If you are currently up to date with the Blogosphere world, You would probably notice she currently has one of the most talked about book on the internet right now.

Jenny Blake is the life coach, blogger, yoga teacher, and now the author of Life After College: The Complete Guide To Getting What You Want. I decided to do a quick interview with her to see whay this hype was all about.

Hi Jenny, First of all, Congrats about the launch of your book, You’re all over the internet, How are you doing today?

Doing great! I’m answering this on launch day – which has been incredibly exciting. I’m beyond grateful for all of the suppor the book has received so far — blown away.

To those who don’t know much about you, Can you give us some background information about yourself?

Sure! I am a life coach, blogger, yoga teacher, and now author I wrote this book while working at Google full time. Most recently I was a Career Development Program Manager and internal coach — now I’m on a 3 month sabbatical so that I can focus on promoting the book. Prior to Google, I took a leave of absence from UCLA at the start of my junior year to help start a company with one of my college professors.

The experience of leaving school before my friends (and reading over 200 personal development books on things like money, happiness, organization and time-management) inspired me to start my blog, LifeAfterCollege.org that is now a book.

How has the experience being so far, What opportunities has it brought you?

It’s been incredible. Don’t get me wrong — I’ve had lots of stressful moments too – times where I was ready to give up, or where I thought the whole thing would fall apart. But pushing through those taught me the power of perseverance. I have learned so much about myself through this journey – and it’s crazy to see it all wrapped up in one 6×9 package that I can now share with the world.

Let’s talk about your book: Life After College: The Complete Guide To Getting What You Want, What is it all about?

Life After College is a compilation of tips, quotes and exercises, divided into chapters for every major life area. Chapter categories include life (values, goals), work, money, organization, home, friends & family, dating & relationships, health, fun & relaxation, and personal growth. The idea is not to provide nuts and bolts so much as big picture inspiration to help people dream big and go after what they really want.

What would you say makes this book different and effective than maybe other development and coaching books for young professionals?

This book is very punchy and straightforward — I really tried to cut out all of the narrative that lots of other books seem to have. I wrote this for the ADD generation — the format is tips, quotes, coaching exercises and recommended books for every area of someone’s life.

People can open the book to any page and hopefully find something useful. I also think the coaching exercises will really help people create their own vision for their lives — that’s the part I’m most excited about.

Not everyone understands how much discipline it takes to finish a book, so i wanted to know what are some of the things you did to add structure and discipline in completing the book? How has the journey been so far?

It really helped to take two weeks off work when I started — it was during the Christmas holiday so it wasn’t a big deal. That allowed me to really focus for multiple days in a row. You’re absolutely right — it takes a lot of discipline, but it was all worth it.

Other things that helped were finding friends who also wanted to hang out and work on creative projects at the same time. It helped me feel less isolated and gave me someone to bounce ideas off of when I got stuck.

You’re also putting together a book tour, when will that be happening?

The book tour is self-funded and self-planned (the publisher doesn’t really help with that), so I will be mostly going to places where I have large pockets of friends and readers. I’ll be headed to 14 cities total, including New York, Boston, Maine, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Los Vegas and even London! You can see the full schedule here.

What tips could you give readers especially those that are on the verge of finishing school?

Set aside one hour each week (either alone or with friends) to do some big picture visioning – what is most
important to you? What three goals do you want to reach for in the coming year? Oftentimes we get so bogged down in our daily lives that we lose perspective on what really matters to us.

I would also say trust your gut — learn to listen to your instincts and it will help you find people and opportunities that are a great fit.

Where can we purchase a copy of the book?

Thanks for asking! You can purchase a copy on Amazon (http://amzn.to/jennyblake) or at a bookstore near you. You can also learn more about the book on my book website (http://LACBook.com) and on my blog (http://LifeAfterCollege.org). Thanks so much for the great interview!

Some people say we all have a moral obligation to separate fools from their money. That is nonsense of course. But how far would you go to protect a fool from losing his money? Especially if you are the person who he could be losing it to?

This is not the type of post that ends with some good advice. I have no idea what the answer is. Maybe you do have a clear idea about your moral obligations as an entrepreneur or maybe it will lead to an interesting discussion.

The reason I’m asking the question is because a fellow entrepreneur recently did an amazingly good deal. A company offered him a proposal for a partnership which contained an error. The error was very advantageous to him and he felt he had (a moral obligation?) to tell them about it. So he drafted a counter proposal which was more fair, to both of them.

Read the rest on TNW

I recently had the opportunity of speaking to two amazing entrepreneurs that have been making a lot of progress in their business over the past 12 months. Since the last time i spoke to them (Dirujan Sabesan). You can certainly say that hard work and persistence does pay off.

Dirujan Sabesan and Sam Thornton are the co-founders of creative nerds -A UK based design & development firm that specialises in beautiful, creative and exclusive designs.

Hope their story inspires you, enjoy the interview.

Hi Guys, how are you doing today?

We’re good thank you

So before we go any further, can you guys just quickly give us some background information about yourself so that the YHP readers can get to know you better, especially you Sam?

Dirujan Sabesan – London based, 18 Year old founding director of CreativeNerds. You could say I’m the face of the company in terms of the visual artwork you see as I have the role of lead designer. I’m in full time education at Sixth Form studying A2 Graphic Communication, Music Technology & Media Studies.

Sam Thornton – I’m 20 and also a founding director of the company in question. I am the ‘geek behind the curtains’ so to speak as I also hold the position of head developer. I currently work full time in Liverpool for another design agency.

A lot has changed since I last spoke to you Diri, first of all, you were 16 and now you’re 18 right?!

Yup, we’ve come a long way since you interviewed myself a few years back. You’ll notice the new website which we launched in the summer of 2010. We have added a few more exclusive names onto our client list and also our actual presence as a design agency has developed. Since then we’ve also officially registered the company as –CreativeNerds (UK) LTD, making sure we’re taking the right steps forward.

Bring us up to date with some of your recent developments; a lot has happened since the last time i spoke to you?

Well we’ve managed to add some more companies to our client list such as – Sony Music Entertainment & The Jonathan Lipman International Group. Our largest project since speaking to you back in 2009 has been the SB.TV project which is always developing.

We created the identity for the company and went on to build the website which is now just over a year old and achieving over 45K hits a month. Artists such as Flo Rida, Drake & Devlin have all featured on there.

How is it like working with each other? A lot of people try to keep away from working with friends; Hope Sam doesn’t try to pull some “I’m older do this” card on you?

Dirujan Sabesan – No way. His shackles lock him onto his desk so I maintain control… Only joking. The best thing about us is that we are such a small team. Seems that being spread about England helps us because we simply work over emails, phone calls and video conferences. We’re not here to live of each other and have a democracy. Instead we put our passion for our talents together and create work that will always keep generating a healthy income .

Sam Thornton – We see it as an ‘equal opportunities’ environment, everyone has input and everyone gains the benefits of such a well-developed company in a very difficult industry. That’s not to say that we don’t disagree with what the other person says but we know each other than well, we pull through and settle on a compromise

Dirujan Sabesan -Teamwork is always key, if things were not working out then the company would have dissolved ages ago.

Do you guys have an office or you just work remotely from home or how does it work?

Dirujan Sabesan – We don’t have a core studio as such, we work virtually from home. Our communication to each other is over the phone, through constant e-mails, texts, and video calls. Right now we both work on CN part time, we both have our own individual lives and put as much time as we can into the company.

How did you guys know each other and why did you decide to start a business together?

Dirujan Sabesan – The World Wide Web put us together. Social networks such as Twitter and Behance allow you to find new and undiscovered talent. CN was simply created because we knew we had a passion for being creative individuals. At that time I was roughly 16 and only right that I wanted to make some extra money. Paper rounds weren’t really my thing.

Sam Thornton – We both realised each other’s talents and just set out doing a few designs as a hobby – I always saw web design as nothing more than this and never actually realised the potential in the market. 2 years down the line and we have a great client list, we are well known and becoming what I would describe as ‘successful’

The last i spoke to you Diri, you said you guys focused a lot of advertising but it know it seems “word of mouth” and referrals has now taken over for you guys?

Dirujan Sabesan – Seriously, I gave up on advertising. All I did was to leave textual links on any online projects we created, such as websites. Our support has risen and it seems that more and more people are getting to know about us. People like Neil Ransome, Jonathan Lipman, Jamal Edwards, Derek Amedume, Anthony Layiwola, SQ Magazine, Adeel Niaz , Ed Griffiths and the L4M camp always push our names out to anyone and everyone. I appreciate people like them who don’t simply want to use us for a service and then run away after.

Sam Thornton – It goes to show that if you do offer a great service and the end product is the quality that you advertise then you will be rewarded. We have now turned to relying on social media and the word of mouth of our current clients to spread the word.

What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

Dirujan Sabesan – Self Motivation. Self Confidence. Time Management. You have to be motivated to carry out work for clients, work to maximise your potential. You must have the confidence in yourself to sell your product and push your business. And as Anthony from Base N Rebulz told me, time management will always keep you on track! Find the right assets and try not to indulge in any liabalities.

What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?

Dirujan Sabesan – If someone ever says that there has never been a failure within his or her business or career then that’s a lie. You will always make some mistakes in life, and these will make you a better minded because you know how to tackle the problem next time round.

Sam Thornton – I wouldn’t say we’ve had any catastrophic problem, I would say that on a day to day basis we are always learning new things, not just about the market but also about our clients and how to approach issues. I suppose our biggest failure is not capitalizing on things earlier…

How many hours do you guys work on average in a day?

Dirujan Sabesan – Depends really on how much work I’ve got to do. More or less I would have about 5 hours a day? I get home around 4pm and I don’t really sit there working non-stop, Facebook & Twitter seem to get the better of me on some days. Oh and half an hour has to be set aside for Eastenders.

Sam Thornton – When aren’t I working…In all honesty I only really have about 2 hours to myself all day as I work full time so I get-up, go to work, come home from work have an hours break, do CreativeNerds work then have an hours break before bed…

How do you define success?

Dirujan Sabesan – “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” –Henry David Thoreau– So the more hard work I put in, and every time I look at the time and realize that I’ve got to wake up in 4 hours, I guess im getting somewhere close to success.

Sam Thornton – Success for me is being able to look at what I have been able to build and see people talking about it, obviously there’s a financial side of things but i’m more of the rewards from the things people saw type-a-guy.

What do you like the most about being an entrepreneur?

Sam Thornton – The fancy title I guess…In all honesty I guess it’s the recognition you get and the fact that when you meet someone new and slightly slip in the fact you own a business they seem very taken back…

Dirujan Sabesan – The fact I can work whenever I like, set my own work rate and meet new people. Im doing a job that I enjoy, so it seems more of a hobby more than anything

Do you have a favourite project that you’ve worked on at creative nerds?

Sam Thornton – On a personal scale my favourite project would have had to be the Look4me Entertainment website, it taught me a lot of new things and helped develop my skills further, not to mention we launched the site with 1 minute to go before our deadline…exciting times

Dirujan Sabesan – Don’t really have a favourite project, every project is new and exciting. As Sam says you learn from working on new things.

What do you like best about the Internet?

Sam Thornton – I guess how diverse it is and the fact that new opportunities are always cropping up, just to think without the internet, CreativeNerds (UK) Ltd wouldn’t have been formed and people wouldn’t be reading this interview.

What softwares do you guys use for your design and development work?

Sam Thornton – It’s well known that most people won’t divulge such information but we are always out to help others as we wouldn’t be where WE are today without the help we received. Some of the software we use are:

- Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Flash…
- Too many web browsers to mention

None of our software is bespoke, we just have our own way of using them

Let’s go back a bit, who was your first client? How did you guys have so many big name clients, how did it start? How did you get your first big name client?

Dirujan Sabesan – I am not too sure who our first client was. I started of doing free work for my friends, way before the days of CreativeNerds, and these began as MySpace layouts, I get a lot of people on twitter telling me ‘oh I remember you from when you used to do layouts’ – This was back in early 2008. That’s more or less where I started. You’ve got to start somewhere.

In terms of the big name client, I think messaging TinchyStryders managers back in 2008 got me going. Back in the days of MySpace I simply sent Jack & Archie from Takeover Entertainment a message on there and offered to do some free work for StrydersMyspace. I left my logo on the artwork and soon things started to pick up. They helped me to meet the peeps at Universal and then the next big hit was N-Dubz.

Are you looking to diverse into other industry in the future under the creative nerds umbrella?

Dirujan Sabesan – We are not too sure yet, as businessmen, – we are both investing into little things which we feel are assets to us. In a few years hopefully some of the things that we are working on will bring some good returns. Only time can tell. The company has really been doing well for the past two years. However give it another two and see where we are then.

What sacrifices would you both say you’ve had to make to get to where you are now?

Sam Thornton – I would say the biggest sacrifice I have had to make is spending time with friends/family, however they all know why Im not out most weekends with them having a bit of personal time. At the end of the day if you aren’t willing to put some things on the line then the other things aren’t going to grow.

Dirujan Sabesan – I wouldn’t say this is a sacrifice but I didn’t go down the route of looking for a job like my friends, instead I headed down the self-employed route. That was the big risk, but it sees that it’s paying off now and I have something I am proud to put down on my CV. Thank you for putting us in the TOP 15 YOUNG ENTREPRENURS list too!

What’s the toughest feedback you’ve ever received from a customer and how did you learn from it?

Sam Thornton – I wouldn’t say we’ve ever received ‘tough’ feedback, and any feedback we do get we manage to turn it into a positive anyway, as some feedback is better than none right?

How have sales grown in the last few years?

Sam Thornton – To be honest we have hit a balance, obviously the capacity of work has gone up and so have rates especially with the quality we supply to our clients. Last year was a very good year for us and we hope to better that this year

Is the business profitable?

Sam Thornton – One simple word…Yes, one big reason for this is the fact that our initial cost-base is so low, at the end of the day there are no real costs we have to pay out for other than our servers and general business costs.

Dirujan Sabesan – Everything we make is 100% profit in most cases. Because we are working for ourselves. We are not buying something to sell and make profit off.In the circumstances when we are using freelancers we will take commission from the work, which is simple enough and keeps a steady money flow. When we work on a larger scale in a few years, we will hopefully have the right funding and set up to carry on working efficiently.

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

Sam Thornton – Continued to expand on what we know and continually reviewing our aims and goals.

Dirujan Sabesan – Making the right partnerships with the right businesses. You’ll see in a few months what new opportunities we have taken and how those will become great assets to the company. We’re not allowed to say anything at this moment in time.

Have you guys thought about creating and selling website templates?

Sam Thornton – This was something we had initially explored, however there are too many sites out there doing it and we enjoyed taking on individual projects and creating bespoke designs, it gives us that sense of satisfaction that we built it to specification and the client wants to use it.

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

Sam Thornton – Well, next month is business plan review time… However our achievable goals right now are to push out our name further and look towards other industries as we have been focusing heavily on the music industry. On a personal level I may setup a small branch in Liverpool and push small site designs through CreativeNerds..Who knows

What three pieces of advice would you give to college students who want to become entrepreneurs?

This interview may give you some sort of motivation to start your own business. Make sure that the service you wish to offer is something unique. People start a company because someone else they see has been doing the same. However you need to have something that’s exclusive, something that the others don’t offer. You have to have the right assets to make yourselves the best and if you need funding, apply for some. There are many companies that will help fund for young entreprenuers such as The Princes Trust, The Big Lotto Fund and Shell-Wire (http://www.shell-livewire.org/).

Thanks for your time guys.

If you want to connect with them, contact them on the links below, Real nice and humble guys.

http://www.facebook.com/creativenerdsuk
http://www.twitter.com/creativenerdsuk – Dirujan Sabesan
http:/www.twitter.com/creativenerdsam – Sam Thornton

Check out their designs – http://www.flickr.com/photos/itouchfx

Contact detail - dirujan@creativenerds.org / sam@creativenerds.org

So yesterday I saw this floating around. It is a presentation made by Nick De Mey from Board of Innovation. The ten include companies such as Groupon (obviously), Spotify (another great one), PayWithaTweet (one to watch for sure!) and Quirky actually (Just wrote about them today as well, check it out after).

Emerging concept Quora is not on the list, but maybe one for next year!

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.

Born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, At 20 years old, after graduating from the University of Miami with degrees in Journalism and Anthropology and headed to Europe for a three-month backpacking and photography trip. Upon her return, she was approached to host a show, inevitably leading her back to Los Angeles to pursue a career in television hosting, acting, and writing.

Southern has appeared as a red carpet host for (2008 Grammys, 2007 Golden Globes, 2006 Young Hollywood Awards), and as the face for Cosmopolitan Magazine’s website.

Although she was first introduced to the public in 2004 when she made American Idol season three’s Top 50, she also became the face for Cosmopolitan.com, and starred in series and specials for CBS.com, MySpace, and MSN. On her own time, Taryn continued writing and producing videos, including a spoof of THE GOLDEN GLOBES for TVGuide.com, NOT MY SOCK with Jamie Kennedy for T-Mobile, and more.

Shortly thereafter, she was featured in Maxim Magazine as one of the top internet celebrities of the year, and won Spike TV’s 2008 Guy’s Choice Award for her Hott4Hill video.

In the film world, she played a supporting role in Senior Skip Day opposite Jackson Rathbone. She also was one of the leads alongside Jessica Lee Rose and Mikaela Hoover, in Warner Brother’s first ever web series, Sorority Forever. The series debuted on September 8th, 2008 on theWB.com.

In November 2008, Southern and her producing partner, Jessica Rose, launched Webutantes, a new media studio.

Also in 2008, Southern wrote/produced her first comedic musical web series, Private High Musical, which was released across various viral platforms. The project was produced in association with 60Frames’ Red Band. In 2009, Taryn sold “Private High Musical” to MTV and teamed up “Family Guy” executive producer David Zuckerman to write the half-hour comedy script.

How are you doing?

I’m great, thanks! Just had my morning latte.

Can you let our readers know what you do?

I still don’t quite know exactly. By definition, I’m an actress, writer, producer, and TV host – but most days I just feel like I’m playing a giant game of Hollywood chess.

Describe/outline your typical day?

Sometimes I wish I had a “typical” day! Every day is different. Some days I’m filming, which means crazy call times and long hours on a set. Other days are spent auditioning (which in LA, means hours in a car), pitching TV or web series concepts for financing or distribution, writing, reading scripts, and lots of general meetings with studio execs, actors, writers, and producers.

You’re one of the co-hosts for the official American Music Awards pre-show that pretty cool right? I hope I’m getting some backstage tickets *Laughs*

Haha, I’ll let you know if I get any extra tickets! Yes, I’m extremely excited about co-hosting this year’s AMA awards. I co-hosted the red carpet of the Golden Globe Awards for Dick Clark Productions back in 2007, so I was so excited that they asked me back to be a part of their official AMA pre-show. The best part about this year’s show is that it’s completely interactive. So no matter where you are in the world, you can watch the pre-show live from my Facebook page – www.facebook.com/tarynsouthern , as well as tweet me questions you want me to ask your favorite celebs (Direct questions to @tarynsouthern -). Being able to connect fans to celebrities on the red carpet, LIVE, isn’t something I’ve ever been able to do before!

I mean you’ve worked with a lot of celebrities, you’re kind of considered a celebrity yourself, How does it feel? How has the journey been so far?

Ha, well, I definitely don’t consider myself a celebrity. I’m not exactly sure at what point someone is considered a “celebrity” – perhaps when they can’t leave the house without being pestered by paparazzi? That’s definitely not me.

Regardless, my journey in entertainment over the past few years has been an absolute adventure. I feel blessed to have been able to do so many different kinds of things. One day I’m in Washington DC talking to Chris Matthews about politics on MSNBC, the next day I’m playing dress up in a ridiculous comedy film, the next day I’m travelling to Europe to host a travel show. I never know what’s around the corner…every day is a surprise.

What is the name of the most interesting place you’ve been to and why?

I think Istanbul tops my list. Not only is it one of the most beautiful cities I’ve been to, but it lies on the border between Asia and Europe, so the culture draws from so many different influences. The town of Iquitos, Peru comes in at a close #2. One of the most incredible months of my life was when I was working on my senior thesis along the Amazon River. I stayed with locals in the rainforest and learned about all kinds of indigenous plants and rituals. It was fascinating.

I was actually watching Senior Skip Day and was thinking “Do you actually swear that much?” How was the experience being in the movie?

Senior Skip Day was actually my first movie – and so much fun! And no, I definitely don’t swear like Isha does. She really liked the F word.

My favorite part about Senior Skip Day was the cast. We were all such goofballs together. Now Jackson Rathbone’s in Twilight and Kayla Ewell is on the CW’s hit series Vampire Diaries. I love seeing my friends succeed. I’m like a proud mother.

O yeah, I will definitely be watching the new twilight movie; I’m a huge of vampire diaries.

What’s your biggest distraction?

My biggest distraction is not having a schedule. Since I don’t work for anyone, I only answer to myself, which requires a lot of focus and optimism. The hardest part of my job is that you just have to work really hard and then wait for that “pivotal moment.” Sometimes it’s a phone call that you got the part, other times, it’s the anti-climatic close of a six-month long negotiation. Every few months I have to take a step back from the minute details and appreciate the creative freedom I have.

What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?

As long as you put forth effort, and do your work with passion and love, then I believe there is no such thing as failure. Everything is a learning experience. I’m a highly critical person, so I’m always critiquing myself. The growing never stops, the ideas never stop; it’s all cyclical.

If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

The older you get, the tougher it can be to find work in Hollywood, especially as an actor. I used to wish that I had started pursuing my career at a younger age, to have the “head start” that so many others had. Now, I’m so glad I didn’t! Without my experiences studying anthropology in college, I wouldn’t have the other passions I do now – for music, travel, cooking, culture. It’s never too late to do what you love. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

What has been your most satisfying moment so far?

Hearing from someone that I brightened their day, made them laugh, or inspired them to do something outside of their comfort zone – those letters and emails make it all worth it.

What is the most crucial decision you’ve made so far regarding your career?

When I decided to ignore the critics. My first year in LA, I found a lot of work as a TV host and even produced my own TV show. I was immediately placed in the “host/producer box,” but I wanted so badly to act and write. So instead of listening to all the people who told me that I should just focus on hosting, I started writing, producing, and acting in my own online material, which led to several roles in films and selling my first scripted TV show. There’s always going to be people telling you that you can’t do something…so you just have to go do it. Prove yourself. Now I am fortunate to have a team of people who support me in all areas – writing, producing, acting, hosting. Three years ago I would have never imagined that I’d have that.

On those impossible days, what motivates you to keep going?

Coffee? Ha. Sometimes it’s as simple as that. Seriously though, most days, it’s an idea I have that inspires me to wake up every morning. A little voice inside that says you have to tell this story.

Describe yourself in 5 words?

Intuitive, joyful, sensitive, driven, practical

What do you in your non-work times?

I love the arts – writing music, painting, photography – and long hikes in the Los Angeles hills. I also try to take about 4 weeks off every year to travel. Last year I took an extended holiday vacation and went to New York, Dubai, Jordan, Istanbul, and Mexico. It was such an odd trip but amazingly refreshing. I really want to see Africa and Cambodia next.

What music artists do you like at the moment?

I’m inspired by so many different types of music. The Jackson 5, Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon, Michael Buble, and the Rock of Ages Broadway soundtrack are on my current work out playlist.

What is your favourite film at the moment?

My favorite film this year was the Pixar animated Up (I couldn’t stop talking about it!), but whenever I need a little inspiration, I turn on The Wizard of Oz or Amelie.

What are you currently working on now?

A bunch of different projects (as usual!) I’ve got the American Music Awards coming up this month, but I’m also consulting for a web site launch in November and writing two web series that I plan to produce next year. I just finished acting in a movie in September, so hopefully I’ll see a cut of that soon. And in December, I’m producing my first feature – it’s a passion-project thriller that I co-wrote with a friend.

Wow, That’s great Taryn.

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

I have very specific goals – I want to make a movie musical. Publish a book. Run my own new media content studio for up and coming talent to test out ideas. Learn aerial acrobatics. I’m not really sure what all this adds up to. I’m not looking to win any awards – as long as I’m having fun, that’s all that matters.

If you were conducting this interview, what question would you be dying for someone to ask you?

That’s a trick question! Haha. I’m a pretty open book, so if anyone has any questions for me, they can just send me a twitter message – www.twitter.com/tarynsouthern – or post a message on one of my blog forums at www.taryntogo.com.

Thanks for your time Taryn, we wish the best in the future.

Connect with Taryn on twitter – www.twitter.com/tarynsouthern
Find out more updates on her website – www.taryntogo.com
IMDB
More on Taryn
Wikipedia

Media Entrepreneur, Carlos Leon, Started his own production company when he was 20 years old and launching his studio at 23, and now he has worked with some of the biggest companies such as Warner Brothers, MTV, Sirius Radio, Discovery Channel and VH1.

He founded his media company CML Studios in the summer of 2006, His media company offers a clean ample facility to independent producers, filmmakers and photographers at low costs. The studio is ideal for any video production or photography shoots including music videos, shorts films, commercials, casting calls, instruction videos, modelling sessions, corporate videos and commercial photography shoots.

Hello Carlos, how is it going so far? Thanks for taking your time to be on YHP, How was your weekend?

Hello Joseph, Thank you for the opportunity and interest in my company. My weekend was fantastic, just got back from a conference of entrepreneurs where fashion designer Christian Audigier and Sir Richard Branson, my role model, were the keynote speakers. It was very inspiring and a great way to start a new week.

How did you raise money for your business?

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and that was the case with my first attempts in business. I started making web sites and small video projects for clients from my parent’s home. After some financial success and room for expansion, I was convinced to join a partnership that promised to provide me with my first office in an event preparation center in my hometown.

After agreeing to sign all of the leasing paperwork in my name and obtaining the keys to my first shared business location, one of the partners decided to quit, rent the location literally next to ours and start her own business with another partner. The partnership feel apart after I signed the dotted line and before I even got the keys. Definitely, my first real challenge in business at age 21.

I did get the small corner office I was promised, as well as the entire building for a business I knew nothing about and the full financial responsibility with little income.

Out of necessity, I worked 7 days a week, 12 hours a day for almost an entire year in order to complete the full financial responsibility with the failed partnership and a hunger for something bigger and better. For me it was enough money to move to Hollywood and open up my own production studio from scratch. I raised the capital by saving the old fashion way, by working as fast as I could, as hard as I could and spending very little.

I ended up saving my target goal in 10 months, moving to Hollywood and the rest is history. My former partner’s business completely failed and ended up closing just 12 months after I moved to Hollywood.
Another key to my success in indirectly raising funds ,or in this case resources, has been bartering. Once you have created a product or service that can be of value to others that also have something of value for you, an exchange of goods and services can be a very smart way of potentially saving thousands of dollars and expanding your network.

I have been able to barter with dozens of people that provide services to me such as photographers, editors, animators, etc in exchange for services I require for several of my projects and companies. I have been able to save thousands of dollars this way and it is a “win – win” situation for both parties.

How did you get such a strong customer base, Warner Brothers, Discover Channel, VH1, MTV to mention a few, how did you get them on your list?

Marketing in Hollywood is key and that is what it comes down to. By providing a production facility and services at good rates and projecting a clean, straight-forward image, I have been able to get many of the top entertainment companies use our facilities and services.

Clients from all over the world and from practically all 50 US States have booked our facilities over the phone by simply reviewing our website and online presence. Everything comes down to image and marketing.
Ironically, Hollywood is also like any neighborhood in any small city, everyone knows each other. Eventually you start meeting the same people and having the same group of friends and colleagues that recommend each other, so the networking aspect of my business is very important.

How has the journey been so far?

It has truly has been an amazing journey with many ups and downs. In Business, you have to find something you love to do and have a passion for and figure out a way to live off it. You need to sacrifice and be willing to take risks most people that just have a 9-5 are not willing to take. That is the difference between failure and success.

What has been your most memorable moment so far?

There are many memorable moments since I started my company but my proudest achievement is having been named One of America’s Best Entrepreneurs under 25 by BusinessWeek magazine. The media exposure and expansion of my network due to the publicity has been invaluable.

Other surreal moments have been when an important client shoots in my studio during the day and that same evening appears on a live national television show which shows their importance in the industry. Every time I have any sort of important client or company use our facilities or receive a quote request from halfway around the world, is very surreal for me.

What would you say has been the most important lesson you’ve learnt along the way?

The most important lesson I have learned along the way is to always be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. There is nothing worse than working very hard to start a company and not having enough resources or funds to sustain it if things do not go as planned. I have learned that saving is very important and that in business being organized in terms of scheduling and finances is crucial for success.

I have also learned that marketing is an essential key for success. Having a strong marketing presence is very important. I started my company by bartering a couple ads in a local business directory in exchange for building the directory’s website. I also simultaneously sent out 100 flyers to the closest businesses around me from which I received my first major marketing contract from a multi-million dollar multi-national company.
Years later I still have clients from these initial free marketing campaigns which shows the immense power of marketing. A small marketing campaign can create a butterfly effect that can spiral into a whole network of clients and referrals.

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

I see a true explosive expansion in the next 5 years. For the past couple years I have been planting several business “seeds” like I like to call them. These are ideas, projects and brands that I have developing from scratch. They include a spanish online channel that we have completely branded, trademarked and shot numerous amounts of content for that we see turning into a viable media outlet in Latin America. They also include a new record label division that we are currently developing by finding and nurturing talent in different genres.

This expansion will also include offering additional multimedia services in our marketing and web design division as well as growing of our sales and marketing team. Finally we are planning on launching a new production studio and company headquarters on 10 / 10 / 10 with a show and celebration that will combine and showcase all of the projects and companies I have launched. More information can be found at cmlmediagroup.com/countdown

What is the most crucial decision you’ve made so far regarding your business?

The most crucial decision in regards to my business I have taken is moving to Hollywood. In business, location is very important, and instead of shying away from a big competitive market like Hollywood, I decided to take it head on, create a competitive and successful formula and market and create a company that is growing day by day in one of the hardest markets in the world.

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

I truly admire Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Group of companies. I had the opportunity to see him speak at a conference just yesterday. I admire his creativity, courage and tenacity to take on established companies in several markets and create competitive alternatives to them. He is a true visionary that is changing the landscape in several industries. He knows how to balance an image of adventure and wealth with that of being humble and soft spoken.

I was able to witness this first hand one night in Hollywood on the famous Sunset strip as I waited outside for a cab after an event. Out of nowhere, and without any sort of security or entourage Richard walked right in front of me heading to the entrance of a hotel. I had the chance to shake his hand and show my admiration and he was very cordial. It is an experience I will never forget.

What sacrifices did you have to make to be a successful entrepreneur?

Sacrifice is definitely one of the keys to success. From the very beginning of my career I knew it was an important quality I had to master in order to succeed. I started my business with literally no money and knowing how to value every penny I made and spent.

Success as an entrepreneur and becoming financially independent comes down to delayed gratification. This means being 21 and making $500 that you invest it into an advertising campaign for your startup company. You can eventually turn that into $15,000 by age 24 thanks to clients who found you thru it versus spending the $500 immediately on a pair of high ends jeans.

In order for an entrepreneur to succeed from the early stages you need to be willing to make sacrifices many people are not willing to do. Maybe it is not going on that expensive vacation or buying the latest video game console all of your friends have. It is also about sacrificing a bit of your personal life, whether is be leisure time with friends or even a relationship that takes a lot of someone’s time.

It took me 10 months to save the amount of money I felt comfortable saving in order for me to make my big move to Hollywood. For those 10 months I had very little social life and worked very long hours 7 days a week. For the first few months of the company I decided to sleep on a simple sofa in my office and not buy fancy car until a couple years after the company was profitable. It is always my recommendation to live below your means in order to survive until you see a level of profit and comfort in your company. If you make $1,000, only spend $300 and save $700.

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

I have many hobbies outside the workplace that include traveling, going to the movies, working out, jogging, dancing, going to networking events and enjoying nightlife such as nightclubs and pubs. It is very important to follow the philosophy of working hard and playing harder. In fact, every summer I make it a point to throw a big red carpet party at a Hollywood nightclub for people that are somehow involved with the company.

An active entrepreneur in both a business sense as well as social and recreational sense is very important to creating an overall healthy lifestyle. I enjoy meeting young entrepreneurs like myself who also enjoy traveling to top vacation resorts, going to business networking events and enjoying a couple drinks at a nightclub or pub. This transmits a balanced image that shows you can work hard and manage your workload but can also take time to enjoy hobbies and time off.

How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?

Marketing has been the key to my success. I have tried many forms of marketing throughout my career including newspaper ads, television commercials, online advertising, mass mailers, sponsorships and viral marketing.

The most successful has definitely been internet advertising including paid ads on Google and free daily posts on CraigsList.org. Having a strong internet presence is very important. The internet is all about looking bigger than you truly are without deceiving the client and creating marketing strategies that you implement every single day.

In my business I have been able to book hundreds of clients from around the US and the world after they simply looked at my website. The next step after attracting the client’s attention is to be as informative and helpful as possible on the phone and the third is closing the deal, signing the contract and obtaining a financial guarantee.

The most indirect source of marketing is referrals and word of mouth. As an entrepreneur, your #1 priority must be the satisfaction of your client no matter how big or small the project is. A good track record is important because 10 happy clients can turn into 5 referrals that can multiple and turn into 100 clients without having to spend a penny of marketing per person.

How do you find people to bring into your organization that truly care about the organization the way you do?

In my line of work I have a large group of qualified people that work for me on a freelance, project by project basis. The type of project and budget determines the people I hire. A good way of finding good people is taking a common sense approach by reviewing their resume, interview performance and referrals. You can also build a prior relationship with them before committing to a paid position by bringing them on board as interns. This will show you their qualifications as well as their ability to function in a possible paid position.

How important have good employees been to your success?

Good employees, interns and volunteers are essential to a company’s success. You are only as good as the people you work with and manage. Throughout the years, I have worked with dozens of paid and unpaid workers in every capacity from hosting for the online channel, to shooting and editing video projects and marketing the production studio.

These people have put a great amount of time and energy into helping me building several aspects of CML. When you are hired by a major company to produce a project and you delegate several aspects of it to complete it, the success of the project not only depends on me but also on everyone that is involved in making it happen.

What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

My greatest fear is actually fear itself. It is to allow it to stop me from making a decision. Fear is probably the number one reason why people do not take a risk and start their own business. It is not a lack of money, creativity or ambition.

I manage the fear of failure by having a common sense approach, preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. If I decide to invest on something for my company, I wait until I have at least 3 times the amount of cash flow in order to invest. I do not put all of my “eggs in one basquet” and always have a plan B if plan A fails.

What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

I think the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur is Creativity, Sacrifice and Persistence.

Creativity is a must in business. You need to find a product or service, market it towards a niche market and find a way of monetizing it. You need to think outside the box and not let anyone tell you that what you are doing is not the right or conventional way. When I told most people I wanted to save some money, move to Hollywood and open up my own production studio, online channel and record label they thought I was crazy. You also need to find creative ways to

In business sacrifice is essential. You need to be prepared for very long hours, a reduced amount of time for leisure activities and be aware that you will not be having the typical 40 hour work week. It all comes down to delayed gratification and sacrifice.

Persistence is probably the most important quality or skill to develop. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs have made and lost fortunes and despite this they have had the persistence to keep on trying and succeed. There is nothing more rewarding for an entrepreneur than to execute an idea he has for a business and after trying several formulas finding the key to long term success.

Thanks Carlos,I’m definitely going to applying these information into my entrepreneurial lifestyle.

Carlos Leon
CML Media Group

Cameron has been featured in hundreds of newspapers, magazines, and television stations worldwide including Newsweek, Business Week, USA Today, The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Oprah Winfrey Show, MSNBC, CNBC, ABC, and dozens in Japan as well.

Hey Cameron, thanks for the opportunity, Welcome to YHP, I’m sure the readers are excited about this interview; you’re such an inspirational figure to entrepreneurs all over the world.

I have too much to ask you, so I will make it as brief as possible.

You’re an author, businessman, entrepreneur, internationally recognized public speaker; I could just go on, how does it feel to have accomplished so much at such a young age?

Thank you, that’s very flattering. For me, I’m more focused on “what’s next” versus something I did years ago – but thank you, it’s been quite the journey and that’s how it’s supposed to be.

You started your first business at the age of nine, at age 12; Cameron made $50,000 selling Beanie Babies over the Internet.

You made your first million before graduating high school, when your company was generating $15,000 per day, how was the feeling? What did you friends say?

I’ve always lived two lives: my personal life, and my business life. I’ve tried to keep both very separate and although the media attention doesn’t always make that easy, it’s important for me to keep them separate. So in one moment I may be in an important business meeting or on television, and an hour later – I might be an average 24-year-old at a concert or football game with friends.

Out of all your books, which one would you say has been your most successful?

By far, You Call the Shots, which was released here in 2007, was a very proud accomplishment for me. It really brought all of my experiences, and the lessons I learned along the way, full-circle and enabled me to share it with others. It’s always exciting to receive emails – even today – from people who are reading, or have read the book, from anywhere around the world.

Tell us more

Fantastic – it’s won several awards in different countries including an award for innovation from the Taiwan government in 2008. Next, it’ll be released in Japan sometime next year and several colleges and universities across America have adopted it for their business classes.

Describe your experience being a finalist on Oprah Winfrey’s first prime time series, The Big Give, which was aired on ABC?

It was a great honour to be chosen as one of the 10 contestants but even more exciting to have made it through every episode and to have hopefully helped change many peoples’ lives for the better. Oprah’s mission to inspire others to give is a fantastic one and she is certainly someone I admire for her business acumen.

Describe your experience hosting the Season 4 of Beat the Boss?

If you look at all of my experiences, they are each very different. Hosting a television show (aired only in the UK) was quite fun. Television is definitely a fun hobby for me and I use it to create a platform that’s enabled me to help promote different charitable causes, financial literacy, etc.

What is your most memorable experience so far?

My Japan consulting experience when I was 15 would definitely stand out, as would Oprah’s Big Give, and all of my experiences are so very different – that’s what keeps it exciting.

What has allowed you to grow to such a large business while at the same time retaining an excellent reputation for service?

It comes back to how you want to be treated. Go fly on US Airways and you’ll know what not to do. It’s about customer service and the experience you’re giving your customers. Order a pair of shoes from Zappos and you’ll experience something fantastic. You have to create experiences that encourage your customers to tell their friends – and rave about your business. Being “good” isn’t good enough anymore.

Do you have any suggestions for coping with set-backs, negative experiences?

Sure, learn from them, then ignore them and push forward.

Do you have any favourite business related books that you can recommend to other entrepreneurs?

For me it’s business biographies – so as a kid, I’d read books by Donald Trump, Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, etc. Spending $15 on a book is the best way to get an education.

Out of all the entrepreneurs, authors, inspiration speakers that you’ve met, who has been your favourite?

Wow, that’s a tough one. I try and learn from everyone’s experiences and advice. We are all students.

How do you balance your time between doing so much?

Google Calendar synced w/ my Blackberry.

What are the 5 qualities you think every entrepreneur should possess?

• Not afraid to put yourself out there,
• Be naive as to what can/can’t be done,
• Persistent,
• Creative to bootstrap your marketing,
• Passionate.

What is your definition of success?

Happiness

You are one of the most famous Young Entrepreneurs in the world today- based on your experiences, what advice would you give to a Young Entrepreneur starting their first business today?

In my book, You Call the Shots, it’s broken down into 19 chapters I call the “essential secrets of entrepreneurship.” The first one is “Put Yourself Out There” and the second is “Start Small” – those two principles are the keys for getting started.

What are your thoughts on the recession?

It’s a correction.

So what’s next for you?

I’ve spent my time deciding what the next step should be and I’m glad I have. It’s much better than taking a year doing something I hate.

Thanks Cameron.

Contact info:

www.cameronjohnson.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Johnson