Friday, July 28 by Dan Marques in News | 10 Comments
If you are attempting to start a venture that will require some sort of internet presence you may be able to find a way to impress potential investors without the need of an in depth business plan.
How do you do it? It is pretty simple. Just buy a professional looking website template and logo template that goes along with the theme you are envisioning. Customize the text as if this was the fully running website. Include links to the future functional areas just do not activate them. Take this site and begin showing it to select individuals, they will think you are farther along than if you just had a paper business plan and it is easier to show someone a prototype than a 50 page business plan.
How much would something like this cost?
So for well under $100 you have a mock up site that you can use instead of, or in addition to, a full business plan.
You will need someone with basic website design knowledge to install the template and edit the site text, sections, etc.; but that can be done by just about anyone or if you know how you can do it yourself.
Sunday, July 16 by David Askaripour in Featured Articles | 14 Comments
Listen to Podcast
Reid and I decided to record a chat of the two of us just talking about various issues that entrepreneurs face on their path to success. We simply chatted in an unscripted, down-to-earth, and raw fashioned style that came out really well. Sure, we didn’t agree on everything, but would it be fun if we did? Nah. It was a great podcast and Mind Petals plans on rollin’ out these uncut podcasts more often, with various young entrepreneurs
Here are some of the topics that we covered in the podcast:
Extra Ways to Make Cash
- Reid spoke about becoming a part of focus groups and making $75 - $120 per hour to review a service.
- I spoke about finding Java programmers to do assignments for friends in need of help.
Motivational / Self Help books
- I tried to convince Reid that “it’s the entrepreneur’s duty to read books.”
- Reid felt that entrepreneurs don’t need books to succeed in life – just talk to people!
- We eventually came to a common-ground: entrepreneurs should read books – just the right books!
- Books mentioned: Never Eat Alone, Buffetology, and Rich Dad Poor Dad.
Educations vs. Certification
- Reid spoke about his parents being worried about him not excelling in school.
- I got into the flow as I began telling my story about school not teaching people to become entrepreneurs, but simply “certifying” them to work for someone for the rest of their lives.
- Do entrepreneurs need school?
Friends
- Who are entrepreneurs hanging out with?
- Surround yourself around other ambitious and motivated people.
Fear and Risk
- So many students are scared to take a risk even when there isn’t much to lose.
- It’s time to get over the word “No.”
- Entrepreneurs need to build up a tolerance for rejection and carry out their plans.
- Forget what people say and make things happen.
Talking or Creating
- Many student entrepreneurs talk a lot but don’t do much.
- If you’re so passionate about becoming successful, then why aren’t you doing what you love?
- You call yourself an entrepreneur?
Mind Petals
- The future of our network.
- Looking for hungry, passionate, motivated, serious, and ambitious entrepreneurs.
- Keeping it focused on young entrepreneurs.
- Not limiting entrepreneurs to just one network.
- How we seek entrepreneurs for membership.
- Our Vision.
Wrappin’ it up
We hope you enjoyed our chat, banter, arguments, whatever it was… we definitely did! Two passionate entrepreneurs talking about their lives and experiences – can’t get more real than that! Keep an ear out for more entrepreneurs chatting up a storm on Mind Petals. And if you’re a young entrepreneur that would like to chat with us on a podcast, then right on! Let us know.
Cool.
Thursday, July 13 by David Askaripour in Member's Stuff | Leave a Comment
We’re all on a journey to get to where we want to be in life and with our businesses, an entrepreneurial journey. Along the way, we’re all bound to learn new things, meet new entrepreneurs, face obstacles, and find successes if we don’t steer off that path – Young Entrepreneur Journey is a great blog to stop by while on your path to success. While you’re at it, learn more about Michael through this interview recorded a few months back.
Welcome to Mind Petals, Michael.
Wednesday, July 12 by David Askaripour in News | 4 Comments
Wow, I can’t believe that it’s only been 5 weeks since Mind Petals launched. The amount of positive feedback, recognition, and awesome bloggers that we have attained in this short amount of time portends much success to come as we continue to grow as a network, community, portal, or whatever term that you’d like to describe Mind Petals — doesn’t matter.
I wakeup everyday looking forward to meeting more young entrepreneurs. I’m like a little kid stretching out my hand for candy. Meeting fellow entrepreneurs is my candy, my joy. As the days go by and we continue to share our knowledge, help others in need, and work on our businesses, our position as young entrepreneurs continues to get stronger and stronger as we gain momentum throughout the business world.
Sure, many of us haven’t built multi-million dollar businesses or have clients that number in the thousands just yet. But that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that we are trying to make things happen and we are at it everyday no matter what obstacle come our way – and let me tell you, there have been many obstacles for us young entrepreneurs.
Many of us run our own venture development firms, hosting companies, ecommerce stores, have created hosted applications, and consulting firms. We are not only talking about entrepreneurship, but are really doing it as real young entrepreneurs.
Apart from continuing to help entrepreneurs around the world through our influential blogs, we have been taking full advantage of the Mind Petals’ network to meet fellow entrepreneurs who are on doing similar things as we are.
We are taking it a step further — beyond the content — and really reaching out to other entrepreneurs who want to learn more about something; who want to brainstorm; and who want to seek partnerships to build something new — these are the things we love doing!
Adding a new member to the network is a very powerful thing for us because all of that member’s knowledge, experience, connections, and insights are openly shared throughout the network and ultimately is shared throughout the network’s entire readership.
So if you’re wondering why we don’t have 100 blogs in the network, it’s because we don’t just let any entrepreneur blogger in – only the most serious, dedicated, hungry, knowledgeable, and ambitious make it that far.
We want Mind Petals to be more than a network; more than just a bunch of blogs; more than a community; and more than great young entrepreneurs – we want Mind Petals to become an idea; a way of life that symbolizes young entrepreneurs making things happen with their lives no matter how hard it becomes; a symbol that can not be destroyed even if our servers are wiped out and our members leave – therein lies the true definition of Mind Petals.
