Check out this interview with Carlos Miceli, A Blogger @Owlsparks and Co-founder and Content Director @Untemplater, You should check out both Websites as they have amazing contents, i remember i once read through those sites for days whilst leaving their websites opened on my browser.

Hope you enjoy the interview.

Hey Carlos, how you doing?

I’m doing great, thank you for asking.

Can you quickly give us some quick background information, what you do?

I’m co-founder and Content Director of Untemplater, the guide to shatter the template lifestyle, and I’m the blogger behind OwlSparks, where I talk about a variety of topics like philosophy, marketing and education, to name a few.

How did Untemplater come about? What inspired you to start it?

It’s interesting that you ask this, because we always have the same talk with the team. We are not quite sure to be honest! I think our CEO Jun Loayza wrote a post one day on his blog about the possibility of many smart and capable Gen Y bloggers teaming up, and it just got a lot of us excited with the possibility. It kind of snowballed after that, everyone started pitching ideas, and before we knew it, we were already having meetings.

What is the main aim for starting, what are you trying to achieve?

The aim of the site is to help people realize that there’s more than one path in life. We are not trying to force any mindset into anyone, we just want to show how so many people are living unconventional and happy lives. And we want people to know that we as founders are also going through the hardships of choosing an unconventional lifestyle, that we are fighting and learning everyday just like them.
Of course, since this is a company and we put a lot of time into it, making some money wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world!

What is an average workday like for you?

I try to wake up early (although sometimes I fail because I stayed up working late), have a strong breakfast, then gym, lunch, shower, nap, and THEN I work. I also try to do offline networking as much as possible, so I go out at night often.
If I need to get a lot done, I work during night time. I’m very productive when everyone’s sleeping.

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

Spreading the word in our networks was possible the best thing we did. We are six mildly-popular bloggers, so when we each announced the project, our networks helped us a lot, word of mouth has been wonderful so far.

Also, having a free manifesto when we launched was a great move, kudos to our CMO Cody McKibben for coming up with the idea.

What plans do you have now to expand the site further?

So many! Live shows, Q&A features, Video Experts, giveaways, to name a few.

How do you market and create awareness for your website? What has been your most effective marketing tactic or technique?

This would be a better question for the other guys, honestly. I trust their marketing knowledge so much that I try not to get in the way. But like I said before, word of mouth thanks to our networks has worked wonders. Also, letting people submit articles has been a wonderful idea, courtesy of Adam Baker, our COO.

What advice can you give to anyone trying to create or grow their presence online?

Give it time. Impatience will destroy you. Some people would say that self-promotion is also a big move, but I’m not so sure about that. The most important thing is not to get too anxious and to be genuine.
Also, do your best when it comes to content. Not everyone can create truly amazing stuff, but everyone should TRY. Don’t settle.

What are your expectations for the future with Untemplater?

Personally, I have very high expectations, but it’s hard to define them in a concrete way. I want to focus in the near future in perfecting the systems and in getting everything running smoothly. We’ll see where we go after that.

How do you manage your time?

I focus on 3 to 5 things that I have to do each day. Once I’m done with that, I relax and analyze if I’m going to do something more long term focused, or if I’m just going to kick back and watch some House.

What other projects are you working on?

A personal manifesto and an ebook.

What do you think has been key for you in building your brand and business online?

Working very hard to create original content, my writing style, and my focus on building a limited number of very strong relationships.

What is the worst experience you’ve had as an entrepreneur?

You live it daily, and it’s the uncertainty. But it’s something you learn to accept and power through.

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

I was at a corporate job at the time, so balancing my job, the company, my side projects and my social life was hard. I overcame them sleeping less for a relatively long period of my life!
Looking back, I have no regrets.

Who are your role models?

Famous role models? I don’t have any, except maybe Adam Carolla for the simple reason that he stands up for what he believes. I want to be that person, someone who is willing to choose failure before losing his integrity.

Online, people like Holly Hoffman, Jun Loayza, Andrew Norcross and Colin Wright are wise people and friends who push me to work harder every day.

What are your top 5 websites you visit for inspiration?

- Ben Casnocha: The Blog
- Sex, Drugs and Boredom
- Overcoming Bias
- Big Think
- And Untemplater of course!

Thanks for your time Carlos

Thank you very much for interviewing me, it was a pleasure!

Steve is the founder of Wealthystudent.co.uk, A site dedicated towards helping students financially through university. although as discussed in the interview, he is looking to re-launch it into a much more success/career based site in a few weeks time.

In this interview, steve touches on some key tips especially for entrepreneurs looking to start their business int he university or straight after..

Enjoy…

Steve, how you doing today?

Very good thanks! Thanks for giving me the chance to do this interview.

Wealthy student? How and when did you start your business?

I started the business back at university in 2008. I got some funding by my university, who backed the idea and it took off from there. The prelimonary idea behind the site was to be a site to help students financially through university. The site has got sidetracked through 2009 as I got involved with another student business. I am now back on track and we are going to be re-launching with a much more success/career based site in a few weeks time.

What inspired you to start you to start the site?

I had always wanted to be my own boss and it just hit me one day that the internet was clearly an opportunity to start a business. It was staring me in the face. Anyone can start a business on the internet. To be successful though, takes tremendous amounts of perserverance, quick learning and having massive focus.

I also wanted to do something about student’s situation. I had managed to graduate with about £10,000 in the bank, just through working a part time job. Anybody could do that, too.

How difficult was it starting a business?

I found it fairly easy to get started. You need to get people around you who can mentor and help. I think the difficult part is when you get a year or two into the business and things haven’t got quite as planned. Will you still be motivated to be a success? It’s then when passion counts.

How did you raise money for your business?

I got a £3500 grant from my university, much of my savings of university went into the business.

What’s your business model?

Originally, it had been solely affiliate and advertising revenue but now we are heading into the recruitment sector.

How did you market your business?

JV partnerships, viral marketing (giving my book away), SEO marketing, article marketing – as many things as possible that get you ‘out there’. If you don’t know enough about how to do marketing on little or no budget then definitely get advice.

What are the fundamentals that you think every entrepreneur should follow when starting up a business?

• Get a mentor
• If you are setting up an online business and can’t code the site yourself then ask as many people as possible if they know anyone can, for cheap. Do not pay thousands. There are plenty of people out there trying to rip you off.
• Don’t be scared to tell other people your idea. People won’t steal it, it takes a lot of hard graft to get an idea to go anywhere.
• Write some sort of business plan. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but get something down.
• Have a vision of what you want the business to be in 5 years time.
• Set yearly, monthly, weekly and daily goals.
• Make every penny count.
• Make every minute count as much as every penny. Productivity is key when starting up.
• Make sure you are truly passionate about the business. Don’t purely do it as a road to riches. If you don’t have passion then you will give up in the end.

You’re the 2009 Men’s Health Entrepreneur of the Yr, how does that feel? And also a Part of the Observer/Courvoisier Future 500, that’s got to be cool, it sounds cool anyways?

The entrepreneur of the year was great. I had worked so hard up until that point and it was fantastic to get recognition. Being an entrepreneur can be lonely. The Courvoisier Future 500 is possibly the best thing about being in business. You get to meet some fantastic people, doing fantastic things at the networking events.

You also have a book called Defeat Student Debt, how did that come about?

I wrote the book whilst I was in the process of graduating (available on Amazon). I think I am a bit of a writer at heart and I had a lot to say about enjoying yourself at university but also doing it in a way that would keep you in good financial stead.

Who is your role model?

It can change all the time. Anyone who is at the top of their game whether it is in sport or business. Some names? Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs, Roger Federer, Lewis Hamilton and (surprise entry) Ricky Gervais.

What s your favourite entrepreneurial book?

Quite a few. I’ll go for something a bit different – The 4 hour work week by Tim Ferris.

What were you doing before? What would you do if they were no wealthystudent?

I was a student before. If there was no wealthystudent, I’d probably go work and travel somewhere as that is my other passion – seeing, living and breathing other cultures.

What advices would you give to young entrepreneurs starting up?

Think big and go for it! Follow my above advice!

What next for you?

Concentrating on making this business a success and inspiring others to do the same.

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

I’d love to get into investing into startups that are in their infancy. After my experiences with them, there will be a lot I can offer.

Thanks for your time steve, i wish you the very best.

Check out his website Guys, Leave comments so i know your thoughts on this interview.

Lauren Berger is the “The Intern Queen”, a fictional name she created for herself, of course she has to be, after completed 15 internships during college and also starting up a business that revolves around internship, Lauren is definitely the queen alright.

The Intern Queen:

I encourage everyone (young and old) to take a long serious look at their lives and focuses on letting your passion drive your career.

How you doing today Lauren? Welcome to YHP
Can you kindly give us some background about yourself and what you do?

I am CEO of Intern Queen Inc, a business I started after participating in 15 internships during college and deciding I was going to create a personalized way for students to connect with internships.

I’m from Clearwater, Florida and graduated from University of Central Florida in 2006.

What inspired you to start your business?

My internships taught me so much about who I was and what I wanted to do with my life – I wanted others to be able to connect with great opportunities and learn about themselves like I did.

What makes your internship service stand out from others?

It’s a personalized customized experience for the user. Students are sending their resumes to ME and I’m personally forwarding the resume to a PERSON at the company they are interested in. I’m a firm believer in the “personal touch”. It’s a small gesture but it goes a long way and helps the students know that someone is on their side.

How did you finance your business?

Marshall Herskovitz (Blood Diamond, Traffic) was my start-up investor. He owns a percentage of my company.

How do you market your services?

The best form of marketing has been word of mouth. I help one student and that student tells their friends. I market through social media, partnerships, speaking engagements, and affiliate relationships.

How many employees do you have?

One. Myself. I have a wonderful intern, a freelance web designer, and a freelance web programmer.

Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?

I’m a huge fan of the business that Rachael Ray has built for herself. I’m fascinated by people who really know how to brand and she does a great job.

What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?

Hmm….I can’t lie. I work LOTS of hours and often in my spare time I find myself working. However, I’m currently cooking all of Rachael Ray’s recipes, reading “Pour Your Heart Into It” (The Howard Shultz Starbucks Book), reading magazines like Inc, Self, In Style, Entrepreneur, etc. I try to work hiking and/or pilates into my schedule a few times per week, I enjoy lounging around with my friends and watching television or going to the movies, and over the past 3 weekends I’ve been to Disneyland, Wine Tasting, Apple-Picking, and watching football. I’m not sure I understand football – but I watch it  Oh and I go shopping whenever I can – Nordstrom is my favorite.

What qualities have you developed as a result of running your business?

I’m more goal and detail oriented. My time management skills have vastly improved – they had to. I’m able to delegate tasks better than before and as I’ve grown in my business, it’s become easier to feel confident in what I’m doing on a day to day basis. You realize that you are going to have bad days – and when they come around – they don’t affect you as much.

Where do you see in yourself and your business in the next 5 years?

The goal is to help any student in any industry – anywhere in the world. I hope to build this business up over the next 3-5 years and hopefully sell it and move on to the next project  Intern Queen will always have a special place in my heart.

What should a student try to get out of an internship?

EVERYTHING THEY CAN ! Read everything, meet everyone, volunteer as much as possible, work hard, stay late, be the first one there. Learn about that industry and if that is the right industry for you.

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

We are trying to expand to a new location each month. I’m in the middle of my speaking tour and trying to bring the tour overseas. Right now it’s all about raising the platform. I’m shopping around a book deal with my agent in New York and working on some other fun projects – stay tuned !

Thanks for your time Lauren.

For more information about lauren: Lauren Berger
Check out her company website: Intern Queen Inc
Lauren Berger’s Blog: Blog