“There were two constants for me growing up: my dislike for school and my curiosity for business,” Jeff wrote in an article on Inc.com. “I was more interested in learning about entrepreneurs who noticed market opportunities and turned them into innovative companies.”

By 21, while most kids his age were celebrating hitting the legal drinking age, Jeff was celebrating his first investor funding.

Although KODA eventually shut its doors, instead of throwing in the towel, Jeff saw a new opportunity to use his passion and entrepreneurial skills as President of Digital Media at Universum Group. And the same lessons he learned running a recruiting startup served him well as the new CEO of employment site Doostang, which Universum acquired.

“I’ve been passionate about the recruiting industry since college,” Jeff told M.O.

Well before his 30th birthday, Jeff has already gone from college student, to entrepreneur, to CEO of a fast-growing company. It’s a path that takes most professionals years, if not decades, to travel.

“Turning an idea into a successful company is a tremendous challenge that needs both a little luck and great execution,” Jeff said on Inc.com.

Doostang, now a top employment resource for more than a million elite professionals, has continued to grow under Jeff’s leadership. Today, 25 percent of the site’s user base comes from the top 30 universities in the country. So it’s not surprising Jeff is also a thought leader in the career and employment space.

“The process of finding a job online is broken,” Jeff told M.O. “I’m excited about building Doostang into the premier employment network for young professionals seeking career advancement in major markets.”

This Tuesday at 3 PM Eastern is your chance to talk to Jeff about following your passion, finding the right position, and walking an unconventional career path during an hour-long #StartupLab live chat, presented by Citi. Don’t forget to bring a few questions to ask Jeff, live!

Click here to RSVP>>

Question by: Ashley

Be the Customer

"The best way to get first-hand customer feedback is to step into the shoes of the customer. Even if you're selling a product of which you're not typically a user (e.g., a man selling women's handbags), you'll learn a ton from mimicking the steps that a typical customer would take in learning about and buying your product. Sometimes, the most important insights are the most subtle ones."

- Michael Tolkin | CEO, Merchant Exchange

There's a Widget for That

"Having a simple way for people to contact you and give their feedback about your product or service is key. I recommend KissInsights and/or Get Satisfaction to accomplish this task. KissInsights gives you real-time feedback on what customers are thinking when they view your product offering, and Get Satisfaction makes it easy for people to vote on which ideas that they like from your community."

- Lawrence Watkins | Founder & CEO, Great Black Speakers

Leave the Office for Once!

"You can learn a hundred times more from a handful of potential customers you meet in person to talk about your product as you can from hundreds of them taking a survey. The crux of the lean startup movement is the concept of "getting outside the building" and that's because that's where the harsh realities of making your startup a success lay. It's scary, but you won't be disappointed. Get out there!"

- Jason Evanish | co-founder, Greenhorn Connect

Follow @Evanish

Penny for Your Thoughts?

"People are busy and, let's be honest, every business wants more feedback from customers. This combination creates a challenge. But instead of offering a one-sided, expensive but attractive reward, try offering a win-win such as a generous coupon for a future purchase with you. This way you increase the rate of feedback and encourage more sales in the future."

- Kent Healy | Founder and CEO, The Uncommon Life

Follow @Kent_Healy

Each Customer Is Unique

"All customers don't use your product in the same way. We send custom messages to customers based on actions they've taken within our product. For instance, if a user signs into the product using our Android app, we ask them for feedback on the specifically on the app. Tools like Intercom make this process easy."

- Bhavin Parikh | CEO, Magoosh Test Prep

Integrate Into Your Customer Service Model

"A simple and economically feasible option is to bargain with users that email your business. For instance, if somebody emails with questions and concerns, attend to their needs ASAP, effectively answering their questions and fulfilling their desires. In return for your great and speedy response, take advantage of the situation and request back to the user if they could share their opinion."

- George Mavromaras | Founder and President, Mavro Inc. | Praetor Global LLC.

Pick Up the Phone

"Directly speaking to the early adopters of new products and services is, hands down. the best way to get feedback and improve the offer. If an in-person conversation is not feasible, then a Skype chat or simple phone call will relay much richer information than survey form or an email alone."

- Kelly Azevedo | Founder, She's Got Systems

Send an Old-Fashioned Survey

"Any time I have a new product or idea for a product I send a survey out to my email list. The responses I get are always surprisingly insightful, and incredibly useful for tweaking my offering. You can use a service like SurveyMonkey, or I've also had a lot of success with a basic Google Docs form as well."

- Sean Ogle | Founder, Location 180, LLC

Follow @seanogle

Any Guinea Pigs Available?

"Before I offer a new service or product to customers, I look for a few guinea pigs to test them out on. Right now, I'm testing a new service on five people I consider to be the ideal customer. They get free help and I don't just get feedback -- I also get testimonials for my marketing materials."

- Thursday Bram | Consultant, Hyper Modern Consulting

Follow @ThursdayB

Convert With Kampyle

"Kampyle is an awesome tool for collecting customer feedback on your product. It's a powerful tool that will show you deep analytics into the feedback you receive."

- Ben Lang | Founder, EpicLaunch

Follow @entrepreneurpro

Utilize Your Facebook Fans

"We like to ask our Facebook Fans for feedback, as they have a vested interest in our brand. Being social in nature, they aren’t shy about expressing their opinions. It's good to get the perspectives of the people who know your services most closely."

- Nicolas Gremion | CEO, Free-eBooks.net

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

Which, in most cases, means you need a great Web or mobile developer.

However, if you’ve never looked for a quality Web or mobile developer before, the task can feel extremely daunting. Many people waste a lot of time and money running through multiple developers before they find the perfect one. Why? It’s often because you aren’t on the same page as the developer with regards to what you want, how much it’s going to cost, and how long it’s going to take.

Nevermind technical skills (those are easy enough to verify) — if you’re working on a high-tech project, interpersonal skills are just as important. These 4 qualities will help ensure you find the partner you’re looking for — the one who can bring your idea to life without wasting any of your time or money:

1. Trustworthiness.

A great Web or mobile developer isn’t just another contractor you hire to get some work done. Ideally, they become your partner. They bring skills and tools to the table that breathe life into your idea and turn your grand vision into a distinct reality. If your gut says you don’t trust them, you’re never going to feel comfortable working with them.

Without trust, chances are you and your developer will never be on the same page with anything. In the back of your mind, you’ll always be second guessing the developer’s decisions and motivations. Moving forward will become increasingly difficult as the process slows down because of the lack of trust in the partnership.

2. Passion for their work.

Someone who has a deep passion for their work is often palpably excited and positive about that work. This excitement spills over into their interactions with you.

If your developer isn’t excited to be working with you, that sentiment is going to show in their communication and demeanor — walk away!

3. Previous (positive) experience working with clients.

Some developers create incredible, high-quality work and are amazing at what they do, but they’re simply not that good at working with clients. They’re not “people” people. If your developer doesn’t have previous experience working with clients, that’s going to be a problem.

Previous experience working with clients means your developer will have an existing process and workflow in place, which creates a much smoother experience for you. They’ll be able to help prevent common problems that could arise during your project, saving you time and money.

If you’re not sure about your developer’s capacity to deliver in this respect, ask for references.

4. Excellent communication skills.

Given our increasing reliance on email as a primary form of communication, it’s easy to misinterpret what somebody is saying or how they are feeling. If your developer isn’t very good at communicating in this way, you’re likely to lose track of what’s going on with the project.

A developer who is also an excellent communicator will ensure you always have a clear overall view of the project. They’ll explain everything in layman’s terms and not drown you in confusing technical jargon. It’s part of the developer’s job to make you feel more comfortable overall about your project.

Tim Jahn is the co-founder of matchist, a curated service for freelance developers to connect with quality clients and projects. He’s also the co-founder of Entrepreneurs Unpluggd, an events and media company that helps entrepreneurs move their businesses forward. As an active member of the Chicago tech community, Tim has made his mark interviewing hundreds of entrepreneurs from all over the world.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

Question by: Ashley

Newsflash: I'm Engaged!

"Writing 140-character tweets or replying to a Facebook comment takes minutes -- entrepreneurs waste hours on social media when they're reading, not engaging. Twitter and Facebook were designed to suck you in to click on photo albums, read blog posts, and watch videos, but none of these activities grow your business! Make sure you're spending your time engaging with, not consuming, social media."

- Laura Roeder | Founder, LKR Social Media

Follow @lkr

Take It Personally

"When I'm pressed for time I look for more tasks that I can give to my virtual team that free up space to connect on social media. It's not about "keeping up" with every post and link but really listening to, sharing with the community to build relationships. That's not something that can be outsourced, so I'll hand off other tasks to find the time."

- Kelly Azevedo | Founder, She's Got Systems

Timebox Your Tweets

"Interacting on social media in batches of time helps timebox it and keeps you focused. During that time, using web tools enables you to schedule useful resources to share, and also allows you to space out your interactions and responses so you're not interacting in one overwhelming stream of activity during that period."

- Lea Woodward | Founder, Startup Training School

Check Your Pulse Daily

"Set up time daily to share original content and other articles through news aggregates such as Pulse. Review what your followers are saying so you can connect and look for ways to be of service more effectively."

- Michael Bruny | Conference Networking Speaker | Coach | Author, The New Art of Conference Networking

Follow @AmbassadorBruny

No Smartphone Necessary

"I connect Twitter to my cell phone -- I get text notifications when someone mentions me, and sending a Tweet as a text message is much easier then doing it from the computer or even a phone app. Sending the Tweet via text message is as simple as sending a text to anyone else. It flows easier into my day this way, since I don't get distracted by my feed."

- Raoul Davis | CEO, Ascendant Group

Stick to Your Discipline

"It can be easy to get swept up in social media and, as a result, work less efficiently. Instead of always being on, put aside a couple hours each day to answer emails, tweet things out, respond to @replies, etc. The rest of the time? Close those tabs! You don't want the temptation. Believe me."

- Steph Auteri | career coach, writer, and editor, Word Nerd Pro

Follow @stephauteri

It's Just Another Part of Communication

"I need to send out emails, return phone calls and even stick a letter in the mail today. I keep track of all of those things on one list and I keep social media tasks on the same list. Twitter and all the rest are just additional communication tools, and I treat them as such."

- Thursday Bram | Consultant, Hyper Modern Consulting

Follow @ThursdayB

Set a Social Media Schedule

"When using social networks, it's important to set aside time to keep active and be consistent in your posting. Make sure you can use them live in real-time too. Occassionally, some accounts schedule their updates to go out later through TweetDeck on a specific date or time."

- Lane Sutton | Social Media Coach, Social Media from a Teen

Can't Beat Buffer

"Personal and business branding require maintaining active social media profiles, but it is tough to find the time for posting new content as a busy entrepreneur in this 24/7 news cycle. I am indebted to Buffer App; it's the tool that helps me maintain an active Twitter presence without the headache of babysitting my feed. Use the bookmarklet to add updates to a queue, and let Buffer do the rest!"

- Doreen Bloch | CEO / Founder, Poshly Inc.

Let's Hear It for Hootsuite!

"I use Hootsuite to manage all of my networks easily and schedule updates. In just a few clicks, I can send messages across all of my networks, which saves me tons of time."

- Ben Lang | Founder, EpicLaunch

Follow @entrepreneurpro

Integrate, Don't Interrupt

"I see social media not as an interruption or something to be scheduled throughout my day, but rather as part of my everyday activities. My setup in the TalentEgg office has a full computer screen devoted to Hootsuite so that I can casually stay up-to-date with what's happening throughout the company's social media channels."

- Lauren Friese | Founder, TalentEgg

Consistency Is Key

"It’s best to delegate that job if possible, so you can be consistent with your postings. If delegation isn’t an option, set aside 10-15 minutes each day (broken up into two or three separate, 5-minute periods) where you focus on posting, tweeting, and responding to social media."

- Nick Friedman | President, College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving

Download Those Mobile Apps

"Make it as easy as you possibly can. This means make sure that you have all of the mobile apps. Have these apps be the first ones you see when you touch your phone. Most people look at their phone quite frequently when they have down time. The more you are reminded to post, the more time you will make."

- John Hall | CEO, Influence & Co.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

While online marketing is very measurable (thanks to its data-driven focus), the data itself can be fairly easily manipulated to make almost any program look successful. As a result, prospective clients were being told their programs were growing and bringing in substantial new revenue, when in reality, they were costing a lot of money and not creating much value at all.

It quickly became clear to me that educating potential clients with a detailed “under the hood” look at their online marketing programs could demonstrate the problems undermining their existing programs and, at the same time, prove the value of our own approach. (Education like this also provides my team with a significant amount of information on how our competitor’s position, sell, and service offerings.) Today, our transparency sets our sales process apart from other firms in our industry, and is often a top reason why we’re awarded new business.

But transparency is a best practice almost any sales-oriented organization can adopt. Here are a few key ways in which you can set yourself apart from the competition — and ultimately sign more clients:

1. Be willing to educate the prospect on your own dime.

Prospects often aren’t completely clear on the details required to create and manage, say, a successful customer acquisition program. We audit programs for every viable prospect, then walk them through the areas that are performing, and those that are not, to discuss ways the program might be altered to achieve more success.

While complimentary audits take time and resources but do not generate revenue, they show prospects how we operate as a team, how we approach their program, and our level of service. No matter what industry you’re in, this is a great way to nurture leads.

2. Go way under the hood when researching competitors and their businesses.

Understanding the competition is a really important part of the selling process. But relying solely on website content and social media activity is a mistake. It’s imperative to understand every step of the competition’s process, from marketing and sales to delivery and staffing, reporting and service, and even employee and client retention. The goal is to show clients that you are selling something that’s really differentiated and that you’re willing – and able – to fully understand industry dynamics.

3. Listen to a prospect’s past frustrations.

Entrepreneurs are always told to listen to the client, and certainly that is true in servicing them, but it is also an excellent way to learn about competitors before the next sales meeting. We listen very closely to our competition’s ex-clients when they discuss their frustrations, and we dissect their key selling points from the client’s point of view. We study their staffing models, research their team members on LinkedIn, and take notice when key customers drop off their websites. We also look for information from quotes, press releases and speaking events.

Whenever we win a new client or take over for another vendor, we try and learn as much as we can about what we were up against by getting copies of their proposals and client reports and looking at the makeup of the team that serviced them (e.g., were they very junior?). Most of our clients come to us after a bad relationship, and we want to know why it was bad and where they were misled.

4. Neutralize your competition’s strengths.

Recently, we won a major account where we were up against 1-2 larger competitors. In our proposal, we neutralized our competitors’ strengths by educating the client on the industry and the common tactics used to mislead prospects about performance. We also carefully outlined the differences in our staffing model, client/staff ratios, reporting metrics, etc., and specifically debunked many of the selling points that we know our competitors emphasize. In many ways, we turned their perceived strengths into weaknesses.

We learned early on in our business that we have a very different approach from our competitors — one that is more about creating sustainable long-term value than fast results that aren’t real and won’t last. When we talk to a prospect about what our competition will promise, and why the results will not be what they seem, they often return to us impressed. In short, our transparency is a major selling point.

But perhaps the most unexpected upshot is this: No matter the industry, an educated buyer always makes a better long-term partner.

Robert Glazer is a serial entrepreneur and customer acquisition specialist with an exceptional track record of growing revenue and profits for early to mid-stage consumer businesses. His firm, Acceleration Partners, is a go-to advisor for affiliate and performance marketing to many of the industry’s top brands, including adidas, Bonobos, ModCloth, One Kings Lane, Reebok, and Tiny Prints.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

Who is your hero? 

The people who fell down and limped back up.

What’s the single best piece of business advice that helped shape who you are as an entrepreneur today, and why?

Gary Vaynerchuk has been a longtime mentor of mine. We met at SXSW 2010 and we’ve collaborated several times since. What was really helpful were the two simple impressions that he made on me:

1. One interaction can change your trajectory, so take it seriously.
2. Give, give, give, give, give, give and then ask.

What’s the biggest mistake you ever made in your business, and what did you learn from it that others can learn from too?

When I co-founded my first company, I was so conceited and stand-offish. And for no reason! Humility is crucial in the longevity game of modern entrepreneurialism. Learn from everyone, spite no one, do work and stay humble.

What do you do during the first hour of your business day and why?

The business day starts in the gym at 6 a.m. That is when my thoughts are the most raw. I find clarity in the intensity of my CrossFit workouts.

What’s your best financial/cash-flow related tip for entrepreneurs just getting started? 

If you would like someone to invest in you, show them how you can make it through a struggle with no money. They will know that you will take their funds seriously.

Quick: What’s ONE thing you recommend ALL aspiring or current entrepreneurs do right now to take their biz to the next level?

Read: “The 48 Laws of Power” and “The 50th Law.”

What’s your definition of success? How will you know when you’ve finally “succeeded” in your business?

I will never succeed because my goals will always grow with my capacity. I will get far, but I will never get “there.”

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab , a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

In fact, this works so often that it kind of shocks me that companies don’t immediately turn to old blog posts to help drive more traffic. It seems like once a blog post is published, tweeted and “liked” on Facebook, it’s forgotten – forever to be buried in the archives and never heard from again.

This is such an enormous waste of an investment that it makes me want to pull my hair out and violently shake our clients. You pay money for your content – even if it’s created by internal staff, it still takes time and expertise. So make use of your old blogs. Don’t waste that investment!

How to Stop Wasting Valuable Content

The next time you find yourself with a spare half hour to work on your company blog, go through this quick process to get more traction out of your old posts.

1. Sort. Sort through your analytics to find the top 10 or 20 most popular blog posts on your website. Organize them (I like to use a spreadsheet like this one) in a list with headings for the blog title, permalink, blog topic, and keywords targeted.

2. Identify topics. Start with the first blog post and ask yourself this question: If I had to sum up this blog topic in 3 to 4 words, what would it be? Use that as a starting point for your keyword research. For instance, this blog post is about “optimizing old blog posts.” On your spreadsheet under the “blog topic” column, type the corresponding word or phase.

3. Research keywords. Now, once you’ve got a concise blog topic pinpointed, it’s time to figure out what people searching on Google are typing in when they’re looking for the content that your blog post contains. Pull up Google’s Keyword Tool in your browser, pop in your blog topic description (those 3-4 words that described your post), and Google will generate your results.

The first result will be the exact phrase you typed in and the list of results afterwards are similar keywords/keyword phrases that other people are searching for. Your results will look something like this:

For instance, when I looked up “optimizing old blog posts,” guess what I found? The number of monthly searches is so negligible, Google doesn’t report it. That means that if I use that keyword phrase in my content and my title, it’s not going to do me any good, because no one is searching for it.

4. Analyze the data. There are two main numbers I look at for quick content optimization: Competition (Low/Medium/High) and Global Monthly Searches (even if your business is local, driving overall traffic is still good). I like to sort Google Keyword results by Competition, and then look for keywords that have low or medium competition and searches of at least 1K so that it will be easy to rank quickly for them.

Browse through the keywords on the left to look for phrases that match your blog topic well. While I was looking through my results, I noticed that “content optimization” and “seo for your blog” both summed up my post pretty well; they both have low search competition; and they each get 1,900 searches a month.

Quick Tip: To make sure you’ve chosen good keywords, pull up an incognito window in your browser and search for those keyword phrases. This will make sure that the phrases that you’re about to optimize for are garnering the types of visitors that you want. For example, imagine you’re a baker and you wrote a blog post about baking delicious pies and you see that there’s 5,000 searches a month for the phrases “making pies” that has little search competition. On the surface, that seems great. But maybe there’s a new pop artist in town and he just released a Top 40 hit named “Making Pies.” If you optimize your blog post for that phrase, you’re going to get a lot of angry pop music lovers visiting your blog who wanted to listed to music, not learn about pies.

Once you’re sure that your new keyword/s are perfect (low search competition, >1,000 monthly search queries), type those phrases into your spreadsheet under “keywords.”

5. Start optimizing. This is the part where we take our newer, better, more search-friendly keyword and put it into our blog post. Now, updating your actual blog content with optimized keywords is ideal (so long as you don’t stuff keywords and keep your content readable), but this post is all about quick optimization techniques, so we’re going to ignore the body content of your blog. What we are going to focus on are the: Title, Permalink, and Keyword Tags.

First things first, take the 1-2 updated keywords from your earlier research and update your keyword tags in your blog post. If there are a bunch of other keywords listed, get rid of those. As a rule of thumb, I never have more than three keywords for each blog – you want to keep it simple so that Google understands what your post is about.

6. Plug in keywords. The next step is to take the best keyword/keyword phrase out of your research (this will likely be the one that has the most searches) and work that into your title. For this post, I’m focusing on the term “optimize content.” My original title was “A Quick Tip for Optimizing Old Blog Posts,” but this doesn’t integrate either of my new targeted keywords for this post, so I changed it to: “How to Optimize Content on your Blog to get More Traffic.”

Adding your keyword into your blog title will help Google realize that your blog post is about optimizing content, and if it sees this phrase in your title, keyword tags, and body content, it’ll be able to easily pinpoint that phrase and rank your post for it.

7.  Create a custom permalink. What’s a permalink? A permalink is the specific URL for a designated blog post. If you don’t specify a custom permalink, you’ll get a very generic looking one that’s generated by WordPress or Blogger that looks something like this: http://stuntandgimmicks.com/blog/ps325. An un-optimized permalink doesn’t give search crawlers any info on what your blog post is about. A custom permalink, however, tells them exactly what your post is about and what keyword or phrase it should rank for.

Finally, when you’re changing your permalink, remember to create a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new URL in order to make sure that earlier links that may have been sent out via social media or other sharing sites don’t end up going to a blank page.

And there you go – seven easy steps to optimize old content on the fly. Do YOU have any quick and dirty optimization tips that you want to share?

This post originally appeared on the author’s blog.

Lauren Fairbanks is Partner and Co-founder of Stunt & Gimmick’s, an NYC-based content marketing and lead generation firm. Before she started her own firm, she worked in publishing at AOL and founded a popular lifestyle website that she sold in 2011. She’s been featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine, Forbes, Crain’s New York, CNN, AOL, and the New York Enterprise Report.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

Question by: Ashley

Stick Out With Specials

"Using location-based apps such as Foursquare and Yelp are convenient to find places to go, based on tastes or favorites. But how do you decide? Specials always convince one to go somewhere for a discount or incentive. Many offers encourage repeat visits to either become Mayor or win a prize, like how Boloco gives Mayors free burritos each Monday."

- Lane Sutton | Social Media Coach, Social Media from a Teen

Contests for the 'In Crowd"

"Create something for your regulars who use these services, from trading cards for the wait staff to buzz word bingo — anything to get them engaged. Then you can use location-based services to get newer visitors interested, giving them incentives to become regulars."

- Thursday Bram | Consultant, Hyper Modern Consulting

Follow @ThursdayB

Check-In Scavenger Hunt!

"Urban scavenger hunts are a fun and growing trend. A store could create a marketing campaign around an urban scavenger hunt, where users had to check in at a number of different places in order to complete challenges. Once users had finished every challenge, they would end up back at the store to validate their check-ins and get a free treat. It's fun and it reinforces brand recognition."

- Lauren Fairbanks | Partner, Stunt & Gimmick's

Incentivize Reviews

"The most important element of a brick-and-mortar business's online presence is their online reputation. If people are already checking in at your location, provide value to them in exchange for positive feedback. Accumulating these positive reviews will lead to growth that exponentially builds upon itself. You just need to keep the cycle going."

- Logan Lenz | Founder / President, Endagon

Follow @loganlenz

Utilize Multiple Platforms at Once

"Utilize multiple platforms together. A local restaurant in my town tweeted that the first person to check in on Foursquare at their location would win a free piece of pizza."

- John Hall | CEO, Influence & Co.

Organize Events

"You can leverage both platforms to organize special events for your business. Whether it's a week of sales or a wine-tasting event, both networks will generate valuable buzz around it."

- Ben Lang | Founder, EpicLaunch

Follow @entrepreneurpro

Badges Build Traffic

"Create creative badges to reward loyalty and frequency. Even if you're the small local bakery, you can be the originator of the Cupcake-Crazy badge."

- Emily Eldridge Holdman | Co-Founder, The Remarkables

Personalize the Experience

"Plenty of companies offer discounts when people are around, but there should be a better focus around customer service and unique engagements. One technique is specifically seeking out a checked-in customer when they are in your store. Of course you can offer a discount, but using that information to say hello will create a memorable experience for the customer!"

- Aaron Schwartz | Founder and CEO, Modify Watches

Follow @ModifyWatches

Thank and Reward Customers

"It's super simple way of building loyalty but often overlooked. Customers tweet about their experiences and often never get a response; they post a great comment to Yelp or Foursquare and are never recognized or rewarded. Reciprocity goes a long way in retailer-customer relationship. A big public thank you can go a long way to staying top of mind."

- Lauren Perkins | Founder and CEO, Perks Consulting

Follow @laurenperkins

Get Creative!

"Think about how many check-ins you might require to share a secret menu, or the ability to quickly decide to offer discounts for anyone who comes in with their father on Father's Day. The general idea is to be creative, offer something unique and take advantage of these tools for real-time decision-making. "

- Henry Glucroft | owner, Henry's / Airdrop

Where's the Wall of Fame?

"Create a Leaderboard featuring customers with the most check-ins or regular customers who write reviews of your business. You'll need to ask them for permission to put up their photos, of course, but most will agree and be flattered. A creperie in Chicago does this to great effect -- I look for my photo on the wall every time I visit, and it has only increased my loyalty to the business."

- Emerson Spartz | CEO and Founder, Spartz

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

Here are eight tips to help you through the transition:

1. Get organized. Think through the process of precisely how your business works. Franchisees will need exact details and guidelines to get their businesses up and running. This process takes some time, but it’s worth it — even if you decide not to launch the franchise option, this will still ultimately help your business run more smoothly. From marketing to signage to business cards to staff training, it all has to be executed in a similar manner. Develop an operations manual to give franchisees a quick way to reference policies and best practices and create an approval process so that you sign off on major decisions.
2. Hire an attorney. Getting expert advice is really crucial during the franchising process. For starters, you’ll need to fill out a Franchise Disclosure Document. It has a very distinct format you need to follow, and it’s important to have a lawyer walk you through this process. You’ll need to set pricing, create a franchise agreement and determine intellectual property protection. (In addition to meeting with an attorney, the International Franchise Association also has some excellent resources.)
3. Be picky. Just like dating, you should be extremely selective when it comes to choosing franchisees. It’s easy to find people with capital, but are they the right people? Do they have the right background in order to run a business? This is someone who will be representing you, so it needs to be a good fit. After all, you are in this to protect and grow your brand. Set up an interviewing process and know what your deal-breakers are.
4. Build and protect your brand. As a franchisor, your most valuable asset is your brand; protect it at all costs. Your brand represents your culture, your beliefs and your attitude toward your customers. When you franchise, you are giving new people the ability to represent your brand. This is one of the biggest risks of franchising. Clear guidelines should be established for the use of all of the brand assets. You want to be sure that you are sending one clear message from one clear source, and that message is consistent throughout the organization. No detail is too small. This can seem overbearing, but never let anyone use your brand assets in any way, no matter how small, without your prior approval. Monitor everything, pay close attention to videos and pictures, and monitor all social media outlets in a regular and detailed fashion.
5. Choose the right locations. What locations make the most sense for your business? Where do you have brand recognition already? Consider keeping your first few locations close to home, but far enough away that it doesn’t hurt sales at your initial location. That way, you can manage logistics easily. Keep in mind you’ll want to visit these locations in person from time to time, so choose locations with easy access to an airport.
6. Find a mentor … Or two or three. There will always be people who are willing to give you advice — you just need to seek them out.
7. Know how you want to grow. Steady, strategic growth is ideal. Does it make sense to expand on an international level? Or should you stick to a statewide plan?
8. Support your franchisees. At first, you’ll need some face time with your franchisees, as well as lots of time online and via phone. Do all you can to encourage them by celebrating victories and milestones. Scour through articles that you find helpful and share them. And last but not least, set up a way for franchisees to communicate with one another, too.

Tom Cannon is the CEO and cofounder of BungoBox, an Orlando-based company that rents moving containers made of recycled plastic as an alternative to cardboard boxes. Founded in 2009, BungoBox now has 21 locations in the U.S. and Canada and plans to open 150 more franchise locations in the next five years as part of a steady and strategic growth strategy.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

Brad von Bank is co-founder of Rêve Consulting, a business that helps organizations “dream with direction” by partnering with companies in industries that are being disrupted by technology. They co-create growth strategies in the face of that disruption and help make it a reality. Their nonprofit, Rêve Academy, helps kids “dream with direction” by providing pathways to digital careers. Follow him @BradvonBank.

Who is your hero? 

My parents and Father Greg Tolaas.

What’s the single best piece of business advice that helped shape who you are as an entrepreneur today, and why?

More of a question than piece of business advice. During a sermon to 500 people over 10 years ago, Father Greg Tolaas (see hero, above), incorporated the following challenge into his message, “Brad von Bank … why do you exist?”

It is a powerful question that we often ask ourselves, but are seldom asked (and almost never in a public setting). The question provides a poignant filter for evaluating how to best use your talents.

The seed planted that day, along with other experiences along the way, led to the formation of Rêve Consulting + Rêve Academy. A for-profit and nonprofit, legally separate, sharing a similar mission of helping people and organizations dream with direction.

What’s the biggest mistake you ever made in your business, and what did you learn from it that others can learn from too?

My biggest mistake was not pushing harder to remove an individual who did not share the values of the company. The person infected others on the team and the situation became cancerous.

When my wife and I co-founded Rêve we started with mission and values. Everyone we hire is evaluated on alignment to mission and values first, capabilities a distant second.

What do you do during the first hour of your business day and why?

1.) Team: If they are in a good space, clients will be happy.
2.) Clients: We exist to serve them and create value.
3.) Everything Else: Distant #3.

What’s your best financial/cash-flow related tip for entrepreneurs just getting started? 

If you take outside money, make sure you truly understand what you are giving up in terms of control and future return.

A friend started a company, grew it to 75 people in three years and received a compelling offer to sell. The only outside money he took was $500K to buy furniture and upgrade the office. The investor received a 6x return. Having nice furniture for a couple years cost $2.5M!

Quick: What’s ONE thing you recommend ALL aspiring or current entrepreneurs do right now to take their biz to the next level?

Review your mission and values. If they don’t exist, lock yourself in a room until you feel they are compelling enough for the hardest-to-recruit talent to join you. If they do exist, and don’t meet that standard, refine them until they do. If they exist and meet that standard … just relax, everything else will ultimately fall in place.

What’s your definition of success? How will you know when you’ve finally “succeeded” in your business?

Helping people and organizations dream with direction. Our mission is my definition of success. We experience success every day but will never reach a point where we have “succeeded” and can rest.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab , a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.