The Iconic Google AdSense Check and My 10 Year Journey After
This is the backstory to one of the most epic and iconic pictures in internet marketing. When I cashed this check it was accompanied by a $350 unemployment check. My
First-Party Data and Beyond: How to Collect Data for Your Business
What would you do if you could see into the future? Would you warn others of impending danger? Would you become a masked vigilante and save lives? Would you invest in the stock market and become rich? What if I told you there was a way to see into the future? You might be disappointed when I told you it …
Data Management Challenges in Startups
I was working in an office near the end of the cloud data revolution. Networking at my office was still entirely local. The only thing we did in the cloud was email. Today, the only reason to keep a local server is to appease certain government regulations. The internet is as stable as electricity and it’s rare you get an …
What Are the Pros and Cons of Employee Drug Testing?
I worked with people with disabilities for seven years and never once got drug tested. I could have been high as a kite or drunk out of my mind on certain shifts, and the only people who would have known were my one coworker and my clients who couldn’t speak. You would think in an industry where people’s lives are …
How to Conduct Effective Business Meetings in Five Simple Steps
Meetings are largely a waste of time. You spend the first few minutes discussing football, the next few minutes deciding whether to wait for Pam (who is chronically late to meetings), and the next few minutes discussing Bob’s irrelevant complaints. By the time you’ve gotten down to business, half the scheduled meeting is over. You’re going to go over time …
Small Business Owners Can Reliably Increase Profit Margins With These 5 Tips
In an era where the customer has more say than ever, it’s easy to get caught up in pleasing the customer. The customer is always right, after all (NOT). But if you continually sacrifice on your bottom line to please customers, eventually you will end up bleeding money. This is a sure indicator you’ve forgotten one of the reasons you …
Make Money While You Sleep in 2020: Five Steps To Get Started With Affiliate Marketing
You’re on a beach somewhere in South America. A waiter in a pristine white coat with glinting gold buttons walks up and asks you for your drink order. You think for a moment and order a Mojito, easy on the basil. As he walks away, you pull out your smartphone to find out you just made enough money to pay …
5 Small Business Startup Insurance Policies That Entrepreneurs Should Buy
Plaintiff lawyers are getting better at their job. In 2018, plaintiffs won 79% of the wage and hour cases against HR departments. That’s up 11 percent from previous years. “But!” you say, “I don’t have any employees yet.” Lawyers aren’t just interested in wage disputation. You could get hit from any angle from clients suing for damages to copyright cases. …
Benefits of Setting Your Business Up in a Portable Office Trailer
Ask yourself this: how much office space do you really need? The answer might be less than you think. In the West, we’ve benefited from an abundance of space. Our continent is over 2000 miles across. When I tell my friends in Europe how long it takes to drive to California from my house, they’re amazed it’s only two states …
Loyalty Matters: How to Build a Customer Retention Plan That Really Works
Most people follow a three-strike rule when it comes to company patronage. Only about 33% of customers will drop you if you give them bad service once. Excellent news, right? Verily. We’re living in an age of excellent customer service. More than 80% of Americans report that businesses are meeting or even exceeding expectations in customer service. But is 80% …
How To Set Up Logistics For Your Startup
You’ve developed an incredible product. It’s been crowdfunded 300% and you’re already through your final prototype and on to production. Your customers are waiting patiently. You have not actualized the most important part of your business. Logistics. How are you going to ship your product to your customers? How are you going to optimize your manufacturing process and gather the …
The Many Ways to Finance a Small Business
With business financing, it’s try and fail and try again. A full 77% of business owners who apply for a loan from a large bank get rejected. If you’re in the 77% boat, you’re likely discouraged. You need the funds to get your business off the ground, but all that work seems like just another mountain to climb. The good …
Office Space Location: 7 Key Tips for Finding the Perfect Office Space
You and your best friend built a small app. You didn’t expect your idea to take off, but people adopted it and made it grow. Now you’re unable to carry the weight on your own shoulders and need employees. But you guys worked out of your home offices. You didn’t even think you’d need an office space. How do you …
Four Small Businesses You Can Start In College With Less Than $1000
I mentor Freshmen at a local university. Something I often hear is how much extra time they suddenly have compared to when they were in High School. Usually, my students find ways to fill their time. They join intramurals. They find jobs. They join the orchestra. And then they complain about their sudden lack of free time. If you’re in …
A Short Guide to Maintaining Your Waterjet Machine
You’re starting a custom metal cutout company. You’ve decided on waterjet over laser but you’re worried you won’t be able to take care of the machine. That’s ok. Waterjet machines aren’t as difficult to maintain as you might think. Keep scrolling for a quick look at how to maintain your waterjet machine. 1. Be Sure Your Environment Is Clean Before …
How Do Big Data Boost Sales? Supercharge Conversions With These Tips
Back in 2015, EMC predicted big data companies will be collecting 1.7 megabytes a second on each individual connected to the internet in 2020. That’s 53,611,200 megabytes or 53.6 terabytes a year. It’s hard to fathom that much information. And it’s kind of a silly number anyways? Is there really that much information about you out there? Likely not. You …