Get Your Tough Questions Answered

At Under30CEO we know that the most successful people are those who can ask the tough questions of themselves and of others when building a business.  To get the answers to the toughest questions you have about your business Under30CEO has teamed up with G+ and their database of 300,000 CEOs, executives, consultants and experts to help get business owners credible and informative answers to your questions.

The theme on the Under30CEO G+ forum will be social media and blogging as Tim is coming out with his book ”Blog Millionaire: How I Made $5 Million With Only 1,000 Readers” and will be our speaker in New York on Wednesday, February 15th at the Empire State Building.

How to Ask Your Question

Please make the question specific to your business/industry in particular. 

Good example: I run a service based business, what are the best ways to get funding for this type of model?
Bad example: What do you think of the Facebook IPO?

Click here to ask your question about Social Media and Blogging.

Take advantage of this opportunity and get your toughest questions answered by our panel of experts and come check out Tim at our Entrepreneur Matchmaking event.

Watch as the address will cover:

• Methods of promoting entrepreneurship
• Sparking innovation
• Accelerating economic growth through low-cost changes in state law and policy

Watch the event live here

Agenda

Noon EST: State of Entrepreneurship Address
12:30 p.m. EST: Break for Luncheon
1 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST: Panel Discussion

There are times you might get caught up in the flashy squeeze pages that promise you over – night traffic or instant cash for your business. Where in reality you never got any traffic and now you have spent more money on non- profitable products that just sit on your desktop screen staring at you.

But, there is always hope to enhance and build a solid strategy for your marketing online.

You will always hear some expert that states that they have the secret to success but they sometimes just have a product that makes no sense and you won’t understand. What I have collected is a series of tasks and strategies that you should just understand follow through each day to have success with your Internet Marketing.

1. Review Sales Copy

Please look over the different ads and email templates that you put together. Just having a basic three layout design for your ad copy can make you the money that you want.

2. Outsource Day to Day Tasks

If you are working a 9-5 or you just don’t want to do tasks outsource them. Either use Odesk.com or Elance.com Also, I have hired on college students in there last year as well to offer them a job. They work for a less price and you can get more work done.

3. Running multiple Facebook Ads

To get the responsive traffic you would like do not just run one ad run multiple ads (3 to 4) to see which ones work compared to ones that don’t. Just running one won’t give you the ability to test them properly.

4. Build Incoming Backlinks Not External

To get organic traffic you want to build more internal links than external. You want to have sites linking to you more than you are linking to others.

5. Build A Responsive Email List

Always test your list to make sure that people are opening and clicking on your links. If they are not send out an email and if they don’t respond clean them out.

6. Understand Your Niche

If you are new to a new niche or want to become a master within your niche then study other successful sites. Take one hour a day to learn something new and write about it.

7. Analyze Competition

Go to alexa.com and look at your competitions traffic and ranking. Understand what is making them grow along with what is making them fail and capitalize on it.

8. Good Tracking System

Track your social media success. Use Hootsuite Pro to track your clicks per tweet, likes via your fanpage as well. When you understand where your traffic is coming from you can increase your marketing efforts and grow faster.

9. Understand Operations

You are going to want to know how much it is going to cost you to be an affiliate of a product. So, set aside a budget each month for Ads, SEO, search engine marketing, and outsourcing.

10. Understand Your Time

Build a schedule for yourself that you follow each day so that you are not at the computer just being busy and not productive. Start at working 2 hours per day of productivity and track your results then enhance your time every other week.

Understanding how to make a set strategy for Internet Marketing is one of the most crucial methods for being successful online. Becoming successful online is not hard you just have to be consistent and set yourself up with a set schedule each day on focusing on Internet Marketing. Test every thing that you are doing and track your results along the way to make it easier on yourself.

Justice Wordlaw IV is an internet entrepreneur in Chicago, Il. He helps companies and entreprenerus gain leads to their business and converts them into sales. He is the author of three ebooks. A huge Starbucks addict and gym junkie. Follow Justice on Twitter and check him out on Facebook.

Empowering Change Through Collaboration

In 2012 social media has gone beyond just being Facebook friends and sharing funny videos you found on YouTube.  Today, social media has become a platform with the ability to change the world.  The creators of social media week have organized twelve cities who want to come together to initiate global change.

Carve Out Your Piece of History

At Under30CEO our goal is to inspire young people to become leaders and create businesses that are both rich in profit and in social good.  We’ve decided our legacy on this planet will be to lead our peers into becoming a more entrepreneurial generation, having greater impact on their communities.

On February 15th, in New York City we’ll be hosting an official Social Media Week event at the Empire State Building: Entrepreneur Matchmaking.  Our speaker Timothy Sykes started his hedge fund in college turning $12,415 into $1.6 million, but here’s the kicker…Tim makes more money blogging and on social media than he does in the stock market.

This is an event you won’t want to miss, especially since the rest of the event we will be networking with social media influencers, startup founders, developers, press, and investors.  Oh yeah, and it’s open bar on the 60th floor.

#SMW12

Annually, SMW attracts more than 60,000 attendees across thousands of individually organized events, with half a million connecting to the conference online and through mobile.  It is festival style, meaning in your city there are tons of events spread throughout the city put together by individual organizers.

Keynote speakers include:

• Reid Hoffman, Co-founder of Linkedin and Paypal
• Ben Scott, Policy Advisor for Innovation of US State Department
• Jermaine Dupree, Rapper and CEO of So So Def Recordings

For more information check out http://socialmediaweek.org and if you are in New York City, come check out our Under30CEO Social Media Week event.

Go make change!

The vast majority of young entrepreneurs may often find themselves looking over their shoulders, wondering if a more experienced competitor will beat them to the punch or display better judgment in his decision-making processes.  A lack of experience can be an “Achilles heel” if left unattended at the critical early development stage, when a step in the wrong direction can cost precious time and money.

One approach to dealing with this apparent “gap” is through staffing or acquiring special advisors, but there is another method that offers an excellent track record – a success rate of 87% for participating companies versus 44% for the non-interested.  Improving your odds for success is a number one goal for any early-stage development company

What is this other “method”?  The answer is a “business incubator”.  In order to encourage local business development, states, counties, and municipalities have put in place a host of development agencies and local “incubator” support services to promote new business growth in their respective regions.  There are actually over 1,400 of these organizations in North America, many accessible in your own local area of business.

When Johnny Miller, the professional golfer and popular television commentator, went on the PGA tour, his father counseled him to seek out the best at each facet of the game on the practice range and learn their secrets for success.  This simple wisdom applies to any endeavor requiring skill – the only shortcut for experience is to find “mentors” willing to share their “secrets”, discovered after many years of trial and error.  For early stage companies, there are many alternatives that must be considered in the early going and avoiding unproductive courses of action is crucial for success.

Incubation programs are not something new.  They did not suddenly arise when the Internet shook the foundations for sound business practices.  The “birth” of these specialty programs is generally attributed to New York when the first organization of its kind was formed in 1959.  Creating new jobs by supporting new business ventures was the primary objective, and, when early gains materialized, the race was on for other government officials, in tandem with academic and local investor groups, to expand the concept across the nation.

The industry has grown with leaps and bounds, and the beneficiaries of this growth have been not only the new companies supported, but also the population at large in regions where new jobs were created.  Even to this day, however, regardless of their success, there remains confusion on exactly what an incubator can be or offer.  Here are a few clarifications for the uninitiated:

• Incubators are not restricted to technology companies.  While this may be the case for 40% of participants, the remainder comprise a broad spectrum of entities from nearly every business sector imaginable;
• Support can span a multitude of disciplines from sales and marketing advice to manufacturing process design, and even financial and human resource management if needed.
• Networking is another benefit that can aid in accessing funding resources or help with finding a business loan for bad credit;

Even if you do not need a business loan for bad credit, the benefits of a local incubator could be paramount for your startup enterprise.  Satisfy local entry requirements to improve your odds for success!

Tom Cleveland is a writer for SmallBusinessLoansDirect.com.  He has over 30 years of experience in executive management, corporate governance and business development.  Tom served as CFO for various Visa International entities from 1980 until his retirement in 1999 and was instrumental in expanding the global reach of the Visa system.  Tom’s writing on business issues has appeared in the NY Daily News and BusinessInsider among others.

In business, establishing yourself as the expert or go-to guy in your field is the difference between mediocrity and world-class success. Think about any business, industry or expertise, and there is at least one, but more likely a few competing, experts, trying to vie for the official or unofficial top expert in the field.

Why Be The Expert?

Why is establishing yourself as an expert important if you are pursuing your passion as your business? Whether you are a musician, inventor, artist, or coach, your impact is only as good as how far your message will reach and how credible it is perceived to be. Establishing yourself as the expert and go-to guy in your field will mean that not only you will get greater financial reward, your message is spread to the most number of people as possible. The change, impact that you desire and have defined to be your purpose, is accomplished as you see it, or even surpasses that vision.

A great example of a passionate expert is world-renown speaker and author Anthony Robbins. Starting out very young from a destitute background and working his way for over 30 years, under some of the biggest names in the world, he went out to challenge experts of his time, won over audiences with his message and intensity, and produced amazing results with world-class people. As another famous speaker once said, “Tony is the guy you go to if you want to solve any problem.” Can you imagine how powerful your message and your brand would be if people saw you as the answer to their problems? Here are a few ways to establish yourself as the expert.

1) Engage the Best

If you want to be the expert in your field, you have to work with the best people in your field and all related fields. This includes partnering other experts in your business or joint ventures, enlisting the best coaches or consultants to produce the best results, and most importantly having the best in class mentoring you.

Oprah Winfrey, the most influential person on American television famously said, “You are who your closest friends are.” That is not to say that you cut off ties with your family and existing friends, but to move yourself to a position that is world class, you will need to work with, and indeed associate and be friends with, those who are world class.

2) Challenge Status Quo

When Anthony Robbins was establishing himself as the expert in personal transformation and peak performance, he once went on radio and challenged any psychology or psychologist to bring their most difficult patients, the patients that they could not help despite years of diagnosis and treatment, and that he would be able to change them after spending an hour with them.

Challenging the status quo means that you question the way things are done, and that often involves controversy.  When you challenge the way the system is run you are bound to ruffle the feathers of existing people in the business, and challenging them, and winning them over, as well as all the observers, is part of your challenge to be the expert.

In my business, I challenge that you do not have to choose between wealth and passion, you do not have to choose between making an impact and making profits. All can be done, if you choose to be abundant and wealthy in your mind set and how you operate. Your own passion, expertise and personal mission, is the key to your own success.

3) Produce Results

Nothing speaks more for your expertise than a brilliant track record. Going back to Anthony Robbins, when challenged what qualification he had to claim to be the best, he said, “I have a PhD in RESULTS.” In your business or field, go through what it takes to master it and produce the results, and the lessons and stories that you gain are the priceless treasures that will lead you to your success in changing the world.

4) Leverage All Mediums To Spread Your Message Like Wildfire

Before the advent of the internet, business was not a level playing field. It required a lot of capital and connections to create buzz and spread the word of your brand, and this was locally. To get yourself to world-class, you would not see it till years later.

Today’s world is vastly different. The internet is an equalizer and with a minimal investment you can get your presence out to the world using your website, strategies such as e-mail marketing, search engine marketing, video marketing and social media. Many people consume information online these days and having your article, interview or video on a blog, online magazine or website that they follow brings a huge boost to your credibility and your status as an expert.

To fully leverage the online space, you will have to seamlessly connect them into a campaign and merge them with your offline campaigns, such as speaking at industry conferences, television or radio, traditional print media such as the newspapers and magazines, and other tools like conducting book tours or talk tours.

Build Your Expert Status Now

Many people do not realize that you do not suddenly become an expert overnight. Anthony Robbins spent more than 30 years, and is still going, to build and maintain his reputation as the leading figure in personal development and peak performance. Whether or not you believe you are at world class yet, you can utilize the strategies listed and start building your expert status today.

Mohamad Imran is a speaker, coach and author of “8 Things You Need To Know Before You Start Your Own Business.” He runs Passion-Entrepreneur.com, the online resource to do what you love, change the world and set yourself free.

More and more startups these days have a technology component to their business. And then for some, technology is not only core to their business, but the foundation of it. But while tech has reduced or altogether eliminated many of the barriers to entry that existed even 10 years ago, not every business owner has a clear understanding of what to expect in terms of budgeting for their technology needs.

This article will break down some of the more common IT expenses to help young companies anticipate and plan appropriately.

People

Without the right people in place, your up-and-coming Spotify killer will never get beyond filing some paperwork with the state. For the first few months or years, your company may be just you, in which case you’ll probably need some outside help. So you have a few options:

1. Partner Up – You’ll run into plenty of technology-based businesses that begin with 2 people: the sales person and the techie. The techie typically either builds all of the tech themselves, or goes on the hunt to vet out other IT folks that can help. If you’re a sales person with a tech background it’s possible you can wear both hats but realize that sales & marketing is just about as important as the product itself.

2. Contract – One day you’ll have a staff of 50k employees spread across 4 continents. Today, you just need a small team you can contract with to design and develop your product. If you have a techie partner, let them track these people down. In the end, you want to build a relationship with a vendor that typically works with startups and small businesses. Don’t make cost the deciding factor. You don’t need to bring on the top digital agency in the country, but you also shouldn’t settle for bottom of the barrel. It will be much more costly to throw everything away a year from now and start over. Start small with a vendor in it for the long haul.

3. Hire – Hiring even one person full-time is not really a recommended option, even for a well-funded startup. Fully explore options 1 and 2 above before considering this route. And even then, you should have a viable product that is generating profits before going the full-time employee route.

Hardware

Like with your personnel selections above, start slow and modest when considering hardware you’ll need to power your business. Amazon Web Services can offer pay-as-you-grow aka “On-Demand” IaaS for as little as $0.085 per hour. Or look to providers like Singlehop and secure a dedicated server for as little as $99/mo.

As for gear (laptops, tablets, phones, monitors, routers, etc) for you and your staff, look into a leasing program as opposed to buying. If your business goes under (hopefully not) you won’t be stuck with all of these gadgets to pawn off. Many manufacturers offer them such as Apple or HP. The $1 buyout plans that spread payments over 24, 30 or 36 months are a nice option. Although if you’re considering a distributor such as CDW, maybe try a smaller, local distributor, first. You’ll have better customer service should something go wrong, which is often the case with hardware. And while landline phones are going to eventually be important for conference calls, consider going all mobile for now while also leveraging free services like Skype and/or Google Talk.

This is also where the people you brought on above can help navigate you toward the hardware solutions that best fit your business. You want to roughly plan for the future – but first things first – secure some basics to get you off the ground and then worry about scaling later.

Software

Ah, software. Software exists for just about anything you need to run your business.

Here are some of our personal favorites:

• Accounting: Xero, FreeAgent, FreshBooks
• Project Management: Basecamp, Buwhee (coming soon)
• Sales & CRM: Capsule CRM, Nutshell
• Document Management: Dropbox, Box
• Communication & Collaboration: GChat, Skype
• Community & Social: Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, HootSuite
• Payments: traditional: Authorize.net, PayPal vs. mobile: Square, PhoneSwipe

Most of these services offer free or nearly free versions to start. Lovely.

Software such as a website, technically falls under marketing. We’ll follow this piece up with a post geared specifically toward finding and selecting the right digital agency to suit your company’s marketing, branding, web & mobile needs. We’ll also be contributing a piece about the many software options when choosing platforms, frameworks, libraries, testing suites and APIs to actually build your product.

Summary

With the right mindset and understanding of technology, you should be prepared to know what to expect. And when in doubt, tap someone you trust to help you.

Jay Melone is the CEO of DigitalXBridge (aka DXB). DXB is a digital agency offering web & mobile design and development, branding and strategy/consulting for all things web.

Wrong. The problem is you. There is currently a 1:1 relationship between your work output and business operations. That’s your Growth Multiplier.

Think back to second grade, an age of lemonade stands and multiplication tables. That’s when we learned that you couldn’t change anything by multiplying by one, either in the classroom or selling sugar water by yourself on the corner.

An entrepreneur’s passion, drive, and intelligence can be a startup’s greatest asset, but for a company to grow, it must expand beyond its founders. The best leaders develop key systems and personnel and trust them to succeed, freeing up time for innovation and vision and multiplying their businesses’ growth potential.

So What Are The Key Multipliers?

1. Add a Super Assistant. Find someone you trust with your schedule, your customers, your money, and your life. Make them the hub between your business and the outside work and give them the power to tell you what to do, where to go, and when to be there.

2. Create a hierarchy of business functions in your job description, from lowest to highest impact on growth and profitability. Start at the bottom, and delegate like it’s your job. Because it is.

3. Forget the old corporate cliché of boring, slow HR departments. Hiring and developing A+ talent is a powerful engine for company growth. Hire and train well early, and you’ve built your future leadership team. Hire poorly or ignore training, and you’ll lose valuable time, customers, and profits.

4. Plan for explosive growth. The best businesses will grow too large for an entrepreneur to manage alone and linear growth brings exponential complexity. Mastering business growth requires an early focus on key operational systems. Consistently gather customer feedback for inputs into the product development process. Track key business metrics and attach them to an employee compensation plan.

5. Give away your corner office. Find someone you trust to run daily operations, and let them. Then go start your second business. Or sit on a beach. (Full Disclosure: I’m not here yet, but it does sound nice.)

It’s hard to scale a business using Growth Multipliers.

Only 21% of businesses in America will grow to 10+ employees and only 4% ever make $1 million in revenues. The average entrepreneur is most comfortable while manning their own little ‘lemonade stand’, living and dying with every sale. Fight this false sense of security, build your way out of daily operations, and become the leader and visionary your business needs. The payoff is immense, both for your life and the bottom line.

Neil Thanedar, 23, is Founder and President of Avomeen Analytical Services, a Scientific R&D Laboratory that uses advanced chemical and forensic tools develop new products and solve manufacturing challenges. Avomeen grew to over 10 employees and $1M/year revenues in its first year and earned Neil the title Generation Next Entrepreneur To Watch by CNNMoney.

Are you reading this while wearing a bedazzled Ed Hardy t-shirt? Is your ensemble rounded out with an airbrushed trucker hat perched atop a majestic mullet? If so, you might suffer from Style Blindness (SB), a type of trend disorder. While you should definitely see a doctor about that, your problem with trends doesn’t have to affect your business decisions. Like the world of fashion, the business world has trends of its own – and staying ahead of those trends means the difference between looking like a business maverick and well, just looking like an outdated idiot. What changes can you expect to see in the business world this year? Use these 12 predictions to stay ahead of the curve.

1. Big business starts to socialize. Mitt Romney isn’t the only one who wants you to think of corporations as people. The corporations themselves want to get personal, and in 2012 they’ll be using social media networks to do it. Get ready for requests from corporate giants like Walmart on your Twitter and Facebook, and expect to see a change in the way these giants interact with their consumers online. With Occupy protestors calling attention to economic inequality and corporate greed, companies will create personal connections with consumers, partly in an attempt to manage their reputations. They’ll nix the business-speak and create conversations instead of sales pitches.

2. Younger entrepreneurs take the stage. Like the future of the Twilight saga, the future of the global economy is uncertain. Asking when and how the economy will improve is almost like asking what will become of the Cullen clan – no one knows. That uncertainty is causing young people to break out of traditional molds. They know the business world is changing, and they’ve not afraid to adapt. Instead of taking the reins at Dad’s auto shop or accounting firm, they’ll continue to go into business for themselves, forming cutting-edge start-ups and changing the face of small business in the process.

3. Social media works better. Business appraisers are starting to truly understand social media, and they’re now much better at determining which strategies will result in a profit and which will be a waste of time. As a result, social media practices are becoming more and more structured around actual ROI. Instead of constantly spamming consumers with emails and excessive tweets, businesses will slow down and focus on quality content that actually leads to sales instead of headaches.

4. Businesses go mobile. Which members of N*SYNC were originally part of the Mickey Mouse Club? When important questions like these come up in conversation, all you need to do is whip out your smartphone and do a quick search for the answer. When you need to find a pizza shop, tow truck or repair man you probably do the same thing. Smart phones make it easy for us to Google on the go, and brands are finding ways to adapt. Businesses who want to stop you from stumbling onto a competitor’s contact info are creating vanity numbers that customers can easily recall. These 1-800 numbers are a traditional business tool that will see a surge in popularity as mobile culture grows in 2012.

5. Green gets greener. Consumers are getting smarter. Brands that try to cash in on the green trend without truly upholding environmental standards aren’t going to get away with it anymore. In 2012, many new and existing companies will adopt green practices, but we’ll also see some companies get called out on their false claims and misleading marketing. Green will actually get greener, because these businesses will find they can no longer fake it.

6. Health insurance shrinks business size. New insurance regulations and systems will provide insurance for the self-employed that is more accessible than ever before. Workers who had previously relied on company benefits packages at jobs they didn’t enjoy will now be able to afford to go it alone, and you can expect a lot of people to seize the opportunity this year. Businesses that want to cut rising health care costs will keep their workforce as small as possible and employ independent contractors whenever they can.

7. It’s an app world. When’s the last time you checked your Words With Friends score? Five minutes ago? Ten? If you find yourself slightly obsessed with your mobile apps, you’re not alone. Think about Angry Birds – the mobile game is so wildly popular that you can now find Angry Birds toys, school supplies and even clothing. Businesses see our app obsession as a valuable marketing opportunity. That’s why you can expect to see an influx in corporate apps this year, from the useful to the downright silly.

8. Retirees reenter the workforce. A lot of baby boomers who thought they had it made are now finding that their savings alone can’t sustain them through retirement. Grandpa knows his job options don’t begin and end with “Walmart greeter,” and he’ll be looking to apply his skills and experience at a job he can enjoy. Watch for workplace dynamics and demographics to shift as retirees reenter the workforce and apply their traditional knowledge and insight to new business systems.

9. Daily deal sites cater to you. Sites like Groupon and LivingSocial experienced wild popularity last year, but consumers are growing tired of the flood of emails. More, they’re annoyed by all these deals that have nothing to do with them (laser liposuction, really?) The sites are evolving into something more customizable, like the system you’ll find on BigTip, the new deal site that allows customers to search through thousands of deals by category. This system will also pay off for business owners. They’re just not equipped to deal with a flood of customers who try to redeem their coupons all at once.

10. Target demographics shift. The largest population demographic is made up of people 85 and older. Though many brands pander to the young and hip, businesses will begin to shift their focus to this much larger age group instead. Pay close attention and you’ll see a change in marketing strategies everywhere. Does this mean advertisers will finally stop slapping the buzzword “extreme” on everything from deodorant to cheese puffs? That would be such a welcome change, wouldn’t it?

11. Businesses focus on the local. In a world where we’re constantly inundated with newsletters and pop-up ads, consumers yearn for that personal touch. They’re reaching out to find a real sense of community, and businesses are hoping to meet them halfway. From children’s sports team sponsorships to non-profit fundraisers, we’ll see more businesses getting involved on the local level.

12. Everyone gets an online shop. From bill paying to gift buying, consumers are more comfortable with online shopping than ever before. Smart business owners will get in on the action in an attempt to get their hands on all those digital dollars. While giants like eBay and Amazon will stay strong, you can expect surprising new players to enter the field. The boutique down the street will create an online catalog featuring their vintage dress collection, and your local grocery store could even start taking delivery orders online. Consumers will start making more of their formerly “in-store” transactions online instead.

Style blindness is the rarest of medical conditions: an illness that actually is a laughing matter. But while you might require a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Tim Gunn to talk you out of those Crocs, remember this: you have the power to prevent your horrible fashion sense fashion from affecting your business decisions. Keep these trends in mind and you’ll be sure to stay ahead of your competitors in 2012. Sure, they might look a little more GQ at the marketing conference, but your profits will say what a million tailored suits can’t – that when it comes to business, you’re a true trendsetter.

Perry Sheraw is the founder and executive vice president of eBusiness Appraisals. She is a dedicated business owner advocate with a mission to ensure all business owners have access to critical information in order to make the right choices and achieve the highest possible value from their life’s work.

Jack’s Retail Outlet was shocked and dismayed when it received a cease-and-desist letter from the NFL demanding that it stop referring to its “Super Bowl Special” for discounted athletic wear. While Jack is quoted as saying, “I didn’t think we were doing anything wrong; I’ve seen other companies doing the same thing,” the NFL has responded that those other companies either (a) paid for a license, or (b) received cease-and-desist letters of their very own. Despite public outcry in the local vendor’s favor, the NFL appears firmly entrenched in its position of enforcing its trademark rights.

Like any other business, the NFL invests heavily in protecting the value and exclusivity of its trademarked brands. Its efforts to do so illustrate nicely the value inherent in working to maintain exclusive rights.

Monetizing Trademarks Through Licensing

It is no secret that the NFL charges a handsome rate for the right to use the “Super Bowl” moniker. For brand-based businesses, much of the value of their trademarks comes from the ability to license their famous trademarks to other retailers, manufacturers, affiliates, and the like. If the NFL did not work to maintain exclusivity, then the value of its paid licenses would decrease substantially.

As a result, while big guy-vs.-little guy complaints are generally considered bad press, for businesses like the NFL they can actually be a good thing. Not only to they help reinforce the exclusivity and desirability of the NFL’s brands, they also effectively put business owners on notice that if they are going to use the NFL’s trademarks they are going to have to pay for it—one way or another.

Fair Use (and its Limitations)

An important exception to the exclusive rights of trademark owners (and the reason I can write this article) relates to the doctrine of “trademark fair use.” Fair use permits references to third parties’ trademarks where the references are not used to identify products or services, and where they do not suggest any affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement by the trademark owner. The reason many people consider the NFL to overreach in its trademark enforcement efforts is that in many cases the “affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement” element is not readily apparent. However, I generally fall on the side of agreeing with the NFL’s position—particularly in light of the significant value of the “Super Bowl” brand and the sheer volume of unauthorized uses of the trademark.

All in all, small business owners and entrepreneurs can learn a lot from the NFL when it comes to trademark protection and monetization. First, building a strong brand creates desirability. Then, fostering exclusive rights opens new potential revenue sources. Finally, maintaining those exclusive rights prevents dilution of the brand, and builds value in the business as a whole.

Jeff Fabian helps business owners protect their brands so that they can stay focused on running their businesses. Visit http://etrademarksolutions.com for more information. You can also follow Jeff on Twitter @jsfabian.

This article is provided for informational purposes only, and does not constitute legal advice.