Great short video from Derek Sivers. Founder of CD Baby, TED speaker, writer, and all around nice guy, Derek talks about  Uncommon Sense. Entrepreneurs and business owners take note. This is 1 of 8 video you can watch the rest here.

How do you startup a successful dating site, consultancy, blog and create a series of children’s books? Impossible right?  I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Howard Kington from startupremarkable.com

In this interview I discuss what it takes to have a portfolio career and how to act on your entrepreneurial impulses as well as sharing the methodologies I uses to get so much done. The video is a very grainy in parts. You can check the video out below.

This is a guest post from Daniela Baker. Today’s entrepreneurs need the flexibility to work from any location – whether it is the office, at home, on the road or in a café.

This goal can easily be accomplished thanks to the constant evolution of technology. However, as technology continues to improve and evolve, it can be difficult for the busy professional to keep on top of advancements. And with many mobile tech tools marketed toward consumers, sometimes it can be difficult to see how they can be used in the business place.

Luckily, Daniela Baker from CreditDonkey shares five mobile tech tools that busy entrepreneurs can start using to keep up with their business at home and from the road. Included with each category are examples of specific tools that are available in the marketplace today.

1. Credit Card Processing

As reported by PCWorld, mobile payment tools are enabling small businesses to accept credit cards on a variety of smartphones. With the aid of credit card reader hardware, entrepreneurs can easily start collecting credit card payments the moment they close a deal with a new client.

Square and Intuit GoPayment are just two of the many mobile credit card transaction options that are available today. Both of which have been recommended by PCWorld and WSJ.com.

2. File synchronization

With so many computer gadgets these days, it can be difficult to find important files and access them from the road. File synchronization apps eliminate this problem.

As reviewed by iPadCTO.com, DropBox is one of the apps helping small business owners synchronize the files they have scattered among their office computer, tablet and smartphone. DropBox also integrates with popular mobile apps making it a complete solution.

3. Electronic personal assistant

Because most entrepreneurs don’t have a personal assistant to nudge them when a message needs their attention, it can be easy to overlook an important email. This is where electronic personal assistant applications step in.

As mentioned by Forbes.com, AwayFind is one of these personal assistant apps. With AwayFind, business owners are notified of important emails by an automated phone call, SMS, IM, or Twitter.

4. Comparison Shopping

Comparison shopping is a smart move for start-ups to ensure they stay to their budgets. But it’s an activity that can be a real time drain. Thankfully, there are comparison shopping apps that help professionals save money and time.

Forbes.com recommends My Shopping Genie to entrepreneurs looking to find the best deals on their supplies. The app finds the best deals and lowest prices on millions of products available through more than 200,000 stores.

5. Financial account management

Websites like Mint.com and Yodlee.com have been popular among consumers for the past several years.

Now there is a similar solution available to small businesses. As reported by TechCrunch.com, Indinero offers a real-time financial dashboard that is perfect for entrepreneurs. Bank and credit card account information is housed on the site so small businesses can see their complete financial health picture.

Image coutsety of the-gadgeteer.com

At thinkbigbebig Entrepreneurs we’re always on the look out for inspiring people who have a great story to share.

Whilst searching we got introduced to AJ who is the founder of the Ultimate Man Conference who describes himself as “A former shy-guy, who transformed himself from an average ‘wall flower’ who spent countless hours in clubs with his back up against the wall, too afraid to even look at a woman, into a fireball of energy.”  So we asked this fireball of energy some questions.

1. Age: 27

2. Business: Ultimate Man Conference

3. Type of business: Conference/Events – Teaching Men About Confidence and Dating

4. Live Start date: 6 March 2010

5. Tell us about your business:
The Ultimate Man Conference (UMC) brings together a host of experts including: dating & relationship coaches, fashion consultants and mindset & performance coaches to share the insights to their success and empower men to confidently express themselves and who they are – so they can live life fully and create the types of romantic relationships they desire! The events have received much praise and this year UMC Freedom 2011 will be our third event!

6. When did you first decide you wanted to start your own business?
Towards the end of my time at University. To be totally honest my yearn to have a business was sparked by my concern that I would not achieve the right grades required to secure a good job in the highly competitive graduate job market. My first action was to Google ‘how to become a millionaire’! In the end through hard work and persistence I gained good grades – however my interest in having my own business continued to grow and I began to realise that I simply could not see myself working for someone else for the rest of my life.

7. Once you decided to start a business, what did you do first?
I spoke with everyone I knew who had a business and started to learn what having a business entailed. I had never taken an interest in studying business before and so I was literally starting from scratch in terms of my understanding.

8. What research did you do?
In terms of what type of business to create and which niche to focus on – again, I spoke with people who had experience and gained an understanding that it is best to create a business around something I know well and that I am passionate about.

In terms of creating the first Ultimate Man Conference I did very little research on market needs as I felt I already had a very good understanding of what people wanted; Confidence, relationships and dating are always going to be a need for men and women. Also, I had spent 4-5 years studying social skills and confidence and by 2010 I had been coaching men in this area for 2 years with great results – so I knew what I was offering was of real value and people wanted to learn it.

9. How much did it cost to start the business? Zero. I pulled in a lot of favours and ensured ticket sales for my event covered any costs.

10. Is it just you?
While UMC is my creation I’ve always relied upon and had the support of my dedicated network of friends who share my vision – they form the ‘UMC Team’ and help me to set up and run the events.

11. What are your main ambitions?
For the Ultimate Man Conference – to become a world recognised and the number one event where guys can go to receive the best, the simplest and most effective advice on confidence and dating.

For myself, to be a global leader in business and contribute to the world on a global level.

12. What advise would you give to people wanting to do what you do?
I find one of the most powerful tools is talking to people and sharing your ideas, connections and resources. Whatever you want to do – talk to everyone you know about it. I’m continually surprised how quickly results can be achieved simply by talking to people and seeing where you can help them and they can help you. This works both for developing your ideas and for overcoming obstacles.

For more information on the Ultimate Man Conference check out their website or their Facebook Group or book your place at the event here

I recently met with cardboard entrepreneur Dionne Antrobus to talk about her business which is a unique supplier of adult pinatas and find out what it takes to be a success.

5. Tell us about your business A result of my various trips across Latin America, namely Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, I spotted a gap in the market for adult piñatas.  Pronounced ‘peen-yah-tuh’, a piñata is a cardboard mould covered with brightly coloured paper designed to be hit with a stick until the filling, normally sweets, comes exploding out.

Fusing together the traditional Mexican party game used at children’s parties and the British love of adult theme parties, I created a range of adult piñatas.  Already popular at bachelorette parties in the US, I redesigned the bestselling penis pinata and came up with a variety of other adult piñata designs of my own.  Some naughty to appeal to the adult market, other non naughty ones include the lips, champagne bottle and wedding cake piñata.  Unique party games in themselves, pinatas are also used as party accessories and party decorations.

]]> http://www.thinkbigbebigentrepreneurs.com/2011/07/how-to-make-cardboard-sexy-and-make-a-profit/feed/ 0 http://www.thinkbigbebigentrepreneurs.com/2011/06/anatomy-of-an-unfundable-startup/ http://www.thinkbigbebigentrepreneurs.com/2011/06/anatomy-of-an-unfundable-startup/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:23:49 +0000 Timothy Bosworth http://www.thinkbigbebigentrepreneurs.com/?p=3986

Interesting presentation from @naval about the Anatomy of an (un)fundable startup. Naval breaks down the 5 main qualities of an ‘exceptional startup,’ in the following order:

1. Traction
2. Team
3. Product
4. Social Proof
5. Pitch/Presentation

Way the video below. Via @ssethi

7th Founder Showcase – Naval Ravikant Keynote from Founder Showcase on Vimeo.

Despite its 140 limit on characters on twitter, a website from the University of Trento lets users explore the Twitterverse, using only the humble tweet as a signifier of gender differences.

On Tweetolife, users can enter a series of words, upon which the website will return the number of times male tweeters use the word in comparison to female tweeters.  So we thought we would put in some words that relate to the topics we cover and are interested in to see what the gender difference are.

Do you agree with the results – Let us know by leaving a comment below

Riva’s Iseo is their new 27 footer that blends old world craftsmanship with the clean, immaculate lines of modern design. In a nod to its heritage, Riva enveloped the boat in mahogany wood then completed the look with stunning twenty coat varnish.

As for power the boat will be available in three engine options with a Yanmar 6BY2 260 at the entry level and a Mercruiser 8.2 MAG 380 at the top of the range. It will also come in a Hybrid version which features a ZEM, a Zero Emissions Mode cruising option. Find out more at riva-yacht.com

Great short video presentation from Tom Kelley presenting at the Stanford’s Entrepreneurship Corner back in 2008. In it he talks about having met Francis Ford Coppola who told him  ”Do what you love. You’ll be better at it.” I couldn’t agree more. Watch it now.

It’s now april. The first 3 months of the year are now over. So what have you achieved? Check out this brief video below that will hopefully give you a kick start to get you back on track.

Looking for a great motivation kick start to your day. Then look no further. Check out the inspirational recent TEDxCorcordia talk by Tara Hunt.  Hunt (@missrogue on Twitter) is the co-founder of the shopping data startup Shwowp, and in her TED talk, she talks about some of the struggles necessary in building a company, in convincing others of its potential, and of moving forward.  Enjoy..

Worth a read. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s 2010 Global Report.

A rare note of caution coming from UK businesses, in reference to BRIC economies. The business advisory firm, Deloitte, has released its annual entrepreneurship report.  It surveys about 350 entrepreneurs across the United Kingdom, and finds that the UK, Western Europe, and North America remain the preferred markets for growth.

Surprisingly, there’s an abundance of caution towards the BRIC nations, even though Brazil, Russia, India, and China represent 70% of global growth.   Among the entrepreneurs surveyed, just 1.5% consider China as a prospect for the growth of their business.  Less than 1% choose India and Brazil, and just 0.3% like Russia, despite its resurgent market.

Specifically, the survey asked: “Which geographic market represents the best opportunity for significant growth for your business over the next three years?”  Expansion plans are predominantly focused on the UK market, although North America grew in favor over the previous year.  Very few entrepreneurs are targeting the BRIC.

The head of Deloitte’s entrepreneurial business team, Tony Cohen, says “there’s less optimism and more caution for the BRIC because doing business there… opens up new risks.  One has to look at culture, regulations, contacts, systems… North America speaks the same language. Western Europe is much closer.”

While entrepreneurs may be wisely managing risk as the economy recovers slowly, are they also missing out on opportunities in the fast-growing BRICs?   Tony Cohen says, “It’s always possible…. But UK businesses appear happy to build growth in the UK for now, with a view to expanding in due course.”

The survey also finds that more than half (55%) of entrepreneurs surveyed expect short-term negative effects as a result of financial pressures on their business.  However most report no change in their overall strategy as a result of the difficult economic times.

Via cnn

Interesting presentation from The Founder Institute about How To Launch a business In 10 Steps With Less Than $2,000.

Adeo Ressi on Product Development 08/19/2010 from Adeo Ressi on Vimeo.

Below is a bullet point summary of Ressi’s ten steps to launch. The video above significantly elaborates on these points.

1. Get your domain and e-mail working: “When you register your name, you should register the misspellings as a .com, you should register the primary and the .net or .org or it will be sold back to you for thousands of dollars later…”
Approximate cost: $160

2. Produce some mock-ups: “You want to show the key functionality that you’re trying to bring to the marketplace…You just need three sort of pivotal experience screens that will demonstrate your core idea or three…mock-ups of the physical product…you’re trying to capture how it will be done.”
Approximate cost: Free

3. Logo and materials: “Get a good looking logo so at least you look legitimate…” says Ressi who recommends 99designs. After you pick the winning design, “you contact him [the designer] offline, you say I want you to do my business cards, I want you to do my Power Point backup and I want you to do my mock-ups. Now for not so much money you’re getting everything you need to appear somewhat legitimate to the world.”
Approximate cost: $750

4. Pitch deck: “You always want to have a pitch deck, even if it’s bad…you need something to start with to go on that refining path.”
Approximate cost: Free

5. Create a landing page: Ressi recommends Unbounce.com, which is a drag and drop landing page.
Approximate cost: $60/year after free trial

6. Create a company blog: “I recommend doing blog.yourcompany.com…it keeps it in a consistent place as your company scales…You want to be posting on your blog, at this phase, one or two times a week.”
Approximate cost: Free

7. Test marketing: “First thing I strongly recommend is immediately test marketing using Facebook and Google ads. Not so much for the value of driving people to your bullsh*t website, but to understand what messages resonate with your target audience and then so you can then refine your marketing messages.”
Approximate cost: $250

8. Survey customers: “So now you’ve got these leads coming in, survey them… you want to understand, the demographics, who are they. You want to clarify what the pain points, like why did they sign up, were they just stupid and duped into it or did they really feel that something was valuable and what was it that they find most valuable.”
Approximate cost: $200

9. Create a sticky note roadmap: Write all of your company’s features on separate sticky notes and then group them in logical buckets. “What I do, is I put on the left side I put the most important group and then at the top, the most important features. So on the top left is the most important thing I have to do…When you have that roadmap in front of you, you can sort of visualize the one thing that flows through everything and usually there’s an unknown around that.”
Approximate cost: $100

10. Ghetto launch. Test the unknown. “Whatever you can find that can test out your core stuff that’s free…Identify the metrics, collect the data and validate…”
Approximate cost: $250

Source: Techcrunch

Great presentation from Guy Kawasaki. It’s a few years old now however still worth a watch – “The Art of the Start” @ TiECon 2006

How to be an entrepreneur.  The question it’s self makes me frown.  Having just done a search on those exact key words Google presented me with 11,500,000 search results.  In my opinion there are 10 steps to becoming an entrepreneur.

10 Steps to become an entrepreneur:

1. Be fair
2. Be understanding
3. Be creative
4. Be tough
5. Be polite
6. Be yourself
7. Question
8. Listen
9. Understand
10. Take Action

Resources:

1. Friends
2. Family
3. Google

The rather long title of “Upstarts! How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit from Their Success” suggests that there is more to this generation that first meets the eye.  If you’ve read it already, leave a comment and let us know what you think.

If you have not yet read it you can buy it now at amazon