On this episode of Endacast, learn how Tommy Cannon of BungoBox.com took an Innovative Idea and turned it into a Potential 400 MILLION Dollar Company.

First, Logan and I talk about industry conferences. The value in them and how to prepare for them.

Then, Sal jumps into the guest segment with Tommy Cannon, CEO of BungoBox.com to talk about how they’ve innovated the moving industry to make moving a little less-sucky.

Learn about taking a good idea into action with measurable data, using the census to gauge market share and when to re-position your brand here on this episode of EndaCast.

In this Episode:

- Logan Prepares for the SMX Search Engine Conference

   We discuss strategies for getting the most value out of attending/networking at industry conferences.

- A Random History Lesson with Tommy Cannon on Post World War 2 Politics

- Running the numbers on your great idea!

   Sales figures, profits, costs, etc…

- Finding the Market Share Worth Capturing

- Is the Market Scalable/Repeatable?

- Using Census Data for Business Forecasting

- What is and how does BungoBox.com innovate moving?

- When to reposition, shift your brand   *SIRENS RUNG!

It all comes down to analyzing your market research data and getting all of the information you can on your product/service.

Service initial clients, and question them on their experience.  What they like, what they don’t like.  Find out WHY they are your clients.

In this case, it was ABOUT being green in the first place and EVERY customer said that being green was the 3rd best reason for using BungoBox.  The most reason, easy-to-use boxes!

- Marginal Cost and When Enough Market Share is Enough!

- Winning a Shark Tank Exhibition Competition with lead shark Kevin Harrington

-  Benefits of Buying into BungoBox (or becoming a franchisee)

For a Successful Franchise:
Build out a correct model that is scalable
Scale it really quickly

-  BungoBox is Starring on an Episode of the Mentor on Bloomberg T.V.

-  Lastly, we “exit” the episode and talk Exit Strategy

Tommy tells us about ending the “start-up” phase through IPO, Acquisition or Private Equity Refinancing 

    “Be able to give VC’s a 20x return within 10 years”

How did Tommy Cannon and Bungo Box go from a Great Idea to a 400 Million Dollar Company?

Using the forecasting data with the U.S. Census, at a 10% Market Penetration of ALL people Moving:

1 out of 10 people moving = A 400 MILLION Dollar Company!

Enjoy the Episode! 

Click the link above to listen on Endacast.com

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P.S. At the end of every episode, we ask our guest to leave their Biggest Secret to Success for an Aspiring Entrepreneur. All of those soundbites are saved exclusively for our newsletter.

Sign up below and I will email you these audio clips throughout my personal Newsletter here.

And, if there is any specific guest you really want to hear asap, just reply to me in the newsletter and I’ll get it for you. No prob!

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p.s.  In the podcast episode, I mention the TedTalk above from Simon Sinek on “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”.

It’s an AMAZING talk that anyone who is aspiring to make a difference in this world NEEDS to watch.  Enjoy!

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Please, use the buttons on the side to TWEET or SHARE this episode! It’s how the good stuff travels

On this episode of Endacast, Sal and Logan start with their expectations and opportunities in 2012.

Then, Jenn Krenn founder of POPSocialMedia.com and DreamChamps.com discusses today’s innovation in company culture because,

“Life is too short to do what you hate”.

Listen to the full episode here on Endacast.com 

Mentioned in the episode: 

• My Geek to Freak project
• Logan’s 2012 Social Media Predictions Post
• PopSocialMedia.com
• DreamChamps.com

Enjoy the Episode!

Get Every Endacast Exclusive

P.S.   At the end of every episode, we ask our guest to leave their Biggest Secret to Success for an Aspiring Entrepreneur.  All of those soundbites are saved exclusively for our newsletter.

Sign up below and I will email you these audio clips throughout my personal Newsletter here.

And, if there is any specific guest you really want to hear asap, just reply to me in the newsletter and I’ll get it for you. No prob!

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Please, use the buttons on the side to TWEET or SHARE this episode!  It’s how the good stuff travels

This episode is DENSE with information from beginning to end – Lot’s of interesting items unvailed plus we learned about Using PR to Sky-Rocket Sales in 6 Easy Steps!

Ep. 21 of Endacast

First,  Logan and I discuss the launch of our new SocialMediaSchools.com blog. Where we will be giving away:

FREE Strategies for Effective Social Media Marketing

Then, for the first time on Endacast, I share what I have been hard at work on throughout this year.  *HINT:  I went through and discussed the inception-to-creation process in my last post!

Finally, our guest Zach Cutler of The Cutler Group, takes us through Public Relations; How it is the new advertising, and 6 easy steps toward getting PR that SKY-ROCKETS SALES!

Using PR to Sky-Rocket Sales in 6 Easy Steps

1.  Pick Your Message

• Tie it to something relevant, newsworthy, or current.
• Most importantly, make the message APPEALING TO JOURNALIST!!!

• Never STOP the follow up until the journalist GIVES you the story, or tells you to stop!

There you have it;  6 Steps for Publicity that Sky-Rockets Sales by Zach Cutler from this weeks Endacast.

I also mentioned at the end of the episode that I would post a video from the Ford Focus youtube campaign:   It is innovative in that it is really content, that sells the car indirectly…  Check it out, they are all pretty funny.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Enjoy this Endacast!

—–

Get Every Endacast Exclusive

P.S.   At the end of every episode, we ask our guest to leave their Biggest Secret to Success for an Aspiring Entrepreneur.  All of those soundbites are saved exclusively for our newsletter.

Sign up below and I will email you these audio clips throughout my personal Newsletter here.

And, if there is any specific guest you really want to hear asap, just reply to me in the newsletter and I’ll get it for you. No prob!

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Please, use the buttons on the side to TWEET or SHARE this episode!  It’s how the good stuff travels

The No Shave/No Haircut Look Means I have Been Working Hard!!!

This is a story on how reading Tim Ferriss’ first book, helped me develop a supplement company out of his second.

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It was about 10 months ago when I was knee deep in reading The 4 Hour Work Week – Tim’s first New York Time’s Best Selling Book – and was fascinated by all of it’s principles but most importantly, the outcomes you can achieve when utilizing them.

The book put forth a roadmap for results based, independently located, meaningful work that by using rules such as Parkinson’s law or the 80/20 principle, you could structure your day (and life) around doing what really matters!

Supported by a Muse:

If you had a boss and a physical place to work at, the book showed you how to trim off the work that was wasting company time, and yours.  If you are an entrepreneur however, the book opened the door to freely pursue what you really wanted in life; all by the vehicle of your muse.

A Muse (as defined by Tim in his book) is a business that does not operate based on the amount of time you put in, but rather is a strategic system that generates income in a more “automated” fashion, thus freeing up your time for what really matters to you.

It does not necessarily have to be an internet business, but in this day and age, it most likely is going to be.  In it’s most basic form, a muse works by having an offer up for sale that you could then generate automated traffic to (via advertising, Search, etc…) and convert that offer so you make more money than you spend getting it out to the world.

Then through the help of virtual assistants, well managed affiliate marketers,  highly optimized ad campaigns, and other 4HWW tools the business owner soley focuses on optimizing the process to take up as less of his/or her time as possible.  Even going through the trouble to sacrifice certain amounts of income if it means gaining more time freedom.

With that time freedom, the author Tim Ferriss’ has managed to travel the world, race motorcycles, and even become a Tango World Record Holder!

Muse Hunting:

With the time freedom I am pursuing, I will too travel, but the focus of my travel will be to learn more from Surfing, and to develop as professional musician.

This 4 Hour Work Week dream however, can not be realized without a few 100 Hour Weeks to grow and develop that muse.

Since graduating UCF with a traditional Marketing Degree, I have been honing my internet marketing abilities through consulting clients,  going to conferences, networking through podcasts, and most importantly, diving right into free lance work with great companies.

This has helped me learn the in’s and out’s of the internet marketing business, while I sharpened my craft to work on my own muse…

The only problem, I did not have a muse yet

I had researched and toyed with a few ideas to create a muse for myself and then, while reading Tim’s second book, The 4-Hour Body, I had a thought process that literally…

Slapped a muse into my head!!!

The Inception of a Muse:

I was reading the “Geek to Freak” chapter and was astonished by the results Tim had achieved (gaining 34 lbs of muscle and loosing 3% body fat) all by optimizing his supplement, meal, and rest regimen so that he only spent a total of 4 Hours in the gym for the entire 4 week challenge!

So you have NO idea what the hell you could create and get people to buy…  Not a problem!  That is what the Affiliate Marketing Model is for.

You choose products that you want to endorse, then recommend them to an audience (by many different ways), then when a sale is made you get a kick back (commission) for referring that customer. 

This is an excellent business model, and most mega online entrepreneurs are fantastic at it.

A Targeted Focus:

Instead of focusing on creating a product that everyone will purchase, as an affiliate marketer, you only focus on how to get the right eyes in front of the right product.

It’s all about Target Marketing and deciding on WHOM will need/or want to buy WHAT.

One of my best buddies from college who got me into online marketing is Nick Reese.  If you are interested in this business model I HIGHLY recommend checking out his eBook Traffic, Trust, and Sales featuring Chris Brogan.  He is only 23 (perhaps 24 now) and if he wanted to… he does NOT have to work anymore.  That is how powerful affiliate marketing can be.

I am grateful to know Nick, and the fact that he got a 3 year start on me shows I have an extremely bright future to look forward to.  Why?  Because I don’t try to re-invent the wheel, and I only take advice from true experts who “don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk”. 

Anyone that bull-shits you into a sale, can’t be trusted!

You will learn to figure out what works, and focus on that.  I don’t like to waste time aimlessly trying something if someone else out there already knows how to do it.  My method is to really take advice from a credible source, someone I can trust.

Sorry if I strayed off the point… Here is your biggest takeaway for affiliate marketing:

 Get the right eyes (highly targeted traffic), in front of the right offers  (with high quality converting pages), then set it, and forget it!!!  (not really forget it, this is all a testing game, so be ready to stay on top of it!!!)

Add Value:

If you were stoked for this, you will probably dig this #ThingLinkThursday post of me going Hendrix Crazy.

Surfs up!

p.s. Don’t forget about those lonely share/tweet buttons on the side.  Show them some love!  :-)

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Image Tagging Technology Courtesy of ThingLink.  We discovered this great team and technology from this Endacast Episode.  Thanks Everyone!

The Better the Product, the Bigger the Roll.

As an Internet Entrepreneur, there are only 4 ways to go about generating profit from your online marketing efforts.

They are, to Sell Your Own Products, Sell Other Peoples Products, Sell Services, or to Sell Ad Space.

In Part 1 of this 4 Part Post, I will only go through the aspects of “Selling Your Own Products“.

Before I continue, make sure you do not miss the rest of this series and click here for free updates via your RSS reader…

Now, product creation can be a tough venture, but the benefits are marvelous.  If you can create a product that is rock solid, imagine what it would be like to have affiliates sell it for you.  Of course you give up money in the commissions to them, but PEOPLE WILL SELL IT FOR YOU!!!

Info Products

The first choice, and most popular choice on the web now is to create your own info product.  The major upside to that is extremely LOW cost.  The only resources are the time it takes put it together - unless you use a V.C. but that’s another blog post - payment for any design work, then you have a product that cost you virtually NOTHING to deliver.  The sky is the limit with how hands on you want to be in designing it, or how hands off you would rather be by playing a “project management” role.

Info products are HOT and they are EVERYWHERE now.  You need to be careful though, my friend Derek Halpren of Social Triggers makes a great point about this recent “Content Credibility Crisis“.  Basically for certain niches (i.e. online marketing) there are too many sources with similar messages and info products.  The crisis is, who should we really trust? So it is very important to distinguish yourself, not only in the content you create, but in the credibility you can show.

Physical “edu” Products

Even though info products are all the rage these days, Greg Rollett, recent guest on my EndaCast show shed some great light on how you can create physical products.  The “how to” is of course important, but the “why” is really interesting.

Greg has a point in that we hardly ever get excited about our snail mail.  Almost every educational product is in eBook/digital info form, imagine how much you will stand out by sending someone a physical DVD or even cooler… AN iPod Nano with Info on it!!!

The thing about a physical product is that it has legs of its own.  If someone has a DVD in their house, after they watch it, someone else could pick it up…  You just created another lead, and the cycle continues.  So think about a physical product that then leads people to another offer, or digital up-sell… 

Now this should be NO BIG SECRET, but a good first step could be to create a free product.  Yea, that’s right.  FREE.  That means spending time making it, and receiving NO monetary payment.

Instead of money, you get paid in leads, interest and buzz.  Check out what my man Jacob does over at Sensophy.com.  His guide actually sells happiness FOR FREE! A strong call to action shows the benefits of “Increase Happiness Now” and then he delivers with amazing content, and even better value.  FREE!!!

The more impressive your free product, the more people will buy your paid product.  Be careful though, first impressions are EVERYTHING.  If you are going to have something that is free, it must be quality. 

Physical Products for Consumption

So, now you know that in creating an “edu product” there is information to be sold in “digital format” (really low costs to distribute) or “physical format” (DVD, etc. that takes some cost to distribute), and finally, aside from the informational or edu type product, you can create an actual physical product for consumption or use.

An example of that will be my Fitness Nutrition Product I have been developing for a while.  Soon you will all know what it is, but for now just know that instead of just selling information as a product, another way you can develop a product is to create something valuable for use or consumption.

The value created for my product is in “facilitating the buying process“. Which means, instead of going to x amount of online stores to get a handful of supplements, I am letting people purchase all they would need for a specific workout, in one shopping cart at one single click.

*That is just one piece of value my product offers; it is best to create something that has multiple value points that make it unique.

The Value is in Problem Solving

The most important aspect of your future product – no matter what the actual value points are - is that it has to help people solve a problem!

Know exactly WHAT THE PROBLEM IS and WHO ARE YOU SOLVING IT FOR.

If you have those two questions solidly answered, then you are well on your way to creating a successful product!

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If you need any help developing your own product, or the marketing strategy to launch that product, do not hesitate to hit me up for a FREE Consultation.  (<—by clicking that link)

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Thanks for tuning in, please click the buttons on the side to share or tweet this post.  If you found this helpful, someone in your circle probably will too… Besides, it is how the good stuff spreads

Also, make sure you click here to not miss another post in this Internet Entrepreneur Series: The Only 4 Ways to Make Money Online.

or,

Words can NOT express the appreciation I have for Jimi Hendrix and what he did for music.

So instead, utilizing ThingLink, I will let these images and videos do the talking for me.

If you enjoyed this photo, you might want to check out this Tribute to John Lennon Post.

Click here to Subscribe via RSS and you won’t miss another #ThingLinkThursday.

Or, you can just follow me on twitter here.

Thanks in advance for sharing and spreading the love!  :-)

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Image Tagging Technology Courtesy of ThingLink.  I discovered this great team and technology from the 10th Endacast Episode we recorded.  Thanks Everyone!

The feelings of excitement, motivation and a sense of clarity all come with a new perspective. 

A fresh outlook, away from a place that is usual can breath so much life back into your work.

If your like me and most of your work is done at a desk or table… Try this next time you feel yourself in a slump.

Look at your desk.  Take your chair and sit on the other side.  Or move the desk across the room.  Move it up against the window if you have to.

This fresh position will create a clear focus for you and your work by providing you with a new perspective.

Enjoy!

p.s.  If you enjoyed this, make sure you are following me on twitter for more!

Performing at Walt Disney World for 3 years was HANDS DOWN, the most ridiculous, out-of-this-world, awkward, un-planned, hard-working, ankle swelling, learning/growing experiences of my life!

I really had NO intentions of ever performing like this…

At the time, I had been a musician for a while so I was looking to feel more comfortable in front of crowds and due to an interesting youtube video (I’m the Power-line Guy toward the end) that spread around campus, some friend of mine said, “I know a job… you would be PERFECT for”.

So, without hesitation, I auditioned… they liked me… they really liked me… and not before long, without any choreographic training in my life – aside from a Black Belt in Karate, I consider Karate to have a lot of choreography involved, so that plus being athletic really carried over nicely – I was then casted in these CRAZY ASS Disney shows for over the last 3 years.

This random, spur of the moment, impulse decision to work at Disney gave me a few things to be EXTREMELY grateful for:

• I’ve met, and are now friends with TONS of AMAZING people – with only a few not so amazing people 
• I developed the courage to take things on, ESPECIALLY if they are out of my comfort zone.
• I now have a crazy appreciation for the performing art’s that I never would have (mainly dance).
• I fully learned that with practice, dedication and determination, I CAN DO ANYTHING!!!!!

Now in order to keep my status as a “seasonal cast-member” – really important for getting into the Food and Wine Festival free – I had to pick up 1 show within the last year.

Due to the awesome, welcome-home type environment I felt when I returned to shows after 11 months of absence I was inspired to create and dedicate this #ThingLinkThursday post to all of my Disney friends and the awesome times we had performing.

Now I give you (through these 8 photos thanks to ThingLink) over 30 Life Lessons that I learned While Performing at Walt Disney World, including 4 embeded videos that you are not going to want to miss.  Yea, I seductively swing a chain-flag over my head… B.I.A.G. (<—–Acryonm is an inside joke for Doran Brown)

There are a lot of shows I was in that I do not have footage of (or could at least get on to youtube) so this was the best I could compile for now.  To use ThingLink technology, simply hover the cursor over an image to see what the blips have to offer.

*Note:  After the images there is a list list of the lessons learned, plus a special thank you/good bye note.

1. Always Keep a Smile on Your Face
2.  Never Break Character
3.  You Run on Fuel… Use High Quality Octane!
4.  How To “Make Someone’s Day”
5.  Team Work
6.  Perfection Takes an Investment   (Time and Energy)
7.  Being “On Time,” Means 15 Minutes Before You Have To!!!
8.  Stay Limber, Always Stretch…
9.  What People Can’t See, Doesn’t Matter
10.  Corporations Don’t Really Care
11.  Own Your Look
12.  Passion Comes First
13.  Act Like a Child
14.  Life Exists NOW   (You Won’t Be Criogenically Frozen)
15.  Don’t Underestimate The Power of the Sun!
16.  Never Hate
17.  Don’t Suck
18. Monkey Around – Great energy comes from being silly!
19. Childhood Dreams -  Really Do Come True!
20. Unity is a Powerful Bond.
21. A Positive Attitude is Always Rewarded.
22. If you want something bad enough, you have the power to make it happen!
23. Being Fully-Committed Always Gives You the Best Chance!
24. People Show their True-Selves During their “Last Mile”.
25. There is ALWAYS Something to Celebrate
26. Good friends are hard to come by
27. Never sit in white pants
28. Remember, “Who You Are”
29. You should look at the world “through the eyes of a child”.  They see past the non-sense.
30. If you have a hat, no one has to know what your hair looks like
31. All People are created… “Beautifully”.

Special Thanks to:

- My brother Vinny for digging through the family archives and getting some of that Block Party Footage into the Digital World.  Thanks Bro!

- My Sister Frankie for making sure Vinny was getting the footage for me!  Thanks Sis!

- EVERYONE at Disney who I performed with, next to, across from, in front of, behind, on top of, underneath, in the cold with, in the heat with, in the even hotter heat with, in the wetness, on double day parades, in over-night rehearsals, through month long trainings, through “ninja-ranger” soreness, and even in the days we DID NOT even want to create magic.  

You all had a major impact on my life, and some of you are so special, I will never forget you.  I could have spent hours naming names, but if you read this, and you can feel it… you know who you are Thank You!

Also, thanks to all the choreographers, staging, show producers and directors who believed in me.  Thanks for giving a Brooklyn-raised, surfer boy, who has a huge heart and passion for entertaining people, a chance to do what you all do best!

Now, I don’t know for sure if this is good bye.  I can’t say I know if I will come back and perform again with you.  If I don’t then it was such a pleasure to be in all of your greatness.  If I do make an appearance however, you better be ready for some CRAZY ASS SHOW!!!

Lastly, thank you for showing me what it is like to follow your dreams.  I know there are a lot of performers there digging with tooth and nail to get where they want to go.  Thank you so much for showing me through your persistence and perseverance that what is felt deep down needs to be set free!

And to all the bitches who complain about their situation (being stuck working at Disney or whatevery) becasue they can’t take it any more…

STOP BITCHIN’, GROW A PAIR, GET THE F@#$ OUT AND LET SOMEONE ELSE IN WHO DOES!!!

All that felt so great to get out…

Anyone from Disney who reads this please stay in contact with me.  You can sign up to the newsletter and reply to my email to say whats up, or just comment below!

Chao!

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Image Tagging Technology Courtesy of ThingLink.  I discovered this great team and technology from the 10th Endacast Episode we recorded.  Thanks Everyone!