The Crowdsourced Guide To Business

By Daniel Hall

Do you want to get tips from experts in each field without having to read tons of padding that usually goes in to a book? Then this is the book for you.

This book was created by an entrepreneur for entrepreneurs. All true entrepreneurs know that there are never enough hours in the day. We are impatient and want information now. Unfortunately most blog posts are written with a hidden agenda and therefore do not answer our questions, whilst books take pages rather than lines just to make a point. The Crowdsourced Guide To Business is different. The book has experts answer the questions that we want answers to. Rather than just getting tips from one person in each field, you will hear tips from many different experts. This allows the reader to get a rounded view on each topic rather than having to rely on the advice of just one person. Not only does this make the information more reliable but it has also helped create a long list of tips that you are unlikely to find anywhere else.

The Crowdsourced Guide To Business will save you both time and money. It will give you the knowledge to avoid costly errors, tell you what to look for when hiring someone to conduct work for you and how to know if they are doing a good job or not. You will be able to make informed decisions in a number of key areas and the book provides you with straight to the point answers when you need them fast.

There are sections on:
General business advice
Business plans
Funding
New product development
Website development
Branding
B2B marketing
Public relations
Media buying
Web design
Conversion rate optimisation
Pay per click advertising (PPC)
Search engine optimisation (SEO)
Content marketing
Social media

Just some of the 75 contributors to the book are:

Rajeeb Dey - CEO of Enternships.com, winner of many entrepreneurship awards and was named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2012

Duncan Cheatle - famous British entrepreneur and co-founder of Startup Britain

Marcos Rodriguez - famous entrepreneur, movie producer, investor and speaker at the US Department of State

Tim Berry - serial entrepreneur who has been nicknamed "The Father of Business Planning"

Mike Scanlin - famous ex venture capitalist and CEO of Born To Sell

Raj Dhonota - investor, mentor and contestant on the first series of the UK Apprentice

Dan Marom - world renowned expert in CrowdFunding

Chris Herbert - the leading authority in B2B Marketing

Conversion Rate Experts - the most famous conversion rate optimization company in the world

Joe Pulizzi - content marketing evangelist and founder of the Content Marketing Institute

Michael Lykke Aagaard - regular speaker at international Content Marketing conferences

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniel Hall
• Release date: Dec 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311795526

Daniel Hall

Daniel Hall is a serial entrepreneur and current Director at Veni Vidi Vici Ltd. He has a BA in History from Queen Mary's, University of London and a Masters in Management from Imperial College. Daniel not only attained a distinction on this course but went on to win the award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Imperial College was ranked 5th in the world at this time and the Management course went on to be ranked number 1 in the UK. Upon leaving University Daniel started a website which was featured in newspapers, on TV and on Radio all around the world. Daniel successfully built up and sold this website before joining West Ham United Football Club in the Marketing department. Here he worked on the original successful Olympic Stadium bid. Following on from West Ham, Daniel became Digital Account Manager at Connected Media. Here he looked after a PPC budget of over £3 million per year with outstanding results. Not only restricted to PPC, Daniel was responsible for UX, CRO, Google Analytics and content writing for all customers. With a burning desire to run his own company again, Daniel left to start his own business. He currently runs several websites, freelances in Pay Per Click advertising and is creating a series of 'Crowdsourced Guides'.

Book preview

THE CROWDSOURCED

Guide to Business

Collated by Daniel Hall

Published by Daniel Hall at Smashwords

Copyright © 2013 Daniel Hall

All rights reserved.

The Crowdsourced Guide to Business

ISBN - 13: 978-1493642557 (Paperback edition)

eBook Editing, Design & Layout by Andrea L.

[e-mail]

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations embedded in critical reviews and a number of other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Preface

I had been freelancing in Pay Per Click advertising for just under a year when in August 2013 a number of potential clients asked me to create campaigns for them in the information industry. The majority of these people had written information or recorded videos in areas they were not experts in and people were buying this information. It didn’t seem right to me that people wanted to learn but the information that they were buying was not of sufficient quality.

Around the same time two questions from new clients kept coming up. Firstly, clients were asking if I had any information that briefly outlined Google Adwords. These people did not want to read a whole book on the subject but wanted a sufficient amount of information so that they could understand what it was all about. Secondly clients would ask me if I could recommend any SEO (Search Engine Optimization) freelancers and how to assess if they were doing a good job. My reply was always that SEO is not my area of expertise so I couldn’t comment.

The theme recurred – entrepreneurs wanted information from people they deemed to be experts. These entrepreneurs did not want to become experts in the areas themselves but they just wanted to know the basics. They wanted tips.

This inspired me to write ‘The Crowdsourced Guide To Business’. The aim is for this book to become a business ‘bible’ entrepreneurs can pick up and quickly find the information they need.

As this is my first book and I have no recognised publisher behind me, the information was not easy to source. Many individuals and companies were wary of providing information to an author with no background. There was an err on the side of caution in case I was not actually creating a book and secondly those who trusted that I was writing a book had qualms over how well it would sell without no publisher behind me. For this reason I would like to thank everyone who put their trust in me and contributed to the book.

I hope this book will be the first in a whole series of ‘Crowdsourced Guides’. Information from a collective is always likely to be more valuable than information from just one expert. You only need to look at the website Tripadvisor as the proof of this.

Introduction

Do you have your own business or are thinking about starting a business in the future? Do you want to get tips from experts in each field without having to read tons of padding that usually goes in to a book? Then this is the book for you.

This book was created by an entrepreneur for entrepreneurs. All true entrepreneurs know that there are never enough hours in the day. We are impatient and want information now. Unfortunately most blog posts are written with a hidden agenda and therefore do not answer our questions, whilst books take pages rather than lines just to make a point. The Crowdsourced Guide To Business is different. The book has experts answer the questions that we want answers to. Rather than just getting tips from one person in each field, you will hear tips from many different experts. This allows the reader to get a rounded view on each topic rather than having to rely on the advice of just one person. Not only does this make the information more reliable but it has also helped create a long list of tips that you are unlikely to find anywhere else.

The Crowdsourced Guide To Business will save you both time and money. It will give you the knowledge to avoid costly errors, tell you what to look for when hiring someone to conduct work for you and how to know if they are doing a good job or not. You will be able to make informed decisions in a number of key areas and the book provides you with straight to the point answers when you need them fast.

Except for the section on general business advice, each chapter starts with a brief explanation of the topic area and then goes straight in to the questions and answers. Should you wish to find out more about a particular contributor then their website and contact details are written above their answers.

With the book being written in such an easy to read format you have no excuse for not continuing to read it. Your journey to successful entrepreneurship begins now.

General

Ben Austin

thebenchannel.co.uk

[e-mail]

1. What is the one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is starting a business today?

First, you’ve got to know your shit. Too many people jump into trying to solve problems they know nothing about. Fixing pains they’ve plainly made up. Playing in an industry they’ve never been in. Get your head stuck in and research the hell out of something before you even start thinking of a solution. Speak to customers. get out of your silo. Then when you think you might be onto something, ask yourself this: Is there a problem here that I can fix or improve and will people pay me for? Then ask, do I have the means and capabilities to make this number one, or do I need other people to make this a serious reality? Don’t kid yourself with hope and prayers and remember, you don’t have to go forward with the business idea you’ve got. It’s okay to drop it and move onto something with more wings. Time is the one thing in life you won’t get back. Be careful with how you spend it.

2. What is the greatest piece of business advice that you have ever been told by someone else?

As business people, we are all made up by different profiles. Profiles of varied passions, strengths, natural instincts, and capabilities. Learn what you are and just get better at doing that. Your natural fire. The very thing you do that feels great and has the biggest impact. Forget everything you’re bad at because those things will be a joy to someone else. Build teams with a winning mix and blend of profiles. Search ‘Wealth Dynamics’ to learn more.

3. What do you think makes a successful entrepreneur?

Unrelenting and unwavering levels of drive and commitment with a chip on their shoulder so big they spend every day of their life trying to prove they’ve got what it takes. Business is tough, unfair at times, very trying and often stubborn, so if you’ve not got the steal to cut it on those dark days, then it doesn’t matter how bright and skilled you are, business will eat you alive.

4. What is the biggest challenge facing businesses today?

Their own focus. There are so many things you can easily provide for customers in today’s world that a potential forest of distraction lies on every corner. Staying focused and obsessed on your quest to be amazing at one thing that a customer adores you for I’d suggest is the single biggest challenge facing businesses. It’s too easy to try to be everything to everyone and capture no-one in the process.

5. Where do you seek advice from when you need it?

From my mastermind team of incredibly talented and opinionated peers across varied industries and across the globe.

6. Are there any other tips that you can give to someone who is launching a business?

I’d be here all day if I started, so I’ll make this dead simple and brief. Before you do anything, make friends with a bunch of talented people who have more insight, expertise and experience than you and have them as your go-to ports of call. As you’re considering anything, run it by them. They might save you the years and money you could do with not wasting. If you want me to be one of those guys, run an idea up my flagpole and we’ll see if there’s a fit.

Rajeeb Dey

CEO of Enternships.com

1. What is the one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is starting a business today?

Just start. That’s it, honestly. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in your idea, to want to safe-guard it, to not out anything out there until you are 100% happy. But that’s not the way anyone learns. Ensuring you are proud of the first iteration of your service and/or product is–of course–absolutely vital, but until you shake off the fear of failure, the questions looming on the horizon and the worry that you’re not sure what’s going to happen next, you’re never going to improve. Take a deep breath, accept that you can’t have all the answers before you immerse yourself in your new project, and begin. Get it out there, get feedback from people you know and respect, and learn what works and what doesn’t from the ground up.

2. What is the greatest piece of business advice that you have ever been given by someone else?

Whilst it wasn’t necessarily meant as business advice I think it’s something my dad always says to me that I find to be most useful which is it’s what you achieve at the end of the day that really matters.

This saying has multiple meanings for me. When things go well it reminds me that there’s still a long way to go and that whilst it’s nice to celebrate a success it’s what I achieve in my lifetime and the legacy I leave which is what I will be remembered for; on the flip side when things don’t go to plan it reminds me that it’s just a temporary blip and that there is plenty more opportunities ahead.

Whilst my dad isn’t a businessman and, I’m sure, didn’t intend it to be a profound piece of wisdom it has served me very well so far!

3. What do you think makes a successful entrepreneur?

For me, it’s a keen faith in your own skills, and knowledge and faith in the skills of others. When I first started Enternships, I didn’t have a brilliant CTO on-board, and this was an unending hindrance when it came to building the first iteration of enternships.com. As soon as I put faith in someone else to share my vision – and not only that, but to bring their expertise, ideas and skills to the initial vision I had – everything seemed to fall into place. No one person has all the answers. It’s up to a leader to build a team of people whose skills not only complement yours, but strengthen them.

4. What is the biggest challenge facing businesses today?

I work a lot in the technology sector, and particularly with startups and SME’s–what’s really striking me at the moment is the desperate need for great tech talent. Developers, coders–front-end and back-end wizards have never been in greater supply, and yet only a fraction of job- seekers have these sorts of skills in their arsenal. According to a recent survey, by 2015 there will be 900,000 unfilled IT jobs in the UK, and considering the constant fear of unemployment graduates face in the wake of the recession, this seems a tragedy to me. I think the solution is better communication between educational institutions and emerging businesses–we need to make sure our young people are trained in the skills we need, otherwise the greatest ideas of the next few years will never have the chance to fly.

5. Where do you seek advice when you need it?

My peers. I have a strong network of fellow entrepreneurs–many of them a similar age to me-who have been through and are experiencing the same challenges as I am. What’s wonderful about the entrepreneur community is how supportive and helpful it is–I think everyone is aware of how by helping one another we all benefit, and so a brilliant structure of advice, networking and problem-solving has been born!

Brock Poling

www.linkedin.com/in/brockpoling/

[e-mail]

1. What’s the one piece of advice you would give to someone who is starting a business today?

We’re seeing a tremendous shift in the leverage business owners get by developing communities of followers and tapping into a vast pool of worldwide outsourced talent. I would recommend that everyone who is starting a business, to study the field of internet marketing– study industry thought leaders (Ferris, Godin, Hyatt) and great examples of people who are successfully implementing these techniques (Patt Flynn, Lewis Howes, Eban Pagen, Marie Forleo.)

Even if you think these strategies are not applicable to your business or industry I am sure you will find ways to get more done faster (and with smaller budgets), scale your business rapidly by repeatedly tapping into your built in fan base and keep staffing overhead low (AND still have access to the best minds in the world in any discipline.)

If you apply these ideas correctly they can become a powerful competitive weapon against traditional businesses.

2. What is the greatest piece of business advice that you have ever been given by someone else?

Fail fast. Fail cheap.

There are two insights in this that I have found to be true. First, you have to let go of the FEAR of failure. This paralyzes 99% of us. We’ve all been taught to NEVER fail at any cost; but the truth is anytime you build something new you’re GOING to make wrong turns, miscalculations, and bad decisions– it’s just part of the road to success. Embrace it.

The truth is, most of the time lasting success is built upon some type of failure. Gaining the insights necessary to understand problems in new ways is critical to achieving new heights, and unfortunately a lot of times these insights are achieved through failure. The trick is to embrace this process and try to lower the risk of failure by failing fast and failing cheap.

3. What do you think makes a successful entrepreneur?

Above all else…taking action. In the long run doers succeed. It’s as simple as that.

Beyond a strong penchant for action I have found that vision, unshakable optimism, and perseverance to be other necessary qualities to being a successful entrepreneur.

4. What do you think is the biggest challenge facing businesses today?

Debt. The world (particularly the U.S.) is hurdling toward a financial disaster with our ever increasing debt load. At a point this bubble is going to burst and put us in the worst financial times the modern world has ever seen.

Not only that but it is creating global strategic imbalances that I believe will reshape the power structure of the world within our lifetimes.

5. Where do you seek advice when you need it?

Other entrepreneurs. I find that having close friends and mastermind groups of other business owners (both within my field and outside my field) to be an invaluable resource for exploring opportunities, shaping ideas, and untangling difficult problems.

6. Are there other tips that you can give someone who is just launching a business?

One thing it took me a while to learn, and a mistake I see MANY first time entrepreneurs make, is not knowing your exit strategy.

For most entrepreneurs the REAL money is made when you get out of a business, not while you’re in it.

So it’s important to know what your ultimate goal is for the business. Are you going to sell it? If so, to whom? Your staff? A competitor? A large corporation? Knowing this will help you make the right choices as your building and growing your business to achieve the outcome you desire.

Duncan Cheatle

FOUNDER & CEO

Prelude Group www.preludegroup.co.uk

1. What’s the one piece of advice you would give to someone who is starting a business today?

Be clear on what you want from running the business – growth or lifestyle; what income and therefore what margin the business needs to make to be viable. Too many go in blindly optimistic and then struggle because they haven’t clarified the basics.

2. What is the greatest piece of business advice that you have ever been given by someone else?

No one piece of advice stands out – loads of great insights from too many to mention.

3. What do you think makes a successful entrepreneur?

Clear vision, great leadership, ability in creative problem solving and a heavy dose of resilience.

4. What do you think is the biggest challenge facing businesses today?

Differentiation - standing out in an ever more crowded market place.

5. Where do you seek advice when you need it?

I seek advice from trusted, successful peers – members at www.thesupperclub.net

6. Are there other tips that you can give someone who is just launching a business?

Do it for passion not money (that will follow), be focused, ensure enough margin in the business or you’ll never grow, don’t give up too early BUT be flexible and recognise if you need to pivot.

Marcos Rodriguez

[e-mail]

1. What is the one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is starting a business today?

Nothing really happens until somebody sells something.

2. What is the greatest piece of business advice that you have ever been given by someone else?

There are only three natural strategic positions in business: Best, Cheapest, Only; and you can’t be all three. Cash Nickerson

3. What do you think makes a successful entrepreneur?

Successful entrepreneurs have the ability to withstand their own spectacular failure.

4. What is the biggest challenge facing businesses today?

The biggest challenge facing business today is oppressive government.

5. Where do you seek advice when you need it?

When I need business advice I go to the members of Joe Mancuso’s CEO Clubs.

6. Are there any other tips that you can give to someone who is launching a business?

Define your business by the needs you meet, not the things you do.

Ed Faynor

Partner, Limitless Logic

www.limitlesslogic.com

[e-mail]

1. What is the one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is starting a business today?

There are several:

Set your personal expectations high, but there will be ups and downs

Focus, Focus, Focus

Be a cheerleader for you, your business, and your product. Trust yourself.

Surround yourself with talented, but like minded people.

Never stop investing in yourself and your business. Change is inevitable, embrace it and grow.

2. What is the greatest piece of business advice that you have ever been given by someone else?

Keep it simple. Communicate as though others are not as familiar with the topic as you may be, but be effective.

3. What do you think makes a successful entrepreneur?

Confidence.

The ability to be undeterred from the goal.

Recognizing and utilizing synergy.

Constantly seeking new information and knowledge.

Recognizing personal limitations, but seeking resources to bolster the gaps.

Organization, of thoughts, tasks, communications, time, and resources.

The ability to