Tag: business advice

How to Hack Time and Get More Out of Your Days

Are you always pressed against time? Don’t worry, that’s a common feeling most people have. Entrepreneurs especially see time fly right by. How many of you have looked at the time and said, “I wish there were more hours in a day.” I used to say that all the time! In this blog article, I’m going to share with you how to hack time and get more out of your days.

 

Are you always pressed against time? Don’t worry, that’s a common feeling most people have. Entrepreneurs especially see time fly right by.

 

 

How many of you have looked at the time and said, “I wish there were more hours in a day.” I used to say that all the time!

 

 

In this blog article, I’m going to share with you how to hack time and get more out of your days.

 

 

1. Some “You” Time 

 

Each day, you need to keep some time open for things you like to do. Whether it’s a hobby, going to the gym, or going out and getting drinks with friends, set aside some time each day for yourself.

 

 

When you have some time for relaxing or fun each day, it’s a lot easier to work harder and faster.

 

 

2. Learn To Say “No”

 

Productive people know when to say no. If you have lots of things to do and people are trying to pile more tasks on your desk, you need to step up and say NO.

 

 

You know how much work you can handle and how you manage your time. It might not be easy to say no, but it can make the biggest difference on how productive your days are.

 

 

3. Start With The Tedious Stuff First

 

Mornings are when you are the most refreshed. Instead of saving the things you hate for the end, start with the tough stuff first.

 

 

Not only will you be able to do a better job on it, but you’ll be able to look forward to something you may enjoy doing. Productivity has a direct correlation with your attitude. Always find ways to increase positivity so that you can increase your productivity.

 

 

4. Work Smarter, Not Harder

 

Are the things you’re doing everyday worth your time? Is this someone else can do? Does this really need your attention?

 

 

These are some very crucial questions that you should be asking yourself. You always want to work smarter, not harder. When I say that, I mean that you should be doing the work that really requires your expertise and knowledge and hire assistants or others who can manage the things that really don’t need much skills and insight.

 

 

5. Value Your Time

 

How much is your time worth? Can you delegate some tasks to other people so that your net income increases?

 

 

If your time is worth $100 an hour, it would clearly be a poor choice to mow your lawn or clean your house. Instead of doing that work yourself, you can hire someone to mow your lawn and clean your house while you are able to focus on the tasks that make you more money.

 

 

6. Stop Trying To Do It All

 

If you have a bunch of tasks to do, focus on one item at a time. Multi-tasking can be disastrous and usually ends up taking more of your time.

 

 

Get one thing done at a time before moving to the next. You will be far more productive because your work will be solid and you will probably end up finishing a lot quicker anyway.

 

 

7. Maximize Your Meetings

 

A lot of time is spent on phone calls and meetings talking about nothing. An easy way to save more time and get done with meetings quicker is to get to the point.

 

 

Every meeting has an agenda and the quicker you get to it, the quicker you get to leave. Meetings and phone calls can take up a large portion of your day so it’s extremely crucial that you maximize your time during those moments.

 

 

8. Wake Up Early

 

Instead of staying up late to finish work, try waking up early. You’re the most productive in the mornings and that’s typically the time when most other people in the world are awake as well.

 

 

The difference between waking up at 8 AM and 6 AM is unbelievable. Those extra 2 hours can help you get done more than you can ever imagine.

 

 

9. Automate Things

 

Are there things that you’re doing everyday? If so, find a way to automate things that always require your attention. For example: If you always have to submit reports to your team, find a way to automate those reports.

 

 

10. Stay Organized

 

Searching for things can take up a lot of your time. It may take a few minutes extra to stay organized, but you’ll be glad you did it.

 

 

Many people waste a ton of time because they are unorganized. Personally, I’ve lost many hours due to a lack of organization in my office.

 

 

Conclusion 

 

Increasing productivity in your daily life takes a lot of practice and hard work. However, with the right amount of patient and practice, you can eventually get the most out of your days!

 

 

photo credit: Βethan via photopin cc

My Narrow Escape From a Life of Corporate Hell

Growing up, I had big dreams of what I wanted to be once I had grown up. I wanted to be a professional basketball player, computer engineer, lawyer, and a corporate employee. When it all came down to it, I chose to be a corporate employee. I will share with you how I barely escaped a life of Corporate America.

 

As a little kid, I had big dreams of what I wanted to be once I had grown up. I wanted to be a professional basketball player, computer engineer, lawyer, and a corporate employee.

 

 

Basketball didn’t work out since I was too short and skinny. Computer engineer sounded good on paper, but was way too tedious for me. Law still is one of my passions, but I could never make it out alive through all the school.

 

 

All that was left on the table was a profession as a corporate employee. Funny thing is, even after starting my first company, I was still poised for a path that would see me working for a big corporation.

 

 

Why I Wanted To Be A Corporate Employee

 

After all my other possible career professions seemingly didn’t work out, I decided I would attend business school and do whatever it took to get a high position job in a well-known corporation.

 

 

I wanted to be a corporate employee because business degrees didn’t require much school, corporate employees got flashy titles, and I thought they made decent money.

 

 

It was only after a year of pursuing entrepreneurship that I realized I would be setting myself up for a life of drudgery by pursuing a corporate job.

 

 

Why I Changed My Mind

 

Once I became an entrepreneur, the world around me opened up. I finally understood why people were as wealthy and successful as they were.

 

 

I became an entrepreneur at the age of 17 when I launched my first business. I didn’t know much about entrepreneurship at the time, but I was balancing high school classes and clients.

 

 

I quickly fell in love with creating and operating a business. I was able to grow my business to over 15 virtual employees and did upwards of $80,000 in revenue in my first year. For a high school senior just starting his first business, those numbers were great for me.

 

 

As I was graduating, I quickly began questioning the path I was taking in life. I was attending business school hoping to working at a company like Microsoft or a JP Morgan.

 

 

But why?

 

 

The Mind Shift

 

I began coming across tons of successful individuals. None of these people said they worked for a company or held a small position in a large business.

 

 

They all built fascinating technology, multi-million dollar businesses, top rated mobile apps, and other types of businesses. I quickly began watching this grow into a trend.

 

 

The most talented individuals would never make more than a yearly salary working at a corporate job. Their skills wouldn’t shine bright, they would just be another cog in the system.

 

 

On their own, these individuals were making millions of dollars from their own business. At a corporate job, they would have been lucky to make anything more than $80,000 a year.

 

 

Only the people at the top thrive in corporations. Whether you build your own business or work for one, you will quickly see that only a select few thrive at the top.

 

 

In the entrepreneurial community, there’s a saying that goes a little like, “Always hire people who are better than you.” 

 

 

This is exactly the model the big corporations take. They benefit tremendously by picking up talented individuals and offering them a salary.

 

 

They limit the competition that they could possibly be exposing themselves too and add another piece to their company. That piece can increase their profits or revenue by millions of dollars, but he/she would still get the same salary at the end of the month.

 

 

I quickly realized that corporate jobs have no meaning. What are you really working for in a corporate job? There is no passion, excitement, or reason for you to succeed.

 

 

You’re just another puzzle piece filling the holes necessary. You’re easily replaceable, undervalued, and underpaid. I could have wasted my whole life by accepting a 9 to 5, but I wouldn’t do that job justice.

 

 

I refuse to work for something where my talent and skills aren’t appreciated.

 

 

I refuse to work for just a paycheck.

 

 

I refuse to do work that isn’t passionate or meaningful.

 

 

I refuse to be another piece of the puzzle.

 

 

The Leap To Entrepreneurship

 

Entrepreneurship is truly my savior. I’m glad I found it at a young age so that I didn’t have to suffer through the treachery of a corporate job like many entrepreneurs have.

 

 

I got a job at the age of 15 working at my Dad’s company. I truly understood why working a job can be so bad. My job had decent pay and wasn’t tough, but I just hated everything about the idea of a job.

 

 

It took me 2 years of struggling to finally quit, but quitting was the best decision I have ever made. After I jumped into entrepreneurship, I haven’t looked back.

 

 

When I wake up in the morning, I open my computer up and everything I’m building is mine. I’m not a puzzle piece or some cog in the system.

 

 

Every day I am working on things that I am passionate about. I have a reason to get up early in the morning, work when I’m sick, and not take vacations.

 

 

It’s because everything I do, I do it for my OWN business and for my OWN beliefs. The harder I work, the more I make. The better I use my skills and talents, the more it benefits my business.

 

 

In a corporate job, I would take all my sick days, run at the opportunity of a vacation, and have a tough time waking up each morning. At the end of the day, who wants to be just another robot?

 

 

Conclusion

 

Thankfully, I have been able to escape a life of corporate hell. If you are on the fence about entrepreneurship or a corporate job, I highly recommend reaching out to me. I will be happy to share my thoughts and opinions on this topic even further.

 

 

photo credit: Ciorra Photography via photopin cc

The Secret To Massive Influence

When you think of influential people, who comes to mind? Are they gurus in your industries? Are they icons in their respective sports? Are they highly powerful individuals running countries or organizations?

Regardless of who you consider as an influential person, the power of influence does not come easy. In this blog article, I will share the secret to massive influence.

 

When you think of influential people, who comes to mind? Are they gurus in your industries? Are they icons in their respective sports? Are they highly powerful individuals running countries or organizations?

 

 

Regardless of who you consider as an influential person, the power of influence does not come easy. In this blog article, I will share the secret to massive influence.

 

 

It’s Never About You

 

Influencers never make anything about themselves. It’s always about pleasing others and making others feel invincible.

 

 

Some of the greatest motivational speakers come into a room and suddenly make everyone in the room feel like all-stars. Give them 5 minutes and you will see a room full of people jumping in joy.

 

 

How does this happen? What does this influential person have that others do NOT have?

 

 

Bring Out The Best In Others


Influential people have this uncanny ability of bringing out the best in others. Whether you’re working at an $8/hour job or a millionaire, influential people do not care.

 

 

They will find one common trait of greatness among the both of you no matter what. Influencing people really starts with making feel people good.

 

 

There are celebrities out there that are loved by the people and others who are hated. The celebrities who are loved, live life thinking they are better than nobody. The celebrities who are hated often do things to put themselves on a higher pedestal than others.

 

 

The first step to massive influence is to know how to genuinely make people feel good. Care about people regardless of where they come from or who they are. Here are things influential people do to others:

 

 

– Remember people’s name.

 

– Show a genuine interest in what someone else does and how they do it.

 

– Listen.

 

– Make people feel important and useful.

 

– Help people.

 

 

Influence goes a long way. If you want to be influential, you have to forget about being influential. Focus on what you can do to help others.

 

 

If you can have someone smiling after having a conversation with you, they will remember you. Influential people are not individuals who do great things, they are individuals who make others feel good.

 

 

If you make someone feel good once, they will come back to you. You have created influence and a system of loyalty.

 

 

When you bring out the best in people, people tend to listen a lot more carefully to everything you have to say!

 

 

Conclusion 

 

With great influence, comes great responsibility. For those of you interested in increasing your influence, PLEASE REMEMBER that these techniques are not to be misused. Always be honest with all your dealings.

 

 

photo credit: fensterbme via photopin cc

An Entrepreneur’s Guide To Patents

As entrepreneurs, we often are fearful of others taking our precious ideas. Thus, we look towards patents and other types of intellectual property to protect our ideas. In this blog article, I’m going to discuss what patents are useful for, when you should get them, and some of my personal mistakes with patents.

 

Entrepreneurs very often come across ideas that are revolutionary and one-of-a-kind. Before they go any further, they become terrified someone may steal their idea and look for some sort of protection.

 

 

Patents – one of the most common ways to protect an idea or innovation is the first thing many entrepreneurs look to. They costs thousands of dollars and often provide little value for just an “idea”, but people still continue to use them.

 

 

In this blog article, I’m going to discuss what patents are useful for, when you should get them, and some of my personal mistakes with patents.

 

 

What Patents Really Mean

 

For some reason, many entrepreneurs think a patent protects their idea or innovation from just about anything/anyone. That’s the least bit true.

 

 

First of all, patents take a very long time before they are issued. The examiner in the patent office usually picks up an application 18-24 months after it has been filed.

 

 

From there, most patents are sent back to the attorney since the claims made on them are too broad. Factor in the rebuttal process and the average patent typically takes 36 months to be issued.

 

 

Did you know 66% of new businesses don’t make it past the first 2 years? It’s scary to know that your patent may be issued well after you go out of business. During the process, your idea or innovation is known as “patent-pending”.

 

 

Essentially, an entrepreneur is paying thousands of dollars (typically between $6,000 to $20,000 depending on the type of patent) to have a “non-guaranteed status”.

 

 

Patents don’t really mean much for an entrepreneur just starting out. It’s a status for their product or idea, but it doesn’t bring them any tangible return.

 

 

When Patents Mean Something

 

Before launching StatFuse, my partner & I decided to invest $6,000 to get a patent on our algorithm. It seemed like the best idea at the time since we were scared that people may steal our idea.

 

 

Until this day, it’s one of the worst investments we have made. Why? Because, we really didn’t need a patent. We were worried about people “stealing” our idea, but ideas don’t mean shit.

 

 

It’s the actual execution of the idea and our startup hitting the spotlight that would potentially cause someone to replicate our model. Funny thing is, we are in patent-pending status but still have a company who has copied our idea.

 

 

Nevertheless, we can’t stop them from doing what we’re doing. Shows just how much the patent helped, right?

 

 

Patents are best looked at as “insurance”. If you buy a beat up car for $1,500…..you really don’t care whether it’s insured or not. However, when you buy a $50,000 Mercedes Benz…..you really step up the insurance package on it.

 

 

Your ideas and innovations are the same way. If you’re just starting out and have no sales, you really don’t need insurance for your idea through a patent. However, if you’re looking to pitch to investors, they definitely want to know their $200,000 investment will be insured.

 

 

When To Get Patents

 

As you can see, patents are only valuable for startups in certain times. If you’re looking for outside help such as funding, endorsements, or even bringing on a bigger team…..patents can be helpful.

 

 

People want to know their time, money, or image are well-protected. Patents don’t have much face value, but it’s just an insurance package for many.

 

 

If your ideas or innovations hit the spotlight and start gaining major traction, getting a patent is a MUST! People love to imitate models and ideas that have shown positive grow.

 

 

The best times to get patents are when your idea or innovation are actually going somewhere or when your startup is ready to seek outside assistance.

 

 

I Have An Idea, But I’m Still Scared 

 

Especially after watching the Social Network, we all have this paranoia of people taking our ideas. Patents make us feel safe while we share ideas with others.

 

 

I’ve been through that phase and I know exactly how it feels! For the entrepreneur who is really scared to share their ideas without protection, I have a suggestion for you.

 

 

You can get subsidies of patents, which are known as “provisional patents”. Essentially, they are an extension for patents.

 

 

In any point of time, you get to fill out some documentation outlining your idea/innovation. The provisional patent essentially says that you’re the owner/creator of the idea, but you haven’t gone ahead and filed an actual patent for it.

 

 

From that period, you have 12 months to file an actual patent on it. These provisional patents cost less than $1,000 and gives you the ability to develop your product.

 

 

Once your product gains traction, begins to work, or even requires outside assistance, you can file for a patent within the 12 months.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Patents have a lot of gray areas that many entrepreneurs don’t understand. When I started out as an entrepreneur, I really overestimated the value of patents.

 

 

photo credit: shehan365 via photopin cc

One Simple Tip To Increase Click-Throughs On Your Call To Action Buttons

Call to action is a word used in web design that hopes to achieve a certain response from the user on the web page. There are many ways to create call to actions, but one of the most popular ones are buttons. This blog article will show you one easy trick your website can utilize to immediately increase click-throughs on your call to action buttons.

 

Call to actions are used in websites hoping to garner a certain response from the user. There are many ways to create call to actions, but one of the most popular ones are buttons.

 

 

Call to action buttons can include a variety of different things. Buttons can say things like “Buy Now”, “Sign Up”, “Get Started”, or anything else.

 

 

The goal of these buttons is for a user to take action immediately by clicking the button. Often times, call to action buttons can lead users to purchase something, sign up for something, or even fill out a form (lead-generation).

 

 

Regardless of what the purpose may be, there is one easy trick your website can utilize to immediately increase click-throughs on your call to action buttons.

 

 

The Wrong

 

Color plays an extremely crucial factor in click-through rates for your call to action buttons. Often times, website designers do not specialize in marketing. Thus, your website looks great, but doesn’t do an effective job in converting users into sign-ups or customers.

 

 

Most people would agree that the website above looks absolutely great. It has a nice design, it’s easy to understand, and it’s clean.

 

 

However, this website has a HORRIBLE call to action button. The goal of their call to action button is to get users to take a tour of their product and hopefully sign up with them after.

 

 

This website was designed from a web designers perspective instead of a marketers perspective. The “Take the Tour” button is engulfed within the maroon background and doesn’t stand out very much.

 

 

Now we’re going to look at the simple trick this website or any other website can use to drastically increase click-throughs on their call to action buttons.

 

 

The Right

 

Color choice is everything when designing call to action buttons for the user. Your call to action button has to stand out (in a non pretty way).

 

 

Typically, your websites goal is to sell products, generate leads, or create sign ups. Sometimes the prettiest websites have the worst conversions rates because of this reason.

 

 

We’ll use my website as an example to show you how I increased click-throughs with my call to action bar.

 

 

On my website, my call to action bar can be found at the very top of the website. It’s got a bright orange background. Ugly? Yes.

 

 

Works? Hell Yes. My click-throughs increased by over 100% after I changed the background color from beige to orange.

 

 

As ugly as the orange looks with my blue website, it creates a dramatic contrast. Everything is blue, but suddenly there is orange at the top of my website. The users eyes automatically wander there.

 

 

Call to action buttons/bars need impressions to successfully generate leads, sales, or sign-ups. Below are a few more examples of great call to action buttons/bars that work well.

 

 

 

This website wants to evoke action from users by getting them to download their product for free. Their call to action is the “Free Download” button and that button stands out with the bright green color used.

 

 

 

MailChimp hopes to get users to sign up for free on their website and does a great job of creating a call to action button that stands out. They go with a red button that matches no part of the website.

 

 

 

This website utilizes a bright yellow call to action button. They want users to try their product for FREE and their call to action does a great job of directing the users eyes to the bar below the slider.

 

 

The Tip

 

If you haven’t been able to figure it out by now, the simplest way to increase click-throughs on your website is by changing the color or style of your call to action button.

 

 

Look at your website and create a list of colors that have not been used anywhere on your website. Then, play around with the list of unused colors to see which color stands out the most.

 

 

Typically, the ugliest combinations make the best call to action buttons. If your button is so ugly that users can’t help but look at it, you’re on the right path.

 

 

Conclusion

 

This is one simple tip to increase click-throughs on your call to action buttons. Share any other tips and suggestions you have to increase conversions on call to action buttons.

 

 

photo credit: lastquest via photopin cc