Secrets Of A Teenage Entrepreneur

By Lydia Quinn

While many entrepreneurs happen to be work at home moms and dads, former corporate slaves or just someone with a driving ambition and the desire to be their own boss, there is also another category of entrepreneur that has had a significant impact on e-commerce. I'm talking about the teenage entrepreneur. You'd be surprised how many websites and online businesses were actually started by or are run by teenagers with a little motivation, free time and willingness to try anything.

20 years ago, before the ubiquitousness of the Internet, it was much harder for a teen to start their own business. They may have been relegated to the typical teen jobs like paper boy or lawn mower. However, with the Internet and the World Wide Web as we now know it, the playing field was leveled and age was no longer such a limiting factor in the world of business. Today, entrepreneurs are limited only by their own skills and imagination.

What can we learn from a teenage entrepreneur that we can apply to our own business? Maybe alot. I talked to Brandon Anderson, who started his own online business in the 9th grade. Today, he runs one of the top sites on the Internet for traffic safety supplies including barricade lights and accessories.

Brandon said he started the company due to the easy availability of his product due to a relative's business connections. Brandon says, "He suggested I try and set up a site to get sales and see what happens. I decided, what the hell, it's not a big investment, so I might as well just try." And so Brandon purchased a domain name, appropriately BrandonSafetyLights.com and set up a simple website that included pictures of the lights and supplies, descriptions and Paypal ordering buttons for each product. To minimize costs, Brandon used Paypal as his merchant services provider. While the site started out slow, traffic steadily grew and so did customers and sales. With outside promotion help including the services of a search engine optimization firm, the site is now ranked very well for the majority of its targeted search terms on the most popular search engines including Google. The site and business has grown steadily and continues to grow with it now attracting a loyal customer following.

Advantages

The advantages of the business are many. With it being a solely online business, the maintenance of the site is minimal. It basically runs itself. Though there are costs related to hosting, merchant fees and advertising costs, the site is profitable and makes for a tidy income for Brandon, now a freshman at Syracuse University. In addition, the site can basically be run from anywhere.

Drawbacks

Being a teenage entrepreneur isn't without its drawbacks though. Brandon says, "Dealing with school and owning a business can be tough at times. Talking about barricade lights to a customer outside a classroom or in a lunch room can be embarrassing. Also, I usually get my calls during class time, so I can't respond right away. I have to wait until after school and can lose sales this way. Or if a customer just needs some info and I can't get that back to them until after the school day, it hurts my relationship with that company. But, I learn to deal with it."

For Brandon and the many other teenage entrepreneurs, the Internet continues to challenge the old school mentality and rules of business, as teenage entrepreneurs have changed the landscape of e-commerce.

Lydia Quinn writes for Brandon Safety Lights, a leading provider of barricade lights and traffic safety supplies. Visit us at: http://www.brandonsafetylights.com/

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The 3 Biggest Reasons for Entrepreneurship

By Elaine Lockard

Most of us at one time or another have dreamed of owning our own business and being our own boss. We love the thought of working on our schedule, not someone else's. We can take vacations when we want or spend time with the family in the middle of the day. We want the satisfaction of creating something that is ours and succeeding at it.

But the one thing we don't often fully understand and think through is that it takes a lot of time, investment, and hard work to get to the point of being able to do these things. It can take years of working seven days a week, 12 to 14 hours or more a day, spending less time with the family and going on less vacations just to make a sustainable business and living.

So why do we do it? Why do we want to be an entrepreneur so badly?

Well I already touched on a couple of reasons. One is money. We hope and dream that we will become so successful that we can afford to have whatever we want. Money is so seductive, it draws us in to pursue as much of it as we can or as much of it as we need. The world runs on money and we have been led to feel it gives you more power and control over and in your life and business.

Our society instills in us that one goal for success and a happy life is money and plenty of it. We are brainwashed to an extent and will pursue it whenever and wherever we can.

Secondly, the independence and flexibility factor is so enticing. We all want to work our own hours and not account to anyone else. If we want to get up in the middle of the night and work and go to the beach during the day, we can make that choice. If you have a family with young kids, you can choose to spend more time with them and not have to pay for daycare or a babysitter. Whatever you wish to do, at whatever time, fully becomes under your control.

Lastly, and this is a very big one, probably the single biggest reason for entrepreneurship is passion. You have an interest or hobby that you so love, you want to immerse yourself in it and make a living from it.

Just think, if you don't love what you are doing, then how are you going to spend long days, weeks, months and years working your business? How are you going to succeed if you start slowing down or putting off work because you're not liking what you're doing or it has become boring?

Whatever your passion is, from an interest or hobby to just loving the fact of running a business whatever the business is, passion is your motivator, you're driving force to succeed and have the previous two goals happen for you in your life.

There are other reasons to work for yourself but these three are the biggest. So, what's your passion? Who knows, you may decide to become an entrepreneur yourself.

What are your tips on staying motivated in your business!

Are you unknowingly sacrificing your success? Have you tried other Executive coaching and mentoring services but didn't get the results you wanted?

I am Elaine Lockard, an Executive, Leadership and Business Coach and Intuitive Business Mentor. I help you transform your pain to profit by putting your higher self in charge of your income!

Visit http://elainelockard.com to find out how I can be of service to YOU so YOU can have the profitability and fulfillment you deserve.

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Email Marketing Campaigns: How to set one up and what software to use...

                                                       


In this article Dawn Marchant is going to provide you with an example of how to construct an effective marketing campaign. You can use it as a template to start creating your own.

It's important to start with the big picture to have a clear overview of what you want to accomplish with your email campaign......

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON SETTING UP AN EMAIL MARKETING CAMPAIGN.....

Become an Entrepreneur Through the Power of Your Customer List

By Joshua Black

Your customer list is the most powerful audience for developing a new business. If you're ready to start your next entrepreneurial venture, look to your list to help you build a successful business before you create a single product.

As an entrepreneur, you can't create a business first, then try to convince people to buy what you're pitching. Most of the time you're wrong. The best way to start and grow a new business idea is to grow straight to your customers.

You don't want to ask your customer demographic what they're looking for. This will lead you to the wrong place. Your customers don't know what they want until you deliver it.

However, your customer list will help you indirectly. You can look at their buying habits, the questions they email you, and even the surveys they answer. The secret to your list, is using it to hone in on their biggest problem, the golden issue that keeps these customers awake at night.

Once you use your list to discover the problem, you can use it to laser focus the product, find out how much they'll spend, and test the specific words that will get their attention.

Using this technique, your odds of success will swing higher in your favor. As an entrepreneur, it's your job to create the new product, but you can't do it in a vacuum. Allowing your targeted list to help guide your way towards your next business venture, will position your business successfully from day one.

...and if you're serious about your next entrepreneurial venture you may want to check out this site:

Visit Joshua Black's flagship resource site for small business entrepreneurs at www.UnderdogMillionaire.com for the free Underdog Millionaire Wealth Pack: including 5 FREE e-books and weekly wealth building tips for the bootstrapping small business owner- in the areas of sales, marketing, and more.Get your FREE Wealth Pack here.

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"THE APPRENTICE": new series is nearly here!

"The Apprentice" new series starts soon

Entrepreneurs Get Ready!


Our favourite TV show is back very soon now.


Read more HERE about the new series of "The Apprentice"

The World's Most Successful Teenage Entrepreneurs

By Annie Whitney

         Successful teenage entrepreneurs are among the most inspirational people in the world. Given their creativity and the ability to see things in new perspectives, it is no wonder that many teenagers-individuals ageing from 13 to 19 years old-have become some of the world's most successful and richest people.

Experts say that in the world of business, age doesn't always have to matter, since some of the freshest ideas may come from teenagers who are still in school. If you are one of those teenagers who are trying to find your niche in the world of business, then what you might need is some inspiration to push you to take that leap which could change the course of your life forever.

For teenagers who are thinking of starting a business, but who might be afraid to fail, take time to read some of the inspiring stories behind the world's most successful teenage entrepreneurs.

The first teenage entrepreneur who would probably inspire you is Cameron Johnson. At the age of nine, Cameron kicked off his business career with greeting cards, stationery, and invitations that he personally made. Given his creativity, Cameron's cards became so popular not only to his family and friends, but also in the entire neighborhood. As his products increased in popularity, he decided to name his company "Cheers and Tears."

When he reached the age of 12, Cameron ventured into another business by taking advantage of the Internet. He used his Internet marketing skills through eBay, which earned him $50,000 a year. He also took time to research the stock market, where his investments made his company grow to sales in excess of $15,000 per day; he accomplished this by the age of 15. Now 27, Cameron has been featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines around the globe; Newsweek, Business Week, USA Today, The New York Times and Time Magazine, to name a few. He has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, MSNBC, ABC, and dozens of Japanese television programs as well.

Next on the list would be a girl named Ashley Qualls. At the age of 14, Ashley showed the world that there could be more to girls her age than just partying and dating. She began her very own website called "whateverlife.com". The inspiration for her business stemmed from the idea of providing free MySpace layouts and tutorials, using advanced and creative HTML for her fellow teenagers.

Her starting income was $2,790, but then Ashley's business grossed more than $1 million in less than four years. At age 20, Ashley continues to bask in the success she has achieved as an entrepreneur. She continues to endeavor in incorporating innovations in her business through many new ventures.

Then there's the brother/sister act, Catherine and David Cook. They were ages 15 and 17, respectively, when they started their business called "My Year Book." These two teenagers proved that new opportunities can be derived from existing elements. Their business started by recreating an old year book, then made it more applicable to modern times by creating an online version. By making it interactive, their Internet business grew in popularity, with 950,000 members joining during its initial launch in 2005. To date, the business continues to be extremely successful, with a total net worth of $10 million.

There are many recognized teenager entrepreneurs across the globe, and in a vast variety of fields. If you want to be one of them, now is the time to discover your interests, and use your ingenuity to create and re-create something of lasting value. Who knows, your story might be the inspiration for future generations of young people.

Annie Whitney is a Relationship and Internet Sponsoring Expert, specializing in helping others generate Leads & Cash Flow. For the exact step by step strategies, using honest & proven methods for quick success, and proven health, you can learn more by clicking here => annieoklie.org

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What Is the Most Important Business Skill for an Entrepreneur

By Ajaero Tony Ifeanyi

One of the criteria for climbing the corporate ladder or earning a high income as an employee is to specialize. That's why PhD holders, surgeons, attorneys, CPAs or accountants, etc receive high paychecks monthly. Unfortunately, this doesn't apply to the business world. To become a successful entrepreneur, you must be a generalist; that means you must know a little of everything with respect to building a business.

"Skills make you rich, not theories." - Rich Dad

Now what does it take to build a successful business? I have been building businesses and from my experience, I can tell you that building a business require a synergy of skills. Successful entrepreneurs became successful because they invested time and resources to develop their entrepreneurial skills. That's why I advise my protégés wanting to start a business to first get in the right mindset; then work on improving their business skills. Now what are the necessary business skills you need to build a successful business?

Five Important Business Skills you need to become a Successful Entrepreneur

1. Accounting skill
"Accounting is the language of business." - Warren Buffett

2. Leadership skill
"The speed of the leader determines the speed of the gang." - Mary Kay Ash

3. Sales skill
"If you cannot sell, you will be sold."

4. People skill
"People are your company's greatest asset." - Mary Kay Ash

5. Time management skills
"Time is your most important resource. You can do so much in ten minutes. Ten minutes; once gone is gone for good." - Ingvar Kamprad

If you observe the quotes of the entrepreneurs above, you will come to understand that each of the business skill listed is very important to the successful piloting of a business. But of the five skills list above, one is the most important. Without it, nothing can be done with respect to building a business.
Now what is the most important business skill?

The most important business you need and you must constantly work on improving upon is sales skills. Yes; sales skill is the most business skill because without it, your business is dead on arrival.

"The ability to sell is the number one skill in business. If you cannot sell, don't bother thinking about becoming a business owner." - Robert Kiyosaki

Bill Gates became the richest man in the world not because he was a great programmer. The reason he became successful was that he possessed the ability to sell. Creativity did not make Steve Jobs rich; selling did. Successful entrepreneurs don't thrive on great products or ideas only; they thrive on their ability to woo customers, suppliers, employees and investors.

Selling is the most important duty and number one job of an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur must first sell his business ideas and plan to investors to raise capital for his business. After that, he must sell his company's culture so as get the best employees and business team. Then he must sell his business prospects to suppliers to gain their trust and strike a deal. Selling the company's product comes next and after that, an entrepreneur must sell and forge strategic alliance with other businesses.

So now you understand why sales skill is the most important skill in business. A business cannot survive without generating sales; sales keep the cash flowing into your business and cash flow is life blood of a business. Another reason why sales skill is important is because it is a synergy of skills. When you improve your sales skill; you are also developing your persuasion skill, negotiation skill and public speaking skill.

The reason I am stressing the important of selling is because I often hear potential entrepreneurs make the following statements:

I hate selling
I hate rejection
I have a degree, why should I take a course on sales
I can hire sales professionals to generate the sales

When I became an entrepreneur, I also had such mindset and it affected me negatively. My inability to sell was the major reason why I failed to succeed in the network marketing industry. But instead of hiding in my shell and blaming the network marketing company, I worked on improving my sales skills and today; I am strong in sales. So if you want to become a successful entrepreneur, if you want to build a business empire; then learn how to sell. Selling is a necessity for success in business.

As a final note, you can download my Master List of Best Startup Business ideas and learn How to Make a Million Dollars Fast in less than a year.

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10 ways to listen, lead and succeed

By Ann Skidmore of the Entrepreneurs Business Academy

As a corporate coach I have worked with many leaders, but the person who inspired me the most worked in the airport industry and took a “back to the floor” approach.
From time to time he would roll up his sleeves to get stuck in, in every department: washing dishes in the cafes, handling baggage and so on. In finding time to show people that he appreciated them, and to find their concerns, he was saying: “I want to understand what you do – because what you do counts.”
No matter how big or how junior the role, everyone on the team should feel they share a vision and should know that they are valued. A strong leader does more than motivate; he or she drives the team culture, while also encouraging the team to be fully accountable and responsible for achieving their common goal.
A good leader knows they can’t achieve everything on their own. Fabulous teams have a sense of purpose and understand their objectives.
Managing and leading people is highly rewarding when you have the tools to do it well, but most people learn as they go along, and some fall by the wayside, losing confidence in the process. So much about leadership is about managing team dynamics – and power dynamics.
When you have several people in the same room, each representing the interests of their own department – marketing, finance, etc – there will be times when there are clashes and unhelpful behaviour. Instead of the leader, someone else within the team holds the power, and is diverting attention to dampening the energy.
If something happens in a meeting to prevent co-operation, it must also be happening on a daily basis.
An effective leader will listen and help individuals to respect each other and work together as a fully functioning team. The leader (perhaps with the help of a coach) needs to ensure there is a strategy of action put in place so that he or she and the team commit to changing unhelpful behaviour.
We are all leaders in some aspect of our lives – the key is to get help in acquiring the key skills that enable us to lead effectively.
A team becomes successful when the business leader:
1. Has a sense of purpose and encourages a common vision. A team takes its cue from the attitude and behaviour of the person who leads them.
2. Communicates openly and honestly – and is authentic in approach. This is the boss who says: “Good morning, how are you today?” and means it, rather tahn rushing through the office with a curt “Morning” on the way to a meeting.
3. Makes sure body language echoes their intentions. There is no point in saying to a team member: “I can give you all the time you need”, if you signal the opposite message by constantly checking your watch.
4. Clearly defines roles and responsibilities and encourages support and trust within the team.
5. Conducts effective meetings, where everyone can contribute - by taking clear decisions but making time to listen to others’ points of view.
6. Encourages tolerance of others’ differences and constructive resolution of conflict – by encouraging a culture of personal responsibility rather than a culture of blame.
7. Reviews results and working practices, while encouraging a sense of pride in personal achievements. Take time to celebrate scaling the first mountain before climbing the next one.
8. Remains self-aware. Being mindful of the impact he or she has on others and maintaining a flexible approach.
9. Respects and co-operates with others inside and outside the organisation. In a small business, every relationship within the network counts. You are only ever as strong as your weakest link.
10. Leads by example. Where the leader leads, others will follow.

Entrepreneurs Business Academy, 21st January, only a few places left!

Don't leave your success to chance:

MAKE 2012 YOUR BEST YEAR YET!

TICKETS SELLING FAST!

Dear business colleague,

Join business guru Nic Rixon at this exclusive EBA event "PLANNING FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS" and plan your own business success and security for 2012.

What else could be more important at the start of the year?

Unpack the clutter of your mind
Unlock and learn new business success strategies
Re-pack your mind with what you need to succeed in 2012
Create a business master plan to guide you through the next testing 12 months
This content rich, action packed day, will provide you with a clearly designed action plan specific to you and your business.

This day is crucial to your success in 2012 - put it off at your peril

The interest in this event has been absolutely immense and based on the response we've had so far, places are now limited.

Look forward to seeing you.

Kind Regards,

Bev James
CEO The Academy Group
Entrepreneurs' Business Academy
Hill House
2 Heron Square
Richmond-upon-Thames TW9 1EP
United Kingdom

James Caans' Entrepreneurs Business Academy 21st January 2012

Seven Steps to Accomplish Your Extraordinary Goals

By Rick Meekins

The year-end/start of the new year often marks a mile-marker for people in all walks of life. New tax year. New goals. New expectations. New resolutions. I believe that many of us create expectations for ourselves that we have every intention of pursuing, but neglect to think in terms of how to actually accomplish them. One of those has to do with personal or professional improvement. While it might be great to increase revenue or increase productivity, the "how" is often the debilitating factor. I am not suggesting that the goals are logically impossible or impractical, but rather, without evaluating the "whole picture" the goals are idealistic and success unlikely.

You might liken it to the routine of losing weight. Many people who wish to lose weight plan to diet, exercise or both in order to do so. While they have every intention of doing so, most people who want to lose weight will fail - not because they don't try with the best of intentions, but rather, because they go about it wrong: while they are looking for a physical change and instant results, the way people lose weight and keep it off is often by a lifestyle change, which might include diet and exercise, but is more of a psychological change which often begins with answer questions that begin with "why?" starting with "why do you want to lose weight?"

In your business, change doesn't occur any differently. Understanding what you would like to do is only the tip of the iceberg. The business psychology is still subject to the same psychological rules in order for the organizational change to take place. It is not an overnight process. It does require ongoing commitment and dedication in order to see it through.

While many subject-matter experts have written on the subject, I have discovered a path that logically makes sense in order to not just achieve the goals that you have set out for your company, but for the endeavors to be successful. It has a lot to do with "setting the stage" for whatever venture you are planning to launch rather than the instant-gratification method of "throwing some ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks." As a business leader, it makes me think in terms of creating my own Blue Ocean strategy, rather than fighting to get scraps in the more popular target areas. Keep in mind that regardless of the goal - internal or external to the organization, it has to be sold.

Here are the seven steps:

Establish your goal. This, of course is the most obvious. What, exactly, do you want to do? What is the bottom line result? What will the painting look like when it is finished? What is the destination? Without understanding, clearly, what the goal is, it will be impossible to create a path toward it, share it with others or even stay motivated.
Frame it. As the questions:
Does this serve our company beliefs (mission, vision, values)
What new knowledge/understanding are required to accomplish this?
Who can advise me on this?
Why are we doing this? What is its purpose? What is the vision?
What are the criteria for quality?
How will we measure success?
Will it be desirable by our end-users?
Make it appealing. Make something that people will truly hunger for. Your audiences will need to understand it and relate it back to something they already enjoy. Only a small segment of the population will "risk" trying something completely new and untested. You've got to focus on the majority.

Prepare to maintain it. You already know that any time you introduce change, even if something is appealing, consumers will need to be able to "wash it down," so to speak. They need to feel confident that the right choice has been made and the initial appeal needs to be renewed.

Do things well. Make the experience as palatable as possible. Think in terms of needing to repeat the activity or getting other people on board with it. If you do it well the first time, it will be easier to get people on board the second time around and to keep those who have gotten on board to stay on board!

Create your consumer experience. Anticipate needs. Whoever will be involved with bringing the goal to fruition will have an experience with you and your company. Having the customer experience completely "mapped out" touching on creating value at every interaction with your company is invaluable. If your goal is to track your sales teams' activities, you will want to put some time and energy into figuring out how to create value for them at every step of the process, versus threatening to fire them or not pay them if they DON'T follow the process!

Tell people about it. Get people on board. Get them excited about the change or about getting on board.
These seven steps can be applied to marketing, product or service development goal setting or starting a whole new company. These avoid the time and revenue sucking "spaghetti" technique and helps a business leader thinking through the goal. It avoids pulling goals out of thin air or creating baseless goals that some managers and business leaders use just because that is what is always done.

As you begin your journey onto 2012 and beyond, think it terms of going big. Think in terms of being extraordinary.

Rick Meekins is passionate about helping business leaders start, run and grow extraordinary businesses. He focuses on helping leaders clarify their business goals and develop strategies to achieve them. He is a strong believer in alignment between people, purpose, passion and pursuit. He believes that people working in alignment with their individual purposes is the foundation for successful businesses and successful communities.

Mr. Meekins is the Founder & Principal at Aepiphanni: The Business Strategy People, a boutique consulting firm based in Metro Atlanta, Ga. Aepiphanni is a Business Strategy Consulting Firm dedicated to providing leadership and direction in the areas of operations, communications, branding, leadership and marketing. Their work has helped business owners expand their businesses, increase revenues, reduce costs and pursue sustainable futures. For further information, please contact them, directly, at 678-265-3908, email them at info@aepiphanni.com, or visit their website at http://www.aepiphanni.com.

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Brand Like Elvis, If You Want a Big Brand

By Jack Sims

A couple of months ago my son said to me "Dad I am taking my son (my grandson Adam who is 10 years old) to see Elvis. I thought he was talking about a movie, or maybe on a road trip like he and I had done years before to visit "Graceland", Elvis home in Memphis. Yes I was and am an Elvis fan.

But no, he was talking about the "Elvis in Concert" show that was at the Radio City Concert Hall in New York. They put together all of the original musicians and singers, put them in a live show and then put Elvis on a screen in the middle of all of the live music. My first reaction was that it's a bit hokey, but he said that it would be the closest he would ever get to see Elvis, and true to form he said that it was an amazing show and you felt that you were really seeing the "King" live on stage.

Now this show is apparently touring all over the world and was started in order to celebrate 20 years after Elvis died back in 1997, and today is a box office success everywhere the show plays. Just as an aside, the great guitarist James Burton and amazing drummer Ronnie Tutt is in the line up, and it's worth seeing the show just to see these two guys play, they are the best in the business.

The reason that I mention this is that we are looking at a singer who is as popular as ever, 25 years after his death and many of the people who are buying his music were not even born when he died. So there is something special going on here that needs looking at, and I decided to look at what makes the Elvis Brand so special and what gives it it's incredible longevity. And what can we learn from Elvis, that we can apply and help our business.

Like all successful programs I did my due diligence and conducted some market research, and would seem that there were three big things that made the girls swoon, and frankly the guys too, when it came to Elvis.

First and foremost it was about the sound,it was totally different from anything else that teenagers had ever heard before. This was a white guy singing his version of black music and doing a heck of a job with it. It made you jump out of your seat and start dancing with whoever was around you at the time. The words didn't matter, it was all about the sound and the beat of the music. He had a southern drawl, and singing voice that was unmistakeable and all of a sudden when he arrived on the music scene, everyone wanted to look and sound like Elvis.

Second he looked different than any other singer, he died his blonde hair black and greased it back and had sideburns that made him look like the truck driver that he was. His signature lip curl, the high collars and puffed sleeves on his shirts, big belt buckles all separated him from the traditional clean cut image of the Pat Boone's of the time

Third was his attitude, he was the original "Rebel Without a Cause, he was going to do it his way, shake his legs, hips, fight you if he had to, and put his head down and look at girls with his come hither eyes.

So there are three very distinct attributes that got Elvis the attention when he first arrived on the music scene and these are the areas that you can use to grow your brand from where it is to a brand leading brand:

1st: Sound like Elvis: Elvis was totally different from anything else on the music marketplace at the time. The radio was full of Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney (yes George's Aunt), Guy Mitchell et all and Elvis was nothing like these. He was UNIQUE, he was totally different to any other singer on the radio.

So that's the question you have to ask yourself, what is your UNIQUENESS that will separate you from the rest of the competition in the marketplace that you compete in? Being average is simply the price of entry. Find out what is it that will have your target audience view you as something totally different in a sea of sameness!

2nd Look like Elvis: Elvis physically looked like no other singer the world had seen before. He wore a slicked back hair do, black and white shoes, velvet shirts, virtually everything he wore was like nothing any other singer would ever have worn.

Not only did his looks separate him from the pack but it made him far

more obvious in the musical marketplace. And for you, it's the design of your product, your packaging, your marketing communications, is it the very best on the market today? Your products goods or services should look great, feel great, smell great, sound great and use as many of the senses as possible to create an on going communication with your target audience. Spend time, effort and money in this area if you want to differentiate yourself in the marketplace.

3rd Get the Elvis Attitude: Yes Elvis had an attitude, an edge that made him different. This attitude was pervasive throughout everything that he did, from the songs to the clothes he wore to the way he just looked at people, it was all orchestrated to ensure that Elvis was unlike any other singer product on the market.

Attitude is the component of the product mix that must exist if you want to differentiate your products, goods or services from the competitive set. For instance Apple has it in spades, it's an irreverent, hot, cool, different attitude that every Apple product purchaser get's. Virgin Airlines and it's founder Sir Richard Branson have it. It's that certain something that makes them different. In the case of Virgin, it's about looking at products in the marketplace where the traditional products have a stranglehold and creating a product that beats the system in every way.
So what are you doing to create an attitude in your business that will differentiate you in your marketplace?

Conclusion on the Elvis Brand:

Elvis had all of the components that go towards making a good singer into a BIG BRAND, and it lasted throughout his career, even during the time he was in the army. Despite a downturn during the "Beatles years" he re-built his image and remade himself over and over, resurfacing in the NBC Comeback Special in 1968 and of course then took it to Las Vegas and around the country for years.

Twenty five years after his death, he is still the "King" and the Elvis Brand is as strong as ever and delivering profits to the company that now owns his name and likenesses, CKX, which is owned by Bob Sillerman. Just for the record he paid $114 million for Elvis Presley Enterprises just two years ago, and that might be a steal!

Here's what in my experience a brand is, see if yours matches up to this 6 part brand statement that I created after 30 years of helping grow brands around the world: 

1. Uniqueness - are you different to everyone else in your category?
2. Promise - Do you keep your promises to your customers?
3. Value - Are you delivering Value, above and beyond the industry norm?
4. Expectation - Is your product what the target audience expects, or is it even better?
5. Mind - Does your brand have a piece of your customers mind.

"A unique promise of value that causes an expectation in the minds of the consumer"

Jack Sims

Copyright Jack Sims 2011

Jack Sims has literally "been there, done that". He founded one of the top five creative groups in his native England and then he did it all over again in right here at home in the United States. His marketing agency became the #1 ranked in America. Now as an author and consultant Jack speaks for companies and associations who are looking to strengthen their brand and grow their business. Jack's meeting presentations and keynote speeches are high energy and loaded with information that he has proven to work in the real business world. You will laugh at his stories, be excited by his delivery, but most importantly you will walk away with information that will help you go for serious long-term business growth. He was voted as one of the "Best Keynote Speakers" by the meeting planner readers of "Meetings and Conventions Magazine".

Contact: info@jacksms.com - http://www.jacksims.com

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