I really wanted to introduce you guys to Matt Wilson – Co-founder of Under30CEO, he is such a cool guy helping entrepreneurs around the world, you could probably see how laid back he is from the short interview i did with him, expect more appearance from matt on YHP.

Enjoy the short interview or introduction.

What inspired you to start up the website?

When I was attending Bryant University I was President of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization which we grew from a small group of 7 students who wanted more out of a job than a cubicle and a paycheck to a group of 150 thriving young entrepreneurs. We had speakers like Ted Turner and Kenneth Cole on campus, hosted the world’s largest elevator pitch competition and were recognized as the world’s #1 entrepreneurs group.

When I moved home after college to start my own businesses I realized I was no longer surrounded by smart, young, innovative, passionate people….So, I teamed up with @JaredOToole
to create Under30CEO and take those tools, support and resources to the global platform. We knew there were a ton of people out there in the same boat.

What are the biggest challenges you faced starting up and how did you overcome them?

Honestly, the hardest part about running a business is trying to persevere and stay focused through the winter months when so many our friends were making $50-60k right out of school. We knew it would be tough, but we had no idea how though it would be.

We were barely scraping by–all the jokes my friends in college made about me sleeping on couches and eating peanut better and jelly for my first year of entrepreneurship finally came true. But guess what, now we’re living the dream and they’re still stuck in the cubicle.

How did you know it was the right idea?

We were passionate about it. That’s how we knew. If we weren’t there is no way we would have gotten through those brutal winter months. We know we are on a mission and that’s what we were cut out to do. People recognize that and our business grows everyday because of it.

What lessons do you give other entrepreneurs?

Funny you ask, Here is our list of Young Entrepreneur Advice: 100 Things You Must Know.

How are you managing your time?

It’s tough to manage your time when you are living the dream. I have a ton of things I’m passionate about. I currently live in Breckenridge Colorado a mile from the gondola, so you have to prioritize out here so I can get my skiing in.

It all comes down to setting your goals, and laying out a plan to execute them as efficiently as possible. If you don’t stick to the plan, you’ll waste a ton of time. I’m a big advocate of the Four Hour Work Week and the 80/20 rule. 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. I also try to pay attention to when I’m most productive.

Just before this interview I was writing a guest post for DuctTapeMarketing–I was stuck and instead of smashing my head against the keyboard, I moved on to something else that I knew I could fly through.

I’m also a big advocate of inspired action–when I know I’m on to something, I drop everything and do it. When I’m in the right mental state I can do 8 hours of work in less than 2 hours. Conversely, when we’re tired, unfocused and unmotivated, we can drag out 8 hours of work into an all nighter.

What is the most exciting part of what you do?

Hands down connecting with smart, innovative, passionate young people and knowing that we can make a difference in their lives. Opening up someone else’s mind to new possibilities is one of the most fulfilling things you can do. Getting people to think about stimulating our economy through entrepreneurship is pretty amazing.

How have you managed to get under30ceo to have such a big presence online?

Hustle.

Think of the traditional means of promotion, if you were launching a book or an album or a campaign: go around from city to city, meet with as many people as you possibly could, make an impact on them and go on to the next place.

Online, you can do this from community to community from the privacy of your own home. I’m actually sitting here in nothing but a G-String and socks, tapping into the Your Hidden Potential community in the UK. I didn’t even have to go to tea.

At Under30CEO we try to meet every single person who has a community, a following, a platform that has to deal with young entrepreneurs.

We tap into their presences, spread our message and try to deliver value via Twitter, guest blogging, video chats, free webinars, etc. We also do quite a bit of speaking–see our Under30CEO College Tour.

We’d actually love to get across the pond and have some tea and in all seriousness–I will put some clothes on for the trip.

Matt Wilson is co-founder of Under30CEO urging people to drop the 9-5 and get passionate about something. Follow him on Twitter @MattWilsontv as the Gen-Y spokesperson looking to help every young entrepreneur on the planet.

Today i have micky and rajohan, founders of Uneek Garmz, they share their story with us on how they started their company, their entrepreneurial journey and their plans for the future.

Enjoy the interview!

Hey Guys, how are you both doing today?

Great… “The sun is shining the weather is sweet, makes you wanna move your dancing feet.” (In actual fact it’s threatening to snow again, but hey ho.)

Can you give us some background information? About yourself? Who you are? What roles both you play in the company?

Micky: Hmmm… This is where we tell you about growing up in the troubled East London area and dreaming of getting out right? How we used to shoot up schools but we’ve turned it all around because a kind hearted old black man taught us how to play basket ball well and believed in us?

We’ll we’re not your typical Cinderella story. We are both from East London but contraire to the bad press it receives, we actually both love living here. We travel ALOT for work and despite visiting some wonderful places there really is no place like home and my ruby slippers be a tapping after a few days away!

Rajohan: Its true, the ruby slippers, the black Louboutins, the pink Dr Martens, the red Converse – Micky has a lot of shoes! Nah, but seriously, London is so full of talented people, I am so inspired by people who are creative and driven and doing what we do we get to meet those people first hand.

One of the reasons why we started Uneek was because we found it hard when Micky first started doing photography to network in industry and gain exposure for her work and the more people we did meet the more we realised we weren’t the only ones. That’s why we wanted to have a featured artist section on the website to help to give people who are truely talented a helping hand to getting their name out there.

Micky: The roles we play in the company are pretty simple really, I’m the eyes of the company and

Rajohan is the mind. He comes up with concepts for the branding, marketing ideas and deals with all the paperwork which would make my eyes go crossed and I put those ideas “onto paper”, I design stuff for the brand, the website content, I take and edit all of our marketing images and I create the final designs for the clothing.

What inspired you both to start the company?

Rajohan: Well we were only 21 when we started the company and for me that was the age when I actually really started think, “right what do I want to do with my life?” College was done and I knew I didn’t want to work a nine to five forever, I wanted to wake up and be inspired, I wanted to work for myself and I wanted to make a lot of money!

Coming from a street dance background I had already begun to decide that I wanted to do something creative as a career and something that would give me the freedom to be my own boss and I’ve always loved fashion so when Micky asked me to be her partner in crime I couldn’t say no!

Micky: Yeah, weve both always loved fashion but we realised a long time ago that the things we loved weren’t that easy to find in high street shops, not only that but I hate walking into a place to find 10 girls wearing the top I just brought from Topshop which is why I rarely buy high street anymore.

We’ve been customising our clothes for a long time to create things which other people wouldn’t have and we get loads of people asking where they could get stuff like ours so I started thinking about putting a label together.
The main difference I wanted Uneek to have was not only the designs but also the fact that they are true limited edition. Where most brands say limited but there’s actually a 50,000 piece run, our clothes actually are.

How did you get started in this business?

It wasn’t easy, it was loads of research and a lot of trial and error. You have to be dedicated and motivated, it’s not something that I would recommend for someone hoping to make a quick quid without putting in the work. We were both working fulltime jobs when we started Uneek and we had to put in late nights for no pay just to get everything done for the launch but it was definitely worth it.

Were you both exposed to entrepreneurship as a child or was it something you picked along the way?

Micky: Not entrepreneurship but definitely hard work. Both my parents taught me from a young age that you can’t plough a field by turning it over in your mind which is why I got my first job at 15. My mum and dad have always been a massive inspiration for me, they both had to struggle to provide for me and my younger brother and sisters.
I realised from a young age that you get out what you put in and also that I don’t want to have to struggle to get by, I want to be successful enough to re-pay them for all the opportunities they have given me and to make them proud.

Rajohan: I agree with Micky, I haven’t been exposed to entrepreneurship but my older brother and sister were great role models to me growing up. I know the value of money, like Micky I got my first job at a young age and working for a national newspaper I know what grind is, and what can be gained from hard work.

How did you finance the business?

The business was financed with our own money. We invested in it because we believe in it. What we’re doing is not only a business to us, it is a project that is grounded in all the things that we are passionate about and luckily other people are passionate about it too so it’s proven itself to be a worthy investment.

What was the most difficult part of starting the business?

The nerves, that’s why we named our first blog newbies, nerves and neeks! The hard work and long hours was nothing compared to the nerves of when the website went live and we were awaiting the public response. Uneek started as an idea in 2007 and we worked on it for a long time getting everything to our version of perfect but the hardest thing was seeing if people were actually going to appreciate it like we do.

I have seen loads of clothing line come out of the UK over the past year, what makes your business different/unique? Or s it just another clothing company?

A lot of people ask this and somewhere in all our paperwork is our original business plan which clearly has all our objectives and number one is to not be just another clothing company. The reason we started Uneek was because we had enough of all those carbon copies.

We wanted to bring something fresh to the table. We promote young artists, we provide services like photoshoots and styling, we put creative people in touch with other creative people and try to help the UK creative scene grow, and we do all of that looking fly in clothing that you can’t get at every boutique in Shoreditch. So are we just another clothing company? Ask our customers ;o)

What is an average workday like for you?

There are no average days, that’s what we love about it. One day we can be shooting for a magazine editorial with some of the most creative young minds in London, the next we can be in China sourcing new products, it’s crazy and exciting and tiring but we love it!

How have sales grown in the last few months?

We’re really lucky in that since we started the support has been huge, our customer base is always growing and a lot of our customers keep coming back to get more bits for themselves and as presents for other people! A lot of our customers have brought a few bits after they received their first order which lets us know that were doing something right.

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

Looking after the people that support us. We wouldn’t be here without our customers and our fans, once people sign up to the mailing list they are part of the Uneek Family and get exclusive discounts and news bulletins whenever we have shoots and things, we like to let our customers know when we need models etc because we like them to get involved in Uneek, they’re the reason for our success so it’s only right that they should share in it.

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

We’ve got a lot planned for this year. We have a whole host of new products that will be on the website shortly and lots of exciting events that we’re going to be organising to give our customers a chance to get involved more. We’re also going to be doing some fundraising for charity. We believe that when you’re blessed in your life it’s so that you can bless other people.

How do you market your products or services? What has been your most effective marketing tactic?

Most of our marketing is done online as we are an online business and we don’t sell in the shops to keep our products exclusive. We’re on social networking sites as it not only gives us an opportunity to find new people that may be interested in what we do but it also helps us to keep up with our existing fans and customers.

What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

Micky: Be prepared to work hard, don’t get into this industry unless you have the drive to see it through, it’s not a quick fix to make money you do have to put in the hours.

Rajohan: Read, research and learn, even now, were forever learning – it’s what helps our business to grow, if you become complacent then that’s it, you won’t go any further.

Micky: Have fun, you have to be passionate about what you’re doing, enjoy every last second because there will be days when you’re working nonstop and feel like just jacking it in but it’s those days that your passion will get you through.

If you were to start another business, what might it be?

Micky: The obvious ones would be a photography studio, a magazine or possibly another clothing line, this industry is all linked and its where my passion lies but for me its not if it’s when so I cant give too much away.

That said, one thing which I would love to do is to start a charity that provides support and counselling for carers of people with Multiple Sclerosis.

Not many people know but aside from all this, for the last 5 years I was also a fulltime carer for my dad who sadly passed away in September from MS. I know firsthand how hard it is to live through that illness and I also know there’s not a huge amount of support available for carers as it’s not as well documented an illness as something like Cancer. I’d like to raise awareness about MS and help the people that have to live with this illness.

What are the biggest challenges you face now?

Keeping up with Uneek and finding the time to have a holiday! The label has already surpassed all our expectations and is continually growing.
When you find something that you’re so passionate about and it is received so well it can become hard to switch off and to delegate to other people. We know how we want everything done so it’s tempting to work, work, work to make sure it’s perfect for our fans but it’s important to find time for ourselves and our family and friends.
We need to delegate where possible because we can’t do everything on our own! This year were definitely going to be looking in to hiring more staff!

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years or so?

Doing what we’re doing now but 100 times bigger.

Thanks for your time.

Check out their Blog: http://www.uneekgarmz.tumblr.com and Join their facebook Group to stay updated with their latest products.
Follow them on twitter

Hi Guys, I’m here with Another interview, Today My guest is Erin Blaskie, A young Entrepreneur that started her company at the age of 21, I wanted to ask her how she started her company, what inspired her, her involvement in blogging and social media, and also tips on why and how we should all be collaborating online.

Enjoy the interview.

Hey Erin, how you doing? Thanks for sharing some of your time with me on YHP

Can you give us some background information about yourself?

I started my first company in August of 2004. I started this company after I had finished college and was working as an instructor at a private college. While I loved the daily interaction, I had this entrepreneurial spirit and passion inside of me that I couldn’t ignore. The company grew quickly and I was able to quit my job and leap into self-employment full-time.

So how did you get in blogging and social media?

I am an experimenter at heart. Experimenting with new tools, new ideas and geeky gadgets is my life. Blogging has been something I’ve been doing since before the popular platforms came into existence like WordPress and TypePad. I was doing blogging on the first series of journal style websites that hit the market.

As for social media, I registered with Facebook and Twitter when they were both in beta and have been using them ever since. For me, it was never a conscious decision of, “I have to do this for my business” but more a question of, “What is this neat and interesting tool?”

What do you like the most about the internet, blogging and social media?

It’s openness. It shares who we are with the world and creates a new sense of transparency and authenticity. I love also that it’s an open format. You can use these mediums however you wish and really, there are no “wrong” methods of using the tools.

I also love that these mediums promote creativity and expression. Never before did we have such an instantaneous medium for our messages and such open communication. I can post a blog post now and be engaged in a conversation through comments in minutes.

Tell us about BSTEC Your outsourcing company? What do you guys do?

BSETC was started as a virtual assistance firm which provided administrative and Internet marketing support to entrepreneurs. Now, we are a creative, professional outsourcing firm that supports entrepreneurs around the world in the building, growing and management of their online businesses. We do everything from graphic design to web design to administrative support to social media support to in-depth strategy and consultation.

What inspired you to start BSTEC?

I actually had the idea when I was 16 years old. I didn’t want the “regular” summer job so instead, I had this idea that I would pass out flyers to local businesses in which I would offer to do small administrative jobs. Organize offices, type up documents, etc. Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out at that time – I was offered a job in an ice cream factory instead and that was much more appealing to my 16-year old self

Fast forward to 21 and the idea popped back into my head but this time it included a website and a global audience as opposed to flyers and my local business sector.

What does your company do different from other companies in the Virtual assistant industry?

I wrote an e-book called, “From Puppet to Puppeteer” which talks about the difference between a firm like ours and other virtual assistance companies. The e-book mostly focuses on engagement. We provide our clients with services that engage and inspire them to create amazing projects and we take the guesswork out of the process. Where other firms may only provide services on an as requested basis, we’re thinking for our clients to guide them through the process of running an online business.

I am currently writing a post on online collaboration and wanted to get your thoughts? Why do you think it is essential in today’s world? What value does it add to one’s work?

I totally agree in the collective as opposed to the individual. There is something much more powerful about collaboration and crowd-sourcing things in today’s marketplace. The power of course lies in the uniqueness in each person’s thought and in their ability to see the project different from his/her colleagues.

We use Basecamp as our method of communicating out as a group to our clients. We brainstorm, banter and create through this medium so we can create best practices and provide the best opportunities for our clients.

What do you think anyone interested in collaborating online should do or start doing?

Get out there and provide value to others. It’s only through providing value that others will see your value and invite you to participate with them. Companies now call on me to provide feedback and get really, really involved in their work because they know that when I love something I’ll get invested and engaged. Engaged collaboration creates a really powerful force.

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

I’ve become involved in the processes. Too many entrepreneurs are building and starting new things all of the time without ever honing in and fine tuning what they have. I concentrate as much of my effort on fine tuning what I do now as I do on the new projects. That begins to create a business that you work on instead of a business you work in.

How do you promote/advertise your work, especially for someone trying to start their business and looking to get some presence online, what advices can you give them?

Just get out there in every way you can. Think about all of the different mediums available to us – audio, video, blog, social media, traditional media, joint ventures, etc. and make sure you’re taking advantage of it all.

I like to think of a new business as being stranded in the middle of a corn field that is filled with really, really tall husks of corn. Every time you create a new avenue (ie: setup a blog, setup an account on Twitter, etc.) you are creating a road of visibility to your business. The more you do that, the more opportunities you have to be seen and noticed and therefore hired.

As an entrepreneur, what qualities do you think aspiring entrepreneurs should have to be successful?

Be fearless. Ditch the perfectionism. Be original.

What is your favourite online tool?

I have many! I can’t live without Gmail, Basecamp, Freshbooks and right now, Threadsy.

If the internet never existed, what would you be doing?

I’d probably be living a life devoted to learning and yoga.

What is the most valuable skill you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

Authenticity.

Thanks for your time Erin

If you enjoyed the interview, Stop over at her site to say her or follow her on twitter.

New interactive business website, www.inafishbowl.com has recently been set up to help those considering setting up in business do exactly that – learn from the experience of others! The new ‘reality’ Big Brother style business website profiles the trials and tribulations of three start-up businesses filmed through different stages of their journey and broadcast on the website using live twitter feeds, videos and blogs as the entrepreneurs share their experiences in real-time.

Businesses featured include a record label, a bespoke tailoring company and a Mexican food range. Each are finding their way through the start-up maze and sharing their experiences along the way. From naming their business through to frustrating first meetings with banks, the businesses lay themselves open for others to watch and follow online.

The In a Fishbowl project was founded by entrepreneur Toby Reid and is being supported by Midlands based entrepreneur Andrew Springhall.

Springhall commented:

“So many people go through the process of starting a business and it is a truly daunting experience. There is a wealth of information available to first time entrepreneurs, but nothing that provides you with the chance to learn from the experiences of others. www.inafishbowl.com will do just that.
The service is designed to provide empathy, learning and motivation to others in a similar position. It will act as an interactive support guide for any budding entrepreneur.”

See www.inafishbowl.com for more details

Please Note: This is a Guest post from Srinivas Rao of The Skool of Life and Blogcastfm

I think every one of us has hidden potential. The problem however is that we live in a world where social programming, expectations and conformity have driven the behaviour of people in the society. We get rewarded for conformity and punished for going against the grain. Unfortunately we condition people over and over again with small rewards for fitting in and not challenging the status quo. These small rewards reinforce this behavior. It starts at an early age when you hear things like “Don’t color outside the lines, don’t talk to strangers” and whole list of “rules” that serve no purpose in adult life. Ultimately, they keep you from unleashing your hidden potential. It’s time to shatter all of that for a new way of thinking. The Skool of Life is such a different place than the schools we’ve attended and learned from.

Be willing to fail more: Failure has such a bad connotation in our society. When you get an F on a report card, that is the lowest score you can possibly get. You get punished for failing. As a result from a very early age we’re taught not to fail. As a result we take less risks, we play it safe and we don’t have any small failures. We just have one giant one, LIFE. Would you rather have thousands of small failures and one giant success that trumps all of the failures or would you rather never fail and live up to only a small portion of your potential?

Don’t listen to the naysayers: Naysayers always tend to emerge when you want to challenge the status quo. The reality is that they are afraid. They are afraid of seeing you reach your full potential because it forces them to deal with the fact they are not reaching theirs. If they can get you to stay where you are at, then they don’t have to deal with the fact they are wasting their own potential.

Trust your Instincts: Instincts are interesting. Im sure I’m not the first person telling you to trust your instincts. But the real question is how often do you do it? When you have an intuition or a feeling, what do you do about it? For two weeks I was hesitant to write this post because I had no idea what the hell it was going to be about. Then it finally came to me. When you have an intuition or feeling do you just let it go as another passing thought? If you do then read on.

Take Action: Good instincts are great. But they’re useless if you don’t do anything with them. If your instincts tell you to start a company, then do it. For the first time in history you can lay the groundwork for almost anything with virtually zero capital investment. It’s important be action oriented.

Choose to be extraordinary: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. “Ordinary lives are for ordinary people, extraordinary lives for those who are extraordinary. My life was never meant to be ordinary.” How you define that is really up to you. But, I don’t believe we were meant to live ordinary lives. We were meant to live life to its fullest.

Be Patient: Of all the advice I’ve offered you in this post, this is the one you will fail with over and over again. Unleashing your full potential takes time. Years or bad conditioning have to be erased and while you can begin the path to success over night, you won’t reach your goal overnight. Ironically, the more patient you are the faster you’ll able to unleash your hidden potential.

How do you plan to unleash your hidden potential?

Srinivas Rao is a personal development blogger, avid surfer and author at The Skool of Life. He is also the host and co-founder of BlogcastFM, a podcast for bloggers.

I had to do an interview with Grace Boyle, A blogger that writes at smallhandsbigideas, also wanted to introduce her to you guys, I really like what she writes about on her blog, shes talks about career, relationship and inspiration, Anyways i dont want to tell you everything about her, when you could just go on her blog and read the interview below.

Enjoy this quick interview i did with her. She talks about internet, blogging and social media

Hey Grace, how you doing? Thanks for sharing some of your time with me on YHP

Thanks for thinking of me! I’m happy to be talking with the YHP team.

Can you give us some background information about yourself?

I’m 24 years-old, grew up in Iowa, went to college in Vermont and after graduating with my B.S. in Public Relations I decided to move to Boulder (without a job, friends or place to live). I’m still living in beautiful Boulder working at the online, tech startup, Lijit as their Publisher Services Manager. I love my Italian family, traveling, food, connecting with people, wine, writing, snowboarding and laughter.

So how did you get in blogging and social media?

I got into blogging and social media when I was college. In college I had such great professors who understood the relevance of social media and blogging. Projects we had included using Twitter, creating blogs for client projects and running e-mail marketing campaigns. Finally, the multitude of internships I completed in college helped me learn online social media in the professional world. This early educational foundation has been imperative to my interest and subsequent career in the online world.

What do you like the most about the internet, blogging and social media?

The infinite, meaningful, and real connections it can create.

What inspires you? What inspires your posts?

I am inspired by the little things – eye contact, reconnecting with an old friend, sharing a bottle of wine with friends, a musicians riff, climbing a mountain, collaborating with intelligent people, learning something new, holding the door for a stranger and exchanging a smile, and deep, belly laughter. Even pain inspires me, because there’s so much to be felt and learned.

My favorite posts come from these simple, real-life experiences, that undoubtedly, others can relate to.

What are the most crucial things you have done and think most bloggers should be doing to grow their blogs?

I think blogging is largely about the community you create and the connections you (perpetually) make. I compare it to a cocktail party. No one likes it when there’s that one person who talks just about themselves and doesn’t care to listen.

When I started my blog, I was sure to use my voice and style, but I also turned to other bloggers to learn the ropes and find inspiration. This collaboration, talking with other bloggers, having someone to turn to with a question or bounce an idea off each other and listening to your readers are an integral part to blogging.

Finally, in the words of Steve Jobs, I tell bloggers to “stay hungry, stay foolish.”

How do you manage your time?

Oh good question. Sometimes I even need to ask myself this!

A few things: I use my Outlook calendar and a daily planner (I like to write things down still, call me old fashioned) to visually view what my week looks like, I make sure to schedule time to myself so I can stay centered and I also learn to say “no” because I can’t do everything (even though I often think I can).

How do you promote/advertise your work?

I don’t heavily focus on this aspect of blogging although I do have a degree and background in public relations.

I use Twitter and Facebook to publicly promote my blog posts. That’s about it. I think there’s a time and a place for self-promotion – I also believe that for my own blog, people will come because they like me (or don’t) and because of the content I’m creating.

What is your favourite online tool?

I really enjoy Twitter. It’s concise, easy, powerful and has created some of the most rewarding professional and personal relationships in my life.

If the internet never existed, what would you be doing?

My job is based on the Internet, but there are many things that I still do that doesn’t involve the Internet (a necessary part of my life, actually). Professionally though, I would be traveling the world, become a professional food taster and maybe have my own travel show sharing all my worldwide cultural secrets.

Who are your role models? Who are the people that inspire you online?

My parents are my role models. They’re both entrepreneurs, have started companies from the ground up, are compassionate, respectable and still make me laugh.

Online: I am inspired by Rebecca Thorman (http://www.modite.com) as she is one of the first bloggers I started reading. Her writing is elegant, witty and intelligent.

What are your favourite websites?

I have an eclectic taste and I work online so these are some of my favorite sites to visit they make me laugh, think and are intriguing: http://weburbanist.com/, http://chelseatalkssmack.blogspot.com/, http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/, http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/, http://www.creativeclass.com/, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/, http://livethecharmedlife.com/, http://caitlinmccabe.com/ and http://failblog.org/.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?

It’s interesting because I have a lot of aspirations and I would consider myself motivated, but currently, my life is very moment to moment. I’m learning, loving, laughing and thoroughly enjoy working at a startup. I also know that life is filled with surprises, so I could list off what I see for myself in the future, but right now, I’m excited to see what it has in store.

I will say that in 5 to 10 years I hope to continue to work hard, play hard and love hard.

Thanks for spending time to do this interview with us.

Thanks for having me here. I’m easily reached by email (gracekboyle at gmail dot com), Twitter or feel free to stop by my blog and say hello.

With the Huge Influx of start-ups contacting us at YHP and the wealth of young entrepreneurs featured on the website, we have decided to partner with a bigger platform to showcase the amazing talents emerging.

To this end, YHP is collaborating with a new Business show coming on the SKY network- “Business Dynamics” Produced by Strides Media Production!

“Strides Media Production” to host a new Television show on “Sky” named “The Business dynamics show”,

The show is dedicated towards profiling the top Entrepreneurs and Business Owners around the world. It features three core segments:

“Power Players”:

Designed to feature the “Top Business Executives and Experts in their field to give insight, share their experience; journey and tips on succeeding in business

“SME Business Features”:

This is a special platform for Small and Medium sized companies to engage directly with the audience on new and existing project & service offering.

“Dream Releasers”:

This is a special feature designed to bring to you the most exciting and most innovative young entrepreneurs who have successfully launched their businesses in divers industries

A larger platform means a wider audience, we are committed to maintaining the depth, intimacy and quality of our interviews and features. Contact us to find out more about appearing on the show.

Today, i did a quick interview with brian pedone, Founder abpsoftware, to just see how he is doing and the latest on his company.

Remember Brian Pedone was recognized by BusinessWeek as the Top 25 Entrepreneurs 25 Years and Under in America

Enjoy the interview.

Hey Brian, how are you doing today? Can you quickly give us some background information yourself, what you do?

I just finished work with my first company out of College, Grad Techs, and I really wanted to do something on my own with no partners. I started working on a project, NeedMyPassword.com, and needed to put it under a company.

How did you know it was the right idea?

My parents were a huge help in terms of making sure that I took every opportunity to do my own thing while I am still young. I had a good job, but knew that I could do work on my own.

Did you write a formal business plan?

For Grad Techs I did, but for ABP Software I did not. I just wanted to get a product out there and see the response from the public. When BusinessWeek recognized it in 2008, it was tremendous exposure.

What are the biggest challenges you faced starting up and how did you overcome them?

Steady income, people putting your products down, and getting overwhelmed with tasks. I took a step back and really mapped out all of my goals for my future and knew that these would all be things that had to be overcome.

What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

Never ever give up! Money is not everything, and that with the right passion and drive the money will come.

How did you raise cash to start abpsoftware?

From my previous full-time job I had some money and I got a big consulting project that really funded everything.

How many employees do you have?

It is still just me! I have had a lot of interns from East Stroudsburg University, but still just me.

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

Using all of my networking and just telling everybody what I am working on. Plus doing great work and keeping customers happy.

What systems have you used to automate your business to give you more time for business planning and development?

I developed www.KeyNextSteps.com to manage my projects and created www.BuzzyBook.com to promote my events and promotions.

What are the biggest challenges you face now?

In the process of locking down a few larger clients so that the business can start to flow easier and give me more time to really plan for the future of the business.

What is the worst experience you’ve had as an entrepreneur and how did you bounce back from it?

Going through a few weeks with absolutely no money. Hustled to get more consulting projects and doing programming outside of our regular scope of business.

Are you guys profitable yet?

We are currently in the break even point and see this year as we will start to become profitable.

What current projects are you working on right now?

www.KeyNextSteps.com and really pushing my non-profit boxing gym (www.phhboxing.org) as we open a second location in Old Forge, PA.

Any latest update regarding NeedMyPassword.com, How are you looking to improve the services it offers and also create awareness for it?

We actually sold the product to developer in Canada and changed the model to really go more mobile with www.MobileSafeBox.com

I read the article of you in businessweek that you’re looking to turn your boxing gym into a nonprofit area for youths, what made you decide to do that?

We have over 220 kids in the gym and have seen great improvements in terms of keeping kids out of trouble, etc. We really want to get more involvement from the community so that we can do bigger and better things.

How long do you plan to keep operating this business?

For at least another 5 years.

What are your plans for the future?

Getting a few software products off the ground and start generating consistent revenue. With the profit from that we will expand the boxing gym and reach out to other areas.

What advices can you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their business?

Think of what you want to do, set a goal, and go for it!! There are a ton of people who will doubt you, but that is because they are afraid to do what you are doing.

Thanks for your time
Check out his company’s website: www.abpsoftware.com

Be in the flow…

let go of your fear; of your need to be in control

for it imprisons your dreams.

Breathe deeply in the darkness…

an illusion cast forth by your light;

no other can take your place.

Let the world be blinded by your majesty…

a beacon to those struggling to find their way;

for it is your divinity to shine like the star you truly are.

Go; enter the dragon’s den and reclaim your heart.

***************************

© Cheryl Hopkins, 2nd Jan 2006

Inspiring you to do work you love

www.Changeitliveit.co.uk

“It’s so easy to get caught up wanting to save the world, run a successful business, be in great shape, have immense wealth… success, no wonder we runs ourselves ragged.

When all is said and done, what we really want is to be happy, feel loved… for life to flow; and when that’s your aim is life everything else falls in to place; well, that’s what I’ve found.”

© Cheryl Hopkins, 15th Feb 2010 Change it live it http://www.bit.ly/blosG0