Escaping the 9 to 5

An Object in Motion…

Maren Kate — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:22:31 +0000

One large iced green tea, one small extra-hot, hot chocolate. It’s the sweet and sour of this drink combination, the hot and cold nature duality of their natures that I love. I’m sitting in the same Starbuck’s that I have spent many a late night brainstorming the future of Zirtual at—the idea that started in a similar coffee shop in Las Vegas two years ago and has grown into a 25 person company based in the heart of San Francisco.

A year ago, when I was living in the Tenderloin, subsisting off of Ramen and Red Bull dropping $5 for two drinks at Starbucks would have caused me physical pain. I pinched pennies like nobody’s business and still do. Even today I feel a little silly/guilty over the indulgence of buying myself my two beverages when I’m just one person.

Regardless, as I wait to pick up my friend at the nearby BART station I decided to drop into my old haunt and enjoy a beverage—or two—and reflect on the last 18 months of my startup life.

An object in motion tends to stay in motion…

I have always considered myself an object in motion. Since I was a little girl I’ve never been satisfied with the status quo, and for most of my life I thought this was because there was something, inherently, wrong with me.

Not until I came to San Francisco and was surrounded by people whose drive was far more manic and who’s life goals made mine look paltry in comparison—did I realize that since birth I’ve been primed for the work I now cherish.

If you don’t feel like you “fit” in your current life, leave. Search the world high and low for like-minded people, not so you can join their clichés and congratulate yourselves on being so brilliant, but so you can know that the things you’ve always wanted aren’t wrong and that it’s “right” to chase down your dreams—no matter how far fetched they may seem.

Happiness is the journey, not the destination

I always thought I wanted to start a company so one day I would be rich and not have to worry about the things being poor entails. Only lately have I realized I wanted to start a company because I love to build things, I love creating value and watching others enjoy it—and I love providing jobs.

In the last 18 months I have struggled, came to the brink of sanity and broken down in tears more than I have in the rest of my life combined. And surprisingly I have also been the happiest of my entire life.

Anything worth having is worth working for and the more it’s worth having, the more work it takes to have. Often the more work it takes the more pleasure you will deride from the journey.

Always go against the grain

Human beings are strange, if not utterly predictable, pack animals. We stand in lines because we see other people standing in line, not realizing that if we slip the bouncer a $20 we can shave an hour wait time off our lives and get to the fun part faster. We listen when people say “you can’t do X” instead of questioning the deeper motives behind their negativity. We live by adages like “you can’t have it all” because we assume that they must be right since they’re so well repeated.

Instead, when someone tells you can’t do something that you want to do—shrug— and continue on. When you hit a wall, look for a shovel and never, ever give up on your goal. People fail because they give up and won’t change enough to succeed. Change is your best friend and it’s just another word for innovation.

Know your true strengths

When I got here a year and started going through the Founders Institute I was told maybe 100 times how I couldn’t build Zirtual into a real, Universe denting company. I listened, and often got discouraged, but I knew my one strength—I’m damn persistent. It was disappointing that these people, who I assumed were so much smarter than me, didn’t believe in me but in reality—why should they?

The only the that matters, as clichéd as it sounds, is that you believe—unequivocally—in yourself.

I knew that whatever I lacked in intellect, technical savvy or experience I could make up by sheer persistence. I thought of the tortoise and the hare, put my head down and just kept plugging away. I changed a lot, personally and professionally. I “pivoted” Zirtual easily a fifty times in that year and will pivot it another thousand in the next five.

I can delegate like a mo-fo, some call it laziness, I don’t care where it comes from—it works. I can out persist most people—I spent 3 months in hostels traveling back and forth from Palo Alto to SF on the grubby train each day, lived with two guys in a 100 sq foot studio and haven’t taken a paycheck in almost 2 years. I dare any of my more experienced colleagues to take the risks and put up with the crap I’ve dealt with in order to succeed.

Don’t forget that most people fail because they simply give up, not because a competitor wipes them out. Most people fail when success is just around the corner. They just don’t have the cojones to keep going.

If you never give up you will eventually succeed—I’ll put money on it.

The Joy of Working

Maren Kate — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:46:35 +0000

When I was a little girl I have many fond memories of my mother in the kitchen, she was and is a phenomenal cook and took great pleasure in making everything from a batch of brownies to a 4 course meal. Susan, who also blogs — about food no less — owned a well loved cookbook called The Joy of Cooking. I remember puzzling over this book as I grew older because — even though I was raised in a house where the kitchen was central — I despised cooking and couldn’t imagine how it could bring so many people such “joy”.

Today I understand my mother’s plight. Saddled with an ungrateful child who would eat her good food but turn her nose up at the idea of slaving over a meal for hours. I enjoyed the fruits, but didn’t respect the labor involved.

I now find myself in a similar situation with what I call The Joy of Working. We live in a world where people consume more than ever — services, products, experiences — but rail about “work life balance” and turn their nose up at people who live to work, versus working to live.

People are always asking me “well… what do you do besides work” and the question never fails to catch me off guard. I have to think about and usually mumble something like “Well I like to read, and write and I really enjoy a glass of wine… or four“.

I often get those “you poor thing” glances, but in reality the joke is on everyone else because I guarantee you I derive more pleasure from my work than most people do from their fun. I work on the weekends, I work at night, I lay in bed thinking about Zirtual and I always include my business and employees in my prayers. I have the same relationship to our company as many people have to their children and I don’t think it’s one bit unhealthy.

Work gives purpose

There are many things in our lives that give us purpose, family, love, building a legacy, making a difference, creating something out of nothing. In my mind the only kind of work worth doing is work that gives purpose.

For me I started out down the path to entrepreneurship because I didn’t want to be poor and I hated working for other people — freedom was and is something I hold very dear. Then I started to warm to the idea of going from not being poor, to becoming rich, and this seemed like the answer to all of my problems — because I assumed that if I was rich I’d be able to afford the freedom that lots of money buys and thus find happiness.

Now, after going from one person working out of a coffee shop to 25 people, a real office and a legitimate business I’ve realized that the thing that gives me the most fulfillment is creating jobs for others (our Zirtual Assistants) and helping busy people save their precious time. Money is much less of a motivator than it was when I wrote this blog post almost a year to the date. It’s not that I don’t believe that Zirtual will become a very large, very financially successful company — instead it’s that the getting rich side of things is now a cherry on the top of my goal, not the main purpose.

Provide purposeful employment

Over the last few years there has been a lot of talk about our faltering economy, the stagnant job market and the blanket of depression that it has cloaked my the globe in. People want purposeful employment, when they’re downsized, fired or can’t find work that gives them meaning it really messes with their psyches. I firmly believe that human beings are built to work towards goals, to endeavor in meaningful work and to gather a sense of community from their jobs.

So if you’re considering starting a business, consider building something that provides meaningful employment to those around you — not another photo-sharing app. I can tell you from first hand experience there are few things as rewarding in life. Knowing the people you work with not only enjoy their job, but it helps them live the life they want to, is pretty much the coolest feeling ever.

“Meaningful work is one of the most important things we can impart to children. Meaningful work is work that is autonomous. Work that is complex, that occupies your mind. And work where there is a relationship between effort and reward — for everything you put in, you get something out…

If you are convinced that the work you are doing is meaningful, then curiosity, there’s no cost to it. If you think there’s always got to be a connection between what you put in and what you get out, then of course you’ll run off with a great excitement after an idea that catches your idea.” - Malcom Gladwell

Red Butler: A Case Study in a Customer Service #Fail

Maren Kate — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:04:54 +0000

I have a rule about not writing things about our competition, but like most rules – this one was made to be broken. It came to my attention the other day that one of our ZAs had been asked by her client to cancel his Red Butler account. This wasn’t an odd request as we often get people who try several virtual assistant companies to no avail before they hear about Zirtual.

The ordeal that followed boggled my mind in so many ways that I just knew I absolutely had to bring it to light. It’s a story of awful customer service, stall tactics and faxes – lots and lots of faxes.

Let’s go back in time to last Monday. Our killer ZA Tiffany started her day off like most. She coordinated a few meetings, did some research on vacation spots and was asked by one of her Executive clients to cancel their Red Butler service – something that, at first, seemed pretty straightforward.

Tiffany’s client had contacted Red Butler via email to ask them how to cancel his account. They responded that he had to fill out a form and fax it in to cancel – yep – fax it in.

So naturally Tiffany, his trusty ZA, took the task on. First off Tiffany emailed RedButler and asked them how to cancel (sans a fax) and after some back and forth they finally told her that unless he personally canceled through their form, that must be faxed in, he would be charged again for their services at a whopping $995 per month.

So she filled out the form and faxed it in. Actually, she tried to fax it in but the line didn’t work. Tiff called back and repeatedly got voicemails or promises of return calls. At this point she was starting to get frantic as her client’s account was only days away from being charged again.

After another day of attempting to get through via fax and several ignored voicemails, Tiffany and her client decided it was time to bring in the big guns – good old AMEX. American Express cancelled the payment from their side and sent Red Butler a notice about the illegal nature of not allowing someone to quit when they ask to.

We all got a good laugh out of this and I had no plans on writing about it until someone from Red Butler called Tiffany directly and verbally brow beat her about how filing a complaint with AMEX was completely out of line and they expected more from us. That’s right, they expected more from us – their competition – since what are friends for? I’m surprised they haven’t sent a flaming bag of poo to our office or a series of threatening faxes.

Three lessons from Red Butler’s epic customer service fail:

1. The service business is like a relationship, you can’t force someone to stay and if you do they’ll just end up hating your guts.

2. Outsourcing your inbound calling is not a great idea, unless the third party you hired REALLY knows your business. Our experience with Red Butler’s 3rd party call center was atrocious. They didn’t know anything about the service and kept piling on promises of call backs until they could get us off the phone.

3. Nobody uses fax machines anymore, that’s what God made scanners for.

Share and Share Alike: How the Sharing Economy Will Change Your Life

Maren Kate — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:47:14 +0000

It’s an unnaturally warm day in San Francisco, a pleasant breeze wafts in through an open window while the faint sound of traffic is drowned out by a oscillating fan. In the last hour, Chloe – a Zirtual Assistant – has seamlessly booked a client’s last minute travel itinerary for South by Southwest, scheduled 5 meetings for various people and coordinated in-person errands for an SF based client through TaskRabbit.

It’s sounds like multi-tasking, but it’s also collaborative consumption. Chloe handles several clients who assign various tasks throughout the day, she acts as a personal concierge to some and an executive assistant to others. This is all made possible by sharing – yep – sharing.

It’s something that we don’t think of as adults, especially busy professional ones, but the collaborative consumption trend is more popular than ever and it’s just getting started.

What is Collaborative Consumption?

Simply put it’s multiple people sharing one thing for social, environmental or financial reasons. It’s been around for a long time – think boarding houses in the 1850s – but only in more recent years has the trend been identified and actually lauded as a better way to live.

7 Ways Sharing Can Change Your Life

No car = no insurance, no parking and no payment. For now this option is only available in larger cities but car sharing has been gaining popularity at a rapid clip ever since ZipCar went public and showed the world that this new business model could both save money for it’s users and make money for it’s investors. Since then other companies like GetAround, RelayRides and many more have been encouraging commuters to only use a car when they need one. These car sharing services include insurance, gas and of course – wheels – every time you need to get from point A to point B.
Look fly for less. Whether you want to carry a new designer bag every month, or get a stylist to dress you for a fraction of their normal rates, there’s a sharing startup for that! Bag Borrow or Steal allows their members to carry a new designer bag each month, when they’re done they send it back and a new member uses it for the following month. This means hundreds of people can carry the same bag and get that warm, fuzzy “I’m carry a bag that’s worth more than you make in a month” feeling – for a fraction of the price. Trunk Club gives men access to a professional stylist who will send them a trunk of clothes specifically tailored to their style needs, they’re only charged for what they keep and get access to a stylist who would normally cost thousands.
Shared meals. Wouldn’t a private cook be nice – but alas – who can afford one? Well, you, if you use Munchery or other services that provide personal chefs to make your meals and then drop off a grip of them to keep you satiated for the week.
Live & let live. Airbnb is by far the most famous example of the new sharing economy, the site which lets you stay in various people’s homes for a variety of times is pioneering the collaborative consumption market and changing the way people think about “personal space”.
Communal experiences. Enjoy a day on a yacht with a captain who will teach you the ropes or go on a midnight bar crawl with strangers when you purchase an experience through Vayable.
Rent v. own. Become a surfer without owning a surfboard, cut down a tree without purchasing a chainsaw. The sharing economy also allows you to rent a variety of things that up until this point, seemed too small to just own. Getable is one startup that lets you rent just about anything from various people and stores in your area.
Shared workspace. At Zirtual we have always shared our work place through subletting desks from larger companies or co-working spaces. We’re about to move into our 3rd space since we’re growing so much but each place we’ve worked at has been a unique experience where we were able to learn from a diverse group of people.

The Sharing Economy

Fast Company’s Danielle Sack’s wrote a wonderful article on collaborative consumption called the sharing economy which has helped propel forward the collaborative consumption movement by giving it a catchier, easier to spread name. But regardless of what you call this new trend there is significant data mounting that it’s here to stay and that it is becoming an integral part of the new economy we are stepping into as we begin to shake off the last few years of global recession.

Going forward you should look and see if there are ways you can use these concepts of sharing to improve your life, or the lives around you, whether it’s car pooling through ZipCar or building a business that helps minimize usage while maximizing the people it touches. I know that’s exactly what we’re trying to do with Zirtual.

If you read this and know of additional “sharing” type businesses or organizations that are out there I’d love it if you would comment with links to them in the comments section.

A Not-So-Typical San Francisco Startup Story

Maren Kate — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:39:51 +0000

I want to create thousands of jobs. Tens of thousands actually. I want to give millions of people more time on this Earth. I want to change the world.

Exactly one year ago, almost to the date, I incorporated a business called Zirtual. I had a fuzzy idea of what it was going to be, some sort of job board for freelancers – or something. I wasn’t really sure.

All I did know is that I wanted it to become a $100 million dollar company. I would chant this to myself, like a miserly monk, a hundred times a night, while I fell asleep on an uncomfortable cot in a hostel I was crashing at because I couldn’t afford anything better.

I chose a $100 million dollars because I knew that someone who built a company, from scratch – with no experience, in one of the most competitive cities in the world – would be deemed “a success” (and since I was a child I have always craved success, stability & the freedom that extensive financial means allows one).

Little did I realize how completely silly & short-sited I seemed every time I told someone I “was going to build a hundred million dollar business” – but, looking back, I’m glad I did. For two reasons…

That massive goal that I talked about for months, to anyone who would listen, had a “shaming” affect on me. As in I knew that if I didn’t reach (don’t reach) that goal I’d be publicly and privately humiliated.
It forced me to think in terms of scale, because if I wanted to hit that number I knew I’d have to do things differently early on than if I planned on building a 7 person business that did a mil. in revenue per year.

The last 12 months

Have been a blur… more or less. They’ve been epic, memorable, awful, stressful, tear-jerking, emotional and wonderful – all in waves.

We have changed almost everything – except our name. That’s one thing I will never (cross my fingers) compromise on. I purchased Zirtual.com about two years ago at an internet café in Vegas around midnight. I got it for $7 and I think by far it has and will be the best purchase of my life.

We changed because we acquired customers, from early, early on – maybe we only had 5, then 10, then 50. But with each additional batch of customers we learned and we “pivoted”, and pivoted, and pivoted. A few months ago we started hitting our rhythm and gaining customers at a faster rate… then we started hiring, then we started really pumping.

One interesting part of all this change has been my mindset has completely shifted – I no longer think about building a company worth $100 million dollars. Instead, I think about changing our customer’s lives. I think about saving their precious time and enabling them to experience more of life. I think about giving jobs to people – for we are a very human-capital intensive enterprise.

That means for each X clients we acquire, we need to hire a new Zirtual Assistant. This may not sound easily scalable to most in silicon valley – but people forget that Starbucks employs tens of thousands and seems to be making a great profit, while providing a great product and a wonderful place for people to work.

I no longer care about making huge profit margins, instead I just want to provide an amazing service & provide jobs to amazing people.

The secret sauce.

The reason I came out to San Francisco was to go through an incubator called Founder Institute, if you’re interested you can read my founder institute review here.

Founder Institute gave me an interesting education on the typical silicon valley startup. It taught me about raising money, about convertible debt and about hiring technical people. All things that for Zirtual, we don’t really need, but it’s important to know what you don’t want to do in order to define what you do want.

Also, Founder Institute got me to San Francisco and moving here has forever changed my life – for that I will be forever grateful to Adeo Ressi (founder of F.I.).

In F.I. they always asked “what’s your secret sauce”, I think our secret sauce has been persistence & passion for freeing up our client’s precious time. I truly believe the only reason Zirtual has gotten to the place it’s at – with 7 employees in San Francisco and many others spread across the U.S. working virtually – is our dogged persistence.

I persisted until Zirtual found a calling – saving people’s most precious asset, their time.
I persisted until Zirtual found co-founders – Erik Jensen (our epically talented designer, developer and systems guy) and Collin Vine (our amazing operations, Zirtual assistant hiring/training, everything-customer-service dude).
I persisted past the point of exhaustion. I lost weight from stress, I lived on ramen, in hostels, in the tenderloin – for a year – in a studio WITH Erik & Collin (which has been surprisingly fun on a side note).
We persisted until we almost ran out of money and then came into a lot through a huge surge of new customers.

This is NOT a brag. Instead this is to share with you the true story of a business that is just, FINALLY, picking up some steam.

It took a solid year, of non-stop work, of past-the-point-of-good-sense dedication, of buckets of tears – to get to. We have crawled through the jungle, now we’re at the foot of a VERY large mountain and we must crawl straight up it for the next several years.

Why I’m writing this.

As I write this I am laying in bed in my unbelievably tiny studio. In exactly 3 days we will move into a lovely 3 bedroom apartment in Nob Hill – away from the trannies, crack heads and prostitutes that call our current neighborhood home.

Sidenote: these people are far more personable and kind than a lot of the “better off” residents of San Francisco, so don’t always judge a book by it’s cover.

In less than two days Zirtual will officially turn 1 year old. We’re throwing a little birthday for our baby on Monday (if you’re in the city find out more here).

I am phasing out of one part of my life and into another. It’s a bitter sweet transition. There is still a LOT to do, we have so much work ahead of us. But I doubt I will ever struggle as much as I have over the last year.

I will miss the melancholy of almost failing, and the sweet surrender of barely succeeding with 0:01 left on the clock.

It is the best high in the world.

My two cents.

Persist. Don’t worry about finding your passion. Don’t worry about having an idea that will change the world. Instead, focus on cultivating persistence. Everything else will come.

If you are persistent towards a worthy goal (mine was building something great – I knew not what, not why, not how) everything else will follow.

I started Zirtual, because I wanted to build something – big. I wanted to create stability, for myself, for my family and later, I realized, for others. I wanted purpose. So I persisted towards a fuzzy goal of building something great.

Persist.

Never, ever stop.

Change course, change the game plan, change everything – just never give up your lofty, somewhat fuzzy goal. One day that will become your life’s work and it will ALL make sense in retrospect.

It’s been one year… now the persistence towards a fuzzy goal has turned into something concrete. It’s funny, because I’m sure I’ll make my original – misguided – financial goal through Zirtual. But I don’t care about the money anymore, instead I’ve found my purpose, OUR purpose:

We want to create thousands of jobs. Tens of thousands actually. We want to give millions of people more time on this Earth. We want to change the world.

Support us by getting a Zirtual Assistant yourself (it’ll change your life, promise) or suggesting Zirtual to any of your busy, stressed-out or otherwise frazzled friends.

Erik & Collin on a Zirtual outing

Live Like 2012 Really Is the End of the World

Maren Kate — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:39:44 +0000

The other day I saw this exact sentence scrawled on the wall of a mansion some startup guys were launching their new incubator from. The walls of the massive rooms were covered in Idea Paint and covered with thousands of great concepts. This idea though struck a particularly deep cord, so much so I haven’t been able to shake the words for days now.

What would your life be like if you thought this year may be your last?

I’m not saying you have an absolute guarantee that it would be your last – if that was the case you may drop out of the workforce, live on a beach and spend your days writing letters to your loved ones. More the feeling you’d get if every day you knew you had a 50/50 chance of dying. You may still live within the rules somewhat, but you’d also take a lot of chances that could produce amazing results – because in reality, what the flip would you have to lose?

Imagine that feeling – living like 2012 is the last year you get to live your life the way you’ve always wanted.

That freedom, that amazing, tantalizing fearlessness comes only from having nothing to lose. This is why people can go from complete anonymity to extreme fame in only a few short years (think Lady GaGa). If you have nothing to lose – and everything to gain – you can take risks that the rest of the World would never fathom.

The problem is that most of us get comfy. This comfort can be completely crippling when it comes to doing amazing things, living your life to the fullest and truly experiencing the World around you.

That’s why I’m choosing to make my “New Year resolution” a simple, solitary one – I want to become fearless in 2012 and I think the best way to do so is to live like 2012 really is the end of the World.

What would you do if 2012 did truly mark the end of the World?

Would you tell the person you’ve been in love with for years the truth?
Would you take a huge business risk that would either sink your startup or sky-rocket it’s success?
Would you travel more?
Would you spend more time with the people you love?
Would you spend less time with the people you hate?
Would you explore more?
Would you laugh more?
Would you spend more time on the things that matter?
Would you experience life to the fullest?
Would you live fearlessly?

What I can definitely say, without knowing you at all, is that you wouldn’t approach your life (like most people do) with the concept of loss-minimization. Instead you’d try to maximize the two things that matter the most when a planet is ending – time & experience.

Time and experience, ironically these are also the two values that we built Zirtual on. If you have all the time in the World but don’t experience life, it’s wasted. If you have all the money and access to amazing experiences, but no time – again you’re screwed. That’s why it’s so important to maximize both.

Malcolm X once said that the greatest enemy a man can have is fear. In 2012, try to live fearlessly and keep in mind that you never know when your World is going to be over – so live life extraordinarily.

Transforming into Your Ideal Self for 2012

Maren Kate — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:17:18 +0000

In some caterpillar’s lives there is a moment when they go from stodgy, slow and land-locked to beautiful, delicate and airborne. Not all caterpillars enjoy this fate. Many stay on the ground and live a life of leaf-eating. Caterpillars (from p.o.v.’s of the one’s I consulted for this post) are relatively clueless, unenlightened creatures – rarely contemplating the meaning of their existence and more consumed with basics, like day-to-day survival… but still some of them transform into glorious creatures, almost overnight.

Human beings, though being far more enlightened, often fall into the same fate of living life day-to-day and never contemplating what a different existence could be like. The beauty of the human mind is our ability to imagine, it’s great shame is our proclivity to forget by becoming distracted by the day-to-dayness of life.

We have the distinct capability to envision the person we want to becoe, the life we want to lead and the things we want to do – without having experienced them directly. You may never have so much sunk your toes into a sandy beach, but you can know from reading and television that you one day want to visit Bermuda. An ugly duckling child may wear ratty clothes and grow up poor, but still know that one day she wants to be a super model and enjoy the finer things in life.

Children versus adults.

Most children have big dreams of the future, few adults do. When a child says they want to become a fairy princess when they grow up, they are lauded. When an adult dares to suggest they want to do something that is far outside their class, upbringing or socioeconomic status they are met with sarcastic smiles and hostile attitudes.

Yet, even the most jaded adult among us is impressed when people break the mold and go from dingy bar singer to multi-platinum superstar (Lady Gaga) or college drop-out billionaire (Mark Zuckerberg).

The big question is how do people get from their dreams, to reality.

Choose your vision.

I know the person I want to be in 4 years. I have her stenciled in my mind and could draw her out in detail ... if only I could draw. I know what she looks like, where she travels, what her job is and how the world sees her. I think about her most nights before I go to bed and write extensively on this person – on the backs of napkins, on coasters – whenever I uncover another aspect of her persona.

Envisioning your future is the first step towards achieving it. Napoleon Bonaparte sketched out hundreds of strategic plays an invading army could make when conquering an area before he saw his first battle.

Lady Gaga said she knew she would be famous years before she was a success, even after being dropped by her label and suffering multiple personal setbacks. She just had it in her mind that she would become a superstar, and she knew what that person looked like.

Your ideal persona doesn’t have to be world-famous. He could be a happily married father or a successful attorney with a corner office, but for me – I’ve never been able to muster passion for anything that wasn’t borderline impossible. Grandiose, unimaginable goals have always been my favorite indulgence.

Choose your features.

Features are mostly physical expressions of your butterfly, i.e. the ideal persona you want to embody. If you want to become a world-renown scientist maybe one of your features is a bow-tie or crazy hair because it reminds you of one, Albert Einstein. One of Steve Job’s features was his wardrobe of blue jeans and black turtlenecks.

I have found it beneficial to write down a list of “features” my best self encompasses including red nails (got mine done for the first time in ages last week), dark hair (dyed my blonde to dark brown to my hairdresser’s dismay) and a particular attitude. These small changes help me feel more like the persona I want to someday embody and will become more pronounced with time. They say to “dress for success”, I think this works when becoming your ideal self as well.

One way or another, sketch in your mind the person you want to be a year from now and ten years from now. Take the first steps to becoming that person, no matter what situation you are in now. If you can’t afford a new coat learn to sow and make your old one look a little bit nicer. That’s the first step to enjoying a completely new wardrobe. If you can’t go to Bermuda yet, at least go lay out in the sun and imagine what it will be like to vacation in a villa one day.

Choose your inspirations.

It’s good to have anchors to set your sights on. Maybe it’s your popular neighbor, or a famous comedian. When you choose an inspiration or two, study them, spend time researching exactly how they became who they are today.

I have maybe 3 people who I study closely and pattern my moves after. If you want to become a chess great it’s helpful to study Bobby Fisher’s strategies. If you want to become a brilliant investor, read everything you can on Warren Buffett’s philosophies. These inspirations don’t have to be in the same space as you, they just have to encompass certain personality traits that your future persona aspires to.

Action step: grab a little notebook and keep it with you at all times, write down any trait, feature or idea that you experience that you want your ideal persona to embody.

My Epic Website Platform: A PageLines Review

Maren Kate — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:03:24 +0000

Andrew, PageLines' founder and myself at their pre-launch in LA this October.

I am a notorious technophobe, which is odd since I’m the CEO of a web company and an avid writer on this little thing. But for years I couldn’t so much as tweak the sidebar of my beloved blog because I didn’t know how to code and couldn’t figure out most WordPress themes.

That all changed one afternoon when fate smiled upon me and I ran smack-dab into PageLines‘ founder Andrew Powers. That day I learned about PageLines and their fabulous drag-and-drop framework which quite literally allows me to change my site on a whim by pulling my cursor across the back-end of this blog. I quickly switched over to PageLines and was amazed by the ease of use and attractive simplicity it’s design offered.

The reason I’m sharing this with my Escaping audience now is because PageLines is launching their 2.0 version and the PageLines store at LeWeb in Paris right now (I know I’m green with envy too). Here’s why I redesigned my site on PageLines and why you should too…

Ease of Use

The reason I changed over to PageLines was because I was sick and tired of not having any control over my site. I love to write, but I’ve never spent the time to even learn basic HTML and because of that I felt like a prisoner of my blog. If I wanted the sidebar changed, or the header tweaked I would have to bug one of my designer friends or post a job to Odesk. It was a pain and even the simplest change was a week long process.

I can change the layout of my site with a click of a my little cursor

I can change the color of almost anything on my site with PageLines color picker

I'm a typography lover, so I like to change up my font from time to time their simple interface let's me do that in a snap

Clean, Simple Design

Another reason I was really drawn to PageLines was the design sense. The typeface is eye-catching without being distracting, the lines are smooth and the transitions are clean. It takes very little “design savvy” on the users end to build a beautiful site. Another big plus is the fact that no matter what you create on PageLines it’s set up to look amazing on all mobile devices, from Androids to iPads.

Now you can read Escapingthe9to5.com on your iPhone, before it was incomprehensible

The Store

My very favorite feature – that has a lot to do with why I made the switch to this platform – is the PageLines 2.0 Store. A marketplace for drag-and-drop web design (think of it like an “app store” for drag-and-drop sections, plugins and themes). The store gives us (the tech-un-savvy) the ability to buy new sections, plug-ins and widgets for our sites directly from the admin interface. Best of all, everything is you purchase is drag-and-drop!

The PageLines store offers both paid and free add-ons for your website or blog

Try out PageLines yourself by clicking this link. Your blog will love you for making it pretty and easy to use and I will love you for clicking an affiliate link.

John Wayne (Almost) Ruined My Life: A Cautionary Tale

Maren Kate — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:19:30 +0000

Damn you John Wayne, you handsome devil

First of all, let me preface this by saying… this is an incredibly hard post for me to write.

I have a problem, and it’s one that has festered in me for years all the while growing increasingly difficult to face. It’s part addiction, part pride and part deep-seeded insecurity (ha, classic “problem”).

I hate to ask people for things. I think it comes from never wanting to be looked at as a “charity case” and always wanting to be able to hold my own. Values I’m assuming I absorbed from watching one too many John Wayne films as a child. I also grew up strongly disliking braggarts – usually because these people got shot in the aforementioned movies, often right after they won a game of poker. Regardless, because of these long held beliefs I shy away from talking at length about my life or business in front of most people.

Looking back the major problem with this attitude has been that it’s crippling effect when it comes to selling one’s business and can make you awkwardly aloof when it comes to personal relationships. In an attempt to “not need nuthin’ from no one” I’m realizing that I’ve done a disservice to both myself and our team at Zirtual (I’m sorry guys, gals and hundo – our sweet little money tree).

If I was in therapy (which I would be if I wasn’t ruthlessly bootstrapping) I’m sure my shrink would give me some sort of exposure-therapy homework. But, since I can’t afford the finer things in life at present (like an overpriced MD) I get to “pretend” and not only be the patient, but also the doctor. Which is both fun and awkward, especially when my roommates walk in on me lying on a coach, talking to myself in a soothing voice, saying things like “how did that make you feel” and “tell me more about your childhood”.

So since I have crowned myself my own - temporary – therapist I have assigned a rigorous exposure regimen which includes me coming clean about my problem & resolving to change my True Grit ways. This wouldn’t be a problem if I was a cowboy, but aside from my penchant for country-idioms and love of horses the Duke and I share very little in common.

My unproven, untested system for self-improvement

(Trust me, I’m not a doctor, but I play one in my head)

1. Come clean. Someone once told me “You can lie to the whole world, but always be honest with yourself”. It was a twisted, slightly depressing bit of advice but the last part always stuck with me. Most people are generally honest with others but they lie to themselves about what they want, who they love and what their dreams are. Don’t be like those people. Ideally be honest/honest but no matter what, be totally honest with yourself. Whatever your issues is, spit it out, then you can tackle the problem and move forward with a clean slate.

2. Be Confident. I love my business, Zirtual, and I think having someone who takes care of all the little things in life that take up your precious time can absolutely change one’s life. But until now I haven’t been confident enough in myself to really take our message to the streets. It has nothing to do with our business or model, instead it was a personal falling of it’s founder – which is unacceptable. From now on I am Zirtual’s number one evangelist because if you truly believe that something can change lives then it’s your duty to get out there and tell everyone about it, wouldn’t ya say?

3. Ask people for simple, easily fulfilled favors. Over a drink a friend laid this wisdom on me and it was staggering. She explained how people love to lend a helping hand if you come to them with a simple, easily fulfilled way they can ‘pay it forward’. So the final part of my self-diagnosed, non-FDA approved regimen is to start asking those around me for help when it comes to the thing that means the most to me right now – my business and our mission.

So be forewarned, friends, family, those distant relatives who haven’t heard from me in ages and don’t like me that much because of that one Christmas when I got sick on “adult” punch and ruined their china rug (sooo not my fault btw, don’t put ice-cream in spiked punch … silly grown ups). I’m here, I’m queer (in the Merriam-Webster “eccentric, unconventional” definition way) and I’m about to stop taking life lying down.

“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.”
― John Wayne

25 Quirky Things to be Thankful for

Maren Kate — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 06:56:24 +0000

I’m writing this from a hotel room in downtown Charleston, West Virginia. My brother mentioned, as we were walking back from a sumptuous dinner at Le Chili’s, that center of this city reminded him of a post-zombie-apocalypse movie – hello Appalachia.

I’ve had a hell of a time getting here. 10 hours, four airports SFO > DEN > IAD > CRW, lost tickets, misplaced bags- it would be oh so easy to bitch. But instead I’m going to be thankful. I’m surrounded by family I haven’t seen for ages and have a chance to reflect on this last year and all the things I have to smile about.

Being thankful, or grateful, is hands down the best way to live. You’ll live longer, be happier and enchant others with your positive outlook versus boring them to death with your whining. So in honor of Thanksgiving I wanted to jot down 25 things that I’m truly thankful for and maybe you can be too.

Some things to be grateful for…

Rain. It washes the streets, the trees, the cars and occasionally the soul.
Iced green tea from Starbucks… yum.
The big, blue ocean that is only ever a road trip away.
Canadians, especially Canadians who work at startups.
Grocery stores, and the fresh food that dwell within them.
Fast cars.
People who doubt you, because you’ll work a lifetime to prove them wrong.
Technology, for so many reasons, it can save lives.
The bad times, because without them the good times would have no perspective.
Kitties, those epic, cuddly napping companions.
Instagram, an amazing app that allows you to see the world from other people’s eyes.
The ability to have a dream and build it into a company like Kickstarter.
Good and bad mothers, they both teach you something.
Good and bad fathers, they both teach you something too.
Hitting bottom, because there really is nowhere to go but up.
Hitting a glass ceiling, because like in Willy Wonka you can always break through it if you just don’t stop.
Film Noir, and it’s exquisitely sexy leading ladies & gents.
The enchanting creativity of small children.
Bacon wrapped dates, be still my beating heart.
People who love you in spite of knowing how f*ed you truly are.
Bustling, big cities.
Cool, cheap vacations you can grab at the last minute on sites like this.
Charities that are truly trying to make a difference, ala charity water.
Horses, and the people who know how to make riding them look so easy.
The ability to fall in love.

I am so grateful for my loving parents, Susan and Vic, my amazing brother, John and my darling Grandparents Mary and Armen Charles… they have encouraged me like nobody’s business and I’ll be forever grateful for their love. Also to my dearest Jake, who has endlessly supported me and my work.

Lessons Learned: 5 Traits Needed for Success

Maren Kate — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:39:32 +0000

When I came to San Francisco, almost a year ago today, I thought I had a decent understanding of starting a business in the internet space. I had been “working online” since I was 19, doing everything from selling jewelry on eBay to social media consulting, I look back now and blush over my deep, unsettling ignorance.

In the last year I have learned more about starting up in the real world than I thought was possible – the crazy part is I probably haven’t even scratched the surface. When people say “it isn’t easy” they aren’t lying, they’re being generous. If I did a slideshow of what I’ve gone through in the last year to get Zirtual from non-existent to what it is today – you wouldn’t believe me.

I have lived in hostels, I have taken advantage of complimentary breakfasts at places I’m not staying, I have cried late at night prostrated on my desk, I have worked out of Starbucks, I have walked 3 miles in the rain to a meeting and arrived soaking wet because I didn’t want to spend the money on a cab, I have hustled, I have begged, I have borrowed, I have done everything but steal – unless you count aforementioned free-breakfast noshing stealing – then I’ve even done that.

I say this, to scare you, and in reality I’m being modest because you can’t understand what a year of non-stop hustling feels like from reading one blog post. Why do I want to scare you off? Because the few people who are true entrepreneurs out there and have what it takes to chase their dreams won’t be scared.

They’ll read this and focus on the I’m-almost-out-of-the-woods part, not the year in exile… and you my dears are the type of people who must chase your dreams. You must become entrepreneurs and you must follow your visions – because you are a rare breed and 99% of your cohort will never be able to do what you do. Because of this you probably possess…

The 5 Traits Needed for Success

A solitary vision. Before really honing in on Zirtual I chased down several business ideas at once. Because of this I couldn’t get anywhere with any of them, the split focus was killing me. After graduating Founder Institute I decided that come hell or high water I was going to make Zirtual a success and proceeded to drop everything else I was working on. Which leads to…
A high tolerance to risk. I didn’t always have a high tolerance for risk, instead I’ve spent the majority of my life seeking comfort and stability. But one day I realized I was either going to be comfortable, or happy, and I wanted desperately to be happy. So through lots of reading and exposure therapy I learned to stomach large amounts of risk and I have come to realize that it’s my secret weapon. Most people avoid risk and uncertainty like the plague.
A love/hate relationship with uncertainty. I think uncertainty is the spice of life. Not knowing what a new restaurant is going to taste like draws you in, the unknown part of a fresh relationship makes things exciting. But, as with all good things, uncertainty has a flip side – which can be catastrophic. You can get food poising or get your heart broken. Because of the down side of uncertainty most people avoid it, not realizing that when you push just a bit past the shudders of uncertainty you’ll find a whole new world of possibilities – one that most people never see because of their fear.
An open mind and open ears. When you’re starting out – whether in a new field of study or a new business – the best thing you can possibly do is to listen to others who have gone before you. This can be reading, watching interviews or simply sitting down and talking with smart people on a weekly basis. Be sure to keep an open mind to what they’re saying. Often you’ll find a nugget of pure gold that will change your life forever. Keep your ears open more than your mouth. They know what you’re going to say (they’ve been in your shoes) but you don’t know what they have to share – so shut up, sit down and start listening to smart people.
Ridiculous, near-mental persistence. I can’t stress this enough, almost all of the previous things I’ve stated can be discovered or even shortcut by persistence alone. What I’m saying is that if you have to choose one character trait with which to enter the entrepreneurial game with, make it persistence. The kind of persistence where people look at you and think you’ve lost your damn mind. The kind of persistence where even your family doubts you, but you push on regardless.

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. – Calvin Coolidge

Life Isn’t Fair: So Why Play by the Rules?

Maren Kate — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:25:03 +0000

I remember this refrain being seared in my consciousness from early on in my childhood. It’s a bitter-sweet memory because I can still taste the knot of staunch injustice that gathered in the back of my throat when my mother would dish it out; but at the same time I’m grateful that the inequality of life was shown to me at a young age because I learned a valuable lesson that seems to be lost on the rest of my peers.

Life isn’t freaking fair, deal with it. You can bitch and moan or you can make the best of the cards you are dealt… or you can strive to become the dealer. Your situation may be truly, honestly, righteously unfair – but the chances that dwelling on it will move your life one iota in a better direction is dismal, at best.

Instead, embrace the fact that life isn’t fair. When you do you’ll begin to see a world of possibilities. A world that the rest of the population misses whilst their eyes tear up over spilled milk.

Life isn’t fair, so why play by the rules?

You don’t bring a knife to a gun fight and you don’t expect to win at a table where the dealer’s cheating. The “fairness” that people so often talk about is the idea that if you go to school and make decent grades you should be able to graduate, get a good job and earn fair wages. It’s the idea that if you worked 15 years for a company they should keep you around for the next 15 years – and by golly I love that notion, but it’s not a reality anymore.

This ideal situation would work perfectly in a world before Eve bit the apple or before our economy took a header off the tallest building on Wall Street. The biggest disservice you can do a child is to make them believe the lie that life is fair and if they play by the rules their future is secure… this is simply untrue.

Instead, take inventory of the “rules” that the unfair game of life has set for you, for us. Examine each and every one, many won’t make sense. These may be the rules that you need to bend, break or simply replace. One rule I broke was “dropping out” of college one course before graduation – I have heard no end of crap for this move but I have yet to meet one person that can explain why I should have stayed.

I dropped out because I wanted to plunge into my first business full-time and I didn’t want to spend another 6 months wrapping up a Spanish course that made no sense when one realized it was for my English Literature degree.

So I quit. People said I was nuts, my parents were pissed, but I failed to see the logic in getting a degree from a “meh” state University that would amount to nothing but a piece of paper taking up room in my filing cabinet – I had always known I was going to work for myself, this just ensured it.

You’re either the captain, or you’re the crew.

My grandfather’s favorite poem goes as follows:

OUT of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance	5
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,	10
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:	15
I am the captain of my soul.

I love this poem and I also love the song by Sinatra “My Way” – it speaks to the fierce independence and drive that few possess but most admire (too often post-mortem). This rare quality is only owned by people who not only know life isn’t fair, but people who are okay with it – because they know they’re not bigger than the universe.

If I was raising a child right now I’d teach them that fierce independence, leavened with kindness, compassion and love for those who just don’t have that drive in them – is the way to go. Not everyone can be a master of their own ship, lots of people want to be passengers and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. You’ve just got to pick your position, then stop complaining and enjoy the ride.

I find your definition of fair, unfair.

Maybe the world isn’t “unfair”. Maybe our definition of “fair” is simply wrong. Maybe it’s been warped from too many fairy tales and participation ribbons given for dismal performance. Maybe the world isn’t fair or unfair, maybe it just is – and spoiler alert: it doesn’t care if you like it or not.

So make your own way, get smart. Treat people kindly, it pays on so many levels, mostly because it’s just the right thing to do. Playing by your own rules doesn’t mean hurting others, it means not taking things that people hand you at face value without doing the leg work.

And for the love, stop bitching about life being unfair, go out there and do something about it – try to make it fair if you want, or just try to make the lives you can touch good. Enjoy your life, help others enjoy theirs. Be a strong captain of a big ship, bring many on board and take them to the new world with you…

The people who aren’t afraid of braving our current, highly unfair, world are the ones who will shape it in the years to come.

Read, Write, Evolve.

Maren Kate — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:00:36 +0000

This blog has changed my life. I came to this realization while wandering the sunny streets of San Francisco’s Mission district with Ev, a fellow blogger & friend.

I can’t trace it back to one point in time, but I do know that when I first put finger to keyboard my world was thrust into a trajectory that would forever change my life.

Though school did very little for me over the years – except breed in me a contempt for the privileged – I did learn my two most cherished skills there: how to read and how to write. Arguably the most life-changing, yet hopelessly under-utilized skills any person can possess.

Read.

I’ve been reading for as long as I can remember. I’ve always been devouring books, listening to someone read to me or enjoying an audiobook while I drove. When people ask me “what’s the one thing you’d tell an aspiring entrepreneur” I tell them to read.

I used to read behind smoky bars, flipping through the pages of business books with a highlighter in one hand and a cigarette in the other. My patrons would be sucking down stiff drinks, feeding bills into machines that didn’t care whether or not they were sinking their kids’ college tuition into their mechanical abyss, all the while I read – highlighted – read some more – made notes – and served shots…

I was always dreaming of the day my napkin-ideas would grow into something much larger than myself… something beyond the dingy bar I was working at while half-assing my way through college.

Then one day it happened, completely out of the blue. One day I scribbled an idea on a napkin – while at the bar – that would turn into my first real business. This idea happened because I had spent the last 5 years absorbing as much information as I could get my hands on about successful people, business, life, philosophy and how to become the kind of person you want to be – not the kind of person you’re expected to become.

Reading is the single smartest thing I have ever done, second only to giving myself lengthy chunks of times in which to digest what I’ve absorbed. Reading was what opened my eyes to a world I didn’t previously understand that I could achieve.

Read everything you can get your hands on, look for lessons written in between the lines, ask smart people what they’d suggest you read – read and then read some more. It is a life changing preoccupation.

Write.

After you consume anything for long enough you’ll start to become fascinated by how it’s created and what exactly goes into the process of making said item. After years of reading I began to become genuinely curious about how people filled books, newspapers and dissertations with letters, words and sentences – strung together in a way that made perfect sense.

I started to write, at first on scraps of paper, then in Word docs and finally online – on this blog. It has been a VERY bumpy and grammar-mistake-laden ride, but writing has allowed me to digest what I’ve learned from my books, from the world and from the smart people that I hunt down like some sort of cerebral big-game.

So write… write down things you think about, write down things you observe. Write fiction, write non-fiction. Write “shitty first drafts“, hopefully in a year or a month or whatever you’ll start writing better. I still haven’t reached that pinnacle of being a “great writer” and maybe I never will – but it’s worth the ride.

Evolve.

The term evolution (from its literal meaning of “unfolding” of something into its true or explicit form) carries a connotation of gradual improvement or directionality from a beginning to an end point. – Thanks Wikipedia… Read. Write. Learn. Grow. Evolve as a person.

A thank you and nod to my new site!

I wanted to say thank you to Andrew Powers, the ultra-creative founder of PageLines a drag-and-drop WordPress platform that this blog is currently running on. If you dig WordPress or building coding-free professional websites be sure to check out PageLines and see what’s in store for their upcoming launch at LeWeb (it’s pretty interesting stuff).

How to be Special: Believe & Persist

Maren Kate — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:07:27 +0000

Brainstorming session at Zirtual HQ held in the kiddy-corner of our shared office space.

When I was a child my family spent some idyllic years in Mountain View, CA. We left in ’92, mere years before the internet boom began.

Little did I know as I watched our driveway disappear from the back seat of my parent’s Volkswagon Rabbit that 18 years later I’d be back, for another boom – except this time I’d be intimately involved.

We moved around a lot when I was a kid, so my mother ended up homeschooling us for some time before we ended up in Las Vegas, where I spent the majority of my formative years.

Planting the belief seed

The thing that sticks out in my mind about our homeschooling years was the refrain my mother told me and my brother constantly, almost like a prayer. She’d say, “always remember, you can do anything you set your mind to … your very special and because of that, you can do anything in the world”.

The irony of her constant praise was that as a student, both in school and college, I was mediocre at best. I was extremely dyslexic – something I didn’t get diagnosed until this year – which made my schooling experience a painful lesson in frustration and humiliation. Facts fell out of my brains like water and the only thing I could focus on through those difficult years were the “great things” I was going to do one day – because, my mother had always told me I was special.

I believed her. And I still do, but for different reasons.

When she started telling me I was special as a child, I wasn’t. I was special because I had unique DNA and I was hers – but divorce her motherly love from reason and you’ll find a plane-jane, not terribly brilliant child with a mind like a colander when it came to English, math and history.

Believe >> persist >> fulfill your belief

Because I believed I was destined for great things, nothing really got me down as a child or then as an adult. I thought I was special (correctly or not) and because I thought I was special – I became special.

I tried things most people wouldn’t dare. I took risks that drove my business forward. I kept going in the face of constant adversity and with very little experience or connections to fall back on… and one day everything sort of clicked. I went from believing I was special – to persisting (because of that belief) – to becoming “special”… all because of one refrain my mother drove home for years.

Now I’m back in the Bay Area. I run a company called Zirtual that provides busy people with dedicated assistants to help them free up their precious time. I dreamed up this business years ago and have worked a very zig-zag path to it’s birth. Now I’m the proudest mother in the World, because I truly believe my “baby” is special – just like my mother believed in me.

Go with your gut

Zirtual wasn’t my first business idea (I’d had hundreds before it and a handful I pursued to some sort of end), but it was “the one” so to speak. How did I know? The same way my parent’s knew they were meant to spend there lives together when they met 3 months before tying the knot.

When it’s right, you feel it in your gut. You may not have the right iteration in front of you – and maybe you won’t stumble upon it for years – but you have a hazy idea of what your ideal startup will be and that lofty goal is what will carry you through the sleepless nights & stressful days of bootstrapping a business.

Belief and persistence go hand in hand when you’re building a business and pursuing the destiny you’ve always felt called to. Persistence without belief is useless, you’ll carry on into a wall of apathy that will derail you forever. Belief without persistence is simply a dream, the kind you wake up from and promptly lose sight of.

The Snowball Effect

Maren Kate — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:32:27 +0000

I’ve been on the lam as of late. People keep emailing me asking if I’ve stopped blogging or if I’ve met my untimely demise at the hands of one of the many bipolar cab drivers in this city. In reality I’ve just been laboring over the fruits of a snowball I started packing about a year ago.

Rolling the (snow)ball

Note: my knowledge of “snowmen” and “snowballs” is limited to a purely intellectual understanding. Growing up in Las Vegas and hot-as-hell Dalls, Texas before that I have had few experiences with “snow” and still distrust it’s freezing, stickiness in general.

I was thrust into the world of snow and snowmen when I went to university in Reno. My first experience with a snowman was in the courtyard of my freshman dorms where a bunch of frat boys were building a snow phallus instead of the traditional man – shocker. Was it traumatizing? Mildly. Does it have something to do with why I avoid snow to this day? Possibly.

Regardless of my tawdry experiences with snow in the past, it’s still an awesome metaphor for building a business.

The snowman

Building a business is much like building a snowman. Both start with an idea, and both grow in direct correlation with how long, hard and creatively their builder wants to work. Both also get easier and larger the longer you roll with them. Also, when you find steep hills (or business shortcuts) you can exponentially increase your growth rate while minimizing your workload.

Now this isn’t to say that either is easy to do. To get started building a really great snowman or business takes time and hard work. It’s cold, you’d normally rather be doing something else and often it stops you from enjoying the warmth of your fireplace and watching old movies.

Another part of building a business that those who have made snowman can understand, is the need to start over. When you build a business with a true vision it’s rarely a straight line pointed towards the sky. Snowmen are the same way, you have to roll one tiny ball into a big ball that represents the first layer of it’s snowbody, then you have to roll another and another and another.

Starting from scratch happens a lot in the business world whether you’re opening a new office in Europe or scrapping your entire business model in search of a better product/market fit (I’ve experienced this multiple times at Zirtual). But when you start from scratch you don’t have to lose all the things you’ve learned or gained previously – just like when you destroy one snowball to make a more perfect sphere, you use the same snow – it’s just organized differently.

Look for hills and don’t stop rolling

That’s the best business advice I can give you… and that’s the snowball effect. You can’t stop rolling your snowball, ever, but as you roll it you’ll pick up speed, gain key team members and adapt to belief systems that will catapult your business to the next level.

Also, look for hills, these “shortcuts” lay all over the place and can be anything from a killer mentor who helps streamline your business process, to a supplier who is 10x as good as anyone else for half the cost. Just keep your eyes pealed and realize that the goal is to pick up as many snowflakes as you can – because all those snowflakes fused together will create a killer snowman, or an amazing business that you can be proud of.

Interview with Adam Toren of Small Business, BIG Vision

Maren Kate — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:08:36 +0000

Can you explain a little bit about your idea of having a “big vision” when starting a new business?

Sure! As we say in the book, for entrepreneurs, vision is what solidifies their resolve when things get tough, and it’s what clarifies exactly why they want to be in business in the first place. No one would argue with the fact that, as a business owner, challenges are bound to come up. Some are small, others are more significant. Without a strong, clear vision of what you want for your company, you’re more likely to be thrown off track by challenges (especially the big ones), and you’re more likely to give up altogether. Having a big vision is about knowing what you want, and knowing that you’ll do whatever it takes to get it.

Should new entrepreneurs chase passion or profits when they’re starting out? Or is there a happy medium?

It’s an interesting question, because you really need both, right? If you aren’t passionate about what you do, it’s going to be difficult to be successful. An entrepreneur needs to pour everything they’ve got into their business, and that will be hard to do for something you don’t have a passion for. On the other hand, you can be as passionate as anything about your business, but if you aren’t able to turn a profit, you won’t last.

For me, I think passion comes before profit. If you truly have a passion for what you’re doing, the profit will come. When someone is really passionate about their work, they aren’t going to let anything get in the way. No obstacle seems too big, no challenge too great. And when that’s the case, you’ll be successful – even if you have to change direction a time or two.

What in your experience is the number one or two startup killers?

From a purely practical standpoint, we’re all familiar with the statistic that says the number one reason for business failure is a lack of capital. But from what I’ve seen, if someone really has what it takes to make it, they can work with a very small budget for quite a while. So the question is – what does it take to make it? And I think there are two qualities that really stand out among successful entrepreneurs. The first is belief – in yourself and in what you’re doing. If you believe deep down that you can do it, and that what you’re offering is worthwhile, that confidence will come across in all you do, and you’ll be less likely to quit.

The second must-have quality is perseverance. You’re bound to run into a lot of challenges as an entrepreneur, and you have to be able to keep going in spite of the difficulties. If you start with belief and add perseverance to push through the obstacles, there’s not much that can stop you!

Should newbie entrepreneurs study business history lest they repeat the same mistakes and to glean some of the “ah ha” moments – or should they blaze their own trail?

I think a little bit of both is necessary. You don’t want to “reinvent the wheel,” but on the other hand, if you have an idea for a better wheel, go for it! It’s a great idea to learn from the experiences others have had, and it’s also important to keep your creativity flowing, which can only come from within. So look to history for the fundamentals, and then use your own ideas and experiences to build on that foundation.

How can a startup entrepreneur cultivate an unwavering sense of confidence in themselves and their business idea?

As I mentioned earlier, a lack of confidence or belief is definitely a startup killer. So you have to have that to make it. The biggest factor in building confidence is ensuring that your worth comes from within. If you’re relying on other people to validate you and your ideas, it will be hard to maintain your confidence. It’s fine to ask others for their advice and opinions, but it will make success very elusive if you have to hear positive feedback from outside to stay motivated.

As for cultivating that kind of confidence, it takes a lot of work if you don’t have it. Reading can help a lot. There are many books that deal with the topic of creating and maintaining confidence. But in the end, it really comes down to making choices on a consistent basis. You have to work at it and decide to only entertain positive, productive thoughts, and only believe what you know inside to be true about yourself. Everyone is really amazing inside, and if we could all just realize that, we could accomplish incredible things.

How can a startup entrepreneur take advantage of outsourcing instead of the expense of payroll?

We actually have a chapter devoted to this topic in Small Business, BIG Vision. Coupled with the internet, outsourcing is one of the greatest innovations to come to small business in decades. It’s now possible to save the time, capital, and headache of hiring and managing employees while still benefiting from the advantages of time leverage. We’re able to maximize our productivity by using virtual assistants and other outsourced workers at a fraction of the cost of hiring employees. For most startup businesses, it’s the only way to go.

As a matter of fact, even as a business grows, there are advantages to keeping as much of their staff outsourced as possible. For example, you don’t have to pay someone full time for a job that fluctuates between a full and part time workload. You pay for the hours you use. Also, if an outsourced worker isn’t doing well, it’s much easier to let them go and find another. For any position that doesn’t require a person to be working at your place of business, outsourcing is an excellent option.

Adam Toren is a Serial Entrepreneur (Co-founded YoungEntrepreneur.com), Mentor, Investor and award winning Co-Author of Kidpreneurs (Basic Principles of Entrepreneurship for Kids). Follow him on Twitter @thebizguy Adam is also co-author of the newly released book Small Business BIG Vision “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right”

Is It Time to Change Your Flight Plan?

Maren Kate — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:37:28 +0000

Recently my company, Zirtual, went through a series of changes. Everything from changing our primary business model (twice) to letting a dear member of the team go.

It’s been an incredibly difficult and eye-opening period for me and I thought I could share some of my experiences in hopes that this will help some of you down the line.

It’s not where you start, but where you end up

When I started outsourcing years and years ago I would only hire contractors who were offshore. I did this for several reasons, I was poor (I had just started my first business and had very little extra cash to throw around) and I had been fed the kool-aid that you get the exact same quality of work from offshore virtual assistants as you would from someone in your home country (mine being the U.S.).

Since I always depended on virtual assistants who were offshore I started the business that’s now Zirtual based around connecting people with virtual assistants who were offshore. The quality of my VA’s had always been pretty good but I had always kissed a lot of frogs to find a few princes.

I used to scoff at people who paid $20 an hour for a U.S. based virtual assistant – thinking what a steal I was getting at $5 an hour for my Filipino assistants. Not until recently have I seen the folly of my ways – and it’s the main reason I completely turned Zirtual’s business model on it’s head to focus on U.S. based, college-educated virtual assistants.

When I realized that you got ten times higher quality, more reliable work from the U.S. based, college-educated assistants for $20 an hour than I had been getting and helping customers get from the offshore assistants who only charged $5 – I felt sick. I had been preaching about the benefit of offshoring your virtual assistant needs for so long, and now I was going to have to change my stance.

Note: I don’t think it’s bad to offshore virtual assistants or freelancers – most of Zirtual was designed by a team in Moldova – I just have come to realize that for virtual personal assistants the higher quality of work is done by in-country assistants versus offshore ones.

Adjusting your flight plan

It’s like the concept of a flight plan, since aircrafts are off-course 99% of the time it’s the pilot’s job to constantly correct course so they will eventually reach their destination. Sometimes the plane is off a little bit and sometimes it’s off by hundreds of miles – depending on the conditions. I have found that running a startup (or any new business for that matter) is very much like flying a plane. You know where you’re going (if you’re dedicated to a solitary purpose) but you still find yourself correcting course to get there and there’s a good chance that those course corrections won’t stop until you land.

Just like a pilot who sees that his plane is headed into the eye of the storm and has to make a fast decision about how much of a course correction they need to make, an entrepreneur who realizes their business is not running at an optimum level must make a fast, decisive choice on the immediate next steps that will more or less save their ass.

Luckily I care less about what others think of me than most and this quirk allows me to make decisions rapidly and without a lot of fanfare when I realize a course of action must be taken to lead to eventual success.

Because of this we toppled everything on it’s head at Zirtual. We changed the copy, we changed images, we more or less re-did the whole model in 3 weeks time – it was exhausting. But now that it’s done, I couldn’t be happier.

I started with the idea of a company that helped people connect with assistants who would they could delegate tasks to and thus would save them their most precious resource: time. I didn’t realize how many pivots it would take before we got to the place where I feel comfortable (and ready) to scale – but that’s all part of the trip.

Lessons to draw from this

Trust your gut. For the last year I have known something in Zirtual’s business model wasn’t completely right. I couldn’t put my finger on it but I continued to change and tweak the model it until the problem came into light (offshore assistants). Because I always listened to that “small voice” inside I wasn’t satisfied until I felt completely comfortable – that gut feeling is going to be what saved this company from being mediocre and it’s something each one of us has and more people should get in touch with.
Know when to turn the plane. There will be a million instances in life when you know it’s time to turn the plane. They’ll range from instincts about leaving your child at a neighbor’s house, to taking that risky but rewarding career path, to returning that engagement ring. Most people won’t turn the plane, even when they know they should. Those of us who realize we need to change course and quickly act on it will be the people in the end who are the happiest and most successful. Like Nike touts: just do it.
Never sell an inferior product. If you do you won’t be able to live with yourself (unless of course yourself is a sociopath). This is a simple but often ignored rule, don’t sell anything you aren’t in love with and think is amazing – even if you’re wrong – you should be your own product’s BIGGEST fan. If you are not, there is a problem.

Do What You Love, Mercilessly Delegate Everything Else

Maren Kate — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 23:02:23 +0000

When I walked into the press n’ fold across the street from my S.F. abode I knew I had made the right decision, in my hand was a garbage bag full of my hamper contents and in my mind was the ideal of never again having to do the chore I detest most again: dreaded laundry.

$11 and two hours of saved time later I knew I had made the right choice – the dirty task of laundry was no longer my concern and instead I walked to a coffee shop to spend my newly freed afternoon reading and writing this very post.

What is your time worth?

I have reached a new level of self-awareness (I think) fueled by my epic laziness and my desire to walk the “Zirtual” talk in every aspect of my life. This awareness has opened my eyes to the priceless commodity that is my time. Actually everyone’s time is priceless because it’s the world’s most precious unsustainable resource.

You can think of your time in the context of what each hour is worth (your salary / how many hours you work a year = your hourly rate) or you can think of your time as priceless because no amount of money or begging can buy back a single second spent. So use your time wisely, work hard, play hard and delegate the small tasks that fill up your day so that you can focus that time on activities that offer a better life ROI.

Even if you do decide to break down your time in terms of it’s monetary worth the chances that your time is worth less than what you’d pay an assistant to take over tasks is slim. If your time is worth $50 an hour then every hour you delegate to an assistant at $20 an hour has just earned you $30 that you could be using towards something personally fulfilling or business-savvy.

Some examples

Here are 5 other ways I’ve used my assistant to help free up my time and others this week:

My Zirtual Assistant is in the process of selling my car as I write. It’s taken her several days and 4 hours to get everything set up but the amount of mental time and energy it’s saved me = priceless. I put off doing the dirty work of selling my car online for 3 weeks before I finally realized I could simply send her all the information and a few pictures and let someone else sort it out.
I’ve realized how much I utterly detest cleaning my decidedly tiny apartment. So I’m having my assistant find a inexpensive & effective maid service to come by weekly – she’ll research, phone interview them and present me with the top candidate who I’ll pay after the job is done, perfect.
Outsourced my brother’s birthday shopping.
In the midst of using my VA to find dates for friends.
Having my assistant help friends and family who are unemployed/underemployed get hired.

Some examples of what an assistant can take off your plate:

Schedule and confirm meetings
Set up dinner reservations
Book travel arrangements (flight/hotel/car)
Create travel itineraries
Do preliminary research for any major decision you have to make (i.e. what neighborhood to live in, % of marriages that last and why, traveling to Thailand versus Vietnam)
Scan, organize and catalog receipts/business cards
Write blog posts, press releases or newsletters
Send flowers to family/friends/romantic interests on birthdays and holidays
Hand write and send birthday cards to everyone in your rolodex (what an impression you’ll make!)
Proofread/edit copy you write, saving you from embarrassing grammar faux pas
Purchase gifts online for family/friends based on your input and info gleaned from their social profiles
Act as point person for all offline help to report to (cleaning services, task rabbit runners, etc)
Social network management, marketing and interaction
Customer support for your business/organization
Comparative research to find you the most bang for your buck on any purchase large or small
Promoting your business, brand or organization to the press through HARO and managing all press relations
Create systems and organization charts for your life/preferences/biz endeavors – making tasks faster and more automated
Gives you a reason to use the phrase “my assistant will handle it”
Internet research
Data entry
Help desk support staff
Basic article/blog content creation
Manage social media accounts
Transcribe audio recordings into various formats
Turn documents into power point presentations
Update address and contact lists
Sync online and mobile calendars
Live chat support agent
Manage, tag and update photo/media sharing sites
Keyword research
Set up and manage email lists
Setting up and managing various software/online applications
Updating information on various affiliate sites and dealing with payouts

What Darwin Can Teach Us About Entrepreneurship

Maren Kate — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 22:07:04 +0000

In the startup world (particularly in Silicon Valley) there is a lot of talk about “pivoting”. This concept has it’s roots in the idea that you may start out with a crap-tastic idea, but with enough product changes and persistence you will eventually hit upon something that rocks.

I agree that one can move mountains with the right amount of determination and the adaptability to change – but I think the series of swivels a startup makes to go from #fail to #epic is more like an evolution than a series of pivots.

In the beginning, there was an idea…

About a year and a half ago the concept for Zirtual was just a glimmer in it’s mother’s eye. I knew that I used virtual assistants, a lot, and that they were very helpful in my business and personal life. I also knew that other people often asked me about where I got my assistants, how I trained them and how they too could hire an assistant online.

When I first put a page up that offered a virtual assistant “match-making” service I got several hits for a sweet $150 a pop – I thought I had found my dream business.

So I decided to spend month’s figuring out a name, deciding on colors & how the website would look – and a variety of other non-important time-sink types of tasks that sucked up most of my 2010 summer.

Finally I decided on the killer name Virtual Zeta (I don’t know what I was thinking either) and I was off to the races…

Needless to say the design, company name and product changed drastically over the last 12 months. But, more than pivoting I think we’ve evolved.

No big bang moment, just a slow evolution

There was no “big bang” moment in the progression of Zirtual as a business. Instead I was always bent towards entrepreneurship and persistence (my one God-given talent) and I was determined that one day I would build a large company.

So the idea was spawned and grew and adapted and changed with time … and for survival purposes – much like the concept of evolution.

Zirtual didn’t need to shed it’s furry exterior to flourish in an arad desert – but it did need to shed business model after business model that wasn’t scalable and didn’t have the proper product/market fit.

If we had “pivoted” the whole time we would have eventually made a 360 (note above diagram) and been right back where we started from. But instead we started off on all fours and now are nearly non-neanderthal…

Business evolution hurts

The process of evolution isn’t pretty and with Zirtual a lot of things died along the way. Foremost was the pride one has before they start a real business – the pride that tells you “if you build it they will come”. This pride is very, very deceptive – because in reality it should read “if you build it and tweak it 20 times and get a lot of feedback, they might come”.

Just like growing pains are well, painful, a business that is evolving freakin’ smarts. There are many times when you think you’re not going to make it and there are just as many times when you think you’ve found the perfect fit – and no one buys it.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin

Business evolution is all about being adaptable and eager to change when it’s necessary to survive and thrive. Very few successful businesses are the same today as they were when they started. In fact I would challenge you to find one whose core offering hasn’t evolved consistently since the beginning. ]

If you can remember Darwin’s words and think about the process of evolution each time you hit a wall in your startup you’ll be a lot more likely to adjust the model and succeed in the end, versus going the way of the DoDo bird.

The secret sauce (as I see it)

I think a killer business can be created by a mildly smart person if they can latch onto and embody these characteristics:

Persistence.
Purpose.
The ability to evolve.

I recently read an amazing article by Paul Graham called How Not to Die. In essence the one thing a startup has to do to be successful is to make sure they don’t die (and die young at that). If they can do this they’ll normally succeed – because everything else is easier than not going down in flames.

Persistence is the key to not dying. Persistence is a concept that is universal and that is always a component to success. The persistence that gets the scummy guy laid at the bar is the same persistence that opens doors for the non-profit no one thought could make it.

Purpose is simply knowing where you’re going. I had lunch with a friend the other day and as we munched on sushi we tried to figure out what was the one thing that all happy people have in common – finally we realized it was purpose. Every happy person is working towards a specific purpose.

Whether the purpose is raising your kids right, winning the Heisman or building a 100 person company – purpose is the north star that guides the persistent mind.

Lastly, and something Darwin agrees with me on, is being able to evolve. A successful business or person has to be able to adapt to change quickly and fluidly. They can’t be stubborn when it comes to forces that are larger than themselves (think the stock market crashing) and try to hold their ground – instead they must evaluate what their purpose is, fortify their persistence and find a path that allows them to press on even in the face of insurmountable odds.

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France

Fear of Failure Cure: Utter Ridiculousness

Maren Kate — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 21:53:30 +0000

This post is as utterly ridiculous as these sunglasses: be forewarned

Go-go dancer. Slighty dark, moderately-witty freelance writer. The world’s worst trophy wife.

These are the only three alternate jobs I imagine when I think about the worst case scenario… failing to find a product/market fit, me giving up, everything going terribly wrong.

Occasionally when I’m lacking creative drive at work I fantasize about my worst case reality – failing my beloved Zirtual – and then of the progression of my 3 “fall back” gigs play through my mind.

After I epically fail, embarrass my family & friends and have exactly negative-zero savings I will start working as a go-go dancer (which is a long shot at best since I’m an awful dancer).

The best I can hope for is they give me a job because I look halfway decent in fuzzy boots and a bikini, the dark lighting is a girl’s best friend and maybe their low on good talent because Burning Man is around the corner.

At the nightclub I’ll meet someone who will feel bad for me (probably because I’m the worst dancer there) and perhaps he needs someone to take care of his kids. With this turn of fate I’ll graduate into my 2nd fall back career of the world’s worst trophy wife…

The joke will be on this poor sap though – since anyone who knows me would tell him that I can’t cook, I dislike children and I’m no good at keeping house. I also have a terrible habit of making men I’m with self-conscious so on top of ignoring this dude’s kids, not making him dinner and generally laying around the house smoking and staring at the pool boy – I’ll be psychosis-inducing.

He’ll go to therapy. I’ll work on my tan and eventually I’m hoping he’ll get so sick of me and his kids will hate me so much that they’ll send me packing at any cost – just so I’ll leave him and his family (which is now in shambles) alone.

I’ll take my hard-earned cash and start traveling the world in pursuit of my 3rd fall back career: the slighty dark, moderately-witty freelance writer. I’m hoping by this time I will figure out a way to get Zirtual back on track since I really do love that damn company and can’t imagine it failing even if I have to pivot faster and more frequently then I did onstage in my past fall-back-pretend-life as a go-go dancer.

So now I’m divored, an ex-dancer, who can’t really get writing gigs because I’m not nearly as witty or dark as I think I am. My parent’s and friends are now not only embarrassed by my business failure but they are mad at me for becoming a go-go dancer versus, say, a librarian and they are doubly disappointed about my failed stint as the world’s worst trophy wife…

But at least at this point I’ll have gotten my head back on straight and I will sink the last of my go-go-dancing-trophy-wife-ing money into getting Zirtual on it’s feet and things will start to pick up, slowly but surely.

And I will work hard. And I will work 7 days a week. And people will wonder if I’m half insane or half brilliant (I’ll be the former). And eventually I will be back to living my dream of building a truly great company.

… but when I get frustrated, or down, or wonder how in the world I can go another day in the bi-polar inducing world that is the San Francisco startup scene… I will start walking through my fall back plan(s) again and see how even in my imaginary worst case scenario, no matter how bad or improbable it gets, I always come back to my baby.

Lessons Learned: Solitary Focus, Addictions & Anchors

Maren Kate — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:45:46 +0000

12 months can change a lot, more than I realized or expected. What I thought Zirtual would be a year ago isn’t even recognizable compared to the business it is today. We haven’t really pivoted as much as we’ve tweaked the business model like relentless crack heads. Each “swivel” we’ve made has been based partially on my gut, partially on actual customer feedback and partially on greater trends I’ve noticed unfolding in the market.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes a long the way, I’ve also learned a ton & luck has definitely played a part – as it always seems to – but there are always trends to be noticed.

In this post I want to share some of the insights I’ve stumbled upon in the last year in hopes they may help you as you chase your dreams, try to build a great business or strive for success – in whatever aspect it may be.

1. is for one thing at a time

A year ago I realized I had to make a choice, I could no longer chase 3 or 7 or 11 business ideas at once. I had to focus on one, just one, and put all I had into that if I wanted to build something great. This isn’t a particularly new idea, Paul Graham (who I have started avidly reading) describes how the thing that sits at the top of your mind will in many ways dictate the way your life unfolds – whether it be the desire to find a mate, the desire to build a great company, or insecurities about your body.

The thing I’ve found interesting is that non-business activities can be just as detrimental in the early days – if one gives them too much mind share – as trying to focus on two companies at the same time.

Some things that can be fatal in the early days of a startup, when the founder focuses too much of his/her energy on them are:

romantic relationships: especially if you’re trying to start/end one… this takes a LARGE amount of focus and calls into play emotions which can run amok in your mind & stop you from focusing on what matters most: building your business.
family drama: overbearing, needy, or dependent relatives can totally throw off your focus & energy as you pursue a dream in the early days. The guilt, the time-sink, the emotional toll can destroy your productivity at a critical time.
over socializing: this is my own pet-sin. I love to socialize, I love to go to bars, parties and events. I love to drink vodka cocktails, smoke clove cigarettes (don’t even judge me) and chat with strangers… I do this 5 out of 7 nights of the week. Socializing has also been amazing for me, it’s been what’s allowed me to grow my network so fast since moving to San Francisco BUT I am recently realizing that without proper limits this can seriously cut into productive time or effect how ambitious I am in the morning.
emotional issues: I had this problem too while I was running my social media consulting business in Vegas. I was incredibly OCD, to the point of paralysis, I would spend hours obsessing over little things and not working – it was killing me and seriously effecting my business. Finally one day I got so fed up I went to see a shrink, and it completely changed my life. If you seem to struggle with “being in your own mind” too much consider this path – it’s worked wonders for me.

2. We’re all addicts deep down.

An interesting article I read recently (and can not find to save my life) was on Time, or The Economist, or something and it talked about how those who are very driven towards success (in any calling) share many of the same neural pathways as addicts.

The gist was that entrepreneurs and very successful professionals want X more, but they don’t enjoy X as much when they get it – the classic addiction catch-22.

Since we know this about ourselves – and most successful people I know show this trait in one or more ways – we must self-police and understand that it will not only be easier for us to get “obsessed” with our business and not stop until we reach X million, but it’ll also be easier for us to fall into a bad relationship, pick up a drinking habit or start self medicating with drugs.

Once we realize this we can at worst better avoid the pitfalls of workaholism and other addictions and at best use our addictive nature to harness bursts of energy and focus it on our goals.

3. Set the size & shape, then go with the flow

If I had of gotten stuck on my idea for “Zirtual” 12 months ago – a job board that helps people connect outsourced workers w/ employers (i know, so unique wasn’t it?) I would have never gotten to the point we are currently at – a service that connects busy people with dedicated personal assistants.

Instead I set two things in stone & decided to let the rest go with the flow.

The size. I have often referred to how big of a company I want Zirtual to grow to by the time I’m 30 years old, often times in this blog even. I have a solid goal of building a company worth $100 million by my 30th birthday and that set “size” is almost a mantra that keeps me going each day. It has acted as the North star that points out when we’re headed off track. Each time I start down a path that wouldn’t lead towards a $100 MM business in 4 short years – that set in stone “size” helps me get back on track. Your size can be 100 people, or $1 million in revenue or even sell this website for $25,000 in a year – but make sure you set one, I can’t tell you how helpful it will be down the line.
The shape. This is the way the company feels, branding and logo-wise. A lot of people disagree that a company’s name and branding isn’t important early on – but I think it’s vital. When I think of Zirtual I think of our logo, our light blue feel, our branding and the shiny business cards in my purse. Zirtual has almost taken on it’s own persona in my mind and I’m thoroughly in love with it from design to company name. I have been told many times that I should change our name, I will never do this because it’s one of the 2 things I set in stone from the very beginning.

Everything else, from business model, to employees, to target market has and can change – but it’s important to have a select few “anchors” in any business that don’t shift with time and that keep you focused on what’s most important and keep you motivated to achieve it.

The Butterfly Effect of Inertia

Maren Kate — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 02:23:01 +0000

When I look back over the last two years of my life (documented on this blog for better or worse) I can’t help but seeing the ridiculously purposeful randomness of each step.

I can look at a friendship, connection or business partnership that I’m currently in the midst of and trace it back through 10, 100, 1000 actions taken over the last few years. Each action exponentially effects the actions and outcomes in the future.

This butterfly effect is caused by three factors:

Constant action
Relentless persistence towards a worthy goal
Constant connecting

Constant action

The difference between the last 2 years of my life and all the years before can be boiled down to one thing: action. Since the most pivotal trip of my life (going to Italy for a month to visit my bestie spring of 09′) I have taken bold action in an escalating fashion that has brought me far closer to my goal of becoming self made than a normal trajectory would have.

Constant action though is not necessarily fun, it often goes against one’s better judgment and 9 times out of 10 it ends in failure. But as good ole’ Winnie said:

I never worry about action, but only inaction. – Winston Churchill

Action is what will take you to points in your life where something pivotal is bound to happen.

I recently realized that I am a hell of a lot closer to bringing on board a CTO for Zirtual than I first thought.

I realized this because a complete stranger – who read a post of mine submitted to hackernews where I was painted in a less than flattering light – reached out to me and wanted to help, just because. He explained to me my issues in hiring a CTO and what I really should be looking for – then, as if magically, I found that person sitting right under my nose.

This post was submitted to HN because I had posted it on my blog – because I had met a guy a few months ago at a party who told me the importance of me having a technical team out here in the US. I had met this guy when he paid for a car to take me home from a party I had gotten my macbook stolen at – I was nearly in tears and he felt bad for me.

I was at that party – and got my $2000 macbook stolen at a time when things were already stretched thin – because of the guy who threw it who was introduced to me by a lady who was introduced to me by Adeo (who runs the Founder Institute – the reason I came out to San Francisco in the first place).

I could go on.

Needless to say there are a million different variables that will come out of the one action – me moving to San Francisco, and thousands that will come out of the multiple other actions:

not fretting about my stolen laptop, following up with the guy who sent me home in a car & having lunch with him
seizing the opportunity to meet every person I can, no matter how I feel/look/etc
keeping in touch with people after meeting them
opening myself up for ridicule by jumping into something before I’m 100% ready or prepared

What’s the moral?

Act. Constantly. Do not stop moving until you have hit your goal – it’s the only thing that will propel you forward. Never forget Newton’s first law on inertia:

an object in motion tends to stay in motion

Relentless persistence towards a worthy goal

Man is a goal seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals. -Aristotle

I guess this should have been first. The reason you constantly act is because you are propelled towards a worthy goal. It doesn’t have to be worthy in another’s mind, or worthy to the world – just to you – that is essential.

I have set in my mind and documented my goal with Zirtual countless times in this blog and elsewhere. In my mind – true or not – failure is not an option.

As Paul Graham says in his brilliant post that you all should read called relentless resourceful persistence is the complete opposite of haplessness. One leads to success, one leads to failure – they are the biggest pointers to people who will succeed regardless of all other things stacked for or against them.

Another quote that I have stuck on my wall at work and that I look to whenever I’m feeling low is this epic bad boy:

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. – Calvin Coolidge

Constant connecting

Never pass up the opportunity to meet someone. No matter what your position in life is, or theirs… 9 times out of 10 you’ll gain something from the experience, especially if you’re looking.

People who are dating seem to understand this philosophy – though they only apply it to a very small area of their life. As entrepreneurs and people pursuing their purpose in life we need to make this a mantra and never miss an opportunity to make a human connection.

Besides action & persistence, connecting with other people is the one key thing that has made a huge difference in my life and business. 3 years ago I was more of a wallflower. I would never go out alone, I mostly stuck to my boyfriend’s friends and my close circle – now I’m the complete opposite.

I go out alone all the time. I love it. I always end up with 7 new friends from one night of going to a mixer by myself. I talk to everyone, especially people who look out of place – this is a great way to meet the most interesting people and it’s a sincere way of connecting.

Meeting people, listening, truly caring about what they have to say, not taking b.s. from anyone or kissing butt – will get you so, so far.

You never know when your future soul mate is going to walk through that door and you never know when the person who will introduce you to the person who will take your business to the next level will brush by you at a busy bar.

You can have anything you want–if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose. -William Adams

The Unbearable Lightness of Business

Maren Kate — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 21:08:38 +0000

The Unbearable Lightness of Being opens with a philosophical discussion of lightness versus heaviness. Kundera contrasts Nietzsche’s philosophy of eternal return, or of heaviness, with Parmenides’s understanding of life as light. Kundera wonders if any meaning or weight can be attributed to life, since there is no eternal return: if man only has the opportunity to try one path, to make one decision, he cannot return to take a different path, and then compare the two lives. Without the ability to compare lives, Kundera argues, we cannot find meaning; where meaning should exist we find only an unbearable weightlessness. – summary of The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Starting a business has changed my life.

It has opened the door to a new kind of happiness that I didn’t realize existed, yet I often worry it’s too good to be true. I feel so much purpose, so much euphoria from putting my all into my company – but would it have been possible if I hadn’t of experienced 25 years of feeling utterly out of place beforehand?

Vegas is hotter when you’ve experienced snow

Everyone says Vegas it “hot” but when you’ve spent a majority of your formative years there, you tend to lose touch with what “hot” really is. Is 90 degrees hot? Is 110? I could pretty much walk around at any time during the summer in my hometown and feel fine – I mean it was warm – but I didn’t get what everyone was bitching about.

Then I moved to Reno for school and experienced my first winter with snow actually accumulating on the ground. It was COLD. I hadn’t realized what “hot” was or what “cold” until that point… when I went back to Vegas the following summer I was drenched in sweat & bitching up a storm.

I had no perspective on temperature because I grew up in a place where every season was just another shade of freaking-hot. This random anecdote serves as an explanation for another random anecdote…

Is happiness happier when you’ve gotten used to being blue?

One of my first evenings out in San Francisco (I was 1/2 way through my course at the Founder Institute and actively looking for a place to live in the city) had a profound impact on my life.

I had randomly met an entrepreneur through an investor of theirs who I had randomly met at a party. I went to dinner with this entrepreneur and a bunch of his entrepreneurial-type friends. It was the first time in 25 years I had spent 3 hours with a group of strangers and honest-to-God felt understood, engaged & alas… happy.

I sat at dinner looking around at the group of strangers who were all laughing and talking about things that I actually found fascinating and for a moment felt like the luckiest girl in the world – I was actually stimulated by these people & their conversation. I wasn’t bored, playing along or dreaming of a different life – for once, I was content right where I was at that perfect place, at that perfect time in the Universe.

After I left I “came down” and assumed that this was a one time thing. People weren’t made to be this happy, it couldn’t be maintained – could it?

Happiness v. Unhappiness

I’ve found happiness & purpose in building a business. It sounds weird to say since most people find that in children, spouses, art, etc. but for me – industry, creating content & jobs is what gives me a deep feeling of well-being and contentment.

In The Unbearable Lightness of Being Kundera worried that we couldn’t truly experience happiness since we only have one life to live & one set of experiences as our reality. But what he overlooked was the good and bad of life – those are two very separate paths and everyone at some point has experienced both.

If you can feel, taste & vividly remember the times you were unhappy – and the things/people/situations that contributed – you will have a much deeper appreciation of the things/people/situations that bring you happiness.

Two lives, two paths

We do live two lives. One is the path before we come into our own – it’s filled with belief systems and ways of viewing the world that are made up in large part by our “nurture” versus our innate nature.

The second life is starts when we blossom into a truly autonomous adult (sadly something that never happens to many people – regardless of their age). But when you fight for it – when you want that freedom, that independence, that feeling of being self made – more than anything in the World, it will come.

I’ve found deep meaning, purpose & happiness in creating something from nothing (in my case Zirtual). But I still feel a sense of foreboding, as someone who has been raised on readings from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God I often feel like I’m eternally waiting *pun* for the other shoe to drop.

It hasn’t happened yet, but if it does I will accept that unhappiness/anger/discomfort because I know it will make my next cycle of happiness all the more sweet.

I finally realized that I now know “happiness” because of the years and years I spent feeling misunderstood, sad & alone – feeling like a business man trapped inside a little girl’s body.

I always idolized the titans of industry on the television and movies. I watched movies like Sabrina and instead of envying the poor girl who experiences the whole “Cinderella treatment” I wanted to be Harrison Ford’s character – the powerful businessman. In retrospect my parent’s must have though I was insane.

There is a certain part of all of us that lives outside of time. Perhaps we become aware of our age only at exceptional moments and most of the time we are ageless. — Milan Kundera

SWF Seeking Technical Soulmate

Maren Kate — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 22:46:48 +0000

SWF = Sassy Woman Founder

As I write this I am watching an epic pigeon battle outside of my window… though it has little relevance to the topic of finding a CTO for my company Zirtual the pure determination with which extra dirty pigeon fights his much larger opponent is akin to the real-life uphill battle we’re waging to find a killer technical co for our company.

It’s hard, but so what?

One of my favorite quotes goes like so:

“Anything in life worth having is worth working for.” – Andrew Carnegie

This sentiment couldn’t be more true and people who don’t realize it’s magnitude scare me a little. Currently the market in San Francisco for technical team members is hotter than a $2 pistol on the Fourth of July. This is partly because of the booming tech economy in the Bay Area & partly due to the fact that great talent can often find cushy jobs with big paychecks at more established companies – so why take a chance on a scrappy startup?

Most people see this mountainous challenge & back off. They either let their startup dreams fizzle or complain so viciously that the negativity they give off scares any potential partners off (this dance is also often played out in the dating world).

Ever since I moved to San Francisco I have had people shake their heads at me and say something disparaging about my prospects of starting a web company with no superstar programmer on my team & with minimal experience in tech myself.

They said it when I joined the Founder Institute last year, they said it after I made cut after cut and finally graduated and they say it now as Zirtual is up, running & Ramen profitable.

These comments used to worry me, but after I’ve crawled through so much broken glass to get to the point I’m currently at the challenge of finding a killer CTO actually excites me – it’s just one more hurdle to jump on the road to my ultimate goal.

So…

I’m going to ask you – my dear, dear reader – a favor. If you know anyone who you think would be an amazing fit for the position of Zirtual CTO (a founding position with a nice equity offer)… please, please send them my way.

You can find the position specs listed above & any retweets or sharing (social or otherwise) would be deeply, incredibly appreciated.

I know my technical soul mate is out there somewhere – it’s just a process of kissing enough geeky frogs to get to the geeky prince charming i.e. technical co-founder of my dreams.

Quick overview

Can hop in and get started coding right away
Has been coding for a long time, seriously talented & interested in becoming the coding cornerstone of our startup
Is willing to or lives in the Bay Area
Is willing to do whatever it takes to make Zirtual a huge success

Help connect me with my technical soul mate here.

The Purpose of Purpose

Maren Kate — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:18:07 +0000

My purpose last weekend was taking a hike on Angel Island

There are two types of people in the world: people who have a solid purpose and those who drift through life without any real direction.

Within these two groups of people you’ll see everyone from business men in power suits, to mother’s nurturing their infants – and often the people with purpose aren’t the ones you’d immediately guess.

In the amazing audio of The Strangest Secret Earl Nightingale explains how the happiest, most successful people in the world are those who know their purpose in life and are avidly pursuing it. Whether their purpose is to run the best gas station in town, have the happiest marriage possible, or build a billion dollar company that changes the world.

Above all be of single aim; have a legitimate and useful purpose, and devote yourself unreservedly to it. -James Allen

The beauty of purpose is that it evolves over time as you mature and change. Your purpose in college could be making all A’s & graduating with honors, your purpose after college could be landing a job & climbing the corporate ladder to position X, your purpose in your mid thirties could be to find life partner and settle down – nothing is set in stone and purpose is wholly dependent on the person’s mind it sprouts from.

The most important part of purpose

… is simply to have one. To know yours and to truly love the goal you’re aiming for, even if it takes a lot of swings before you hit the ball out of the park.

Your purpose may simply be to be happy – but happiness most often comes from the constant movement towards a set goal (since we as human beings are very much goal orientated creatures).

The purpose of purpose is to motivate us, to make us better and to push us to make a better life & world externally.

Macro & micro purpose

My overall “purpose” at this stage in my life is to build Zirtual into a very big company. It’s my goal, it’s what excites me and it was about the biggest challenge I could tear off for myself considering my lack of startup experience & a business background in college. Whenever I have a free moment I write down my purpose over and over again on a sheet of paper and then I carry those scribblings with my exact goal written all over everywhere I go that day.

This is my macro purpose, but from day to day my micro purpose changes – the purposeful steps that will lead me to my bigger goal.

Micro purposes can be set for the month, week, day or hour. I often set a 30 day micro purpose (this month is find a technical soul mate) then weekly purposes (like get X web pages redesigned) and finally my daily purpose (which could be something as simple as “get over this cold” or “kill it at my 3 meetings”).

Usually I suggest setting a macro purpose first and then breaking down all the micro purposes along the way, micro purposes will support the larger dream and the more you practice chasing your “purpose” on a day-to-day basis the more solidified your overarching goals will become in your head, heart and soul.

So what’s your purpose? Does an idea or image immediately jump into your head?

If not you may want to spend some time mulling over your life, your goals and where you want to be in a month, year or ten years. Only good can come from searching for your purpose & from eventually landing on an outstanding goal.

Some purposeful quotes to send you on your way

Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. – Helen Keller

To me, there is only one form of human depravity — the man without a purpose. -Ayn Rand

Whatever is at the center of our life will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and power. -Stephen Covey

Everything–a horse, a vine–is created for some duty…For what task, then, were you yourself created? A man’s true delight is to do the things he was made for. -Marcus Aurelius

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau

I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply ALL my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy. - Og Mandino

Where Did You Come From? Where are You Going?

Maren Kate — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 20:47:02 +0000

I’ve realized in 3 years of going all out towards my goals that there are two things that really matter when heading towards your destiny:

Know where you came from
Know where you’re going

This may seem like simplistic advice but it’s actually been the hardest two things for me to come to terms with, I’ll explain why and how I believe nailing these two down can radically alter your life.

Know where you came from

What does knowing where you came from mean? Well it’s more complicated than just “I was born in Texas” or “I went to school at such n’ such U.”. Knowing where you came from is getting up close and personal with the things in your past that have made you the person you are today… both good and bad.

There is a good deal of self psycho-analysis that goes along with really knowing where you came from. Pick up some books, watch some videos or visit a shrink and try to break down what triggers in your past are contributing to the person you are today.

My biggest fear was facing the stress in my childhood that has made me into the driven person I am today who is obsessed with reaching her goals. I thought that if I admitted that as a child I had faced a lot of stress and unhappiness I was dealing a blow to my parents (who were always amazing to me and my brother). So instead I held onto it until finally plagued by nearly paralyzing OCD at the age of 23 I went to see a therapist.

It was easily one of the best & most pivotal choices I’ve made to date.

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. – Oscar Wilde

That was the first step to understanding myself, my mind, my obsessions and quirks. Once I began to really delve deep into what kind of person I was and why, I was able to start shaking the negative things I didn’t like about myself and only hold onto the parts of my personality that I felt comfortable with.

Now I not only know my weaknesses, my shortcomings and my past but I am comfortable with them and I can curb them when necessary. I realized that I have always had a deep fear of change, because of this (and since I know it’s unhealthy) I force myself to experience change constantly – something that at first frightened me but now delights me.

I now know that I’m obsessive and I have a tendency to focus on one thing and let everything else slide. Because of this I have an assistant who keeps me on track when I’m manic and I have friends and loved ones who help bring me down to earth.

I also know a lot of my obsessive behavior is the reason I have stuck with my goals for so long – through so much angst – if I wasn’t quite literally a compulsive person I probably would have given up on Zirtual two weeks into the Founder Institute. Realizing this makes me grateful for the ghosts of my past that before I would just try and ignore.

Try being very honest with yourself about what drives you today, what holds you back and how your past (especially your childhood) affects who you are now. You’ll be happy with some of it and unhappy with other parts, the good thing is once you accept your past you can find ways to neutralize the negatives and work on a brighter future.

Pick the day. Enjoy it – to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come… The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present – and I don’t want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future. – Audrey Hepburn

Know where you are going

This is by far the hardest thing for people to wrap their heads around (though it seems simple). That is setting a solitary goal and going for it guns blazing. I had such a hard time for years to focus on just one goal and focus on it exclusively, but once I did it changed everything for me.

Knowing where you’re going has to do with setting a goal – the biggest, best, most passion filled goal you can summon – making sure it’s really what you want and rooted in something deeper than just money and then going for broke to try and achieve it.

Your goal could be anything from starting a family with the guy/gal of your dreams, to building the next Virgin, to writing a bestseller. But it must deeply resonate within your soul and connect with you in a way that’s palpable.

Don’t worry if it takes you weeks, months or years to find that goal – it will come eventually if you give yourself enough quiet time to dwell on what you want and where you are going.

Show me someone who doesn’t dream about the future and I’ll show you someone who doesn’t know where they are going

This isn’t to say you have to know how you’ll get there, that will come with hard work and persistence. Everyday you’ll get closer and closer and one day you’ll reach a panorama and be able to see the big picture. I started Zirtual under the name “Virtual Zeta” over a year ago while I was still running another business. I had no idea what I wanted to do with it except people kept asking me to help them find virtual assistants.

Finally one day I realized that I enjoyed helping people delegate and connecting a party who needs work and a party who wants work done more than I enjoyed what I was currently doing. So I quit that business and started another.

I knew I wanted to build a big business and I knew I wanted it to be a real force in the virtual staffing world, but I didn’t know how… so I worked and read and worked and read until I finally started to scratch out what kind of business I wanted.

It wasn’t until I set a specific monetary goal for the business (building a $100 MM company) and gave myself a time table (before I’m 30) that things started really taking off. I had to have a set, solitary goal before I could go for it guns blazing.

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. Thomas Jefferson

Now Zirtual is up and running, I am loving everyday of hard, hard work that I put into it because I know where I’m going and what my “end game” is. So try and decipher what your goals are in life and what your overarching purpose is… set one amazing goal and then commit it to memory. This way whenever you feel lost or confused you can think about “where you are going” and you can adjust your path to get there.

Knowing where you are going is the most important thing in the World in my mind. Think of your life like a boat, it either has a destination it’s aiming for – or it just bobs along. You may have to adjust course one thousand times to get there, but that’s far better than being taken with the tide and having no control over your journey.

Action item: Go out and listen to The Strangest Secret … like now, it’s amazing.

No Startup is an Island

Maren Kate — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:42:36 +0000

Starting your own business can be a lonely, lonely time. Often you’ll spend long hours brainstorming your idea, creating the first prototype (physical or virtual) and if you’re lucky you’ll meet a business soul mate who becomes a partner or co-founder.

For most of my work-for-myself career I’ve been alone, no co-founder, no partners and it was always difficult.

Not only has it taken an emotional toll (we really are social creatures) but I did everything in my business from the highest level (like forming a new marketing campaign) to the lowest level (like researching spam filters for my email account).

Even early on I knew there had to be a better way…

Then one day I discovered outsourcing and slowly began adapting to delegation as a way of life. Two years later I switched gears from a social marketing business to building a company that connects busy people with virtual assistants.

I can’t imagine where I would be if I hadn’t learned to let go of the unimportant “reigns” and focus on the 20% of my day that really matters. I’m just too spastic and ADD to be able to focus on boring crap for any period of time (unfortunately this crap has to be done regardless).

Anyways, this post has been a long time coming. In it I will do three things:

A) I’ll try and convince you why no matter how small of a startup you are, you need some help

B) I will break down all the ways you can un-island-ize (my word) your business

C) I will try and get you to let us at Zirtual find you that perfect assistant who will make all your worldly cares go away.

People often ask me “how I make money online”, well I can tell you one thing – it’s not this blog, it’s my business. Support me, support my business. It’s as simple as that - or you can just send me lovely notes, I also love that. Regardless, this is a lesson that every would-be entrepreneur and full blown business owner needs to hear… no startup is an island.

Outsource (it’s like building bridges to your island)

Even if you’re desperately poor and a very early stage business you can use some clever tactics to grow your business faster, with help and without breaking the bank. I have employed these tactics since day one (I was REALLY broke, straight out of college w/ no $) and they have saved me every time:

Outsource offshore at first. First off outsourcing and offshoring are two different things, you can read more about them here. You want to outsource early on and do it offshore because if you live in the US, Canada or Europe it’s going to be gobs cheaper to send your work to the Philippines, Eastern Europe or South America versus getting it done in the homeland.
But don’t outsource your core competency. This should go without saying, but I’ve flubbed this a few times so hopefully this warning will save you some pain. If you are a tech company, don’t outsource your technical person. If you are a design company, don’t outsource your design. If you are a cake company don’t buy cakes from Wal Mart and expect the quality to be the same.
Just outsource everything else. Early on do you need a full time support person? No. Unless support is your core competency (think Zappos). Instead you could outsource your support team needs to my friend Chris’ company who provides call center assistance here. Do you need a website, but won’t need a designer on for the long term? Outsource it, the team that did Zirtual’s beautiful design is on Elance and you can hire them to make you a killer website too for far less than it would cost to hire a firm in the U.S. Do you need an assistant to help you for a few hours a day but can’t afford a full time secretary? Hire a virtual assistant (through us!) and watch your productivity skyrocket while your stress levels plummets.

Ask (it’s like inviting people to live on your island)

The art of asking seems to be a lost and/or abused art, depending on who approaches it. Asking people for help, advice or feedback is actually one of the best things you can do for your fledgeling startup and the relationships you build will benefit you exponentially in the future.

Ask for help, advice, favors, press but remember that asking is a two way street. You’ll get much farther if you have something to give back or at least try to provide value to the other person first.

Think of it like trading mangos from your Island for coconuts from your neighbor’s.

Learn (it’s like bringing books to a deserted island)

Imagine if you washed up on a beautiful, deserted island but you’d fortunately lugged a big trunk of books with you (or a water-proof iPad) and could learn everything there was to know about fishing, building a shelter, starting fires and desalinizing salt water. You’d be in much better shape.

You’re new business is like a lush, massive, untouched new world. You can destroy it through ineptness and making simple, silly mistakes or you can get really smart and learn from others who have settled new territory before by reading every good book you can get your hands on, listening to every business interview and in general becoming a sponge for knowledge.

Prepare for a community

Whether you only plan on building a 3 person company or a 3,000 person conglomerate – it’s important to set the stage for a strong company culture early on. A great book to read on the topic is Tony Hsieh’s “Delivering Happiness”, in it Hsieh talks at length about the importance of building a business that’s focuses on both customers and employee’s happiness.

Preparing for a community in your startup or small business can be as simple as writing down what core values you hold and what core values future team members need to agree on. Over time you’re values and core beliefs will refine and as you add team members but at least you’ll always have something solid to point to.

Last but not least, hire an assistant

It’s vital that even early on you get into the habit of delegating tasks, managing someone other than yourself and focusing on the big picture items that will make your startup succeed versus booking hotels, scheduling meetings or researching keywords for your website. The best way to do this is to start a long term relationship with a quality virtual assistant, this person will save you gobs of time and money.

If they’re good they’ll also become like your second self, allowing your productivity to skyrocket as they take care of more and more of the little stuff.

The biggest problem with hiring an assistant online is that it’s hard to find quality people in the sea of unqualified leads and “assistants” who have no experience but just know how to b.s. the system on major job boards. That’s why Zirtual takes all the hassle out of finding a high quality assistant and does the match-making for you.

We also give you access to our membership area which is chock full of all the tips, tools and tricks you need to know when working with a VA and we partner you up with a savvy customer care rep who will hold your hand through the whole process – ensuring that you get off to the right start with your assistant.

Bonus

If you purchase one of 25 special packages I’m offering through this blog I’ll throw in a 30 minute consulting call on the topic of your choice (note: I don’t even offer consulting for $ anymore because I got too swamped). We can talk about startups, delegation, outsourcing, heck anything you like that’s business centric. I will help you get the most out of your new VA relationship in record time and throw in some (hopefully) helpful ideas for your business.

Simply purchase a recruitment package here and then email me at maren@zirtual.com to tell me you bought a package through my blog and I’ll give you priority service + the free consulting call.

Get ready, get set, go! because they’ll likely sell fast!

*photo credit

Don’t Fear the Change

Maren Kate — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:45:38 +0000

Last fall I decided that I needed to move out to San Francisco. Last April I actually signed a lease. Between mid-November and early March I traveled back and forth from Reno to the Bay Area twice a week (via trains, planes and automobiles) taking shelter in everything from Airbnb rentals to hostels.

This was quite easily the most uncomfortable 4 months of my life and it all could have been easily avoided if I had just made a firm decision, embraced change and picked one path versus straddling the fence of indecision.

But noooo….. someone (this gal) was too frightened of change and unwilling to let things go to take a plunge that would change her life.

Don’t wait as long as I have

Have you experienced this in your life? I believe it’s one of the most common threads that bind humankind,the fear of change and our desperate desire to cling to what’s considered “safe”. But safe, comfortable choices rarely become the stuff of legend and weak people rarely make history…

So what’s the answer? Well… I’ve yet to find a magic bullet that eliminates the gut wrenching fear of the unknown while whetting our appetite for change. But, I have adapted several tools that over the last 6 months have turned me from a jello-legged change avoider to a bolder, slightly more brazen little gal.

Stop watering the fear plant. Yep, get used to the knot in your stomach. As I write this I have a knot in my stomach because of all the effort I’m putting into Zirtual. It’s the feeling of “ooooh no” that the scared, comfort seeking child who lives within me puts off every time she senses imminent change or uncertainty. I used to immediately seek safety when I felt that gnawing but now I rough it out because I know the more I refuse to acknowledge that fear, the faster it will die out. It’s like refusing to water an ugly plant, if you ignore it long enough it will eventually collapse.
Exposure therapy. The best way I’ve found to fight the fear of change and instead embrace it is to act upon the things you fear the most. When I signed a lease in S.F. I was forcing myself to do something that scared me to death. Leaving a lover, going to events alone or staring down a spider – all of these things that may currently frighten you will lose their grip as you expose yourself more and more to them.
Actively seek out change. This goes with the point above, I now chase down change and throw myself on it. Often this scares the crap out of me, but more often it leads to something good. My friend Ev has been talking about un-tethering a lot lately, and I must say I dig his ideas on it. My favorite change seeking adventure is going out alone – I mean be safe, but be alone. Go to events, restaurants, movies alone – and watch as you begin to really enjoy your own company. Most people’s biggest fear is to be alone, conquer that fear and nothing can stop you.

Instead I’ve been one of those “holders” for longer than I can remember. I will latch onto something and hold it near and dear come hell or high water – even long after I’ve realized that it’s not the right choice.

It’s probably rooted in a deep fear of change, but unfortunately change is the only thing in life that’s consistent. When I finally made the plunge, after weaning myself off the State I’ve called home for 14 years, I was much happier. Now I’m going through the rough parts of adjusting to a new life, learning to be happy alone and letting go of everything I’ve gotten used to for the last 25 years – the fear of change bug is back, but I’m managing and it makes me stronger each time I overcome that nasty beast.

What have you been holding onto for too long? What scares you the most and how can you face it?

On Persistence

Maren Kate — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 05:36:33 +0000

At the tender age of 21 I worked as a cocktail waitress, then bartender, at a local dive in my hometown of Las Vegas.

The things I’ve seen there could fill a blog post and would both fascinate and revolt you – but one of the most interesting oddities I would persistently encounter night after night was the persistent sleaze bag.

You’ve seen this guy at bars, nightclubs and dives. He’s the one that comes in at ten and talks to every female.

Me and my regulars would take bets on how long it would take and laugh at the untoward things he’d try to get a woman to go home with him. But the not-so-funny truth about the situation was 9 times out of 10 he’d win… that’s a better batting average than the baddest Major league slugger.

So what was it, these guys were always gross – they had no game – and any woman with half a brain could see that he was using the same routine on everyone regardless of age, race or affiliation.

The golden goose

Yes, persistence can also be used for evil, or in this case just plain gross. This guy wasn’t better, brighter or more charming than the rest (he’d usually be quite lacking) but he had found the goose that laid the golden “laid” egg… and it’s name was persistence.

The funny thing my experiences at “the lodge” taught me about persistence was that if this creep could use it’s powers for evil, why couldn’t I use it for good?

Persistence is what has driven me since I walked from behind the bar years ago and it’s been what has kept me going through tough and tougher. Persistence is what drives me and the team at Zirtual to make it a great company.

Persistence’s exponential growth rate

Persistence is what kept me writing long before anyone actually read this blog and persistence is what pays off in spades as time goes on. I’ve noticed persistence’s exponential growth in my life, both business and personal and it’s absolutely amazing… but hard, at first. Persistence gets easier with time.

If you only remember one quote, ever, remember this one:

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. - Calvin Coolidge

Now ask yourself how you can persist in the coming week. Have you ever persisted through good times and bad, or do you normally give up? Like Coolidge said, persistence really is the difference between success and failure.

The Year of the Hustle

Maren Kate — Sat, 28 May 2011 04:38:13 +0000

Today I turned 26 and unlike birthdays of yesteryear I’m actually really happy about growing a year older and wiser.

What I realized was that when I didn’t know what I was doing with my life, every birthday over 21 seemed frightening.

Now that I have a clear vision of my future, set goals that I’m gunning for and an overall positive outlook on life – another birthday is only reason for celebration.

Last night as I celebrated the end of 25 I sat deliberating on what kind of year 26 would be – that is May 27th, 2011 to May 27th, 2012 – and it came to me in a flash. Twenty-six will be the year of the hustle.

25 in rewind

Exactly a year ago I was celebrating my birthday in Riverside, California. It was a great time and I really enjoyed it – but what I wasn’t enjoying was my social and web work for various clients. My old company (painfully) named Oracle Launch (i know, i know, it’s gosh awful) specialized in a variety of media things and effectively spread ourselves too thin.

I was working on 3 or 4 “projects” at once a year ago and it made for one incredibly un-effective Maren.

I also had just moved back to Reno, Nevada from Vegas – the home of my alma mater and a city I’ve had a love hate relationship (mostly hate) since I was 18. I made this choice because I hated Vegas even more than I hated Reno and because I was too scared to make a big leap and move out of Nevada, my long time home.

Do I regret my time in Reno? Absolutely not. I have many, many great friends there and the community is rad.

But… I knew deep down I wanted to be in San Francisco over a year ago, though I never had the pears to make the move.

By October I had joined Founder’s Institute since I knew if I was accepted it would force me to spend a lot of time in S.F. and decide if it was the right city for me. From November to February I commuted every week between Reno and the Bay Area – staying in hostels, hotels and airbnb several nights a week.

The traveling killed me but getting through Founder’s made me stronger in a variety of ways – and it opened my eyes to how badly I needed to make San Francisco my permanent home.

After another month of traveling in March (exhausting!) I moved into a place in Polk Glutch at the end of April.

Fast forward

… like, a month… and we’re here. I’m sitting in a Starbucks that I ran off to in the midst of my b-day celebrations to right this post. I did so because I wanted to write, not because I felt like I had to. I really, really love writing this blog.

I’ve spent the last 6 months working on Zirtual to get it to the point where I can be proud of it and where I know it has a massive value add. I also now believe with my whole heart that Zirtual is the company that will take me to my massive goal by age 30.

I could not be happier. I don’t know how to explain it.

What did I leave behind in Reno? A very, very supportive boyfriend and an adorable little kitten. Was that decision hard? Abso-freakin’-lutely.

What did I gain by coming to a big city by myself and starting from scratch? Confidence, an ability to be happy alone and a strength of will I didn’t previously know I possessed.

The lesson

What’s in it for you? What lessons can you take from the last 365 days of my life?

My suggested lessons would be:

Set huge goals
Strive to be happy by yourself
Take big chances in pursuit of your goals
Don’t be a chicken, push yourself far beyond your comfort zone and see what happens
Set either a birthday goal (from X date to X date) or a year goal (2011) and sum it up in one concept, mine is hustle

The year of the hustle

Zirtual has been redesigned and revamped over the last few months and went “hush hush” live two days ago (meaning no press or marketing has been done but it’s active and taking orders). Now that I have a product, team and website I can be proud of – it’s hustle time, in a big way…

Hustling means pulling out all the stops and working as hard as it takes to get to where you’re going. Your year goal may be something like:

The year of the decision
The year of the diet
The year of escaping my 9 to 5

I’d love to hear about your year goals and/or suggestions on how I can best “hustle” towards making Zirtual great.

I love you all – in a weird, bloggy way I can’t really explain in words – thanks for always being there to listen.

*photo credit

Practice Being Present and 7 Other Lessons I’ve Learned

Maren Kate — Wed, 25 May 2011 01:29:04 +0000

A while back, when I was still living in Nevada, I came out to S.F. to visit some blog friends and see Tim Ferriss and Leo Babauta do a panel on Zen living.

This was the first time I’d been alone in San Francisco in… well… forever. And something about the experience transformed me, it was just a sense of freedom I had never felt before, riding the BART, walking everywhere and spending time alone (but happy).

I’d always been dependent on other people up until that point in my life – and that first solitary visit to San Francisco flipped a switch and forever changed a very important part of my inner working.

Anyways, back to the panel, so I’m sitting in this tea spot called Samovar (which I highly recommend to all tea elitists – a group I’m sadly not part of since I consider Starbucks good tea) with Ev and Corbett. I don’t remember much of the whole thing except something Ferriss said, which was “practice being present”.

Now I’m educated enough to know he’s not the first person to coin this term, but he was the first person I’d heard it from and it made a serious impact. For much of my life before that I had tried to escape “being present” by filling time full of activities, people and relationships.

Now, almost a year later, I’m living in San Francisco and I’m practicing being present almost daily. It’s really changed my life, in business and personal ways. Because of this I thought I’d share with you my experiences over the last year which hopefully will inspire you to take a leap and change your life for the better as well… I broke my experiences and lessons learned into 7 specific thoughts, which I’ll share right… about… now…

1. The Quest for the Self Made Man

First off, I say “self made man” because that’s the old standby – insert woman if you like. I’m a chick (a fact some of you may or may not know) and I’m not planning on gender bending anytime soon. I just like saying “I’m off to become a self made man” because it sounds better.

A self made man (or woman) is the ultimate thing to strive for in life (in my book). It’s someone who has achieved the ultimate honor of building a life worth living and has reached financial, intellectual and emotional independence.

I think becoming a self made man is possible whether you are a dairy farmer or an aspiring internet tycoon. Being self made is knowing that someone else can’t rip away what’s near and dear to you with a fell swoop (think losing one’s job out of nowhere). It’s also knowing that another person can’t take away your happiness on a whim (think the person who cries they’re ruined after a lover leaves).

Being self made is having the presence of mind and spirit to know what you want and to go after it. It’s never wanting to be the debtor in a relationship and instead it’s summed up in the desire to be the captain of your own ship.

I’m on journey to become self made and this blog is a diary ripped straight from those experiences… it’s my highest calling.

Becoming self made is not for everyone, in fact I’d say it’s for a small majority – but those who it is for know it deep down in their hearts and I freakin’ love those kinds of people.

Suggested reading: Atlas Shrugged

2. I Want to Do, Not Teach

I wrote about this a little while ago, a revelation that I’d had after a negative email I received from a snarky reader, you can see that post here.

In the early days of this blog I had bought into the idea that if you wrote a blog you had to write from a place of authority – the whole “guru” load of hogwash. In retrospect it only shows my immaturity – but ‘eh, tis life…

So in the beginning I wrote posts like “The X ways you should market Y” or whatever, but in the more recent past I’ve completely shed the idea that I’m “teaching” anything here.

I say this because teaching isn’t the goal for me, instead doing and learning throughout the process is. I’m absorbing information at such a rapid curve I’m not in a place to teach anything – and I probably will never be since I never plan on diffusing my voracious appetite for knowledge.

So instead I’ve realized that it’s much better to write a blog from the point of view of a written documentary of one’s own experience doing X.

I am building a business, I am trying to become self made and I have my heart set on the goal of building a business that is worth at least $100 million dollars – a ridiculously large sum in many people’s eyes – a small sum in otheres – but it’s my goal.

Whether you agree with it or not, that’s not for you to decide, instead I’ll document my progress or lack there of on this blog and you can cheer me or boo me depending on your fancy.

I want to do, not teach… but you’re more than welcome to come along for the ride and take from my experiences what you can.

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths – Walt Disney

3. There is Only One Ring

Remember the Lord of the Rings? Whether you read it or watched it (I did both unfortunately) you can’t forgot the plot. One guy was chasing down a ring – there was only one ring and it was the compulsive focus of his little hobbit journey. In the end it turned out he had to destroy the ring, but he got the job done, because he had a solitary focus.

I never much liked Lord of the Rings until I realized how aptly it applied to my business pursuits. There can only be one ring when it comes to the focus you need to achieve big goals – this is something I’ve learned the hard way.

If you’re chasing a big (or even little) goal and get only one thing from this post I would hope it’s this: focus on one thing and do it spectacularly. It doesn’t mean you’ll have to do it forever, instead it just will give you a huge leg up on your competition and will greatly increase your learning curve if you focus on one goal with insane persistence and intent.

I’ve tried both ways, I had 7 projects running at once (which I documented in my early, “foolish” days on this blog) and now I have just one focus – building Zirtual into a great company. I wish I could go back and slap myself when I was juggling several things at once – I would be so much further ahead right now. Learn from my mistakes.

One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular – Tony Robbins

4. Work Hard, Play Hard

Another thing I’ve come to realize only since I’ve been in San Francisco, hard work deserves – dare I say, needs – hard play, lest the delicate balance crumble.

When I say “playing hard” I don’t mean an aggressive game of kickball (though that does sound fun) nor do I mean getting wasted and doing lines of coke. Instead I mean if you work really hard you need to also invest time in rewarding yourself through leisure activities, hanging with friends/family and exploring your world.

If you don’t you will burn out.

Also the hard work, hard play balance is a particularly rewarding one. You feel fulfilled by the amount of work you get done, then you get rewarded by the amount of “play” you get in after work and/or on the weekends/trips.

In Vegas people followed the hard work, bad play model which is a recipe for rehab and broken lives. This model is when you work hard but also party ridiculously hard and live a stupid, destructive life.

This is not what I’m suggesting. Instead playing hard could be something as simple as taking a 5 mile walking tour of your city (which I did the other day and it was lovely) or something as complex as jetting off to Paris for the weekend or something as fun as having a few drinks and getting silly with your friends one night.

Hard work, hard play makes Maren a happy, well balanced girl.

Suggested reading: The San Francisco Success Secret spoiler alert, I wrote it.

5. You’ve Got to Believe

In something. It’s essential (I believe) to really living an incredible and rewarding life. I have a deep faith in God that pushes me through tough times, I also have a strong belief in the human abilities of logic, reason and innovation and I believe in and trust my family and close friends.

I also believe deeply, strongly, almost religiously in the path I’m on and the company I’m building – without the belief that I’m doing what I was “meant” to do I couldn’t push through the hard times.

A good question to seriously ask yourself is not what drives you but what you believe in? If it’s nothing, then maybe you have some searching to do. If you know then don’t let anyone assuage you in your worthwhile convictions.

Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail – Charles F. Kettering

6. Everything is a Value Exchange

Another Ayn Rand-ism, who you may have guessed is one of my all time favorite authors. A value exchange has nothing to do with money or material success, but it does have a great deal to do with leading a fulfilling life.

Look at some examples:

You move to a new city and you want to make friends. The normal thing to do would be to think “how can I get them to like me” (external focus) or “how can I get in with the right crowd” (again, external).

Versus, a value exchange model, which would make you ask the question “what value do I have to offer new friends”.

Maybe you’re funny, maybe you’re smart, maybe you genuinely care about others. Those are all valuable traits which you in essence exchange for their value adders.

If you can’t think of what you add to a friendship, social circle or group setting then maybe it’s time to work on yourself a little bit before you focus on conquering your new city.

This works when it comes to relationships too. People too often think “I want a guy with X, Y and Z” versus thinking “what do I have to offer a healthy, great guy”. Value is not superficial or fleeting, it’s gotta be something that lasts after you wash the makeup off at night.

There a “price” and a “value” for everything. Often the price is time, love, mental energy, etc. but there is always a price. What you have to decide is if the price is worth the value you get and if the value you give out is worth the price others will “pay” to receive it.

Is the value of a loving wife and children worth the price of monogamy and hefty responsibilities? For many men it is. If it’s not for you, that’s okay, just be honest about it. Is the value you give to a friendship or loved one worth the price they pay in return (time, love, patience) it should be – if you want to live a healthy, happy life.

Just be sure you’re always putting out more value than you expect to get back, if you do this you’ll be blessed far more richly than you expect.

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get – Warren Buffett

7. Create More Than You Consume

Creating can be anything from adding value to the world via a charity to producing a new kind of steel that changes the way we build. You can create music, literature, art, business innovations… pretty much anything. But it’s so essential that you create more than you consume.

If you’re a stay at home mother and you do the best you can to raise your children – you’ve spent 18 years creating the next generation.

But if you spend your day doing brain dead work with no outlet for creation, what are you adding to the world?

I create through my business, this blog, the fiction I write privately (which possibly one day I’ll share) the love I try to give openly and in other smaller ways. I find nothing wrong with enjoying myself and “consuming” the best of what the World has to offer because I create more value than I take in. Your consumption should mirror your creation and ideally your creation should far outweigh the latter.

This post has been weeks and weeks coming… hope you got something out of it, I’d love to hear what lessons you’ve learned in the last year… Also I post this as I’m about to turn 26 (aah!) this coming Friday. So my next year of adventure is just around the corner, wish me luck!

33 Inspiring Quotes to Invigorate Your Day

Maren Kate — Tue, 10 May 2011 01:30:03 +0000

Last week I felt like I had hit a wall when it came to productivity. So I took the weekend off, walked a lot, ate some good food and read a lot.

During my reading this weekend I came across these 33 inspiring quotes that I wanted to share with you. Read through them – it should only take a few minutes – and let me know what you think, or if you have some to add.

They’ve inspired and invigorated me for the week to come and I hope they can do the same for you!

1. Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. – Ovid

2. I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be. – Douglas Adams

3. Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. – Eleanor Roosevelt

4. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. – Reinhold Niebuhr

5. When you are through changing, you are through. – Bruce Barton

6. A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason. – J. P. Morgan

7. Every man builds his world in his own image. He has the power to choose, but no power to escape the necessity of choice. – Ayn Rand

8. Don’t find fault, find a remedy. – Henry Ford

9. Doing is a quantum leap from imagining. – Barbara Sher

10. You have to think anyway, so why not think big? – Donald Trump

11. You’re only as good as the people you hire. – Ray Kroc

12. Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment. – Jim Rohn

13. Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

14. A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. – John Barrymore

15. So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable. – Christopher Reeve

16. Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? – Abraham Lincoln

17. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

18. The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. – Henry David Thoreau

19. Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong. – Ayn Rand

20. I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk. – Tony Robbins

21. A goal properly set is halfway reached. – Zig Ziglar

22. Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. – Helen Keller

23. Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living. – Anais Nin

24. Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls. - Joseph Campbell

25. A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. – Winston Churchill

26. Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing. - Thomas Jefferson

27. I will not take “but” for an answer. – Langston Hughes

28. A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others. – Ayn Rand

29. Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. – William James

30. Go big or go home. Because it’s true. What do you have to lose? – Eliza Dushku

31. I can, therefore I am. – Simone Weil

32. In motivating people, you’ve got to engage their minds and their hearts. I motivate people, I hope, by example – and perhaps by excitement, by having productive ideas to make others feel involved. – Rupert Murdoch

33. What you get by achieving your goals is to as important as what you become by achieving your goals. – Henry David Thoreau

Want more inspiring quotes, check out 45 epic quotes here.

Are You an Entrepreneur at Heart?

Maren Kate — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:22:40 +0000

First off, personal update, because heck… I rarely do them. Today I signed a whopping 6 month lease (commitment hives are setting in!) for an apartment in San Francisco. I also officially signed a one month contract at a coworking space in SoMa.

So I am “officially” abiding in the beautiful city by the bay and I won’t be jetting around for a while as I work doggedly to make my startup great. If you read this blog, follow me on Twitter or just like cocktails give me a shout next time your in the city & we’ll get a Moscow mule together!

Now to the brass tax… lately a lot of people have asked me if I think they have what it takes to become an entrepreneur and/or should they start a business (more or less the same thing). I’ve been responding to these emails individually but to save time and sanity I decided to write a post on what in my opinion it takes to be a successful startup entrepreneur (note: my opinion).

First things first…

What exactly is an entrepreneur?

One of the definitions of entrepreneur from the online Dictionary states an entrepreneur is:

a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.

When you read that I’d like you to note the “considerable initiative” and “risk” parts. To become a successful entrepreneur behind a scalable business model you really must be incredibly motivated and have a serious stomach for risk.

I can’t stand when people ask me questions like “what’s an easy business for me to start” or “how can I become an entrepreneur but not risk anything”. Usually they don’t address these questions directly and instead hem & haw but I know what they’re getting at – they want to have success but they also want to have security and travel easy street to get there.

This is one reason I got out of the “internet marketing” / “blogging business” arena a while back – that and I honestly wasn’t good at it – most likely because of the fact that I didn’t care and it didn’t seem scalable in the big picture.

Another critical part of starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur is the often overlooked aspect of…

having a good idea

Far be it from me to be critical but you can’t be a successful entrepreneur without a market valuable idea (whether this is the snuggy or wind powered energy fan) and having a good idea isn’t a simple or linear process.

If you have these three things: considerable initiative, a stomach for risk and at least a halfway decent idea (or the zeal to find a halfway decent idea) you probably can safely set out along the road to entrepreneurship.

To quit or not to quit?

Next question. People are always curious whether or not they should quit their job cold turkey the moment they decide they want to become an entrepreneur – or if they should bide their time and work on both concurrently.

My advice used to be “through caution to the wind, quit your job, burn your boats” and it still is in many cases – BUT – if you have a family to support, if you have very real needs to meet it would be fool hearty to quit your job right off the bat before you have a solid idea of what business your building and when you’ll reach at least ramen profitability.

Instead, buckle down, work nights on your startup and work days at your “9 to 5″ – it’s not easy, it’s not ideal but that’s the startup life in general so if you hate it now it’s probably a good sign that this isn’t the road meant for you.

Do you want to change the world or just make money?

I never thought I’d say this – but there are easier ways to make money than becoming an entrepreneur.

There aren’t easier ways to make a potential windfall – but if just a comfortable living (say $100k) is your idea of paradise you can probably start a small lifestyle business (maybe even internet marketing – though it’s getting trickier to succeed without being scammy) or eventually land a good 9 to 5 and be happy making good money and living by the rules.

On the other hand, if you have a burning desire to 1) change the world 2) create, invent or produce 3) take a shot at building a lot of wealth in a short time (if you succeed) then entrepreneurship may be for you.

You’ve got to love the game – and it is a game – if you’re just about money and don’t care how you get it, play the lottery. But if you love the lifestyle, love the ups and downs and love the idea of creating something out of nothing then you’re probably an entrepreneur at heart.

Are you an entrepreneur at heart? Have you made the leap & began the process of building your own business or are you still sitting in the wings? If so, why?

Making Millions from WordPress – Interview with Adii Pienaar of WooThemes

Maren Kate — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:51:23 +0000

For those of you interested in online entrepreneurship and bootstrapping this interview will rock your socks. First off Adii is quite open about where his company Woothemes has done well and where they’ve needed to pivot – like focusing on only one theme platform (WordPress).

Second Adii and his partners built his company from scratch – working virtually – with partners all over the world – into a million + dollar a year business (I love when Andrew Warner has interviewed people in the past because he always gets down to the brass tax and saves me researching how much they earn – thanks Andrew!).

So sit down, shut up (I tease, I tease) and sip some yummy tea as you let your entrepreneurial spirit soar with me and Adii for the next half hour.

Download This Interview (“Right click then Save As”)

Check out Woothemes amazing themes for your business, brand or blog here & support scrappy entrepreneurship. Also I’d love to hear your comments and questions and I’m sure I could get Adii to answer a few himself if you add pretty please or something in the comment area

6 Self Made Millionaire Case Studies

Maren Kate — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:13:04 +0000

The other day I was on HARO… actually, let me rephrase that: The other day my virtual assistant was on HARO… looking for case studies of people who had become self made (my all encompassing obsession as of late). Lots of people responded to our query, but 6 stood out as legitimate and inspiring self made millionaires and I thought I’d share their stories with you.

Now do note that these stories aren’t written or really edited by me, they were either written by the person’s publicist or by the millionaire themselves (you can guess which one is which). I decided to leave them this way so my thoughts or personality wouldn’t taint the information a savvy reader can gather from these 6 self made case studies.

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts afterwards… I’m impartial to their stories but I think each has interesting and inspirational lesson to be learned from.

JESSIE CONNERS
Company: PeppermintPark.com

If there is a strong go-getter, self-made, female entrepreneur who has followed her passions to launch not just one, but four successful small businesses; it would be Jessie Conners.

Her life is a true rags-to-riches story – she went from a trailer with no running water – to an orphanage – to opening a marketing company at 17 – to buying her first piece of real estate at 19. At 20, Jessie was a published author, then a reality star at 21 (Donald Trump’s The Apprentice).

Jessie became a national speaker (speaking at over 1500 real estate conventions) and by 27 started her e-tail company PeppermintPark.com. Now, at 28, Jessie is finally a multi-millionaire – and she achieved all of it by chasing the dream of becoming self made.

This year, real estate magnate, author and owner of newly minted PeppermintPark.com expects to shatter glass ceilings with sales reaching close to a million from her latest endeavor.

By having a unique member model coupled with featuring over 300 designers that appeal to women from all walks of life, she’s looking for her Minneapolis-based one stop, online shop to almost 10 thousand members.

Jessie’s fearlessness and tenacity has wowed the likes of notables from Donald Trump when she appeared on the first season of The Apprentice as the youngest contestant to date.

BERT MARTINEZ

Company: www.bertmartinez.com

The keys to becoming self made and a self made millionaire are:

The saying, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he“, not only embraces the whole of a man’s being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.

So all people are self made, the real difference between a millionaire or a billionaire
or a zillionaire is knowledge and fear. Most people know what to do but are afraid to take action. They are afraid of money, success, criticism, work, failure, success and the list goes on. Their self-esteem or unconscious belief controls their results.

Through marketing I became a self-made “millionaire” by the time I was 30 and filed bankruptcy at 32. My self esteem surrounding money reared its ugly head, then marketing and sales allowed me to hit millionaire status again at age 35.

My company Bert Martinez Communications is dedicated to teaching small business owners strategies to grow their business and their self image so they avoid the mistakes I made.

TODD TRESIDDER

Company: Money Coach

I’ve been coaching clients to wealth for the last 12 years after achieving financial independence at age 35. I’ve written extensively on the keys to self-made wealth. It is my passion.

From a sound bite perspective the key to building wealth is to make more than you spend and invest the difference wisely. Rinse and repeat until wealth is achieved. No secret there. The key is not in knowing what to do, the key is in getting it done

* You must have a plan.
* The plan must be based on proven principles that lead to wealth including leverage, risk management, and much more.
* You must set up support structures to pull you through when you run into the inevitable obstacles and setbacks.
* You must understand the concept of “enough-ness” and the tradeoffs involved because the goal is happiness and fulfillment – not wealth. Wealth is a tool or vehicle but never the end goal.

I retired at age 35 by saving roughly 60-70% of my earned income and investing it wisely. I published an article explaining exactly how the process works here.

DEBRA COHEN

Company: Home Referral Network

Becoming a self made millionaire, doesn’t only require hard work, it requires discipline. Earning millions of dollars is irrelevant if you spend more than you earn. Living lean and saving for the future have always been my mantra in addition to maintaining an affordable and conservative lifestyle.

As soon as my Homeowner Referral Network business started to generate a good income, my first priority was to save at least 1/2 of what I made. The millionaire next door doesn’t necessarily drive a Bentley–it may be a 10 year old Honda.

Several years ago after the purchase of our first home, not only were my husband and I struggling to make ends meet but we faced the all too familiar challenge of finding reliable home improvement contractors. Based on our experience, I decided to create a business to address this need in our community.

HOME REMEDIES OF NY, INC. is a Homeowner Referral Network (HRN) for homeowners seeking reliable home improvement contractors. I pre-screen and represent a network of more than 50 home improvement contractors ranging from painters, plumbers and carpenters to general contractors, architects and decorative painters. Contractors in my network pay a pre-negotiated commission on any work secured and my service is free to homeowners.

I started my business with just a $5000 loan from my husband’s retirement savings plan and Home Remedies has grossed more than $4 million to date.

AJ KHUBANI

Company: TeleBrands

TeleBrands markets “As Seen on TV” products to the consumer audience. From the PedEgg and Windshield Wonder to today’s new Chef Basket and One-Second Needle, TeleBrands helps consumers find a common solution to everyday problems.

AJ Khubani founded TeleBrands at the age of 27 with his life savings of $20,000. While in college, Khubani began marketing an AM/FM type radio in the back of the Nation Inquirer for $10.

He broke even. But, that lead him to creaing many new products and moving into television infomercial advertising. In the late 1980s, he began marketing the AmberVision Glasses for $10 at retail establishments — the first time an “As Seen on TV” infomercial product was available in a bricks and mortar environment. The product became a household name and a new approach to the direct response television (DRTV) industry was born.

Khubani offers the following advice:

When you have a new product idea, start by “Googling” the idea — see if someone else invented or marketed it before you did. Take the time to do your research.
Apply for a provision patent for just over $100 at www.USPTO.gov. There is no need to begin with expensive lawyers and spending your entire savings on your product/idea.
Learn the marketplace. If you are creating a consumer product for a specific audience, is that potential audience large enough to result increased revenues? Be realistic in your goals.

And most importantly — enjoy what you do!

TONY HARTL

Company: Planet Tan & Selling Sunshine (book)

There are several keys to becoming a wildly successful, self-made millionaire. Creatively solving problems is important, great stewardship of money is a must over the long-term, and a large tolerance for risk is key as you start out.

But what really separates the successful from the unsuccessful, in my experience, is an unrelenting desire to accomplish your goals.

This is NOT an unrelenting desire to make money; it’s the passion for making your ideas into reality. Money hasn’t been the main drive behind any of the successful people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. There are more interesting things in the world than currency, after all.

People with passion who solve problems in new, relevant ways will make money, and those who deal with adversity, take logical risks, and put their money where it matters the most will grow their businesses quickly.” – Tony
Tony Hartl founded Planet Tan in 1995 and built the company into one of the most recognizable brands in the Dallas area. He currently sits on the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship Board and has been a guest lecturer at the Caruth Institute of Entrepreneurship at SMU’s Cox Business School. He has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Inc. magazine, Fortune Small Business, and the Dallas Morning News.

What’s Your “Come Hell or High Water”?

Maren Kate — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 02:33:30 +0000

What is the one thing you want more than anything… what’s the thing you’ll fight for – come hell or high water?

Today I had a very real wake up call on what I want more than anything. A goal deeply tied into my belief that people should strive to become self made and my business, Zirtual.

It all started this morning when I was wishing I could offer a friend a job at Zirtual (someone who has vast talent and skill but got royally screwed by “the man” so to speak). I often wish I could give good people, hard working people jobs – but we’re currently just a baby company and doing things super bootstrapped style with a team of 3.

Then I got a nasty email…

Out of the blue – after sending an email out aimed at helping the people that read my newsletter – I get this email ripping me a new one for no apparent reason.

This completely derailed my day as I took the time to respond (petty mistake n. 1) and then angrily researched the jerk online to see who the hell he was to say such nasty things to me (petty mistake n. 2).

Finally I started thinking how I could turn this angry feeling into something productive, so I began redirecting into the “I’ll show you” mentality. I took out a pen and paper and wrote down my goals – as I often do when I want to encourage myself – and then started brainstorming how I could reach them faster, better and brighter.

I scribbled furiously what I want my business to one day become: a meaningful company that will be worth $100 million dollars – a company that can hire talented friends who need jobs – a company that can make huge differences in it’s customers lives – and a company whose entire philosophy is wrapped up in the concept of facilitating relationships between hard working assistants and hard working entrepreneurs.

Then I sat and looked at that piece of paper for a long time.

Suddenly, it hit me…

Like in so many hurtful, negative things there was a kernel of truth shrouded in the irksome email I had received earlier. It was a sentence along the lines of “who are you to try to give out all this advice (on your blog)” justified by a “I’m a successful business man and you’re not” etc. etc.

And the jerk was right – I’m not a successful businessman… yet.

My businesses before Zirtual was mildly successful and in the eyes of people trying to escape their jobs I did well. I supported myself, had several clients who paid up to $5k a month for social media services and had a decent sized team working for me – but it wasn’t an out of the ball park success.

…And deep down I felt ashamed of that.

So when someone says “You’re not successful enough to give out advice” it hits me hard because until now I’ve written this blog as a “how to” versus a “this is how I’m doing it, follow along if you like” and there in lay my mistake.

Once I realized it and saw how easily I could fix it on this blog the sting of the nasty email completely lifted and instead I saw it as a learning experience. So I wrote back:

Dear X,

Thanks for your email. Though you meant it to dishearten me your words had completely the opposite effect – you were right in a way and realizing that has completely changed my attitude.

Thanks,

No more “how to” only “let’s try this”

I never wanted this blog to become a platform where I preach – since I’m only trying stuff and seeing what works, what doesn’t and course correcting as I go.

Instead I want this blog to be like a shared journey – between me and those rare souls who want more than anything to become self made and who’ve chosen the path of entrepreneurship to get them there.

So from now on – on this blog, my video channel and the newsletter I’ll be a lot more open, candid and ballsy about how I’m building my will-be $100 million dollar business and the wins or losses along the way.

I’m not pretending my goals aren’t as big as they are anymore – I’ll either fail spectacularly and everyone can say I told you so or I will succeed spectacularly and I will have the satisfaction of of knowing I did what 99.9% of the population will never do – build a 9 figure business.

So back to ‘come hell or high water’…

For so long I’ve worked hard towards the goal of hitting a business out of the park and with Zirtual I know beyond know that this is the fast ball and I’m equipped with the bat – I just have to practice, practice and practice some more.

This is the key to all success I believe and a key you can easily hold too.

I believe with fervor, with passion, without a single doubt in my mind that by the time I turn 30 (I’m late 25 as of today) I will have built the $100 million dollar company of my dreams. There is literally no doubt in my mind. It’ll be the hardest four years of my life, there will be tons of pivots and maybe some outright changes in direction – but I’m going big or going home.

That may be insane but it’s the honest truth…. come hell or high water I’ll reach that goal.

Now it’s time to ask yourself: what goal could you commit yourself to with that fervor? What thing do you know beyond know that if you dedicated yourself to it with solitary focus you’d knock it out of the park?

Next actions…

If you don’t have that goal: don’t fret, it just means you need to watch, listen and learn more before you’re epiphany hits you. It took me years of reading and researching business models in my teenage years before I took the plunge. Don’t rush it but always keep your eyes open.
If you do have your goal: focus on it, solely, without distraction and dedicate yourself to achieving it no matter what.

Also, regardless of where you’re at, I want you to listen to The Strangest Secret. It’s a truly inspirational talk by Earl Nightingale recorded in 1956, the amazing part is like many jewels of wisdom it’s still insanely applicable today. It will encourage you, inspire you and jazz you up to succeed at whatever your goal is.

So whether it’s starting a small business that provides you an income of $250,000 a year and will support your family or building the next billion dollar baby you should listen to the above then settle on JUST ONE goal to go for like crazy in your quest to become self made…

P.S. Please don’t respond “It’s hell & high water” – I’ve always said it ‘hell or high water’ and that’s how everyone in Texas said it when I was real little – so it’s “or” for me and since I’m not apologizing anymore – deal with it On that note would love your feedback, whether you believe I can do it or think I’m ridiculous it doesn’t matter as long as you respect the fact that I’m trying.

5 Figures a Month by Living the Four Hour Work Week – Interview with Mike C. Moon

Maren Kate — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:00:45 +0000

The podcast is back! The podcast is back! I’m so happy that after going through the rigors of an incubator program and traveling for the entire month of March the Escaping the 9 to 5 podcast is back and better than ever. This is an interview I’m extremely excited to bring to you since this is one of the rare examples I’ve seen of someone who is making $80,000 a month (noted in his interview on Mixergy) in true “Four Hour Work Week” style.

Two warnings before you press play, the first is that because this was recorded while I was traveling the sound quality isn’t the best (but totally worth it), the second is that once you hear this story you may be uncontrollably compelled to start an iPhone App business and if you are you can check out the Free the Apps’ guy’s ebook here.

Download This Interview (Right click then Save As”)

Find out more about Free the Apps on their website and check out the extended interview they did on Mixergy.

*Update, check out this great post the guys at Free the Apps recently wrote about the passive income life.

The Beauty of Running a Virtual Business

Maren Kate — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 23:29:01 +0000

Right now I’m writing this post from my virtual business office (a.k.a. Starbucks) and, over the last few months, I have been managing my virtual business from 5 different states and hundreds of different wifi hotspots. Soon I’ll be moving into a monthly co-working space in downtown San Francisco but my business will still run completely virtually.

The benefit of me working out of a co-working space will be the human connections of an “office space” and a dedicated desk for me to sit at. Besides that nothing about my virtual business changes whether I’m sitting on a beach, tethering wi-fi from my phone to my macbook or behind a big mahogany desk wheeling and dealing in a 3 piece suit (except I’d look really weird in a suit). So what’s so great about running a virtual business and are their any cons? Read on and I’ll give you an honest overview of what it takes and explore whether or not a virtual business is for you.

What is a Virtual Business?

First, let’s figure out what exactly a virtual business consists of. Well it’s like a brick and mortar business – except better. Imagine all the benefits of running a traditional business then subtract high overhead, lots of employees and being tied down to one physical location most of the time. There lies the beauty of starting a virtual business instead – you can bootstrap it on a shoestring, scale it faster than anything else and pivot with ease since most of your business runs in the cloud.

Look at this list to see if your business falls under the virtual business banner:

Your product/service/offering is hosted online. Example: our virtual assistant finding service at Zirtual, Grasshopper’s virtual phone service and even Zappos. Even though Zappos has massive offices and warehouses to house all their shoes their business would die without the virtual marketplace of the internet – thus, in my book, they’re considered a virtual business. Also the CEO can log in from anywhere in the world and still run the business properly (at least for a while) without needing to be physically there.
Your staff is virtual. I often consult companies to go virtual when it comes to hiring, this diversification of staffing allows you to reach a much larger talent pool and has incentives when it comes to lower overhead and flexible staff hours. Having a virtual staff can be anything from hiring a virtual assistant, to managing a 40 person team spread across the globe.
Your main sales channel is online. IKEA is not a virtual business, if all of their stores closed tomorrow it would destroy their sales and put a huge dent in the company. Zappos, on the other hand sells almost entirely online. So ask yourself, would you rather reach the world and focus towards online sales or is your business better served by limiting reach to X square miles around a physical storefront.

Virtual Business: Is it for You?

This is a very good question to ask if you’re in the beginning of starting a business or are considering pivoting your company. Going virtual is incredibly freeing, but – as with everything – it comes with a certain price.

1. It’s more difficult emotionally to work alone than it is to work in a traditional office setting. A lot of virtual entrepreneurs either won’t own up to this or just don’t realize it but it’s emotionally hard to be isolated 4-8 hours a day, staring at a screen.

That’s why early on I started working at coffee shops – granted I wouldn’t interact that often with the patrons around me but just being in a place buzzing with people made me feel less alone and helped me work better. I’ve now graduated to co-working spaces, which are like coffee houses but with real desks and full of people who are doing the same thing as you.

2. It doesn’t feel as “real”. If you run a cupcakery with 2 other people everyday you walk into work it feels “real”. You can touch the walls, high five your employees and eat the cupcakes – everything in front of you is tangible … and yummy. My business doesn’t come with this same benefit.

Often I “clock in” and feel like I entered this weird business “limbo” where no one is waiting on me and no one is there to make sure I do my job. Our profits are just numbers on a screen (not paper in my hand) and my team is just groups of letters and avatars on a skype chat or email message. Also, my product is something that I can’t touch, taste or smell. You may not realize it now but this kind of intangible business is harder on some people than others, personally I love it and have gotten used to it, but consider this when debating whether or not to start a virtual business yourself.

3. Can you stay on task? When you’re running a taxi service you know what to do each day. You have to get up, go to work and start sending out cars. You need to advertise, sell and hire but most of your day consists of dealing with drivers (real people) and cars (again, real).

When you’re running a virtual business it’s not that easy. I constantly keep a to-do list in Basecamp of things I need to do next, but there’s no one screaming at me on the phone to keep me on target. If I let myself I could spend the whole day staring out the window and not getting squat done, it takes a lot of discipline to build and grow a virtual business – so ask yourself if you have the discipline to stay on task even when the tasks are intangible.

4. Can you sell? Virtual businesses don’t have offices (usually) that a customer can walk into and “discover” your service. Instead you have to know how to sell and sell well to get ahead. There’s no overflow traffic to your virtual business after a ballgame (think bar) and no one is going to see a billboard with your businesses’ name on it and stop by the local branch.

Instead you’ve got to get down, get dirty and think grassroots when you start to market and sell your virtual business. There is no infallible recipe for this so I won’t try to spin one – instead it’ll take hours and days and weeks of you brainstorming the right way to sell people on your virtual business without the benefit of foot traffic.

Pros and Cons

On one hand a virtual business gives you ultimate freedom, allows you to scale quickly and has low overhead. On the other hand there’s no foot traffic so you have to really go all out when it comes to sales and advertising, you’ll be working alone for long hours and you have to be able to appreciate the intangible. Is starting a virtual business for you? I have no way of knowing for sure but I’d love to hear your feedback and questions in the comments below.

How to Set Killer Quarterly Goals

Maren Kate — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 22:05:07 +0000

It’s April Fool’s Day! Have you played a mean-spirited joke on someone you love yet? All “jokes” aside, April 1st is an important day for those on the quest to be self made. It’s the first day of the second quarter of the business year and whether you’re a fortune 500 or a scrappy virtual startup it’s vital that you start setting quarterly goals that will encourage you to push the limits and gauge your businesses’ health along the way.

Quarterly Goals

I like to set only 3 overarching quarterly goals, this way it’s not complicated and it forces me to focus on the top 3 things that matter to my businesses’ success and profitability the most. Three goals per quarter roughly breaks down to a goal a month, which many say is the perfect number of big goals to focus on per business – per month. I break my quarterly goals into three segments: a growth goal, a sales goal and a branding goal and have found that this method helps optimize the benefits of setting quarterly goals.

A Growth Goal

I like to set one growth goal per quarter. This is a goal that is quantifiable and easy to explain, ideally your growth goal should be no longer than a sentence long. Below are some good examples of growth goals:

X uniques a month to your website
X visitors to your store
X new members/sign ups
Hiring X employees/contractors
Moving to an X larger space

Notice I use “x” in every possible goal, this is because for goals to be productive they need to be as specific as possible. “I want my business to grow larger” is not a goal – it’s just too wishy washy and hard to define. On the other hand, “I want my business to grow by 10,000 users over the next quarter” is a great goal.

A Sales Goal

Personally sales goals are the most exciting to me, it’s because they define a $$ figure that I can set my eyes on and not stop until it’s reached. There is no gray when it comes to dollars and cents, you either make your sales goal – or you don’t. Sales goals also will force you to think about profitability non-stop over the next quarter, which is essential if you want to build a profitable business. Here’s the formula for a good sales goal:

Over the next quarter I want us to make $X in sales
I want us to average $X a month in sales for the next 3 months

Once you have your sales goal share it with everyone at your company, even if that’s just your dog. I write mine on my notebook, my hand, the white board – anything and everything I see on a daily basis (yes, even sometimes my friends) just so I am constantly reminded of what monetary goal we’re aiming for.

A Branding Goal

Branding goals are some of the funnest (not a word) goals to set for your business. They can range from re-doing your logo to painting and redecorating your office space, but they always represent the way you want the world to feel about your brand. Big companies use branding goals like “be known by 10% of X demographic” but small, lean companies can get more creative and have more fun with it. Below are some examples of what a branding goal could be:

X press mentions
Redesigning our website by changing X, Y and Z
Sending out X brochures/emails for our services over the next 3 months
plastering 10 cabs in the city with our advertisements

Branding goals are the least straight forward of the quarterly goals you’ll set, but they are important none-the-less. Just like art and finance are vastly different but equally important studies, sales/growth goals and branding goals are relatively unrelated in the short term but come together over the long term to create a killer business.

Quarterly Goals: Daily Basis

After you set your 3 overarching goals for the new quarter be sure to reference them often, actually everyday. This will give you and your business the best shot at actually attaining each goal. The repetition can be in the form of a chant you do every day before starting work or can be a daily reminder on your phone. Share them with everyone at your company and don’t be shy about discussing your quarterly goals with friends and family – the more you talk about them and focus on them, the better shot you have at tailoring your every action towards reaching those goals.

I’d love to hear what your quarterly goals are for the coming 3 months, or about what awful April Fools jokes you played on your “loved ones” this year To share comment below…

21 Ways to Build a Profitable Business

Maren Kate — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:10:18 +0000

I know, I know… I’m so cliched with my ideas of profitability. I mean, who wants to build a profitable business while a bubble is brewing in silicon valley? Just raise boat loads of money on convertible notes, then fill the empty pool in the back of your Palo Alto crash pad with it and jump in. Silly profitability…

But, for those of you not so lucky as to raise $41 million dollars pre-launch (or those so lucky, depending on your rationale) there’s always the boring, old idea of building a business focused on profitability from the starting gate and making money that way. Not as sexy, I know, but the feeling of dollar bills earned vs. dollars given with strings has always felt different between my grubby little fingers.

I’m not saying that lots of company’s who have raised money aren’t insanely profitable – I’m just saying that from the get go you must focus on profitability, letting things like funding just be a building block to your lego castle. So, if you’re interested in building a profitable business while you create the next big virtual startup I suggest you take a gander at these 21 tips that will help you reach profitability and stay there.

Build something great, then sell it. One of the most memorable concepts I took from my time at the Founder Institute was something Phil Libin (CEO at Evernote) said to the class. He explained that the best way to create a great business is to simply build something great and then sell it. Simple, but oh so true. This works like a charm unless you don’t think your product is great (which means it’s time to reconsider) or you think it’s great but don’t know how to sell it (meaning it’s time to become an student of salesmanship).
Go Lean. Building a lean startup (or business for that matter) is a good idea and deceptively simple to implement. Going lean can be anything from using a co-working space, to recruiting your kids to pack boxes of product (see: child labor laws first). Eric Reiss explains it the best in his post entitled appropriately enough The Lean Startup and if you really absorb his message it can help you substantially cut back on the money & time it takes to get to profitability.
No free lunch. As we enter the heyday of Facebook and other mega-social-free sites it’s so tempting to build a company that offers everything ‘free’ and think “I’ll figure out the profit model later”. That’s not a bad idea if you’re one of the few Mark Zuckerberg’s out there or have previously cut your teeth as a successful entrepreneur. But, if you’re like most people and this is your first hoorah rationale suggests you build a business with a clear profit model in place before you even hit the ground running. Note: an example of free and very profitable going together would be the guys from FreetheApps.com I recently did an interview with one of the co-founders and he explains how to make 6 figures a month (of profit) from being “free” – check it out here.
Delegate. You only have so many hours in the day and often the majority of them go to tasks that someone else could be handling for you (think: research, webmaster stuff, organization and other misc. tasks). It’s very important as a scrappy entrepreneur who craves profitability to know how much your time is worth and what you need to be delegating. Say you’re time is worth $100 an hour, if you spend 3 hours a day on email, research, booking trips and fighting with Southwest over luggage they destroyed (happened to me at SXSW) you’re losing $300. Better to delegate those tasks to a virtual assistant for $6 an hour. The benefits of delegation are exponential.
Co-work. Shortly I’ll be on the search for a co-working space in San Francisco… for a few a hundred bucks a month I can get a great working environment (plus all black and white prints my little heart desires) versus spending thousands on an office or struggle to remain on task working out of my house. Another VERY cheap alternative to a co-working space is Starbucks, something I’ve used profusely as a place to work from anywhere in the country (or World for that matter). Free wi-fi, dependable hours and service – all for just a few bucks a day.
High margins. If you’re currently starting a business and the profit margins aren’t high enough, up your prices or consider changing your business model. Struggling through life for 5% profit margins just isn’t worth it and when you make more per sale it gives you options you otherwise wouldn’t have down the line.
Charge more. This concept goes hand in hand with the one above. I always tell my coaching clients if in doubt, charge more. When you have a great service/product you’ll find people who will pay more for it and you’ll earn more = increased profitability. People often charge less when starting out, mistakenly thinking that will rocket their success… simply untrue. Remember my loves, the road to business failure is paved by cheap intentions.
If you’re a nerd find a business geek. Are you a nerd? Does the opposite sex take cover when you enter a room? Do you wear t-shirts that have funny bits of code on them? Do you use the term ROFLcopter in day to day conversation. If so – there’s no harm in it. When you hit it big gals (or guys) will be throwing themselves at you and your awful fashion sense. But you do need to be realistic and find someone who has business savvy to join your team, remember you don’t make sales doing 24-hour hackathons. But while you’re nerding out to Led Zeppelin with 10 other sweaty dudes you’re business person will be out hitting the streets making sales and valuable connections.
If you’re a business geek find a nerd. Are you a business person? Do you hit up networking events like desperate folks frequent singles bars? Do you think Ruby on Rails is the name of a child’s train cartoon or a sexy drink they serve at your favorite trendy dive? If so, never fear, you may not grasp the finer art of programming but you can seal the deal and manage a team. But, don’t scoff at nerds when you see them eyes glued to their computers often forgetting to shower for days at a time. Just because you smell like you bathed in a lake of Old Spice doesn’t mean you don’t desperately need a strong nerd to head up the dev part of your startup. No matter how un-techy your business is at one point in time you’ll need a nerd – so build those relationships now lest when you’re nerdy counterparts become rich and famous they scorn you … you and your Old Spice smelling, hair gel rocking self.
Talk to successful people. Go to lunch with successful entrepreneurs and pick their brains. This may seem daunting but it’s pretty easy to find friendly folks on Twitter who have actually been there and done that. Many of them will be willing to give you short bursts of knowledge or even sit down for a meal with you (your treat). Take every advantage of listening to smart, successful people in your space and make mental notes of the nuggets of gold they drop on you.
Minimize debt, maximize benefits. Going into debt is never good, but when you’re starting up sometimes it’s hard to avoid. So whether you’re taking on a little capital or maxing out your credit card – aim for the best deals/rates available and you may at least get an airplane ticket out of the deal (or dinner on your investor’s tab). But seriously, be savvy when using credit and keep your debt to a minimum – then when you’re ready to shovel yourself out start reading this guy’s blog.
Become a salesman. Every founder of a profitable business absolutely must know how to sell. It’s not easy either, it took me a lot of reading and watching great salesman to even begin to scratch the surface of salesmanship – but it’s essential and I’m working on it. That’s the number one advice I give to newbie entrepreneurs, before you learn to build, before you set a path, learn to sell.
Pivot often. As this post goes to “press” my company is currently in the midst of a major pivot. We’re absorbing Virtual Zeta into Zirtual.com and expanding our vision – we’re going for the gold baby! But, pivoting isn’t easy and it’s scary as hell. Still, it’s important to be ready to change plans, re-evaluate your startup’s vision and adjust course towards the best possible outcome. Those who can’t change usually sink.
Track everything. It’s very boring and important to track everything as you build a profitable business. This can be simple things like where you’re traffic is coming from (try GetClicky) or complex things like customer retention rates. Track your finances, your page views, your search engine rankings and even your employee’s happiness levels to truly stay at the top of your game… only that which is quantified can be qualified (nerd speak!)
Be a hire turtle and a fire hare. Note: hare as in bunny – not head of. Being a hire turtle means you’re incredibly sloooooow to hire someone unless they’re absolutely mandatory. This is a great trait for a new business since it makes the founder’s work each role themselves before they hire someone on to help out. If you know the role you need to fill backwards and forwards chances are you’ll find the best person for the job the first time and won’t have an issue explaining the position (then gauging performance) of the new hire. A fire hare is someone who realizes an employee isn’t working out and moves fast. It’s not a fun animal to be but it’s essential when running a lean and efficient startup.
Be ridiculously frugal. Clip coupons (virtually of course), live on the cheap (in the beginning) and save where you can. The idea of being frugal during your startup stage should be obvious but people often forget it as soon as they have their first taste of success, I think it’s important to stay as frugal as possible for as long as you can – there’s always time for Dom and Caviar later on!
Focus on scale. Before starting Virtual Zeta I ran a social marketing consultancy, before that I had a jewelry business where I sold on eBay. The reason I canned those ideas and began anew was because there wasn’t a way to scale either successfully (and scale, to me, is one of the most important parts of a running a profitable business). So look at your business model and see if scalability is a simple process, or if it will take reworking the entire operation. An easy way to do this is to ask yourself and your team the question “can we sell 1000 units of X with the same precision and efficiency as we sell 10″, if the answer is no it’s back to the drawing board for you.
Have a solid profitability plan. A profitability plan sounds daunting, but it’s actually rather simple. All you need is one sheet of paper and a pen. Write out what you sell and what you charge, jot down what it takes to make X and how much of Y you’ll get back from selling it. A strong, profitable business should have a relatively simple profit plan at first (you can always go more complex later) that looks something like: sell bananas for $1 each, each banana costs 1o cents wholesale, our banana business overhead is 20 cents per unit sold = 70 cents in profit per banana. Darn, that’s a mighty profitable banana business.
Eat, sleep and breath your balance sheets. In building a profitable business isn’t essential you know the ins and outs of your finances. That means not letting a penny slip out or in without you knowing where it comes from and where it should be headed. This is the boring part of business (at least to me) but the consequences of not having “your money on your mind” are dyer. If you don’t believe me ask Trip Hawkins.
Don’t scrimp on legal/taxes. This point is pretty self explanatory. GET A LAWYER, GET AN ACCOUNTANT… it’ll help you sleep better (when you’re not up at night crying about how much they charge you).
Keep the bottom line on your mind. Whether your at the grocery store, or in the middle of a business meeting, it’s important to always be cogitating on your startup’s bottom line. Sometimes great ideas will hit you at a moment’s notice that could save or make you $$$, but often it’s just being the constant state of profit focus that will help guide your business to ultimate profitability. It’s like chess, the more you think about the possible moves you could make to win, the better chance you’ll have to destroy your opponent and walk away the champion when you sit down to the real game.

Again, this is my humble opinion on building a profitable business - something I’m in the midst of doing right now. A year from now I’ll probably have lots of additional information to add and things to adjust, but for now that’s all she wrote. If you have additional tips on building a profitable business I’d love to hear them in the comments below! Or you can send them to me on Twitter.