Accomplishments and Lesson Learned Friday! - (December 21, 2018) Entrepreneur |
- Accomplishments and Lesson Learned Friday! - (December 21, 2018)
- Your ego is the enemy
- Hemp Legalized in All 50 States
- How cold calling helped me go from $0 to $5000 in 1 month. [Marketing Agency]
- Last year only about 20,000 sellers ( 0.3 percent ) of Amazon sellers had more than a million dollars in sales
- Ways to monetize my ideas!
- How do you guys take vacation to relieve your stress?
- Any idea where can I connect with startups to collaborate?
- What is your end goal?
- Looking to gather a small amount of funding for a game demo. Tips?
- How business start can be very different from the public relations stories.
- How do you know when to raise rates?
- What kind of web developer should I look for to design a site similar to this?
- Fulfillment services and shipping contract recommendations please!
- What type of business has employees that have to use the company credit card?
- Trying to improve a Bus app
- Older workers are the economy’s most underrated natural resource
- Is there anyone who just wants to give some help?
- [CELEBRATION]: Took me 6 months, but I'm nearly there in terms of selling the first 500 copies of my product! Any tips on how to break into the US market?
- What is your conversion rate for paid ads?
- what are the basic setup needs for product photography ?
- I would like to add a gold/diamond division to my jewelry business. What are some trusted wholesalers I can get in contact with to manufacture these pieces for me?
- What are your entrepreneurial New Years Resolutions?
- YouTube channel is taking off and I could use ideas on how to monetize further?
| Accomplishments and Lesson Learned Friday! - (December 21, 2018) Posted: 21 Dec 2018 05:05 AM PST Please use this thread to share any accomplishment you care to gloat about, and some lessons learned. This is a weekly thread to encourage new members to participate, and post their accomplishments, as well as give the veterans an opportunity to inspire the up-and-comers. Since this thread can fill up quickly, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 21 Dec 2018 08:13 AM PST Confidence and intensity often lead to early success. It is arguably the most important key to early success. Just remember that your ego can begin to dominate and totally stop you from learning and continuing to grow. You can't learn what you think you already know. Ego can totally turn off the next wave of potential partners, mentors and valuable members of your network. When you start to preach and pretend you know it all people who are smarter than you will see right through it and turn the other way. Ego can cloud your judgement and cause you to make decisions that are no longer based around fact and logic. It can lead you to ignore great advice. It can lead to huge financial losses. Be aware of this and work on this and you'll have a huge advantage in your next chapter. More on me here and here. [link] [comments]  |
| Hemp Legalized in All 50 States Posted: 21 Dec 2018 11:50 AM PST "With the approvals of the United States Senate, House and finally President Donald Trump, the 2018 Farm Bill has passed, which legalizes industrial hemp at the federal level—marking the first time since former President Richard Nixon signed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970 that hemp has been fully legal and distinguished from psychoactive cannabis." -------------------- Now that hemp is legal, I wonder what businesses will utilize the many, many aspects of the plant *I tried to x-post w/ r/trees, but didn't have enough Karma to post links [link] [comments]  |
| How cold calling helped me go from $0 to $5000 in 1 month. [Marketing Agency] Posted: 21 Dec 2018 12:08 PM PST Hey everyone, Just some background information on me. My name is Joseph, and I'm a professional SEO consultant with 6 years of agency experience. I have an Associate's Degree in Marketing and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. When I first opened up my marketing agency I went toward web design & development as I found it easier to pitch to clients. I wanted to make this small tutorial for people that have trouble talking with people as this was one of my weaker points starting out. It's been a rocky 5+ months, but I'm finally seeing results. P&L for proof: https://gyazo.com/0681837ed4f522da3f42e74c33fe3440 I always thought of cold calling as a hidden gem when finding new potential clients. The only issue with doing this is you are a salesperson to the person you are calling. You need to make it friendly, and make it seem you are calling to help them, and not necessarily sell them your services. This is exactly how a phone call goes between myself and a potential client. Just a warning: Sometimes you need to interact with the same person over a course of a couple weeks to actually land them.
Now let me just throw in a tip about this above: I've had tremendous success with dealing with "Chamber of commerce" businesses. For those of you that don't know what this is please do the following: Google.com > <City> Chamber of commerce > go to their website > hit directory and this will bring you up a full list of companies that have actually signed up through the commerce which means they have a decent amount of money to spend, and they are likely to acquire your services than cold calling the random mom and pop shop. I've used this tool to land multiple clients out of cold calling 15-25 businesses per day. Now as soon as you do 1. point above you need to make sure you throw in a "Reason for the call is because I found you through your <City> Chamber of commerce. Businesses are more inclined to talk with you rather than give you that email or give you a "No thanks" Going back to 2. Once this is all said you'll get a response such as: Here is an email so you can send your proposal and if they are interested they will give you a call. Now, this isn't a complete loss. You need to make sure that you keep following up with them. I've landed clients a couple months out because business owners are extremely busy. My most important tip would be you need to have a short-term memory when cold calling. You will get yelled at, talked back with, and straight up disrespected but it's completely ok because you will land that first potential client. I hope this small guide helps people that have issues with cold calling, and if you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me in DM's or through my email: [joseph@omgmarketingco.com](mailto:joseph@omgmarketingco.com) Cheers, [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 20 Dec 2018 07:04 PM PST The Verge recently published an article called 'Prime and Punishment'. It's about crazy things happening in the Amazon marketplace right now. Worth reading. Anyway, one quote stood out to me:
We've all seen some claims on this sub reddit of Amazon prowess.....but it's a jungle out there. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 21 Dec 2018 10:40 AM PST Hello fellow entrepreneurs, DISCLAIMER: I use some of the tools that I present in my post. I do not promote them in anyway. The post is strictly informative and you are free to choose them or other. I encourage you to show or bring better options! As a closet inventor and entrepreneur myself, I'm always looking for ways to monetize my ideas. I recently read an article that motivated me to create this post and share my own research and sources with others who have similar goals. What I learned is that if you have a unique product, invention or idea, you should definitely consider securing your ownership with a patent, but there is a lot more to the entrepreneurial journey than just that step. I welcome feedback on your own research and experience that you may be able to share with me and the community. Where to start: The first important step is to see if there is already a patent for your idea, and whether or not somebody else beat you to it and if you need to tweak your idea to make it unique enough to protect. There are only a few free quality resources on the internet for patent searching and here are some of the ones I have used personally. Feel free to add any additional ones to the list.
Congratulations, let's assume that your search results show your idea has a chance of being unique enough to patent. Now what? In my previous experience, this is where I typically hire a patent attorney and the fees start to accumulate, but there are alternative options at lower costs. In my experience, if the price is not listed on their website, it's going to be expensive (it usually costs me over $2,000 USD to hire an attorney to run a patent search).
A score in the 60-80 range is considered pretty good. The tool even gives you keyword suggestions that might help make your idea more unique, and therefore more likely to be patentable, and you can run the analysis over and over as you tweak the idea to optimize your score. I recommend to still have an attorney give your idea a once over before you file your final patent application, but cost can be reduced by trying to do as much research as you can by yourself.
If you reach this step, you're halfway there. Your idea is novel and you're one step closer to reap its rewards. Now you must secure your idea to prevent anybody from stealing it. You can achieve this by filing your provisional patent application and there are plenty of online services that allow you to do this at affordable costs. This does not save you from across the border theft that could result in devastating lawsuit costs.
If you reached this step, you are finally ready to monetize on your idea. Personally, what comes next was the hardest. I'm not a business person; I don't know anything about marketing and consider myself more of a hands-on builder. If you can partner with trusted professionals that show expertise in areas you lack, this is a good start. However, nothing is for free and you will need funding.
In the end, you must decide what options align with your personal goals. Do your research carefully and explore all your options. The more we share with other like-minded people, the more we can save each other from preventable failures. Feel free to add your personal experiences and learned lessons to help other inventors and entrepreneurs with their processes. [link] [comments]  |
| How do you guys take vacation to relieve your stress? Posted: 21 Dec 2018 11:20 AM PST Hey, I'm the owner of 2 startups one which I started in 2014 and the other last year. My mental and physical health has a big decline, having to manage both startups + uni, so you can imagine the stress Recently I just got winter vacations from uni and decided to take vacation from startups too by assigning power to trusted member First day, I felt big relief but after 2 days I miss "work" my vacation isn't great, just watching movies and hangout - have yet to travel in few days probably. I love what I do, but even stuff you love can give you stress but how I can fight the urge to work? What do you guys do to chill out and avoid falling in the work trap? I want to take a long vacation so my mind can "reset". [link] [comments]  |
| Any idea where can I connect with startups to collaborate? Posted: 21 Dec 2018 11:13 AM PST I'm a Product Designer, and I really enjoy designing Presentations, since it doesn't require much of my time and allows me to practice my skills and "play" with different brand styles in short time, thus, become a better designer. Now I'm looking for entrepreneurs who could use my help! Any idea suggestion on where could I share a medium post I made where I showcase the before/after pics of the Pitches I've designed, Facebook groups, incubator emails, linked-in groups, etc... Anything helps! I'M A GOOD DESIGNER, I PROMISE. I'm just not posting the link here, as I don't want to break the rules for self-promotion. I'll share the link in the comments if anyone ask for it [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 21 Dec 2018 01:59 PM PST I was doing up my plan for 2019 today and thinking about what I will get done next year and then where that gets me towards my 'end goal'. For me my end goal is nice house in my city, cottage, sports car(s), ect and of course having enough money to retire at 50. What is your end goal that is within reason for you to reach? I mean don't say be a billionaire as the chance of doing that is so slim but instead like, you want X, Y and Z things with $ABC in the bank. Other thing I am curious of is what are you doing in 2019 to get there. For me it is launching a new product as well as selling off my current SaaS business to focus on the new one. [link] [comments]  |
| Looking to gather a small amount of funding for a game demo. Tips? Posted: 21 Dec 2018 08:50 AM PST This isn't a 'please fund me' post, first of all... I'm just curious if anyone has any tips for how to go about actually looking for funding. My plan is to (hopefully) raise enough to pay a programmer and sound designer while I make the art, to make a demo, then wait several months while I put the word out there on the internet with the demo, to raise interest. Then I'd open a Kickstarter page to hopefully raise more funds in order to make the full game. Like what kind of documents do I put together to present to people to discuss possible investment, and where does one even begin to LOOK for investors? [link] [comments]  |
| How business start can be very different from the public relations stories. Posted: 21 Dec 2018 12:12 PM PST I was reading this NYT article about how one lady started a very successful bikini brand and it reminds me of why many (most?) founder stories are so fluffy. What we seem to forget is that founder stories are public relations stories. They are designed to promote a person and a business. Most follow a very defined and acceptable formula: hard work, ingenuity, a little luck, good timing, etc. They emphasize all the positive traits and forget about things that played a huge role in their success. They would never mention things that people see as negative traits: forcing out founders through clever paper work/similar. Things like;
Overall, I just find it interesting that we take what the public relations/marketing department says as gospel. Most people tend to be pretty street savvy but we buy into these meticulously crafted founder stories with little skepticism. [link] [comments]  |
| How do you know when to raise rates? Posted: 21 Dec 2018 12:06 PM PST I was told to raise my rates so as not to undercut the market. So I did. But then I only booked 40% of my capacity last year. I'd like to be much closer to 100%, obviously. I made decent coin and my growth from the year previous was on track but I want morrrrrre! more. Many things are in the process of being improved in my business, but for the mean time I've been told by other sources that you don't increase your rates until you're 80% booked by your goal timeline. I'm so torn. I want to work harder not smarter. I don't want to work 52 days for $x if I can work 32days for $x - 15% . I'm so conflicted and need some opinions from people! Thank you! Do I stay at my pricing and not devalue myself and be patient and keep improving myself and know that I'll keep growing and be able to respect myself? Start an anon "affordable" offshoot? Forget about the high road and just start churning out the clients? I can't decide!! Denny's steak vs The Keg steak vs Local Resto with organic meat and a great chef vs Michelin 3 star. I'm not sure where I belong or where I want to go. 😯 [link] [comments]  |
| What kind of web developer should I look for to design a site similar to this? Posted: 21 Dec 2018 12:05 PM PST Here is the link: https://www.weddingwire.com/c/or-oregon/portland/wedding-cakes/820-2-rca.html I would like to create a website where users can create their profiles like the one I listed, and customers have the ability to rate/review products. I am sure this too technical for using services such as Squarespace and Wordspace, so I am wondering how I should go about finding a web developer that can create a similarly formatted site. Any help is appreciated. Thanks [link] [comments]  |
| Fulfillment services and shipping contract recommendations please! Posted: 21 Dec 2018 11:37 AM PST Hey fellow value creators! I'm creating an all in one grow kit for my microgreens business. I'm curious, what the general consensus on Amazon FBA vs ShipMonk. Or other fulfillment services. I'd like full integration with my website (not up yet) and I'd also like to run a funnel for later upsales. How much should I expect to pay? Is it in terms of revenue, profit, or a flat rate? If my volume is low, do I lose money or just not make very much? Thanks in advance! Look forward to creating value and giving my customers an awesome product! [link] [comments]  |
| What type of business has employees that have to use the company credit card? Posted: 21 Dec 2018 11:29 AM PST I am working on a project, but I am trying to find people to interview. I am looking for a type of business where the employee has to use the company credit card for stuff. For example, if you the business owner need supplies picked up, you give your intern the company debit/credit card and they go pick them up. I am trying to think of a business type that where the employees need to use company funds often and where the employer spends a lot of time having to keep an eye on the card usage. Like a situation where there is some serious trust issues. Maybe a business with not so saviory employee types? By business type I mean like an ambulance company or maybe a pawn shop. I am trying to find ones that experience this trust problem much more severely as they might give me some insight on the problem I am trying to solve (which is employee and employer trust when it comes to business money usage). Any ideas? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 21 Dec 2018 11:20 AM PST Hi Guys, We are working on a Bus transportation challenge. Really appreciate it if you help us with some initial data. It will only take 1 minute: https://goo.gl/forms/kaN3TX37m5KMWggN2 [link] [comments]  |
| Older workers are the economy’s most underrated natural resource Posted: 21 Dec 2018 05:17 AM PST Five years after opening shop, 70% of ventures established by senior entrepreneurs are still in operation, compared to 28% of enterprises established by younger entrepreneurs. https://qz.com/1490044/older-workers-are-the-economys-most-underrated-natural-resource/amp/ [link] [comments]  |
| Is there anyone who just wants to give some help? Posted: 21 Dec 2018 10:38 AM PST Look,I know asking for things for free is a no-no in the business world. I've sold my own stuff before, I know how that is. But I really need help learning to stay calm on an initial phone call with prospects.Really need it. I'm open about my desperation for help there.If anyone with selling experience who has dealt with this same thing is around here, please reach out via message. I'm looking for someone who just wants to help and is patient. I am looking to be a public speaker with little experience/lack of testimonials.I manage to get my foot in the door via emails.. but as soon as we are on the phone, I get too anxious or passionate.I listen well, I follow all the practical steps, and I KNOW sales strategy... But I cannot fucking calm my state down. My emotional state. This cannot be solved without side-by-side mentor-ship. And I've got little cash/energy so I can't just work my ass off and kill my health to make money for mentorship. I've tried that, and long story short...it was a disaster. Is there anyone willing to help me out? I know it's a lot to ask. But I'm only looking for people who WANT to give a lot. If you message me, we can exchange #'s,and we can hop on a phone call and find out if things would work. . [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 20 Dec 2018 06:56 PM PST It has been a slog for my personalised children's books whilst I try to bootstrap along the way. I realised it's really difficult to build a B2C brand from scratch without having a budget to burn. Nonetheless, every single copy sold is serving as a social amplifier now. My next hope is to break into the US market- but it's going to be really difficult as I'm based halfway around the world. I have hustled by trying the following:
Anyway, the satisfaction is there to know that the product has some validation. Next step is really to scale it for it to be a sustainable passive income business. Would love to get some tips on how to growth hack into the US market for personalised children's books. #amazingfables [link] [comments]  |
| What is your conversion rate for paid ads? Posted: 21 Dec 2018 09:41 AM PST Hey guys, just out of curiosity, what is your conversion rate for paid ads? and what niche are you in? My conversion rate is about 4%, however I am not doing paid ads at the moment, so curious to know about others' experiences. [link] [comments]  |
| what are the basic setup needs for product photography ? Posted: 21 Dec 2018 09:34 AM PST so i own a dslr, a tripod, a computer what else do i need? I don't get natural lighting. please, and thanks! [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 21 Dec 2018 07:58 AM PST Title pretty much says it all. Right now, I am currently in contact with the Made-In-China website but I'm not sure if I can trust them. How do I set up deals with wholesalers and how do I negotiate best possible prices with them. Also, how do I know if I can trust them to deliver what I asked for? I really need answers. Thank you! [link] [comments]  |
| What are your entrepreneurial New Years Resolutions? Posted: 21 Dec 2018 07:48 AM PST |
| YouTube channel is taking off and I could use ideas on how to monetize further? Posted: 20 Dec 2018 04:04 PM PST I run a guitar tutorial YouTube channel (focusing on the new wave of emo hip-hop but have done many different lessons. These are just the ones my audience keeps asking for) and I'm closing in on 12,000 subscribers. I have my videos monetized with ads but I'm wondering what my best bet would be to monetize further? I'm starting to do covers of the songs in the same niche to help with views and exposure and I also make my own music on the side (simile genre to the guitar tutorials I do) and I push that on the channel as well. I have started an email list, offering a free "Master the Guitar" ebook in exchange for email addresses. How could I use this to market to my subscribers? I don't have a physical product. I just need help with any ideas on how I can continue to build my brand and business and continue to increase my income. Thanks for any help! [link] [comments]  |
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