Have you and your friends ever thought of a business idea over dinner, in the bar, pub? My guess is that you probably have, I guess now is the time when you should probably start writing those ideas down..

Three Kingston post-graduate students (Ana Mikaela, Joe Peach and Sam Mclintock) started their company Tshaped after stumbling upon an idea one evening at their university pub.

After having a quick chat with them on why they wanted to start the business

They said “We were inspired by the love of creating a digital business that would be useful to others and that would make us passionate to work on. Although we were encouraged to create the business by the Masters program, we decided to put our heart and souls in a business that will go much further than a university project”.

The fact that all three come from different business backgrounds also helps;

Ana Mikaela (advertising and communications background and plans the marketing strategy of the company); Sam (industrial design and engineering background) Joe ( conceptual art background, he visualizes and creates ideas, balancing out his team mates with a more creative and artistic approach).

They have since launched their first service from Tshaped called be “Hold the Front Pages.com” A digital newsstand that provides up-to-date view of the front pages of newspapers and magazines.
It allows anyone to browse the front covers with a click of a button. It is a free service that enables quick and easy access to the newsstands.

I also spoke to them about how they are looking to monetize the service;

Our website will be monetized through magazine subscriptions in the initial phase, in the second phase we hope sell advertising space and also sell “tabs” in the website (selling means that the metro might want to pay to have a whole tab called METRO, where people can only see their newspapers).
Another way of getting revenue will be the Sponsored pages, where in a further stage, magazines and or newspapers (or other entitites) can sponsor a page by paying us, which will make that page more prominient in our website and be tagged as “Sponsored page”.

Not bad for a business that the total costs comes up to £250, which i might add is from the bright ideas competition.

I would like to thank Kingston entrepreneurs society for their assistance.

Hey Guys, Just finished an interview with Ramon Davis, a young entrepreneur with an amazing story, I spoke to Ramon before the interview realised how he managed to turn his life around, unlocking his hidden potential and following his passion.

I would also like to thank Enitan Sarr for introducing me to this amazing young man.

Hope you enjoy the interview.

How are you doing today? Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

Thanks for asking; I’m having a pretty healthy day so far. I was blessed to see another day, so everything else is breathing, believing and achieving. A little background on me well lets see, I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago and recently moved to London in October 2009.

I am Managing Partner of Media Basement as well as the founder for Evolutionary. Both companies deal in the creative marketing solutions arena. However while Media Basement is headquartered here in London, my other company Evolutionary deals with USA clientele.

Tell us a little bit more about your company and what role do you play?

Media Basement is a design agency based in London that was started about a year and three months ago by my business partner Pia Cabble. I recently became partner with the business in October of 2009.

As Managing Partner some of my duties include: overseeing projects from start to finish, strategically implementing new ways to acquire market share, make sure we are always consistent with our message and branding as well as building and maintaining relationships with clients, universities and government. And the list goes on and on and on… It doesn’t stop until the job is done.

How did you get involved in this company?

I became involved with Media Basement through a shared mutual passion for creativity and innovation. We both agreed that our skill sets complimented each other that we had a winning business recipe if cooked the right way. As my strengths are more focused on strategy, creative vision and new business development and Pia’s strength is more focused on the creative executions, ambition and forward thinking so it worked out for both us.

Is this your first business?

No. To date I can safely say that I have had almost 7 business ventures under my belt. Some were successful and some were not at all. Its just part of the game.

How did you get finance to start the business?

All financing came from personal funds and from client invoices. The beauty about a small creative based business is that the initial overhead is quit low. All you need is a smart phone, laptop, ideas and the drive to push the ideas. We have recently moved into our first office space as our team has grown a bit since we first started.

How has your market changed in the past few years? How has your business changed to keep pace?

One significant market change has been the expansion from USA to London. I had to learn how to adapt to the different cultural differences and adjust strategies to meet the market. Due to the recession we have seen an increase in business as more people are turning to entrepreneurship as a form of financial freedom. Fortunately for us that means that there are a lot of new business that needs a website and marketing solutions to push there companies.

Who are your customers?

Our customers range from companies in the wine investing industries to photographers and music groups. We definitely have a variety of clients at the moment. However we are starting to focus more on the creative sector and E- Commerce related companies.

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

Because we have realised that website design and marketing will not take Media Basement to the next level we have extended some of our services. For example this spring we will be launching a series of seminars for creative’s that will help them with their business practices. In addition we will begin hosting networking events at various locations to enforce the Media Basement brand.

What inspires you? What motivates you to keep going?

You know how when you sit down and contemplate on your life and you reflect on what you have done so far and what you plan on doing in the future? Well both motivate me, because my past was not a smooth road I am inspired by my progress. People that no matter how hard their situation might be, they still beat the crap out of those odds, they inspire me.

I’m a big dreamer, when I ride the train or bus I imagine my next stages of my life. I see it, I feel it, and I believe it and then it becomes a part of my mission in life. I’m motivated to constantly turn my dreams into reality and to defy the odds. And finally I’m motivated by God’s grace over my life.

You’ve had some rough times in the past especially growing up in an environment where drugs and crime were constantly being shoved in your face, Tell us about that and how you manage to escape that lifestyle?

Initially growing up as a youth in the city of Chicago I was definitely influenced by the streets. I cannot say that I did not indulge in the lifestyle for a long time. I dropped out of high school, ran with gangs, smoked weed all day went to jail a few times etc… But then I think I was like 17years old and I saw all my friends preparing for graduation and I guess it did something to me.

So I ended up moving with my father because it was only so much my mother could do for me. From there after getting in trouble a few times out there my pops gave me the book of Proverbs and the rest was history.

I graduated from high school and was fortunate to meet someone who gave me a full ride scholarship to go to school in Atlanta. From there I guess I adjusted to my surroundings and made it work for me. Overall I give all credit to God for changing my situation and blessing me with a divine purpose in life.

How do you manage your time?

I try to live by the 60/40 rule, meaning 60% enjoying life and having fun with loved ones and investing in my hobbies and learning new things and 40% strict discipline business executions. You have to enjoy life it’s to short handle your business but also try to enjoy just living, listening and learning. I believe it makes you a more balanced person.

What is your own definition of success?

The main stream always tries to manipulate the masses with success being material gain such as your car or you home or clothing. I think that you are success if you create a goal in your mind and honestly try your very best to accomplish that goal.

What do you think it takes to be a successful entrepreneur?

A mental disorder loll…. I think that you just need to have laser beam focus, believe in your idea no matter what all the critiques say, persistence, discipline, a hard work ethic and a ton of faith.

Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to tell us about?

Sure we are in the process of developing a social networking site that will be based around the global creative industry. My lawyer told me that’s all I can tell you for now (LAUGHTER)

Do you have any advice for young entrepreneurs looking to start their business? Those entrepreneurs caught making a choice to follow the streets or change their direction and develop their hidden potential?

Yes, you have to decide early in your life if you are going to be the low-key leader that’s developing self or the famous follower losing self. You know a lot of people turn to the streets because of the image it gives them, basically copying someone else’s lifestyle.

All I can tell someone is spend more time investing in things that you like to do instead of participating with activities and people that will take up your time and money because time is money. I would say if you are the smartest person in your group get out of that group. Surround yourself with people that are smarter, wealthier and more well off than you or who have the same goals, it keeps you on you’re A game.

Entrepreneurs hang around entrepreneurs. Don’t get me wrong I’m still cool with all my friends that are still living the street life, but they respect my hustle and there is no love lost. The great thing about life is you can write your own story, so when your contemplating what direction in life you want to take, think about how you want your story to end and move forward. But always let your next move be your best move.

Any last words of wisdom?

I would like to leave readers with two quotes that I live by.
1. Consistent persistence takes you the distance.
2. Amaze people never amuse them.

Thanks for your time Ramon

Today I have Joshua Mason Allen, An young entrepreneur who decided to jump on the entrepreneurial bandwagon after his company was made redundant and he realised he simply could not let his love for aviation go, he acted upon it and started LROPS Flight Simulation Limited.

Hope you enjoy the interview.

Hey Joshua, how is it going? Thanks for doing this interview with me.

Hello Joseph, thank you for taking the time to conduct an interview with me. The YHP venture that you have set up is quite unique and very impressive: I’m honoured to have been considered for a mention.

Thank you very much Joshua, I’m glad it is been seen like that.

Can you kindly give us some background information about yourself? What you do?

Currently, I’m the Managing Director of LROPS Flight Simulation Limited at nineteen years old and I’m based in Warwickshire. After leaving school, I knew I wanted to run a business but settled into a work environment for a little while to get some “real” experience.

I took a job with a bank, and got made redundant a year later which is possibly the best thing that had ever happened to me. Not only did the redundancy give me the proverbial kick, but I was elected as the employee representative for the 100+ of us that were being made redundant.

I dealt with negotiation of redundancy deals, holding meetings and conferences, as well as dealing with very senior managers. I was told by the senior staff that I did a fantastic job at it: and walked away with a very nice settlement, despite not being entitled to anything legally. As did everyone else who hadn’t been there two years, I should add!

Tell me about your company: LROPS – How it got started? What services do you guys provide? Etc

LROPS was started when I saw a gap in the market in the flight simulation community. Software was being provided, namely simulations of real aircraft that were so complex that they were tested by real pilots before being released. What we saw was a lack of training: it’s fantastic people get the opportunity to fly these sorts of simulations that, ten years ago, would have been unimaginable, yet there was no real training for them. The vendors did publish manuals, but these went only a short distance in proving a complete training solution.

At present, our main focus is on researching and developing the next stage of LROPS’ life, we’re working on two new business models that we shall provide side-by-side in the future, but also work seamlessly together. I can’t give too much away, but I can tell you that it involves the full motion simulators. The ones real pilots are trained on.

We then stepped in and worked with pilots to produce the sort of manuals and details that the enthusiasts wanted, this level of business took us to a level where incorporation into a limited company made sense, so that we could further what we wanted to do.

How did you finance your business?

The business has been grown from a nothing. I don’t mean I was given £2000 by anyone either, it was literally nothing, but eventually funds from profits were available for reinvestment. The only investment that I have ever made into the business is time, lots of it.

This way of doing things has certainly been interesting at times when cash was right for reinvestment for the business; however, it does make sure that you thoroughly plan every penny that you spend and that nothing goes to waste.

Is this your first business? You told me that you started making money at a young age? What were you doing?

It’s my first ‘legal’ business. From a very young age I started washing cars on a Saturday and Sunday, when I got a lot of customers, I started to get other kids that lived around me to work for me for half of the fee it cost for the car to be washed. For example, if Mr Smith needed his car washing, I could send my next door neighbour round to do it, and we both got £5!

When I was at secondary school, also, the school closed the tuck shop: preventing people from buying sweets and other sugary items. I stepped in and filled this gap very quickly: buying sweets in the morning on my way to school and then selling them on the playground during break time. It’s all very Del-Boy-esque now that I look back on it, however, at the time making money was the sweetest thing of all.

Is the business profitable? How do you make money?

Our current stream of income comes from the sales of our training materials within a simulator community. It’s got to a stage where the business is indeed profitable and is now in a position to start looking into where we want to go. We’ll never forget our roots, but I’m an ambitious person and hope to move on to bigger and better things in the not too distant future!

Who are your target audience?

At the moment, our products only appeal to people who use a computer based flight simulator, or those who are real pilots in some capacity. Our starting market is very niche indeed, but as I’ve said already, this is something that we hope to change in the next year or so.

Ultimately, our target market will be anyone of any age or gender who wants to experience the thrill of flying a commercial airline aircraft, such as those provided by Airbus or Boeing.

What type of technology do you guys use?

We use lots of different technology, especially for what we’re growing into. The training books are published through software on a Windows operating system.

In the very near future, we’re going to be using CAD software.

What was the hardest part in starting the business?

The hardest part is probably maintaining regular interest and custom. Setting it up, managing legal structures, managing the website, dealing with other companies and private individuals is all very easy compared to maintaining regular income.

Can you give an example of successful technology change in aviation?

There have been a lot of technological advances in aviation in the last twenty years: it’s been totally revolutionised. The depths of this question, therefore, are probably a little too geeky for this interview – but allow me to explain this: the way aircraft are built, the challenges the aviation industry faces from the economists and global-warmingists alike mean that aviation needs to be on the cutting edge at all times.

Conversely, however, aviation is probably the only industry in modern times that has taken a monumental leap backwards. Naturally, I speak of the retirement of Concorde, and with the bankers and the environmentalists running the world’s progress these days, your life will always be slower. I doubt we’ll ever see anything like Concorde again in our life time.

Your company has been shortlisted for this month’s Livewire “Grand Ideas”
Award” we wish the best of luck, what should we be expecting from you and your company in the future?

As I’ve mentioned, we’re up to a lot of R&D this year to develop something truly brilliant. Between you and I, then, we’re trying to develop our own line of simulators that we shall both sell in an affordable way to private individuals and also offer them for use to the general public.

Aircraft seem to fascinate a lot of people, and they have done for a long time. I want to everyone to be able to share a passion, even if it is only for an hour at a time, of being able to sit in the left hand seat of a flight deck and experience the thrill and the passion of it all. Initially we shall provide a platform for people to be able to locate this sort of experience, and then eventually provide it ourselves.

With regards to me personally, I intend to see the success of this company before I move onto something else. I have a dangerous interest in property development!

What has been your most effective way of marketing your company’s services?

Almost certainly by getting peer-reviewed in all sorts of different aviation publications has been the most effective way. We’ve had our publications reviewed by real airline pilots and then published in world-wide magazines; likewise we’ve had reviews done by the sort of websites that flight simulation enthusiasts read.

What tools have helped you as a young entrepreneur starting your business?

I’m not really sure there has been a specific set of tools or other devices that have helped me to start a business. I’m quite old-school in my belief that you can either succeed in business or not. The advice I’ve received has been very valuable though: even just by speaking to people in my local pub, I’ve got a good tip, idea or suggestion. Networking, therefore, I suppose has been a good “tool”.

What would you like to see coming out that could help young entrepreneurs?

I think there should be a place for young entrepreneurs to chat to other young entrepreneurs: sort of like a social club, together I suppose we can make a real good go of setting ourselves up as the people to lead this country through the next generation.

For example, I would like to meet other company directors who are my age; I know people around my age that are self-employed, but only (I think) one director.

I don’t think it’s a problem of there being no support or advice; I don’t necessarily consider that to be dependant upon the entrepreneurs’ age. Maybe a lack of motivation or confidence – but if I can start a company, I don’t see why any other person can’t.

What advice/tips do you have for young entrepreneurs looking to start-up a similar company?

I think the words of Getty have always stuck with me when I was working up to opening a company: he once said: “rise early, work all day and don’t sleep until you strike oil”. While oil is, of course, proverbial here – the reference to good hard work is a solid one and one I feel is taken for granted these days.

The ‘Dragons’ Den’ culture as I shall now call it seems to glamorise business and doesn’t give a true reflection of what it’s like.

Yes, there are five very well-off people sat in those chairs who have done exceptionally well in business, but that isn’t how it is. Even those who deem themselves successful have a couple of million in the bank, and not the fortunes these people do.

You don’t go into business solely to make money, it isn’t easy and nor should it be.

What should we be expecting from you next?

Hopefully a lot more interviews from different publications like yours, Joseph. I’ve told you a bit about what my company will be doing over the next year and hopefully I can come back next year and tell you where we’ve got with it.

Thanks for taking time to do this interview with me, I hope you guys got some tips and inspiration from the interview.

My Interview with Chris Hanson, a truly amazing young entrepreneur taking his company vaiz Enterprises to the next level, Hope you guys enjoy the interview.

Hey Chris, thanks for doing this interview with me, how are you doing?

No problem, I was looking forward to it! I’m doing really well.

When was the company started? How did it start?

The company itself was started in June of 2007 after I had done a small web project for a local business. My best friend and business partner Dustin Knittig seen it as an opportunity, and suggested we pursue it further then just side projects. SO he jumped on board and away we went!

What inspired you to start a business? To start vaiz Enterprise?

Since my mid-teens I have always known I wanted to do something big, but I just didn’t know what it was. As the years progressed I started to realize that big thing was freedom. Freedom from financial burden and freedom to live life how I want to live it. Being an entrepreneur and business owner was, in my opinion, the avenue to that freedom.

How many people are involved in the company?

There is the two of us in ownership, and about 8 others involved as full or part time.

We all know that team work is essential in business, how did you know or select the right people for your business?

I looked at reliability. I know that if I can get a hold of that person, and they are willing to put in the effort then I can turn them into a productive part of our team. Of course necessary skills and knowledge is a requirement, but for me it honestly came down to effort and reliability.

How has your market changed in the past few years? How has your business changed to keep pace?

Being in the IT industry things have changed drastically. Not only over the past few years, but the past few weeks! Everyday things are changing in our field of work, and it can be a huge challenge. At the start of this year we had consultants come in and help us completely restructure how we offer our IT Solutions to business`.

That has been one of the biggest moves internally that we have ever made. It put us ahead of the game locally, and nationally. Now we can offer a service to our clients that other companies do not offer. Since we deal primarily with office network infrastructure, it can be very hard to set yourself apart. We managed to accomplish that by utilizing other peoples knowledge and experience then mixing it with our own!

This is the type of process we try to apply to everything we do every day so we can stay ahead of our competitors. Self evaluation is key to any companies survival.

What are a few of your favourite development tools and why?

The Adobe sweet! What a tremendous product line. We also began to utilize the Zoho CRM and thus far we have been very happy with what it provides at the cost!

What skills and technologies are you the most interested in improving upon or learning?

We have been focusing a lot on our green movement. Building better and more efficient servers for clients, using green products within our own office, and making process’ electronic are just a couple things we do. For example we no longer have a paper billing system it is all done electronically.

What are a few sites you admire and why?

I am going to say Google as a company more then just a site. They are not perfect by any means, but boy are they close! They really have a huge organization, and even so they can release such solid products and services over such a wide array. It really is amazing what they have accomplished.

What are a few personal web projects you’ve got going on?

At this moment I am pretty tied up with Vaiz Enterprises, and I do have an offer to get involved with two other ventures which I am considering. One of them is truly an untouched niche in the marketing industry in North America. Huge potential. It is currently in the fund seeking stage, and if someone bites there is going to be limitless success! chris@vaiz.org for more info

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

Self-evaluation as a company and individual is huge as I mentioned before. Confidence. Confidence in what you are doing, how you are doing it, why you are doing it, and with who you are doing it. If you don’t believe in it then no one else will.

What plans do you have now to expand your business further?

We just launched our IT division at the start of this year, and our first sales team began operations as of March 15th. We plan to expand our sales force into more areas and focus on the services we do provide. At this time we do not plan to expand into any “new” industries, but simply refine our current skills as a company.

What’s your favorite book?

The Answer. Inspirational!

What is one thing about you that not many people know?

As a young man in business you encounter a lot of situations where people stereotype you as “fly by night” or not capable of being a leader or expert.
At first people will not take you serious. I am starting to grow out of this now, but it still happens on occasion.
I think that initial stereotype is an obstacle that many young entrepreneurs face. It is something I have faced. Once people get to know me or take the time to talk with me they realize ok this young man is intelligent and mature for his age. Not to gloat!

Where do you see growth in the social media field?

This may not fall into social media exactly, but i think we are going to see a large increase in intercompany social clouds. Communication is a HUGE issue for many companies currently and the battle has begun to rectify this issue. Social media style clouds are going to take a shot at this niche. You will see intercompany “twitter” style feeds tied into CRM’s that are SaaS updated via mobile apps and online interfaces.

What is your opinion about Twitter and Facebook, for marketing our blog/business. Which one do you think has more potential to drive more traffic/conversion?

Well this really has a lot of factors. Twitter (like many other social media tools) has to be utilized correctly. If you do not give it %100 then you will not get anything out of it. However, if utilized properly I think in YHP’s situation you are going to see more results and higher conversions from twitter. Utilize your blogs and post that material through twitter.

Make sure to re-tweet pertinent search friendly info to your niche to increase your followers. Be sure also to promote your twitter throughout your site. Get your current followers on your twitter. Possibly hold a contest!

How do you define Success?

Back to freedom. Freddom financially, freedom of time. Also, I honestly like to help others succeed. If I can assist a client to reach their goals it gives me more inspiration and drive to be better at what I do.

How could you manage to get clients in the beginning days of your company?

Talk to as many people as possible, and still! Dont ever stop talking to people!

In the social media community, what tools/sites are you most comfortable with?

Facebook has helped us, and Linkedin has done an unspeakable amount for me! The Q&A section is priceless.

Do you think it’s important that any internet company fully engage in social media to be successful?

Thats hard to say. It depends on their target, niche, industry, etc. I think you are only going to see better results if you do, but I wont say one cannot be successful without it. The big thing about social media is it can be done so cheap or even free. You have to use it somewhat.

How do you measure success in social media?

It depends on your goal. Be sure to set your goal for the campaign you are doing. If it is to increase blog traffic, then be sure to have analytics available(utilize link shorteners such as bit and clicky) I see to many people just use social media tools and then complain they don’t see results from it. Like any other marketing you need to have a purpose, target, expected goals, and analytics.

Who or what are your top resources for social media and online marketing information?

Twitter itself! News feeds, and forums.

What should we be expecting from you in the future?

A lot! I really have just got into my groove. Currently our HQ is in a location where technology is not implemented in an up to date fashion to speak. It is my PERSONAL endeavour to educate the business community locally, and wherever needed. Not educate about my company and the service we provide, but to educate that these options are out there.

Options that will increase communication, reduce costs, improve cash flow, improve security, and increase efficiency. Its a burden which I have taken onto my own shoulders. Expect to see seminars , articles, presentations, and interviews.

Vaiz Enterprises is steadily progressing to the front of the pack because people are realizing it’s a company like ours that is the future, and they want to join us as we move forward

Thanks for your time

Thanks for having me. I can be contacted via email chris@vaiz.org you can also find more info on Vaiz Enterprises at http://vaiz.org

This is an interview i did with dave scotford, A young entrepreneur and founder of a record label called Red Monster Records. A very informative interview about running a record label, and also he is still at the university.

Enjoy the interview and let me know your thoughts..

Hey Dave, how is it going? Thanks for doing this interview with me.

Hey! Not a problem!

Can you kindly give us some background information about yourself? What you do?

I’m a 19 year old first year university student at Birmingham City University and I’m currently running a independent record label alongside university work, Red Monster Records.

Tell me about your company: Red Monster Records – tell us how the company formed?

The company was formed pretty basically originally, a simple sole trader and I was the only staff member. Basically my friends were in a band and were looking to put on a few gigs so I got involved and it’s gone from there and taken off at an unbelievable rate. We’ve never looked back from the start really.

To start with we were just a promotions business putting on a small local music show each month, things went pretty well and we started to sell out a couple of venues and started working with bigger bands. Then we kind of, almost accidentally fell into being a record label. We financed a few records and we kept doing it, so we decided to officially become a label. Although we still put on show-case and our own gigs and events in and around the Midlands.

How did you finance your business?

All of the money used in the running and start up of the business was my own investment. That’s not saying I was loaded, not at all. I literally started off setting up a website myself to save money and printed all the flyers at University. So everything was bootstrapping really, as cheaply as possible but still good quality.

Can you share some of the biggest lessons you have learned personally and as a business as things have grown? If you were to start again, what might you do differently?

Things have grown pretty rapidly here at the label. Maybe we expended too quickly too early, trying to pull in too many acts too early on in life as a record label. But I suppose we’ve learnt from that and pulled back to bring quality rather than quantity is the most important thing. Now we’ll spend months and months watching an act play live, listening to their recorded stuff and getting feedback from people they’ve worked with in the past before we consider signing them rather than a couple of weeks.

Seems an obvious mistake really, but many companies go through rapid growth and struggle a bit. But we’ve adapted pretty well and come out stronger the other side.

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

Now we’re a bit more stable with the growth then we’ve just done anything we can to market ourselves and as more and more people have heard of us then more and more people are wanting to work with us, and more music fans are buying the music we’re releasing. Lots of people say they’ll do ‘anything’ for their business to succeed, but we really, really will. We’re passionate about the music we release and so we won’t stop until we’re one of the most well known record labels and our acts are doing really well.

Do you have any suggestions for coping with set-backs, dealing with adversity?

For me, the main thing is to keep working. No matter how bad things are, they will get better when you roll the sleeves up and dig in. Things only get worse when the head goes into the sand and the problems are ignored, or worse, run away from.

Sometimes getting other peoples’ advice is the way to go, there are hundreds of business forums out there with members more than willing to offer help where they can. Business Link and the Princes Trust have been great for us, the hours of help and advice, information sheets and pages on their website they’ve sent me is unbelievable.

How do you keep your business focus – Do you have any suggestions for entrepreneurs who are experiencing challenging times?

I suppose focus comes from what I do. I love music, I love new music, and I’m passionate about it. To be honest I think I’ve got one of the best jobs in the world, to run a record label is fantastic, which means I don’t need to think about ways to ‘make’ me get through the ‘to-do-lists’ – I’ve got a natural drive and ‘want’ to do the work.

What were you doing before you started Red Monster Records?

I did run a small youth football based company, which sold through e-commerce, football and sports accessories, as well as delivering coaching sessions within after-school clubs. Things went pretty well, but as soon as I saw the opportunity to work in the creative industry that I love, I jumped head first into it.

How did you get your label off the ground? Looking back, what was the single best decision you made when setting up your business?

The single best decision I’ve made is to actually get the label off the ground. It’s as simple as that; Life since the start up has been fantastic and because I spent a lot of my time at gigs, festivals or watching bands play, then it’s been good fun to. Sure, some of the work’s a bit dry – lets be honest, going to bed at 5am after a label showcase gig and then up at 7am to do the accounts can be a bit hard sometimes!

Similarly, what is the single worst choice you made when getting the label going? What one thing would you tell other to never do?

Like I mentioned earlier, We took on too many bands too quickly; But even having said that, we learnt from the mistake and have developed a better label by learning from it.

Is the business profitable?

Money wise or life experience? It’s a yes on both counts!

At a small label, budgeting is always important. How do you prioritize your promotional budget? If you could only spend money on one thing – say, a radio promotion company, a print media promotion company or advertising, what would you choose? Why?

As a label it is really important to budget, especially at the size and stage we are. We don’t prioritize the budget for a release because it’s all important. It’s like making a cake, if you miss one ingredient out then the cake won’t come out right.

Everything relies on each other, if people don’t hear the track on the radio they won’t get to know about the artist, won’t come to the gig, so won’t buy the EP. In the same way, we can spend the budget on radio, but
what about people who don’t listen to the radio too much?
We do pretty much everything in house; we’ve built the links with DJs so that cuts out having to use other companies.

How important do you think it is for bands to promote themselves on the internet? Do you think things like MySpace; YouTube can take the place of more traditional promotion routes?

In a word, yes. It’s really important bands promote themselves; otherwise people won’t get to hear the new music so you could have the best music in the world but without anyone hearing it, then time has been wasted recording it.

I think MySpace and FaceBook and YouTube are growing and becoming a really important tool in the arsenal that bands and artists can use. I think that more ‘traditional’ methods are still really important, like hitting the gig and circuit, and you need to keep a balance between the traditional and the new wave of social networking.

Although we have seen a brilliant little innovation over recent years now that internet connection speeds and becoming quicker and quicker. We’ve worked with venues that stream the gig live over the internet which is pretty amazing.

What should a small label look for in an artist? Are there any financial arrangements small labels should avoid making with artists – and of course, if so, what are they?

Really that would depend on the label. From Red Monster Records point of view we’re always on the lookout for someone willing to work hard, have fun, try anything and just enjoy the ride. Obviously we’re looking for great music to!

Financially I think that labels and bands need to be on the level with each other all the time, if everyone understands everything then that can help break down a few barriers.

What other projects are you working on at the moment?

We’re working on a massive project at the moment, so hopefully we’ll have it all up and running soon. Obviously I don’t want to say too much, but we’re looking at a way of developing a website which brings bands, labels and promoters all together and help acts ‘Get Recognised’. But my main focus is, and always will be, my label.

With the current economy in a slump, what cost saving tips would you have for a new entrepreneur looking to start their own record label?

The economy is obviously a big issue for lots of businesses in the UK. For us though we’ve been really lucky; people still want to go out for a night and forget the world, enjoy the music and have a blast. We’ve been able to provide this through our gigs and because of the quality of artists that we work with then sales of EP’s and albums have been really encouraging!

Have you any plans (personal or business) that you can share with us about your future plans?

Business wise then we’ll keep developing the label and keep putting out great music. We’re working hard at what we love and hopefully we can keep building on the successes that we’ve seen and keep learning the lessons from the setbacks.

Personally I’d like to finish my degree here at Birmingham City, going for a 1st class, or 2:1, and build my career in the music industry.

Thanks for your time and i wish you the best in the future.

Check out their website and make sure you follow them on twitter and finally become a fan on facebook

Hey Guys, I have an interesting interview with a young entrepreneur currently studying in his 2nd year at Canterbury Christ Church University, Finally met him whilst shooting for the Business dynamics show i told you guys about, anyways we got chatting and i realised what a cool and down-to-earth guy he is, although i spent most of the day stretching my neck to look up to him.

Anyways, Enjoy the interview and let me know your thoughts..

Hey Stephan, How are you doing? Thanks for doing this interview with me.

I’m fine thank you. Just enjoying life and thanking God. Thanks very much for having me.

Before we get into your business and what you do? Can you briefly give us some background information about yourself?

Well I’m currently a 2nd year student at Canterbury Christ Church University. I’m studying theology and Health. I know it’s an unlikely combination, but I had my heart set on going to University to do something I would be interested in. I used to play basketball in Durham and Bristol I have also played in Ghana and France and various camps. I’m a practising Christian and enjoy reading my Bible and going to church, that mostly sums me up.

What inspired you to start the business?

Most of my family are into business. My Dad owns properties, one of my Sisters has to two online businesses and the other one is in the process of starting up her cake business. My main inspiration came from my struggle as a Basketball player.

I was offered two Basketball scholarships last year, one I rejected and the other one fell through due to timing. That experience made me come up with the concept of Get Pro as a beneficial and successful way to help players take that step in the right direction, without having to worry about things such as extensive fees. More importantly, it gives room for more with regards to Schools, Colleges and playing for Professional teams.

Tell us more about your company? What role do you play in your business?

Get Pro is an Online advertisement business, made available to web use on a subscription basis. It aims to establish links between players and coaches.

Our objective is to promote players globally at all levels of Basketball. We aim to achieve this by showcasing players on our website, made accessible for coaches to view 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, further reinforcing our notion of building bridges between the players and the coaches.

We have 2 separate sectors within the company which are also used to further promote the GetPro organisation; GetPro.TV , a production that broadcasts interviews with up and coming basketball players,
and a GetPro Clothing line which will be coming out in the summer.

My role as chairman and director is making all the main decisions in the company and paying close attention to the steps we need to take to reach the objectives of our company.

How many people are involved in the business at the moment?

Aside from myself, there are two other people who are active participants in the business. We are still growing and most likely taking on more staff as we work towards expansion.

A lot of people are looking for investors who believe in their start-ups and you’ve actually managed to get investments from angel dens, how did that come about?

Angels Den is an effective organisation in that they help people find investors through their website and the speed funding event. The event has a host each month across the UK, and in March, I attended one of their sessions.

During the course of the day, we were addressed by Bill morrow the founder of Angels Den. He encouraged me by saying he liked my idea so I thought I’d sign up. I recall a gentleman who also had his idea assessed and was told that his idea wouldn’t work with the Investors, which made me a bit nervous! Thankfully, it all went well in the end .

If you believe you have a good idea I would advise you to check out Angles Den. Just make sure you know your numbers and how your Investor can get a return on his money.

Were you nervous? How was the experience?

At the start of the speed funding event I was nervous because there were 12 tables and 2 Angels den representatives at each table. With the first 4 tables I was a bit nervous but my confidence grew as we progressed and it went well from their! Praise God!

What steps do you think anyone looking for investments and investors should take?

Way out your options. A lot of people say that they don’t want to give up on their company. Look at the benefits of having an Investor; They are allocated to enhance resources such as Contacts, Capital and to add a structure that is easy to adhere to, for your business, a valuable tool given from a person who is more experienced. There are however, alternative financial options such as grants and awards. For myself personally, they weren’t suitable for the route I chose to follow.

With an Investor you have to make sure you know your niche market in and out. How much money you need, what you are going to use the money for, and how the Investor is going to make the money back plus a potential profit within a time frame of 3-5 years.

How important is it for young entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs in generals to have a mentor? What are the benefits?

I believe it’s very important because there is allot of stuff entrepreneurs miss because of the excitement of having a new idea. My mentor Nigel Steward brought me down to earth and set me realistic goals that I could achieve. I went to see him in his office every week without fail always having something new to show him e.g. new business plan, marketing strategy I was very naive and didn’t know allot but he explained the concept of my business. And also tested me to see if I was serious about the idea or just liked the idea but wasn’t really going anywhere with it.

How important is a business plan, in either succeeding as an entrepreneur or getting an investor on board?

My mentors advised me that less is more. Investors will be less than likely to read a 16 page business plan. And that’s what I started off with, so I had to narrow it down to 5 pages the first page of a business plan is the most crucial and then the back which has the cash flow and profit and loss. And I think that is what most Investors will look for if you’re seeing them first time.

When should we be expecting the launch of the website? You said in an earlier interview that the launch for it was supposed to be in February? What’s happening at the moment?

Yes the launch has been delayed due to further work on the content that the website is going to have. At the moment we are on target for ending March early April.

How involved are the angels in the business? What support have you got from them excluding the capital?

I have received a lot of financial advice and also made good contacts with people through my Angel. And I hope many more with the grace of God.

I know you’re in your second year at the university, so how are managing your time between setting your business and university’s exams, coursework?

I don’t really sleep that much, which doesn’t affect me so much surprisingly! I want my business to succeed and these are the kinds of sacrifices you have to make. I would like to finish University as soon as possible in order to focus on my business full –time, but right now it’s not affecting me so much. In University people spend a lot of time procrastinating and only if they spend less time doing that, then can they progress forward to pursue things.

What has been the hardest part of setting up the business?

So far, I haven’t been faced with any challenges and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the lead up to where I am standing now. Its all been a blessing from God so I can’t complain about things. I believe that any good or bad experience is one to get closer to God and your inner man. It makes you stronger so there is only a benefit in it.

What’s the next step for you now?

My next step is to put GetPro on the lips of every basketball player. We have a lot of promotion plans and tournaments to prepare for this year and next. We want to partner up with top basketball brands and just promote this site as much as we can.

What tips would you like to give upcoming entrepreneurs?

The Principle in life that I follow is “Whatever you sow, you reap.” and if you believe in your idea and follow it through it should be a success.

Thanks for your time Stephan.

Check out the website: GetproBasketball

This is a Guest Post

“Hold on just a second! Goal setting and making plans is so important! Everybody knows that!”

You’re right, it is. It is absolutely essential to know where you’re going so that your daily efforts aren’t wasted on inconsequential activities.

But, plans and goals will get you absolutely nowhere by themselves. Nowhere.

Og Mandino said it best,

“Never has there been a map, however carefully executed to detail and scale, which carried its owner over even one inch of ground. Never has there been a parchment of law, however fair, which prevented one crime… Action, alone, is the tinder which ignites the map, the parchment, this scroll, my dreams, my plans, my goals, into a living force. Action is the food and drink which will nourish my success.”

Action is the food and drink which will nourish your success.

Say that out loud.

I get chills every time I read those words.

Powerful right? But, unfortunately, there’s always that voice of doubt that says. . .

“But I have to know what action to take before I take it. So, let me study, dust my desk, and organize my pens for the next year, while I learn what do to. Then I’ll act.”

This is a common excuse that comes from fear and it must be overcome before success even looks in your direction.

So, let’s destroy it, shall we?

First of all, the idea that you have to learn the entire picture of a particular subject before taking action is completely absurd because…

1. You won’t retain any of the information that you tried to learn in the process because your brain assimilates knowledge through its application, not just hearing or reading.

2. All knowledge is progressive, meaning that one principle builds on top of another. Therefore, one action builds on another and without carrying out the primary activities, understanding what to do at the end of the road is close to useless.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a test.

Do you remember what you learned in English class during your senior year of high school? Didn’t think so. That’s because you never had the chance or the structure to apply those concepts.

But, how easy is it for you to cook your favorite meal? How easy is it for you to tie your shoes? You can do it like clockwork.

That’s because you have applied that recipe or process repeatedly until it has been committed to your mental and physical memory.

So, in the process of learning, apply each chunk of knowledge that you learn as you learn it. This will not only help you retain that knowledge, but you will actually begin to make progress and build on the results of your actions almost immediately.

“But what if I make mistakes?”

If you’re asking yourself that question, here’s an encouraging fact.

Experience is the most valuable asset to the success of anybody in any field and the amount of experience a person has directly correlates to their success.

And experience is the direct result of action.

Not necessarily the “right” action, but action.

You see, if you take a wrong action action that doesn’t lead you closer to your goal, you’ll learn from the results (or lack thereof), and then adjust accordingly.

There is not one example in the history of mankind of somebody who was perfectly successful in his or her chosen endeavor right off the bat.

Making mistakes and adjustments is an essential part of progress in life and it precedes success. Not only that, you will continue to make mistakes and adjustments even when you’re at a place that you consider successful.

But, what happens when you take no action? You get no experience, no results, and no success.

Action is liberating

Have you ever had a project on your to-do-list that stayed there for months, even years? Then, one day, you just got it together and finished it. How did that feel?

I know that those instances of decisive action are some of the most freeing experiences I have ever had, even if the project itself was insignificant.

Imagine having those experiences on a daily basis!

There is a magic that comes from committing to action and carrying through.

Meet the parents of success

Didn’t know that success has parents? Well she does and you’re going to have to meet them before you’re introduced to her. No exceptions.

Think of it this way.

The father gives the seed of life that is then nourished and developed by the mother.

In the same way, a clear goal is the seed-giving father of your success, but it will never come to life without the nourishment and cultivation of the mother, action.

Please, don’t make success harder than it has to be.

Stop playing your mental fear games and take action today! Commit to one specific thing that you will move a certain area of your life forward!

Sound off!

What do you think? Share your valuable thoughts with us in the comments.

Best of life,

Abhay Khurana

This is supposed to be the place where I plug myself and my website. But, honestly, I just hope that you’ve gotten some value out of what I’ve written for you. If you have and want to connect with me and read more like this, head over to my blog at www.betteryoungentrepreneur.com

ModCloth is an American online retailer, based in Pittsburgh, PA, that specializes in vintage, vintage-inspired and indie clothing, accessories and decor.

ModCloth was launched as a website in 2002 by Susan Gregg-Koger with the help of her then-boyfriend, now-husband Eric Koger

They were able to raise a little over $3 million from angels like StubHub co-founder Jeff Fluhr and venture capital firms First Round Capital and Maples Investments.

The pair continued working on the website while attending Carnegie Mellon University.

Since 2002, the company has grown enormously with annual revenue in excess of $15 million in 2009. As of January 2010, the company has more than 100 employees.

NoteHall is an online marketplace for college students who want to buy and sell class notes launched in 2008 and founded by Sean Conway, Justin Miller, D.J. Stephan, Fadi Chalfoun.

It all started when Sean who had ADHD found it very hard to understand and take notes in a lecture at once, this started the urge and when he realised that other students had the same problems he urged him more to start the business.

“I feel like I’m bright and have a lot of motivation, but I could never comprehend the lecture while simultaneously understanding what the professor was saying,” he said. “It was frustrating,I knew this would be really helpful to ADHD students,” he said.

The company was funded for around $70,000, money from sean’s inheritance and justin’s bar mitzvah money.
The legitimacy of the documents is reviewed before they are posted on the site to ensure what goes online is the students’ class notes, not a reprint of the professor’s actual lecture.

Is selling notes online a bit too far? Could it be considered as cheating, basically paying for someone to do work for you, for example in the U.K where blackboard is used, I Guess that makes note hall can of useless right??

It is same way Blackboard makes students stay at home rather than go to lectures, Their Excuse: I can find the notes on Blackboard, I’m not saying they are selling test answers or anything but is it wrong, let me know your thoughts??

What do university professors and students think about this idea?

Seth launched his first company at 13, although it wasn’t as successful or should i say not successful at all, that did not stop him from hitting the jackpot and starting Scvngr Inc , A company that makes game engines that runs mobile phone-based scavenger hunts.

With over 300 clients using the SCVNGR platform for location-based games and tours, also a popular platform with colleges organising different types of tours and activities.

Clients pay anywhere from $500 a month for a small museum license to a one-time fee of $25,000 to run an intricate corporate event.

He recently took a year out from Princeton University to focus on his start-up.

Priebatsch’s other, earlier company, PostcardTech, makes CD-ROMs — mailed as postcards — that play interactive marketing tours. Using chat, he outsourced the manufacturing of the physical product to a plant in Hong Kong when he was 18.