The Braydon Batungbacal Interview – How To Launch 150+ Apps In One Year

In this article, I share an interview with Braydon Batungbacal. Braydon Batungbacal is a young entrepreneur who has launched over 150+ apps in one year and I share his story today.

Today I set out to interview a young entrepreneur by the name of Braydon Batungbacal. He’s an app developer and runs a mobile app business that has been extremely successful!

 

 

Here’s the interview below:

 

 

1. For my audience, please introduce yourself and share a little bit about who you are and what you do.

 

My name is Braydon Batungbacal. I’m a self taught programmer who loves business and building things. I’ve always been interested in technology ever since I was a kid and began learning to code at a pretty young age… I believe around the age of 8 or 9. I’m the co-founder of a mobile app and software company called Sitrusy that produces tons of cool apps per month.

 

 

2. So how many apps do you have published on the Android & iPhone? 

 

Right now, I think we (Sitrusy) have about 150 or more apps on the market combined between Android and iPhone. We stopped keeping count after the first 40 or so.

 

 

3. Wow! That’s a ton of apps. How have you guys been able to publish so many apps that have been so successful?

 

We really take a long look at what people are wanting in the market, looking at what needs need to be filled. We try to determine the most profitable ideas with the least amount of competition and drill out as many apps related to that niche as possible. Once we’ve found a profitable niche, we build “template” apps that can be quickly changed and converted to an entirely new, same niche app with simple things like a redesign, or layout change. With this strategy, we can spend our time developing one solid template app and then making 5 to 10 apps from that one template, which is how we’ve developed so many apps so far.

 

 

4. So if someone with NO programming experience wanted to jump into this similar path. What would you recommend to them? How long did it take you to learn coding on both platforms?

 

Anyone who has no programming experience, I would recommend looking into outsourcing the development of app ideas to overseas developers using websites like oDesk.com. By outsourcing you can spend more of your time researching the market and finding out what will be profitable. As far as coding goes, iPhone app development (Objective-C language) took me about 2 to 3 months to learn, Android app development (Java language) took about 2 months.

 

5. So at this point, after having the company for 1 year – how far have you guys come along? 

 

We’ve come pretty far, it’s almost unbelievable. We typically see a month to prior month growth of 1.2x to 1.5x profit, which has compounded like crazy the last 6 months or so when things really started to take off. We’re generating 5,000,000 to 20,000,000 app downloads per month at this point, with more growth to come! The app industry is definitely fast growing – and that’s being modest.

 

 

6. That’s insane! You guys are really pushing the entrepreneur limits to the max. Share a little bit about your work ethic. 

 

Our work ethic? 24/7/365. If we’re not physically working, we’re mentally working and constantly thinking of new things that we can break into the market, or other future ventures. My typical work schedule is waking up around 11am and working until mid afternoon when I’ll typically go out and get lunch or meet up with friends for an hour or two. Then at that point I head back to my place and code until the early hours of the morning, usually until 5am or 6am.

 

 

7. What’s your motivation to do what you today as an entrepreneur?

 

I came from a middle class family that really got hit hard during the economic down turn. My parents almost lost their house and purposely made me aware of what was going on as things got hard in order to motivate me and use it as an experience that would push me to never be in a situation like that. It definitely affected me. Being financially stable and able to provide for anyone in my family or friends in their time of need without any issues whatsoever is probably the biggest motivator of mine on top of where I’ve come from.

 

 

8. What are tips, strategies, and resources you would share with others trying to get into the mobile development game?

 

I would say start off by getting yourself an android device or iphone and really start having fun playing games and downloading apps. Make sure to write down and take note of similarities you see between the really popular apps you download – because typically those are the features that got those apps to being as successful as they are. Once you’ve really gotten a feel for the market, start thinking of ideas for your first app(s). Try to look at what trends are popular on the market and cater your ideas around that. From there you can go into finding a developer to outsource your app to and finally get it into the store.

 

 

9. What are your short-term and long-term plans?

 

In the near future we may be selling some of our existing apps to other companies who are currently interested in purchasing. We’ll also continue with our app development which includes coming up with new ideas to bring to the market, along with optimizing and bettering our existing apps. As for the long term, we’re currently in the process of developing a mobile advertisement network called AppFrames.

 

 

10. Finally, if you can leave us with one piece of advice – what would it be? 

 

As with anything you venture out to build or create on your own it’s going to be tough. If you don’t have strong enough reasons or a passion to do what you do you’re going to give up at one point or another. Figure out the reasons for why you’re doing what you’re doing early on and push as hard as you can to reach your goals and don’t hesitate when new opportunities come. It’s tough, I personally have had my share of mental break downs. But the end result after all of the hardship and work is definitely worth it.

 

 

Contact Braydon 

 

For anyone interested in contacting Braydon or even taking consulting services from him, feel free to shoot an email over to him at: Me@BraydonB.com.

 

Twitter – https://twitter.com/BraydonSitrusy

 

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/braydonbatungbacal

 

The 5 Biggest Myths About Angel Investors

In this article, I share the 5 biggest myths about angel investors that many entrepreneurs believe. I’ll share what these myths are and why they aren’t actually true.

 

In the entrepreneurial world, there’s a lot of talk about what to expect when you come across angel investors. Early on as an entrepreneur, the perceived image of these angel investors scared me shitless. 

 

 

People made angel investors look so big, powerful, and scary that I was terrified to approach them with business ideas. However, I ended up making a lot of friends in the entrepreneurial community who were angel investors.

 

 

From having extensive talks with them and almost taking money from angel investors, I learned quite a bit about them. In this article, I’m going to share the 5 biggest myths about angel investors:

 

 

1. They Have All The Power

 

Most people feel like they have no say or choice when it comes to angel investors. They feel that they must succumb to the every wish of the investor if they want money.

 

 

However, I learned from angel investors and other smart entrepreneurs that you have all the choices in the world. There is only one team that is doing what you are doing while there are millions of angel investors out there.

 

 

You don’t need to bow down to their every wish. You need to do what is best for your company. You can turn the tables on angel investors by trying to get them to bid for your startup. Just remember – great startups and teams have more leverage than they think they do.

 

 

2. Angel Investors Are Way Better Than VC’s 

 

This is probably the biggest myth of all that many entrepreneurs end up believing. Neither side is better, they’re just different from one another.

 

 

Angel investors look for different things and invest in startups at different stages whereas venture capitalists are interested in other things. It’s very hard for early-stage startups to raise money from VC’s where as it’s much easier to do so with angel investors.

 

 

Regardless of where your startup is, do not believe the myth that one type of investor is better than the other. They both are equally valuable, but it really depends on what your needs are and where your startup is at.

 

 

3. I’m Going With The Highest Valuation

 

Different investors will put different valuations on your business. However, a big mistake entrepreneurs make is to go with the higher valuation because they feel like they are getting a better deal.

 

 

In reality, many investors will give your business a higher valuation so that they can take a higher equity percentage out of your company. You may think your company is worth $1 million in their eyes, but they are only doing that to pump in a little extra cash to take more equity.

 

 

Always take investor valuations with a grain of salt. Don’t look at individual numbers, but the whole picture so that you can make the best decisions for your business.

 

 

4. If I Don’t Get Funded, I’m Screwed

 

Not really. Some of the biggest startups bootstrapped and became successful. Just because an investor doesn’t see your vision doesn’t mean it’s time to pack your bags.

 

 

If you have sight of what you want to achieve and you believe in yourself, a couple investors saying NO shouldn’t stop you. Investors are picky with their money and often make decisions based on their personal interests so don’t let a couple NO’s stop you from achieving your goals.

 

 

5. One Mistake And I’m Not Getting Funded

 

When you’re pitching to investors, you want to give the best performance possible. However, a couple mistakes or slip-ups don’t necessarily mean you won’t get funded.

 

 

Remember, most angel investors are or used to be entrepreneurs and know what it feels like to be on the other side. They aren’t as worried about your mistakes (as long as you can bounce back and learn from them) as they are about how driven you are for success.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Pitching to angel investors and building relationships with them can be a nervous, but exciting time for many entrepreneurs. This article shed light on 5 common myths many entrepreneurs believe about angel investors.

 

 

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

5 Tips On How To Find A Technical Co-Founder

In this article, I will share 5 tips on how to find a technical co-founder. Finding a technical co-founder isn’t easy, but is often extremely crucial to your startup success.

 

With technology and the internet becoming the easiest place for entrepreneurs to start businesses, more tech startups are being launched than ever before. With tech startups, you need someone who can manage the technical side of your business.

 

 

One of the biggest struggles many business-minded entrepreneurs have is finding the perfect technical co-founder to help them execute their vision. Starting out, I dealt with the same issues and learned some many valuable lessons along the way.

 

 

In this article, I will share 5 tips on how to find a technical co-founder:

 

 

1. Pitch Different 

 

Technical people are constantly getting pitches from hundreds of people with business ideas just like you to join their startup. There’s a reason why they haven’t joined their startup and that’s probably because their tired of hearing the same pitch.

 

 

When pitching to technical co-founders, you have to really convince them on numerous factors:

 

– Your idea is not only better, but has a higher chance of succeeding.

 

– You’re the right guy to execute the idea.

 

– You have something that none of the other people pitching them have.

 

– You value their technical knowledge and expertise enough to give them the equity they want.

 

 

Realistically, technical founders are in high demand. However, business ideas are in high supply. That means that for every 50 or 60 ideas that a technical founder hears about, he/she buys into 1 of them.

 

 

2. Don’t Worry About Skill, Worry About Ambition 

 

Often times, the best techies are already working for other startups or are getting paid ridiculous amounts of money. This can make it extremely difficult for you to find a very good techie to join your business.

 

 

Depending on the technology you’re building, sometimes it’s a smarter idea to hire the techie who may not have all the answers, but has ambition. If you find a techie that’s willing to learn and do whatever it takes to build your product, you may be on to something.

 

 

3. You Never Know Where You’ll Find Your Techie

 

Look everywhere! It’s not easy finding the right technical piece for your startup, but hard work pays off in the end. Here are a list of places you can try searching for your technical co-founder:

 

– Do some research on techies who have built cool things, connect with them (email them talking about something they don’t expect you to know about them), and try building a relationship.

 

– Find techies who are passionate in an industry or market you’re working in.

 

– Go to tech events such as Hackathons, StartupWeekend, and any conferences where techies may be present.

 

– Post advertisements in college newspapers/bulletin boards.

 

– Reach out to Computer Science professors to see if they can promote your project to students for you.

 

 

4. Prove Something

 

When you can’t build your product, there are other things that you can do in the meantime to figure out some data for your startup. You don’t need a product to go out and survey customers to get their feedback on what you’re building.

 

 

You can even pay someone a couple hundred bucks to throw up a landing page with information about your idea and a “Buy Now” or “Sign Up” button that doesn’t work. Test how many clicks those buttons generate and figure out your conversion rate.

 

 

These are things all great entrepreneurs do. For the techie who hears hundreds of pitches, think about how many of them have actual statistics to back up their assumptions?

 

 

5. Your Friends Know Friends Who Know Friends

 

The biggest part of being an entrepreneur is that you have to leverage everything you have. Sometimes, the most unlikely people end up being the biggest part of your business.

 

 

If you aren’t having any luck with some of the other techniques mentioned in this article, you might want to try networking. Talk to anyone and everyone you meet about your project and what you need, you never know who they can connect you to.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Finding a technical co-founder is never easy, but great things are worth waiting for. Patience is key when searching for one of the biggest parts of your startup!

 

 

photo credit: plewicki via photopin cc

10 Common Characteristics of Entrepreneurs

In this article, I discuss 10 common characteristics of entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs everywhere share specific qualities that translate to their successes. Find out how many of these qualities you share!

 

After I became an entrepreneur, I started spotting them everywhere. Most of these people didn’t even know that they were entrepreneurs.

 

 

Entrepreneurs often share many common characteristics that really separate them from non-entrepreneurs. In this article, I’m going to share 10 common characteristics of entrepreneurs:

 

 

1. You Can’t Keep Them In A Box

 

Entrepreneurs are extremely creative. Give them a job in a cubicle or something that’s repetitive and they will rebel. The reason I became an entrepreneur was because I worked in a cubicle as a project manager and the whole experience became very mundane.

 

 

I knew I couldn’t do this for the rest of my life and I simply quit. After trying a little bit of everything, I somehow stumbled upon entrepreneurship and have fallen in love since.

 

 

2. They’re Believers

 

People are who confident, positive thinkers, and always believe are usually great entrepreneurs.

 

 

They believe heavily in the projects and things they do, which usually leads to success in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs must believe and do everything possible to achieve in order to succeed.

 

 

3. They’re Risk Takers

 

Entrepreneurs are daring individuals that are willing to calculated risks when necessary. As a high school senior, quitting my job without any plan in mind was a pretty big risk.

 

 

However, it was one of the best risks I took because it opened up my eyes to a whole new career. Typically individuals who are willing to take a leap of faith often stumble upon entrepreneurship.

 

 

4. A Burning Desire To Be More

 

I work with a lot of startups as a consultant, advisor, and an investor. The biggest thing I look for in a founding team is the ambition that they have.

 

 

Successful entrepreneurs have a burning desire to succeed and achieve their purpose. If you strive to be the greatest in something, you’re definitely thinking like an entrepreneur.

 

 

5. They Don’t Take NO For An Answer

 

As an entrepreneur, the difference between success and failure is how you react to the answer NO. Most people take the answer NO and live with it, while others refuse to accept it.

 

 

Successful entrepreneurs never live with the answer NO. They will do whatever it takes to get what they need.

 

 

6. They’re Not Scared To Fail

 

For some reason many people are extremely scared of failure. Entrepreneurs on the other hand understand that everyone fails and it’s part of the process.

 

 

As long as the failure leads to growth in some way, you’re on the right path. I personally believe failure doesn’t define you or your business. It’s rather an event (something that happens on a certain day). If you don’t get back up and try again, then failure will define you.

 

 

7. Work Hard, Sleep Less

 

Entrepreneurs are hard-working individuals. Many of them can be found working long across the night because they’re truly passionate about what they’re doing.

 

 

People who are willing to put in a 110% into everything they do make the best entrepreneurs!

 

 

8. Love What You Do 

 

The best entrepreneurs are the ones who are driven by passion. If you’re passionate about the work you do, your chances of success dramatically increase.

 

 

Entrepreneurs love what they do and are extremely passionate about seeing their ideas succeed on a grand scale.

 

 

9. They Don’t Need To Be Babied 

 

The best thing about entrepreneurs is that they are self-starters. They don’t need a motherly figure in their life who will constantly tell them what they need to do.

 

 

They are free-spirits who embrace the freedom to do whatever they want. Through their freedom and creative spirit, they are able to create amazing things.

 

 

10. They’re Hungry

 

Entrepreneurs are hungry for a better life. Whether they’re trying to change the world, achieve financial freedom, or simply do what they love, entrepreneurs have a deeper motivation to succeed.

 

 

If you’re determined to succeed and achieve your goals, you eventually will! The best entrepreneurs are the ones who want to accomplish something more than anything else.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I share 10 common characteristics of entrepreneurs. Do you have some characteristics that make you more of an entrepreneur? Share them below!

 

 

 

6 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Write A Business Plan

Do you have a new business idea or startup? Instead of writing a business plan, you should be putting it into action. In this article, I will discuss 6 reasons why you shouldn’t write a business plan for your new startup or idea.

 

In recent months, I’ve taken an active role in the startup community. I’ve joined the board of numerous startups as consultants/advisers with hopes of guiding them to a more successful path.

 

 

The first thing almost every entrepreneur brings me is a business plan. These business plans have ranged from 1 to 85 pages. Some business plans did projections for 3 to 30 years while I even got a business plan that predicted an acquisition by Facebook.

 

 

I only look through these business plans for fun, but I never make a decision based off of the business plan. In fact, I tell entrepreneurs to throw their business plans away because you simply can’t build a startup based off of a document.

 

 

I used to write business plans when I first got started in business, but I quickly found out that they were a waste of time and have never written one since. In this article, I’m going to share 6 reasons why you shouldn’t write a business plan:

 

 

1. Investors Buy Into You & The Business

 

Investors could care less about a paper that claims how many millions you will make. I’ve had tons of friends who have raised funding, but I don’t know a single one who ever used their business plan once throughout the whole process.

 

 

They made presentations with important figures and executive summaries, but the business plan was never included. Investors could care less about what your papers say, they’re interested in seeing what your business can do.

 

 

2. Adapt or Die

 

Business plans make it very tough on entrepreneurs to adapt. Once you have a plan in writing, many startup founders argue about the direction that a business should take.

 

 

In business, you can adapt to what your customers or market demands otherwise you will die. It’s sad, but it’s the truth. Business plans can never predict what your customers or market will want in the future.

 

 

3. Spend That Time Doing Something More Valuable

 

On average, entrepreneurs have told me that they have spent around 40-50 man hours creating a business plan. To me, that is an EPIC waste of time!

 

 

Instead of spending all that time creating a business plan, you can utilize that time trying to prove your concept or doing something that will help your business now.

 

 

4. Business Plans Don’t Account For Emotions

 

Creating a successful business requires a team of individuals who are on the same page. Often times, startups struggle to have their team agree and believe in a common vision.

 

 

Emotions and attitudes play a huge role in whether or not you will be successful. The situations of people vary from time to time and this is something no business plan in the world can predict.

 

 

5. They Set Limitations For You Before You Begin

 

Often times, business plans dictate the success you have planned for yourself. If your projections are to make $1 million in 3 years, then your fixated on meeting that goal.

 

 

When you create a business, you shouldn’t have any limitations on how far and how fast you can grow. Instead of creating a quota that you have to meet, try to achieve as much as possible.

 

 

6. Speed To Market Is Essential 

 

If 2 people have the same startup idea and decide to launch a business, who will win? Is it the guy who writes his ideas down on paper or the guy who goes out and launches something to the market?

 

 

Most likely the guy who goes out and launches something to the market. From launching his startup, he will be quicker to market and will learn far more about his industry, customers, and idea than the guy who spends his time writing it all out.

 

 

Conclusion 

 

From my personal experiences, business plans haven’t been as important as they have been portrayed in the business world. Work on a business plan only when there’s a reason to do so!

 

 

photo credit: internetsense via photopin cc

10 Celebrities Passionate About Entrepreneurship

What do Victoria Beckham, Justin Timberlake, and Kanye West have in common? In this article, I will share 10 celebrities passionate about entrepreneurship that have been quite successful with their business ventures.

 

There are many celebrities out there who in recent years have shown a strong liking for entrepreneurship. Whether they have invested in others or started their own ventures, they are all passionate about entrepreneurship.

 

 

In this article, I will share 10 celebrities passionate about entrepreneurship:

 

 

1. Kanye West

 

 

With Yeezus coming to the world very soon, Kanye West is making quite a splash as of late. After calling himself the Steve Jobs of culture, it is evident that Kanye West is a genius marketeer.

 

 

On the entrepreneurial side, Kanye West has designed numerous fashion lines for companies like Nike and Louis Vuitton. In addition to that, he has bought the franchising rights in Chicago for Fat Burger and plans to open over 10 chains throughout the area.

 

 

2. Ashton Kutcher

 

Ashton Kutcher is currently one of the most successful celebrity investors and entrepreneurs. He is an adviser and investor for numerous internet and social media startups.

 

 

Ashton got in early in companies like Air BnB and Skype and cashed in big since these companies are worth over $1 billion. He continues to find more startups interested in investments and helps elevate them to the next level.

 

 

3. Justin Timberlake

 

Justin Timberlake is personally one of my favorite celebrities. He’s a successful actor, musician, entrepreneur, and investor.

 

 

The social network actor has done quite a bit of investing and entrepreneurial ventures himself. He has invested in a few mobile development platforms, applications, and companies. On the entrepreneurial side, he has launched his own record label, clothing line, and restaurant to name a few.

 

 

4. Jessica Alba

 

 

Jessica Alba hasn’t done much investing, but she did catch the entrepreneurial bug very recently. Instead of investing in other entrepreneurs, she decided to go all out and launch her own business.

 

 

Her newly launched business is called The Honest Company. They provide an array of products that are infant-safe, which is a topic she is extremely passionate about after having children of her own. In March, the company raised over $27 million in venture capital.

 

 

5. Will.i.am

 

Best known for being one of the founders of The Black Eyed Peas, Will.i.am is working on numerous projects that will be beneficial to the greater half of society.

 

 

In his latest project, he teams up with Bill Gates to bring coding to everyone. He’s working on a platform that will help kids as early as 8 years old learn to read and write code. His project can be seen at Code.org!

 

 

6. Lady Gaga

 

 

Lady Gaga has been revolutionizing the music industry with her unique styles and musical talents. She was the first artist to garner 1 billion YouTube views and continues to grow her “empire”.

 

 

Most recently, she has dived into entrepreneurship head on by launching perfume lines, headphones, comic books, and a cosmetic line. As crazy at it seems, she’s had a lot of success to date with her venture.

 

 

7. Jessica Simpson

 

 

Many people have forgotten about how big Jessica Simpson really was during the peak of her career. Even though she isn’t performing singles or on the screen as much, she’s found a way to keep herself busy.

 

 

Her clothing and beauty ventures have been extremely successful with reports saying she generated over $750 million of sales in 2010. Her empire consists of denim, swimsuits, maternity wear, fragrance lines, shoes, purses, and more.

 

 

 8. Robert De Niro

 

 

Many people say that Robert De Niro does not really fit the ‘entrepreneur’ profile so to speak. However, his actions definitely show otherwise.

 

 

Robert De Niro is the co-owner of the sushi giant Nobu, which has more than 24 locations across the world. He is also the co-owner of an Italian eatery and continues to grow his empire around his passion of restaurants.

 

 

9. Sandra Bullock

 

This one came as a real surprise to me! The natural funny-woman on television has a very high business acumen.

 

 

Sandra Bullock owns restaurants, bakeries, and flower shops in her hometown of Austin, Texas. She has also mentioned that she plans to add more businesses to her portfolio once she retires from the screen.

 

 

10. Victoria Beckham

 

 

Victoria Beckham is an international style icon and has done a lot to escape the shadow of her soccer superstar husband, David Beckham. Many people even remember her as one of the members of The Spice Girls, the popular British group from the 90’s.

 

 

On the entrepreneurial side, Victoria Beckham is working hard on her fashionable clothing line. Her fashion line has received praise from celebrities, large publications, and department stores.

 

 

Conclusion

 

While most celebrities are most notably known for their successes as actors/actresses, athletes and musicians, many of them have been just as successful launching businesses of their own.

 

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.