Entrepreneurs - It’s about the consumer!
By James | May 9, 2008
I have been talking to many people who are interested in working for themselves. They wish to start a business of some sort for what I assume to be the same general reason: to have freedom and a chance to become rich. Every day more and more people are becoming aware of the possibilities and wonders that come with owning your own business or working for yourself. You don’t have to be at work at a specific time, you don’t have to call in sick or late, you don’t have to rely on co-workers and employers to guide your income.
There is one problem I have noticed among people like this. They want to be an entrepreneur but they want to achieve this by doing a hobby. As a successful entrepreneur, you can certainly have freedom to do what you want and it enables your business to reflect this, but you have to understand that it’s very rare that anyone makes a full living on just playing around. For example, you may enjoy graphic design but you probably wont be very successful if you try to sell stuff that you create out of your own head. People would only buy graphics that have value to them, like a logo for their own company.
You must realize that entrepreneurs do a lot of work that they don’t want to do. While they may be passionate about their work, they don’t always get to do whatever they want with it. You have to shape your business to please the consumer- not just yourself. So before you try to market your passion, make sure it can be shaped to be valuable to the consumer. If you enjoy writing, make sure people can gain something from the writing rather than just ramble about your own personal life and problems. Make sure the consumers can get something, like inspiration, entertainment, or advice.
One good aspect of consumer based products is interactivity. If you’re offering a service or entertainment for example, people love to get involved with the product. Have a look at the Top 50 Young Entrepreneurs Under 30 and see what they have in common. They all have user-based websites with fully interactive features. They aren’t blogs or galleries, they aren’t a collection of stories or articles, they are networking, gaming, and community based websites.
Now I’m not saying you need a complicated interactive web site to make money; like Sean Belnik who apparently made $42 million selling different kinds of chairs. The more value you provide to the consumer, the more successful you will become. If you can do this while providing a fully interactive sales environment, your success will be even more greatly rewarding.
You must base your business around Them, while still enjoying yourself.
Finding Your Dream Job
By James | February 13, 2008
I am not going to tell you how to obtain your dream job (yet). We are going to find out what your dream job is. If your going to set goals in life, make sure you actually want to achieve them. Remember that it is a job no matter what and you must work to get paid. I am assuming you don’t have inherited wealth, popularity, luck, or earn money illegally. Basically, this dream job should be something that you can achieve on your own if you are interested and motivated enough.
Many people associate a dream job with a career that has already worked for others: For example, a doctor, a high ranking military officer, or an astronaut. While these are highly successful jobs, they are neither creative nor specific. They are what I call “American Dream Jobs.” They follow the American dream that requires us to follow a work schedule where we get paid for the time we put in. Your dream job should reflect you. It should be specific to your interests, beliefs, morals, and standard of living. You create your dream job.
AFK
By James | February 11, 2008
Many apologies for the lack of posts. I have been stumped for what to write about and for some reason I have not had an interest in my usual science/philosophy topics. My interest in these topics come in phases; however, they are getting progressively shorter. I have no idea as to when I will feel up to writing another article, but it helps a lot if people give me ideas or wish to start a discussion with me.
As for writing down my own thoughts, I have pretty much done most of that on this site already. I would rather not write at all than write really meaningless or silly topics. So if you want to talk to me about something, feel free to do so and it may spark an idea for a new post. Join the forums or e-mail me and let’s get this show on the road! Also, I am still planning to get a novel rolling. I’m thinking Sci-fi or a good mystery, but I’m still unsure.
Cheers
Answers to Common Questions
By James | December 30, 2007
They are kind of rhetorical, but I assume that is because nobody has a reasonable answer to them. Some of the questions annoy me, which is why I am answering them in hopes that people will stop using them. Please understand that some of these answers are just for your entertainment and may seem closed minded or ignorant. Some may not be serious answers and others may be very serious- that’s for you to decide! Enjoy!
1. Why do bad things happen to good people, and visa-versa?
Because of free will. Bad people have the freedom to do bad things to good people. Maybe the homeless guy that you gave $5 is a convicted murderer. It’s the same reason good things happen to good people, and bad things to bad people.