Posts Tagged for: entrepreneur

What’s Next In Internet Marketing? Find Out!

27 April 2009 Written By: Jim KukralComments: Comments

I love talking about future stuff. Especially when it comes to Internet marketing, which is near and dear to my heart. So I’m very pleased, and proud, to say that I’ll be joining some of the Web’s heaviest hitters this Thursday on a free teleseminar called What’s Next in Internet Marketing.

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The internet has become the essential hub for all business and personal communications. Join Internet Marketing Experts Jay Berkowitz, Rohit Bhargava, Maria Harrison, Jim Kukral, Joe Laratro, David McInnis, Mari Smith and Richard Stanton, to find out what is coming next in marketing online.

The All-Star Panel will include the following Internet Marketing Gurus:
- Jay Berkowitz, Keynote Speaker and Author of the Ten Golden Rules of Online Marketing
- Rohit Bhargava, Marketing Blogger and Author of “Personality Not Included”
- Maria Harrison, Interactive Marketing Genius
- Jim Kukral, The Biz Web Coach
- Search expert Joe Laratro
- Multi-Million dollar internet entrepreneur David McInnis Founder of PRWeb and People Pond
- Facebook Goddess Mari Smith
- Web Semantics expert Richard Stanton, CEO of Bintro.com

Look at that lineup! I hope you’ll join us for the call. I hope to learn a lot from the others. I’ll be covering some issues on mobile as well as something new that everyone will be doing in the next few years that will create an entire new revenue stream for regular (that means non-Internet geek) people.

You don’t want to miss this. Sign up for free now.

We Don’t Trust Companies Anymore… We Trust People

25 March 2009 Written By: Jim KukralComments: Comments

funny-pictures-cat-bubble-bath-trustGuy Kawasaki sent this article out on Twitter this morning, and wow, it’s great. It’s a story about how small is the new big.

The author states…

The gap of confidence between small companies and big ones is growing. We used to rely on the security of big companies. That’s why we worked for them. And hired them. And put our money in them. But with the virtual collapse of AIG, Lehman, Citibank, GM, Chrysler, and many more — now even GE is in trouble — all that’s changed. Now it’s a risk to do business with the big ones.

How true is that? And how much excitement and hope does that put in your heart as an entrepreneur and small business owner? It should.

Then the author makes the best point of the article.

We simply don’t trust companies anymore. We trust people. And in big companies, it’s hard to even find a person to trust as we scream “operator” into our telephones only to get transferred to another menu whose options have changed. That gives small companies a huge advantage.

He’s right, we don’t trust large companies anymore. We trust people, and that is why social networking has exploded so fast. We’re able to connect with one another and spread referrals using these tools when in the past we didn’t need to as much because we’d just “hire the big firm”.

If you’re not taking advantage of this trend right now, you’re a fool. Sorry to put it so blatant, but honestly, it’s time for you to wake up! It’s time for you to get going and build trust for you and your firm.

Look around… Trust is now more important than ever today. Do you have it? Are you building it?

It’s so easy to do nowadays. Not like it was when I started. Get started today.

Here’s a few more tidbits from the article.

Big investment banks are burning — but lots of small boutique firms, each with ten to twelve people, are opening up. And they’re doing well. They’ve gone back to the fundamentals. Finding a niche in which they have value to add and deals in which they are experts. And then sitting across from other people in the deal, building the relationship, making reasonable commitments, and following through.

Small companies with low overhead, reliable owners, a small number of committed employees, personal client relationships, and sustainable business models that drive a reasonable profit are the great opportunity of our time.

Small is the new big. Sustainable is the new growth. Trust is the new competitive advantage.

Video Book Review: The Big Idea

09 March 2009 Written By: Jim KukralComments: Comments

It’s the moment when you say, “There’s gotta be a better way.” It’s the moment when you ask, “How can I solve this problem?”

Donny Deutsch’s hit CNBC show The Big Idea has put the spotlight on that ordinary moment and the people who have the courage and stamina to make their dreams come true.

Big Idea, The: How to Make Your Entrepreneurial Dreams Come True, From the Aha Moment to Your First Million

Are You A Loser Or A Failure?

20 November 2008 Written By: Jim KukralComments: Comments

What’s the difference between being a failure or being a loser? It’s pretty simple. People who fail learn from it and try again.

And Losers quit.

Which are you? Decide now. I’m here to smack you in the face hard. Ready?

  • So the last project you had didn’t work that great? The loser gave up. The failure tried again.

  • You made a mistake at your job or with your spouse and you’re being punished for it? The loser figures there’s nothing she can do. The failure learns from it and fixes it.

    • Look, if you’re going to run your own business and be an entrepreneur, you’re going to have to understand these differences. Being a failure is not the same as being a loser.

    Show me one successful person who didn’t fail 1,000 times before they succeeded big. (Ok, a tiny few somehow manage to get lucky and do this, but you get my point).

    Ok, now get to work. Or are you a loser? You tell me.

    Do You Do GREAT Customer Service?

    14 November 2008 Written By: Jim KukralComments: Comments

    Click here to listen to the podcast.

    5-years ago I saw a guy speak at a local entrepreneur event. He told stories about how he does amazing customer service and how it had made his string of hair salons the best in town.

    That talk he gave stuck with me. So much so, the things I learned from him shaped the way I do business today, in a really good way.

    So flash forward 5-years later and I find out that the guy is now a best-selling author, corporate trainer and motivational speaker, and well, I’m not surprised.

    That guy is John Dijulius. author of theDiJuliusgroup.com. John is the author of What’s the Secret: To Providing a World-Class Customer Experience.

    Click here to listen to the podcast.

    About John Dijulius

    He is the founder and CVO (Chief Visionary Officer) of The DiJulius Group, a consulting firm helping companies “Make Price Irrelevant”. Top organizations across the world use his philosophies and systems for creating world class service. He has worked with companies such as the Ritz Carltons, Lexus, Nordstroms, Starbucks, Hallmark Cards, Panera Bread, Cheesecake Factory, Hotel Del Cornado, Progressive Insurance, US Bank, Nemacolin Resort, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Chick-fil-A, and many more, to help them continue to raise the bar and set the standard in customer experience. John has pioneered dozens of revolutionary customer service concepts and techniques that are easy to use. He also makes them easy to implement with a process that will not allow your organization to let these great ideas slip through the cracks.

    John is not just telling others how to do it. Besides owning and running The DiJulius Group, he is also the founder and owner of John Robert’s Spa, five locations (over 150 employees), which he uses as his living laboratories to test his findings and theories. John Robert’s Spa has been named one of the Top 20 Salons in America.

    One of the most captivating and charismatic speakers today, John will not only share what the best customer service organizations do, but more importantly “how” they implement and execute it consistently company wide.

    An Entrepreneur’s Greatest Fear…

    11 November 2008 Written By: Jim KukralComments: Comments

    It’s the night before my big launch. My big rebrand. The unveiling of the new me and the new business I’ll be running. My latest Frankenstein.

    And I feel like I’m going to puke.

    It’s natural… It happens to me every time I launch something big. Before I launched Scratchback, I felt the same way. Everyone does.

    It’s the curse of a serial entrepreneur. Yes, we’re very good at taking criticism, and dealing with failure, but it doesn’t mean we don’t have fears like everyone else. It just means we’re good at letting it go after we’ve failed or succeeded, either way.

    What do you mean? Fear of what?

    Fear that what we’ve built is going to look lame to others. Fear that all the countless hours we spent working on the project won’t pay off. Fear that our spouse will, once again, look at us with those eyes and think “you said this time it was going to be different. This was the big one.”

    Fear that it’s time to go back to the drawing board, yet again.

    I’m there, right now. Tomorrow at Noon EST I’m launching, and right now I feel like I want to take a boat across Lake Erie to Canada and hide out and come back 3-days after and see what happened.

    If you’re a marketer, or artist, or anyone who “puts your stuff out there”, you should know what I’m feeling.

    The good news is… I know this will pass. I know what I’ve done is going to work. I know that I’m passionate about what I’ve built and I know that it’s what I want to do. That’s how I know I’m an entrepreneur.

    What else can you ask for? I’m taking my shots… are you? You’ll never know unless you do. The fear will pass, believe me.

    See you all Wednesday, November 12 at Noon est. It’s going to be a great day.

    Struggling Entrepreneurs, Do Not Give Up

    09 October 2008 Written By: Jim KukralComments: Comments

    It’s rough out there right now, I know. You’re losing your cool in this tough economic market. You’re trying to make ends meet, while at the same time, you’re trying to push ahead and be successful as an entrepreneur. You’re working your a#* off and it’s getting you by, but not getting you ahead.

    I know how you’re feeling.

    I know what it’s like to be spending more than you make. I know what it’s like to have your wife give you that look when you tell her you need to spend another $1,000 or more to start a new project. I know how it feels to be so frustrated that you haven’t “made it” yet that you want to give up and go get that “real job” you said you would never take.

    I know how you’re feeling.

    I know what it’s like to see millionaire friends not worry about money. I know what it’s like to see your associates who have already “hit their home run” not worry about the economy because they’ve got money coming in consistently every month. I know what it’s like to wake up every day and wonder if today is going to be the big day you get an idea to turn it all around.

    Welcome to being a struggling entrepreneur. It’s a rough life.

    But there’s good news too.

    If your struggling there is hope. There is a reason to carry on. You can make it work, if you carry on.

    Remember that every single great success story started with one of the following…

    1. I failed 1,000 times before I succeeded…
    2. We had no money left in our bank account…
    3. I was on the verge of giving up…

    Sound familiar? Being an entrepreneur has its ups and downs. Yes, there is going to be struggle through the tough times, and yes, it could possibly drain your bank account and damage your marriage, and yes, it could drive you to want to give up.

    But that’s when your passion comes through to save you. That’s when you stop pitying yourself and turn towards the sun and give it another go. That’s when you work even harder to get what you wanted.

    Don’t give up. Keep taking your shots. Keep innovating. Keep pushing new ideas and supporting old ones. Keep on keeping on.

    It will happen. You can succeed. You can hit that home run. You may look back at these days years from now and remember about how tough it was, but then be proud of yourself for persevering.

    The entrepreneur inside you knows you can do it. Now, just do it.

    Diggs are appreciated for this article.