Change your Views About Failure & Succeed in Leadership

People commonly, everyday, hate to fail. Admit it, you hate failing. It makes you feel low, humble, betrayed, seconded, or even trialed. It makes you feel completely challenged, doesn't it? What's more? It makes you feel like you won't reach success, sometimes. Many people who don't expect success reach it, but most people who try at success end up failing instead. Why? Let's explore.

Failing is a necessary, key challenge to get to success. Many people who've failed too many times change their mind about failing, and start creating stuff that they don't expect to have any success. They might just be targeting a specific audience, or trying their hand at the sport they're involved in.

Part 3: Top Ideas to Help Market Your Products

This is the last day for our three day product marketing series. I hope the avid readers have enjoyed it. For those that haven't enjoyed it so far, be sure to check out part 1 and part 2.

Anyway, today, we'll finish up on the top ideas. We'll go through 11-15 of the top ideas.

This has been very exciting, so these last few should be good.

What Do Leaders Really Need?

I decided to talk about leadership today, as there are always a lot of questions about leadership, and I have the experience to teach it. So, people wonder what leaders really need before they take on actual leadership. I've got some answers.

(Hope you're enjoying our three part series on product marketing. If you haven't checked it out, don't miss part 1 and part 2 so far.)

Many people are unsure how to make themselves ready for leadership, so here are a few prerequisites, maybe, that should be helpful to get you started on the right track. :)

Part 2: Top Ideas to Help Market Your Products

As promised, today is the followup post, and number 2 of this series. If you're wondering where part 1 is, you can look here or find it on the main page. :)

Anyway, today, we'll continue on the top ideas. We'll go through 6-10 of the top ideas.

Here we are...

6.   Create a promotional video to help your products get attention. People LOVE video. Therefore, why not create a promotional video to help market your product(s). There are many avenues to take in publishing your video, such as Vimeo, DailyMotion, or YouTube.

If you're not good at making videos, then learn how. There are many sources to get help on how to create marketing videos for your product(s).

Part 1: Top Ideas to Help Market Your Products

Today, I'll be starting an article series, which you won't want to miss. Please make sure to share these articles (3 in total) with as many people as you can, personal and business. I'll be posting all three this week, so please stay tuned to the latest posts.

People everywhere have wondered around (literally) for years how to best market their products online in a robust, non-expensive way. I have, in fact, some methods to share with you today. I'll be sharing 5 with you every day. So, let's get started for today, part 1.

How to Make People Mad on Social Media

There are ways that you can make a lot of people mad on social media, whether it be on your personal or business account/page. Some of the ways that one can make some people mad are as follows:

1. Disagree with people. I've always called it best when you disagree or criticize ideas, but criticizing people is going to make some people mad. Oh...and no one gets the last word in, so don't compete. It isn't a clean disagreement if people are competing for the last word.
2. Being a spammer. If all you're going to do is spam the mess out of your followers/friends, they're either going to get mad, or just unfollow you. In addition, avoid using auto-DMs, unless you only do it once in a blue moon (meaning almost never).

Why Data Only will not Help your Business Strategy

Usage data has become part of a major discussion in recent years, mainly because of the risk of privacy problems carried with it. Now, many have stated that rich data usage is a big element when it comes to product development, and I agree. However, this will not be the best thing for your business strategy, if you look to focus mainly on data.

Data, just in general, is becoming extremely big business. Big data, to be more exact. And according to research studies compiled last year by marketing companies (several), show that big data could reach a 20-30 billion dollar industry. Essentially, usage data is much needed, as this is anonymous feedback or robot feedback from how a program/app is operating on a system, saving countless hours of labor, for example.

Top Three Relationships you Should Have in Business

Seems like only yesterday when people were very communicative to each other, dealt with problems face-to-face (unless you're a wuss), and had a job worth fighting for. Now, these days, seems like those three things just listed don't exist much anymore. Not saying they don't exist anymore, it's just they're far limiting now.

You might be thinking you can do this business thing alone. Perhaps that's what's on your mind right now: "I can work alone and be totally independent" or "I'm my own boss, therefore I don't need anyone else around" or "My life is on a success spindle, so I control the relationships I have". Hope you get the gist.

Infographic: Video Marketing is Highly Important for your Business!

It's my greatest concern to share this infographic with you today to express how important video marketing is for your business. If your business strategy does not include video marketing, then reconsider.

10 Ways to Safeguard your Online Identity

There are many reasons people have trouble with finances, their personal wealth, or their identities. Many times hackers cause problems for people, especially if they get an infection on their computer, have a public social networking profile, or have an open hole in their network where a hacker can break in, steal information, and take control of their computer.

My question to you...do you use the same password for everything? Do you commonly open up your personal information for the world to see? These tips will provide the understanding for you, so you know how to safeguard your online identity.

Software Company Acquisitions Produce Many Insecurities

You may think these software company acquisitions are full of glamor or generosity, but they stem from insecurities collectively. We'll explore this in my study today on company acquisitions.

M&A, also called mergers and acquisitions, is a business technique where a company may buy out the other company or merge operations with that company. Whatever money is used to buy out a company will go to business leaders, shareholders, etc. This might all seem glamorous, however, it turns out that it stems from many insecurities.

Many companies that seek to buy out other companies are insecure about their own operations. They think: 'man, I'd like to buy that company, because they've worked years on making that product so awesome.' What the results are is expansion. They're taking years of development and paying it off just to make their company bigger. This is all an ego battle between the major US digital companies.

Small Business Consulting Should Be at your Fingertips

I'm sure you know what a consultant is. The dictionary defines a consultant as "an expert in a particular field who works as an adviser either to a company or to another individual." Why would a normal business need business consultants?

Business consultants are more than just experts, they're specified in knowledge in a certain path. Where others may dabble in that area, consultants usually have a bright knowledge in the path they've chosen in business.

Let's get an example. If you look to contract a SEO consultant, it's because you know that the specific person has a lot more knowledge in SEO than a product marketer. A SEO consultant can take product marketing, and twist it up fancily to attract web users. Online, a SEO consultant would work well for your product marketing, whereas a product marketer would work best offline. Get the picture?

Ways to keep your Ego in Check

As being a young entrepreneur, you might seem like the type that gets puffed up or a big head with every success moment you have. However, this can lead to disrespect of elder entrepreneurs, or can lead to a distaste people have for you.

As I talked about before, it is a good idea to have socially attractive humility - I identified 7 ways to not describe yourself. One of those identified was calling yourself "powerful", as this makes you sound like you have a big ego.

It's more appreciating to see a wonderful businessperson or employee have a calm manner, humble description of themselves, and overall excellent attitude. Again, be real, be yourself, and people will describe you for exactly who you are.

How to Deal with a Board of Directors

Now, if you've been in business long enough, you'd know you need a board of directors (as long as you have a corporation, nonprofit, LLC, etc.). However, putting together the right board of directors is best. Therefore, we need a standard, right? Hopefully the tips below will help outline that standard.

Now, if you have the right founding team, then part of your board should involve your founders (if you have more than one founder (not just yourself)). A bad board, even a couple of bad directors on that board, can be very toxic to your company and its culture. Company culture depends on stability, and when you lack a good board or lack stability on your board, your company will fail to have stability.

How to Bootstrap a Business: 5 Tips for Your Startup

Looking for venture capital or investors for your early-stage business is pretty difficult, especially if you don't have a good plan or good persuasion skills. So, whatever investment or income in the business that you have, you'll have to bootstrap so you get the most out of it. Bootstrapping is attempting to keep your costs and overhead as low as possible.

Here are a few tips to help get you started in bootstrapping your business.

1. Confirm your idea as good enough.
   
   Is your business idea as good as you think it is? Good enough? Instead of asking for advice from a bunch of people, like friends or family - it would be best to ask individuals who have a stake (finance-wise) in your success (or even failure).
   
   It's best to seek the market, ask customers, and ask important entrepreneurial helpers for advice, so you know how to not only market your idea for the future, but how to figure out a good product path.

Top 10 Leadership Skills to Help in any Industry

I've been evaluating my own leadership, went through a couple classes, and have a list conjured up so you can see what the best leadership skills are to have, which can help in any industry.

1. Stay focused. As long as you're looking ahead, the other things won't matter.

Many times, people lose focus in daily activities, distractions, etc. However, if you'll focus on the goals at hand, and ignore these other distractions - you'll start reaching leadership goals.

2. It's not ALL business. What you SAY and DO impacts people in some way.

People say, "It's not personal...just business." However, I disagree with this fact. What you say and do as a leader impacts the people you manage, and the people you don't manage. So, watch what you say and how you say it.