Category: Uncategorized

5 Things Every Entrepreneur Should Invest In

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. I really think my rate to close deals or fit in dropped significantly because I didn’t have certain things. From my experiences in entrepreneurship, I share some of the things that every entrepreneur should invest in to better their chances of success.

 

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

A Champions Guide To Overcome Obstacles

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 best way to overcome obstacles? Yes there is. This blog article will show you the tips and strategies that the champions use to overcome their obstacles.

 

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.

 

 

Customer Retention: The Key To Long-Term Business Growth

Every successful business can tell you the importance of keeping your old customers as you acquire new customers. As a business owner for the last few years, I’ve always found it much easier to sell products and services to existing customers than to new ones. If you’ve done it once, why can’t you do it one more time? This article shares some of the best tips and strategies in retaining customers over a long period of time.

 

As a business ownerfor the last few years, I’ve always found it much easier to sell products and services to existing customers than to new ones. If you’ve done it once, why can’t you do it one more time?

 

Unfortunately, many people tend to forget about their old customers and only focus on acquiring new ones. Not only does that require you to spend more money on customer acquisition, but your business tends to stay at a standstill.

 

 

Every successful business can tell you the importance of keeping your old customers as you acquire new customers. For example, if you can retain your old customers and acquire new customers, you are gaining +2. If you totally forget about your old customers and only focus on the new ones, you are gaining +1.

 

 

While it may not seem like a big difference at first, 50% growth in customers has a huge impact in the long run. Through my experiences as a customer and a business owner, I would like to share with you the most effective tips and strategies to retain customers.

 

 

Reward Your Customers

 

If you want your existing customers to come back, you really need to give them a reason to want to come back. One of the most effective customer retention practices is the reward system.

 

 

On the day that your customers purchase a product or service, you give them a discount or some sort of lucrative offer that they can use on their future visit. Whether it’s relevant to their purchase or not is completely up to you!

 

Here’s an example of what I am talking about. Recently I had a brunch aboard The Queen Mary ship. On the way out, they gave me a flyer that provided me a discount if I came to their Halloween event a few weeks later. Since the discount was substantial and I felt like it would be fun, I came back. However, if I did not receive the coupon, I probably would not have even known about the event.

 

Customers are driven by rewards, coupons, or other promotional items. If you want to save money on marketing costs, find a way to strategically bring your old customers back. Having a strong base of loyal base of customers goes a long way.

 

Resell All The Time

 

Many business gets questions, complaints, or feedback from their customers after a purchase has been made. One of the best ways to hook a customer in is by reselling your products/services at any opportunity that arises.

 

If you receive an email, phone call, or even have a customer come to your store, solve their problems or concerns first. Once you have done that, start using their previous purchase as a threshold to resell them.

 

For example, if you own a furniture store and your customer just bought a television set, you can attempt to resell them on accessories for the television. If you’re talking to them via email, here’s a simple structure you want to follow:

 

Hello So&So,

 

Thank them for making the purchase.

 

Address their issues here. Find solutions for it.

 

I am going to attach our new Fall Catalog that just got released. Seeing as you bought an amazing 50 inch television, I think you will find some great accessories or even a nice stand for it. Closing.

 

Sincerely,

 

Business Owner

 

 

As you can see, the email is simply driven around their original issue or complaint. Once you have given them a solution and eased the situation down, you want to quickly sell them on another purchase. By attaching the Fall Catalog, you do not harm your cause in anyway. It never hurts to let people look at what you have to sell.

 

 

 

Customer Satisfaction

 

“Well done is better than well said,” is a very famous quote by Benjamin Franklin. While you can sell your existing customers on future purchases by handing out discounts or talking to them, there is nothing like customer satisfaction.

 

 

 

In order to retain your customers, you need to impress them the first time. Nobody ever comes back to the store that gave them a cheap product. You need to value your customers and give them the highest quality of products or services.

 

 

 

Not only that, but you need to satisfy your customers every demand (with reason). There’s nothing like putting a smile on your customers face the first time around. If you can make your customers happy with their purchase, you are that much closer to selling them on your products or services again.

 

 

 

Loyalty Card

 

For some reason, loyalty cards work beautifully. You give people a loyalty or stamp card and reward them for frequent visits. The more times they come to your store, the more freebies they earn.

 

 

 

For example, Pinkberry has a loyalty card that they stamp for each purchase of frozen yogurt. Once you get to a certain number of stamps, you get 1 free cup of frozen yogurt. While this doesn’t seem like an exceptional reward, customers are itching to get their cards filled with stamps.

 

 

 

Loyalty cards are very strategic because they require the business to pay very little to maintain ongoing business. If the loyalty cards work the way they should, customers should come back on their own. You don’t need to spend any money on advertising or bringing them back into your store.

 

 

 

If you can find a way to lure your customers in with a loyalty card, you should take advantage of it. It’s a cost-effective method to keep your old customers for less and helps you grow your business by letting you focus on the new customers.

 

Be Lenient

 

Often times, business owners are too strict about their business policies. Instead of understanding the value that a customer brings, they refuse to give in to their customers. Often times, especially in retail, customers have issues and want refunds after specified deadlines.

 

 

Even if they may be a few days past the return policy, I would highly recommend accepting the refund to build a positive rapport with your customers. Sure you may lose some money on that purchase since you have to re-shelve the item and do damage control, but how much is their long term value?

 

 

 

A good customer is often times much more valuable than a bad return. Even though you may lose some money initially, your customers will applaud you for the superior service. The best way to create a loyal customer is by giving them what they want.

 

 

 

Sometimes you have to go above and beyond your limitations to please others. While it may not pay off at times, it can be a great investment at other times. The value of a return customer supersedes anything else. Be fair and understanding with your customers to promote future business.

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Meeting the needs and demands of customers is a very hard art to master. Combine that with a variety of other factors, and creating a loyal base of customers can be a challenge. However, there is nothing like having a customer who knows you and comes to you without needing to be pushed.

 

 

Before a business can really grow over a long period of time, they need to create a loyal base of customers. Once you have a loyal base of customers that you do not need to spend tons of money on, you can use your efforts to acquire new customers.

 

 

photo credit: davitydave via photopin cc

5 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Millionaire ‘Indie Artist’ Mac Miller

So almost all successful artists have had great visionaries behind them or have had a bit of the entrepreneurial hustle themselves. However, Mac Miller did it all on his own. He’s not only an inspiration for all upcoming musicians, but he should be considered a legend among entrepreneurs. Here are the entrepreneurial lessons Mac Miller teaches us.

 

Malcolm McCormick or Mac Miller as most of you know him as is a superstar in the music industry. He’s had a #1 album, over 200 million views on Youtube, and has even somehow influenced my 6 year old brother to start ‘mackin’. Oh yeah, he’s also 20 years old and has no major label behind him.

 

 

So almost all successful artists have had great visionaries behind them or have had a bit of the entrepreneurial hustle themselves. However, Mac Miller did it all on his own. He’s not only an inspiration for upcoming musicians, but he should be considered a legend among entrepreneurs. Here are the entrepreneurial lessons Mac Miller teaches us:

 

 

1. Don’t Sell Your Soul.

 

 

 

Many entrepreneurs are willing to sell their souls and give away equity in their business to an investor when they really don’t need one. If you can bootstrap your startup or find any other solution to derive success for your business, do that first. Investors are the last lifeline you want to use.

 

 

Mac Miller knew the label companies would make him change and he would be a slave to them. Instead of selling himself short, he decided to take his career in his own hands. He hustled hard and worked even harder to get himself where he is today.

 

 

Lesson: You do not need an investor or huge financial backing to be successful. Do everything you can with what you have before you go looking for investors. Only give up equity to an investor when it’s your last option.

 

 

 

2. Dare To Be Different.

 

 

 

Mac Miller is anything but the typical rapper. He is an American-born Jewish rapper. How many Jewish people do you see rapping and smoking weed? Yeah, he’s probably the first. He has a lot of haters, but he doesn’t care.

 

 

Entrepreneurs need to understand that being unique is a great thing. If there is something you can do to make your startup stand out from the others, do it! Not only will it help you get more publicity, but it can fuel your rise to the top. Don’t worry about the criticism you will get, it’s part of being successful.

 

 

Lesson: If there is something original about you or your business, share it with the world. Use that as a trampoline to get more attention for your startup, which will lead to greater opportunities.

 

 

 

3. Work Your Ass Off.

 

 

 

Mac Miller admits that he used to party and cause mayhem everywhere he went in his teenage years. Mac says, “Once I hit 15, I got real serious about it and it changed my life completely… I used to be into sports, play all the sports, go to all the high school parties. But once I found out hip hop is almost like a job, that’s all I did.”

 

 

Once he turned 15, all he did was music. He was focused, dedicated, and wouldn’t stop until he was successful. He taught himself how to play numerous instruments, studied the greats, and did everything possible to take his career to the next level. If he wasn’t dedicated and passionate about what he did, he wouldn’t be where he is today.

 

 

Lesson: If you don’t work hard, you won’t be successful. As an entrepreneur you need to live and breathe your startup. Find something you’re passionate about and be committed.

 

 

 

4. Be Risky.

 

 

 

Mac Miller employed a brilliant marketing strategy that made him a lot of money. When he finished his album ‘Blue Slide Park’, he told his fans he would only release the album when he got 50,000 preorders. Essentially, he built up hype and anticipation for his album, but he didn’t give it out until he got what he wanted.

 

 

This plan worked great for him because his fans were dying to have the album. After he got his 50,000 preorders, he released the album and had even more fans. However, things could have gone horribly wrong for him. The fans could have lost interest in the album and he could have made no money.

 

 

Lesson: As an entrepreneur, you have to take risks. Some risks will sting and others will pay off big. Take calculated risks that can have a huge impact on you or your business.

 

 

 

5. Don’t Let Success Get In Your Head.

 

On a recent interview with Forbes (shown below), the interviewer asks Mac Miller when he realized he made it and Mac says he doesn’t think he’s made it. Wow, he’s got millions of dollars, #1 Albums, his name on the record books, and he still doesn’t think he made it? This shows you how high his goals and aspirations really are.

 

 

Mac Miller still continues to work around the clock instead of party hard to celebrate. While celebrating is okay, you can lose what you earned just as fast. He understands that and he’s truly in love with the business. Some people make it and then fall in love with the fame. However, Mac really shows us that he’s driven by the passion and not other ulterior motives.

 

 

Lesson: As an entrepreneur, you have no finish lines, but rather checkpoints. Every goal or achievement is a checkpoint to the top. Don’t take your first signs of success to heart because you can lose it just as quickly.

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

The scary part is that Mac Miller is only 20 years old and already has a resume that would make many musicians envious. His rise to the top of the music industry has not been lucky, but rather strategic and well-earned. Below is an interview of Mac Miller with Forbes.

 

 

 

 

What Young Means To Me

Since I created my first startup company at the age of 17 till now, I’ve always been referred to as a ‘young’ entrepreneur. Instead of hiding my age, I decided to embrace it and it has completely changed my life. Looking at my disadvantage as a gift has really helped me elevate my entrepreneurial career to the next level. Being young really is my greatest asset and it means a lot of good things to me today.

 

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.

 

 

Vintelli, The Big Launch

I am very excited to announce the launch of Vintelli. With so many months of anticipation for this product, I can finally let the public use our product. I want to discuss what vintelli is about, how we do it, what are the benefits, and why I am so excited about this new product!

 

For those of you who follow me on Twitter or stay up to date with me, you must have heard about Vintelli. I have the kept venture as secretive

as possible, but since we have officially launched, I want to share everything about it.

 

 

 

I want to discuss what we do, how we do it, why any business owner can benefit from it, and why I am so excited about it. I’m going to share all of this in as much detail as possible to get you as excited about Vintelli as I am.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Is Vintelli?

 

Even though I can probably go on forever talking about what Vintelli is, I’m going to make it as short as an elevator pitch. Vintelli helps businesses establish a web presence online by ranking them on search engines and placing them amidst the social media buzz.

 

 

While most businesses have a website, many websites do not get any traffic or attention. What’s the point of having something that doesn’t get any visibility? Thanks to Vintelli, small businesses with or without websites in any industry can now be found.

 

 

 

It takes about 30 seconds to sign up with Vintelli and another 5 minutes to create a profile for your business. Your profile ONLY highlights the things that customers look for when hiring a business. Since business owners know more about their business than us, they create their own profiles and fill out the listing as completely as possible.

 

 

 

The profiles are created and organized in a manner that appeals to customers who find it. Customers are encouraged throughout the process to contact the user and gather more information about their products/services. Vintelli improves online visibility, helps businesses convert leads into customers, and increases revenue!

 

 

 

How Does Vintelli Do It?

 

Once the user has updated their profile and made it look all pretty, we help the user set up their strategic online marketing campaign. With search engines accounting for so much traffic online, we help users select extremely specific keywords that describe their products or services while capturing their area.

 

 

 

For example, Joe owns a painting company in Santa Monica. After filling out all his information on his Vintelli profile, he needed to start his search engine optimization campaign.

 

 

 

Even though Painting Los Angeles or Painter Los Angeles receives a lot more searches, achieving first page rankings for those keywords is a lengthy process. Instead, focusing on the keyword Painting Santa Monica or Painter Santa Monica will give Joe quicker results. Even though the keyword receives less searches than the Los Angeles one, he will still be placed on the top of search engines quicker and be visible to a very specific target group.

 

 

We charge users anywhere from $29.99/month to $49.99/month to provide them premium online visibility. Instead of focusing on the keywords or locations that everyone else is focusing on, we help our customers find keywords that will generate them traffic and more revenue minus all the competition.

 

 

Would you crawl through traffic to your destination or would you rather find a smaller street that gets you to the same destination much quicker? Most people would select the smaller street. Vintelli is the small street that takes you to the top of the search engines at a price ANYONE can afford.

 

 

With the number of users on social media growing each day, Vintelli knows how imperative it is for businesses to be placed in the buzz. Vintelli finds potential customers and areas of interest and places your business listing among the topics of discussion.

 

 

Targeted users on social media websites see your business or products/services and have a higher chance of engaging with your business. Instead of taking your profile and spamming it all over the social media, we place your business in front of the eyes of users who really may have a genuine interest in your company.

 

 

 

What’s The Benefit?

 

Most people in business are looking to generate more revenue for their company. One of the biggest challenges for most businesses are finding profitable ways to continually acquire new customers.

 

 

For as low as $29.99 a month ($360/year), Vintelli offers you internet marketing solutions that provide results. Unlike the other online marketing programs, we don’t eat up all your profits. Businesses don’t have to cough up thousands of dollars and pray for results anymore.

 

 

The biggest benefit with Vintelli is the results users receive at such an affordable price. With the economy in hell right now, we wanted to promote the growth of small businesses everywhere by offering affordable solutions.

 

 

 

Get ranked, become visible, generate leads, and acquire new customers all by signing up with Vintelli. Getting online results have never been this easy or affordable for businesses all over. Your customers are online and it’s about time you got online too!

 

 

 

My Excitement

 

I guess at this point you’re wondering why I’m jumping around with so much excitement. A few years ago my Dad had an idea and decided to launch Vintelli. Unfortunately, he couldn’t put the time into the project and essentially decided to shut it down.

 

 

 

After hearing about my Dad’s goals with the businesses and what he tried accomplishing a few years ago, I had a great idea to tweak the business. He loved it, and next thing you know, we began working day and night to create Vintelli.

 

 

 

In my previous company, JB Media Force, I dealt with a lot of small businesses and startup companies that needed results but had very little capital to work with. As a serial entrepreneur, I know myself how challenging it is to do marketing with little to no money.

 

 

 

I wanted to come up with a viable solution that struggling business owners could use to grow their business. Thus, I came up with a great working formula that allows us to keep costs lower than all the other big firms while giving our customers better results. Not only am I happy about the prospects of this company, but I’m also excited because I have an opportunity to help small businesses everywhere!

 

 

 

Now that we have finally been able to launch Vintelli, I am trying to work as hard as possible to share the news with everyone. I would also appreciate it if you can help me spread the word!

 

 

Finding Business Ideas

Many people complain about the daunting challenges they face when attempting to discover a great business idea. Lucky for me, I have found a lot of great techniques that have helped me find many different ideas for business. Finding ideas for businesses can be difficult at first, but if you know where to look and how to discover a great idea, you too can create million dollar businesses.

 

A question many people have asked me since I began my entrepreneurial journey is, ‘How do you think of so many ideas’? While, I usually give people a common one line answer, there really is a lot of different ways business ideas can come forth.

 

 

With so many businesses out there, people often see a great idea and ask ‘Why didn’t I think of that’? There could be a number of reasons why someone else thought of a particular idea and you didn’t.

 

 

 

Many entrepreneurs looking to create million dollar businesses try to force an idea or two to pop out. This can be a costly mistake because great ideas usually don’t come through force. Instead they come through many other outlets, a few of which I’m going to discuss.

 

 

 

Everyday Life

 

 

Next time you have a problem, don’t run from it or throw a cussing fit. Instead, analyze the problem and ask yourself how many other people might be experiencing this same problem. A large number of business ideas originate because a problem exists.

 

 

 

Throughout my daily life, I can come up with at least 1 great idea each day because of problems I face in every day activities. Instead of being pissed off, I actually take time to note down the problem in my iPhone and try to find a solution for it.

 

 

 

Some of the greatest business ideas originated because someone experienced or dealt with a specific problem. Often times, you do not even have to reinvent the wheel. Most of the time, the problem is within the wheel itself and just needs a bit of fixing.

 

 

 

Instead of discounting the problems that you face throughout the day, take some time to analyze them. You will be surprised to see really how many business ideas can originate from your life alone. Take notes on the issue, find a creative solution that fixes the problem, and see if you can make it into a business.

 

 

 

Listen To Complainers

 

 

Another way to find great business ideas it to listen to people who complain a lot. While their complaining may give you a headache, you may actually find some problems that others normally do not express.

 

 

 

You can even look at forums online to see why people dislike a particular product or service. If you can analyze the problem, finding the solution becomes a lot easier. By searching for problems others are dealing with, you already know there is a need for your solution.

 

 

 

If you have a friend or co-worker who complains a lot, try to hear them out once in a while. You never know what ideas may come to fruition because of their complaining. Just remember, there are millions of problems that you do not know about.

 

 

 

There’s Nothing Wrong With Imitating

 

 

Entrepreneurs often feel they have to create something unique and never-seen before to be successful. However, that’s completely untrue. Some of the greatest business ideas have been imitations of others in different ways.

 

 

 

If a certain solution has a large market share and not enough competition, you can definitely create a successful business. You need to analyze a solution that is working well and see how much market share is left to be captured. If your numbers indicate that more than 50% of market share is available, feel free to imitate and initiate your business.

 

 

 

There are many ideas that work great in multiple industries. If you find a business with a solid business model, feel free to implement their model into other industries. Many ideas are so strong that they have the ability to work in different niches with just a bit of fine tuning.

 

 

 

Choose Creative Friends

 

 

If you have friends that are entrepreneurs who come up with great ideas, spend some more time with them. Very few people want to go into a venture all alone. Connect and share your willingness to go to business with friends, family, and other entrepreneurs.

 

 

 

If you know people who appreciate your skill set, spend some more time with them and you may find yourself around many more great business ideas. The person who thinks of a great business idea and the partner who brings value to the idea usually end up making the same amount of money in the end.

 

 

 

Don’t be afraid to join up with buddies or other people who have great ideas. Chances are they need help and you can bring some value to their business. It isn’t always about coming up with your own ideas in business.

 

 

 

Treasure Hunt

 

 

If none of these methods are working for you, try looking for businesses or ideas that are up for sale. You can look at websites like Flippa or New Idea Trade to connect with people who are looking to sell patents, websites, or ideas.

 

 

 

A lot of people have mentioned success stories where they bought a business for a small amount and turned it into a million dollar business. If you see a good idea with a large potential, go after it!

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

All of my business ideas past and present have come to fruition because of the methods above. I never went looking for a great idea, they just came to me. Every successful business begins with an idea and the methods above should help you find a great idea.

 

 

 

Do you have a specific method that has helped you discover great business ideas? Feel free to comment on the post above or share your own methods below.

 

 

photo credit: andymangold via photopin cc

Stop Telling And Start Selling

Regardless of what industry or type of work you do, at some point you really have to sell a product/service, information, ideas, or even yourself. Often times, people are unsuccessful at selling because they get caught ‘telling’. When you become a teller, your words lose face value. I am going to discuss some key psychological strategies that will help you be a seller, not a teller.

 

Regardless of what industry or type of work you do, at some point you really have to sell a product/service, information, ideas, or even yourself. With every scenario, there’s a different approach of selling.

 

 

Often Times, people are unsuccessful at selling because they get caught ‘telling’. When you become a teller, your words lose face value. Once you lose value, you’ve lost any chance of selling to this individual.

 

 

Having the ability to sell has become an extremely powerful tool in the world. While every niche or industry has specific selling points, they all share a general approach.

 

 

Whether you’re trying to sell yourself in an interview or sell to clients, there are some key techniques you should be using. I am going to discuss some key psychological strategies that will help you become a seller instead of a teller.

 

 

Appeal to Emotion

 

Today, the unlock button on my i Phone 4S got jammed. I was real upset because my battery was draining fast and my phone was semi-broken. I went to the Apple store and they it would take me 3-4 days to get an appointment with a specialist.

 

 

What a joke. I could not live with a half-broken phone for 3-4 days. I immediately went to Verizon and here is where I really began selling it to them. The greeter told me I needed to schedule an appointment with their specialists and that wouldn’t be available till later.

 

 

Having to run to a meeting soon, I decided to talk to their sales reps about upgrading to the i Phone 5. While talking to him about how I could potentially find a way around my upgrade date of next June, I began talking about how difficult my day was because of the issue on my phone.

 

 

I started to talk about how frustrated I was and how hard it would be for me to carry on my business because of this phone issue. He then told me that he would order a replacement and get a new i Phone 4S sent to my house by tomorrow.

 

 

I sold him by simply appealing to his emotions and getting him to empathize with me. Somewhere along my calm chatter, he must have realized how bad his life would have been if he was in my situation. Thus, he took the extra step to help me out and I was very thankful for it.

 

 

Long story short, I was able to get a brand new i Phone 4S and he was able to qualify me for the new i Phone 5 tomorrow. Not only that, but I was able to save $20 a month on my cell phone plan and built a personal relationship with the guy there.

 

 

We exchanged contact information and I’m even going to get a text message from him at 6:30 AM letting me know what the lines for the i Phone 5 look like. I was able to achieve all this with a 15 minute trip to the Verizon store.

 

 

If you can really connect with an individual and appeal to them on a personal level, you will close them. Don’t yell or tell someone what to do or how to do it. Express things from your point of view and just try to be human. If you can do this, I guarantee you will be a successful seller in whatever it is that you sell.

 

 

Bring The Value

 

When you’re trying to sell to an individual especially, you need to bring a specific value. As much as people love hearing about what you know or do, people want to know what they get out of it. Everyone is in it for their own benefit, the quicker you show them their benefit, the closer you are to a sale.

 

 

Before anyone ever makes a purchase or decision, they must see some kind of value or benefit for themselves. For example, I have a subscribe box on the right side of my blog. By subscribing your notified every time a new blog post has been posted.

 

 

However, very few people have signed up for this. This is probably because people don’t see a strong benefit in exchanging their email address just to hear about my new blog post.

 

 

From the number of emails I’ve been able to amass in the last one month, it definitely has no value to my readers. However, I am going to be giving away a FREE e-book to my subscribers and I am sure people will find that to be a stronger benefit.

 

 

Whenever you are selling someone or something, always show them the benefits. Examples of phrasing this could be, “The benefit of using our services is…..” or “If you buy this product, you will….”. Instead of assuming your ‘customer’ knows the benefits of your offer, you need to directly tell them so that it is clear.

 

 

Help People Visualize

 

 

It’s one thing for you to say that your product will change my life and another to actually show me. Often times, we as sellers completely forget to let our results or product do the talking for us. Anybody can say they have a life changing product, but how many of them can actually prove it?

 

 

If you can show your customers the truth of what you are saying, it’s an easy close. As I have gone through the ropes of hiring multiple teams, I have always hired the teams that have proved me their worth with data, visuals, or actions rather than their words.

 

 

Tell people what you offer, how you do it, why they will benefit, and then show them visually. If your visuals can stay up to par with your words, I guarantee you will close more customers than ever before.

 

 

When selling, there’s only so much you can do with just your words. Instead of talking in circles, show your customers exactly how serious you are. Use statistics, metrics, images, success stories, or anything else that can prove what you say.

 

 

 

Put Yourself In Their Shoes

 

 

Before you can really sell someone on something, you need to put yourself in their shoes. Not only do you need to know what they might be thinking at the time, but you want to get a good idea of how their day has been going and what’s on their mind.

 

 

If you can psychologically be in the mind of your customer, you are one step closer to selling them something. Before you begin your selling pitch, always ask the customer how their doing to get a general sense of their mood.

 

 

If someone is irritated or has had a long day, their level of patience is much less than someone who just had a great vacation in Maui. You need to analyze your customers mind and act accordingly.

 

 

As I was saying above, before you sell to your customers, you want to get on a friendly level with them. If they just went to vacation in Maui, ask them how it went and relate by mentioning a similar trip you had.

 

 

Instead of jumping out to a sales pitch from the start, chat about a similar interest or something going on in the world. Anything that essentially breaks the ice and loosens up your customer is a good starting topic.

 

 

The worst thing you can do is give your customers a feeling that their only here to be sold. When someone feels like their in a ‘sales pitch’ situation, their mind isn’t paying attention to what your saying. Instead, they’re trying to figure out the quickest way of getting away.

 

 

Put yourself in their shoes, connect with them in a friendly manner, and you will automatically begin to see results. The key is to become a seller, not a pushover or a teller. You need to find the balance between too convincing and not convincing enough.

 

 

The Bottom Line

 

 

Becoming a great seller takes a lot of time. It’s a fine art that needs a lot of tweaking and practice before it can be perfected. Even through my years of experience selling, I find ways to improve each time.

 

 

Nobody becomes a great seller overnight. If you can use the strategies and techniques mentioned above, you will find yourself closing deals at a much higher rate. Just remember, you can sell anything anywhere. Don’t just limit yourself to clients or customers.

 

 

Do you have any great techniques or tips that have worked while doing sales? Feel free to share your thoughts on this article or by adding your own strategies by commenting below.

 

 

Regardless of what industry or type of work you do, at some point you really have to sell a product/service, information, ideas, or even yourself. With every scenario, there’s a different approach of selling.

Often times, people are unsuccessful at selling because they get caught ‘telling’. When you become a teller, your words lose face value. Once you lose value, you’ve lost any chance of selling to this individual.

Having the ability to sell has become an extremely powerful tool in the world. While every niche or industry has specific selling points, they all share a general approach.

Whether you’re trying to sell yourself in an interview or sell to clients, there are some key techniques you should be using. I am going to discuss some key psychological strategies that will help you become a seller instead of a teller.

Appeal to Emotion

Today, the unlock button on my i Phone 4S got jammed. I was real upset because my battery was draining fast and my phone was semi-broken. I went to the Apple store and they it would take me 3-4 days to get an appointment with a specialist.

What a joke. I could not live with a half-broken phone for 3-4 days. I immediately went to Verizon and here is where I really began selling it to them. The greeter told me I needed to schedule an appointment with their specialists and that wouldn’t be available till later.

Having to run to a meeting soon, I decided to talk to their sales reps about upgrading to the i Phone 5. While talking to him about how I could potentially find a way around my upgrade date of next June, I began talking about how difficult my day was because of the issue on my phone.

I started to talk about how frustrated I was and how hard it would be for me to carry on my business because of this phone issue. He then told me that he would order a replacement and get a new i Phone 4S sent to my house by tomorrow.

I sold him by simply appealing to his emotions and getting him to empathize with me. Somewhere along my calm chatter, he must have realized how bad his life would have been if he was in my situation. Thus, he took the extra step to help me out and I was very thankful for it.

Long story short, I was able to get a brand new i Phone 4S and he was able to qualify me for the new i Phone 5 tomorrow. Not only that, but I was able to save $20 a month on my cell phone plan and built a personal relationship with the guy there.

We exchanged contact information and I’m even going to get a text message from him at 6:30 AM letting me know what the lines for the i Phone 5 look like. I was able to achieve all this with a 15 minute trip to the Verizon store.

If you can really connect with an individual and appeal to them on a personal level, you will close them. Don’t yell or tell someone what to do or how to do it. Express things from your point of view and just try to be human. If you can do this, I guarantee you will be a successful seller in whatever it is that you sell.

Bring The Value

When you’re trying to sell to an individual especially, you need to bring a specific value. As much as people love hearing about what you know or do, people want to know what they get out of it. Everyone is in it for their own benefit, the quicker you show them their benefit, the closer you are to a sale.

Before anyone ever makes a purchase or decision, they must see some kind of value or benefit for themselves. For example, I have a subscribe box on the right side of my blog. By subscribing your notified every time a new blog post has been posted.

However, very few people have signed up for this. This is probably because people don’t see a strong benefit in exchanging their email address just to hear about my new blog post.

From the number of emails I’ve been able to amass in the last one month, it definitely has no value to my readers. However, I am going to be giving away a FREE e-book to my subscribers and I am sure people will find that to be a stronger benefit.

Whenever you are selling someone or something, always show them the benefits. Examples of phrasing this could be, “The benefit of using our services is…..” or “If you buy this product, you will….”. Instead of assuming your ‘customer’ knows the benefits of your offer, you need to directly tell them so that it is clear.

Help People Visualize

It’s one thing for you to say that your product will change my life and another to actually show me. Often times, we as sellers completely forget to let our results or product do the talking for us. Anybody can say they have a life changing product, but how many of them can actually prove it?

If you can show your customers the truth of what you are saying, it’s an easy close. As I have gone through the ropes of hiring multiple teams, I have always hired the teams that have proved me their worth with data, visuals, or actions rather than their words.

Tell people what you offer, how you do it, why they will benefit, and then show them visually. If your visuals can stay up to par with your words, I guarantee you will close more customers than ever before.

When selling, there’s only so much you can do with just your words. Instead of talking in circles, show your customers exactly how serious you are. Use statistics, metrics, images, success stories, or anything else that can prove what you say.

Put Yourself In Their Shoes

Before you can really sell someone on something, you need to put yourself in their shoes. Not only do you need to know what they might be thinking at the time, but you want to get a good idea of how their day has been going and what’s on their mind.

If you can psychologically be in the mind of your customer, you are one step closer to selling them something. Before you begin your selling pitch, always ask the customer how their doing to get a general sense of their mood.

If someone is irritated or has had a long day, their level of patience is much less than someone who just had a great vacation in Maui. You need to analyze your customers mind and act accordingly.

As I was saying above, before you sell to your customers, you want to get on a friendly level with them. If they just went to vacation in Maui, ask them how it went and relate by mentioning a similar trip you had.

Instead of jumping out to a sales pitch from the start, chat about a similar interest or something going on in the world. Anything that essentially breaks the ice and loosens up your customer is a good starting topic.

The worst thing you can do is give your customers a feeling that their only here to be sold. When someone feels like their in a ‘sales pitch’ situation, their mind isn’t paying attention to what your saying. Instead, they’re trying to figure out the quickest way of getting away.

Put yourself in their shoes, connect with them in a friendly manner, and you will automatically begin to see results. The key is to become a seller, not a pushover or a teller. You need to find the balance between too convincing and not convincing enough.

The Bottom Line

Becoming a great seller takes a lot of time. It’s a fine art that needs a lot of tweaking and practice before it can be perfected. Even through my years of experience selling, I find ways to improve each time.

Nobody becomes a great seller overnight. If you can use the strategies and techniques mentioned above, you will find yourself closing deals at a much higher rate. Just remember, you can sell anything anywhere. Don’t just limit yourself to clients or customers.

Do you have any great techniques or tips that have worked while doing sales? Feel free to share your thoughts on this article or by adding your own strategies by commenting below.

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50 Great Quotes About Entrepreneurship

Good quotes give you appreciation for what others have said. Great quotes have the potential to change your perspective and open your eyes. Over the course of my entrepreneurial journey, I have came across a lot of good quotes and a few great ones. I’m going to share 50 quotes about entrepreneurship that I felt were great.

 

Good quotes give you appreciation for what others have said. Great quotes have the potential to change your perspective and open your eyes.

 

 

However, quotes are more than just words of wisdom. Quotes can provide inspiration, motivation, or even insight on various topics.

 

 

Over the course of my entrepreneurial journey, I have came across a lot of good quotes and a few great ones. I’m going to share 50 quotes about entrepreneurship that I felt were great.

 

 

The Quotes

 

1. “If you’re not doing the things that you love, then your life is not worth living. What are you here for?” – King Sidharth [Tweet This]

 

2. “Success comes down to hard work plus passion, over time. If you work really, really hard over a long period of time, it will pay off.” – Stanley Tang [Tweet This]

 

3. “If you pursued something that you felt strongly about, then I call that success.” – Adora Svitak [Tweet This]

 

4. “Be a user of your own product. Make it better based on your own desires. But don’t trick yourself into thinking you are the user.” – Evan Williams (Co-Founder, Twitter) [Tweet This]

 

5. “Markets come and go. Good businesses don’t.” – Fred Wilson (Co-Founder, Union Square Ventures). [Tweet This]

6. “Every single person I know who is successful at what they do is successful because they love doing it.” – Joe Penna [Tweet This]

7. “Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.” – Napoleon Hill [Tweet This]

 

8. “Leadership is doing what is right when no one is watching.” – George Van Valkenburg [Tweet This]

 

9. “I’m not a businessman. I’m a business, man.” – Jay-Z [Tweet This]

 

10. “Money and success don’t change people; they merely amplify what is already there.”- Will Smith [Tweet This]

 

11. “An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he’ll quickly learn how to chew it.” – Roy Ash [Tweet This]

 

12. “The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” – Nolan Bushnell [Tweet This]

 

13. “Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.” – Babe Ruth [Tweet This]

 

14. “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb [Tweet This]

 

15. “When you cease to dream, you cease to live.” – Malcolm Forbes [Tweet This]

 

16. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison [Tweet This]

 

17. “Success is how high you bounce after you hit bottom.” – General George Patton [Tweet This]

 

18. “Genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration.” – Thomas Edison [Tweet This]

 

19. “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill [Tweet This]

 

20. “Choose a job you like and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucious [Tweet This]

 

21. “Action is the foundational key to all success.” – Pablo Picasso [Tweet This]

 

22. “Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph: a beginning, a struggle and a victory.” – Mahatma Gandhi [Tweet This]

 

23. “The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake – you can’t learn anything from being perfect.” – Adam Osborne [Tweet This]

 

24. “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” – Bill Cosby [Tweet This]

 

25. “You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.” – Zig Ziglar [Tweet This]

 

26. “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” – Napoleon Hill [Tweet This]

 

27. “I’ve always worked very, very hard, and the harder I worked, the luckier I got.” – Alan Bond [Tweet This]

 

28. “Whether I retire to bed early or late, I rise with the sun.” – Thomas Jefferson [Tweet This]

 

29. “Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best.” – John C. Maxwell [Tweet This]

 

30. “Failure defeats losers, failure inspires winners.” – Robert T. Kiyosaki [Tweet This]

 

31. “Start a business while you are young. You have few commitments and are used to living off Ramen Noodles.” – Dr. Sebora [Tweet This]

 

32. “Follow your passion, not your paycheck. The money will come eventually.” – Anonymous [Tweet This]

 

33. “Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” – Bill Bradley [Tweet This]

 

34. “Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” – Vince Lombardi [Tweet This]

 

35. “If you can’t find the key to success, pick the lock.” – Anonymous [Tweet This]

 

36. “The real risk is doing nothing.” – Denis Waitley [Tweet This]

 

37. “When you think big, your results are big.” – Thomas J. Vilord [Tweet This]

 

38. “You can get everything you want if you help enough others get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar [Tweet This]

 

39. “Entrepreneurs average 3.8 failures before final success. What sets the successful ones apart is their amazing persistence.” – Lisa M. Amos [Tweet This]

 

40. “Some people dream of great accomplishments, while others stay awake and do them.” – Anonymous [Tweet This]

 

41. “The entrepreneur in us sees opportunities everywhere we look, but many people see only problems everywhere they look. The entrepreneur in us is more concerned with discriminating between opportunities than he or she is with failing to see the opportunities.” – Michael Gerber [Tweet This]

 

42. “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”
– Richard Branson [Tweet This]

 

43. “Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.” – Winston Churchill [Tweet This]

 

44. “Wise men make more opportunities than they find.” – Francis Bacon [Tweet This]

 

45. “We are really competing against ourselves, we have no control over how other people perform.” – Pete Cashmore [Tweet This]

 

46. “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” – Bill Cosby [Tweet This]

 

47. “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower [Tweet This]

 

48. “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” – Jim Rohn [Tweet This]

 

49. “Formal education will make you a living. Self education will make you a fortune.” – Jim Rohn [Tweet This]

 

50. “You take on the responsibility for making your dream a reality.” – Les Brown [Tweet This]

 

 

Do you have a favorite quote about entrepreneurship that was not mentioned here? Share your thoughts about the quotes used above as well as any other comments or additions you may have!

 

Creating The Ultimate Launch Page

Creating a strong launch page plays a massive role in building anticipation for your new website. in order to create the ultimate hype and buzz for your new site, you need to do a substantial amount of things on your launch page. This article helps any new web launcher create the ultimate launch page by employing the strategies discussed.

 

Everyone wants to build up hype for their product or service before launching. One of the most effective ways to build up this hype is through the use of a launch page.

 

While most launch pages are kept simple, some other launch pages have tons of information. Which of these practices is correct? Well, the correct answer is neither.

 

Launch pages aren’t a marketplace for stuffing information nor is it a place to throw up a date. If you want to acquire customers and build up buzz for your launch, you need to create a strong launch page.

 

Here are the best strategies to create the ultimate launch page:

 

 

 

Fundamental Factors

 

Logo

 

These are the basic things every launch page needs. These things do not have anything to do with design or layout.

 

Every launch page needs to have a logo of your website that you will continue to use after launching. If you do not have a logo ready to use, you are not ready to launch your website.

 

The image below shows proper logo placement as well as a prepared logo.

 

 

Who are you?

 

If you’re launching a new page, people are going to want to know a little bit about you. Instead of jumping right to it, somewhere on the launch page (even if it is just a sentence), you need to tell your visitors who you are.

 

A brief description letting users know who you are and what the purpose of this website is a great way to break the ice. This ice breaker helps you transition into the next segment.

 

Clearly explains who Zaarly is in one sentence.

 

 

 

What does this website do?

 

If someone is visiting your website and ends up on a launch page, they are probably running for the back button. You need to explain in less than 15-20 seconds what this website does.

 

Not only that, but what you choose to say in those 15-20 seconds needs to captivate and interest the user. Leave the fluff out and jump right into what your website does and how he/she can benefit.
Short and concise sentences that tell you exactly what you need to know.

 

 

 

Sharing Loop

 

If you make a great launch page or have a superb idea, people may want to share your page. Not only that, but the best way to build hype for a new launch is through social media.

 

Be sure to include sharing/tweeting buttons on various social networks that allow others to promote your launch. Very few users may end up promoting your page, but any promotion is useful.

 

Easy to share/tweet while giving visitors the ability to share the URL as well.

 

 

Subscribe Strategy

 

Regardless of what your website does, you need to have a box allowing users to subscribe. Whether this subscription notifies them of your launch date or gives them early access, it is a crucial item to add in the creation of your launch page.

 

Users who subscribe to this list can be highly beneficial for you after you launch. You now have a group of users that you can essentially reach for free by simply sending out an email to them.

 

Newsvine makes it extremely easy for users to subscribe and tells them exactly what they get by subscribing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Design Elements

 

Minimal Scrolling

 

Nobody wants to see a launch page that requires scrolling. Your launch page must be short and specific that a visitor does not need to even scroll to know exactly what your website is creating.

 

Avoid having lengthy pages to increase visitor interest. Create a short and to the point page that demonstrates what your new website can do for other people.

 

Consistent Colors

 

If you are launching a website with a black and blue color scheme, stay consistent with those same colors on your launch page. A launch page is a direct reflection of your brand and website.

 

Often times, launch pages are done in completely different colors than the actual website. This is a terrible mistake that causes confusion among early visitors. Stick to the color schemes you use for your website.

 

Serene Background

 

A nice scenic background has been a very popular choice for launch pages in the recent year. If you don’t want to have a gradient or plain color as your background, that is absolutely fine.

 

Be sure to use a background that is serene and does not take attention away from the content on your launch page. Your goal is to amaze your visitors with what you have to say, not with your background.

 

The background used below is a terrible choice because the visitors eyes immediately wander to the background.

 

 

 

Placement

 

This is a very fundamental lesson. Place your content, images, and boxes as you would on any general website.

 

Following conventional wisdom in this sense would probably be your smartest move. Logos belong at the top and social media buttons at the bottom.

 

The winner is Late Car Service! This launch page has all the elements needed to create the ultimate launch page.

 

 

 

 

Resources

 

Site Builders

 

There are quite a few launch page builders out there online. My favorite is LaunchRock, which allows you to create a stunning landing page in minutes using all the elements mentioned above.

 

You can even find many other launch page builders by doing a simple Google search. You can even find themes or pre-made templates that often have the elements discussed above.

 

Subscribe Lists

 

If you use some of the site builder websites mentioned above, you will most likely receive an automatic subscriber list for your launch page. However, if you want to go above and beyond to create a custom launch page, you can still embed a subscribe list into your website.

 

Campaign Monitor makes it easy to add and manage subscribers for a long period of time. They have easy to use codes with a stunning dashboard making it simple for everyone.

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

Building the ultimate launch page is all about content, style, and design. These are the three most important factors that separate a winning launch page from a losing one.

 

Launch pages have become a great tool in recent years to build hype and buzz about a new launch. Never underestimate the effectiveness of a launch page. It can help you get a fast start right through the gates.

 

What are your thoughts on the article? Do you have any other suggestions or tips for creating a great launch page? If so, please share any thoughts, questions, or comments you have below.