.

 

 

Conclusion

 

I challenge you to leave a legacy and to be extraordinary. Everyone has it inside them, it just takes a little push to get it out. In this article, I shared what it really means to be extraordinary.

 

 

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