• www.kblee007.blogspot.com •: 2018-05-13

Saturday, 19 May 2018

Improve Your Conversion Rate and Increase Revenue With These User Experience Design Essentials

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Don't deter your customers with a poor website design.

May 18, 2018

6 min read

Did you know that 88 percent of consumers are unlikely to return to a website after one bad experience?

It's a staggering statistic, but it certainly says something about the importance of user experience in website design.

User experience (UX) is the overall experience a visitor has on a website, in a program or in a mobile app. It's not any single design element or layout that defines the experience -- instead, it is a comprehensive compilation of many little interactions woven together, producing positive or negative feelings about the website and, by default, the parent company.

The emotional connection that users feel as a direct result of the UX design directly impacts brand identity, consumer retention and a business's bottom line.

Plus, according to research from Stanford University, over 46 percent of consumers view a website design as a top indicator of credibility -- a quality that is imperative for brands to secure to captivate new consumers and then turn them into returning customers.

But these three simple design tips will improve your user experience, increase conversions and revenue and ultimately grow your business.

1. Incorporate consistent branding.

Studies show that consistent branding can increase revenue by up to 23 percent. Plus, a cohesive visual identity across every platform and device -- including your website -- will aid in creating a brand that consumers enjoy engaging with, leading them to want to engage with you over and over and over again.

This cohesive visual identity is quite easy to reproduce. The top website designs utilize a recognizable color palette, imagery that provides value and information to users, consistent typography and a subtle branding on each page of the website -- often in the form of a watermark-like logo. This consistent branding creates a stable environment that empowers your users to find the products or information they are looking for without distracting or confusing them. They know where they are, what they can expect and now have the time to determine what they want to do.

Walmart is an excellent example of consistent branding and strong user experience design. The megastore's investment in a modern, simple logo design and an easy-to-use website have resulted in a digital destination that is completely intuitive and easy to shop on. The regularly large logo design condenses to a simple responsive symbol, but in every iteration of the design -- desktop, tablet and mobile-friendly -- the bones and structure of the site remain intact.

Users can quickly search, easily access their cart and personal account, and speedily find their way back to the homepage should they get lost while journeying deep into the website's many pages. This simple, clean, consumer-centric design is branded in Walmart's signature blue and yellow hues and mirrors the visuals and messaging that every piece of Walmart's marketing collateral has, from commercials to social media posts to banner ads. Walmart prioritized a consistent brand and simple site over bells and whistles -- and it paid off, too. Their e-commerce sales grew by 23 percent in Q4 of 2017 -- just like the study said they could.

2. Utilize clear calls to action.

As author Nora Roberts said, "If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it." That idea certainly rings true in website design. Amazingly enough, even after they have found their way to your online site, some consumers won't know the action you want them to take until you make it crystal clear with direct language and calls to action (CTA).

To maximize the UX design -- and effectiveness -- of a CTA button, there are a few rules to live by:

Make buttons large and fully clickable -- don't just rely on the text within the button
Write clear, easy to understand messaging. This can be playful and on-brand, but most importantly, users should immediately understand what will happen when they click the button. (Bonus tip: Include a verb, an urgent adjective and keep the whole CTA short and sweet).
The font itself should be readable and large -- now is not the time to play with any trendy, swirling fonts you may have recently discovered. Stick to simple sans-serif typography.
Ensure the call to action stands out. Stay within your color palette but use a hue or unique shape that makes the action stand out and grabs a user's attention to boost conversions.
If it fits with your aesthetic, include tiny complementary design elements, such as an arrow or a shopping cart.
Utilize white space to allow the message to breathe.

3. Create for consumers -- not designers.

At the end of the day, a website isn't for designers or a company -- it is for the consumers. Therefore, before adding any features or implementing any changes, designers should walk through what that means for the user experience and customer journey, first.

Once you conduct consumer research, you and your team will understand the features that are the most important to them and those that -- even if they are beautiful -- won't make a difference in a customer's overall experience and interaction with your brand.

Finally, once you design any UX design improvement, take the time to A/B test the new feature to ensure it is functional and breeds better conversions. Studies show that most companies discover the best conversion rate optimization through A/B testing as opposed to total implementation.

Ultimately, investing in user experience design will provide a strong return on investment down the road. Of course, there are always other improvements that will improve UX, such as fast loading time and site speed, strong SEO, and integrated content marketing and videos. But by paying attention to the customer journey on every device, creating intuitive navigation and focusing on clear messaging and calls to action, you'll dazzle consumers with a pleasant interaction and keep them coming back for more.

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Why This Entrepreneur Says It's Smart to Focus on Microinfluencers

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Entrepreneur Daniel Greenberg explains why microinfluencers matter in today's digital world.

May 18, 2018

1 min read

Daniel Greenberg is a young entrepreneur who has worked with brands such as Vita Coco, The Meadows, Jetsmarter, the VMAs and more. These days he's in charge of product ideation for MSCHF and believes working with microinfluencers can help brands reach their target audience. You can read more about Greenberg in Jessica Abo's book, Unfiltered: How to Be as Happy as You Look On Social Media.

Watch more videos from Jessica Abo on her YouTube channel here.

Entrepreneur Network is a premium video network providing entertainment, education and inspiration from successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders. We provide expertise and opportunities to accelerate brand growth and effectively monetize video and audio content distributed across all digital platforms for the business genre.

EN is partnered with hundreds of top YouTube channels in the business vertical. Watch video from our network partners on demand on Roku, Apple TV and the Entrepreneur App available on iOS and Android devices.

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The Growing Influence of Women Entrepreneurs

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Women entrepreneurs face special challenges in the business world.

May 18, 2018
4 min read

This story originally appeared on Ellevate

There are many challenges that women face in the modern workplace -- and that goes double for the boardroom or when trying to break through the ever-present ‘glass ceiling.’ These issues are never more of a challenge than when a woman decides she is going to go ‘off on her own’ as an entrepreneur. With locating reasonable financing, confronting gender bias and the paucity of appropriate mentors and the diminutive learning curve, a business owned and run by a woman can be a real struggle for survival.

Because of these special challenges, some backward-looking people still insist that women aren’t cut out to become business owners in their own right. This kind of negative mindset increases, sadly, when the woman is a person of color or disabled -- or in any other way marginailized by lingering male prejudices. To break down these persistent barriers to success, women must be willing to understand and recognize the problems they face when beginning a woman-centric enterprise. With understanding comes the determination to not let such medieval concepts upset their plans and helps to bring more women into entrepreneurial endeavors.

Finding the money

Traditional lenders, such as banks and credit unions, are some of the worst offenders when it comes to gender prejudice. Studies show that such lending institutions continue to be resistant to loaning out seed money to women entrepreneurs, to the extent that their approval rating is as much as 20 percent less than it is for men who are starting their own companies. While women do have a healthy access to alternative lenders offering business loans, which somewhat levels the playing field, these other lenders, usually online, charge interest rates that are always higher than a regular bank. So this means a woman-owned business starts off with a heavier debt load.

One alternative that seems to be working in women’s favor, though, is the rise in crowdfunding initiatives. This is a completely gender-neutral venue for raising capital for new businesses.

Mentoring

The process of mentoring is a recognized necessity for most male entrepreneurs, and there are many channels through which a man can obtain another older and experienced man’s help in starting up a new business. The same cannot be said for women -- yet. Luckily, the numbers are going in an encouraging direction.

While traditional infrastructure, such as banks, is still male-dominated, other areas, especially in sales and marketing, are now becoming rapidly equalized between men and women, and a woman who is beginning her own business should look to the marketing and/or sales sector for an experienced and savvy mentor to help her steer her ship through the riptides and shoals of the startup ocean.

Breaking stereotypes

Male-centric behavior is the bane of all women who are nurturing their own startups. Sexual harassment, although now a topic that is being thoroughly aired in public, has not gone away -- nor have the attitudes that encourage it in men. A woman in business today must take a stand as an individual with self-worth and pride in her own personality and accomplishments, and never kowtow to any male-dominated social interactions. Men respect strength, and so the entrepreneuress must remain strong while shaping her own individual strengths and dealing with her own individual weaknesses. That is the only way that true business success can be achieved.

(By Adrienne Monson)

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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What a Cryptocurrency Takeover Would Look Like

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May 18, 2018

7 min read

This story originally appeared on Due

Fiat money, or fiat currency, is a currency that a government (usually a national government) has declared to be legal tender. This currency, unlike older styles of currency, is not backed by a physical commodity (the way U.S. dollars were once backed by gold). It’s the type of currency we’ve all relied on for the past 50 years or so and constitutes all the dollar bills, coins and digitally held U.S. dollars you have to your name.

There’s an implicit expectation that fiat currency will last forever, barring any international takeover or radical transformation (such as how the euro became the standard for the European Union in the early 2000s). But now a fundamentally different type of currency is starting to rise: cryptocurrency.

So, could cryptocurrency have the power to replace cash and fiat currency entirely?

What a cryptocurrency takeover would look like

Let’s start by looking at what a crypto takeover could look like:

1. Growing consumer interest

The Bitcoin rally in 2017 was mostly due to an explosion of consumer interest. Millions of new people were interested in the currency, buying, mining and selling it, and the price rose in response to that increased demand. Currencies are only as valuable as people think they are, so for cryptocurrency to become a stable household currency, we would need to see levels of consumer interest and adoption far above where they are now. This is the first phase of the transformation; without consumers actively using the currency, no other steps will happen.

2. Industry impact and response

We’re starting to see more businesses accepting Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and assuming consumer interest grows, that acceptance will only increase. At some point, the prevalence of digital currency will make online shopping even more attractive, and physical stores will need to start adopting it to catch up -- that way, the war between physical and digital retail will continue. Other industries, like finance, might gravitate to more crypto-oriented products and services, creating a feedback loop that responds to and creates consumer demand.

3. Governmental impact and response

Governments have a vested interest in keeping their fiat currency active; it’s something they can directly control and has an enormous impact on the economy. They won’t be incentivized to accept (or even tolerate) cryptocurrency, which is why countries like China are locking down on Bitcoin altogether. Still, as more consumers start trading cryptocurrencies freely, governments will need to start imposing stricter or better-defined trading regulations and will be forced to acknowledge the currency.

4. National adoption

The big step forward is national adoption. At this stage, the majority of a population will be using cryptocurrency openly, and its federal government would have ample, crypto-friendly policies to allow those trades to happen. The government may recognize the advantages of an all-crypto model, or else concede to its inevitability, and start putting a plan in place to transition the country from a fiat system to a digital one.

5. International adoption

The process would be gradual, but as more countries get on board with the same cryptocurrency and similar measures for adoption, we could eventually have an international system that relies on one (or a series of very similar) currencies.

The advantages of an all-crypto future

So why are we even considering this as a possibility? Why would an all-crypto future be good for us?

1. Decentralized

One of the biggest advantages of cryptocurrency is the fact that it’s completely decentralized. Each cryptosystem relies on a complex, interconnected network of users to manage the system. No single government would be able to seize control of the system, nor would any single player be able to take advantage of it.

2. Manipulation protection

Along similar lines, cryptocurrency would be marginally protected against manipulation efforts. Printing too much money can lead to hyperinflation. Small-cap stocks can be prone to price manipulation based on trading volume. But, at sufficient volumes, cryptocurrencies with a fixed supply are practically immune to these tactics.

3. Circulation costs

For years, the American penny has cost more than 1 cent to create -- 1.5 cents as of 2016. While fiat currency is completely dependent on consumer trust to hold its value, it still costs money to print and mint new currency and manage old forms of currency. Since cryptocurrencies exist only in a digital environment, those costs could be eliminated.

4. Security

Cryptocurrencies rely on the blockchain to acknowledge and verify the legitimacy of every transaction. This makes it much better protected against fraud than cash or any other method we have to exchange traditional currency. Granted, fiat currency could adopt a blockchain-style exchange. However, that would make it a digital currency.

5. Intermediary abolishment

The peer-to-peer nature of crypto transactions means we could do away with at least some financial intermediaries. That means consumers will be responsible for fewer transaction fees. Plus, payments may process faster for more transactions.

The disadvantages of an all-crypto future

That said, there are also some key downsides to an all-crypto future:

1. Fiat currency woes

The majority of people still rely on fiat currency and will for the foreseeable future. If our federal government were to transition to a fully crypto system, the value of fiat currency would plummet, leading to significant asset loss in some portions of the population.

2. Infrastructure and transition

To re-create a financial system for a modern, developed country would take an enormous effort. We’d have to build new infrastructure. This would also involve plans for a gradual transition to take place over years or decades. This would likely create financial volatility and possibly increase consumer uncertainty.

3. Industry collapse

Some industries might be negatively affected by the release of a fully crypto system. Financial institutions might not be able to charge transaction costs or hold consumer assets as reliably as they used to. The economic impact of losing an entire industry would be harsh on consumers.

4. Lack of oversight

One of the advantages of a crypto-based system would be the lack of a single entity capable of manipulating the currency. However, some oversights and manipulations can actually be valuable. This includes directly controlling the amount of currency in circulation to prevent inflation. Some cryptocurrencies have built-in parameters for controls like these like a finite amount of minable currency. However, the lack of experienced, capable oversight could result in other problems.

5. Confusion

Right now, there are hundreds of cryptocurrencies available. This is already causing issues in the market with regard to ICOs and consumer confusion. If a national government or the international community decides to adopt a cryptocurrency as its main standard, how would we decide which coin to offer? Would we accept and use a variety of different coins? How would we keep track of the exchange rates? There are many difficult questions to answer.

Final thoughts

So. is it possible for cryptocurrency to completely overtake our contemporary system of fiat currency? Absolutely. However, it’s going to take years, if not decades, to even start making that transition. We would need to accomplish several key steps. This includes dramatically improving user adoption and trust before crypto can even rival fiat currency in terms of spending power or reliability. Of course, if we can solve the main problems with adoption and build the right infrastructure, we could end up reaping all the advantages such a system would offer.

(By Peter Daisyme)

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Zola Founder Shan-Lyn Ma Shares How to Collaborate and Conquer Your Biggest Challenges

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The leader of the wedding registry and planning startup reveals who and what inspires her every day.

Nina Zipkin

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Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Entrepreneur Staff

May 18, 2018
7 min read

Editor’s Note: Inspire Me is a series in which entrepreneurs and leaders share what motivates them through good times and bad, while also sharing stories of how they overcame challenges in hopes of inspiring others.

Shan-Lyn Ma wants to make one of the most stressful yet joyous days of your life go as smoothly as possible. She is the founder and CEO of Zola, a wedding registry and planning site. It is designed to make it simple for guests to pick out the perfect kitchen appliance or contribute to an international getaway for a honeymoon, along with helping couples plan the perfect day.

But just as wedding days are stressful, so can be starting and running a wedding site. “Starting Zola was frightening, exciting, energizing, tiring and fulfilling,” Ma told Entrepreneur. “I quit my job before Zola was even an idea, because I wanted to have day-in-and-day-out to build something.”

Yet, Ma is no stranger to the demands of ecommerce -- prior to launching Zola, she held leadership roles at Yahoo and Gilt Groupe. She gets the challenges and understands that her customers must always be getting the best experience. No matter what. This dedication to her users requires her to make tough decisions about the bottom line impact of offering free shipping or how to best develop and tailor new products like the free suite of wedding planning tools that the company launched last year.

And that hard work has paid off. Today, Zola has raised more than $140 million in funding. It also carries over 500 brands and more than 500,000 couples have used the platform to register for gifts.

While successful, running Zola isn’t always easy. We talked with Ma for Women Entrepreneur about how she stays motivated, what inspires her to keep going and what others can learn from her.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

What is a quote that inspires you, and why?
This quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is one of my favorites: "If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."

I thought about it a lot when I was just starting out in product management. As a product person, you have to learn how to inspire, corral and partner with people across functions who do not report to you. And I still think about this quote today as a CEO. At Zola, the way we are conquering the “sea” is by innovating on behalf of the 2 million couples who get married every year.

[I motivate my team by having] a very transparent work environment. Every week we have a company-wide meeting where we go over how the business is performing, recent accomplishments, and upcoming initiatives. If you work at Zola, you know how we’re doing. I hope everybody feels like they are a meaningful piece of a very big picture.

What is a book that inspires you, and why?
Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg. [I think it] was brave of her to have written that book, and it's more relevant now than ever before.

One of the anecdotes from Lean In that resonated with me is a small but mighty point, and that is how to lead a meeting. Often, women shy away from dominating a room with their body language or their tone of voice. Sandberg advocates that you sit at the head of the table, set the agenda and ask pointed questions that help you achieve your goals. When we are having healthy debates at Zola, I guide the conversation to ensure all voices are heard and that we reach a clear decision at the conclusion.

Who is a woman that inspires you, and why?
Katrina Lake. Not only is she the youngest female founder to ever lead a company to an IPO but also Stitch Fix is a growing business with huge opportunities to scale. It’s a business that was built efficiently and sustainably.

This is super nerdy, but I have to admit that I enjoy listening to the Stitch Fix quarterly earnings calls, as I always learn a lot about how Katrina and her senior execs talk about their business. Based on what Katrina talks about, it's clear she knows her business back to front, has a clear sense of how to grow and move certain levers on her P+L and has certainly built an impressive team of senior executives.

What inspires you at work?
My team, and I'm not just saying that. I like to describe every person who works at Zola as a “bar raiser,” somebody who is an expert in his or her respective field, and who is encouraging everybody else around them to do better and think bigger.

You don’t have to be an exec to be a bar raiser; you just have to give it your all every day. One hundred percent is expected, but bar raisers give more. That doesn’t mean they work until the lights are shut off in the office. It means they are productive, efficient and have found a personal-professional balance. They are an authority at the company and in their specific role.

What has inspired you to be a better person?
I had the opportunity to work closely with Susan Lyne over the four years I was at Gilt Groupe. She was CEO and then Chairman of Gilt, and prior to that, was CEO of Martha Stewart Omnimedia, among an impressive hit list of career accomplishments. Getting to see Susan in action was so inspiring to me. She led by example, encouraged and supported us, asked us hard questions and never hid the fact that not only was she a kick-ass, successful CEO, she was also a loving mother of daughters.

When I was moving into a new role as a GM on the Gilt executive team, I was going to be the youngest GM on the team, and I felt some serious imposter syndrome. I was expressing some fear to Susan, and she told me, “Straight up; it's time to grow up. You might not have done this job before, but you are here for a reason. If there are things you don't know, go and figure out which GM knows it and then learn from them. Ask them if they will teach you, and then you'll know what they know.”

For those women who are looking to start a business or have begun one, but are feeling discouraged, what advice do you have for them to keep going?
I would say, don’t doubt yourself. A lot of women have said to me something like “I’d love to start my own business, but I didn’t work at a great company like Gilt.” That’s a false barrier. There are no barriers except for the ones you artificially put on yourself.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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From Prison to Y Combinator Graduate to Megamillion-Dollar Business

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Andrew Medal chats with Frederick Hutson, the co-founder and CEO of Pigeonly. Hutson created a multimillion-dollar business after going to prison for five years.

May 18, 2018

1 min read

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Are You Craving Community for Your Customers? Here Are the Tools You'll Need.

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Cultivating a feeling of 'community' is crucial to any company's success.Without it, customers will just shop somewhere else.

May 18, 2018

5 min read

Consumers at many businesses aren't content to be mere passersby or just the means to an end (profit) for those businesses. They want, instead, to feel a part of something significant, something that helps those of a similar mind connect and share their common interest.

So, when companies build a community-oriented customer base, members of that community are more likely to return to that business than continuously search for something new.

Cultivating a community, in short, is crucial to any company’s success. If you are hoping to build a group of loyal customers or users for your business, here are some tools that could help you -- and your customers -- create the sense of community you crave.

Hivebrite

Hivebrite is a website exclusively for community management. The system allows companies to customize personalized platforms for their communities, rather than make members adapt to generalized platforms. Hivebrite lets you decide how users sign up and log in (i.e., via email or other social media accounts, and via open accessor invitation-only status).

It helps you manage member databases, network with participants, oversee content and events and conduct online payments. Hivebrite is a practical first step for anyone hoping to optimize community engagement.

Ning

Ning is another system that can help you build a platform exclusive to your business. An example of a past client? Tennisopolis; the company created a platform that allows tennis lovers to message one another, share content and discuss the latest news in forums.

You can do the same at your company, by integrating social media sharing, allowing your "community" members to move between your platform and channels like Twitter, easily. This is especially useful for companies looking to build communities that have already established common interests.

Brand24

Kuba Rogalski, an employee at Brand24, says he uses his own product for a variety of tasks, such as tracking brand mentions and for all online conversations related to his company. He also monitors industry discussions he could potentially engage in, as well as people across different social networks who are asking for product recommendations.

Brand24 is an excellent resource for companies wanting to monitor their brands on an internet-wide basis. With this tool, managers can learn more about where those in their target audience digitally congregate, what interests them and how often they talk about particular subjects (like your brand).

Customers will not always take their complaints to companies directly. Oftentimes, they just vent somewhere else on the internet; Brand24 helps companies find those conversations and act accordingly.

Riffle by CrowdRiff

Cultivating a community from scratch often requires a significant amount of one-on-one interaction. The more followers you amass, the more people will trust you, but you will need your initial core group to reassure newcomers that you are legitimate. This is the power of the brand ambassador effect: “Your earliest fans are more likely to become your first evangelists, espousing not only your product’s quality, but the quality of your community and of your customer service, as well,” Alex Mantheil wrote on Buffer Social.

Riffle by CrowdRiff is a Chrome extension that helps you get to know your customers on an intimate level. Are they iPhone or Android users? What are their Twitter habits? Where can you find their LinkedIn profiles? What kind of people are mentioning them online, and why? CrowdRiff also uses artificial intelligence to help marketers create visual content their audiences are most likely to find appealing.

Buffer

Like Hootsuite, Buffer lets you schedule your social media posts across channels. Writing on OpenSource.com, Jono Bacon explained the challenge most businesses face: “One thing is clear," he wrote. "It is important to have a regular stream of material to keep your audience engaged. To help with this, you should pre-schedule content to post at the most effective times … You can do this manually using many of the social media networks, but it is a bit of a pain and very repetitive when using multiple networks.”

Buffer offers businesses a solution, whereby they can provide the system with an abundance of content at once and ask the app to divide that mass of content into posts scheduled throughout the week. Buffer also provides analytics, further assisting companies in their mission to deliver fresh content and relevant channels and keep community members engaged.

Conclusion

When building a community, remember this advice from Sujan Patel on InfusionSoft: “Your community members need to feel safe sharing with others in your group," he wrote. "They need to feel that they’ve ‘earned’ their spot in the community. They also need to be able to understand the group’s social norms and how to communicate like an insider.”

Technological platforms, then, are excellent resources for bringing people together and fostering interest in your business, but regardless of the tools you decide to use, it’s ultimately the way you use them that will dictate whether your community ultimately engages with your brand.

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You're Thinking About the Career Ladder All Wrong

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My experiences breaking through the glass ceiling showed me there is no one ladder to success.

May 18, 2018
6 min read

The questions aspiring CEOs ask about how to get to the corner office are all wrong -- especially for women. Newly minted professional women ask for tips on breaking the glass ceiling, finding a work-life balance and plotting out every rung on the ladders they hope to climb. Alas, no ladder looks the same. If you want to move up, you have to find one foothold after another, pushing forward from the places where you happen to find yourself.

This is how I did it. It's not conventional. Along the way, the unlikeliest places and moments pushed me forward. It's been a process of constant learning, but somehow a ladder emerged that worked for me. Each step along the way taught me numerous lessons, but four stick out as turning points that helped me develop the career I have -- I hope they can do the same for you.

Don't be afraid to change direction -- a lot.

The scene: Cattle ranch, Australian Outback

My first professional job after college was at a Sydney law firm. Law was not for me, but it did connect me with the owner of a ranch in Bendemeer, New South Wales, Australia, who was looking for a short-term manager. One day, after sending a truck full of cattle to market, I was chagrined to discover that cattle prices had dropped dramatically. Luckily, the ranch owner had hedged on the futures market, which I'd never heard of before. This was the beginning of a long-term fascination with markets -- and I was hooked.

I swapped boots and jeans for blazers and heels, and headed to the Sydney Futures Exchange. As one of three women floor traders at the time, we proved ourselves to be as quick on our feet as our male colleagues. Without taking that first law firm job, without being a ranch hand, I may never have discovered my passion for markets. I didn't hit it the first time, but I did hit it.

Never assume you can't.

The scene: J.P. Morgan

I spent the majority of my career building and running global businesses at J.P. Morgan, where I initially assumed there was a ceiling for women. That changed when my boss's boss -- a woman -- was promoted to managing director, a role I thought was reserved for gray-haired old men. The dimensions on my mental career ladder lengthened and eventually I was promoted to managing director -- thankfully, well before my hair turned gray. In fact, the promotion came while I was out on maternity leave.

Make no mistake, there is a glass ceiling in many organizations and industries. Acknowledge that, but then it's up to you to work to achieve your goals. Never assume you can't get to a certain level just because of your gender. Go into every situation thinking you can succeed (just have your eyes open). If you do run into a glass ceiling, deal with it as best as you can -- through HR, discussions with managers, whatever it takes.

Related: How to Lead Like a Woman

Don't compromise your priorities.

The scene: My desk, 4:30 a.m.

My working habits were not conventional for J.P. Morgan, or the 1990s. Before the sun rose over Wall Street, I was in my office, coffee in hand so I could leave 12 hours later and make it home for dinner with my kids. When my colleagues cruised in hours afterward, they had no idea how long I'd been there each morning.

Being home early enough for family dinners was something I wasn't willing to give up. Eventually, through a lot of communication, understanding and trust, my boss and I came to an agreement that fit us both. For example, instead of asking me to "get this to me before the end of the day," he began to trust me to get something onto his desk by 7 a.m. the next morning.

I was able to succeed and keep this critical family time by getting creative, clearly articulating my preferences and proving that I was trustworthy. I was still working long hours, of course, but in the end, the arrangement worked for the company and me.

Don't lose sight of the long term.

The scene: Three days alone in the wilderness

During a period of significant change in my life, I signed up for a weeklong wilderness experience that culminated in a three-day vision quest. Giving myself the time and space away from those day-to-day tasks that fill up the minutes allowed me to focus on my long-term goals. Then, rather than merely making a next-steps decision, I was able to see the end game, and how to achieve it.

I went back to J.P. Morgan with a clearer mind. One of my obligations was participating in a diversity steering committee, but it was moving interminably slowly. My vision quest paved the way for an alternative route for women to get to the top in business: supporting women entrepreneurs. After all, such companies already had women at the top; now we just had to make sure they were successful. From this vision, I found my passion -- providing venture capital to women entrepreneurs -- and struck out on my own to found Golden Seeds.

If there is an overarching takeaway from these experiences, it's that the whole corporate ladder business is a myth. There is no single ladder -- for women or for men. The rungs show up where and when you might least expect them. It's your choice whether to jump or pass on any given opportunity.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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The One Thing Millennials Can Do to Live Life More Comfortably in the Future

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The age group may not like buying big-ticket items, but they can benefit from early investing behavior.

May 18, 2018

2 min read

After living through the Great Recession and dealing with student debt, the millennial generation have developed their own way of planning finances and spending their money. Their decision to invest now or invest later can have great dividends later on.

Entrepreneur Network partner Phil Town describes some of the unique behaviors that set millennials apart in their spending behavior.

Millennials would rather spend their money on a trip to Europe or a concert, rather than on a nice car or living away from their parents -- or to put it another way, millennials are presumed to spend money on experiences rather than possessions.

Millennials are also known to splurge on convenience items, according to Town, spending more money on transportation and eating out more often than other age groups.

Some of these habits can be extremely helpful down the line, though it is also important that millennials set aside a portion of their income for investing in their future. With a few years head start, Town emphasizes that early investments will have great reward.

Click play to learn more.

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3 Signs the Best Move for Your Business Is to Hire Somebody Else to Run It

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The fact that everybody knows the same few hugely successful founder/CEOs indicates how few founders succeed big-time as CEO of their own company.

May 18, 2018

7 min read

“Founder/CEO of Some Company” sure sounds flashy. Feels good, too, until you realize the distinction between the two jobs and the amount of work that comes with each. But even with that, you keep on telling yourself, “This is how it’s supposed to be.” Maybe that’s why many of the high-ranking entrepreneurs have 80-plus-hour workweeks. You don’t really have space in your budget for a new hire anyway, let alone a new CEO.

Then things get harder and, of course, you have someone to blame for every misfortune. According to research, it just might be you. While you’re the owner of a good business, it might not reach its full potential just because you’re leading the company as CEO.

A team of professors from the Harvard, Duke and Vanderbilt universities’ schools of business combed through data collected by the World Management Survey and found some interesting relationship between the leader of the company (founder-CEO or CEO) and overall productivity. They found that on average, founder-led companies were 9.4 percent less productive than those led by CEOs. While the data represents more than 13,000 mid- and large-sized companies across 32 countries, it’d be interesting to know how many founder-led companies don’t even get to the level of those surveyed.

Now, I’m not saying that business owners or founders always make crappy CEOs. I’m just saying the following signs could mean...well, you’re a crappy CEO:

1. You’re not good with operations.

A similar study was conducted by Noam Wasserman where he sought to discover the chance of a founder surrendering leadership. When Wasserman analyzed 212 American startups founded in the late ’90s and early ’00s, he found that only 50 percent of the founders were CEO by the time their company was three years old. This dropped to 40 percent by year four, and fewer than 25 percent of the founders still led their company by the time of its IPO.

Wasserman is quick to note, however, that founders are stubborn when it comes to letting go. His research suggests that 80 percent of the entrepreneurs “are forced to step down from the CEO’s post.” When the founder isn’t fired by investors who keep insisting that they relinquish control, they are forced to step down because potential investors won’t put their money in a company that’s dependent on a single individual.

What if you didn’t have investors to force you out and you were both “rich and king,” as Wasserman puts it? How would you know when you can’t effectively lead the day-to-day operations of your business?

Your job as CEO is to ensure deadlines are met, customer concerns are addressed and your team is inspired and motivated, at all times. Generally, it's your responsibility to ensure daily operations run seamlessly. If you’re constantly frustrated over how much you have to do and can’t confidently take credit for your team’s motivation, then maybe you need to let someone else take over.

The way you handle this realization and transition is a make-or-break for your business. Wasserman advises that, for a smooth transition, the founder needs to be honest about their motives for getting into the business. Ultimately, the less self-serving your motives are, the easier it will be for you to let sturdier arms take the wheel.

2. You’re running an overworked team.

Your role as CEO is to be constantly working and moving forward. CEOs are naturally very hardworking. Being the owner of the business is a different, equally demanding role. When brought together and fit in one person, the two roles can cause immense pressure on the individual. To stay afloat, the individual will tend to lean on their team (with other roles already assigned) for help.

While you might register results, over-working your team can lead damage your business over the long term. The most immediate effect is that your team’s morale really goes down. A study published by Families and Work Institute has revealed that more than half of the employees in the U.S. have felt overworked at some point in their job. Seventy percent dream of having another job bacause they are overwhelmed or over-worked at their current job. Twenty-eight percent of the 1,003 workers surveyed said they were “often” or “very often” overworked, while 29 percent felt that “often” or “very often” they didn’t have time to reflect on their work.

The study also found out that taking full vacation time had an impact on how content they were with the job. There are simple ways to know if you’re overworking your team, some of which you can find here, here and here.

3. You have a case of Founder’s Syndrome.

Also referred to as "Founderitis," Founder’s Syndrome has afflicted many founders around the globe. Basically, it’s where the owner of a startup, established business or non-profit retains unchecked power over strategic decisions at their business. As the founder, you feel like you understand best what the company needs and it’s OK because you really do know much. So you want to control decision-making at a point because to you only your ideas matter. At brainstorming sessions, this is how you behave:

- You shoot down ideas without justification.

- You give business solutions based on personal preferences.

- Your decisions are based on pure misjudgment, rather than data.

Before you know it, people give in and nothing is done without your approval. This, ironically, results in your getting overwhelmed and burned out.

So, “How do you harness the knowledge, creativity and passion of the founder without risking Founderitis?” you might ask.

The key is to find balance in governance. First, understand that everyone needs to be heard to help you see the issue from all angles. Second, if you have to be a founder-CEO, it helps to build a team of executives to help you run the company. Lastly, especially if your brand is built around your personal identity, you need a succession plan and have to participate fully toward its implementation.

As the business owner, you might be reluctant to surrender your power. After all, no one knows your business better than you. Five years after being ousted as Twitter CEO, co-founder Jack Dorsey was returned as “new” CEO in 2015 because he “knows more about Twitter than anyone else.” Similar case with Steve Jobs, and if you look around you’ll probably find more examples. Or maybe you’re heading a family business where having a familiar face at the top helps bring values like trust and loyalty. So your hunches and ideas may be in the right direction.

However, if you suspect you’re taking on more than you can handle, the most logical thing to do is seek help.

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7 Moneymaking Apps to Turn Your Phone into a Passive Income Machine

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The average American adult spends about 86 hours a month on their smartphone. What could you do with 86 extra hours a month? Train for an Ultramarathon? Learn a new language? Make money?

Instead of giving up your smartphone addiction. (Who wants to do that anyway?) Why not turn your addiction into a moneymaking machine? Did you know that apps exist in the world that will make you either passive or nearly passive income? Here are the ten apps I found that are more than likely going to make you some decent pocket change.

1. Slidejoy

We all love ads, right? Well, when we’re making money off them, of course. Otherwise, they might just be a mild annoyance at the corner of your screen.

If you’re an affiliate marketer, you’re already familiar with making money from ads. But what if you could be advertised to and make money at the same time?

This is exactly how Slidejoy works. You give Slidejoy permission to put ads on your lock screen and you make money each time you unlock your screen and see an ad. It’s the easiest way to make money from your smartphone even if you prefer your dog’s face to Gas X ads.

There is one tricky caveat. The app does charge a 20% fee to transfer the funds to your bank account. But the money was pretty much free anyway so…

2. Ibotta

Are you a shopaholic? Do you shop at Walmart? You could be earning cash back with your cell phone each time you make a purchase from certain retailers.

Ibotta works in two ways. If the company has a loyalty program, you might be able to link that program to the Ibotta app directly. You’ll automatically earn cash back or gift cards if you can use this option. And it’s the most hands-off option.

If there is no loyalty program, no sweat. Just submit the receipt via Ibotta’s camera feature. Your cashback will be in your Ibotta account within 48 hours.

3. Toluna

Survey apps are typically complete rubbish. You spend a bunch of time for very little payout ($1 gift cards, anyone?). And if you have the time to take long surveys, you have the time to start a blog or a business.

Toluna may steal your time with surveys, but if you’re bored and in line at your local Starbucks, you can make actual cash with Toluna. That’s right, instead of the typical crappy gift cards, Toluna pays your PayPal directly.

The app itself provides a webinar to help you get the most money. And if you are the creative type, you can make surveys for other people to take and make money that way.

4. Foap

If you already take lots of photos for Instagram, then you’ll love Foap. Unlike most photo and stock photo sites, Foap accepts photos directly from your smartphone. So, if you take stellar photos, it’s time to download Foap.

Why?

Because Foap will sell your photos for you. You can make $5 when someone or a brand purchases your photo. And you can participate in missions and make $100 or more.

If you already take the photos, why not toss them on Foap? Even if you sell one photo, you’ve made some cash.

5. Field Agent

It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt, but you make money doing it. If you’re the type that likes to go hunting for deals or just have a few minutes to stop off at a store on your way home, you’ll love this app.

Field Agent pays you to verify prices at stores or just gather information for them. Often, you’ll check in-store displays, complete customer surveys, or take a photo of a specific product on the shelf. You’ll peruse a list of jobs, select one, and get to it.

You’ll get paid anything from $3 to $12. But you do have to fill out a sign-up questionnaire before you can select jobs. But the process is fairly simple.

6. Sweatcoin

Unfortunately, Sweatcoin is only on the iPhone or I’d probably have a lot of free gear by now. You can opt for cash on PayPal through Sweatcoin, but if you’re a runner, you’re gonna go for the gear, right?

The app uses your phone’s accelerometers and GPS location and converts steps to currency. 1,000 steps equals 0.95 Sweatcoins.

10,000 steps a day keeps the doctor away. At least that’s the going number right now. But if you took your 10k steps a day, you’d earn almost 10 Sweatcoins a day. And in just 7 to 10 days, you could have a new pair of Vivobarefoot shoes.

But it would take about 2,000 days to get an iPhone 8. So, maybe you won’t make a ton, but you’ll be skinnier for trying.

7. Fluid Market

This app requires a few resources before you can make money from it. But if you work from home like I do, you might actually be able to make some money from your truck or car.

Fluid Market is a sharing economy app. You can rent out your vehicle through the app by the hour, day or week. Don’t worry, the app includes some insurance in case someone using the vehicle trashes it.

If you don’t have a vehicle laying about, you can rent out other things such as tools, boats, bicycles, and really, well, anything. If you’re afraid you can’t be around when someone comes to pick up the vehicle, you can install a lockbox on your truck to hold the keys.

Make it Happen

Your phone is just sucking money right out of your pocketbook. It’s time to recoup that money and even make a profit. Any of these apps are almost guaranteed to make you some money.

If you’ve made money using your smartphone, let me know down in the comments. I’m always looking for more ways to make money.

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I Was Ripped Off by Someone I Thought Was a Friend. Here's What I Learned.

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If I had dug a little deeper, I would have seen the truth.

May 18, 2018

5 min read

When I first met Chris, I felt a real kinship. He was accomplished, had a strong following and had the successes that I had been struggling to achieve. Not only did he understand marketing, manage a team of virtual assistants and run ads at scale, but he was also earning hundreds of thousands of dollars every month.

After close to a year of being friends and exchanging life-changing insights on business, Chris told me about a business idea he'd recently used. He relayed to me the big success he had with doing a unique competition with another company, and he encouraged me to jump into it, too. Since I'd known Chris for a decent amount of time, I trusted him.

Excited and ready to make a killing in business, I paid over $12,000 to hire a company Chris swore was gold. Little did I know, Chris was taking half of the money I was handing over, and this company had a history of underperforming.

Once Chris was paid, he up and vanished. Poof -- he was gone. My messages were ignored. My friend, the person I'd been regularly talking with, somehow became too busy to respond.

Chris taught me some hard lessons, and now I'd like to pass on this cautionary advice to you, so you can avoid being ripped off by friends, associates or anyone else in your sphere.

Don't blindly trust friends.

The most significant mistake I made? I trusted the word of someone else without doing my research. Chris was a smooth-talking guy who had the patience of a snake waiting in the bushes. Had I done my research before trusting someone I thought was a friend, I wouldn't have been duped out of my money.

As a former student of the monkhood, it's hard for me to admit not everyone is a good person. This practice of befriending someone and later exploiting them is more common than any entrepreneur would like to admit. As Robert Greene states in his book The 48 Laws of Power, we should never put too much trust in so-called friends. Sadly, just because you consider someone a friend, it doesn't mean he or she will treat you kindly in business.

Foe or friend, before you hire anyone -- do your research to ensure you're making the best choice.

For quality assurance, record your calls.

The company I hired took my money, and its sales team collected nearly multiple five figures from our new clients. In one of our calls, I asked them when I would get paid money they collected from my clients. Their response: "Sorry, we spent it. Our business is now defunct, and we're not sure we'll be able to pay you."

When the vendor's team openly admitted in our call to spending all the money they collected from my clients, I called them out. I responded, "You do know this call was recorded and you've openly admitted that you essentially stole all of my money?"

Somehow, the vendor found some loose change and paid a few thousand dollars right on the spot, and agreed to make monthly deposits until its debt was paid off. Had I not recorded those calls, I would have been caught without recourse and potentially costly litigation fees with a company based overseas.

To ethically and legally record your business meetings with anyone, be sure to check out this article.

Successful people aren't always the best advisors.

Our heroes aren't always the people we believe them to be. When taking advice, don't just consider how successful the person is. Take a look at how many people he or she has led to the promised land and how many people have been left disappointed.

If I had researched Chris, I would have seen that I am not the first disgruntled friend in his rearview mirror. Unfortunately, I only looked at the appearance of things and not the hard facts that were spread throughout the internet. If you want to hire people, take a moment to review their past to assure they're someone you'll want to work with.

Never be a victim -- take responsibility.

When I think about Chris, I am not mad at him. In fact, I'm thankful he taught me early about some of the most fundamental elements of business, such as how friendship and business are not always the same. I fully acknowledge I allowed the circumstances to happen and I am also powerful enough to create new outcomes. He was there to teach me, and with that, I am more aptly able to identify the "Chrises" of the world.

Take responsibility for what you create, and you'll never really be ripped off. Instead, you'll be given life lessons that make you more successful in business.

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If You Struggle With Authority, Science Says Blame Your Brain

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People who want to be their own bosses -- like entrepreneurs -- may fall into this neurological group.

May 18, 2018

5 min read

If you hate being told what to do, and that’s why you decided to become an entrepreneur -- or that’s why you aspire to launch your own venture -- brain science may have an explanation for your aversion to authority.

Some people are predisposed to “control aversion” given their neurological structure, according to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience. The control averse don’t like it when others hold sway over their decisions and actions and feel strongly inclined to rebel. This tendency is linked to strong brain connectivity between the parietal lobule and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, two regions “commonly associated with attention reorientation and cognitive control,” the study’s co-authors note.

To get to the bottom of what makes some folks more defiant, the study’s researchers created a game for pairs of participants in which one player got to divide money between themselves and a partner. The researchers designed the game to provide the distributor player freedom of choice: That player could choose how much money to dole out at some points during the game, but every now and then, the player on the receiving end had the option of limiting their counterpart’s choice by requesting a minimum amount. The recipient could say something like, “Give me no less than X dollars.” When recipients requested a minimum, the majority of the distributors balked and awarded their peers less money than during the rounds in which they had freedom of choice.

Brain scans (fMRI) were used to observe activity in the parietal and frontal brain regions of the distributors, and researchers observed that those with more simultaneous activity in those two brain regions tended to lowball their recipient peers when controlled by them. The difference between the amount they gave when free versus when controlled was larger, on average, in those who displayed greater connectivity between those brain areas.

Then, when the games ended, each participant answered some questions to gauge their feelings from the exercise. The researchers found that those who reported feeling like the other person didn’t trust them, or who felt any sort of confusion about their partner’s decisions, had more simultaneous activity in the two brain regions in question, and they gave away less money when recipients wielded some control. Participants who met all of these criteria were determined to be more rebellious, or control averse. It seems they took recipients’ restrictions personally and reacted in a retaliatory manner.

While there’s no way, short of hopping into an MRI machine, to know whether your brain may be the culprit behind how you react to others’ attempts to control your decisions, you can recognize that some people chafe at receiving what they perceive to be arbitrary or condescending orders from on high -- a helpful insight for those who manage employees.

On the flip side, more compliant people just might not have the skill set to rebel, a study published in the British Journal of Social Psychology found. Their brains might not be as hardwired to express their desire to skip certain tasks through “silence or hesitation, groaning or sighing, laughing nervously, challenging the authority figure, refusing to carry on” or other means.

Balanced leadership is crucial to keeping any organization well-oiled, and autonomy often pays dividends when bosses are able to strike the balance between empowering employees and condoning a free-for-all. A study out of the University of Birmingham last year found a connection between worker autonomy and job satisfaction.

To effectively grant autonomy, leaders have to provide employees with tools and training that will allow them to do their jobs successfully without hand-holding. Teams thrive and perform best when they’re built organically and members are allowed to select their own collaborators, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Authority and agility can work well together. Employers should encourage experimentation, offer choices when possible and ask employees about their goals -- and not simply listen, but adapt based on feedback, explains Entrepreneur contributor and HR expert Heather R. Huhman.

However, keep in mind that not everyone wants freedom at work -- or learns or benefits from it. Employees who perform routine tasks may not have the room for creative problem-solving and risk-taking, so when leaders expect this out of everyone within an organization, they put some people in a tight spot. Also, those who don’t want to be responsible for high-level decision-making at work may perceive that their boss is trying to evade or offload decision-making responsibilities.

The bottom line is, employers have to be selective and effective about which employees to offer a long leash to, based on the degree of creativity their jobs require, explains a study published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior. In the best of cases, being insightful about how your employees are wired can pay off in increased effort and teamwork -- a win for all.

Related video: How to Trick Your Brain to Love Criticism

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Tips and Tricks to Free Up Google Drive Storage Space

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One of the best things about living the dot com lifestyle — whether you’re a freelancer like me or you’re an Internet marketer, blogger, website developer, e-commerce professional or anything else — is that you can effectively work from anywhere in the world so long as you have reasonable access to the Internet. This level of freedom is truly empowering.

It doesn’t matter if you’re set up in the comforts of your home office or you’re hanging out in a luxury hotel in Singapore or you’re overlooking the beautiful beaches of Bali. As long as you can open up that laptop and get online, you can earn your living. You just have to make sure that you’ve set up your online business to support this kind of lifestyle.

If you’re a blogger, for instance, then you’ll already know that you can access WordPress from any web browser without having to install any specific software or access any specific files on your home computer. Similarly, you should set it up so that some of your most frequently used files are accessible from anywhere too and that’s where cloud storage becomes so critical.

You’ve got a lot of options in this space and one of the most popular is Google Drive. If you already have a Google account, which I’ll safely assume you all do, then you already have at least 15 GB of free Google Drive storage. But what if you start to run out of space? Remember that your storage capacity includes files saved to your Drive, as well as Gmail and Google Photos.

Here are some quick tips to help you recover some of that storage space.

1. Delete Old Emails

The main reason why I generally prefer email communication is that it functions as a built-in record of all my conversations. If I ever need to reference something that was said, I can simply search for that conversation in my Gmail. What did I promise to this client? How much did he promise to pay?

That’s why, for the longest time, I had the habit of “archiving” practically all my emails instead of deleting them. These days, I’m a little more selective, but I still prefer to hit the “archive” button. The thing is that those little emails can add up over time.

While it makes sense that you might want to reference an email from a few months ago, you probably don’t need to look up information from a 10-year-old email from someone with whom you no longer have any connection. To search for these older emails, you can use one of three different search operators:

before:

older:

older_than:

For the first two, you’ll want to enter a date. For example, you might search “before:2006/12/31” to look for everything before December 31, 2006. For the last one, you’ll want to enter a period of time, like “older_than:10y” to search for emails older than 10 years. You can also use “m” and “d” for months and days, respectively.

2. Delete Large Files

Applicable to both Gmail and Google Drive, you can also search for files (and emails) that are larger than a certain size. You might choose to offload some of these files to your computer or to some other cloud service if you want to keep them for whatever reason.

Just like searching for older emails, searching for larger files (and emails) means using a simple search operator:

larger:

For example, if you enter “larger:20M” in the search field, you’ll be presented with everything that is larger than 20 MB. The “size:” search operator works too, but it’s restricted only to bytes and counting up all those zeros could be unnecessarily frustrating.

And just like in Gmail, you can also search for older files in Google Drive if you want to delete them too. You can also combine these operators to further refine your results, like “older_than:5y larger:10M” will show files/emails that are more than five years old and larger than 10 MB.

3. Compress Your Google Photos

Here’s a neat little trick that many people overlook or ignore. Many of us use Google Photos to back up our pictures and videos, but if you keep all those files at their original full resolution, they’ll count against your quota. By contrast, if you choose the “high quality” setting — which retains great visual quality at a reduced file size — you get free unlimited storage.

While you might have selected the “high quality” option for backing up pictures from your smartphone or tablet, you may or may not have done that with files you’re backing up from your computer. Or you might have switched from “original” to “high quality” after having already uploaded some photos and videos for some time.

If you go into your Google Photos settings, you’ll find a button marked as “recover storage.” In effect, this takes everything that you have saved as “original” and compresses it down to “high quality.” In my case, I was able to recoup about 5 GB. I still have the original files backed up locally on an external hard drive at home, so I’m not too worried if I really want the full resolution and quality.

4. Empty Your Trash

By default, just like on your computer, when you “delete” something in Google Drive or Gmail, you’re not actually deleting it permanently right away. This is to protect you in case you deleted it by accident or you want to recover it back for whatever reason.

This still counts against your storage capacity, even if messages in your trash are actually removed after 30 days. If you need the extra space right now (or you recently deleted something sizable), go ahead and empty your trash on both Gmail and Google Drive. Just be sure you actually want to delete everything in there permanently, because you won’t be able to recover any of it after you empty your trash.

Just Upgrade Your Storage

If you don’t want to sweat about running out of space, the easiest solution is simply to pay for more storage. Google Drive upgraded plans are super affordable, starting at about $20/year for 100 GB of space or about $100/year for 1 TB. Of course, there are innumerable other cloud options available too, like Dropbox and OneDrive. And when you live the dot com lifestyle, you’ve got the privilege of choice. Isn’t it a great time to be alive?

Click Here To Download John Chow’s New eBook, The Ultimate Online Profit Model!

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Airbnb Adds Surfing to Its Booking Service

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Plus, TiVo is adding Alexa voice controls to its DVRs and a startup in North Carolina is going to help home buyers make an all-cash bid.

May 18, 2018

1 min read

Airbnb has added surfing to its booking service. The home rental and travel company has partnered with The World Surf League to introduce more than 75 surf activities to its experiences category. The surfing activities will range from surfing lessons to surfing photo tours and will be available to book in 20 major surfing locations.

TiVo is adding Alexa voice controls to its DVRs. The company announced that its Series 4, 5 and 6 DVR boxes are getting an update that will let customers command the Alexa-enabled device. Alexa will be able to skip commercials, change the channel, pause, fast forward and much more. The integration will be launched in early June.

Ribbon, a startup in North Carolina, is going to help you win that bidding war on your dream home. Ribbon is introducing the first ever platform that allows buyers, sellers and realtors to participate together to guarantee a home transaction. Ribbon is not a lender, but offers homebuyers and sellers cash backing, just in case the mortgage doesn't come through.

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How To Get Out Of A Rut

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11 Signs Your In A Rut And How To Get Out

We all get off track at some point.

For self-employed entrepreneurial people it often happens because of burnout. But it can also be because of a personal issue or relationship that’s getting in the way of our focus and success. Being stuck in a rut is often due to the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Today’s environment is unlike any other in our history. We are bombarded non-stop by messages, information and every other form of distraction. It’s not just our smart phones either. Computer monitors, radio programs, TV screens, magazines, billboards, signs and the biggest distraction of them all – the internet.

All of these medians, combined with friends, family and co-workers constantly chattering make it difficult for us to ‘check out’ and get a sense of balance and inner peace as an individual. This can often become overwhelming and can even lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. I know because I’ve been there. I have a hunch that psychiatrists have never had more business than they have today.

Most people know when they’re in a rut but it can often sneak up on your too. There are 11 signs listed in the infographic below that leave breadcrumbs for you to know you may be entering a life rut. Some people recognize a rut is disastrous for their business and their personal life and take immediate steps to go in another direction. Others have trouble climbing out because they don’t know the right direction to go in. Worse, some stay in a rut indefinitely until their lives collapse around them. They simply give up. They’ve accepted this fate or called it ‘bad luck’ and often blame their predicament on other people in their lives which further exasperate their condition.

If you find yourself in a rut you must first recognize it and then push out. You must take your entire life in a different direction and that includes little daily things that are different than what go you to your current place.

Take a look at the infographic below by NetCredit and learn how to recognize the signs of being in a rut and how to escape:

The post How To Get Out Of A Rut appeared first on High Paying Affiliate Programs.

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3 Components of the Perfect Elevator Pitch

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After filming two seasons of Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch, I've come to realize that there are three key elements to delivering the perfect pitch.

Our show is unique when it comes to pitching: Potential entrepreneurs have just one minute to pitch their idea, service or product. Those 60 seconds have added pressure because the contestants are being filmed, and they are talking to a camera (instead of people) while riding up to the penthouse suite in an elevator.

In real life, with a different set of distractions, it's essential to know how to deliver a convincing elevator pitch. Whether you are pitching a product, a service or yourself, here are the three essential components in a pitch:

Stimulate interest.
Transition that interest.
Share a vision.

Can you stimulate interest?

The first step, stimulating interest, is the most important. In fact, an "elevator pitch" is usually determined by the limited amount of time you have, and circumstances may only give you the opportunity to stimulate interest. If you do a good job of stimulating interest, this can yield a second opportunity, where you transition that interest and share a vision with those you are pitching to.

Keep in mind that people generally buy based on emotion, using logical reasons as their impetus for action. So, make a point to connect with them emotionally in order to stimulate their interest. Don't be afraid to show your feelings; demonstrate high energy and excitement for your idea, business or service. Your passion and belief need to come through in your pitch!

Use the 100/20 Rule to your advantage: Have the energy that you are providing $100 worth of value and only asking for $20 in return. This attitude will generate enough attention, giving you the opportunity to transition the interest that you've garnered.

Make the transition.

But people don't buy exclusively on emotion. There needs to be some logic in the decision to make a purchase. Therefore, you must address some sort of pain, fear or guilt in your pitch, that those without your product or service may experience. And if you can illustrate how you (efficiently) solve a big problem, you'll have more statistical success in your elevator pitch.

Making a genuine connection can help you transition interest. Learn to make yourself equal, then make yourself different.

Simply having connections to the same people or a point of similarity in your backgrounds will help bridge the gap with those you are pitching. Then you can emotionally connect, following that up with the logic portion of your pitch.

Transition the interest you've generated with a clear explanation of what differentiates you. Build credibility by discussing your sales, distribution, revenue, awards and/or successes. All of these different ways to "attract" allow you to segue from emotion to the logical reasons to buy.

Of course, it is of the utmost importance to be honest when you are pitching. The truth always comes out, so ensure that you aren't over-promising with your pitch. Don't create a void that you are unable to fill.

What's your vision?

Finally, in order to excel when sharing a vision, you need to have a value proposition that backs the 100/20 Rule. Make the value that you bring to the table as clear as possible. The value you're asking for in return also needs to be clear. If you don't display confidence in what you're asking for, you won't instill confidence in those you ask.

Tell others exactly what you want, why you want it and what you're willing to give in return. You should have already proved your valuation when transitioning interest, then reiterated that valuation as you progressed in the pitch.

Take the people you are pitching through the reasons why you can be of value to them, the impact that you can have on their life or organization and the capabilities you (or your product/service) possess that makes working together beneficial for all involved.

Practice your pitch, then get rich.

After following each of these three steps, close with one simple question to gauge whether you are aligned or not: "Can you see any reason you wouldn't want to move forward?"

If you utilize your pitch to stimulate interest in your product/service/self, transition that interest, then share a vision with those you are pitching to, the answer is almost always a resounding "no."

And if you get objections or rejections, so what? Address whatever objections there are and if you still can't get aligned, that's OK. Take the perspective that the universe has a set number of rejections you need to get to before you find the right partner. Be grateful for an opportunity to prove others wrong, and believe that if you keep working on your pitch, product, service or self, everything will come to you in the right way at the perfect time.

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Slide Images

Saturday, 19 May 2018

1. Incorporate consistent branding.

2. Utilize clear calls to action.

3. Create for consumers -- not designers.

Finding the money

Mentoring

Breaking stereotypes

What a cryptocurrency takeover would look like

1. Growing consumer interest

2. Industry impact and response

3. Governmental impact and response

4. National adoption

5. International adoption

The advantages of an all-crypto future

1. Decentralized

2. Manipulation protection

3. Circulation costs

4. Security

5. Intermediary abolishment

The disadvantages of an all-crypto future

1. Fiat currency woes

2. Infrastructure and transition

3. Industry collapse

4. Lack of oversight

5. Confusion

Final thoughts

Hivebrite

Ning

Brand24

Riffle by CrowdRiff

Buffer

Conclusion

Don't be afraid to change direction -- a lot.

Never assume you can't.

Don't compromise your priorities.

Don't lose sight of the long term.

1. You’re not good with operations.

2. You’re running an overworked team.

3. You have a case of Founder’s Syndrome.

1. Slidejoy

2. Ibotta

3. Toluna

4. Foap

5. Field Agent

6. Sweatcoin

7. Fluid Market

Make it Happen

Don't blindly trust friends.

For quality assurance, record your calls.

Successful people aren't always the best advisors.

Never be a victim -- take responsibility.

Friday, 18 May 2018

1. Delete Old Emails

2. Delete Large Files

3. Compress Your Google Photos

4. Empty Your Trash

Just Upgrade Your Storage

11 Signs Your In A Rut And How To Get Out

Can you stimulate interest?

Make the transition.

What's your vision?

Practice your pitch, then get rich.