Yes to Me

(Photo by Leefotos)

Welcome to the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series! This is where we learn the startup secrets from those who actually took the leap. Before becoming entrepreneurs, they were professionals and managers, or college students, just like you. From there, they made the changes. . .

Opportunities are everywhere – can you see and grab one?

The challenge is that opportunities don’t always come in handsome package. In fact, most opportunities don’t look like opportunities at all, so many people dismiss them. Some, however, see the hidden sparkles and take actions. For example, Kim received home-made presents from her boyfriend Jason. She loved his sense of humor and together formed the message that adults can learn a lot from children to enjoy life more. Now they have multiply income sources. Or, Susanna started jewelry making as a hobby while she was on sabbatical. She loved it and built a business on it.

Or some opportunities come as plain job offer from a small start-up company. No big paycheck. Quite uninteresting, huh? Unless you see the learning opportunities in it. Or how about a college internship?

Today Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs have two guests, Skip Shuda and Yasmine Mustafa. They help aspiring entrepreneurs launch their internet businesses by offering marketing, technology and management consultation. Please check their website Team and a Dream. They also write an intriguing blog at The Cheap Revolution.

1. Tell us a bit about your business and why you started it.

Skip: Team and a Dream is a company for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs. We love the creativity and energy around entrepreneurs. We also believe in the importance of focus, so we focused on what we know … which is Internet Entrepreneurship.

It was formed in late 2002 after I wrapped up Destiny Websolutions. For the first few years, I mostly operated as a virtual management team member with startups. However, last year – after Yasmine joined, we really launched our “virtual team” business for startups. Yasmine started with us in 2006 as an intern through Temple University. When she graduated in December of 2006 at the top of her entrepreneurship class, I asked if she’d like to help grow Team and a Dream. Since then, she has taken on responsibility for marketing of Team and a Dream – especially our online marketing. I’ve been responsible for sales and deciding how to work with clients (the consulting end of the business). However, we both pitch in on just about everything. For example, I’ve been recruiting project managers and Yasmine has been recruiting interns to work in our “meshwork” of professionals that we draw upon to create virtual teams.

I’ve been a serial entrepreneur since 1983. It was then that I chose the lowest paying of seven job offers (including two from IBM) to work with a software startup as employee number 16. That company eventually went public and I’ve been part of the entrepreneurial world ever since. In the mid-90’s, I created a startup in my basement called “Destiny” – and we built one of the first online banking systems in the world for Bank of America on AOL. That company grew to 120 people and $17 million in annual revenues as “Destiny Websolutions” before the eCommerce consulting market evaporated in 2002. I learned many lessons as part of that venture and have been sharing them with our startup clients since late 2002.

2. What were the biggest challenges when you were starting off as a new entrepreneur? And how did you work through these challenges?

Skip: #1 – Sometimes vision is all you have to carry you forward. During a particularly dark period, I thought about my troubles starting a new venture and reflected on the “wealth” I had amassed. In response to that reflection, I wrote this piece that sits above my desk today.

“If you fear failure, rejection or conflict… you can avoid them OR you can accept them while keeping the faith that connections, Ki (or qi – universal energy) extension and a path with heart cannot be defeated for an entire journey.”

Sticking to this credo has served me well… and I always end up with a successful path eventually.

#2 – Understanding that letting go is sometimes the best way to grow. I have had key employees facing attractive opportunities, key clients that I MUST have to build my business lay down impossible terms on the table and challenges as a young executive that seemed insurmountable. Each time, I found that “letting go” with grace resulted in better situations. I invited the key employees to explore their options and they remained with me. I told the client that we’d have to stop the project and they changed the terms – and I stepped down as CEO to hire a person better able to move my dream forward.

#3 – Cash is king in a startup. Yet focusing on fund-raising has never been a favorite approach of mine. I’d rather “bootstrap”, demonstrate that I can get clients and build value without an investor – and then am much better positioned to raise money with an investor.

Yasmine: #4 - Be flexible. Don’t be tied to your idea completely. - adapt to the environment and eco-system. Understand your idea will continuously change and evolve. You can progress further by being aware and open to your surroundings as well as other people.

3. What is the best part of being an entrepreneur for you?

Skip: Helping others to realize their dreams and influencing those dreams so that entrepreneurs are approaching things with a socially conscious approach. It is my way of “giving back” to a world that has been very generous to me.

Yasmine: The best part (without a doubt) is not having to sit in traffic as often in the morning and late afternoon! It’s also working on things I love doing. Brainstorming strategies, formulating the concepts of an early stage company, observing the end results of a marketing project or another engagement - those are the most exciting parts of what I do.

4. Any advice for people who dream to have their own business and yet find it hard to make the leap?

Yasmine: Don’t wait for the perfect idea - it’ll never come. Find an experienced mentor who’s been-there and done-that. He/she can provide you with needed guidance and support. I would recommend starting with something you’re either passionate about or something you’re good at. One or the other (or both) will provide you with a jumpstart in your business. Once you take the leap, you’ll feel exhilarated. There is no better feeling than knowing you’re starting something on your own.

Also, listen to your gut instinct. Life is too short to live someone else’s dream - follow your own!

Skip: The web has made it very easy to start a new business. Get out there and make it happen. Test out your ideas with a close circle of friends first and then with people who understand the business side. Launch early and often. Provide feedback forums for your clients. Listen closely to the market. Participate in the market conversation. Iterate. Focus. And always ask, “How is this business helping others or helping this world to be a better place?”

If you choose a path with heart, you will have a much higher likelihood of attracting partners, vendors and clients who want to see you succeed. One of my favorite quotes on this is by William Jennings Bryan.

“Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.’ - William Jennings Bryan (1860 - 1925)

My Takeaway
It seems to me that Skip and Yasmine each brings in their special strengths to make the team stronger. Skip, as a serial entrepreneur, has the experiences in internet business and great entrepreneurial mind. Yasmine, on the other hand, has the fresh perspectives that Skip trusts a lot. It’s a great way to avoid getting stuck, where 1+1 is more than 2.

I also like their resilience. Yasmine says, “Don’t wait for the perfect idea.” and “Don’t be tied to your idea completely.” Skip says, “. . . letting go is sometimes the best way to grow.” We can’t plan out everything upfront. But don’t let that stop you from taking the leap. With faith, and learning from both successes and failures, the results can be more than we initially expected.

Would you like insights and accountability to bring real changes to your life? Please check this page

(Photo by Leefotos)

Welcome to the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series! This is where we learn the startup secrets from those who actually took the leap. Before becoming entrepreneurs, they were professionals and managers, or college students, just like you. From there, they made the changes. . .

What was your reaction to 9/11?

Do you remember that day? It was a weekday, so most likely you were at your work, doing what you usually do, and heard the news sometime during the day. Did the news change the way you see your work, and life in general?

My deepest sympathy to the victims and their families. Having said that, I must also point out that a disaster like that sheds unexpected light to our lives. It makes us reexamine our values. We ask ourselves, “Am I doing what really matters in life? Gee, I thought as if tomorrow would be just like yesterday, but maybe not. Would I die happy if something happens tomorrow?” It can give us the kick to take decision action.

Today’s guest to the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs is Susanna Ordway, who took a year-long sabbatical after 9/11. This gave her the time to be with her family and herself, eventually leading to entrepreneurship. Please check her beautiful jewelry that give extra sparkle to your life at Susanna Ordway Jewelry Designs.

1. Tell us a bit about your business and why you started it.

My business, Susanna Ordway Jewelry Designs, was actually an accident…an unplanned detour to what I thought I should do with my life. Fortunately, life and the universe took me on a happier, less stressful route by way of my current career.

As a good Chinese daughter, I was taught to find a good job in a practical industry and company, even though I have loved art and had a passion for beauty and fashion since I was little. I followed that advice for about 12 years, working as Marketing Manager and Corporate Communication Manager for the banking industry. But after being unhappy in my last two years as a corporate employee, and after 9/11 showed us all that life is just too short, I left the corporate world for a year to become a mom to my two daughters and a wife and homemaker to my husband.

Then, as I contemplated whether or not to return to work (I love my husband and daughters, but needed something just for Me), I stumbled into jewelry making. I found that I not only loved the craft, but am good with both design and technique. As I learned, more and more people asked to buy my designs and so my business, Crystal Accents, grew organically.

I knew that my new business was the right decision for me when I doubled my sales the second quarter without any advertising outside of wearing my own creations. Also, it was very gratifying when Swarovski® presented me with its exclusive “Crystallized With Swarovski” Quality Brand partnership after previewing my designs. This exclusive partnership is usually limited to well-known designers such as Roberto Caravelli, Prada, and Escada. Swarovski® has also featured my chandelier earring designs in their publications.

Now, as I expand my designs and techniques, I have updated my business name to Susanna Ordway Jewelry Designs, keeping Crystal Accents as the name for my bridal and fashion collections. I am very happy to know that I am now able to fulfill my artistic mission: To create beautiful items that help enhance a woman’s beauty and style, that visually communicate her individual personality, which results in building a more positive self-image.

2. What were the three biggest challenges when you were starting off as a new entrepreneur?

The three biggest challenges for me starting out were:

• Formulating a solid business plan
• Learning how to price my work, especially with regards to my time and labor
• Learning that being an entrepreneur and business owner doesn’t mean having to do everything

3. And how did you work through these challenges?

Because my business slowly grew out of a hobby and not out of a concrete plan for a formal company, I didn’t have an actual business plan when I started Crystal Accents. Even after the business started growing, my plan was more or less reactive—to basically address issues as they arose.

But with the help of many other entrepreneurs and business owners that I have had the privilege to meet through various networking opportunities, I not only learn about developing business and marketing plans specific to my industry, but also how to value my work’s worth and how to let go if I want my business to grow.

It’s true, being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. I find that the more I let others help me, the better my work gets and the more my business grows.

4. What is the best part of being an entrepreneur for you?

No office politics!!! Having a work schedule that allows me to spend more time with my family whenever I want and not when the employer lets me; being praised for my work frequently; and knowing that wearing my jewelry makes my clients very happy.

5. Any advice for people who dream to have their own business and yet find it hard to make the leap?

It’s always difficult to make changes, and especially frightening when the changes have anything to do with your identity, your finances or what others may think. Just remember that we only get one life, and having one that is happy and fulfilling to you, is so much more important than one that follows someone else’s priorities.

This is actually much easier than you think. If you have to, follow your dreams by taking baby steps. For example, if you cannot give up your current job due to finances, then start your business as a part-time venture while you’re still employed. Then build your business until you can do that full-time.

My Takeaway
I like her relaxed approach to entrepreneurship. Step-by-step development puts the stress of startup in check and is a good way to manage risks.

Life is a gift, and the best way to express our appreciation for this gift is to live it well. It takes just a bit of courage, a little bit of opening of your mind, to start taking actions that can make big difference in the way we live this gift.

Would you like insights and accountability to bring real changes to your life? Please check this page

(Photo by Leefotos)

Welcome to the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series! This is where we learn the startup secrets from those who actually took the leap. Before becoming entrepreneurs, they were professionals and managers, or college students, just like you. From there, they made the changes. . .

In love and in business together – is this the new ideal?

Today’s guest to the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series is a happy couple, Kim and Jason Kotecki. They are on the extremely important mission to save the humanity from adultitis . . . What? You don’t know what adultitis is? You have one, then, and it is killing you right now.

When I discovered their website, I almost broke into tears with relief. They bring back the fun and magic of childhood to our adult life. Every time I read their blog and the comic, I feel part of my soul is restored. I am recovering from adultitis. And they are smart entrepreneurs. They understand the power of multiple sources of income – they write, speak, sell toys, sell membership. . . (Did I miss something?)

Kim and Jason Kotecki are a husband and wife powerhouse that team up to deliver a message to empower busy people to use strategies from childhood to create lives with less stress and more fun. Learn how to overcome Adultitis today at www.KimandJason.com

1. Tell us a bit about your business and why you started it.

Kim: Kim & Jason is all about an idea. It’s the crazy notion that there is more to life than the hectic busyness, cynical melancholy and overwhelming stress that is typical of most modern lives. Adultitis tricks us into missing out on the best parts of life and causes us to take ourselves WAY too seriously. Kim & Jason is meant to serve as a beacon, reminding you of that joyful, magical, indomitable spirit that still exists within you, and giving you permission to let that spirit come out to play.

Before Kim & Jason became a business, it started as a simple love story. Jason first drew his lovable characters for me sometime before the turn of the century. We shared a kindred childlike spirit, and Jason used the drawings, which represented us as children, on many homemade (aka cheap) gifts designed to win my heart. It worked! We were married in 2000, which is also when we felt compelled to share the comic strip and its inspiring message by starting our business. It’s been a wild ride ever since!

At it’s core, Kim & Jason (which has been described as “candy for the soul” — way too cool for us to make up) is all about helping grown-ups of all ages to slow down and Escape Adulthood, whether it’s through a stress-reducing chuckle or a nostalgic reflection at a treasured childhood memory. But just as importantly, we are extremely passionate about making a difference in the lives of children as well.

Jason: Yep. What she said. Also, I really didn’t want to spend my life “working for the man,” so creating a fun business around things that we’re passionate about seemed like a perfect solution.

2. What were the three biggest challenges when you were starting off as a new entrepreneur?

Kim:
1. Funding. Jason and I were straight out of college with empty pockets and big dreams. There were a lot of upfront expenses, but not a lot of income at the beginning. We grew slow and steady, though, which enabled us to stay afloat.
2. Patience. We had grand visions, but weren’t exactly sure which steps to take to get there. It took a lot of trial an error- about five years worth. During that time there were many soul searching moments that inevitably shaped us into the company we are today.

Jason:
I’d also add self-doubt. Like many young entrepreneurs, we were very excited about what we were doing and had some big dreams to go with it, but when it comes to actually implementing your idea in the world, it’s easy to start second-guessing yourself. “Am I crazy?” seemed to be a recurring question that popped up in my head. I don’t think any of us have a good handle on what we are truly capable of and we typically sell ourselves a bit short.

3. And how did you work through these challenges?

Kim: I can honesty say that if I didn’t have my faith I would not have been able to work through the challenges. There have been a lot of silent sacrifices along the way that are often not seen from the surface. It’s been a daily walk of faith… one baby step at a time.

Jason: You have to persist. Wake up every morning with the crazy notion that “this might just be the day.” Surround yourself with people that believe in you, especially the ones who see things in you that you don’t always see in yourself. That helps counter the self-doubt. And like Kim, my faith has been crucial. I really believe God has led me to this path, and trusting that everything will work out in the end — even when things go a little haywire — has been what has kept me from throwing in the towel.

4. What is the best part of being an entrepreneur for you?

Kim: I love being able to have the freedom to react to inspired thoughts. I may plan out my day the night before, but if I wake up and decide I’d like to turn it all upside down for a new idea, I can. Jason and I have been known to go on mid-day brainstorming walks and to sit on the front porch with our laptops on a beautiful day. It’s nice to have the freedom to be spontaneous - just like a kid! We have also created a daily schedule that aligns with our natural body rhythms. We are not early risers, so our workday is 10-6:30. This allows time for morning exercise and later bedtimes, which is what we prefer.

Jason: The freedom is a huge plus, just like Kim said. Also, I love the challenge of trying to figure out how to make the business grow and get better. As an entrepreneur, you try lots of different things. It’s like throwing spaghetti up against the wall. Sometimes it sticks, and sometimes it doesn’t. But I love the challenge of it, analyzing why something didn’t work (or why it did), and dreaming up new ideas to make it work better. It’s all very exciting and engaging. Ultimately, just waking up every morning with an opportunity to use all of my talents and do what I love is the true reward.

5. Any advice for people who dream to have their own business and yet find it hard to make the leap?

Kim: I love the line by Ray Bradbury, “First you jump off the cliff and you build wings on the way down.” Don’t get me wrong, you have to take millions of calculated risks, but you also have to have the courage that when you jump, you will be able to fly. Like I said earlier, that’s where my faith has come into play. I know I can’t fly on my own.

Jason: Yes, most people get caught up in the big picture and get overwhelmed. They think they have to make tons of big decisions all at once. But as the old saying goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step.” If you give yourself a chance to really think it through, you’ll discover that there is usually one obvious first step. Take it. That will lead to the next. Don’t get ahead of yourself…just take that first step. You can do it!

My Takeaway
Gee, they make me jealous^-^ How nice it would be if I could have a supportive partner. . . They really compliment each other. I am also impressed with their faith. There is a higher power, and believing in its guidance and help makes all the difference. I am glad they have chosen to utilize their talents and insights from God.

Would you like insights and accountability to bring real changes to your life? Please check this page