Startup Life Hacks | Business And Life Advice | Founders | Entrepreneurship

Year in Review 2015! Welcome to Startup Life Hacks 2015, year in review! First of all I want to thank each and every one of you for having me in your ears while your driving, cooking, doing the dishes, or whatever you are doing to absorb the content. For subscribing, for sending in the great reviews. I’m doing this for YOU. I apologize for the delayed episode, but there were a lot of events this holiday season that left me out of my studio, aka my room, which involved going to LA to pick up my parents that flew in from Japan, non-stop family gatherings, and also recovering from a stomach bug that’s been going around lately in San Diego. Oh and also falling 13,000 feet in the sky, but more on that later. WHY? This is a special episode not only because it will be my last episode of this calendar year, but this will also be my first episode reflecting on this year’s accomplishments, failures, and lessons learned. Something that I feel like everyone should do even if you don’t have a business. It’s good

http://www.thewellnessbucket.com/about-me/ ()Why are New Year’s Resolutions overrated? Now I know January 1st is when everyone starts making New Years Resolutions, but let’s be real. How many of you have actually stuck to your resolutions? Well, this episode’s guest has insights on how to tackle on 2016! Mike Goncalves is the founder of http://www.thewellnessbucket.com/ (The Wellness Bucket), which is concentrated on helping you create more health and happiness in your life, so that you may finally start to feel, look, and live your best.   WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE TO SOMEONE STARTING OUT IN FITNESS? One of the problems people struggled with when staying consistent originated from coming out of the gate too fast. That’s one of the big reasons why people fall off the chart after two weeks into their New Year’s Resolution. They go from really not doing anything, to going 60 miles per hour. Here are my suggestions… Don’t come out so aggressive. Have a simple workout plan that you kn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronripley (Cameron Ripley) is the Founder and Director of https://www.communityboost.org/ (Community Boost), an award winning digital marketing and web design agency that primarily focuses on the nonprofit and social entrepreneurship space. He’s brought together a caring group of millennials to really tackle on today’s social problems. His organization has worked with many causes, including: Google Ideas, Noah Homes, Miracle for Kids, just to name a few. STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS https://www.communityboost.org/ (Community Boost) was incubated out of another digital marketing agency, named E-Boost Consulting. E-boost Consulting was mainly focused on the startup tech space. We had this program where we would bring in young people and teach them digital marketing and then have them apply that to the nonprofit and social space. We had a big vision for what that could do and how that can be its own company. We’ve bootstrapped the whole thing and never receive

https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyware (Gary Ware) is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at http://tower33.digital/ (Tower33 Digital), a digital advertising agency that focuses on helping small brands drive results and be seen online. He is a dynamic, qualified, and goal-oriented Online Marketing Professional with over ten years of extensive experience providing key support to professionals, including colleagues and customers, and providing team management. Gary recently gave a talk on how to live an amazing life by using the acronym S.A.V.E.R.S. If there was something that you can do, that would almost be the elixir of life. Where if you did it everyday and took it as a magical pill, and it will give you what you need to thrive. To live your best life. Wouldn’t you want to do that? Studies show that if you commit to something like this during the first part of your day, it’s going to give you the mental energy to get through the day. Here Are The Steps Silence: Meditation or prayer. When we are mov

https://www.linkedin.com/in/caldwellw ()Will Caldwell is a graduate from the University of San Diego/ After majoring in Accountancy, he has grown to publishing many articles in well-known sites such as Entrepreneur.com, Inman News, and Elite Daily. Will grew up in the real estate industry, with both parents working in the field. So it’s no surprise that he himself is also making a dent in the real estate world. He is the Founder and CEO of Dizzle, which is an app specifically designed for real estate professionals and organizations, to help generate more word-of-mouth leads. STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS Initially it was teaching kite surfing. I was able to make cash quickly. Then I started a drone business to compliment my software business. I knew that I needed to get in front of realtors, so I took aerial photography of the real estate. It was a way to fund my activities before I was in the position to go out and raise angel capitol to grow the business. DESCRIBE A MOMENT WHEN YOU FELT LIKE GIV

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikewchan ()Mike Chan is an entrepreneur, consultant, marketer, and blogger. He is the co-founder of Ribl, a real-time, location based message board app, where you can share and discover the most relevant content about your current vicinity, so you’ll never miss out on what’s happening around you. Not only that, he is also the Founder and Host of his own show, the Go and Grow Podcast. Where he interviews entrepreneurs and industry leaders to learn how they launch and grow products and companies. STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS My businesses are often bootstrapped. I’ve either started them working on the side while working a full time job or leaving a full time job and doing some consulting. There are certainly pros and cons to that but the bottom line is…just make it happen. Funding from outside sources is not necessary to create a startup FOUNDERS The first startup that I worked on didn’t last very long. And it was because of founder issues. One of the biggest pro

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenarnoldentrepreneur ()Ken Arnold is a consultant, author, engineer, and professor at San Diego State University, where he teaches a wide variety of courses such as programming and embedded systems. Aside from starting multiple companies in the past, he founded http://hitechedventures.org/ (HiTechEdventures.org), whose purpose is to connect motivated students and potential employers, by providing work-for-hire consulting services. Students have the opportunity to work on client’s projects while they’re enrolled and working toward their degree.   STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS When I first started as an entrepreneur, I hired my friends to do consulting work for companies and bootstrapped the entire thing. I paid them depending on the money I was getting from the companies. At the time, the best jobs were going for $1-2 an hour and they were getting $4 an hour. It was a win-win-win situation. DESCRIBE A MOMENT WHEN YOU FELT LIKE GIVING UP One of the biggest on

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinpeterzander ()Robin is an author, educator, and strategist, with a background ranging from management consulting to circus performance. He has a desire to help people and companies keep pace with rapid change. If you can’t find him in a dance studio, he is directing the Stanford-founded Design for Dance Conference, and also runs his own podcast, The Robin Zander Show. STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS My main gig right now is the educational startup called http://www.socoslearning.com/ (SOCOS). http://www.socoslearning.com/ (SOCOS) is 3 years old right now; I joined a year and a half ago. But we’re bootstrapped. http://www.socoslearning.com/ (SOCOS) had started with a small scale consultancy for online universities. Only in the last 6 months was where we’ve taken decades of research into learning and turning it into a product that people can use. The product is called MUSE. It’s for parents of kids 0-12 years old, where it’s that one thing that parents can do every sing

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraroeder ()Laura Roeder is a social media marketing expert who gives businesses of all sizes the tools they need to make their mark on the web. With all of the clutter on the web, it’s hard to get recognized and your thoughtful post may never get the exposure it deserves. Laura is the Founder and CEO of Edgar, a social media marketing tool, that tackles the problem social media is having today, finding and connecting with your audience. STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS Edgar was self-funded. I had another business, http://lkrsocialmedia.com/ (LKR Social Media), and also another training business called B-school that I started with a partner. Both of those businesses had done really well, so I used some of the profits to launch Edgar. It was basically a bootstrap model where we didn’t take on any investors or outside funding. FOUNDERS I am a solo founder. My husband is the CTO of http://meetedgar.com/ (Edgar), he built the product. He is like a founder in a lot of ways,

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mornee-sherry-6641627 ()Mornee Sherry is a former United States Marine and Google employee. He is a self-starter with a passion for changing things and the way we approach life. His latest venture, https://www.lumecube.com/shop/ (Lume Cube), offers the world’s first off-camera flash and video light for iPhone, Android, GoPro, and other casual capture devices. STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS To fund it, we went through Kickstarter, but to fund the Kickstarter, we had started a few businesses beforehand that were mildly successful bringing in a few hundred dollars a week. We also utilized a great idea and the future of that through equity. We enticed a branding firm to give us their services in exchange for equity. That resulted in a great engaging video and raised $229,000 in 30 days. FOUNDERS “No man is an island,” is a very good saying. Every great CEO should recognize their strengths, not lie to themselves, and realize their weaknesses. And they should surround themselve

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karim-roushdy-21390546 ()https://www.linkedin.com/in/karim-roushdy-21390546 (Karim Roushdy) enjoys founding and being part of startups. He is analytical, yet creative. Loves the calmness but enjoys having an adrenaline rush! Karim came from Egypt and is currently residing in the Finest City in America, San Diego. He started a new program, called http://www.project26.co/ (Project26), which aims to help connect the startup tech community in San Diego. FOUNDERS People would go directly towards their friends, but I wouldn’t always recommend that. Choose your founders based on the passion you see in their eyes. Ensure that your partner is really passionate the same way you are about it. A partner means that they have to be a part in the business decisions, give them equity, trust, and leadership. DESCRIBE A MOMENT WHEN YOU FELT LIKE GIVING UP Starting a social startup in Egypt was definitely not easy. Despite the huge market now for entrepreneurs in Egypt, it’s not as big as it is in

http://www.derekloudermilk.com/blog/about/ ()Derek is one crazy dude. After graduating from Montana State in 2014, he went on a little adventure to explore the world. And by little, I mean travelling to 27 different countries and visiting all 50 states. He is also the host of his own show, The Art of Adventure Podcast, who’s main goal is to teach others how to learn what they need to know to navigate each new ecosystem of life. STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS When I was in grad school for microbiology, I was experimenting with a lot of businesses. I had experience as a cyclist so I started coaching athletes, selling other people’s sporting equipment on eBay, and teaching artists how to build an online presence so that they can sell their art online. I decided that cycling coaching was the first business that I would bring with me as I traveled abroad in 2014. FOUNDERS I did this all on my own. I heard about the rock star business model where you use your personality and your personal brand as the bu

https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrichaynie () Derric Haynie is a serial entrepreneur working his way up to a Keynote Speaker. He is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and startup founders “growth hack” their way to success. he started the company https://splashopm.com/ (Splash – Online Presence Management), with a goal of helping 10,000 entrepreneurs successfully set up profitable inbound marketing funnels, and get their first 10,000 subscribers. STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS In the beginning I focused completely on education. I needed to stop playing poker in order to make this passion of mine a success. When I knew I needed to jump ship, it was in the back of my mind that I needed an investment to help skyrocket the business. I had a few friends who were angel investors, including one who was in the email marketing space. He saw a lot of passion in me and really believed in me; therefore he made an investment of $50,000 into our company for 15%. FOUNDERS I picked my wife, https://w

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jenny-amaraneni/19/a7b/1b1 () Jenny Amaraneni is an MBA graduate from https://cbaweb.sdsu.edu/news/stories/2015/04/Solo_Eyewear (San Diego State University), who is on a mission to restore vision around the globe. She is doing this through a company she had co-founded, http://www.soloeyewear.com/ (SOLO Eyewear). With each SOLO sunglasses purchased, the team funds eye care for people in need.   STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS I initially started with a family loan, and then we turned to crowd funding and launched a Kickstarter campaign to really get the company going. Right now we are looking at taking on investment. FOUNDERS Dana Holiday is my co-founder. She has a background in graphic design and is also our Creative Director. She and I met on SDSU while working on campus in the entrepreneurship center. My advice for people who are seeking cofounders is making sure you find someone who has a specific skillset who delivers a different value than yourself to the company.

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/luke-sophinos/65/770/655 () Luke is a student entrepreneur from San Diego State University. He has won numerous awards such as winning 1st place in SDSU’s Lean Model Competition and awarded the top student entrepreneur at San Diego State University during the Spring of 2015. His software company, Coursekey, aims to improve the lack of interaction in classes and is currently being used by more than 5000 students in Southern California.   STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS We went out and recruited top tier engineering talent at San Diego State. I was able to lock in a couple engineers and bought into the vision and have been with us since. That allowed us to put out software at a very low cost. We got to our alpha version last Spring for around $1200. From that, after proving what we had, we funded ourselves completely off business plan competitions. FOUNDERS I started a totally different concept with another individual, and that ended up not working out. While that p

https://www.linkedin.com/in/codyscottcross () Cody Cross is the Co-founder and CEO at https://greekrush.com/ (GreekRush). https://greekrush.com/ (GreekRush) helps fraternities & sororities manage themselves more effectively, interact more socially, and become part of a closer community. Cody has been through all the standard ups-and-downs as a young entrepreneur, and has gained some serious traction with https://greekrush.com/ (GreekRush).   STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS We did end up raising $20,000 from friends and family, but that was only after we were able to launch a full prototype at a university. I think that it is more important to get a prototype and get something working, at least to get some sort of concept, before you get to that phase. FOUNDERS I was in between studying business or engineering early in my college career, and that’s when I met Carson. It was really just one of those things where we hit it off in the sense that we both had ambitions to start something new, and we

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=AAkAAAPzBqYBJwswoTxMYphjqy9XyX3CotOT99I&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=6pkP&locale=en_US&trk=tyah&trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Amynetwork%2CclickedEntityId%3A66258598%2CauthType%3ANAME_SEARCH%2Cidx%3A1-1-1%2CtarId%3A1444244538123%2Ctas%3Atyler () Tyler Norris is a student entrepreneur from the University of San Diego. He is the Founder and CEO at http://www.soulrbowls.com/ (SoulrCarts), an awesome solar powered food cart franchise with a big vision. His company recently made it through the final round of Oxygen Network’s startup program, “Quit Your Day Job”, and will be broadcasted on national TV sometime early 2016.   STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS Right when I had quite Apple, I have dabbled in flipping vintage trailers. What I would do is buy them and putting them in a storage facility, renovating them, and flipping them on Craig’s list. A few trailers later, I was making food carts. FOUNDERS The food cart business was my own thing.

http://www.jaymagpantay.com/ () Jay Magpantay is a classic case of a serial entrepreneur. The man is extremely busy, always juggling several projects at a time. He’s the founder of EZDSIT, a clothing company that became well known and respected in the Paradise Hills community. He teaches individuals and businesses how to take their businesses online as an online business trainer. And he is Co-Founder of Live Young & Retire, a collective of individuals dedicated to living a life of freedom. STRATEGIES USED TO FUND BUSINESS I was very fortunate to be able to self-fund my own project and my passions. When I was in the Navy as a kid without a family, without a wife and kids, without a home to pay for, you get to save a lot of money, especially when you are out overseas not spending it. FOUNDERS I was a bit of an artist, and my very first business was putting my designs on clothing. I was out at sea and doodling on my black book, and thought why I should just put this on t-shirts and sell it. So I

http://johnmikaelian.com/ () Between class, work, sports, and a social life, most college student don’t have time for anything else. This isn’t the case for John Mikaelian. John is a graduate at San Diego State University and majored in Business Administration. Somehow, John found the time to write, self-publish, and sell a book through Amazon called, Reality Check: A College Student’s Survival Guide, which outlines the positive and negative aspects of the real world.       Strategies used to fund business Self publishing has becoming really popular so my business I could say is my book. There are a lot of platforms where you can send in your book from the cover, to the text inside the book, so there really wasn’t that big of a startup cost. I was able to fund the book myself and it cost me a couple hundred dollars. Describe a moment when you felt like giving up Amazon doesn’t really do any marketing for you, so you kind of had to push your own traffic to the website, and I wasn’t really

http://beayesman.com/ () Nathan Resnick is a student at the University of San Diego and the founder of http://www.beayesman.com/ (Yes Man Watches). Having launched and advised several successful Kickstarter campaigns, he knows the ins and outs of how to turn ideas into realities. Named #28 on the Fall 2014 Top 50 College Startups List, Nathan plans to empower people to consider the use of time. How do you spend your day?       Strategies used to fund business We had this idea of a brand, this empowering brand, and get people to there “YES.” We saw this concept being applied to a belt buckle and wanted to use the same technology for a watch to create a perfect fit for your wrist. The hardest part was figuring out how we were going to produce and manufacture these watches. We ultimately ended up going with Kickstarter, a crowd funding platform. Founders I am actually the sole founder of Yes Man. That was one of the hardest parts of starting. I originally had the concept with a friend, and