Jeroen van der Most is the creator of the ‘Mini Master‘ tile. Mini Masters are art inspired tiles with QR codes. Every time a QR code is scanned a new funny or inspiring quote is displayed. The current quote database contains thousands of quotes, which are added by users. Tiles are on display on www.mini-masters.com. They’re used for decoration and entertainment in restaurants and offices. But most frequently bought as gifts by private persons.

Jeroen mainly works on art- and new concept development projects that cross the boundaries of art and technology and off- and online. As an artist he got a lot of attention for his Twitter paintings, shown on www.jeroenvandermost.com, which are displayed in several art galleries and musea worldwide. In his projects Jeroen uses skills from a background in graphic design, programming and online marketing.

What are you working on right now?

We’re in a process of designing some new Mini Master tiles.

Where did the idea for the Mini Master tiles come from?

Actually it’s partly based on an old Dutch tradition in which people put tiles in their toilets displaying common sayings.

What does your typical day look like?

2 hours of e-mail, 2 hours of promotional activities, 4 hours of creating new stuff and 2 hours of solving sh.. eh problems.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Just start developing, you’ll think of new things to make it more perfect along the way.

What’s one trend that really excites you?

I’m still quite excited about human – computer interactions technologies like eye-tracking or Xbox’s Kinect. Although I’m disappointed about they’re development and adoption speed.

What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?

Probably packing stuff on an assembly line. I learnt from it that I didn’t like it.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?

Although the Internet wasn’t there yet, I’d probably start building websites at the age of 6.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Always evaluate how things could be better. Which could mean quitting and starting something new.

What is one problem you encountered as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Hiring people can cost a lot of people. Some effort might enable you to do it on your own.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

There’s a lot of room for new websites using crawling techniques in combination with smart text interpretation technology. E-mail me if you like to discuss it.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and how would you go about it?

I’d drop all import and export trade boundaries and give every entrepreneur in the wold a fair chance of competing on a global market. Next to that, I’d prohibit the use of automatic coffee machines.

Tell us a secret.

Jeroen is my real name, the spelling is correct, it’s Dutch.

What are your three favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?

Google analytics -  just my most used tool
Stackoverflow.com -  solves every programming issue
Twitter - still one of my most used tools

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

It’s a new book with some of my comics. I’ll keep you posted about its publication date.

Three people we should follow on Twitter and why?

@abduzeedo: great design inspiration
@designtaxi: more inspiration
@kevinmacdonell: about number cracking in the non-profit industry, a hobby

When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?

It must have been last weekend while going out, I can’t seem to remember why.

Who is your hero?

Probably Pierre van Hooijdonk, winning the European football UEFA cup a decade ago, basically on his own with the rest of the team watching.

Any new ideas coming up?

I’ll be launching a new type of paintings on short notice. The concept is new, the material is new. It will generate quite some online buzz.

Any holiday plans?

Going to Ibiza soon, looking forward to it!

Connect:

Mini Master Website: http://www.mini-masters.com/
Jeroen van der Most’s Website: www.jeroenvandermost.com
Jeroen van der Most on Twitter: @jeroenvdmost

Audrey Melnik is founder and developer of WotWentWrong, a new online venture offering closure and answers for relationships past – and a blueprint for future dating success – directly from one’s former partners.

Passionate about the intersection of internet technology and business, Melnik has successfully developed and enhanced the online businesses for both corporate and government clients in the U.S. and Australia, including Pfizer, Yellow Pages and GE Money. In 2006 she was instrumental in helping Australian career-building website LinkMe evolve from startup to $10 million valuation in six months.

Melnik previously lived in New York City, where she was a part of the Sex and the City dating lifestyle and its occasional dysfunction, as well as New York’s thriving tech community. She credits the city with her inspiration for WotWentWrong, realizing the web could coax former dating partners into spilling their secrets in a way people could not. She hopes the web app will help people from both sides of a relationship learn and grow.

Melnik received a Bachelor of Business Systems on scholarship from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, where she currently resides.

What are you working on right now?

I launched a startup last January. WotWentWrong is the “breakup app for couples who never broke up.” It’s a free website for anyone to request feedback from a dating partner who “just vanished.” Daters get closure and invaluable pointers from their former partners, allowing them to move on while improving chances for success in future relationships.

Specifically, I’m working pretty intensely at the moment preparing significant new social functionalities for the next version of WotWentWrong. These are expected to debut later this year.

Where did the idea for WotWentWrong come from?

I think everyone has, at one time or another, experienced a situation where they thought things went well on a date, only to never hear from the person again. It’s happened to me, and it’s happened to my friends.

There was definitely someone in my life who helped ‘inspire’ me to create WotWentWrong. A few years ago I had a first-date with someone, who I’d actually known for a number of years. He contacted me through Facebook a few months after ending a long-term relationship. We had a great first date – drinks, dinner, and he invited me up to his place for a goodnight kiss. He initiated all of it. Then…he vanished. No follow-up call, no more communication from him, nothing.

It didn’t make sense to me – why would he invite me up to his place if he wasn’t interested? I really wanted to know the reason, but there was just no socially acceptable way for me to find out. I couldn’t call – unless I wanted a reputation as a stalker, and an email could have gotten forwarded to his friends and turned me into a joke. So, I wound up creating my own way to get this kind of information in these unfortunate situations.

What does your typical day look like?

A lot of the people I deal with are in various different time zones. I’m currently based in Melbourne, Australia which means I spend my mornings talking to people in the US and my afternoons and early evening talking with my team members, who are based in Israel. I do have a couple others working with me who are closer to my time zone, so I’ll usually catch up with them midday.

During breakfast, I check my email so I can see if I need to respond quickly to anything that’s occurred overnight. During my morning walk I’ll listen to several podcasts – usually related to tech, startups or dating & relationships. The rest of my day is pretty non-standard – it can include anything from business development activities to creating or reviewing content for the blog and social media, working on the details of the next feature for WotWentWrong, or talking to current WotWentWrong customers to get their feedback.

I also do a lot of traveling – In the last year I spent four months in Tel Aviv, visited the Philippines for work, traveled to Austin for the SXSW Interactive conference in March and spent time networking in San Francisco.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Once I have a concept for what I want to build, I present it to my developers who are then very honest about what they like and dislike about it. We will then work together to improve the concept from its original inception, going back and forth until we are satisfied with it. The next stage is the mockup stage where we elaborate on the concept further to how it will look to the user. This involves several iterations as well. After that, my graphic designer will produce designs based on the mockups, and she will provide her input to improve upon the design further.

Then my developers begin implementing. I’m still very involved in this process, making decisions on details and giving direction to my developers that will ensure what we build is robust and extensible. I know I’m a lot more prescriptive and demanding than most of the people that my developers have worked with in the past, but my experience and direction shows through in the quality of the end product. Once the developers complete it, then we conduct testing and try to break it, so we can iron out any of the defects in the code. Once we are satisfied, we release the functionality to a small group of people to test it further. After that we’re ready to release it to the public!

What’s one trend that really excites you?

I think personalization is a huge trend and has a long way to go. Technology has progressed to a point where the potential for personalization in products and services is not only possible but inevitable as a way to improve the quality of our lives. I’m inspired by the School of One and what it is trying to achieve in the personalization space to improve the education industry – it’s due for a major disruption.

What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?

I don’t think I’ve ever had a job that I can define as my worst job. With every job there are positives and negatives. I’ve had some jobs where I haven’t felt like it’s all that interesting and that there wasn’t much opportunity for me to learn. But in those roles I made sure that there was always something that I could take from the experience and I also manufacture different opportunities to learn and grow, whether it was by learning a new tool or by setting goals for myself to achieve things within a certain time period, improving my efficiency in a task.

Throughout my career I’ve always been very conscious of ensuring that my skills are marketable, because marketability gives me options for how to navigate my career. I know that if for some (crazy) reason this company doesn’t take off, I have some very marketable skills that I can fall back on to find work in the future.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?

That’s one of the gifts of being an entrepreneur – you’re constantly starting new projects, or taking them in new directions. For me, it’s less about wanting to go back and do something differently – and more about applying everything I’m learning to whatever’s coming next.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Try new things. Experience can help us hone skills and increase efficiencies, but the flip side is we rely on routines or develop habits that limit us. I’m not afraid to try something new – and step outside my own comfort zone. Whether it’s a new web tool meant to boost productivity, the next social network promised to be awesome, a networking conference recommended by a friend, or a physical activity you haven’t tried yet – how do you really know what it can do for you without trying it?

What is one problem you encountered as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

One problem I’ve experienced so far has been finding the right creative people to work with me. WotWentWrong’s design is actually the third iteration (from as many designers). I didn’t feel the previous designs hit the mark. And I knew it was important to get the design right. When you have a new website, you can have the most fantastic functionality in the world, but if it doesn’t look good, people won’t want to use it.

I had a similar challenge with the introductory video we created. The first animator didn’t have the right aesthetic, and I had to start from scratch with a second animator. I actually found someone fantastic by posting an ad on the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology’s site. I ended up employing a recent graduate from their animation course.

I learned that sometimes you have to come to terms with the fact that you made a wrong hire, the money you invested in them is a sunk cost and you need to spend that money all over again (and maybe more) to get the result you want.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I think the Big Data trend is only just beginning. If I were to start a new business right now outside of WotWentWrong, I would build something that would serve the Big Data market in some way.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and how would you go about it?

I could give the beauty contestant answer here and say world peace, but I’ll try something a little closer to home. One thing that really irks me is that the medical profession refuses to acknowledge the value of their patients’ time. I have been kept waiting in waiting rooms from anywhere between half an hour and 4 hours, and it baffles me that this is still considered acceptable! And this happens across the board to doctors of all specialties! Many of them are not performing life-saving functions. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve considered sending them a bill for my lost hours! Perhaps we should start a class action law suit…

What are your three favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?

Asana is a new project management tool I’ve begun using with all my WotWentWrong collaborators. More than just keeping me organized, it keeps my projects moving forward.

I listen to podcasts in the startup and dating industries while I exercise – Stitcher Radio is an iPhone app that makes this very easy – no syncing with my PC required.

And of course, I can’t live without Google Analytics. Data is oxygen.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Startup Nation – A book about how the tiny country of Israel, surrounded by enemies has produced more startup companies than many large stable nations. It explains how the culture of Israel has had a big hand in that success. I believe for startups especially, but not exclusively, the culture and attitudes of the people you work with is crucial to your success. We need to move away from companies that have strong hierarchies where it is a crime to question your boss and move towards companies where everyone feels comfortable speaking up and presenting their point of view, even if it differs from that of their superiors.

When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?

When I saw this website – misstravel.com: one step away from mail order brides.

Who is your hero?

Bethenny Frankel – I’m inspired by her success and the perseverance she has demonstrated to get to where she is now. Even now, she doesn’t take her success for granted and remains grounded. She’s also managed to have a baby in the middle of it and has grown her business dramatically at the same time – a true multi-tasker. And she has the courage to do it all in front of the camera – warts and all – on her Bravo TV show.

What made you decide to start your own web business?

My background is in IT Consulting. As a consultant you have a core set of skills, but you are often presented with new roles and challenges where you may not have direct experience in that role before. So I’m used to being thrown in at the deep end and figuring out how to succeed in that role along the way – I think that’s a key trait for any startup CEO.

A few years back, I helped one client go from an idea on two pieces of paper to a web business that was launched and quickly valued at $10 million before the end of its first year. Whenever I was asked what my ideal job was, I would think of that project – I realized working with startups is what I really enjoy. I love to create something from nothing.

So when I came up with the idea for WotWentWrong, the cost of software development was significantly less than it had been in previous years, so I thought if there was ever going to be a time for me to take the plunge, it was then. In a way I was lucky, because I had already left the safety of a permanent job many years ago in favor of my own IT consulting business and I was accustomed to working for myself. It wasn’t as scary to stop working – and forego the guaranteed salary that comes along with it – in order to dedicate myself to launching WotWentWrong.

Connect:

Audrey Melnik on LinkedIn: http://au.linkedin.com/in/audreymelnik.

Eman Talei immigrated with his family to the US at the age of 10 and was the first to attend a university in his extended family. Growing up, he dreamed of becoming a pediatrician with the thoughts of helping the children around the world. After attending UCLA, where he studied Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, he soon realized his passion for business when he landed his first non-science related job as an Executive Recruiter with an industry leader. He would soon discover his savvy business development and management abilities and the lack of love for large corporation structures and ventured off to become the youngest recruiting franchise owner of a major company in the recruiting industry. With the success of his recruiting firm, he started o several other businesses which eventually led him to what he is doing today.

Having been part of several small business startups, Eman Talei experienced first hand the pain that each business owner endures in the upbringing of a small business. With all that he has learned from past experiences and with the realization that the backbone of the US economy is truly the small businesses, he pledged to both himself and his fellow business owners that he would make a positive impact in the realm of small business ownership. His pledge to help businesses and drive for success gave rise to Jeebster.com.

What are you working on right now?

Aside from my first priority in raising a family, I am working on Jeebster.com, an organization solely dedicated to assisting local, independently-owned businesses in acquiring new customers and building a repeat business model that rewards customer loyalty and encourages repeat shopping.

Jeebster provides an innovative way to attract and retain customers for local small businesses. Through our online tools, merchants communicate business information, announcements, upcoming events, discounts and special offers to their Jeebster followers. Our goal is to provide our merchants with key customer introduction, loyalty, and retention strategies that increase sales. Our model is unique in that we want our merchants to have an ongoing versus deal-based relationship with customers. This way, our merchants can continue to grow their business while consumers remain loyal to their favorite local businesses.

Where did the idea for Jeebster.com come from?

Jeebster is the accidental outcome of having had a bad experience in working with a major Daily Deal site and the prodigy of two failed family-owned retail businesses. After that experience, I realized how expensive it is to acquire new customers, and even more so expensive and difficult in bringing those customers back. We spent so much money and time on having the daily site deliver over 400 customers, yet we had about 2-3 that actually returned-and it wasn’t because of bad service or product(Yelp rating of 4.5 stars). I realized then that there was something wrong with the daily deal formula and model for small business owners.

What does your typical day look like?

I get up around 6:45 every morning, first get the kids up and running by tickling them until they wake up and then take my son to school. Our office happens to be just a mile away from my home, you know, typical nice LA-Style commute! At the office, my focus has changed most recently as I tend to be more involved with improving our business model, networking and marketing strategies. Before, it was all sell…sell..sell… but now, I’ve learned from my mistakes of the last 6 months of selling door-to-door. Now, I am discovering ways to make our business development process more efficient by forming channel partnerships. When you got a family, the day can’t stretch out too far beyond 6 PM. That’s when I get home and start my second job of taking care of them and attending to my other true passion, food and cooking. I read somewhere that you can’t mix family and business but I disagree with that, because once the kids are in bed, the 2nd half of my working day begins as I work throughout the night.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I dream about my idea, then it comes to life! I have a wild imagination-in a good way – and most ideas, food recipes or things I write about have all been part of a dream at night or as I day dream. People always talk about their big dream but every dream starts out small and then grows over time. And that’s how it works for me, one piece at a time; An idea of mine may have been part of a dream several years ago and somehow, someway, it comes back to me again years later and I pick up exactly where I left off and complete the dream and my idea. How it actually comes to life is by extensive research, networking and absolute dedication to my dream of making it real.

What’s one trend that really excites you?

Is it safe to say “Technology.” It’s not really trendy because it’s been around for so long but given the speed of how it evolves, it should be considered a trend today and gone by tomorrow. I was never into technology prior to about 5 years ago, until I discovered how technology influences everything in our lives.

What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?

There shouldn’t be such thing as “the worst job.” I consider the worst jobs to be the greatest learning experiences where I pick up at least one good skill or two. But if I had to pick one just to satisfy the reader here, I would have to say my experience working as a Pharmacy clerk, right after I graduated from UCLA. First of all, you can never sit as a clerk or a pharmacist. Secondly, it was horrifically routine work. I was there for 6 months and the best thing I learned from it was that I didn’t want to become a pharmacist. On the last day of that job, I came home and threw away about 20 completed Pharmacy school applications!

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?

As it relates to my personal life, I probably say that I would have liked to gone to graduate school and major in business. I think the education would have helped jump-start things a bit more quickly in my previous ventures. As it relates to Jeebster.com, I would have liked to have a more comprehensive marketing plan and a more cost-effective method of business development.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Meet with as many people as possible within and outside of your industry. I can’t stress enough on this point and the importance of talking to people to simply explore opportunities. Amazing things that you least expect can transpire when you meet others. Don’t underestimate anyone’s potential and don’t dismiss the opportunity that may come about with a person’s thought process, network and abilities.

What is one problem you encountered as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Balancing family life with business. Overcoming this problem was extremely difficult until I made it easy for myself; I considered what is priority, family, and everything else was scheduled around it. You would be amazed of how one can keep family time on top of the list but then come up with some crazy hours to make up for the lost time in business. As I mentioned earlier, the second part of my day begins when kids are asleep and well through the night.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Help charities with collecting their monies through available technology versus those cans or piggy banks they leave at retail stores or, by using the door to door collection model. I came across this idea when I safeguarded two cans full of money from a children’s charity for over a year before I had to personally hand-deliver the can to the organization which happens to be far away. Actually, I think I still have one of them at home since I am still filling it up myself!

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and how would you go about it?

I have vivid and terrifying childhood memories of the days and nights I lived through a war for a few years. I still don’t get the concept of guns and bombs used against other human beings, simply over a disagreement. I would love to start a movement to work with governments and leaders to disarm every country. Instead I would promote peace through the process of educating families about core values and mediation through capable leaders to overcome disputes.

Tell us a secret.

Sometimes I think I am crazy; I wake up in the middle of the night and write poetry. No further details…

What are your three favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?

Google Personal and Business Tools: I am convinced that Google will take over the world. They keep coming up with everything that a business could possibly need.

LinkedIn. I’ve been part of the network for many years but never paid so much attention to it as much as I have in the past 6 months. It’s a tremendous source of referrals and networking opportunities. I also love reading the industry-specific articles every single night before I go to bed, hence, why I can’t sleep with all the ideas going through my head.

The other tool…Did I mention Google?

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

The Professional Chef! Sorry, my passion is food and cooking and my attention span is extremely short, limited to reading an article on LinkedIn Mobile App, Forbes, or a good recipe.

Three people we should follow on Twitter and why?

I don’t do Twitter other than for marketing and promoting Jeebster, but if I had to recommend a few to readers here they would be:

@jeebsterusa, because good things are about to happen for Jeebster.com

@NoReservations, Anothony Bourdain, but of course related to Food! He is an amazing writer and his show is all about food and travel.

@BarackObama, not because of my political views but because he inspired non-voters to vote and non-believers to believe.

When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?

This morning when I took my son to his soccer game and for the first time decided to record his game on my camcorder until half-way through the game, I realized I hadn’t pushed the REC button!

Who is your hero?

My family by far. A hero is someone you want to be like, learn from and be inspired by. I want to be as dedicated as my wife, as she is to everything in her life. I want to learn how to stay driven like my mother who even at this age (for the record, she claims to be 28!) continues to push forward and is a true entrepreneur all to herself. And, I am inspired by my kids who encourage me to make Jeebster a household brand so that I could finance their higher education and perhaps in the future help other children around globe in need of a basic education.

How do you measure success?

By the number of lessons learned from the times I’ve failed and managed not to make the same mistakes over again.

What does Jeebster mean?

Jeebster is one of many nicknames of my son, Cyrus(no connection or logic). Jeebster.com’s co-founder Gary Gillman and his family unanimously loved the name off of a long list I presented to them. We chose the name because we thought it was catchy and simply because we just couldn’t come up with a name that wasn’t already taken or one that we could agree on.

Connect:

Jeebster’s Website: Jeebster.com
Jeebster on Facebook: facebook.com/JeebsterUSA
Jeebsteron Twitter: @JeebsterUSA
Jeebster LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/jeebster-com
Jeebster Blog: http://jeebster.tumblr.com/
Eman Talei on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/emantalei

Lucille Zimmerman is a counselor, professor, author, and blogger. Two events changed her life: the Columbine High School shooting in her hometown of Littleton, Colorado, and visiting firefighters and police officers with the Billy Graham Prayer Center at Ground Zero shortly after the 9/11 attacks. She was a stay-at-home mom but had a passion for people who are suffering, especially those experiencing trauma. She went back to graduate school and started a private practice.

What are you working on right now?

When I went back to school, I immersed myself in my studies and reflected a lot on my own trauma history. Between school and the emotional work, I was on the fast track to burnout. My mentors told me to slow down and do self-care. They might as well have been speaking a foreign language because I had no idea what self-care was. Eventually, I learned what would bring joy, peace, and balance to my life.

Where did the idea for Self Care come from?

In my work with clients, I noticed they too struggled to nurture their physical, emotional, and spiritual selves. When I asked how they cared for themselves, they looked at me in the same crazy way I had looked at my mentors.

Whenever I posted something on my Facebook page about the topic of self-care, I got lots of comments. Comments ranged from, “Gee, I wish I had your life” to “You are such a good role model.” In the secular market, the topic of self-care has saturated the bookshelves—the secular world understands the need for self care, and may have even taken it to excess, yet I found very few books which spoke to the Christian audience.

Christian women yearn to give themselves permission to step off the treadmill, to take time to do the things that give them passion, and to nurture themselves. But many Christian women feel guilty doing anything that might look selfish and self-indulgent. My book provides clinical research, story, and encouragement for women to put themselves on the list.

What does your typical day look like?

I wake up around 5 or 6 a.m. and brew some coffee. I sit at my kitchen table, watch the sun rise, and do my Bible-in-a-Year reading from my iPad. Then I head upstairs to my office computer and do a bit of social media. I skim about 50 blogs on my reader and breeze through Facebook and Twitter. I’m also co-administrator for my literary agent’s writing blog, The WordServe Water Cooler. Next, I go out for a run – really it’s a drag – with my son’s dog. A few times a week I do a yoga class. I frequently write some blog posts or go see clients. Each day is different. Currently, I’m doing book edits and teaching an online Psychology course for Colorado Christian University. Throughout the week, I meet friends for lunch or coffee, and attend clinical supervision, training, or seminars. I’m constantly trying to learn and grow.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I typically have about 20 books in my reading stack at all times, working my way through them simultaneously. I befriend a wide variety of people on social media, and I listen to podcasts. Whenever a good idea flies by, I try it. I don’t over think it or wait for perfection. Life is too short.

What’s one trend that really excites you?

You featured a smart gal named Jenny Blake. She mentioned an online learning platform called Ruzuku.

I immediately created a course using my book research, but I could be much more creative in the online course.

I added YouTube clips, online sources, etc. The folks at Ruzuku were so helpful and encouraging. Online courses are a way for creative people to offer their expertise to anyone all over the world. Plus, they are a great way to bring in revenue.

What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?

I had two jobs where I had no personal power or voice. At the first job, I worked a night shift at a hospital. The security officer would make phone calls to his wife, degrading her and me in the process. He was responsible for walking me to my car late at night. He tried to kiss me and I was too afraid to tell anyone. I had another job where my supervisor would blow cigarette smoke right into my eyes when I was pregnant. When I would tear up, he would berate me and tell me I had a low tolerance for abuse.

I was meek and insecure. I’m nothing like that now. I have found self-confidence, peace, and my own power. There are people like me who are experiencing situations like what I’ve described. My passion is to help clients find healing, confidence, and power.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?

I don’t think I would do anything differently. My journey and my own suffering have carved out a wide space in my heart that enables me to empathize and help others.

“There are places in the heart that do not yet exist; suffering has to enter in for them to come to be.” – Leon Bloy

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Don’t be afraid to ask people for help. I believe everyone wants to help someone else. They don’t always have the time, energy, or means to do so, but many times they do. No one becomes successful by herself. I feel guilty putting my name on my book because so many people have supported and helped me make it a reality. I have a motto: “Strong people ask for help.” One person who has helped me over and over is Kelly Diekmann at KDesign.

What is one problem you encountered as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

When I first started trying to write a book I sat in my basement and plucked out words. This was not good; very little gets achieved in isolation. I needed to expand my support. Eventually I found a writers group, critique partners, and an entire network of people online that share in my sorrows, failures, and achievements. I’m finding out more and more the importance of vulnerability, imperfection, and saying, “I don’t know how…”

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Here’s a suggestion for writers: If you want to write a book, get started on the right foot. I recommend reading blogs for writers such as Rachelle Gardner’s or WordServe Water Cooler. Also, learn the right way to submit a query and a proposal to a literary agent. (Agents can spot a newbie in an instant!) Michael Hyatt and Mary DeMuth both have excellent sample templates that will help you do it well.

And here’s a tip for speakers: I have been to several speaker conferences, but the very best is SCORRE (used to be Dynamic Speaker Workshop), headed up by internationally known speaker and comedian, Ken Davis, and Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, Michael Hyatt. The conference is small, extremely professional, and it offers superb accommodations and the chance to network with some amazing people. The conference in Vail, Colorado, will fill up quickly.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and how would you go about it?

I would tell more people to find their passion. If more people focused on their strengths, they would lose themselves in the state of “flow.”

Research shows that the happiest people aren’t lying on a beach somewhere. Instead, they are happiest when they are caught up in something challenging, using their gifts. Even if you can’t give up your day job, find an activity that absorbs you. Make time for flow.

Tell us a secret.

Every year I tell people I’m running the Bolder Boulder 10K but the last few years, instead of running, I walked it. I also ate bacon and donuts that were offered to me along the course route.

What are your three favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?

- Ruzuku.com (mentioned above) for easy creation of online courses. Miriam and the gang will help you.

- When I Google something, I type in the words “site: edu” after it. That helps me get to the most helpful material, bypassing all the wacky people who are just paying to get to the top of the search heap. So it looks like this in my browser: stress site: edu

- iPiccy is a new photo editing site. It lets you make collages and other fun creations.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

I loved Mary Pipher’s book, Seeking Peace. Her book about adolescent girls, Reviving Ophelia, spent months on the New York Times Best Seller list. She is a compassionate therapist and professor, yet she had never learned to put herself on the list. She was speaking and traveling and finally came to a place of spiritual and emotional bottom. Then she learned what it meant to care for herself in all the ways she cared for others. Each of us can benefit from her wisdom. Her son, Zeke is a pretty good writer himself.

Three people we should follow on Twitter and why?

@IanCron – Ian Morgan Cron. He’s an author, storyteller, and retreat guide. He makes me think and points me closer to God.

@shaunaniequist – Shauna Niequist. She is a Christian leader, author, and speaker. She is candid and funny.

@michaelhyatt – Michael Hyatt. He is Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, a business guru, a blogger, and speaker.

When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?

About an hour ago. My hair is getting too long to hold a style simply by blow-drying. While I was working on this questionnaire, I stuck lime green Velcro curlers in my hair. I left them in too long and burst out laughing at the hairdo reflected back at me from my mirror.

Who is your hero?

I have many. You can see them on my Pinterest page.

What advice do you have for busy professionals?

Take time for a mini vacation every day. No, I’m not talking about a trip to Aspen. But do take time for small acts of kindness towards yourself throughout the day. Perhaps you can take a walk around the lake during your lunch break. Nature and exercise help with inspiration. Or pick up your favorite snack and sit in your car with some good music. Or treat yourself to a massage or pedicure. Learn to say no, stop people pleasing, quit multitasking and be mindful, savor beauty, notice the mysterious world watch “murmation” video below, and make time for solitude. Studies show that happiest people don’t try to do it all. They focus on their area of strength and make time for their passions.

How to be alone video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7X7sZzSXYs

Murmation: http://vimeo.com/31158841

What song is stuck in your head?

Thanks to author Shauna Niequist, the song “Some Nights,” by Fun.

Connect:

Lucille Zimmerman’s Website: http://www.lucillezimmerman.com
Lucille Zimmerman’s Blog: http://www.lucillezimmerman.com/category/blog
Lucille Zimmerman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/LucilleZ