Redbox Biz Blog

Anyone who says that there aren’t any more new ideas in the world should read these special reports over at Business Week Online.

The reports showcase the best young entrepreneurs in America, Asia and Europe who have some really great ideas (which turned into their businesses and some truly profitable ones at that) and what’s even better, these successful people are all under 25. Yes, 25 years old and below.

In fact, according to the article, entrepreneurs are getting younger and younger.

Entrepreneurship/self-employment is an attractive road to follow, or so say 70.9% of middle and high school students polled in the US just this year.

What I noticed was about these young entrepreneurs is that they started with a problem they personally wanted to solve (the problem bugged them and they felt that there HAD to be a better way to do it) or they had so much interest and passion in the idea that they just believed that the business would be viable.

Either way, money didn’t seem to be first priority. Monetizing the idea came later. Even if their idea wasn’t monetized, these passionate youngsters would still do what they do because they are in love with their ideas and business. Which is a good thing really because if passion doesn’t drive you, you’re absolutely lost. Lost as in you don’t know where you’re going. If your aim is just to make money, there are tonnes of ways to do that.

Anyway, go through the whole bunch of reports and articles at Business Week Online. The only grouse I had was that it is a mostly all male affair. Women rarely featured in the reports, except for one or two (even that was under the US category). I believe the Asian category didn’t have a single woman! Does this mean Asia doesn’t have its share of women entrepreneurs? Or none that were outstanding enough? Hmmmm….

Learn more about these entrepreneurs, their ideas and their spirit of innovation at Business Week Online

Conversations are happening all around us. From blogs to social networking sites to YouTube videos and podcasts, the Internet is making it ever so easy to communicate and talk to people from all over the world.

Back in the 80s, we lived in a time and place where we received communicated messages from businesses and advertisers. We were marketed at. We were passive recipients. All we did was get the message. Whether we had a response or not, were angry or not, were annoyed or not, it didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter because we could not tell them. Unless we wrote to the advertiser and complained. Even so, we were only one voice.

Now, now’s a totally different story. We’re being courted by businesses and advertisers and we can have all the conversations we want with them. The Internet has removed many of the traditional barriers which separated us, the consumers from them, the advertisers.

Now, we have CEOs of big companies coming down to the level of us plebein folks and ‘talking’ to us via his or her blog. Debbie Weil, the Mona Lisa of Blogging, even conducts blog writing seminars specially for CEOs. If you can’t attend her seminars, no worry. You can get her book, The Corporate Blogging Book to figure out how to get started and what sort of things to blog about. Heck, if CEOs can’t blog, they can’t be that hip or believable, can they? (*very wry smile*)

But what is fascinating about these new developments in ‘conversations’ on the web is that the desire to be heard or read, whichever you come across, is nothing more than a medium to get us closer and more personal to our customers. To listen to them as individuals instead of addressing the whole stadium of buyers.

Your efforts to get closer and listen up to your customers means that you appreciate the responses and feedback and in turn engage and act on what is needed.

Think about the conversations you are having (or not having) with your customers. How can you start a conversation with them?

One good example is a client of ours. Robert Raymer is a published author of Lovers and Strangers (a compilation of his short stories) and creative writing lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. He will be soon be blogging on his website (we’ll incorporate a blog into his website instead of him having a separate blog). As we are ardent bloggers ourselves, somehow we must have passed the blogging bug to him too! For a writer like Robert, blogging is but a natural extension of writing.

It is also a great tool for Robert to communicate with his fans and garner feedback from those who have read his books which in turn help provide fodder for his upcoming novels and books! As it is, his short story “Neighbors” is a hot topic of discussion over at the Malaysian English Language Teaching Association. Having a blog will draw more people to participate in conversations with him on his blog.

So think about this: are you having conversations with your customers?

And if you’re not, isn’t it about time you started?

1. What mistakes do people make when choosing a web designer?
Most people make the mistake of buying a website based on price. They will go for the cheapest designer because they don’t know what exactly they hope to achieve with a website. They just think they need a website because their competitor has a website and they must have one too without finding out WHAT they want to use it for.

When clients come to us, we help them discover what exactly they want to do with a website and most importantly, why. The why needs to be answered first because if there’s no strong reason, the website cannot help you grow your business.

2. Why is there a need to get a professional website from a professional web designer?
If you are not running a business, you can get a website simply designed and put it on the world wide web and your reputation will be fine. But if you are serious about your business and don’t want your image tarnished by a sub-standard website, a professional website is an investment you should look into.

A website is an investment because like all marketing tools, it comes with a price. Yet it is also an investment because it is capable of paying for itself many times over when it brings you more clients and business. As an investment, the website will help you generate leads and prospects if you select a web design professional who knows how to build marketing and business sense into a website. Otherwise, your website will sit pretty on the world wide web like a brochure and you will not know why you keep paying yearly to renew your domain name and web hosting.

3. How can I be sure that you can help me?
The proof is in what our clients say. You can ask our clients and they will tell you the results they’ve achieved as a result of getting their websites designed by us as well as getting constant personalised attention and advice from us. We’ve also written up a number of case studies of the clients we have and if you want a copy, email us and we’ll be happy to email them to you.

4. Why can’t I design the website myself?
Of course you can design your own website. The problem is, DO you want to? Do you want to spend hours tweaking colours, selecting the most appropriate typography, re-sizing and optimising photographs, writing and re-writing your text, finding out how to optimise your overall website, submitting your website to search engines and directories, updating and maintaining your website, checking for links, and more when you can spend your time strategizing for your business?

Everything has a cost-benefit involved. Is designing a website the most effective use of your time and money? Remember, time is also translated into money because spending time learning how to design your own website prevents you from doing other more profitable activities.

You could be spending that time networking, meeting clients and doing more productive work instead of stomping on your PC in frustration! (Yes, many a time we ourselves go nuts deciphering CSS and HTML. Stomping on your PC is just one of the milder reactions to extreme frustration. We don’t wish that on anyone!) So get a professional web designer. Don’t sweat blood.

5. Why should small businesses choose your design services?
We’re more than just web designers, we’re here to help you sharpen your business focus. Of course, we won’t (and can’t) promise you that you will earn a gazillion dollars by doing nothing at home.

We can only help you if you are willing to help yourself. That’s our main criterion. We can help you with web-related matters and this includes everything from the writing your website text to designing of the “personality” of your website. We can advise you if you tell us what you need a website for. We can tell you what’s the most cost-effective way to go about it (after all, small businesses don’t have a million dollar marketing budget). As we are directly marketing and selling our services on the world wide web, you can be sure that we know what we are talking about. If you want to talk us, just call us up!

6. What can I expect from using your design services?
Number one, we design with marketing and business sense. Number two, we design for web usability. We design websites that are clear, easy to use and attractive. We design websites to help you stand out among your competitors and give you the results you need.

In fact, you can call us marketers who use the web as a medium to get the business results you need. It appals us that so many designers design purely for themselves without taking a step back to ask “Is this website usable? Does it fulfill the marketing objectives of my client? Can it fulfill what my client wants it to do? And how will I know whether it can fulfill those objectives?” We ask these questions before we start designing any website. We are known for asking tough questions but we do it in your best interest.

7. Any advice for small business owners looking for web designers?
First ask your friends/ family to refer a web designer they’ve used. It is a better bet than picking one randomly from the Yellow Pages. Next, go online and find the website of that particular designer. Professional designers must have their portfolio online for you to view.

From the portfolio, you will get a good idea of the style and type of design this designer is good at. Email the designer or call him to get an idea of what you’re getting in terms of pricing and services. Can the designer help you with your text if you have zero materials? Can the designer give you advice on technical matters? Finally, meet the designer face-to-face. You must know who you are dealing with. If you have a budget, name that budget. Be open and honest with your designer about what you want in a website. An experienced designer will advise you on what you need in a website.

Remember, you don’t need everything that you can get - just everything that you need.

This week, I have picked a great article by Jack Canfield for you.

Jack Canfield is the co-author of the Chicken Soup series and is a speaker, coach and writer. If you recall, he was in KL not too long ago speaking about “The Success Principles”. Now if you missed that seminar, don’t fret. You can read his book (yes, titled “The Success Principles”) and still be in the know on the important tips he meted out during the seminar. Of course, Jack Canfield “live” can’t be beat but if you’re a bookworm like me, you’ll absolutely love the book. Plus, books have the added advantage that you can always re-read chapters you liked! It is a life-changing book to read and digest. As you can see, I am a huge fan of his books.

In the below article, he talks about giving thanks to people who’ve helped you in your successes. I couldn’t agree more! I am here today because of all my wonderful and supportive clients especially those who believed in me when I first started Redbox Studio back in 1998. My company is 9 years old this year and I am totally grateful to each and everyone who has helped me transform Redbox Studio into what it is today.

Celebrate Your Victories and Give Thanks
by Jack Canfield

Research has shown over and over again that the more you acknowledge your past successes, the more confident you become in taking on, and successfully accomplishing, new ones.

As you stay the course and begin to realize your goals, you need to do two very important things:

1.) Celebrate your successes, and …

2.) Express your gratitude to everyone who has helped you along the way.

Let’s look at a few of the ways you can acknowledge your positive past.

Celebrate Your Victories

In order to justify all your sacrifice and persistence that is required to create the life of your dreams, you have to enroll your family, your friends, your colleagues and co-workers, your employees, your clients and, most importantly yourself, to pay the price.

In order for them to do that, there need to be payoffs along the way. Every time you reach a milestone on the path to ultimate success, and every time you achieve a major goal, you need to celebrate by doing something fun and nurturing.

Have an Attitude of Gratitude

Take the time to thank everyone that has helped you achieve your goals. Write them a letter, call them, send them an e-mail or send them a present. It can be as simple as a hug and a thank you — to something as elaborate as letting someone use your summer vacation home for a week.

The Power of Acknowledgment

When you take the time to thank someone, they feel acknowledged for their contribution and will be more likely to want to help again.

Your Inner Child

A big part of creating more success in life is rewarding yourself when you succeed. So, it’s important to reward your inner child as well. Every time you work hard to meet a goal, the part of you that just wants to have fun has to sit still and be good. However, just like any kid, if it knows it will be rewarded later with a treat, it will hang in there with you.

How can you reward your inner child?

• Take a 20-minute walk after an hour or two of concentrated work
• Go for walks in the morning with your spouse, friend, or significant other
• Take 20 minutes to listen to music and daydream
• Take most weekends totally off
• Take several weeklong vacations throughout the year
• Get regular massages
• Engage in daily meditation, exercise and yoga
• Take music lessons
• Go to movies, concerts and plays
• Listen to comedy tapes and watch the Comedy Network
• Listen to motivational audio programs when driving

Thank Your Higher Power

Finally, it is important to thank God, or however you perceive the Higher Power, for all of the abundance that comes into your life. Start with the little stuff — another day of life, healthy children, a sunny day, people who love you, family and friends. Be thankful for the birds, your pets, the clothes you have and the food you eat.

And be especially thankful for any additional blessings that come into your life. Take time each day to say a prayer of thanks when you first arise, before meals, and again at night before bed.

Having an attitude of gratitude opens up the channels for even more abundance to flow into your life.

The more grateful you are, the more you will attract things to be grateful for.

© 2006 Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, America’s Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

I have heard it many times now. Everyone who comes to me (usually prospects) always have this big question they eagerly ask: “I want to be on the first page of Google when people do a search you know. You think you can do that?”

I suppose being on the first page of Google is like striking the lottery. Everyone craves the top spot. Search engine optimisation companies say they can put your website there if you engage their SEO services.

I don’t make promises like that. I cannot. You can be on the first page of Google if you have all the ingredients right.

But then again, people forget that getting to number one spot on Yahoo, MSN or Google is just part of the equation.

The bigger and more pressing question is: when your prospects beat a path to your website (after seeing you as the #1 site on the major search engines), will your website be able to hold their attention and get them to contact you or buy your stuff?

Because (and I say this till I am blue in the face) nothing matters if your website is like absolute crap (pardon me but sometimes, you got to call a spade a spade). Oh, I don’t mean that it’s ugly (ugliness sometimes sells, believe it or not) or it’s not glamorous enough. Lots of things aren’t right - I won’t tell you what. If you look at my previous posts, I’ve been raving about them since I started this blog in 2004.

So being number one, yes, I say, you can be number one. One of my clients is ranked on the first page of Google under the search term sarawak laksa (although this fluctuates too.. so don’t be TOO happy if you get to number one. Other websites can easily unseat you in two seconds).

But that’s not really my aim. My aim is to ensure people who reach Barrett Tan’s sarawak laksa website can find what they want - be it ordering laksa paste or finding out what the heck this laksa is. By the way, you can find out more about different types of laksa at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa (and yes, Barrett’s laksa is also mentioned in Wikipedia).

The best advice I have heard this week is from someone online. He says, don’t worry about SEO. SEO is just the means to an end. What you should worry is, do you have enough enticing content on your website to keep the crowds coming back?

Food for thought, isn’t it?

Have a terrific week ahead!