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How To Get The World Excited About Your Business –The James Siminoff Interview
Want to get the world excited about your business without spending all your money on ads and public relations? In this program, James Siminoff teaches you how. He’s the founder and CEO of PhoneTag, a service that converts voicemail to text. James built his business by becoming an evangelist and building excitement for his company.
Here are some of the techniques he talked about in this Mixergy program:
Hunt for media - At a conference, he and his people hunted down every reporter they could find and walked them through the PhoneTag system.
Charge - Unlike most web services, James charged for PhoneTag. That made his service feel more valuable when he gave it away to bloggers, influencers and media. So they looked at it more carefully and were grateful to him for the gift.
Talk back - When anyone complained online about voicemail, James got an alert about it and he emailed the person who complained to expalain how his service solves voicemail problems. That helped him grow evangelists.
Make it sexy - James says it’s a company’s responsibility to make its message sexy–and then spread that message. Once, when he was on a plane, he told the person sitting next to him about PhoneTag. That conversation led to a business deal where James’s company was plastered on New York City taxies.
What do you do to get people excited about your business? Tell me by email or in the comments!
[Tyler Crowley introduced me to James. Know someone I should interview? Introduce me.]
“Right click” to download the full presentation
Bootstrapping Lessons From 37 Signals — The Jason Fried Interview
Over a million people use the web-based applications that 37 Signals built. Many of them are paying customers. So I called up the company’s co-founder, Jason Fried, and asked him to teach us how 37 Signals does it.
Here are some of my notes from the interview.
You don’t need money
Lack of money, Jason says, forces you to focus on building something that works. It forces you to find ways to earn money, instead of amusing yourself with projects that are just fun or interesting.
Become a teacher
Teaching is 37 Signals’s marketing. It’s what get helped them build the audience that uses their products and generates their revenue. Jason says his company thinks like the top chefs who know that teaching on TV enhances their reputation and builds a following.
Get a voice
37 Signals has one of the most respected blogs in the business, but you don’t have to be a blogger you just need a voice. Find your medium–audio, video, whatever–and let your voice be heard.
Charge for subscriptions
Too many internet entrepreneurs are afraid to charge their users. If 37 Signals didn’t get any new users this month, it would still have revenues because its business is built on a subscription fee.
Be well-rounded
37 Signals hires people who are more than “just programmers,” or “just designers,” or “just” anything else. Jason says that people who cultivate non-work interests can bring in new ideas can bring in new ideas from outside their industries.
Thank you Melvin Ram for introducing me to Jason and suggesting this interview!
Do you have any bootstrapping tips? Tell me by email or in the comments.
“Right click” to download the FULL program!
How To Build Your Online Community –The Mateo Gutierrez Interview
If your business has a community then it has an army of supporters who will help you grow the company.
I asked Mateo Gutierrez to teach us how to build online communities because he’s had a decade of community building. Currently, he’s the director of social marketing at ThisNext, a social shopping site.
Here’s some of what he taught in our interview. (Download the full interview to hear MUCH more.)
Identify influentials
Your influentials are the users who are going out of their way to contact each other. Identify them because they’re the ones who are going to help you grow your community.
Increase recognition
Find a way to give your influentials a way to stand out. When he built communities in online games, Mateo gave influentials’ online characters with special outfits. Other ways to do this is to give them titles or special placement on your web site.
Give them power
Your goal is to empower your influencials to cultivate your community. Sites like aSmallWorld give their some users the power to invite new members into their exclusive communities. Other sites give influencials the power to remove or ban members.
Give rewards
Yelp famously rewarded its top users with access to exclusive parties. Other ways to reward influencials is by helping to build their careers or reputations.
Give points
People want to see how they rank, Mateo told me. In its early days, MySpace’s users famously recruited people to join the site because they wanted to have a large number of friends. Online message boards often encourage participation, by showing the number of messages each user posted. Find a metric that’s relevant to your community’s members, make it visible, create a leader board and watch as your users work to grow their numbers.
Do you have any other suggestions for growing a community? Tell me by email or in the comments.
“Right click” to download FULL program
How A Musician Built A $22 Million Dollar Business From His Home. –The Derek Sivers Interview
Derek Sivers created CD Baby because he needed a way to sell his music online. Soon other musicians asked him to help them sell their music. A few years later, he found himself helping over 100,000 artists sell their music. He recently sold his company for $22 million.
He’s now running a new company, but he’s always willing to help startups. So I called him up and asked him to teach us. Here’s some of what I learned. (Download the interview to learn more.)
He wasn’t afraid to start crappy
Derek laughs when wannabe entrepreneurs tell him about all the features they plan to include when they launch their companies. When he launched CD Baby the site’s design was pretty dorky. And instead of building a fully automated site, he did much of the order processing by hand. Quit aiming for perfection, just launch.
(Guy Kawasaki told me the same thing in this interview.)
He knew what feedback to accept
Start crappy and build the business by listening and integrating user feedback. But be careful not to let user feedback take you too far off course. Derek says people kept telling him that he should launch a radio station. But he kept refusing because he didn’t think it was a good fit for his business.
He was patient
9 months after launching, his site was only bringing in $15 a week. Others might have have assumed that the site was a failure, but Derek was patient. He gave it room to grow.
He knew how to get financial security
I asked Derek if earning that first million gave him a sense of financial security. He said it didn’t. He said he got a greater sense of security by managing his own desires. Knowing that he wasn’t a wasteful spender gave him his sense of security.
He worked 2 hours a week
When Tim Ferriss published his book, The Four Hour Work Week, most people doubted it was possible to work that little. Not Derek. He told me he worked 2 hours a week. He said it was because of the way he taught his staff. When anyone in the company asked him a question, he told the answer to everyone in the company. Within 6 months, everyone knew what Derek knew. “I made myself unnecessary,” he told me.
(Learn from Tim Ferriss in this interview.)
What other business lessons should startups learn? Tell me by email or in the comments.
“Right click” to download the FULL interview
How To Get Traffic From Social Media — The Brent Csutoras Interview
I asked Brent Csutoras to teach us how to grow our site’s traffic by using sites like Digg, Delicious and Reddit because he’s a marketing consultant who specializes social media.
Download the interview to learn directly from Brent. Here are some of my notes from the conversation.
What’s in it for you
Being a top story on Digg will send your site a wave of new readers, but for Brent, there’s a second goal that’s at least as attractive: links. Bloggers monitor the top social media sites for ideas on what to write about. Each article they produce generates another link back to your site.
Know the audience
Each community has its own likes and dislikes. Some social media marketers might put a postive or negative spin on a story based on what the community they’re submitting to will think about the article.
Write for scanners, not readers
Social media readers aren’t looking for long article. They information they could absorb quickly. Brent recommends avoiding overly clever headlines. Make your headline a summary of the article you’re publishing. Break up long paragraphs of text into smaller, more easily digestible chunks. And use images that catch readers eyes and explain your story.
Don’t be a stranger
It’s hard to get anyone to pay attention to you when you’re a stranger. If you want people to notice what you’re submitting to a social site, become an active user of the site, hire an active user or ask an active user to submit your article. (Though Brent gave us some warnings in the interview about how to ask.)
What else do we need to know about getting traffic from social media sites? Tell me by email or in the comments.
(Thank you Tony Adam the SEO maven for helping me get this interview!)
“Right click” to download the FULL interview
How To Organize An Event For Investors, CEOs And Influencials. — The Kurt Daradics Interview
He was a virtual unknown in the tech scene when I met him about a year ago, but this month, Kurt Daradics co-organized an event that brought together some of Southern California’s top dotcom investors, CEO’s, CTO’s and influencers.
I interviewed him about how he pulled off his event, Digital Family Reunion. Here are some of the steps he took. (Download the interview for more.)
Create a board of advisers
Haven’t you heard this before in my interviews about getting funding? The smartest entrepreneurs tell me they did the same thing that Kurt did: they gather a board of advisers. The board of advisers isn’t so much about giving you advice as it is about giving you access to their contacts and reputation.
Build a site
There seems to be something magical about a web site. You and I know that it only takes a couple of hours to put together a decent site. But once your idea has a site, it becomes real to the people you share your idea with. Kurt told me that building a site for his event helped galvanize support for it.
Unite other groups
Kurt didn’t know enough people to fill the Skirball Cultural Center. So he made his event about uniting other groups. He asked each of the local tech groups to invite their members and turn his party into their party.
Simplify promotion
To help others promote his event, Kurt provided them with HTML emails, web badges and other tools. Most people copied what he gave them into their email newsletters or web sites.
Get sponsors
He managed to put together a long list of potential event sponsors. (Listen to the interview to hear how he did it.) But few of his sponsors came from that list. Almost all of them were people who knew and trusted him or his co-organizers and advisers.
Do you have any other tips for putting together a big event? Tell me by email or in the comments.
(Photo of Kurt thanks to Wil Fernandez.)
“Right click” to download the full program
How To Work While Traveling Like A Business Nomad - The Kareem Mayan Interview
Instead of working out of a cubicle, Kareem Mayan decided to travel the world and work remotely. As I write this, he’s in South Africa. Last month, he was in Argentina. Immediately before that, he was in Antarctica. To see where he is when you’re reading this, check out his site, How’s The WiFi?
In my interview, I asked him over and over if it’s really possible to get work done while traveling so much. He assured me that it is. (Listen to the interview to see how he does it.) If you want to follow in his footsteps and work while seeing the world, here are the tools he uses:
International bank - Get an account with an international bank before you leave. If you don’t, there’ll be limits on your access to money. Kareem suggests HSBC.
Earth Class Mail - If you’re going to work remotely, you need to have access to your mail wherever you are. Kareem has all his mail go to Earth Class Mail, where it gets scanned and he can decide if he wants to have a document printed, mailed to him or shredded.
Back up - Back up your data often, because, as a world traveler, you’re more likely to lose your data than someone who’s computer sits on the same desk every day. Kareem uses both Mozy, an online backup system, and a second local hard drive.
Earphones - It’s a noisy world, but as a business nomad you still have to get your work done while traveling through it. Kareem uses noise canceling ear buds to get the quiet he needs no matter where he is.
Mini wifi router - Wireless internet is important if you’re going to continue working in exotic locals. Kareem carries a great router that lets him boost a wifi signal if it’s too weak, or create a wifi connection if there’s only wired access.
Unlocked GSM phone - Most American phones won’t work around the world. Kareem bought an unlocked GSM phone which allows him to add a local SIM card and make calls from everywhere. (He also uses Skype to make and receive cheaper calls.)
Power converter - Even vacation travelers need to carry a converter that lets them safely plug their computers into foreign power outlets. For Nomads like Kareem, it’s a must.
Power strip - If you’ve ever waited for someone at an airport to unplug their computer from the last remaining outlet so you can power up your laptop, then you know the importance of carrying a power strip. Kareem uses an ultra thin strip that lets him travel light.
Let’s keep him company on his trip:
Click here to say hi to Kareem on Twitter!
“Right click” to download this interview!
Yahoo’s SEO Manager Teaches You How To Get More Search Engine Traffic - The Tony Adam Interview
As one of the biggest content creators on the net, Yahoo wants to rank high in Google and other search engines. Tony Adam, Yahoo’s SEO Manager, is responsible for helping the company optimize so it could get more search engine traffic.
In our interview, he gave me some basic search engine optimization tips that anyone could use, including:
Pick your keywords
Start by picking the keywords that you want to “own” in the search engines. These are words that, when people type them into a search engines, you want your company to be one of the first results they see. For smaller companies, Tony recommends picking 10 keywords. Yahoo, because it’s a big company, has a considerably larger list.
The interview goes into more depth on this.
Use your keywords
Everything your company does, should include these keywords. Include them in your pages’ titles and addresses. Your site’s content should focus on those words. And even include them in your images’ titles.
Use smart internal links
When you link to pages within your site, hyperlink the words that are most relevant to your site.
Wrong: Click here to listen to a related SEO interview with Wil Fernandez.
Right: Listen to my related SEO interview with Wil Fernandez.
Get external links
We talked about several ways to get sites to link to you. The most effective methods we discussed is syndicating your content to other sites with a link back to your site. Tony told me how Matthew Inman was able to get his dating site to get listed first in Google for terms like “free online dating” because he gave people widgets to put on their sites and included a link back to his site with every widget.
This widget interview I did with Alex Funk will teach you some methods for widgetizing your content.
Use these tools
In our interview, Tony suggested you use these tools: SEO Book Keyword Research Tool, SEOMoz, Rank Checker and Competitive Analysis Tool, and sites that will link to you (be sure to use your own keywords).
Do you know other ways to get traffic from search engines? Email me or add your comment below.
“Right click” to download full interview
What Cults Can Teach You About Building Community - The Douglas Atkin Interview
I interviewed Douglas Atkin about what cults and cult-like brands can teach us about creating a passionate community. Douglas, author of The Culting of Brands, studied organizations that have cult-like followers to learn what it takes to build rabid customer loyalty. And today he’s the Chief Community Officer at Meetup.
Here are some ideas that will help you build a cult-like brand, and examples of companies who apply them online.
People–not ideas–will create converts
Douglas’s example: Douglas learned something startling about the Moonie recruitment process. New converts are drawn to people in the religion before they accept its ideology. People convert because of the community, not the beliefs. They accept the beliefs later.
Online example: The first time they used Twitter, most people found the experience a bit odd. It didn’t allow more than 140 characters per message and had limited features. But if their friends were on it, they tried out the site and often joined. Eventually, Twitter’s quirky, minimalist format grew on them.
Constant contact between members is critical
Douglas’s example: In her study of the the Mormon religion, A. Marie Cornwall found that members who had strong ties to other Mormons, tended to have stronger ties to the religion itself. The church even “established a rigorously applied program of contact, forcing ‘high content’ engagement among members,” says Douglas
Online example: Keith and Chemda, who started the online radio show Keith and the Girl, said in my interview that adding a simple online message board to their site so their fans could talk to each other, led to such rabid listener loyalty that people tattooed Keith and Chemda’s faces on their bodies.
Members need to help each other
Douglas’s example: Douglas told me that one of the reasons the early Christian church took off is that they took care of their sick, while pagans routinely abandoned their sick. The feeling of being taken care of strengthened members’ bond to each other and the faith.
Online example: When I owned a Treo smart phone, members of the TreoCentral message boards helped me through tech issues I had with the phone. When better phones were introduced, I refused to switch away from my Treo because the community meant so much to me.
The community needs to stand for something
Douglas’s example: A cult must have a meaning system. Douglas quotes a member of The Forum, explaining why he joined this self-improvement group, “I believe that life without some other meaning than the day to day routine isn’t worth it.”
Online example: When I interviewed Karel Baloun, one of the first hire’s at Facebook, he told me that from the early days, Facebook stood for communication ’s mission was. That was its mission. Facebook refused to allow users to docrate their profiles the way MySpace did, because all that self-expression interfered with their mission: to help people talk.
“Right click” here to download this FULL interview
“Almost Everyone I Counciled Got Funding” - The Adeo Ressi Interview
Adeo Ressi is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of TheFunded.com, an exclusive web site where startups talk about investors and help each other get funding. In my interview, I asked him to teach us how to get funding. Here’s some of what I learned:
Identify bad investors early
Adeo told me stories of investors who made his life miserable when he ran his past companies. One demanded so much information that he couldn’t comply and run his company at the same time. Another kept him from selling his company at what he considered a fair price. He built TheFunded.com to help entrepreneurs alert each other to bad investors and identify the good ones.
Narrow your list of potential investors
Not everyone with money is a good fit for your company. As you might have heard at past Mixergy Forums or interviews, you need to put together a list of investors who really are a good fit for your company. Once you have that list, Adeo says get to know them BEFORE you want their money. (Download this interview with Peter Pham to hear a smart way to do that.)
Do some “throwaway” pitches
Adeo recommends you pitch to a few investors who you do NOT plan to do business with. Do it for practice.
Quit trying to close the deal by email
Because he introduces entrepreneurs to investors, he’s often CC’d on many of the emails that startups send prospective investors. He says that too many entrepreneurs flood investors with attatchments and details in an email. Instead of trying to close the deal, your goal should be to spend more time with the investor.
Don’t pitch local investors first
Many startups pitch their nearest venture capitalists first. Then, when they get turned down, they head to Sillicon Valley and pitch there. Adeo says this path means local investors hear the practice pitches while Valley investors get the improved ones. If you want to stand out, practice with outside investors and bring your A game to local investors.
Do you have any other suggestions for the funding process? Tell me by email or in the comments.
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