Wannabe Entrepreneur - Yassmine Johansen

27

2012-02-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

Its absolutely crazy how time flies. I remember growing up, being the only kid staying at home with mom before I started primary school. I refused to go to kinder garden because the man who worked there had long hair. It scared me. Instead I would watch TV, walk around in the empty streets talking to myself, draw lousy pictures or set up theatre plays on my doorstep and invite neighbors where I would be serving lemonade and cupcakes. As you can imagine I had a very good imagination because I had to entertain myself most of the time. Turning four I was pretty much the managing director of the street. I mean, I was the one looking after the playground when the kids went to kinder garden during the day, so no wonder they trusted me. I look back and it makes me both happy and sad. It was a wonderful time and a reminder that time is pouring out my hands like sand. There is nothing I can do about it.

I look into the mirror and I very much look the same. Even friends and family say that I haven’t really changed in appearance since I was five. My imagination is also still intact. I guess the only thing that has changed is that I’m 27 soon to be, and that I have tons of grey hair, which is really not fair considering how well I look after myself. And well, if I have to be a 100% honest I must admit I feel older, not because of the grey hair or because of a number; after all 27 is still young, but I don’t get too excited about things and I feel calmer. It’s sort of boring, but its more comfortable. I have also discovered that I have gone from being very impatient, probably used to be my weakest link to having plenty of ice inside, however, sadly I sold my last company, and it had nothing to do with not enough ice inside. After being sued a million times I decided to sell it to my partner. A friend of mine whom produces computer games in London told me that if you are being sued you must have done something right. I guess so, because we were getting plenty of clients, but I just couldn’t deal with all the paperwork even if we won all lawsuits (it’s the nature of the business: private investigation), but the reason why I left was really just because I had a inner conversation about what I really wanted to do in life. I could probably do well in a number of fields, but I wanted to be true to myself and do something I’m genuinely interested in. The conclusion was the same I ended up with before choosing subject at University 5 years ago. I wanted to study something I understood and something I was really good at, so it would feel like playing and not working; that’s why I chose Music and Media Management, because I’m good in business and sales and I have a very creative head particularly when it comes to music. I have written and composed songs since I was a ten, however business and art do not go very well together, simply because art “should” be priceless, unique…its an emotion. The music industry for instance is a business that makes money by selling emotions – emotional sales, and money doesn’t have any feelings. Are you with me?

Have you ever tried to talk money to a “true” artist? Its like they are disgusted by the word “money”, which is kind of funny as the music industry in particular is multi billion industry. My friend Raykay, one of the world’s biggest music video directors knows all about this, that’s why he is so successful. He knows the value of commerciality and how necessary it is. He has another advantage; Mr. Raykay is a true entrepreneur, which allows him to see opportunities where most people see nothing, also outside the music industry. A few people in the Norwegian music industry thinks his music videos looks easy and superficial (I have to say that I feel that some of the Norwegian music industry is slightly weird and envious), just because its commercial, but I can tell you and so can he; its not. Its like he said earlier today; Its the worlds toughest business, or the worst.

Sooner or later the artist is forced to look at himself as a product. That would be my best advice to any artist trying to break it today, because artists don’t earn money on music anymore, but on every other activity such as gigs or advertising. Reason: Internet and downloads. That’s why the record companies tries to make the artist sign the “360” deal which is spreading risk, investing in all activities that the artist does and then earn from it, which could be good and could be bad. Really, you don’t need a record company today. You would need a PR company, a manager and really good producers and musicians and tons of discipline. Talent is nothing without persistence.

The media landscape in general has changed dramatically forcing the music, film and TV industry to look for other ways to earn money. A great deal of them is seeking revenue in social media, which is a fantastic place to start because there is so much potential. I now work for a company called VMS (http://www.vmsplay.se/) which stands for Video Messaging Service, the natural step after sms and mms. VMS allows you to make money and market efficiently in both pull and push strategies. Our business model looks very much like a TV-channels business model when it comes to pull strategy, earning money from pre-rolls, product placement and subscriptions. VMS as pull looks very much like Twitter, just in video. Then we also offer VMS to cooperate as an internal communication tool and as a marketing tool; it is cheap and effective. Instead of boring sms we allow Mercedes to send video clips of their latest car to clients and potential clients.

I’m very excited of VMS future and the whole change in the media world. Even though I did sell my private investigation company I will be back. Its still an industry that amazes me, and I enjoyed combining journalism with private investigation during my studies, so I guess when I have accomplished some results in what I’m truly good at, which is media, I will go back and invest in business that I’m next to best interested in. Remember that people who are successful are also those who have failed the most; fail, fail better.

When time becomes your worst enemy

2011-09-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

So there are 24 hours a day. Why is it so? Is it because human only can stay up a certain amount of hours before they collapse or is it just because of how the sun rotates the earth and how the earth rotates around the sun? Why can’t we just add few more hours to the day, or maybe we can? Maybe we should not.

Today I wrote down a list of things that makes me happy. Like; Mc Flurry with Daim , the rush after a proper work-out, kids trying to convince each other with their limited vocabulary (its so cute), Coca Cola with large ice-cubes , my mom pulling jokes on me – she thinks I’m too serious with everything for my age (she has the most insane laughter I know)… the list goes on and on. I love a lot of things that life has to offer. There is no doubt about it, but sometimes I just don’t get life. Why don’t I do more of the things that make me happy? What’s the point of living if you are just going to watch it and not live it? Obviously, I don’t have the time.

I just had an appointment with my doctor; my new doctor. I couldn’t stand my previous one, which I’ve had for years. Since I was a kid actually. In fact instead of going to the doctor I would still show up for work most of the time when I was feeling horribly sick just because I couldn’t stand this man. Anyway, my new doctor is not…well, not the regular type. I had only been sitting down for a second and he asks me “what do you want to become in life?”. At first I didn’t answer, just searching his eyes for what he meant… I mean I was there because of my headaches and my nauseous. I was not there to talk about my ambitions. I smiled and said, “ A good leader so that I can run my entrepreneurial companies as successful as possible”. He smiled, and then his face became dead serious. A long pause followed. We were just staring at each other.

Then the silence broke with his sharp strict, voice saying, “ You are missing my point”. What? I thought to myself… what a weirdo.

Then he asked me the regular questions about my health. He just shook his head and said, ”You are 26 years old… how many hours do you work per week?” I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to answer. I was just sitting there wishing that there were more hours during a day so that it wouldn’t sound too horrible. My regular day-job plus my own company equals no life pretty much, however I’m ok with it. I’m serious. I’m ok. So I went straight to defense and said that I didn’t mind working this much. In fact I love my job and my projects. “If you are ok with looking like you are 50 when you are 35, then it should be ok”, followed with another killing pause. He was starting to freak me out.

“I know people, and I know girls like you. You suffer from a syndrome called the Nice Girl Syndrome. –The kind of girl who ends up getting mad from working too hard. It will happen to you, it’s just a matter of time. You need to find more balance and reflect. Is this really what you want? You are not prioritizing; you are sacrificing. Sacrificing. “, He said with a firm tone cutting through to my intense headache in the back of my head.

Honestly, I don’t know what to do. I’m very confused. I am confused because things I love sometimes makes me feel bad or even sick. Like, if I were to drink Coca Cola all day long which I love I would probably end up feeling like shit, not to get started on the McFlurry. I guess its the same with work.

It really doesn't matter how much you love something, you will always end up tired of it if you do it too much, right? The problem with the McFlurry and work is that I wont stop until my body physically tells me to stop. With boyfriends its easy. What a bore.

I wonder why life is like this. Aren't we supposed to do what we love as much as we can? I don't get it. God/Big Bang created time that was not enough and then things to like that makes us sick? I just don't get it.

Are we programmed and trapped in a thinking pattern that makes us slaves in our own life? Its a bit too creepy. Im very happy Im not a psychologist. I think I would have killed myself long time ago. Ignorance is bliss.

Talent is nothing without persistence

2011-05-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

I read a lot of stuff about self-development; books, articles etc… I even go on Youtube every now and then to see video-clips about how to become a better, stronger, more efficient and more successful person. The last books Ive read is ¨The secret of Success in selling¨, ¨Think yourself to success¨ and a couple of short-books both by best seller Paul Arden, ¨Whatever you think, think the opposite¨ and ¨Its not how good you are, its how good you want to be¨. They are all very fascinating and most of them say the same thing; dear to be different, dear to fail and most of all persistence will take you there. I like that! I especially like it because we are having/had a rough time dealing with our company http://theinfidelityinspectors.vpweb.no/Home.html.
We have so many processes going on, so many licenses to work through and see out and for a short time we even had the government wanting to get rid of us, but luckily they gave up when they realized we were playing by their rules. They actually apologized for their behavior and explained that unfortunately companies like mine are dealt with as part of the spy-industry and not part of the private-investigation industry. I still don’t understand what that means, but I’m sure they have their reasons.

Although one problem is out of the way, it seems like the list of ¨problems/hinders¨ are getting longer for each day we are growing. Strange, huh? You would think that with more experience, expansion and knowledge more control would come by itself. Think again.

I remember when we started out a year ago we didn’t have any problems, but a long list of doings, and gradually the doings became hinders which we had to tear down one by one. I really cant decide whether to call it problems or hinders as you can see from what I have just written, but from all the self-development books my mind has no choice other than to think that it is hinders that will go away/be removed with enough persistence and determination. That’s really what we have done so far anyway, and it works. What doesn’t work is giving up. If you aim high enough you will naturally meet more resistance, so this must be healthy? Yes? I mean, if we didn’t aim as high as we do there wouldn’t have been so many hinders, right?

This has been a real challenge to me and still is; holding out, hanging in, keeping faith even when it looks like its only going one way and finding motivation. Not because the challenge is a challenge, but because of how I am as a person. I play to win and when I don’t I suffer big time. I do have patience, but running this company wants so much more than my patience. It wants me even when I sleep. In fact during the interview process for the new daytime job the last manager to interview me warned me about my number 1. Attitude. He actually said ¨I don’t doubt that you are the right candidate; I’m just worried you will have a hard time if things don’t go your way¨. I promised to be aware of it, and I am. I made this promise to my partner in my own company a year ago, and it works, but boy it drains me for energy! Talent is nothing without persistence…also in bad in times. So even if I can make fast results in periods, it’s worthless without persistence. That’s no joke… Hard work might sound a bit old fashion during this era of ¨10 ways to work smarter¨, but I’m convinced hard work is essential to be successful.

Social Media Marketing

2011-03-08T04:12:00.000-08:00

Did you know that if Facebook were a country it would be the forth biggest in the world? Only Facebook alone has more than 300 million users, and the fastest growing segment is 55-60 years old! But this is just Facebook. Social media is so much more. It has overtaken the porn as the number 1 activity on the web. That’s literally MIND-BLOWING. Don’t you think?

When I graduated in June I didn’t realize how important my degree would become. As a Music and Media Management student the course put a lot of emphasize on the online revolution in social media, or the social media revolution.

It was easy to understand how it worked because I was already a part of the generation social media was first introduced to and used by. I was already using social media everyday, communicating with friends and colleagues and my first part-time job after completing university was as a social media manager for an investment company.

When I finally launched my company officially in February 2011, ¨The Infidelity Inspectors¨ http://theinfidelityinspectors.vpweb.no/default.html it was no question in mind whether to use social media platforms to market my company or not. I know a lot of companies even today are sceptical towards using social media for the sake of branding or attracting costumers; don’t be. A great number of companies today are using it, so if you are not using it competitors will bypass you in no time. A great brand and company that is very aware of this is Coca Cola. They know that if they don’t let their engines run they have hungry competitors breathing them in the neck ready to take over. That’s why they are the number one brand in the world; because they never underestimate competition even thought they are the best. It’s the same thing if you ignore social media.

Using social media today is not only a great tool to bring in statistics or to study the market, but it’s a great way to show that you care about your market. You are giving the market a chance to express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction about the product or service, and that is often very much appreciated by the costumer. It’s all about great service, really, and honestly a great company is always a company that always offers great service. Don’t piss the costumer off. They are right, even if they are not.

Be sure to control your platforms so that unfair and unreasonable discussions on the forums will not harm your good name and reputation.

In my job as a social media manager I use www.hootsuite.com to correlate all the platforms (Blogs, Twitter, FB and more), which saves me a lot of time and gives the audience an impression of consistency. Consistency signalises stability, which signalises trust. Trust is key to a young entrepreneur because a young entrepreneur doesn’t have success-stories behind her/him, and are counting on the clients trust to be able to move forward in the long-term.

There are a couple of crucial factors for successful social media marketing. Two things are already mentioned; consistency and control and the third crucial factor is high activity. High activity is extremely important because of the short lifetime of published news that is the social medias nature. You need to strike while the iron is hot!

Good luck with your social media marketing!

Losing fOcUs

2011-01-16T13:56:00.000-08:00

OK, so I am slowly gathering my thoughts, my ideas, my frustration and my focus, which have been all over the place the last two months. Ever since I came home from the US really. I guess so much have been going on up in my head and so many impressions eventually blew my mind. Sometimes you don’t see it coming: the stress the confusion that most likely will lead to a sudden lack of focus and make you question if you really want this or not. But worst of all; losing motivation because you simply aren’t inspired. It’s not a good feeling. But as long as I’m aware of it it’s easier to deal with, because this feeling is not necessarily a true feeling. It’s like being married; there are days you want to strangle your partner, however it doesn’t mean that you don’t love them anymore and you swore to be with them for better or for worse. So instead of thinking that I’m bored and I want to end it, I’m thinking that I need to work on myself becoming better to deal with these type situations. Cause they will probably come again. I’m sure.

Just to get it straight, I’m absolutely not bored of what I’m doing, but there are so many things that I have to do alone. I’m doing the accounting, the marketing and a whole bunch of other stuff that normally would be divided on a team of people. But since we have just started up and we are just two people the workload is just insane. There are overwhelmingly many fields that we are constantly being introduced to simultaneously, which we have no experience with. For instance I am not an accountant or tax expert, but to be able to be as cost-efficient as possible during start-up we are forced to do this. I did have some accounting in university...thank god! Still its hard with all the regulations.

Not only is it overwhelming and energy-draining, It gets really lonely too. People don’t understand how much I work and how important it is to get results. For instance they don’t understand how I can get up at 6am and stay away from alcohol for months just get results business wise. I feel alienated sometimes when people say that I should relax and go for a drink (I do drink when I feel like it). Its not like I have a problem because I have chosen to spend my time differently. Honestly it pisses me off sometimes that my friends don’t understand. Some of my friends calls me ¨ Yassmine The Machine¨, which is sort of funny, as long as I don’t get to hear it all the time. I know I have dreams and goals that most people cant identify with, but for God sake, I’m not crazy just because I’m ambitious! I think its rather odd to call a person who wants to stay healthy, who goes to bed early and gets up early to push for greater achievements crazy. That’s crazy!

It’s not like I’m some weirdo who loves to sit in front of my laptop alone working because I don’t have a life. Of course I would like to go out more often and enjoy myself. Sometimes I sit in my tiny room and I’m sleepy and tired from reading a bunch of documents, drawing strategies etc wishing I was with my friends at that dinner I turned down to reach my deadlines. It sucks. But then again; the reward of progress is just such an amazing feeling. I love it, and that is what I must never forget. I must never forget that I am an entrepreneur-soul. I have plenty of ideas and I love to work. I have taken a choice, which I need to stick with: because without persistence and determination talent is useless. Talent is useless anyway if I don’t have skills and one of the most important skills is discipline, and therefore persistence. Its hard sometimes, but I’m sure its worth it in the end.

So many possibilities, so many thoughts...

2011-01-08T12:26:00.000-08:00

New year. New possibilities. That’s what they say. What if there are too many possibilities? Sounds a bit weird, but I feel like there is so much more I can do than just what I’m doing right now. I mean there are so many other industries that fascinate me, and I have so many ideas it’s killing me. Its frustrating knowing that you have ideas that probably could work (I know they would work), but also knowing that for one idea to turn into reality persistence and determination is alpha and omega, and with less time to work on each idea the chances for anything to become reality is very small. I guess focus is the key. Focus on as few projects at a time. I need to clear my head and vision my goal clearly and stop myself from thinking about everything else. It’s hard, very hard.

I don’t know what to write or feed you readers with right now, cause my mind is simply all over the place. I need a break from my own head. My biggest problem is probably that I’m always somewhere else in my head, way into the future most of the time. I’m barely HERE.

Actually I might have some vice words to share. If you feel like me doing something physical like working out might give your head a rest. Personally I enjoy almost any kind of sport, but I have fallen in love with cross-country skiing this winter. It feels really good being outside among trees and tons of snow breathing clean air through my lounges. I also love cycling, but there is something very liberating by doing sports out in the open. You should try it. So for now, I’m just going to clean up and organize my head.

See you soon!

New year’s resolutions

2010-12-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

Its really weird how time flies. I remember when I was a kid. I felt like time was moving so slowly, but now time is running like an Olympic champion. I am afraid I’m missing out on the real values in life. I’m afraid I’m running for the gold medal with my eyes shut.

For me the real values in life are intangible. Real values are when I feel that I’m making a positive and significant difference for other people or the environment. It is also the love I get from people around me, mostly from my family and close friends and it’s the feeling of victory. It could be in sports or in business. Unfortunately I am a victory junkie. Sometimes the pleasing feeling of doing well takes up too much attention in my life, but its mainly because I’m so passionate about what I’m doing I don’t feel like I’m working. As a matter of fact I set out some rules for myself regarding what types of work I would be doing in the future already the second year in University. I said to myself that I would never, ever take on any jobs that weren’t particularly useful or interesting to me. Meaning I would only work on projects I felt genuinely passionate about.

While most of my friends had part time jobs at some bar just to have an income I was being extremely picky and prepared to do almost whatever it took to get an interesting job. One of my favorite jobs was for one of the worlds biggest credit rating companies in the world; Dun and Bradstreet selling credit ratings, which taught me invaluable sales techniques. Another great job was an internship for Tv2, Norway’s biggest commercial television channel as a journalist on one of the most central murder cases in Norway. The Martine Vik-case. But guess what, I really never felt like I was working during this time of my life…. well maybe when I was working for Dun and Bradstreet. It could get brutal on the phone sometimes, but besides from that I think it’s a smart idea to only do what you are passionate about because that way you hold out longer.

As much as I love what I do and often feel like I’m not working at all, just playing, I think that my number 1. New Year resolution this year will be to spend slightly more time just being, and not doing or at least spend less time working and more time on my hobbies which I have neglected the two last years. I used to play guitar, write songs, do some acting, painting etc. I feel like I need to take that back into my life.

I don’t like the thought of not being as efficient as possible, but I don’t want to become a workaholic. I need to change from being a victory junkie to a victory lover because to be successful in life is so much more than to be successful running a company. I want to be a good friend, daughter and a parent whenever that time comes. I would also like to stay healthy and have a rich life outside my company. So to all other young entrepreneurs reading this take a minute to think about what you really want in life, because I’m sure its not only to be the number one in business, or is it? We just need to work smarter.

(Note: The used is not my official new years resolution list. I am not losing 15 pounds...for sure!)

Just do it!

2010-12-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

I just got home from a 3 weeks business trip to LA and Miami mixed with a little vacation so I’m sorry for not have posted anything during these weeks.

It was definitely scary to take the next step entering the American market. It was scary because I know how hard people in the US work to succeed. Americans are famous for being the best in the world in so many fields.

Successful people don’t try over there, they do it and the work moral is so high that most people who come from countries like me where you don’t really have to work (I am from Norway) cant stand a chance. We are simply too spoiled and lazy, so be aware of this before you get all crazy like me. On the other side, I think you have to be slightly crazy (I mean VERY CRAZY) to think you can outcompete Americans and actually do it; because it’s a totally irrational thought to believe that you can become better than the best in the world when the best in the world in my industry have 20-40 years of experience. But the good news is if you really are hungry enough and you are willing to get out of your comfort zones to reach your goals Americans are more than willing to help you, even if you sound a little bit like a mental patient.

I had 9 meetings all in all during my trip and all with the CEOs of the companies. I was amazed how warm and helping they all were. Not even ONE underestimated me as an entrepreneur or competitor. In fact they all wanted to help me and I even sealed some pretty good deals over there with highly respected and experienced people from the industry.

Ok, so I was a little too generous making my offer almost stupid to turn down, but I think it is better in the long term for both my company and my clients to have experienced people with skills working for me, giving away a significant cut to my partners and employees than to get all obsessed about the money. I’m not really doing it for the money anyway. I’m doing it because its fun and because I know I can do well.

I’m more worried about doing it the right way with the right people than getting rich within the first year. I’m sure some of you would disagree to my generous business model, because you believe in capitalism (so do I), greed is good, but in this specific industry, the private investigation industry, skills and experience is so extremely important. I think making it easier for potential partners, being generous has made it easier for me, because I am more or less useless without them. Well…not really, cause I do have great ideas, I have worked as a PI myself, I’m really good at sales…(I used to be one of those annoying telesellers who would never take no for an answer) and I think different than most people. Plus I’m innovative and I spot opportunities where even my biggest competitors fail to see it, BUT they have more money than me which must never be ignored and they have invaluable experience, but most of all they have a history and clients; clients that I need. I could do it without them, but at a slower pace. MUCH slower pace.

Conclusion: Just do it!

$$$

2010-10-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

I always talk about how important it is to be so positive that it borders to not being realistic. Being too realistic sometimes limits your possibilities and we all know that the great geniuses of all times were known to be crazy and unrealistic… until they proved the opposite. Just look at Edison and Einstein. People thought they had simply lost their minds, however, it seems like that is exactly what you need: this touch of madness to be able to accomplish what most people haven’t done before you.

And you know what? The wonderful news is that very few people dare to think unrealistically grand, making it easier for us who dare to do so to actually reach the top. Very, very few people are willing to even dare to think like a true pioneer. When this is said there is something that you need to be deadly REALISTIC about, and that is $$$.

You need to know how much money you need to be able to start trading and how much money you need to put away for unexpected crises or downfall in the market. You can never get enough $$$, that’s for sure.

Here are some posts that normally are certain expenses for any company:

- Insurances

- Licences and Permits

- Marketing

- Legal

- Financial *Accountants, Financial advisor etc.

Then again don’t limit yourself because you don’t have the money. Its not like you are expected to have $ 100 000 from the day you start your research.

As an entrepreneur you need to be willing to take risks, be creative and see the loopholes. Just OPEN YOUR EYES. Sometimes that means testing your product/service before you actually start trading without all the permits and licences you are required.

This is often an important part of building your business plan, which you most likely will need when presenting your idea for potential investors. Taking risks doesn’t mean that you should do it blindfolded. Calculate the risks carefully before you try and test.

Don’t forget all the free help out there. There are so many people out there willing to help you. I have experienced so many positive people contacting me through my blog: lawyers, accountants, marketing advisors and so on offering free help and advice.

I’ve noticed that a lot of successful people are also very generous people. They love helping others and they love to see other people succeed. So stick to these people and welcome all financial advices you can get, even if they are a bit off. You’ll learn what is right and what is wrong if you consult with enough people with the right experience in your field.

Killer

2010-10-17T02:34:00.000-07:00

I don’t know if you have noticed it, but every other of my blog is motivational blogs, while the rest are how you actually build your business. The reason why I have structured it this way is because I think motivation and keeping that vision alive in your mind is just as important as building your business. A business without a vision is a house without walls.

I have met so many people who run their businesses with no drive. It’s so obvious they have forgotten why they even started that business in the first place.

It really frustrates me to look at companies I know could have done so much better if they had taken advantage of the situation, but because they have forgotten what they stand for and they are satisfied with good and not great they are unable to reach the goals they first set.

As a kid we learned in school that the most important thing was to participate and not win. Well, I had a dad that surely didn’t agree, so I was thought that the most important thing was to win.

As I work as a teacher part-time during the day I know that this psychology might not be healthy for kids, but I also know that if you play to win you will do your very best. I don’t see the purpose in doing anything if I’m not going to give it all. I’ve learned from experience that doing things 50% is a waste of time, and time is expensive.

The most important thing my dad thought me was not just to play to win but to keep winning. He used to say ¨Its when you are tired that you should push a little bit more¨. This is also known as the killer-instinct. It’s easy to do well ones, but it’s hard to stay at the top and get up after defeat time after time. Cause you will fall; again and again, but that’s also the time to learn how to rise. Sometimes it can be very hard to get up on your feet again, not just because your sales number dropped significantly the last 6 months, but as a matter of fact it is often your closest friends and family who have the power to really make it hard for you to get up. They are the ones who really have the power to make you feel worthless.

Another thing my dad used to say which has helped me a lot is something that Will Smith says in the movie ¨The Pursuit of Happiness¨; he used to say ¨Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you cant do something. Not even me¨. It is so important to protect your dreams and your vision. Your family and friends probably don't want to make it difficult for you, but and they probably don't have any idea how much pressure lays on your shoulder from time to time, and honestly this is just something you will have to live with. They can hurt you because you love them, not because they want to hurt you. The only way to avoid getting affected is to protect your dream and just know that that is the reason. Your family and friends will hurt you as long as you live, so just get over it.

I can’t even tell in words how important this is to be aware of ¨the fall and rise¨ (I know.. the expression is called the ¨rise and fall¨, but Ive changed it into the right order to how it should be).

If you are not aware of this, and you don’t understand that the process of growing more powerful and staying in control actually involves defeat and learning how to get up I swear you are so going to stay on the ground!

You need to get up and kill it, again and again. That’s why keeping that vision alive is so important. I try to repeat the vision for my company at least ones a day in addition to my daily mantra, which is:

¨Everything I start I complete with brilliance¨.

So don’t be a killer, STAY a killer and you’ll see everything will go your way, cause the truth is there is not that many killers out there…

A good business plan is a good plan!

2010-10-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

If you have read some of my blog you know that I think it is crucial to dear to think grand to be able to succeed in a fierce marketplace. Additionally you have to be motivated for more than just the $$$$, you have to be fearless, you have to be able to separate good advice from noise (don’t let anyone bring you down…or your sales down) and you have to be extremely hungry for success. By that I mean SUPERHUNGRY. Sometimes this means pushing limits until there are no limits and doing what other ¨normal people¨ consider crazy. Try to take away one of those things I mention and you are pretty much screwed one way or another. But there is one more thing you need (and a thousand more…lol) and that is a business plan.

First of all a business plan is pretty much what it says it is; a plan for the business. It can be deadly for your business not to have one. A business plan should evaluate all aspects of the economic viability of your company. The business plan should also include an analysis and description of your business prospects. It is in fact the business plan you will be showing to potential investors and banks for financing. The business plan is a very useful selling tool and a great way to remind yourself where you are headed, how and when.

The easiest way to implement a business plan is to keep it simple, specific, realistic and complete. If you make it too complicated you might end up not using it to check if you are heading in the right direction compared to the goals you set 6 months ago, and you might lose an investor over nothing. You see…the investors never really invest in the business but in YOU. They want to know how you are, if they can trust you and if you are a winner or not.

The business plan is not just for potential investors and banks, but it is for you and your employees as well. Planning is a process, not just a plan. DON’T FORGET THAT. The business plan should be the companies Bible. Amen.

Producing the business plan can be very time-consuming because you need to get the right facts regarding market statistics, financing and target market so that you don’t lead your company into a ditch. Not having all these facts right is like walking around blindfolded, which is just stupid! Why would you walk around blindfolded if you can see whats in front of you?

Based on the statistics and facts you need to analyze using tools such as the PEST (political economical social technological factors) analysis or the SWOT (strengths weakness opportunities threats) analysis to understand your data and information gathered. There are a million other tools to choose from for analyzing information, but you should at least include the SWOT.

A business plan is not something that is done in a week, so be patient and start digging for information. Go undercover if you have to. Call your competitor and pretend that you are a costumer, or better; book a meeting! Don’t be afraid that they will reveal your purposes, so what? Be creative.

Here is a website I found that has a lot of good stuff regarding the business plan.

http://www.myownbusiness.org/s2/#3

Good luck!

BE THE RULER

2010-09-27T14:16:00.001-07:00

I have always been a very active girl. As a kid I used to do different sports in addition to going to drama and music school after my ordinary day at school. So I was always busy.

Sometimes I forgot to eat because I was so eager and passionate about what I was doing. A lot of my friends used to think that I suffered from ADHD, which I don’t blame them for at all. Some of my friends still think that I do.

Good thing is I have calmed down the last two years, but I can still get very hyper and extremely intense when there is something I am very interested in. I’m a natural born seller, so you can imagine how I can get; pretty ANNOYING at times. But don’t worry; on the inside I’m actually very calm. This calmness comes with something I thank God for everyday and that is a great amount of energy. I don’t know where it is coming from, but inside me there is a great light that lives which fills me up everyday. I mean, I do work out a lot so I get energy from that, but I’m not talking about that kind of energy. I’m talking about the energy of feeling invincible everyday. If you knew my history I think you would be having problems believing me. I lived a pretty crazy life for years. A real Rolling Stone with an extreme amount of luck every time it could go seriously wrong.

I’ve made some mistakes…clearly, but I regret few because my past seems to help me with my future more and more, but its only recently I’ve discovered how life can be just as invincible as I feel. I get up at 6am everyday (which I did NOT do a year ago) and trust me; I have become one of those whistling people you just cant stand on your way to work. This all started when I started to ask myself the question ¨why¨. Why do I want to take part in this project, or why won’t I take part? Why will I go out tonight, or why won’t I go out? What is it that I really want and what is it that I really NEED? Now, that’s a BIG difference. Here are some examples:

- -I want to go out and have fun tonight, but I need to get up and be a hundred 100% tomorrow to be able to perform as efficient as possible.

- - I want this relationship to work, but I need to be happy which I am not with this girl/boy, therefore I need to get out of this relationship.

- - I want to go shopping and eat all day long, but I need money to be able to finance my business and I need to stay healthy to be able to be 100% focused in my job so that I can bring in great results that again will finance my life.

- - I am bored today so I want to hang out with my crazy friend who takes a lot of drugs, and who drinks and drive and makes me crack up for nothing, but I need a true friend I can trust, who is healthy, who inspires me, supports me, and influences me to become a better person so that I can be the best I can be towards myself and others.

See the difference? When you start asking yourself ¨why¨ first instead of letting it all run automatic you suddenly start to see clearer. I have never been so much in control over my life as after I started to ask myself these questions and I have never had so much fun with being the ruler of my own life. It sounds weird to finally be the ruler of my own life. Who would have thought that you weren’t? But in fact a lot of people are slaves instead of rulers of their lives. Its creepy, but its true, and until you realize how to take control back you will be wasting your time and energy on stuff you wouldn’t have if you had just asked yourself why first, and honestly…how many times haven’t you done what you wanted because your ego won and then you just felt it was a waste to go out, spend all your money on shopping or staying in that crappy relationship? BORING. I’m sure if you think about it you probably enjoy your own company more than the company of a lot of other people you know.

Plus you have to be aware of the fact that being your own boss means that you are the one who are setting the rules. If you cant discipline yourself to recognize what is good for you and your business and what is not you will slowly end up in the grave you prepared for yourself.

So think twice and listen to yourself before you throw yourself into delay and financial death.

Work Visas in the US

2010-09-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

After reading a bunch of different websites up and down with information on the different work visas I found a website that pretty much covers it all and reads easily. Go here; http://www.h1base.com/

PS! I’m not saying that you should buy the packages that they are offering, but it’s a very informative website which also tells you what you can except in terms of a reject.

I recommend you to carefully study these work visas in addition to the different rules for registering a company in whatever state you are planning to set up a company. If you are setting up your own company and not working for someone else be prepared to show your entire business plan including the financial plan (of course).

Please read more about registering a company here: http://yassminejohansen.blogspot.com/2010/08/smart-us-state-to-corporate-your.html.

Remember; just because you cannot obtain a work Visa does NOT mean that you cant set up a company in the US. It also does not mean that you cannot set up a business account in the US, although it might be a little tricky.

A lot of people thinks that if you cant get a work visa then you cant put up a company and therefore you cannot register a business account. Wrong. If you are having problems getting a work visa at first I suggest you get a company set up in the state that allows you to do so, then do some business from abroad.

The Internet has pretty much revolutionized the whole way of doing business today.

The Internet is breaking rules, making it easier for entrepreneurs establishing and operating internationally.

It depends what industry you are in, but lets say I was selling T-shirts. I wouldn’t have to put up a company in each country to sell it, would I? But I probably would have to put up a website. It is getting harder and harder to refuse people doing business across borders because of the Internet. In my case there are only a few states I can set up a company without going into a partnership with a person with the certificate required. Still even when I have set up my company in one of those states I might not get a work visa, however I can still operate from my company in Europe and through my US company, which in my case is not really Europe, but the INTERNET; it’s a no-mans land. When I go to the US I always bring my laptop (I bring my laptop almost everywhere), and I always work even if I’m on vacation. I don’t care if I’m on Mars or Jupiter as long as I can get online. Is the US government going to put me in jail because I’m on the Internet ¨working¨ in the US WITH a legally registered company IN the US creating more work for the US people? Its always good to be on the safe side, so therefore I am getting that work visa, but in theory it is obviously both legal and illegal to do business in the US without a work visa because of the different rules from state to state and the fact that the Internet is a global platform.

Knowledge is power.

Get out of your comfort zones!

2010-09-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

Today I am really walking my talk. Instead of going to bed early because I’m a wreck from yesterdays dinner party I’m writing this blog and getting other practical stuff done. Yes, it hurts intensely. I’m forcing my eyes to stay open and my brain cells to work in team. I could have post-pone some of the stuff until tomorrow as Sunday is not really a workday, it wouldn’t matter that much, but the problem is telling yourself that every time you are feeling like shit or you want to sleep in, will definitely slow you down. I believe it is important to be consistent to be able to reach goals as efficiently as possible. I think it is extra important in the start-up process to push yourself a little extra; therefore it is crucial to understand that getting out of your comfort zone is very often what it takes to stay 5 steps ahead of your competitor.

You might not like to get up at 6am in the morning or work long and inhuman hours, and you might not like to be skinned all the time because you are dividing the hours of the day between part time jobs and building the company; but I’m pretty certain getting used to not having it too comfortable will increase the chances of reaching your goal faster and better. If your work-day is too comfortable you are probably not working hard enough. Makes sense to me.
I’m not saying that you should get an uncomfortable work-chair because its good for you to feel pain, I’m just highlighting the fact that you must be willing to work hard(er) hence pushing yourself further, and dealing with not-so-cool phone calls, meetings, presentations or even arguments to be able to deal with whatever comes in your way…remember; problems...or obstacles as I like to call it very often come unexpectedly. Above all you have to be focused and you have to be persistent; self discipline is also very important, but sometimes its harder for young people, as discipline is often something you learn when you grow older and become more mature. Focus and persistent are two of the most important elements to be able to move forward. Without persistence focus doesn’t matter and the other way around. Take focus and persistence away and all you are is Peter Pans shadow on a fantasy island. You have to be strict with yourself and tell yourself everyday that you will deal with whatever comes in the way and you will deal with it correct and fast with a positive spirit. Sometimes this means staying up the whole night to correct documents before sending in for the deadline approaching the next day. Be aware that complaining or making the extra task an issue will only drain you for more energy than necessary. You must deal with it to move forward either you like it or not, so why waste time and energy complaining about something you have to do anyway? Being negative wont get you anywhere.

I have to admit that I sometimes struggle with staying focused. I have so many things going on in my head, that I sometimes cant hear myself think. It really stresses me out when I can’t focus, however that is not a good enough excuse if I want to be the best in my field. No excuses are good enough. I know that to be able to be the best I can be to reach my goals I will have to change my mindset and then my actions. Personally I feel that it is extremely important to learn how to master persistent and focus in whatever field you work in. Reason why is because if you are not good at mastering both at the same time, you will eventually give up from all the wrong calculations, delays etc. Things will be taking too long because you weren’t as persistent as you thought and it will eat your self-esteem from inside. Well, this is a fact; quitting is a habit, so don’t.

I found a neat little book at Gatwick airport when I was travelling from London a while ago, and Its called ¨The Secrets of Success in Selling – 12 ways to achieve exceptional results¨, by Nicola Cook. I found something interesting that I know I have read somewhere else before and it’s about mantras or your own pep talk if you like. It’s basically a way of transforming the mindset by self-brainwashing. As a matter of fact it is scientifically proved that it works, but you have to be patient. It does not happen over night. What you do is that you make up a mantra that you will tell yourself everyday. For instance, one of my mantras is ¨Everything I start, I complete with brilliance¨, the second one is ¨I am always on time because I like to be early just in case¨ and the third one ¨I get up early because I am on my way to becoming the greatest in my field and therefore I take advantage of all hours of the day to beat my competitors delivering the best service in the world¨.

There are some rules for making a mantra:

- - Make it positive; State your intentions as you want it to be as opposed to what you want to avoid

- -State in the present tense so that it happens right NOW and not in the future

- - Say it out loud and say it out proud. Personally I have a sheet on my wall on my desk with my mantra so that I see it every time I look up from my laptop. It is also the first thing I see when I sit down on my work-chair. So I sit on my desk and I say it out loud for myself.

- -The mantra cannot be about other people changing. We can only change ourselves.

The clever thing about mantras is that it defines the goal, so you are always reminded on what you should always do. When you have managed to brainwash yourself you simply tune into the right frequency and you are on autopilot--- destination; your goal.

It feels a little bit like ¨runners high¨ when you are starting to notice the difference in your mindset and behavior.

Mantras are good tools when you are moving into unknown territories and things starts to get complicated. That’s the time you need to remind yourself of your mission.

When starting up you usually don’t have that much money so initially you will probably end up doing a lot of the work that a lawyer or an accountant normally would do for you if you were able to pay them. Because you don’t have the knowledge that a lawyer or an accountant have you will be spending a lot of time researching just to be 100% sure you are signing the right contracts and that your financial statements are correct.

Not everyone loves every area of running or owning a business. For instance; it is a well-known phenomenon that creative people and especially artist’s cant stand mathematics or anything where you are tied up by regulations and paragraphs, but if you want to be in full control you should know how everything works. You should understand the financial statements; balance sheet, cash flow statement and profit and loss (at least), even if you do hire an accountant and a lawyer. Why? Because someone might want to take advantage of your business at a later point when you are very successful. Maybe someone is trying to buy you out of your own company by securing a bunch of shares. You need to know how to protect yourself if that situation may arise. If you believe in yourself and your business idea you will do anything in your power to protect you company. You will be prepared for war any day and have the weapons ready even before you can see a glimpse of the enemy behind the thick fog in the distant eternity.

Ouch! My first BIG lesson!

2010-09-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, so when putting up your first company research is def the most important thing. I can’t even describe with words how important it is. Research takes time, so be patient.

To me it was important to secure the trademark first, so I spent some time initially doing research on trademark after doing a superficial research of the industry. The reason why was because I wanted a name that described what we do, not a name that was fancy or cool, and I wanted to be sure that I could use a great name… not a good name, or an ok name…a great name; also I had to have a great name to get noticed in my particular field. In the industry I will be operating in I noticed that many of my significant competitors had names that did not describe their service at all, so one of my competitive advantages is therefore the name. I will reveal both the name and the industry Im in later on in the process. Main reason why I’m not revealing it yet is simply because I don’t want you to think that this blog is directed at one particular industry. I’m trying to make this blog as useful as possible for whatever industry you are in.

The service that I will be offering is a ¨one time¨ service (a service that people normally only buy ones in their life) and statistics shows that people buying this type of service will turn to the Internet in many cases. Lets say I was a cup-cake baker. I would want to have the word ¨cup-cake¨ in my name so that it would be easier for potential clients to find me on the Internet. Makes sense; right?

I was really lucky with the trademark considering I did my own trademark research instead of hiring a lawyer, which most people do. Reason why I didn’t hire a lawyer was because I didn’t have the money to do so, and that was why I had to do the digging myself, therefore I wasn’t sure when I filed my application to the USPTO whether I would get it or not, or if I had filled in something wrong. After 3 months I got an emailing saying that it had been granted and the only thing I had to do was to respond to a ¨letter of action¨ as it is called. Good news turned into motivation, and I felt that nothing could stop me now. I mean…I did what a lawyer with years and years of education offer as a service…on my own! So of course I was bubbling of motivation and self esteem! Then…just days ago I found out something that wasn’t all so cool. I knew I had to change the approach, NOT give up! Although I have to say it did seem hopeless at first. Very hopeless. Most of all; time consuming.

I found out that to be able to open my own company in that particular industry in the US I would have to work 6000 hours under someone else to get a license. 6000 hours is about 3 years! Additionally I would have to apply for a license in each state I would operate in. This does not apply to all industries, but my industry. Lets say you are a movie director looking to work in the US; then you don’t have the same problem.

I wasn’t shocked… it does make sense, but obviously it is very different from country to country, and obviously I had overlooked something important during the research…something I should have spotted earlier in the process.

I used to work part time for a company in London, UK, and it was not a requirement to have a license to open your own company there, so it sort of didn’t cross my mind, although I remember thinking about it first month I was all caught up in researching trademark. I just ignored it.

As I am still doing research I don’t really look at this as a failure but a lesson to teach me how to change direction. I mean; I was prepared for almost whatever turns, but yeah…I have to admit it sort of ruined my original plan to be up and running international from January, but hey; At least I had a goal when to start, and that’s crucial. This is all I think about day and night. I’m not going to give up just because some rule, hell no! Either I would have to change the rule or go around the rule. That’s how my mind works.

It took me two days to find a solution to my problem or to straight up the failure as someone likes to call it. Well, not really straightening it up, cause now it’s going to take more time, but that’s all right. In my world however very few failures are actually failures. The word is overrated. Failure is just a tool to improve. The improve tool! That’s all.

I know some of you are thinking ¨My God this girl must be delusional! 3 years...6000 hours!¨ Why would I be so realistic? That word is also overrated to me.

Funny thing is, I have managed to brainwash myself with my business idea so that the only thing that I understand is the words KEEP GOING.

I must say that I do feel lucky because I actually found two ways around the rule, and not just one or non. I feel lucky yes, and not brilliant because I know that there are some industries where there are rules you can’t get around, and it takes some significant force to change it. It would really suck to have bought the trademark and then find out that you can’t even operate in the business. So be very careful with the research part. I’m not completely retarded. Its not like I didn’t know whether I would be able to go through with this or not. I have more than one territory checked. So in worst-case scenario, I at least had Europe, and then I could have moved on to the US after 6000 hours, anyway, there is an exception to that rule. I don’t know how interesting it is for you all to read about the exception I came across in my industry, cause you all operate in different industries. I just want you to know that there are normally ways around and that it is important to not give up just because you get a punch in the face, cause I’m sure Ill get more of the punches, and so will you.

Many doors will be closed, but then some will open. I swear this is true. I used to work with phone sales for Dun and Bradstreet while I was studying. I was selling credit ratings and you wont believe how many NO I got, but I knew that the only way to get a sale was to pick up that phone again and again until no became a yes, so all I’m trying to do now and all I want you guys to do is go get your yes! YES, YES, YES!

Registering companies in different states in the US

2010-08-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks back I explained how Delaware was a good state to register a company. Now, what I’ve learned is that it depends on what kind of business you are doing. What kind of industry you are in. In some cases you will have to register a company in each state you are operating in.

The reason why has to do with protection in the case you are being sued in another state then the state you registered it in because your Delaware company, your Florida company…wherever you have it is a domestic company in that particular state. It is a foreign company in every other state or country. This basically means that you don’t really have the same rights as a LLC or corp in a "foreign" state: a state it is not registered as a company in.

“If you plan to staff offices in a state other than Delaware, with employees who conduct business directly with the public, it may be wise to register in this state. Registering in additional states is generally not necessary if you are a consultant; a one- or two-person or home-based business; or sell through independent distributors, manufacturer's representatives, wholesalers, retailers, or through mail order or the Internet” (The Delaware company [online] 30.08.10).

A friend of mine told me it might be possible to put up a company in Delaware and in the state you are operating in, but doing everything through the company in Delaware, getting all the benefits Delaware as a state has to offer. I will find out how that works and come back with more info on that.

In the meantime I’m working on the business plan, hereunder the research, which is probably the most important thing when opening a new business. I started doing research around late January, but I guess research is something constantly ongoing. In this case it is for the business plan, but I think research is something that needs to be done frequently to be able to handle whatever situation occurs in the marketplace. BE PREPARED.

I’ve also started getting the practical stuff together such as international sim card for clients to reach the company on, website design, business cards and so on. It’s like a puzzle.

It’s late and I should probably go to bed now, but for some reason I can’t go. Its like I have too much energy inside to go to bed, although I’m dead tired. If I go now I will only lay awake in bed thinking of what the next step for my business would be, however I will try and sleep. It’s important to have a degree of structure, so I try to get up around 7am everyday.

I will get back as soon as I have more info on how to run companies from different states.

Good night!

Self-respect

2010-08-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

The worst thing in the world is to wake up really hungovered and the sun is shining outside your window. I can’t stand it. I also can’t stand being hungovered. The sun was up today, but luckily I wasn’t hungovered.

The last 9 years going out has been an almost daily activity. Maybe not going out, but at least drinking was an almost everyday routine until I realized how much time I was wasting. It doesn’t get any better when you are studying for three years in the United Kingdom. If you are trying to avoid alcohol do not enter this country. I have friends who have actually become alcoholics, and they don’t even know it. Young people; age 20-35. People don’t associate a person who goes to dinner parties or networking multiple times a week where alcohol is involved every single time as an alcoholic. It is just regarded as fancy and important. You know what I mean… its like the alcoholism is covered in fancy agendas. It is even expected that you come to these parties and drink. If you don’t drink people think that there is something wrong with you. For instance… last night I decided to try and not drink until the end of the night…just have a couple of drinks near closing time, cause I didn’t wanted to feel reduced when I had a ton of stuff that needed to be done today. Almost everyone I met was wondering why I wasn’t drinking and if I was ok…funny thing to ask a person when you can’t even stand on your own two legs. Its strange how it sometimes seems like people drink so that they can act like idiots and dance like they have down syndrome…not sexy btw. I used to do that too when I was around 20. It was fun, but now I cant deal with it anymore...all the side effects of alcohol. Well I still like to do the mental and drunk dance a couple of times a year, but that’s it. I have never been in better shape in my whole life, still drinking just ones a week kills me, so I try to assess what parties and ¨meetings¨ are really worth going to and what people are really worth hanging with. I think it increases your self-respect by being selective. Without respect for yourself you are nobody. That’s how I see it. I do have friends who are not very much liked by the media or the government, but as long as I feel that the relationship I have with them is meaningful I don’t care what other people think. I stand by it and I’m not afraid of being seen in public with these people.

What I don’t like and what I think is embarrassing is superficial clowns who only talks about rich men, themselves and what parties to go to in 2017. A lot of the ¨very important¨ networking stuff is really just a hype. Luckily I love my own company, so I am ok with spending that time alone working or watching a movie, but it took me years to realize that I’m actually not missing out on anything by not going to every single party in town. It feels really good to be in control over my own time not letting life control me but me controlling life.

I don’t know anyone in the world who can drink everyday and still be successful over a long period of time. The definition of success to me is also much wider than the profit you are making on your business. Its not just wealth, it is also health and happiness. If you abuse yourself with alcohol everyday it will def affect your wealth, health or happiness. This is not rocket science.

Yesterday a friend emailed me and told me how upset she was feeling. She was really feeling sad and that the darkness has swallowed her raw. She also seemed a little bit worried that she would drink the pain away. She is a very intelligent woman living in LA working on a huge business plan…I bet she will be one of the wealthiest in the US within 5-10 years from now. She is smart, funny and beautiful… still she feels like the whole world is collapsing around her. I told her a life philosophy that I never really was aware I was living, but it is a very simple one; Focus on what you want to do with your time, not what you don’t want. That way you don’t have time to do what you should not do. This is what I started to do a year ago when I was finishing my final year at University. I told myself that I would be very selective with both friends and projects. Automatically I avoided getting involved in anything I wasn’t really passionate about and I avoided less intelligent people taking up my time, because I focused on who I wanted to spend time with and what I wanted to do. Just like that I started to drink less, I didn't have time for stupid parties and so on. My time was spent on stuff I liked and everything started to become more meaningful and I was happier. Being happy is very important, because when you are happy you work better and you attract good energy. I think this strategy is very logical, but I also have to admit I am a true rebel by heart. If I tell myself not to do something I will most likely do it. So in a way I have found a way to trick myself into the right direction.

Personally I think it is very important to respect yourself to be able to have wealth, health and happiness, and for entrepreneurs who are looking for results you don't want anything to slow you down, right?

What do successful people have in common?

2010-08-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

As a young entrepreneur with many ideas it is useful to know why successful people are successful. What do they have in common? Can you identify with their characteristics?

What can you learn from their common characteristics?

Personally I feel that passion and drive is one of the most important things. Almost everyday when I wake up I think of one thing and it makes me smile. Passion. While dating can get extremely boring and make me pretty impassionate about the whole thing, business never does.

Searching the Internet I found a couple of good lists of things that successful people have in common. What do you think?

List 1:

1. Successful people are fast in analyzing situations and making immediate decisions.

2. Successful people think before they act.

3. Successful people consider consequences and possible solutions to any action they are about to take.

4. Successful people do not fear risk, on the contrary they use risk as a tool to reach where others cannot reach.

5. Successful people never quit, they hunger and thirst for success.

7. Successful people are persistent even if what they believe in seems impossible.

8. Successful people do not believe in failure. Failure is a sign that there is a mistake along the line that needs to be corrected for success to happen.

9. Successful people believe in their capabilities, and dynamism.

10. Successful people love to see everyone around them succeed.

11. Successful people know that the journey to success has a price to pay and so they prepare themselves for that price.

12. Successful people are non conformists they never never follow the path of everyone; even if they do they always modify it to suit their needs. Each and every one of them has a secret path created for themselves.

13. Successful people use just 1/10th of acquired knowledge on their path to success. That is why acquired knowledge is not a major prerequisite to success.

14. Successful people use general knowledge (common sense) in every step on their journey to success.

15. Successful people surround themselves with like minded people.

16. Successful people are generous and share their knowledge with. others. The sharing of knowledge brings about awareness, more interest and more ideas from outsiders.

17. Successful people are very intuitive, discerning, and positive about the next day but living for today.

18. Successful people succeed where others fail, and they never fail from trying again and again.

19. Successful people do everything to learn whatever could contribute to their success.

20. Successful people could make something out of nothing. Take away a million from a successful man and he will make two, but give two million to an unsuccessful man and he will have non left in a very short time.

21. Successful people are very creative and are successful.

List: 2

1. Hard work. Successful people work very hard and they are keen on practising or rehearsing things until they come out perfect. Their outcome is only the tip of the iceberg; it is only that 10% that people see. The rest of 90% is preparation and hard work.

2. Focus. When they do something, the rest of the world disappears until they stop. All their attention and all their resources work together for a common goal, to complete the current task they are on. Many times, they forget even to eat or sleep, so much they are absorbed into their action. They just don’t let themselves overwhelmed by “urgent-not important” issues that crowd their agenda. They are keen on prioritizing.

3. Passion. They like what they do or they do what they like. Either way you put it, they enjoy their work, they are so passionate about it, that hard work is a pleasure and a must for them. Do you think that Beethoven could have written any of his works without passion? Or Van Gogh would have been able to paint so astonishing if passion was not there? Of course not!

4. Curiosity. Successful people want to know. They want to learn. The questions they most frequently ask are not “What? When? Who?” but rather “Why? Or How?” The best way to repeat a successful action is to know why was it successful, what was that little trigger that generated attraction and recognition.

5. Empathy. Have you noticed how many people like successful guys out there? It’s because their way of coming into resonance with others, their way of establishing rapport. Highly successful people are empathic and often it happens that despite their solitude, many people like them and feel good around them. That is because of their high level of emotional intelligence, because of their abilities to listen and learn from the world.

6. Responsibility. They are fully responsible of their acts. When something happens, they don’t waste time to search for who’s to blame, they rather move on to finding what needs to be done next. They don’t complain and they don’t look for pity.

7. Self-improvement. Successful people work on themselves, they change with the times, they learn from the past. Look at the famous singer Madonna: how many times did she completely change her style? Too many times. Each time when she felt the need to shift to something new. The result: she was appreciated every time by her fans and she’s still in tops after so many years.

8. Humor. They appreciate humor, they live in this spirit, they do serious things with relaxation and joy, they don’t rush or get hurried just to see things done.

9. Creativity. Successful people think out of the box. They search for new ways of doing things, when they don’t find something very comfortable, they try to adjust it to serve them better. Going with the flock is definitely their way of life.

10. Flexibility. There is a saying that in an organization, the most flexible element always wins. It is true. Think no further than your workplace. Which are the colleagues you value most? Aren’t they the ones who are flexible, who can adjust themselves so much that they can understand your point of view? Yes, success comes with a large dose of flexibility, and this does not mean that such people do not have their own opinions. Not at all! It just means that they know how to listen and how to act to see things and actions going their way. They know how to spot opportunities and change them into more joy, satisfaction and success for themselves.

Don’t stop believing (Aaaaa!! This is absolutely hopeless!!)

2010-08-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

I have never been so much in love as when I first started to work with my business idea. I know it sounds crazy and probably a little bit sad, but it’s very much true. I was totally obsessed, and all I was thinking of and dreaming of was how I was going to turn my idea into reality. It was so real to me I could see the office space I had created in my mind, smell the air outside the gigantic building of my headquarter by the ocean and most importantly feel the adrenalin rushing through my vanes as I lay my hands on the beige, leather steering wheel trying my best to maneuver my extremely fast car.

This might sound a little bit materialistic, but trust me it has never been about money. That has never been my focus. It never is because I know that the great things in life are not for sale. I learned that when my dad passed away 5 years ago.

So if its not about money what is it then? It is the will to succeed, and the slightly unhealthy relationship to competition. I play to win, not to participate. The feeling from winning or getting good results gives me a feeling that is indescribable, like no other feeling in the world. I can live on that feeling for days without eating or sleeping. When I win or do well I am invincible. It gives me extra ¨muscles¨ to deal with next challenge…but this is of course when I win. When I lose...ouch! If I fail my world falls apart. I’m a really bad loser, and unfortunately that has slowed me down a lot of times.

Luckily I have started to realize that it is ok to lose faith or fail as long as you keep going. Every entrepreneur will at some point lose faith and feel that their business idea is stupid and impossible to implement. It is perfectly natural. Just because you are having ¨one of those days¨ does not mean that you should give up. Entrepreneurs are probably more in the danger zone of feeling that than any other occupations because we normally have a thousand ideas that needs to be tested a million times. Get used to the feeling of having a door slammed in your face and get used to the word no, because every yes starts with a no.

Some people might disagree with me, but set high goals…maybe even unrealistic goals. It is better to higher your goals and be everything you can be than to lower your goals and be almost all you can be. PS! I’m not talking to the crazy Idol contestants who don’t have a family that loves them enough to tell them that they cant sing.

When you have a good idea hold on to it. The harder you fell in love with the idea, the harder you shall hold on to it! DON’T STOP BELIEVING!!

Smart US state to corporate your business

2010-08-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I mentioned the most popular types of corporations; General corporation, S corporation and LLC. I promised that I would look at which state that would give the greatest benefits when registering your company. As I suspected Delaware seems to be a great place to start! If you know of a better state please shout out asap :)

These are the most important reasons why Delaware is a smart choice;

• NO SALES TAX

• NO PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX

• NO INTANGIBLE PROPERTY TAX

Corporate...

• Delaware state income tax is not levied on corporations, which are not doing business in Delaware.

• Annual franchise tax is low (minimum is $30 tax plus $20 filing fee, total $50).

• One person can be the only Officer, Director, and Shareholder.

• Officers and Directors can be indemnified, limiting their personal liability.

• Corporate books and records may be kept anywhere in the world.

• No minimum amount of capital is required.

• Non-resident shareholders pay no Delaware tax on shares.

• Shareholders are protected by takeover statue, which limits abusive hostile takeover tactics.

• Directors need not be shareholders.

• Service from the State of Delaware is fast and efficient.

• Incorporation costs are low.

• Most Delaware corporations can be formed within minutes and documents are available within 24 to 48 hours.

• Delaware corporation law has well-established legal precedent.

• Delaware courts are respected nationwide for their expertise in corporate matters.

• Voting provisions requiring greater-than-majority approval may be enacted.

• Liberal choice of corporate name provisions and ease of reserving corporate name.

• Corporation may pay dividends from profits and surplus.

• Shareholders, directors and/or committee members may act by unanimous written consent in place of formal meetings.

• Directors may be given the power to make and alter by-laws.

• Corporation may hold stocks, bonds or securities of other corporations, real and personal property, within or outside the state, with no limitation as to amount.

• Different kinds of business may be carried on in combination.

• Corporation may fix quorum of board of directors -- not less than one-third of the whole board; two if only two shareholders; one if only one shareholder.

• Voting trusts and voting agreements may be created.

• Generally, stockholder liability is limited to stock held in the corporation.

• Delaware law includes Close Corporation provisions.

• Classes of stock may be issued in series.

LLC...

• Delaware has maintained a preeminent position with its Limited Liability Company stature.

• Delaware law does not require that the name of any member of the LLC be disclosed in the certificate of formation. Some states require the publication of the names of all members.

• Unlike other states, single member LLC's are permitted.

• The creation of your LLC may be your only contact with Delaware. Delaware does not require you to have any meetings in the state nor are you ever required to visit Delaware.

• A Delaware operating agreement may contain provisions which deny voting rights to some members and may also exculpate members and managers from personal liability and may permit indemnification. Delaware permits maximum flexibility in drafting operating agreements. Companies may be managed by its members or by a manager.

• Delaware does not impose any income tax on LLC's which do not transact business in Delaware. Additionally, Delaware does not impose either an income tax or inheritance tax upon members who are not Delaware residents.

• Delaware permits terms in the operating agreement which will exculpate managers, members, agent and employees from personal liability for management of the company and permits indemnification of those persons by the company.

• Unlike other states, no minimum capital is required.

• Neither members nor managers need be US citizens. Units of ownership may be owned by individuals, corporations or any other business entity existing under either US or foreign law.

• There are no limits on the type of legal business, which a company may transact.

Additionally check out these websites;

- This site shows step-by-step how a non-US residents who are searching for a way to start their own online business and particularly to get able to accept credit cards on their sites, open accounts in US banks with Internet access and US VISA Debit Card:

http://www.non-us.com/index1.htmT

- Here you can order formation documents and read more about the differences between the corporations and LLCs:

http://www.thedelawarecompany.com/llc_corporation_information.aspx#whyincorp

Energy vampires – Motivation death

2010-08-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it’s hard to admit that you are the main reason for where you are in life. Disagree? Don’t.

If there is one thing I can’t stand it is negative people. Either it is complaining or talking shit about other people they totally freak me out. If there is any type of vampires that exists it is surely the Energy Vampire; people who suck out your shine and motivation. OH YES! They are everywhere. At your office, in the store, driving around in cars, eating at the same restaurant as you, staring you down and giving you empty, depressed looks…they are your ¨FRIENDS¨. Everyone knows a person like that. It might even be you. They complain about other people, the weather, their economy and how everything is stupid and not good enough. Some of them even try to bring you down on purpose because they feel like a failure in some way or another. If you have a friend like that I have one good advice; dump them. Even if you have a boss like that; quit and find something else to do cause you know you can do better. They are poisoning your mind. Your beautiful mind, and no one but yourself can take that away from you. You have to protect yourself against losers who simply don’t understand what you do.

We all have days when we feel like shit and that everything is impossible, and that’s why it is so important to be aware of these Energy vampires…but even more important is to focus on the good and not trying to avoid the bad. For instance it is extremely important to be in an environment with other number 1s; with other winners who thinks like you and wants the same as you. Because this will nurture you and you will inspire each other and seriously get high on life like the mad Christians do on Jesus. No offense, I do believe.

If you can dream it or feel it, you can achieve it.

Registering a company in the US

2010-08-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

Last week I told you how to register a company within the UK. As mentioned last week, without yet revealing my business, my main market is in the US, and because I’m moving to the US at some point (as fast as possible) I would like to register a company in the US as well.

Because I’m a non-American resident at this point in time and I do not have any kind of Work Visa or Green Card I will have to go through a system that will be both time consuming and I will probably meet some obstacle on my way. It might not run as smoothly as I wish at first. Therefore to make it run smoother it is useful to know the rules or at least the loopholes. Lets just face it; it’s just too much information. For a person who was born in the US etc this process is obviously much easier, but even for an American citizen it can get complicated. A couple of things that is important to considere is what type of company you want to form and it what state.

The most common company types in the US are LLCs (Limited liability company) and corporation. The reason why is because both corporations and LLCs limit the liability of the owners/shareholders from the debts of the business and against lawsuits against the business, just like the Ltd in the UK.

The difference between these two companies is how they are taxed, but it depends on what type of corporation you chose. In a standard corporation or a C corporation the net business income is subjected to corporate income tax, and the monies remaining after the corporate income tax are taxed a second time when they are distributed as dividends to its owners who must then pay personal income tax, however a S corporation and LLCs are similar in that they are both ¨pass-trough¨ entities FOR TAX PURPOSES; the income of these companies are passed through their owners and reported on the owners personal tax returns, that way eliminating the double taxation incurred by owners of a standard corporation or a C corporation.

When this is said hiring a lawyer to examine your situation and help you determine your needs is a good idea. This all depends on your situations. If you are looking to save employment tax and your situation warrants it an S corporation is probably the best option. LLC is a good choice if operational ease and flexibility is important to you. Go to this website for more information on how to register your company, taxes, licenses and permits http://www.business.gov/register/steps-to-register.html (Best website).

When it comes to what state that is the best to register in, I have to admit that don’t have a clue, but I know that Florida and Delaware are good places to register a company. Anyone who can recommend a good state; tax beneficial and other advantages?

Next week I will look at the different possibilities of forming an American company for a non-resident and WHAT state. Stay tuned.

Taking care of YOU- Taking care of BUSINESS

2010-07-28T05:44:00.000-07:00

One important priority in my life has always been to take good care of myself.

I work out up to 5-7 days a week and I eat fairly healthy. I also take my vitamins and cod oil. I mean…I’ve never been one of those who insisted on reading the calorie content etc, in fact I love sweets and especially chocolate and vanilla ice cream with caramel and cut snickers chocolate on top. Yummy!

The point is; your body can take much more shit if you treat yourself fairly good most of the time. There are times when I push myself so hard I’m afraid recovery will take weeks, but it never does.

4 weeks ago I had a reconstructive surgery (rhino). When I came home from the hospital that day I felt like I was going to die. I had a lot of pain after the anesthesia started to fade, but the next day I didn’t have any pain whatsoever. In fact I was up at 9 am in the morning WORKING. Amazing ha? I thought it was pretty cool J

Most of my friends are people who want to do well. Some of them are doing extremely well. They work around the clock like machines.

Problem a lot of them have is that they never take time to take care of themselves. They always have an excuse for not going to the gym. ¨I work too much…or… the gym is closed when I leave the office…or I’m simply too tired¨.

One of my close friends, lets just call him Jon, is a 35 year old male who runs a multi million dollar business. He started out when he was about 23 years old. Jon has high cholesterol, high blood pressure and he has even had a weak heart attack. Nice! NOT.

Its not just all the health complications you will suffer, but your performance at work will decrease. You will have to push yourself even harder when your health is weaker, which again weakens your health. So it’s an evil circle.

Even though I do normally take good care of myself there was a short period of three months last autumn when I gained 13 kg. During those three months I was travelling a lot and eating and drinking like a truck driver and working like one of those machine friends of mine. I had just started 3^rd year at University and was also involved in a lot of projects outside of the University on top of doing research for my business. At this time I was 24 years old. Guess what? Not only had I gained weight, I had also too high cholesterol. I could not believe it, nor could my flat mates, because I looked totally normal on the outside. I found out that my dad had high cholesterol, and so we have high cholesterol in our family. Great…I just had to inherit those genes.

Good thing it was easy for me to get back on track. You see, muscles and even your lungs have memory. So if you stop working out for a while and throw yourself back; it won’t take that long before you are fit for fight, because your body remembers! Never forget that.

I got back inside the gym, cut down on cheese and egg…but I refused to cut down on my vanilla ice cream, so I just worked out harder instead. I have to admit…sometimes I push myself harder at the gym to be able to eat more. I LOVE FOOD.

My favorite workouts are: Spinning/cycling, cross country ski and Bikram Yoga. I also love working out my muscles in the studio with the boys.

In a world where you have to work hard to play hard and play hard to work hard taking care of yourself is def number ONE priority.

How to register a company

2010-07-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

When starting up it is important to consider risk and consequences. You don’t want to be in a situation where you have to sell your house, car, wife/husband and dog because the business is going downhill.
Now, there is a link between risk and return. Very often the higher the risk: the higher the return or LOSS. I guess that is how most things work, even in your everyday life.
To me love and business is almost the same. You take chances and you have no idea what is waiting around the corner and sometimes nothing can prepare you or protect you other than a positive attitude, and sometimes even that is not enough. You have to be willing to lose it all. It sounds weird, but think about it…

As a young and fairly inexperienced entrepreneur with little or no cash flow it can be hard, but at least you don’t have that much to loose…. IF you choose the right type of company entity that is. In the UK and the US different tax regulations and limitations around liabilities applies, so even if you went in with nothing, you can end up in minus even if you don’t have a house, car, wife/husband and dog to sell.
Good news is; you can protect yourself against this better than the heartache love ever has caused you.

I chose to register a Private limited company in the UK first, even though my main market is in the US. This has to do with work visa in the US. I don’t actually have to live there to do business there, but there are advantages when registering a company in the US (depends on the state) when having the US as the main market, but I will talk about this next week.

The main reason why I chose to register an Ltd (Private Limited company) was risk avoidance by limiting liability. This means that you as the owner are separated from the actual business.
In other words you can’t end up being personal bankrupted which you could if it was registered as a sole trader.
Check out this website for more info about this type of company: http://www.sfsgo.com/benefits-of-a-company.asp

Another great thing about running an Ltd is that it is easy to run and register. I know this because I used to have a company called the R.E.B.E.L Ltd when I was 20 years old. But at that time I hired a lawyer to do all the paperwork for me. This time I’ve done it alone, and trust me, its just laziness to hire a lawyer for this. It is vital to understand what you are doing and how in the introduction period. That’s why you are doing yourself a disservice by leaving this to a lawyer. Yes, it is a little bit boring and time consuming, but it’s cheaper and it increases your knowledge, and knowledge is power, OH YES!
To register a company, print the papers off The Companies House here: http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/infoAndGuide/companyRegistration.shtml
If you are stuck and don’t understand, don’t worry. Drop The Companies House an email and you will get a respond within a day or two. They are very helpful.
Anything I can do, ask me as well! ☺ Always ask if you are stuck, even if it means asking 20 times in a row.

My first step

2010-07-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

When putting up a company there are a lot of things to think about before starting the actual process. A LOT!
First of all you don’t want people to steal your brilliant idea or the name of your company. You also don’t want to be sued for trading under someone else’s name, not even knowing that you are using someone else’s name or be taken to court for the law of passing off because you have caused damage to goodwill of that particular company. That can cost you A LOT.
You should always check that the name of the product/service you are using is not owned by someone else, and you would certainly like to own that name so that nobody can take it away from you.
Now, trademark registration and comprehensive trademark search can be fairly expensive. It is recommended that you hire a lawyer to do a comprehensive trademark search in the territory you would like to operate BEFORE you actually file the trademark registration. So already now you have a huge expense before even knowing if you can actually use this name. So now you see that there is ONE important thing you need when putting up a company and that is $$$$$$. Do not EVER underestimate cash. Never…ever! Even though I do think that money is not everything, money is certainly important in business. Money is something you realistically should have from day one. Yes, of course it depends on the type of business, the size of the business etc, but there are always expenses. Everything from your lunch during work hours to your SWOT-market analysis are all money that goes out, and not in.
So there you are with a great idea, but no money at all. What do you do? You could introduce the idea with a disclosure agreement so that the investor cannot steal it, but you are not 100%, safe, so if you really care and you really want to be on the safe side; a trademark registration is necessary. Well, then where do you get the money if you are not going to introduce it to an investor who might give you the finance you need? Tricky…tricky… You could as stated go to a lawyer even before you have registered the trademark, but if you don’t because you are just as paranoid as me you should ask your mom, friends or get funding to cover the initial costs such as a lawyer to do a comprehensive trade mark check so that you know that when you actually file the name you will get it… As stated I am quite paranoid when it comes to ideas, I’m also very good at keeping secrets, so I didn’t want to share it with anyone.
First thing I did was to google the name, then I bought all the domains of this website http://www.names.co.uk/, then I did my own comprehensive trademark search, then I filed the name straight to the The United States Patent and Trademark office (http://www.uspto.gov/). Reason why I did this without any legal help was because I didn’t have the money and I wanted the biggest territories (the more expensive), plus hiring a lawyer to do the job is more expensive than to actually file the name straight away. If the lawyer finds out that you can file the name you still have to pay USPTO the filing fee. So you actually save money either way when filing directly to the USPTO.

After 3 months I got an email from USPTO saying that the name was now mine. VERY HAPPY GIRL!
Then I went to ¨Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks¨, which is where you can register more than one name in more than one territory at the same time for a lower price (http://www.wipo.int/madrid/en/) so now I feel that I can relax with the paranoia! LOL!

I have to admit I spent a lot of time doing my own comprehensive research and understanding how intellectual property was different from territory to territory, however I can assure you that this is NOT rocket science. You just have to do it and be focused. Thats all!
So hang in there if you are dying from all the paperwork :)

Next time I will show you what kind of company form I have chosen, why and alternatives.
Dont stay up too long!