Do You Have Reasons NOT to Go Solo?

In my career life I have changed many paths: I have been independent and I have been employed and I have been both at the same time. What are the benefits of going solo? Sure, there is security in knowing for sure where your next paycheck is coming from and how much it will be. Plus the comforts of a safety net if something goes wrong, with a company’s team of lawyers and HR department meant to keep you safe from any disputes.…

How to Start a Successful Business Blog and Enjoy Your Financial Independence

I’m sure you have read about my tips on how to establish an authority business blog… well, if you haven’t you might want to read that first because it will give you a reason or two why you should build a business blog – not just a biz blog, but a reputable and authoritative one. But no worries – you can always do so later on (promise me you will read that, will ya?) Now, let’s assume you are reading this blog post because you want for your business blog to support your living expenses – even better – give you financial independence.…

Top 10 Tips on How to Launch a Successful Crowdfunding Project

Entrepreneurs: Learn why you should tap into the $4 billion U.S. crowdfunding market and how to actually launch a successful crowdfunding project. Headaches in raising capital for your small business and startup? Try crowdfunding. Entrepreneurs have proven that it can give you competitive amount of funding vs. other funding sources, and the market will continue to grow significantly, according to a recent paper released in January 2013. Conducted by Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership at UC Berkeley College of Engineering, the research indicates that the U.S.…

The Most Challenging Small Businesses to Start (Yet People are Still Starting Them!)

Have you ever wondered why entrepreneurs keep on starting similar small businesses, even though the chances for success is slim? That’s right – the answer would be passion and potential. Entrepreneurs are “betting” their future on their small business, working hard to get theirs afloat. Some make it, some don’t. This is shown in stats, as follow… 40 percent of small businesses are profitable, 30 percent are breaking-even and 30 percent are losing money. Let’s just say that you chance for building a thriving small business is just 40 percent.…

20 Cloud Tools I Use for Running My Business (Plus 1,000s More!)

What I initially seek in online entrepreneurship is freedom. No, I don’t want to make millions of dollar while retiring to the beach, doing nothing everyday – that would be boring 🙂 Instead, I want to build my business around my life, not the other way around. The growing popularity of cloud-based tools has made that possible; I have more choice of tools than ever. Did you know what’s wonderful with all the cloud-based tools? That’s right – they allow me to work from my laptop, tablet PC and/or smartphone; and yes, I can work anytime I need to, anywhere I go.…

Beware: What You Know About Business Might Fail You

Have you heard something similar to this: “I have 20 years of experience and I know exactly that people can succeed because of [fill in the blank]” I know I’ve heard that. Often. And I know I’ve heard that – from myself. Beware: What you know about business for all this time might hinder you from embracing changes, which eventually will fail you somehow. I often use my 9 years of entrepreneurial experience, including 5 years of online entrepreneurial experience as a selling point.…

Lessons Learned from SHINE: The Entrepreneur’s Journey – a MUST WATCH Short Film

A couple of days ago, I talked about Biznik and mentioned about a documentary movie created with its members as starring. It’s a MUST WATCH – yes, in capital letters. This blog post will specifically talk about the inspirational video – how it inspires me and what I learn from it. I am not generally a movie watcher; I don’t really like documentaries – except those involving travels. But there’s something with documentary-style film involving stories of entrepreneurs. I always have a strong interest in them.…

How to do Video Marketing Like HubSpot: 4 Must-Watch Video Ads

Well, although I am not a HubSpot customer, I can recommend you to consider the solutions offered. Why? Because it is one of a few companies out there which walk the talk. HubSpot shows you the how-to in Inbound Marketing, and their 4 of many videos can act as examples of how to do it properly. Who don’t like watching online video ads and commercials shared on YouTube and Facebook? I always intrigued in how people can be that creative in creating engaging, potentially viral videos promoting products, services or causes.…

5 Reasons Why Independent Business Owners should Join Biznik

Okay, I’ve had it! I thought I won’t get spammed on LinkedIn, but I eventually realise one thing: If you are networking using free social sites, do expect some “noise.” I think I will re-focus my networking endeavour to another social network I should use more often: Biznik – a social networking for independent business owners. Please note, I am not affiliated with Biznik. I am a Biznik user who thinks that it can offer you more than the typical benefits you receive from Facebook and LinkedIn.…

How Your Small Business Productivity can Survive March Madness 2013

March Madness causes, well, madness for small businesses – especially those in the US. As one of the most popular annual sporting events in the US, the college basketball tournament is attracting 57 million viewers back in 2012, and we can expect similar figure this year. It’s all so exciting – but the problem is, it causes major disruption in business productivity, which eventually will affect your bottom line. So, how your small biz can survive through the 4-week tournament? College basketball is hot in the US – it’s the third most popular sporting event in the US – right after the Superbowl (American football) and NBA Finals (basketball.)…